Day 12 - Breakfast of Champions

13:00
I wake feeling far less stressed. It probably sounds ridiculous to speak of stress when I’m in one of the most laid back and relaxing places imaginable, but that’s definitely what I was feeling yesterday. I’m up well before Vicki’s planned 09:00 alarm, so I pad to the bar for some coffee and journalling. The sun’s still rising, and is creeping under the bar’s roof. Even this early, it feels prickly hot. We’re in for a scorcher.

My various colleagues emerge at different stages. Vicki is last, waking at 09:30. We’ve read amazing things about a small beachside restaurant not far from us, so ready ourselves and head out for breakfast. Chandi Gaya is a proper family affair. Husband runs front of house and logistics, wife runs the kitchen. We’re perhaps a touch late for breakfast, as it’s 11:00 by the time we sit down, but we ask for breakfast nonetheless. The head of logistics needs to pop out for some ingredients, but does so willingly.

The food that arrives - holy fuckballs, the food that arrives. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, and yet is entirely extraordinary. The hoppers have a wonderful cakey feel, but are also crispy. The eggs have a deep, glossy texture, and feel like they’re almost baked into the hoppers. The sambol, we’re proudly told, is made from fresh coconuts from their own garden. Likewise, the dhal is made using this morning’s first pressing of coconut milk.

The dhal - by the power of Grayskull! I think it’s the best dhal I’ve ever had. Definitely the best Sri Lankan breakfast dhal, but it’s up there in the very highest echelons of lentil dishes. Shenda and I hatch a cunning plan to ingratiate ourselves with the owners, and to ask for the dhal recipe on our last visit to eat with them. Will familiarity breed contempt? I hope not. I can see me eating this regularly all year round. I may even try and master the art of the hopper…

22:00
Sizeable and weighty late breakfast = NAP. I have a delightful hour or so, out of the hottest part of the day. Si and Shenda have been beaching, and Vicki has been doing very important stuff that is of little or no consequence.

Vicks and I head out to Tangalle town in search of supplies. It’s walkable - maybe 45-50 minutes, but that scorcher I mentioned earlier is definitely with us today, and we err on the side of caution, jumping in a tuk-tuk. We grab some supplies, stock up with cash, and head back to the beach. We’ve only been out an hour, but it’s been quite a draining and hot experience. It’s starting to cool now, and the deck seating of Shehani’s bar is now in the shade. I settle in with a glass of wine to watch the world go by. It’s just about the coolest fucking place I can imagine being right now. In front of me is an expanse of ocean, with literally nothing but water between me and Antarctica, some 6,000 miles due South of us. One glass accidentally becomes two - and I feel like I could quite happily settle in here for the duration.

We saw a restaurant earlier advertising BBQ fish and live music, so we head that way. Happy Lab is a cool little joint. Their BBQ food is good, but not outstanding. My butterfish is a touch overcooked, but still very tasty. Vicki and Shenda have Mahi-Mahi steaks which are perfectly cooked, but which could do with a little seasoning.

The live music is, let's be frank, not good. The band spend a good 30 minutes in sound check, constantly tweaking settings without actually changing how anything is sounding. The drummer and bassist are decent enough, but the guitarist/lead singer just doesn’t have a very good voice. Simon offers to step in on lead vocals. Apparently, his repertoire extends to some Neil Diamond and some Robbie Williams.

We’re all pretty tuckered after a hectic day of doing very little. Vicki and I manage a drink at Shehani before collapsing into bed.Läs mer