Pasikuda beach - Bluest of Blue

East coast blues and it is exactly that. Deep blue. Deep royal blue to be completely precise. The beaches of Pasikuda or Vanderloo bay and its white sandy beaches can easily compare with any beach in the Caribbean. On the drive over I asked our guide what compels people to come this far to go to a beach and got my answer with one look at the ocean at the end of the drive.

There are many beaches around the world and all over Sri Lanka and we have some world-class beaches to boast of. The glass like surface and shallow Coral crusted waters is its primary appeals. It differs from other beaches on the island because it's unique with few waves to spot and a tiny ledge of a reef that keeps the bay even- with only little licks of water lifted up by the wind glistening in the white hot sun painted everywhere in royal deep blue. 

 Surprisingly Colombo-ians have being coming up here for generations to swim and party. The three-decade war, which ravaged these areas, drew a veil over all these attractions until recently. 

 The Dutch captured the Batticaloa fort from the Portuguese in May 1638 and reinforced it with towers and a moat overlooked by iron cannons. Vanderloo Bay named after a sea faring dare devil captain was the perfect picnic hideaway. One can only imagine the pristine blue beach over the centuries and the romance it must have elicited. 

 Bathers come from far and wide to the area and popular for snorkeling and diving given one can swim in a few feet of water amongst gorgeous tropical coral for miles. The wreck of the HMS Hermes the colossal British aircraft carrier lies not too far and is a dream for divers. Dive-bombed and sunk by Japanese Kamikaze pilots during the 2nd world war it lies approximately 53 meters below the surface of the Ocean and is a home fora magnitude of colorful tropical marine lite and under water adventure. Other attractions that are not too tar away are the lighthouse and Dutch fort in Batticaloa and an unusual large hat like rock named Thoppiyagala. Ancient and modern holy sites litter the area. 

 Sri Lanka has seen many transformations some radical and most overnight. The end of hostilities and the end of the ethnic war in the North East ushered in an era that saw regions like Pasikuda also named as Vanderloo bay blossom and prosper in a short period of time. Just eleven years ago a hotelier entrepreneur built the first lifestyle boutique resort on the beach. Today there are 14 star class hotels straddling the bay with consistent occupancy throughout the year peaking in July and August.  

The hotel industry is now the engine of growth. Jobs opportunities and new skills have brought subtle changes in a mostly fishing and farming community, which is evidenced by more women having jobs and suppliers of essentials growing prosperous, More than anything this bay is completely chill Its so calm and the color of the ocean so beautiful. 

Beauty and peace are lovely combinations and if you want to sit on white-hot sand go swim in cool blue shallow waters far from the maddening crowd in a region touched with quiet nostalgia then this is the perfect world-class location.

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