Sri Lanka - Part 20 - Galle

Sunday, 21 February 2016

The Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel has a very interesting sculpture of the confrontation between the Portuguese and natives as the Portuguese established their presence in Sri Lanka.

After arriving at our hotel, we had an excursion to the Fort area of Galle.

The old walls of the Portuguese/Dutch fort contain the oldest part of Galle. It is on a peninsula that juts into the Indian Ocean.

Because Galle is an old trading center, it has a high Muslim population. This is a mosque that looks remarkably like a traditional Portuguese Roman Catholic church.

The old fort walls still allow for a complete circumambulation of the old town - with a nice view of the rooftops of Galle Fort. The Dutch Reformed Church and Anglican Church can be seen in the back.

A typical street in Galle Fort.

A roof-top garden and laundry.

Even if you can't read Sinhala, it's clear that the A-Level exams in Chemistry and Physics are a big deal!

The main entrance to the Fort was added by the British.

Rather than take a tuk-tuk, we opted to walk the two miles back to our hotel.

A Muslim woman in a burka enjoys the beach with her children.

Sunset view from our hotel room.