We arrived in Arugam Bay after a loooong bus ride. Even though Passikudah and Arugam Bay are not that far away from each other we did not find a single direct bus route and ended up using four different busses to get there, which was a real hassle. All the waiting times really added up, so in the end we spent something around six hours lost on this little odyssey and when we arrived in Arugam Bay it rained, just like throughout most of our bus ride. It was already getting dark outside as well. The hotel room we stayed in, was really nice though. A really comfortable bed, a nice bathroom. Everything located directly at the beach. From our balcony we saw and heard the ocean waters rushing against the shore.

There was just one little (Flo says huge) flaw: Due to the high humidity of the rainy off-season the bed had started molding and the room smelled terrible because of that. After we had arrived in the hotel, we walked along the beach for some time, enjoying the water playing with our feet, the loud crushing sounds of the waves amplified by a day of rain, the tingling of wet sand between our toes. We also ate tasty rice and curry in a nearby restaurant. The next day we contacted Louise, it was raining again, but we knew she wanted to be around Arugam Bay, too. Indeed she was… about to leave though, planning to take the next bus to Ella. From our window we could see the beach, covered in a spray of rain, the clouds a thick gray paste, the water a brownish, green, sandy mess.

We did not want to spend another day here actually, so we decided to take the same bus Louise was about to take. So we hurried there, just in time to get on the bus, with some breakfast: little dough triangles with potato curry. On the bus we met a guy with crazy orange hair. He looked so crazy but was such a nice guy and we enjoyed his company.

In the end we really regretted that we did not come to Arugam Bay a day earlier like Louise did, because this way we would have seen the sunny side of the beach too and would have not just been there for a shorter time than the bus travel took us to get to and from there. Anyways on we went – next destination: The beautiful hills of Ella.