Greetings to new and regular readers of this weekly report of my “high” life style in Sri Lanka.
Club Dive Paradise
Club Dive Paradise
It is hard to believe that it is still possible to stay, at the height of the summer season, in a room that opens onto the beach, just a few feet away from the gently lapping surf, for £10 a night, for two people.
It’s true, and it’s in Sri Lanka.
Last week I went to Trincomalee on Sri Lanka’s east coast and stayed at a place I first experienced 30 years ago as a very grotty, hippy-style guest house called Pragash French Garden.
Apart from its leasing by one of Sri Lanka’s foremost divers, Eric Fernando, and renamed Club Dive Paradise, nothing much has changed. There are only six guest rooms and they are basic in amenities with metal frame beds with a single, slim pillow, and attached shower and toilet cubicle.
Rooms are small but each has a ceiling fan, mosquito net, and wooden window shutters opening onto its own veranda by a gardens of palms, the beach, and the sea.
The paradise part is waking up in the morning and flinging open the shutters to a brilliant sunrise. The atmosphere is so laid back, the staff of amiable youngsters either relax in the hammocks spun between palm trees, jog along the beach, or jig around the palm grove to music blaring from loudspeakers, while the guests look after themselves.
Chef Chintana
For me, a non diver, the main attraction of the guest house is the food. I know it’s fresh because I saw the young chef, Chintana only prepares food on demand so everything has a zesty freshness, from prawns drenched in garlic butter to whole grilled mullet with crisp French fries (£3.50).
The fastidious may turn up their noses at Club Dive Paradise. The beach has suffered from years of neglect and is littered with rubbish; the crows are active and noisy; and there are dogs and cows in the vicinity doing what they do. But so far there are no pedlars on the beach harassing guests who just want to rest, and no fences stopping guests walking straight from their rooms to the sea.
Staying there was like returning to the old days when beach holidays were easily affordable – and we weren’t fussy about shortcomings. It’s a living reminder of what simple holidays on the beach used to be. If you want to try it, check Club Dive Paradise, French Garden, Uppuveli; email: cdp.french@yahoo.com; tel: 00 94 777 728266
Rural Mural
Trompe-l'oeil, Le Bristol, Paris
There is a famous example of trompe-l’oeil on the walls of the swimming pool pavilion at Le Bristol Hotel in Paris that made me believe I was swimming on a yacht. So I was thrilled to find an even larger mural on the wall at The Acme Transit Hotel in Habarana, in central Sri Lanka, that encourages diners to pretend they are in some magical jungle.
The elephant looks so jolly and although the lady in the background is somewhat jumbo sized herself, the painting is a superb representation of the brilliance of some of the country’s
Rural mural, Habarana
rural artists. The deep fried river fish fingers that are the restaurant’s speciality are pretty good too.
The Write Tips
Last week I began a regular feature for this report with two tips from a proposed list of “Ten Tips For Aspiring Writers.” Reaction was so favourable I will probably have to expand the tips into an ebook to be called The Write Tips. Watch this space: www.roystonellisebooks.com
Tip 3: Buy books. Writers need people to buy their books, so get into the habit of buying authors’ works. Build up a mini library of books so you create the right atmosphere for writing.
Tip 4: Buy a good dictionary and read it right through. Buy a copy of Roget’s Thesaurus and dip into it when you have spare moments. This helps you to learn about the power and beauty of words.
Top Million
Ready for review
To see how my newly released print book The Big Beat Scene (Music Mentor Books) is placed on its way to the top ten, I find that it is listed by www.amazon.co.uk as number 120,129 on its bestseller charts. Well at least it’s made the top million.
By the way, there is space on amazon for a review of the book, so here’s your chance to let the world know what you think of The Big Beat Scene.
Thanks for your company.
Beat regards
Royston
