Climate Change in Hikkaduwa

Today, we took the bus down the coast to the beach town of Hikkaduwa. Sri Lanka has so many beaches to choose from, it can be tough to decide. After a 2.5-hour ride, we finally arrived in Hikkaduwa. The ticket cost 200 rs per person and another 200 rs for our luggage. It was a long journey for Honny, who ended up having to throw up into a bag. A hangover combined with a bumpy bus ride was not a good mix for his stomach. Most hotels are lined up along the coast, making it easy to enjoy the sea. Our hotel told us that the weather has been acting really strange this year. It’s cloudy all the time, and it’s raining more than usual. The highlands have seen a lot more rain than normal, leading to some flooding. Usually, this time of year, the skies are blue at the beach. For a couple of pale Danes, the clouds are fine, but we’d love to see some blue skies too! :o) Last year, the locals told us, the beach was 100 meters wide. Now it’s shrunk to just 1-2 meters in some places, completely disappearing elsewhere. They’re looking up at the sky with concern. What’s happening? The town is bustling and has a wide range of restaurants and bars. Cars don’t slow down even when they enter the town, so you really have to watch out. There are no sidewalks, so you walk right next to the road. Your hair flies around as heavy trucks and buses zoom past. These days, the sun isn’t shining, so the water doesn’t have that beautiful turquoise color, but it still looks very inviting. Unfortunately, the beach is a bit narrow. Lonely Planet mentions that people have built too close to the water, but the locals remember the beach being much wider last year... Hikkaduwa has many tailors. One of the town’s specialties is custom-made surf shorts. They replicate Australian brands like Billabong and Quiksilver. A pair costs around 600-800 rs. The tailors are also skilled at making dresses—we got two dresses for 1600 rs. One was a custom design. We could pick any fabric, and they made a dress in just three hours. The design featured gathered elastic around the bust and angled lengths down. There are also many people sitting in their small workshops carving wooden figures and masks. Others specialize in leather, offering bags and more. We bought a wooden mask that had been out swimming during the tsunami. The artist still hadn’t cleaned up completely, so we found the mask in a pile in a corner. It’s used in meditation and resembles the locals, with its huge crooked teeth! :o) It cost 400 rs. Of course, seafood is on the menu at many places near the sea. A shrimp cocktail for a starter cost 250 rs each. A whole grilled fish with salad and rice was 900 rs. Rice and curry with shrimp cost 350 rs.