The Bentota Days - Day 2

Day 2 began with the promise of a good breakfast spread followed by a walk to the beach and for me, one of the rare occasions of getting into the water. 

So after breakfast we made our way to ther beachside, read our books for a bit (Naresh is reading Corbetts Omnibus while I am reading The Comfort Crisis). Inspired by the call to get out of my comfort zone I dipped in the sea for a bit and then headed along the beach barefoot to locate the end of the beach ala Columbus.

This beach has the softest sand I have ever walked on - it's like a carpet most times. One of the local boat men came and told me that he would offer a boat ride, and that the sea is rough and there is a dangerous dip behind Naresh because this is where the river meets the sea. I told him we'll think about the boat ride later and walked on. 

Further down, maybe 500 metres or so, shacks started to show up, small ones unlike the Goan ones, stores that sell beach wear, one offering a massage. And all along there were resorts each opening into the ocean.

 At one point the beach narrowed into a small concrete path and I followed that. There was a man fishing and he told me it was high tide at this time and if I wanted to swim (I did not) I could get into the little lagoon ahead. 

There was a smaller beach with an artificial lagoon created by some kind of a wave breaking concrete structure. One guy was fishing from it. I saw one surfing school with two lean, hippie type forty year olds manning it.

 Beyond that beach was another concrete path that went around a bend. The sand grew rough with coral here. A small island with lighthouse showed up. I walked on till then path began getting merged with private properties and headed back.

Naresh was out and reading his book and I joined him and in a while it started drizzling and we headed into the pool bar. The rain increased, pelting down, the sea churned, the beer cold, Backstreet Boys singing their hits, an old friend to share the moment - could not have been better. We spent a magical 2 hours, talking about all sorts of things and then headed in for lunch. 

Post lunch the rain abated a bit and we worked off the days exertions with a nap. Since the sky cleared in the evening we headed out for a walk. 

The sunset was stunning. 

On the way back we stopped at a bar right on the beachside and had a drink and chatted some more, continued that into our sports bar Champs in Eden, had a solid dinner and then retired.

A perfect day.