Arugam Bay

Arugam Bay is a bay situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka's southeast coast. The bay is located 320 km due east of Colombo. It is a popular surfing and tourist destination. Many of the buildings were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. Due to its popularity among tourists, the area has managed a slow recovery by private initiatives only. The main road through town has still not been repaved. By the end of 2008 no help has been received from any official source or international organizations. An exception is uncoordinated support for fishing folk as well as many school rebuilding programs, resulting in a continuation to provide only separatist schools for each community. Although there is a huge demand for an international school, one huge new building donated by the people of Japan remains unoccupied since the grand 'opening' ceremony in 2007.
The bay hosts a large fleet of fishing boats which operates off the beach. Many organizations donated boats after the tsunami and as a result there are far more fishing boats than ever before. The main beach is a bit dirty as it is used as a garbage dump and a toilet by some locals. Nearby beaches are more esthetically pleasing and also have excellent waves. Arugam Surf Point has a very long, consistent, sectiony right hand break. Many organizations claim to have done extensive work in the area. No notable progress can be observed locally and on close inspection, as late as New Year's Day, 2009. The main road, shown below in 2004 still looks the very same mid 2009. Despite calls for a walking street contractors have commenced construction of a fast trunk road through the hamlet. Repeating the mistakes made in other seaside tourist resorts such as Negombo and Hikkaduwa. US 'Mercy Corps' has been the most active of any organization. Funded by Oprah Winfrey's 'Angel Network', following a huge fund-raising TV series in the United States. Sadly, none of their projects survived the first year of operation. A new bridge has been constructed by USAID. It was opened for traffic in 2008. It replaced the 1960s, original landmark box girder construction linking Arugam Bay with Pottuvil. At km 313 on the main A4 road, an excellent shortcut link road exists, which ends up in the very middle of Arugam Bay itself. This picturesque drive avoids the dusty town of PottuVille. Also no bridges need to be crossed, raising questions regarding the wisdom for the need of the so-called 'high tech' USAID bridge construction. There is excellent elephant viewing nearby, incl. on this mentioned jungle road and the surrounding lagoon, as well as two types of monkeys wandering around the area.
The nearby (4 km) Muslim village of Pottuvil is the center of commerce and transportation while tourist accommodations lie along the beach to the south of Pottuvil. Arugam Bay (4 km) is also the gateway and the only road access to the Yala East National Park. This area is known as Kumana (44 km), to be reached via the Sinhalese settlement of Panama (17 km) and the shires at Okanda (32 km). Sources of further, up-to-date local information: [1] [2] Arugam Bay has its own insiders, veteran and fan club (777 members end 2008), which has risen to 5,500 members in August, 2009. Making it the fasted growing Facebook site in Sri Lanka: [3]

Nilaveli

Nilaveli (Pronounced Nilaa-Veli, Tamil translation Open-land of the moon-shine) is a coastal resort town located about 20 km North-West of Trincomalee, Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka. It used to be a popular tourist destination, however due to 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and Sri Lankan Civil War tourist numbers have declined.

Bentota

Bentota
A Sri Lankan coastal city famous for golden beaches, Bentota is situated on the southern coastal tip of the Galle District of the Southern Province. The town is a popular tourist attraction and also a favourite destination for watersports. It is especially famous among the foreign tourists. The name comes from a mythical story which dates back to kings time saying a demon called Bem ruled this river ( tota = river bank. Bentota hosts a handful of world proclaimed hotels. It is the hosting land for the famous Sri Lankan Jeweler Aida. Bentota also delivers an ancient art of healing called Ayurveda. Bentota is also famous for its production in Toddy. An alcoholic beverage made out of cocunut nectar. The city's population is estimated to be between 25,000-50,000. Bentota was heavily damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami which devastated the Sri Lankan coastal belt on the morning of the December 26th.
Coordinates: 6.42°N 80.00°E

This Sri Lankan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Negombo

Negombo (Sinhala: මීගමුව, [ˈmiːgamuʋə]; Tamil: நீர்கொழும்பு (Nir Koɭumbu)) is a town of about 65,000, approximately 37 km north of Colombo, in Sri Lanka. It is located at the mouth of the Negombo lagoon, about 7 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport. Negombo has a small port, and its economy is mainly based on tourism and its centuries-old fishingindustry, though it also produces cinnamon,[1] ceramics, and brass ware.

Negombo Lagoon
The fishermen of the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in small, thatch palm villages on the water's edge. They rely on traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, usingoutrigger canoes carved out of tree trunks and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through till April.

Fishing boats in Negombo
Their boats are made in two distinct forms, oruvas (a type of sailing canoe) and paruvas (a large, man-powered catamaran fitted with kurlon dividers), and are said to have originated in the islands off the Mozambican coast; they were brought to Sri Lanka by Portuguese traders in the 17th century.
For generations the lagoon has provided the fishermen with a plentiful supply of crabs, shrimp and many of the native species of fish, but with the onset of global warming these sources of food have dwindled. The men are regularly forced to head out to the ocean to fish, often losing money in the chartering process. In recent years, the villagers have supplemented the income earned from fishing by collecting toddy, or palm sap, which is used to brew arrack.[1]

Tourism
Negombo is an ideal place for those who want quick access to and from the country's international airport. The 100km long canal network running through the town is still used, and outrigger canoes and modern water-craft ply this route daily, for trade and tourist purposes. Remains of colonization include the Dutch fort built in 1672, as well as centuries-old Portuguese and Dutch houses, administrative buildings, and churches. Negombo is also home to the country's second-largest fish market, the Llelama, at the north end of the town's lagoon. There are daily fish auctions, which give tourists a chance to meet the area's colourful fisherman and even organise fishing trips into the lagoon and the ocean beyond. Other nearby attractions open to visitors include Muthurajawela, which part of 6,000-hectare (14,826-acre) protected marshland, home to over 190 species of wildlife.
Negombo offers some of the better beaches on the west coast of Sri Lanka, and draws tourists who stop over for a day on their way to or from the airport. Some quiet stretches of the beach are maintained by the tourist hotels, while others are always busy with fisherman and their equipment. Water-sports and diving are also extremely popular among visitors, with a few well preserved coral reefs and a 50 year old shipwreck (Kudapaduwa) that serves as an artificial reef for many varieties of fish.
There are also local handicraft sales on the beaches and the shops near the town.

Visitor attractions

Sri Lanka is home to six world heritage sites: Galle, Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, and Dambulla cave temple. Sri Lanka's many beaches are often visited by tourists. The historical city of Colombo is considered as the "Commercial capitol of Sri Lanka" which attracts many tourists from Asian region to visit for businesses. National parks in Sri Lanka are also popular visitor attractions. Tourists are also attracted to Sri Lanka by its natural beauty.