Having driven through the chaotic traffic that culminates in madness when the Colombo-Galle road finally reaches Galle, many times now, we were not overly taken by the city.. The road and traffic had totally tainted our opinion of the city before we even stepped out of the tuktuk.
But, I hate making judgements without fact, so we decided to go and see Galle Fort, even though we were convinced it was going to be an over-touristy, over-expensive, noisy, polluted place....
But, I hate making judgements without fact, so we decided to go and see Galle Fort, even though we were convinced it was going to be an over-touristy, over-expensive, noisy, polluted place....
What we found was a complete shock to us!
Inside the fort is a still fully working city.. Modern with signs, lights, cafes, shops, wifi-signs etc.. But at the same time, it's a total time-warp. All of the buildings are as they were hundreds of years ago, and MUST be maintained/restored to conform with the historical nature of the fort.
It's quite simply, stunning..
Inside the fort is a still fully working city.. Modern with signs, lights, cafes, shops, wifi-signs etc.. But at the same time, it's a total time-warp. All of the buildings are as they were hundreds of years ago, and MUST be maintained/restored to conform with the historical nature of the fort.
It's quite simply, stunning..
The first building we entered just happened to be one of the many museums. The guide asked us our country, then casually remarked that at 380years, the building we were in was much much older than modern day Australia.. Which is a thought that is truly mind-blowing..
Walking around the streets and lanes of the fort was just so relaxing and interesting.. But we still weren't prepared for what we found when we climbed the fort walls..
For such a big city, with sooo many people, HOW can the water be so clean?? So unpolluted? So inviting....
Shall we go for a dip? Why not?!?! It's not everyday you get the opportunity to swim outside a fort!
Shall we go for a dip? Why not?!?! It's not everyday you get the opportunity to swim outside a fort!
Our quiet little beach, before the school kids found us..
And so we swam.. It was so nice - just the 3 of us. Then a school group saw us.. It was still nice - the 300 of us..
We spent a good half a day walking around the fort, and we left with it being one of our favourite places in Sri Lanka so far. It's funny how easily our opinions change.
As we left Galle, fighting the traffic once more, Roh and I had a chuckle.. Galle's not so bad afterall!!
And for those of you who haven't visited yet, definitely consider staying a night at one of the super cute (and not overly expensive) guesthouses within the fort.
As we left Galle, fighting the traffic once more, Roh and I had a chuckle.. Galle's not so bad afterall!!
And for those of you who haven't visited yet, definitely consider staying a night at one of the super cute (and not overly expensive) guesthouses within the fort.
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