Sibylle's Blog @mohn-images.com: Visit Sri Lanka : Around Galle

The historic town of Galle has been a large seaport of the island since ancient times when ivory and spices, especially cinnamon, were exported as part of the "Silk Road" connecting China and South-East Asia to Persia and Europe.

Galle Lighthouse

Its "western" history started with the Portuguese in 1502, before about 150 years later the Dutch East India company took over. Both left their mark in many architectural sites, the most prominent is Galle fort. A further 150 years later the island came under British occupation, who left their mark as well. So the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial past is mixing happily in Galle's cityscape. Today the old town of Galle with its fortifications is a UNESCO world heritage site.

entrance to the fort with the British coat of arms above

The other side carries the Dutch East India Company's coat of arms with the VOC-Abbreviation - Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie:

on the ramparts of Galle fort

pedestrians area inside the fort

an old British anchor

Half an hour outside of Galle on a hill at Rumassala sits this Pagoda with depictions of Buddha, a modern "Peace Pagoda" built in 2005 by Japanese Buddhists.

A more ancient site is the "rock temple" Yatagala, where monks have been meditating under the natural rocks for centuries.

under the "Bo" or Bodhi Tree

the natural rock is painted and makes up the ceiling

The Cannonball-Tree (Couroupita guianensis) - what an ill-fitting name!- and its beautiful and very fragant flowers

A tour across the countryside ...

Waterbuffalo closely inspecting a curious cattle egret

the endemic Toque Macaque or Ceylon-Hutaffe (Macaca sinica)

Local crops are not only cinnamon and tea but also rubber. Here you see it being collected in a small coconut shell, about 25 ml per day from a healthy rubber tree.

East of Hambantota the marshy land is used for harvesting sea salt.

Fishermen on the south coast use incredibly slender small boats with stabilizing side constructions.

Galle fish market

At Koggala Beach the famous "stilt" fishers nowadays ply their trade for tourists only. Tiny fish can be found on the surf on the beach making this method a little cumbersome ...