Sri Lanka, Part 6 - Galle, Colombo

We are down to the last 2 days of the tour.  Our next destination is Unawatuna, a coastal town just before Galle.  Leaving the countryside means we are heading to more traffic along the coast.  This is a heavily touristic area.  Many tourists come here to enjoy the beautiful beaches of SL.  Businesses that cater to these tourists are everywhere.  The highway gets choked with cars, scooters and motorcycles ridden by these tourists.  Mohan stopped at a roadside stand and chatted with a woman who was selling roasted cashew nuts.  I bought a small bag from her for 1,400 rupees.  Definitely more than what I pay for at Costco but I am helping her make a living.  I love cashew nuts.  Here is a video on how they are picked from the tree to being processed for consumption:   Cashew Nut Processing

Woman selling cashew nuts on the roadside

A raw cashew nut

We inched our way through the coastal highway to get to our destination in about 4-5 hours.  We were supposed to tour Galle but it was late.  We checked in to the Rockfort Hotel at almost 5pm.  I was tired and took a short nap.  The back of the hotel edges up to the beach.  It was already dark when I took a short walk on the beach.  It was lit but I did not go far.  There are many European tourists, maybe Germans, staying at the hotel.  They were part of a family or in a big group.

I still had some remnants of the upset stomach.  I was hoping I could eat but I took a few bites and stared longingly at the dinner.  I went back to my room and worked on my blog.

In the morning my stomach was feeling a little better and ate a little more food.  I walked on the beach and took a few pictures.  Mohan came to pick me up at 9 and we are headed to Galle.

Rockfort Hotel in Unawatuna

View west from the hotel deck

A Paradise View from the beach

Another beach view near the hotel

The road we took to Galle hugs the busy coast.  Lots of activities going on:  tourists swimming on the beach, shops catering to them, and fishermen and customers mingling at makeshift fish stands.  We stopped at a few of these places to take pictures and I even participate in the hauling-in of a fishing net.

Fishing boats after the morning's catch

Helping fishermen hauling in the net

Lots of fish to sell

Catch of the Day

A fishmonger showing off his catch

Galle is a major city on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka.  Because of its strategic location on the seagoing route between Europe, Middle East and Asia it has long been a stopping point for Persian, Arabs, Greeks, Romans and Chinese merchants.  It was occupied by the Portuguese in the 1500s', who then lost to the Dutch in the 1600s', and was finally occupied by the British starting in 1796 until Sri Lanka's (then Ceylon) independence in 1948.

We walked around the old part of Galle and saw many remnants of the colonial days.  Most prominent is the Dutch Fort, a World Heritage Site.

All Saints Church, built by the Dutch

A Clerk with his Olympia typewriter at the Archaeological Museum

Corals and limestones were mixed to build the fort

Galle Lighthouse

A Mosque next to the Fort. Malays were brought to SL by the Dutch

A Muslim Association Building

A College Marching Band practicing next to the Fort

Clock Tower in the Rampart

A watchtower in the rampart

A Plaque showing when the Galle Lighthouse was built

Part of the Fort

Statues on the Rampart

At about noon we took a 2-hour drive north towards Colombo.  Like any major city the roads are choked with traffic.  Colombo is a city of almost 6 million.  It is the capital and financial center of Sri Lanka.  As we drove around we see many high-rises and high-end hotels like Shangri-la, Hilton, Cinnamon, etc.  Having been occupied by the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally the British, there are a few historical landmarks but it's just another bustling city.  We took a few walks around some notable places and streets.

We stopped at a few pharmacies to look for medical masks.  All of them were sold out.  This is during the height of the corona virus pandemic in China.  SL had only 1 case but there are several in Singapore.  Masks are sold out all over the world.

Dinner with Mohan and his family at the Cinnamon Hotel

A former lighthouse

Independence Monument

A Bustling Street in the Heart of the City

The Red Mosque

Street Vendor Selling Pickled Fruits

I ended my visit to Sri Lanka with a dinner with Mohan and his family.  It was Valentine's Day so most of the restaurants were packed.  We were lucky to find availability in the Courtyard Restaurant in the Cinnamon Hotel.  It was a beautiful and generous buffet dinner that all of us enjoyed.  Mohan and his family gave me a memento - a picture frame of photographs that we took together.

Memento from Mohan's family

Early in the morning Mohan picked me up and took me to the airport.  Security here is not the most efficient.  I had to go through four screenings before finally arriving at the gate.  I checked into the Lotus Lounge and had some breakfast.  It will be a 3 1/2 hour flight to Singapore.  A few of the passengers wore masks but most acted normally.

It was a wonderful and educational trip to SL.  I knew but didn't know much.  Seeing and experiencing first-hand the country gave me a different perspective and understanding.