Arugam Bay: A safe Budget destination

A?A?I don’t read either rec.travel or rec.windsurfing. A?A?I just thoughtA?A?
that some of you might find the following interesting. A?A?A?A?
Sri Lanka is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, locatedA?A?
between 80E,82E Longitude and 6N,10N Latitude –prasad }A?A?
RTw A?A?09/15 2337 A?A?SURFERS TAKE CHANCES AT EASTERN SRI LANKA BEACHA?A?
By Feizal SamathA?A?
ARUGAM BAY, Sri Lanka, Sept 16, Reuter – Big-spending touristsA?A?
and the average Sri Lankan would think twice before visiting thisA?A?
picturesque bay in the Tamil rebel-torn east.A?A?
But the risks of getting caught up in ethnic fighting have notA?A? Order luvox reviews
deterred the real enthusiasts among the foreign surfers who make How much does zofran cost in australia A?A?
an annual pilgrimage to Arugam Bay, acknowledged as one of theA?A?
best beaches in the world.A?A?
“Surfers take many chances for good waves,” explainedA?A?
Australian Ann Gillaid as she collected her board at this resortA?A?
200 km (150 miles) from Colombo.A?A?
This year between 50 to 75 foreigners a month, mostly surfers,A?A?
visited the bay village in the May to September period, a sharpA?A?
drop from the average 200 per month before 1983.A?A?
“The numbers fell after Tamil rebel activity increased afterA?A?
1983,” says Sri Lankan Lawrence Upali, who has operated a popularA?A?
beachside restaurant for the past 12 years.A?A?
The only road to the bay is through a wildlife park, once homeA?A?
to herds of elephants but now roamed by Tamil Tiger rebels byA?A?
night. Another access road is restricted due to rebel activity.A?A?
A police commando unit stops travellers from using the road atA?A?
night. It is opened in the morning only after patrols check it forA?A?
any mines laid overnight by the rebels.A?A?
Most of the Tamil-dominated north is in the hands of theA?A?
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam guerrillas, fighting for aA?A?
homeland in the north and the east for the minority Tamils. TheA?A?
east has a mixed population of Sinhalese, Tamils and Moslems andA?A?
is largely controlled by the military.A?A?
A?A?Arugam Bay is the only place in the eastern districts ofA?A?
Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee to be visited by foreignA?A?
tourists.A?A?
“We are not promoting tourism in these places because of theA?A?
unrest. But we are aware that tourists keep going to Arugam Bay,”A?A?
N.U. Yasupala, director-general of the Ceylon Tourist Board, saidA?A?
in Colombo.A?A?
He said Arugam Bay in Amparai, Passekudah in Batticaloa andA?A?
Nilaveli in Trincomalee were advertised in international travelA?A?
magazines as having the best beaches in the world.A?A?
While local travellers are often attacked by Tamil rebels,A?A?
foreigners have been spared to date, with the exception of aA?A?
Dutchman killed last year in a bus attack.A?A?
Locals say he failed to leave the bus as ordered by theA?A?
rebels, choosing to stay and protect the Sri Lankan passengers.A?A?
“It is a bit scary when you hear these stories. But weA?A?
generally don’t think about these things, though everyone warnsA?A?
you, the tourism authorities or others in Colombo, that it isA?A?
dangerous to go to Arugam Bay,” said Gillaid.A?A?
Many of the surfers are Australians while others come fromA?A?
Britain, Italy, Germany, France and Israel. A few non-surfingA?A?
tourists also seek out the bay.A?A?
One Welsh surfer said the waves at Arugam Bay were as good asA?A?
those in Indonesia or Hawaii.A?A?
“But what attracts us most to this place is that fisherfolkA?A?
here lead a simple life and living is cheap compared to what oneA?A?
would spend (elsewhere),” he said.A?A?
Many surfers have visited the bay for four or five years in aA?A?
row.A?A?
“This place is also nice because it is deserted and there areA?A?
no high-rises,” Gillaid said. “We like the simple village life andA?A?
little comforts. It should stay that way. Surfers prefer a quietA?A?
location and if tourists start crowding the place, we would goA?A?
away.”A?A?
The visitors stay in small “cadjan” huts with two beds, hiredA?A?
by locals for just 50 rupees (about $1) a bed. Food is cheap.A?A?
Most of the Australian surfers spend two to three months aA?A?
year at Arugam Bay. Others stay a couple of weeks.A?A?
Esther Reese, a 21-year-old student from Germany and one ofA?A?
the few non-surfers, said she heard about the bay from friends.A?A?
“People tell you there are problems in these areas but we have notA?A?
encountered any since we came last week.”A?A?
Most of the tourists come to Arugam Bay by bus from Hikkaduwa,A?A?
another cheap but crowded seaside resort 160 km (100 miles) to theA?A?
south.A?A?
“Our bags are checked at all security points but otherwiseA?A?
there are no problems,” said Gillaid, who says she plans to returnA?A?
next year.A?A?
REUTER FS JXK SM

Source:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.travel/browse_thread/thread/aafc2ac4a3502dcf