Wingardium Leviosa!

Friday, May 25, 2018

Daily scribbles and drools... Day 21

Dylan's surfing company - Review



Visited the picturesque Arugam Bay at the start of May 2018! Quaint, calm and a scenic view accompanied me every single day as I went for my surfing classes with @DylanSurfComany. I did a lot of research before heading to Sri Lanka and I really got this positive vibes from them throughout my interaction with the entire team...



Rochelle aka more popularly known as Rosie, kept in touch a month prior and patiently responded to my million queries and concerns and who went out of her way to make sure that as a solo traveller, I didn't feel left out at any point during my stay at A-Bay! She was kind enough to include me in something or the other planned by her crew, that I had one of the most relaxed vacations ever.



Now to my surf classes-- **drum roll** Chuchu aka Prasanna (I hope this is the Sri Lankan spelling cuz that's how it's spelled in India), was my instructor for my nine beginner surf classes. From the very get-go, he was always on time, professional and made sure he was talking to me and updating me about how well or lousy I was surfing, the leg positioning, arching my body too much, not bending my knees enough, making sure I didn't get wacked by my board or anyone else's board, telling people off if they were too close for comfort and more importantly, paying attention to the little things.


Like in every relationship, it's always the little things that matter and I was so keen on learning to just stand on the board that I would miss out on those key instructions he would yell, such as "Chelsea, stand up slowly" etc. The care that he took while I was surfing, considering I didn't have my glasses on and I'm as blind as a bat, was such that he made sure the instructors around him and he were in sync to letting their charges take a wave. The nine classes really helped build my confidence as a beginner and I'll always be grateful for everyone chipping in to make sure my safety was never in question.



Does a person require to sign up for so many classes as a beginner? I'm no expert but from my perspective, I did so because I know what my body and mind are capable of and hence wanted to make sure I didn't lose out on having a complete experience. The surf points we visited were Peanut Farm and Panama Point of which the latter was a better place since the waves were better and was comparatively less crowded than Peanut farm. Out of the 7 surf points A-Bay has, quite a few were still closed since the season is yet to begin and hence crowds were thronging to the limited 2-3 spots that are good for beginners.




Shout out to the rest of the lads, Imalka, Aravind, Jhecko, Francis, and the rest - you know who you are. Sangeeta at the store was always kind and smiling and welcoming me to the store and helping me with my purchases. Even the tuk tuk drivers - I'm sorry I've forgotten your names, but talking to all of you, even in Hindi, was amazing!

Thank you for making your neighbour feel like home at all times!

Yaumnai!!!

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