sri lanka: part one

Our flight to Sri Lanka arrived after midnight.  The first thing I noticed was the hot heaviness and smoky smell of the air.  We rested for a few days at Ging Oya Lodge before heading South.

 We arrived in the Portuguese/Dutch fort town of Galle by bus.  After a very long and hectic travel day, we treated ourselves to a night at The Fort Printers. The town itself is a mix of cultures and quite charming, with the highlight being the old ramparts that encircle it.

I was ecstatic to come across a jewelry workshop and see a bench in usual disarray.

We continued along the Southern coast to the beach town of Unawatuna.  Along the way were ghosts of buildings destroyed by the Tsunami and you cannot help but think how eerily close the road and train tracks run to the water's edge.   Once in Unawatuna we found loads of European tourists basking in the hot sun and sipping fruity drinks and Lion Lager.  It was a bit more crowded here than we like, so we decided to push onwards.

Before we left, we got to enjoy a rice and curry feast in a family home cooked over these bright red coals.