Galle

 Our trip to Sri Lanka was not a celebratory event. It was just a short getaway to relax, chill and take in a few sights and sounds.

We landed in Colombo where our resort guide / driver joined us. He asked us to pose with garlands on our necks with “Welcome to Sri Lanka” in the background. I felt elated thinking this was an honour done only to us but later saw that all tourists had their pictures taken there. The balloon burst.

The drive to Galle, our only destination on the island country, was picturesque and exhilarating. The greenery on both sides was refreshing. The trees seemed to be spreading their leafy arms in welcome. The rocky hills on one side were hewn to make space for the road. In some places on the hill, the hewn areas were covered with grass as if in an attempt to conceal the cuts and bruises.

A majestic gate opened out into our beautiful resort hotel. Once we negotiated the steps, the reception area looked out onto a lawn and the swirling waters of the ocean, shimmering in the noon sun. 

Our rooms were awesome and very comfortable. Close the front door, slide open the back door and we were a few steps away from the sea. The white frothy waves seemed to be dancing and jumping with joy, gaining more momentum and surf as they neared the coastline, hugging other frothy dancers and making a stark contrast with the unchanging horizon. A few steps down and we’d be walking on the sands of the beach. The beach side location of this property gave it a special aura.

It was quite a sight, seeing locals perched on stilts and fishing. Stilt fishing is peculiar to Sri Lanka and one wondered how they could retain their balance on the seemingly precarious support. It does require incredible skill. We saw a foreign tourist trying to ape the fishing exercise and it was funnily ungainly.

Galle is almost in the lowest South West corner of Sri Lanka. Its port and position made it perfect for spice trade and for successive invasions – first by the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and then the British. There’s an unconfirmed story about the name Galle. When the Portuguese came to this part, they heard a rooster crow and named the place Galle, the Portuguese word for rooster.

Whenever and wherever we went by road, the sea seemed to be accompanying us. It was an experience like no other. 

A tourist town, Galle has innumerable beach hotels and resorts.

The historic Galle fort is a UNESCO world heritage with architecture reflecting Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial rule. The Galle fort is a fortified city in itself. Tall and clothed in white, the Lighthouse is a landmark standing on the fort’s south eastern tip and offers panoramic views of the ocean. The fort walls are said to have protected the city for centuries from invaders and nature’s fury. Walking along the top of the stone ramparts can be an adventure in itself – a charming one at that. The ramparts, the lighthouse, the cannons etc are all solid reminders of a bygone era.

The fort area is both quaint and modern. The cobblestone alleyways are a shopper’s and foodie’s delight. Cafes, restaurants, boutiques make it a very attractive place. In the olden days Sri Lanka was called “Ratna Dweepa” – an island of gems. Galle fort and the city itself is a hub of jewellery and gem stones too for those who like to dig into their purses.

There are homestays and colonial guest-houses in the old fort area. Churches and mosques (in the fort neighbourhood) point to different religions existing together.

The sprawling Dutch hospital, now turned into a shopping mall, has cafes and boutiques and is always bustling with curious tourists. We walked all over the fort city, ate there and had gelato ice cream at a small, cute shop, which had a delicious range of flavours. How delightful to stand on the street and dig into ice cream with no vehicles honking away.

As we travelled, we saw a splendid statue of Buddha on the side of the road. We were told that it was a memorial for the 2004 tsunami victims. Galle was very badly hit and experienced the worst natural disaster in recorded history. Despite the widespread wreckage and loss of lives, Buddha’s image here seems to impart serenity and a positive message. Said to have been donated by a Japanese artist, it faces the sea with the right hand raised in a gesture of pacifying obstacles. 

Even along Galle road, the damage to infrastructure is seen including in the Galle cricket stadium. The historic walls provided some protection but the force of the tsunami breached them. Contributions prevented it from being abandoned and it was rebuilt and reopened in 2007 as a symbol of resilience.

