Surfing, Sips and Savasanas in Sri Lanka

Dark-skinned women in brightly-coloured saris sashay along rows of rolling green leaves outside the upstairs window of the Sri Lankan tea museum. Wicker baskets hanging from their backs, they work methodically, rhythmically, handpicking leaf after leaf.

Undulating countryside and a penchant for a perfectly pure blend means the exotic Indian Ocean destination is one of the few countries where tea is still picked by hand, rather than machines. But watching the hypnotic scene, more like a Dilmah advertisement than real life, you can’t help but feel preserving the romanticism must play a part.

I’m in the mountainous center of the Sri Lanka: the heart of tea country on an Island where tea holds a special place in the locals’ hearts. A few hours inland from the country’s west coast and its capital, Colombo, on a gloriously old-world meandering train, brings you to the colorfully-named former capital, Kandy – the launching pad for exploring the area’s fertile tea fields.

The landscape is striking. Every available slope is striped with emerald-coloured Camellia bushes, some more than 130 years old.  It’s a land where you can soak in a detoxifying green tea bath and eat Earl Grey crusted lamb in a five star resort or simply spend the days walking along the many well-sign posted tea trails and watching the local women work.

A museum might not be the one of the places you’d think to visit after finding yourself in such a striking location but this one is truly worth a look, not just for the view but a tea education that will give you a new appreciation for the humble cuppa. 

Set up in a former tea factory, it’s still home to lumbering wooden modern-day relics of tea producing machinery. Black and white photos of elephants lugging wooden chests of tea through the jungle line the walls while the aroma of brewing samples fill the airy rooms.

After a stint in hilly countryside and more than a few cups of green tea it’s easy to feel healthy, relaxed and revitalized, the antioxidants teeming in your system: time for a trip to the east coast.

You can travel east from Kandy by van – or local bus if you’re feeling adventurous – and it’s here you can partake in one of Sri Lanka’s more active and recently adopted pleasures: surfing.

Arugam Bay is a picturesque village perched on a sweeping arc of golden sand and dotted with palm trees. Every bit as idyllic as a post card, the tiny one-street town is not only an authentic Sri Lankan experience but also a haven for surfers of any level from beginners to world pros, who are often seen gracing the more sizeable right-hand waves.

Before I’m even waist deep, mentally preparing for my first lesson, the water alone feels like it’s doing me good. From July to October, swimming in this stretch of the Indian Ocean feels like slipping into a warm cup of tea – the analogy comes easily. 

It’s not all smooth sailing though. The term full-body workout should be reserved solely for surfing.

If you’re not swimming or paddling or kicking like a caffeine-addict just to get onto a wave, you’re attempting some kind of aquatic push up in an effort to spring skyward into an awkward squatting stand. It’s not long before my body was aching and I could feel the Sri Lankan summer sun threatening to turn me crab red - but the key is to keep at it.

There’s something so exhilarating about surfing your first green wall all the way to the beach. Not even the fact that the wave was called ‘Baby Break’ could damper my excitement.

I even stayed out until dusk, bobbing on the pinked-hued swell reflecting the sunset, hoping to glimpse one of the many wild Asian elephants that often roam along the shore on their way to an evening drink at the nearby lagoons.

Days’ worth of energy burnt in one energetic afternoon, it was time to indulge in some of Sri Lanka’s best seafood, caught fresh that morning in the character-filled wooden fishing boats that now line the sand.

Fresh curry teamed with papadums and coconut sambal is a must, as is crab done in a fresh devilled sauce – spicy mix of peppers, chili, tomato and curry flavours.

Fortunately Arugam Bay is also home to some great yoga studios, the perfect remedy for overeating and an aching body. They offer early morning or generously timed mid-morning classes run by well-trained instructors who know all the right surfing muscles to stretch.

But if you’re really serious about a Sri Lankan yoga experience, the country offers more than just a few beach-side studios. It boasts some of the best yoga retreats in the world such as Ulpotha, a traditional working village in the heart of the country.  

Cradled by mountains and a lotus-ringed lake, the beautiful eco-friendly hideaway has been a retreat site for thousands of years and offers Ayurveda therapies on top of yoga classes.

Bursting with energy after a few weeks in this exotic country it’s hard to leave the excess of antioxidants and exercise behind but with a suitcase full of tea and a surfboard on the wish list, I’m hoping the feeling can be recreated back home.