GALLE FORT – A BEAUTIFUL SRI LANKAN OLD TOWN

ARRIVING IN GALLE

After the nightmare train journey from Colombo it was a relief to finally arrive in Galle. We jumped in a tuk tuk from the train station and headed down to Galle Fort – the area where we were staying.

There are two separate areas to Galle – the main town of Galle and the old ramparts area of Galle fort.

We were staying in the latter and it is beautiful. I can’t comment too much on the main area of Galle, as in the two days we were here, we remained within the fort area, but this was definitely the place to visit.

GALLE FORT

Galle Fort has quite a history. Originally built by the Portuguese in 1588 and later, when overrun by the Dutch in 1640, was fortified even further.

The British later took over the fort in 1796 around the time when they were colonising Sri Lanka.

Despite the amount of time that has passed and the effect of the horrendous boxing day tsunami in 2004, the fort is still incredibly well preserved and is a Sri Lankan national heritage site.

The walls of the fort make for a fantastic walk. With the ocean lapping at its walls beneath, there are amazing views to be had and incredible sunsets.

Here’s some snaps from walking the walls of the fort.

Set within the fort’s ramparts is this impressive clock tower. This was apparently built by the British and the Lonely Planet guide brags about the standards of British engineering and how it is testament to this that the clock still shows the correct time.

These photos were taken around 11am.

Also within the walls we encountered some locals who were keen to show off their snakes (no pun intended) in exchange for a few rupees. This guy unleashed a king cobra, taunted it and let it bite him repeatedly and then explained to me that it wasn’t venomous. Mental.

Then there was this guy who proudly held his python aloft as we walked by.

INSIDE THE OLD TOWN

Inside the ramparts there is a lot more to be seen. Old crumbling Dutch architecture is on show, down peaceful and pretty streets.

Here’s a few more snaps from inside the old town.

This guy, above, who was openly trying to chop meat in the street was drawing unwanted attention to himself from birds, cats and dogs. Look at that cat ready to pounce.

Speaking of food, there is an abundance of choice for dining, with many quaint restaurants and some fantastic organic food to be had.

None more so than this place called ‘Calorie Counter’. We stopped by for a lush breakfast. If you’re in town it’s definitely worth checking out.

One other thing to mention is that there are some shops dotted along the town’s streets, but don’t expect too much diversity. Strangely the vast majority of these shops are jewellers. I’m not too sure how they all stay in business, but I think there’s more jewellers than there are restaurants.

I guess it must be the trade in Sri Lanka, much like Hoi An in Vietnam with tailors.

LEAVING GALLE

After 2 days in Galle, we were moving on to the beach town of Mirissa.

Galle is a beautiful and picturesque place and it definitely warrants a stop off on any trip to Sri Lanka. There’s not loads to do here, but certainly a day or two wandering the old town is a must.

Read on for Mirissa and how our search for blue whales went….