The morning drizzle didn't deter us from keeping our date with a visit to a Tea plantation. The gentleman who was to be our guide saw to it that we had our umbrellas over our heads. As we walked along gingerly, he pointed out the leaves used for various teas. We stopped for a bit at their office and were offered oolong tea and yummy chocolate cake. There was just another couple with us, hence it was quite a private tour.

We went to the factory where the process from leaves to end product was shown on machines which were over 100 years old. This tea estate was famous for its Virgin white tea, so called because the leaves were not touched by hand. We also had a tea tasting session. A variety of teas were kept in containers and each of us was given a small cup and spoon to taste the teas. It was a mind-boggling array of teas – maybe about 40 – A&A were able to smell and taste the difference between one tea and another but to us, everything tasted the same. In the same room, there were shelves arranged with tea boxes – various kinds of tea powder and tea bags to cater to all tastes and all tourists who were eager to lay a hand on the famous Sri Lankan tea.

The plantation was very informative about the tea leaf picking process and the ritual thereafter.

The turtle hatchery was a revelation. It’s a full-fledged hatchery and rehabilitation center with dedicated teams. The aim is to conserve some of the endangered species of turtles. It was sad to see turtles with parts of their bodies missing because of injuries or attacks by stronger sea creatures. This is a state of art rescue center complete with water tanks to care for newborn turtles along with adults rescued from the sea. This was loving care and conservation in action. Little mounds of sand piled neatly near one another aroused our curiosity. We were told they were for the turtles to lay eggs. We were able to see Olive Ridley turtles, leatherback turtles, logger head turtles and green turtles. 

This was care and conservation of the highest degree. A sanctuary in the truest sense of the word.

Next on the itinerary was a boat ride on the Madu river. We had never seen such lush and pristine mangrove forests before. There are around 64 islands on this river, including a tiny speck housing a deserted shrine, to one having 250 families.

We proceeded to the Cinnamon island from under long foot overbridges made to facilitate movement of the families living here to the mainland. We had to lower our heads to an awkward angle in order to avoid a beheading. Even going through the mangroves tested our “going into a horizontal position” alacrity. 

The island is known for housing an aromatic cinnamon plantation, ranked as producing the best quality of spice in the world. We were exposed to the process of harvesting, peeling, oiling and rolling of cinnamon sticks. Many families are involved in this “fragrant” work. The island has cinnamon trees sprawling over acres of land. Scraping the bark and shade drying it for weeks to make cinnamon powder, oil and sticks requires a lot of patience. Buying these off the shelves is easy but putting them there is tough.

One activity the island offers is to stick your feet into a shallow water hole filled to the brim with fish that get to nibble on your feet lightly. A&A sat down for it. Ticklish and amusing was their verdict.

Wherever we drove in Galle, we saw fishermen throwing their nets in the sea, catching fish – and then shacks with fresh fish laid out for selling and fish hanging on strings for drying. Coconuts are also aplenty. Not only is the food made tastier with it, it is also used in beverages and ice creams. The shell is also used for various decorative and daily use articles like a ladle with a coconut shell scooper.

We also saw a bit of "Ramayana" unfold itself. Just a short drive from Galle is the Rumassala mountain. The drive up the hill reminded me of Kodaikanal but this was sans the hairpin bends and shorter. We reached the top and saw a beautiful white pagoda and beyond that, breathtaking views of the ocean. The place was the site for a Hindu shrine too. Legend has it that when Hanuman was carrying the entire mountain as he could not identify Sanjivani, a chunk from it fell here. So it is a place of reverence for Hindus. There is a huge image of Hanuman in the temple, shown carrying the mountain in his hands.

Too soon, our short but sweet holiday was over – but the beautiful city of Galle, the playful ocean, the “service with a smile” attitude of the staff, be it in the dining room or room service or the reception, the hospitality par excellence will tug at our hearts everytime we think of Sri Lanka.

This blog is in a small way, a tribute to the resilience of Sri Lankans during and after every calamity and in memory of those who lost their lives in 2004 and more recently in November 2025.