Ciao Sri Lanka!

Wow, where to start. I cannot believe my time in Sri Lanka is coming to an end. Today was Hannes and my last full day here. Tomorrow we are surfing early in the morning then taking a van back to the airport in Colombo. We are definitely not looking forward to that 10hr ride. It is 10hrs bc we are dropping off some of our new friends in a town called Mirissa, which is along the way.

I have met so many new wonderful people and experienced things here that I never even dreamed of. I have created friendships here that I hope will last the rest of my life.

Words cannot describe how cool Sri Lanka is. This place is just jaw dropping. The people here are so ridiculously kind and caring. If anything they will kill you with kindness.

Upon arriving here, I was semi-expecting to see some bombed out buildings and bullet riddled walls. To my surprise I have seen none of that. While I am sure the scars of war still run deep here, the people are doing their best to move forward.

The locals at Arugam Bay are all so awesome. Upon arriving, they showed me where to paddle out, which waves to catch, where to sit, and so much more. I am eternally grateful for it. As a small gift,. I helped burn the stupid foreigners that would drop in on the locals. Which was much appreciated by them. I guess the ultimate compliment I received was from one of the local kids who asked me what part of Sri Lanka I was from (I guess my skin is that dark now. I would say I am in the burnt toast category now.). I was blown away that the kid thought I was Sri Lankan, he was surprised when I told him I was from America.

The last four days here have been absolutely awesome. We finally got some solid surf and have just surfed our brains out. Today we took an all-day trip to this secluded beach that had a super fun point break. For the most part it was just the eight of us (Yes we did roll eight deep. And yes I had second thoughts about rolling that deep.) in the water with just awesome weather and good company. A herd of cows even tried to overtake our little picnic spot, but cows are no match for us!

Coming to Sri Lanka has re-affirmed by belief that everything happens for a reason. So many great things happened from terrible situations. Case in point, the first two nights in Arugam Bay I was absolutely victimized my bed bugs and mosquitoes. No amount of repellent or net could keep them away. My entire left foot, ankle, leg, and elbow was completely eaten alive. My elbow was swollen so much it looked like I had two elbows. My left was swelled up so bad I could not wear sandals or shoes. Pretty shitty right? Well as a result, I decided to sleep outside in a hammock. Granted I wore socks, long pants and a shirt and plenty of bug repellent. But it turned out to the absolutely awesome! The hammock was really comfortable and I woke up every morning to the most beautiful sunrises imaginable. It has been 5 or 6 days I think, since I have slept in a bed inside, but I couldn't be happier. Everything happens for a reason, we just don't see it yet.

I will say without a doubt that Sri Lanka has made me a better, well-rounded person. Coming here has given me a whole new perspective on culture and the world in general. I could write a novel about my experiences here, but that would just take too long. When you see me, just pick my brain and I will tell you some fun stories.

I am sad to leave this beautiful country, but Thailand awaits!!!