The Emporer’s New Clothes-Britpak Hunt The Jungle Physician In Sri Lanka

Posted: March 16th, 2011 | Author: Lucia | Filed under: Coverage, Information, Inspirational, Photography, Portrait, Pro Surfer, Srilanka, Surf, Uncategorized | Tags: pro surfer, Srilanka, Surf, travel | 2 Comments »

Words and Photos by LUCIA GRIGGI

Deep in the Forest of the remote island’s south-eastern jungle I’m hacking through the debris trying to find a legendary trail. For over centuries the native people have experienced the homeless life of a beggar, who trod this trail for over a millennium, leaving everything behind but a bundle of essentials.

Sleeping and living outside, under trees and in shrines and temples; seldom knowing from where their next meal will come; braving death from animal attacks or disease they walk. We walk alongside in order to find a wave. A few days earlier we had met a tuk tuk driver who used to carry back breaking loads of supplies along the path, he warmed me that time, animals, and invasive people may be intrusive to our pathway but there would be a rewarding empty wave to surf.

Starting from the island’s far North and arriving nearly two months later at the Kataragama shrine in the southeastern jungle where we were, the Pāda Yātra(the pilgrimage) has played a major role in perpetuating Kataragama’s spiritual traditions throughout Sri Lanka and South India. With surfboards tied to the roof of the tuk tuk we found unspoilt natural beaches and sand dunes providing a beautiful environment of undulating and shifting sands. This is surely one of the most spectacular seascapes of Sri Lanka.

Passing the people we stroll though the village, the smells of smoldering fires and incense remain from the temples rituals that surround our senses. Down a sandy path to an opening, where just over the way, a right hand point is pealing perfectly in front of us. Most of the area is underlain by Vijayan rocks formed over 600 million years ago, which help protect the surf from strong winds. A shifty take off zone outside the rock face with the inside opening up to a quality ramp section, it was perfection for us at the end of the road.

Matt Capel, Rusty rider, rocks up and as soon as he sees the empty line up of another perfect little right hand point, he takes to the water just yelling ‘frothing’, running as a load of high-pitched children pursue him down the beach to the point. Johnny Fryer, however, quite the opposite. A quiet specimen at the best of times, he takes time to set the video in place whilst accompanied by a mad man chanting somewhat nothings holding on to the distant memory of when he was sane, if at all.

The sun was scorching hot, midday heat here is most definitely unbearable. In awe the wave holds up to expectations, ‘A fairly fat wave at times and hard to get through the sections’, explains matt, ‘but nonetheless a smash able sick wave!’

Srilankan waves most definitely are not the gaping pitted barrels of Indonesia or the pitching lips on the Northshore, however, fun can be had. Without the insidious crowds and menacing foreign (so called) locals at the point of Aragum Bay which can sometimes get too much, we lay under the tree and relax. After a long week of surf at the main point, everyone was stoked to have found this wave and explore the many other points in the surrounding areas of the south-eastern coast.

I do a fair bit of traveling on my own’ says Capel; I always have done and love to meet new people, see different cultures and find new waves’. Born in Devon and now living in Newquay, Matt’s home break is Fistral. His winter months are spent traveling around places like Indo, Hawaii, Somoa and also in Oz, North Narrabeen where he spent a lot of his youth. ‘The beachbreaks are really punchy and it’s amazing surfing with a really high standard of surfers which pushes my surfing,’ explains matt. ‘Srilanka however, has been great, the waves are so fun, every point you go around you find a new sick right hand sand bank just reeling off with no crew out; like mini snappers everywhere but not to hectic.’ Quote, ‘Not too hectic ’ for matt seemed just about right for him, the tranquil stress-free Srilankan ‘way of life’ fell in quite comfortable with his composed outlook on life. It’s got to be said that Matt is exhilarating to watch and accumulating a crowd from the people of the foot pilgrimage, of at least a few hundred, proved just that. As we left, the people waved us on after offering us some of their cuisine that consisted of boiled or steamed rice served with curry, or ‘Kiribath’ meaning “milk rice.” –a great ending to the day.

The island of srilanka lies in the Indian Ocean, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal. Srilanka’s most known wave, Arugam Bay, is located at the “end of the road” on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Many of the buildings were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. The main road through town has not been repaved yet and is not the most comfortable in any moving vehicle. ‘Arugam Bay is far away! 7 hours drive from Colombo and it’s a fricking long ride by bus, but hey its worth it for sure,’ says Oli Adams as he holds out throughout the potholes in the tuk tuk. The village is 5 km south of Pottuvil and on the edge of Yala East National Park. Lagoons fringe this part of the coastline, each lined with mangroves and filled with brackish water. The Bay hosts a large fleet of fishing boats that operate off the beach. Many organizations donated boats after the tsunami and as a result there are far more fishing boats than ever before.

‘The waves pretty sick,’ says Oli, ‘it’s a fun wave but getting up at 5am in the morning is a killer’. ‘We’ve had some sick swell this last week and its been pumping the last couple of days. There’s always a bit of a crowd though, so getting up for a dawny is the way forward here and then a chilled out day, then going in for an evening surf is best. The wave holds up well and its fast first section gives you a few booster sections so it’s good to have a play around. I’m so stoked I came out, I miss my little girl and soon to be wife Emma Skinner so happy to head home now but definitely will be back over here again.’

The morning light came up quick this morning, the smell of ‘Rotties’, a traditional Srilankan breakfast and the sound of the ‘Conch’, ‘Hak Gediya’ in Sinhalese and ‘sangu’ in Tamil , drifted down the one street that was walked down by man, cow, dog, monkey and goat. I can safely say that a cow eating a watermelon was the finest point of the walk that day. The ‘Conch’, which is actually the shell of a sea species, is an integral part of both Buddhist and Hindu rituals in Srilanka. Srilankans believe that owning a rare right hand curved smooth white conch, could bring its owner good fortune and the riches he wished for. For the boys a night out in the local bar was as much fortune as they could ask for.

‘The waves in Srilanka are real fun’ explains Toby Donachie. ‘Relatively soft but super playful, the point at Aragum bay proves consistent waves with some great sections to try stuff off’. Toby further goes on to say, ‘Srilankan people are amazingly welcoming they spend their time waiting on the surfers hand and foot, serving great local food and fantastic hospitality. ‘At Aragum Bay the take off section can be really fast, almost too fast, so on the wave in this article I pumped the first section all the way and a little bowl came towards me which is quite common, almost a closeout section but you cant get around it most of the time. I knew I wanted to try an air so I did and took off from the lip and I think I landed it not sure I had a few attempts out there!’ I love this shot though, the morning light on the wave totally shows what this place is about.’

Awakened by the morning sun, it is half past six; we had packed the van to go. Casting shadows on the ground the large trees and foliage shadow our path. As the vehicle drove forward I could not help but feel that I was truly leaving the wilderness. Driving through the jungle, it was quiet except for the birds and insects and the faint snores of the boys on Valium. Laughter, purpose and confidence had conquered this place and the waves that were scored.

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