When our fave Aussie activewear brand, First Base, head off on a yoga & surf adventure, they do it properly! Follow their lead and put Sri Lanka on your travel bucket list, stat.
The First Base gals recently took a dream trip to Sri Lanka and the photos have got us Jonesing big time! Led by Paper Tiger Wellness – a travel agent of sorts that curates awesome healthy holidays for Aussies in exotic locations – the trip followed a ‘Balanced Breaks’ itinerary including yoga, surfing, healthy eating, boxilates, and plenty of beach time. Sounds pretty good huh? Here’s Ali Cotton and Emma Young’s story…
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So. Sri Lanka. You can feel it as soon as you arrive, the whole place is teetering on the edge of indo level surf pilgrimage fame. The empty waves, the lack of tourists. I mean, I can count on two hands how many travellers I saw over the entire week we were there.
You actually feel like you have discovered something hiding along the forested nooks of coastline in the south west, a lost paradise that serves up empty waves to the handful of surf rats in the know who rock up religiously each season (or who have completely relocated for ultimate commitment). And there we were, two gal pals staking our claim on a dream trip to the land of tea and cinnamon.
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We went on this trip with the girls at Paper Tiger Wellness, an Aussie company taking the wellness retreat to another (way cooler) level. Specialising in balance breaks which merge the typical yoga, healthy food and surf lessons with a nourishing dose of post surf beers and freedom to do as much or as little as you please.
My travel partner Ali and I quickly adapted this formula to our own advantage, sneaking off in tuk tuks post yoga to find waves with stacks of boards occy strapped to the roof, and failing to come home for the amazing healthy dinners in favour of 15 beers and a midnight finish.
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Based in Talalla, about 3 hours south of the intensity of Colombo, we had access to daily yoga in the resorts two shalas, sunrise boxilates on the beach, a Sri Lankan cooking class, a wild elephant safari tour plus massages and all meals- luxe right?
Our fave local break, Hiriketiya beach, was a 15 minute tuk tuk drive away and basically provided the goods every damn time, and on the days it wasn’t perfect, we called it a day and set up at the beach bar for ice cold beers and (mind-blowingly amazing) dahl. All in a days work right? Whilst we came home battered and bruised, with infected reef cuts and in a relatively less healthy and more exhausted condition than where we started, my word- it was an epic trip that could not have come into fruition without the planning and guidance of the Paper Tiger babes.
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Ten points all round. All in all, Sri Lanka has us hooked, we will be back for another round asap, preferably before all you lot decide to come over to snake our waves. Until then, add it to your bucket list and make note to hit up Paper Tiger when the time comes to make it a reality.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
