Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
1996
Around the world (SRI LANKA )
Bec2004-09-20 12:07:02
Displayed times (last time: )
is now Quebec
Built by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch in the 17th and by the British in the 19th, Galle is finally governed by Sinhalese but it has kept the old world look left by its past masters.
Galle is now almost completely Buddhist but it had an important Catholic population in the 16th and 17th centuries as evidenced by this Portuguese church transformed into a Buddhist temple complete with adjoining Dagoba. Then the Dutch came and built a Protestant Groote Kerk which the British used when they took over and which is still operating. A fine Mosque on the south seawall completes the image of tolerance typical of the Buddhist religion.
HIKKADUWA
I finally found a dive shop I liked here in Hikkaduwa some 15 km north of Galle. This village is a three km string of hotels, shops and restaurants along a golden sand beach 100 km south of Colombo. This must be a pretty hectic place during the high season (December January and February) but in mid March it was just fine, not too crowded and none of the shops had closed yet.
There were three or four dive shops in town, some big and expensive in the better hotels and some very small and without accommodations. I chose the the Poseidon Diving Station, the price was attractive (only 15US$/dive) the atmosphere was right and they had comfortable motel units for 7US$.
I stayed here a few days to dive with a friendly bunch of Peace Corps workers on holidays from their posting near Colombo. I also met an interesting much travelled 67 year old Danish retired sailor who spends his winters here because of the climate, the hospitality of the people and the low prices.
This elephant was crossing the village just as I was leaving for Colombo and from there, to the Maldives. When I inquired what was going on, I was told not to worry, that this big fellow was just going home after a day's work at the saw mill!
Copyright Bernard Cloutier
All rights reserved.
Please visit my website
See photographs from:
Sri Lanka Gallery
