The Villa and Galle

Sri Lanka is still very much a back packers destination. There are no big resorts or chains to be found. The country was deep in civil war until 2009 which certainly played into the lack of development. Because of this our choices were backpacker hostels or villas. With the 6 of us we were able to find a beautiful villa right on the ocean. We arrived after dark the night before so our surroundings were a stunning surprise in the morning. 

This amazing bird flitted by and had us all scrambling for our cameras. It is a Kingfisher, and his long fishing beak and bright,vibrant blue feathers were unforgettable. 

The temperatures of both the pool and ocean water was really warm. Even first thing before breakfast Nathan was trying to chuck me in the pool for a swim. I think I was mostly resistant to the idea of being "chucked". We actually spent a lot of time in the water, and even enjoyed sunsets floating in the pool.

Another highlight of the villa was the food. The cook, Baba (she was amazing) would make whatever we asked but we all really loved the traditional Sri Lankan food. They eat a hearty breakfast of Dal, a bean and lentil type curry, with this yummy shredded orange coconut dish and naan type bread. It was sooo good. Similar to Indian food for sure. There seemed to be less variety than traditional Indian food, but what we had we all loved.

Here are our ambitious boys on our first morning in Galle, headed out to check out the snorkeling at the base of our villa. Snorkeling report was not so good due to the rebar dangerously sticking out just waiting to impale you when the next wave comes in. 

Speaking of waves, the Villa house manager spent quite a bit of time relaying his experience of the 2004 Tsunami. It hit the area where we were staying, it came in two huge waves or surges and then the water receded back out to the ocean 3km. Galle was hit and suffered terrible loss of life and property but the waves came in at an angle rather than straight on which may have saved them from complete and utter destruction. 

He told us many harrowing stories, including the bungalows of an aunt where he was working at the time. The cement wall collapsed on one of their guests and he lost his leg. He pointed to the little hotel to our right, who lost their wife and mother. The managers brother was actually out with a group scuba diving... Just crazy, humbling stories. 

The villa we stayed in actually sits high up off of the water and did not suffer much damage. It was terrible to realize that after all we learned about the tsunami in Galle it was not the worst hit in Sri Lanka, not even close. 

These are incredibly resilient people we had the privilege to visit with.  

We spent a day exploring Galle, especially the Fort area. First we went past the harbor and fishing area.

But just driving through town there was so much to take in.

This is a tuk tuk, just a scooter with a cover and benches. The other two couples we were with both rented scooters to drive around town on but I really felt like that was an unnecessary risk for Nathan and I. We do not ride scooters regularly in Taipei, but I have seen enough accidents to know the dangers. Add to that a foreign country with different rules of driving (both written and unwritten) and the fact that they drive on the opposite side of the road, and I felt it was just a risk we didn't need to take. Nathan was less worried over all but was fine to ride in a tuk tuk with me instead. Him supporting my caution made me love him all the more. (read: him supporting my anxiety made me love him for still loving me)

We saw this scene quite a bit, families out swimming and playing in the ocean. The dads may wade in, in their clothes, to be with their children, mothers did occasionally too -always in their clothes, fully dressed. Children usually had swimsuits but swam in their clothes too.
Slight Tangent:
Our house manager said as Island people they definitely know how to swim and enjoy the ocean. I told him it was funny because the same cannot be said about the Island we currently live on. Taiwan people largely ignore the beaches and ocean they are surrounded by. There is amazing snorkeling associated with the area, but guess how they snorkel? With life vests on, carefully holding on to ropes above areas of coral, where they float on top of the water and put their faces down in to observe the fish life safely from above.  Not exactly what I would call embracing the ocean with open arms!

Back to the Galle. We spent some time exploring the Fort area. Sri Lanka has a rich history which I will not pretend to know all about. But I did catch that the Fort was built by the Dutch at some point. It seemed like you were in this little European village in the middle of India.

I love the swirly letters of the Sinhalese language. Everything is funner when it's in a beautiful script... even if I can't understand a lick of it.

The Peace Pagoda 

(Where our tuk tuk driver took us when we asked to go to Unnawatuna Beach???)

We did eventually make it to Unnawatuna...