Sri Lanka: Galle

On the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year, we flew from HCMC to Colombo via Kuala Lumpur. From the airport we took a transfer directly to Galle, the first stop of our Sri Lanka tour. We are having a circuitous route for Sri Lanka as we plan to catch a temple festival in Colombo on the February full moon.

We had only been wanting to come to Sri Lanka for almost 30 years. First there was the civil war 1983-2009 that kept us away. Then we were trying to minimize flying. COVID heightened our urgency to travel and explore new countries, making Sri Landa number 82 for us.

Galle is at the extreme southwest corner of the island (6 degrees north of the Equator = always hot), and had been the major port of the island until the Portuguese, Dutch, and British came, each leaving their marks, the largest of which is Galle Fort. With the rise of Colombo, Galle became a backwater. I imagine Galle Fort has changed very little since the British left. I found Galle Fort, with its massive ramparts, surrounded on three sides by water, rather atmospheric.

One day we took the train 50 km north along the west coast to Bentota, and returned on the bus. While I wasn't particularly impressed with Bentota, I thought the aquamarine water a little farther south was particularly beautiful. There were many signs relating to turtles hatching along the way. Regardless of their good intentions, ultimately sea turtles are victims of humans' zeal for beach developments - turtles do not come ashore to lay eggs if there is any kind of hubbub.

The massive ramparts of Galle Fort with clocktower (1st below) and Main Gate just to the right of the traffic circle (2nd)




Just outside the Main Gate is the Galle International Cricket Stadium.


Every evening we walked the ramparts at sunset, enjoying the cooling breeze, and often bringing a takeaway dinner or snacks with us.






From the ramparts, one can see the lighthouse, the main mosque (looks like a cathedral, no?), and tourists enjoying the view.








Inside the fort ramparts are the British-built All Saints' Anglican Church (1st below) and the Dutch Reform Church (2nd below).




Our guesthouse was on a colonnaded street inside The Fort. The view from our balcony is first below. There was an Arabic College just one block away (3rd below: students returning to class).






Our fav resto Galu Bojuna, just a few meters outside the Old Gate (3rd below), was frequented by locals and tourists. The rice and veg curry was extremely tasty.






Not to mention our fav snack stand across from the train and bus stations.




One day we rode the train north along the coast to Bentota, walked on the beach for 15 minutes, and took the bus back.


















Here's an Art Deco Villa we spotted inside the Fort.


Also, the S.M.I.T, (Southern Maritime Training Institute, is just across the street from our fav resto. They have an orange submarine (2nd below) = cool.




Wildlife report: we spotted an iguana near the Maritime Museum.