I take the liberty to call myself fairly, a "Party Animal". Random pub-hopping nights around Delhi and Gurgaon or quite/loud house parties have always been one of my things. However, partying in a foreign land has its own charm! And, if that party ends up making life long crazy memories, well, that all together has a separate fan base! Well, I experienced one such crazy party in Sri Lanka! That too during my honeymoon (quite weird, right?)! And, to be honest, I wouldn't think twice about labelling it as 'The craziest Party ever'!
Well, I remember the night quite clearly... in parts...definitely, there are parts which I have no clue of (come' on it’s a crazy party, remember guys?) We were at Hikkaduwa(an amazing little beach town in Sri Lanka and it was the Valentine's Day. My husband and I decided to spend the night with the romantic dinner at Mama's Coral Beach Resort. Firstly, let me just tell you that the restaurant at this resort is simply fantastic! Located just on the beach (I mean literary on the beach! While having your dinner, you can just take a break, walk on the beach with a drink in your hand, feel the salty fresh air caressing your face, and then go back to your table and resume your dinner again! I mean, how cool and liberating is that!???? And friends, that's exactly what I did.) As I mentioned before, we had gone for a romantic dinner. However, fate had something better planned. We ordered some amazing seafood (my poor husband didn't get any say) and a couple of beer to go with it. As the night passed, we somehow got engaged in a conversation with the restaurant manager (we have this habit to end up in conversation with the local people). We were just casually discussing the amazing food and beaches of Sri Lanka and also somehow ended up mentioning how Sri Lankan beer was fairly mild and were fairly not up to the game. (Mind you, we had already been 2 bottles down by this time). And, that's when he introduced us the "Lion" beer to us. *Drum rolls please*. Well, call it overconfidence or whatever, we chugged down a bottle quick enough and ordered for another round. And, that's when my friends, little by little magic started to happen. By this time, the dance floor was going crazy (there was Valentine's Day party going on). We joined the crowd and showed some super cheesy, embarrassing Bollywood moves (which is just so not me!). After some crazy dance moves, we went back to our table and ordered for the next round of drinks! I think, by this time we had lost it. It was supposed to be a quiet, romantic dinner after all! And, the way all this was heading, it was nowhere near that description!
I think I can positively say that by this time, we were positively eligible to be called "drunk" (read it in capital)! Soon, it was time to close the restaurant. Almost all the guests had left. Soon, we were asked to leave. However, we simply refused! We put out best drunk smiles and just simple refused to leave the place! Come'on we weren't done with our drinks yet (we had already placed a few bottles in order, as soon as had heard that orders were going to close. Speak about clever drunkards)! The manager arrived, (that same sweet guy). Well, by this time everybody around me seemed sweet. ????after failed attempts he gave some extra time to sit in, till his staff went through their usual closing rituals.
By this time, the tide was kicking in and the waves were now almost touching the planks of the restaurant. I remember us, sitting on the planks and enjoying our drinks. We had already befriended the manager by this point and asked him to join in. Surprising, he gladly did so(let me assure you Sri Lankan people are very friendly and can often go out of their way to help you). We lost track of time there. We all sat there, talking our heart out, sharing over a smoke and a drink. (Needless to say, I don't remember a word on the next morning). The last thing which I do remember, are we, having a midnight bath in the sea, accompanied by all the staff and the manager! Now, believe me, never in my wildest dreams had I thought that the night will end up like this! I recall the manager telling us that it was a routine affair for the hotel staff to have a bath on the beach before retiring to their respective rooms. And this time, we joined them. Even, if I don't remember every detail but I do remember the feeling! It was undoubtedly one of the most carefree and spontaneous things that I had done in my life! It was like experiencing the ultimate freedom! The salty breeze running through our hair, brushing our face, the splashing of the water- It was crazy!!! (Now, please note, I really DO NOT recommend anyone diving into the sea at the night, especially in a drunk state. For us, it was all in the spur of a moment and also please note that the other guys, i.e the staffs who were accompanying us, were local, extremely good swimmers, and were sweet enough to make a human chain around us to keep us safe. I mean, that's clearly an "Awww" moment! Also, we all stayed on the beach itself and didn't go deep into the sea). I guess we stayed there for quite a long time. Everything was a blur for me after this.
The next day, I woke up with a tremendous throbbing headache. It was already afternoon. We had already missed our scheduled snorkelling activity! Well, I had no whatsoever memory of how or when we reached our guesthouse. It is officially my first blackout. My husband did fill in the blanks with some really embarrassing stories of mine further for the night. However, I just choose to ignore it till date and see no point of mentioning those here and scandalizing myself. However, I do remember him cleaning up the mess created by me during the crazy night (and, by that I mean quite literary!). ????
After a cold shower, when my five senses finally started co-ordinating together again I finally drew up on the list of the things that went missing after the little adventure at Mama's. Well, I had lost my anklet, a vintage ring (in fact, I then remembered witnessing it being carried away by the waves, and me standing perfectly still thinking "bohot paise hai, aur Ek khareed lungi"! Yes, that is how much drunk I was! Thinking that I could afford another one! ???? And, last but not least, I realized I was wearing my lens only on the left eye and had lost the right one! Now, I really have no clue how could I loose on my contact lens!
Well, however, crazy it may sound, but it did happen! I did lose out on all those things- a missed paid snorkelling session, anklet, ring, a contact lens (all floating in the Sri Lanka sea ????). However, I gained a lifetime of memory, a crazy night, and my own little adventure which can never be matched for anything else! It was indeed a crazy night!
Oh! I totally forgot to mention yet another thing which I lost - my lifetime appetite for Beer! ????♀️