Road tripping Sri Lanka’s coast

Strung out in a swaying hammock, fresh frangipani buds in one hand and a rum coconut in the other, I while away the hours before dinner, too unwound to even pick up a book. I could be surfing or boating among blue whales, or poking around in search of yet another secret strip of sand, but there’s no need: nirvana is right here.

After almost a month of long Sri Lankan bus rides, zigzagging a hectic path across the country, I begin to realise that blissed-out, beautiful Marakolliya Beach will be my undoing. Days melt into each other and the slow, easy pace of living, eating and sleeping within easy reach of the sea becomes my new norm.

I wake, stretch and fall into the sea, swim, eat, stroll and laze, sip cocktails on the beach and watch the stars appear: rinse and repeat. There’s a beautiful rhythm to it