Galle - Sri Lanka's "Hoi An"

Friday, July 24, 2015
Galle, Sri Lanka
We began Friday with breakfast at Cinnamon Wild. There were squirrels everywhere!! Climing over plates and food - I nearly had a conniption!

My stomach was still a bit sore from yesterday, so played it safe . There was a cool room with breads etc that the squirrels couldn't get to. So I stuck with that. I also wanted some potatoes in the outdoor area and whilst the food was covered the serving dishes were not. So I took some cutlery from the cool room to serve myself. We had to complete a customer satisfaction survey so I then had to deal with the manager who suggested I should have brought my food poisoning plight to their attention. Maybe they have miracle spices to fix bacterial problems? Anyway, it was a beautiful place to stay with abundant wildlife. Just not so sure about the food....

whilst i I had been napping the day before (and Tim watching National Geographic) apparently an elephant walked through reception and the pool area and then the carpark. Unfortunately we missed it - but Manoj took a video - very funny!

We then drove for a few hours along the south coast. Very pretty and becoming much more touristy.

We also saw the famous stilt fisherman on the way . Apparently they no longer really fish but are a tourist attraction, so we did have to pay 100 rupees ($1) for the privilege of a photo.

We then arrived in Galle (pronounced Gawl) another Unesco world heritage site.

It has a wonderful collection of Dutch-colonial buildings and is a gorgeous town. Also built by the Dutch in 1663 is a 36 hectare Fort surrounded by three sides by ocean. In 2004, this Fort largely protected the city from devastation in the tsunami. The Dutch love of good drainage also ensured that the floodwaters quickly drained away via the efficient 18th century storm sewers.

Some historians (this is debated) believe Galle may have been the city of Tarshish - where King Solomon obtained his gems and spices. 

 We had quite a nice lunch overlooking the fort and ocean and then wandered for a while. The place (around the fort) is gorgeous! Streets and streets of Dutch and Portuguese buildings with fusion restaurants and cafés, boutique shops, cheap accommodation and bars. Felt very much like Hoi An and could easily spend a couple of days wandering those cute streets!

The Fort area is home to about 400 historic houses, churches, mosques, temples and old government buildings. 

And then off we went to Hikkaduwa - about a 20 minute drive - our locale for 2 days. The weather is now beach and pool friendly so I can't wait to get in a pool!
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