ASANKA.

Asanka guest house. Misels (most of you now know Meesh from all my years of talking about her. We have lived together in Costa Rica, Thailand and Indonesia) friend Lisa has been staying here so that's why I figured I'd try it out. Misel was hoping to meet up with Lisa and I but unfortunately our schedules didn't line up. Lisa is a German girl who has been living in Australia for about 8 years now. She's also a surfer and has been at Asanka for one month already. This morning she left at 5:30am, headed back to Australia. Our meeting was short, but it was good to meet a friend of Misels. Meesh has been a really amazing friend to me over the years. We have enjoyed many waves, many meals and many laughs together in many different countries. And she has taken care of me, great care of me, when I have been in a sad, vulnerable place. I really can't express enough gratitude to her, and even though she's not here- she still managed to send me good friends and a great place to stay. This place, Asanka Guest House, just screams "misel"...it hits all of her check marks in what a guest house should be: It's definitely not in a guide book, it's family owned and operated, it's cheap, and it feels like home. So now that Lisa has left, at the guest house is her boyfriend stu (Aussie), Philip (French), jimmy (Aussie) and me. Asanka is the owner, and he sums up Sri Lanka.... He is always with a smile on his face and is just a super nice guy. All of your meals are eaten here at the guest house....Midigama is a blip of a town, only a stones throw long, and its a looooong walk to any place to eat. I miss having a fruit stand and short eats or rotti shop right around the corner, but the solitude and peace of this place is worth the exchange. Plus, all of the meals at Asanka are prepared by his "Ama" (mother), so they are quite authentic. You put your dinner order in in the afternoon. Then everyone sits together upstairs and eats at the same time in the evening. We all shared what we had ordered last night. Breakfast is included with the price you pay for the room, and I asked today if I could have a local breakfast instead of English breakfast and Asanka said absolutely!!

This place is small and cozy and comfortable, with everyone staying in different corners of the guesthouse it makes carving out your own personal time easy. I love my room, the love the guesthouse, I love the vibe....but the downside is that I don't like how disconnected I am from everything else. I could rent a motorbike, but that'd be an extra 5$ a day and I really don't feel comfortable on driving the wild roads of Sri Lanka....it is truly dangerous, especially for someone new to driving a motorbike (and new to driving on the left side of the road....).

There is only really one wave here, appropriately named Lazy Left. There's an inconsistent (and nearly nonexistent) right that is down the beach and a super dangerous super shallow right (called Rams) down the other end of the beach, but neither break has gotten rave reviews. I've found that there is no one on Lazy left (which I'm too scared to try out solo) or 25 people on it (and with a point break this is not so much fun!). The surfers here ,though inexperienced, are quite aggressive. This morning was a fun surf though, an hour or so with just Philip and Stu....Team Asanka haha!!! It's been pouring rain all morning ,but the cool air feels good and it made for a glassy surf. There's a ton of sea turtles around here, who pop up often to just take a peek at you and say hello. Around noon, after about two hours of rotating waves between the three of us, a small army of Israeli surfers paddled out, which was my cue to head back to the guest house for a lazy afternoon. The rain picked up as I made the short walk back to my place. This, I believe, is the best part about Asanka. Unlike all the other places to stay in town that are along the road, Asanka is a ways back behind the railroad tracks. You cross the street and then walk through a beautiful field where two cows are grazing, cross the railroad tracks, walk across the creek on a little homemade bridge, and then enter the gate for our place. It's a short but magical walk. Now that I'm home I've made myself some instant curry noodles, a cup of hot tea and I'm ready for some yoga and reading. Hopefully the rain will let up a bit and I can get in another surf before sunset. I just gave Ama my dinner order, Rice and Curry, so even if the waves aren't good I have that to look forward to.....


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