One thing that was abundantly clear on my train journey from Colombo to Galle was the devastation that the tsunami had on Sri Lanka. The train runs along the west coast and the destruction is still very visible. There are concrete platforms that once formed the base of a house, and I learned from some very friendly people who sat next to me that what was now grass and uprooted trees, was previously an entire fishing village.
I was reading my lonely planet on the train and there was a section that read:
Between Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa is where some of the most significant loss of life occurred. It was here that a train was trapped and thousands of people lost their lives.
I looked out the window and tried to imagine the fear of the people trapped in the train. I can’t comprehend what those people must have felt and the sheer panic as they tried to flee the rising waters. It was one of the scariest thoughts I have ever had.
And it appears every Sri Lankan has a story related to the tsunami. The people I met on the train said some close family friends were on the train, and the mother, father and two children lost their lives. One daughter survived and is being cared for by her aunt.
And I stayed at a place called Beach Bungalow in Unawatuna which is owned by a Sri Lankan family. They had a concrete barrier at the back so when the waters came in, they fled and jumped the fence which gave them time to continue running and escape the water. Unfortunately, their neighbour and her baby weren’t so lucky.
It is so painfully sad, that it is difficult to understand how these communities are bouncing back. But bouncing back they are. The reconstruction is slow but it is obvious. There are still makeshift houses but new ones are being built. Businesses are growing again and the area is slowly returning to the paradise it once was. It was heartwarming to hear the following story: the Beach Bungalow tuk tuk driver (who is one of the 9 children of the woman who owns it) told how his tuk tuk was damaged and it was going to take an extortionate amount of money to repair it. This pretty much meant that he would have no vehicle to earn the money to repair the vehicle. There was an English woman staying at the Beach Bungalow just after the tsunami and she heard of his story. So when she got back to England, she transferred 33 000 rupees to his account (about 1600 pounds) and he was able to get his vehicle fixed and he is now running people around the coast earning a living again. My tips were extremely generous in this region and they did not go unappreciated. The people are so beautiful and there appears to be an optimistic vibe that the region will be what is once was.
Now let me describe the places I visited. Galle was built by the Dutch in 1663 and occupies a 36 hectare fort. This is recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Inside the walls are very old homes, churches, administrative buildings, and a growing number of guest houses and restaurants. There were a number of foreigners and I learned from Sabri at my guesthouse that many foreigners are taking advantage of the cheap real estate and buying property. There is a sense that this town will boom but there is still a lot of work to be done to restore some of the beautiful buildings. And it is still very much a working community.
I stayed at a beautiful guesthouse that had ocean views. I quickly checked in and rushed out to the walls to take advantage of the fading light. The walls are beautiful as the sun sets with lots of couples and people just enjoying the ocean breeze. It’s not uncommon to get hassled a little with people selling items and people asking for money while they tell you how they were affected by the tsunami (the lonely planet said to watch out for these), but I’m quickly learning to give a swift no thank you and keep walking. Actually, it may take about 5 ‘no thank yous’ but it eventually works.
The beauty of Galle is to simply walk around and enjoy seeing the history in its buildings which is basically what I did.
The guesthouse cooked me an incredible dinner. It was far too much for one person but I did the best I could. There was a huge bowl of rice and 6 different vegetarian curries. I foolishly said I liked spicy food so my nose ran like a tap but it was still delicious. I retired to my balcony where I wrote in my journal while listening to the waves crash against the fort walls.
The next day I walked around as the sun was rising and just watched people running around the wall and doing their morning exercise. The guesthouse made me yet another delicious meal of toast, egg, fresh papaya juice and the biggest papaya I have seen. I simply squeezed some lime onto it and ate the entire thing.
I then made a quick dash to the local government run craft centre where I bargained for some lovely batiks (traditional Sri Lankan art on cotton where they use wax to colour the material). Then I jumped in my tuk tuk and made my way to the beautiful Unawatuna. Unawatuna was devastated by the tsunami, mainly because everything is so close to the beach. But many places have been rebuilt due to its beautiful location and international assistance.
Many places are built onto the beach, so you can dine at a table that is held stable by the sand. My hotel was 5m from the beach and they kindly gave me the top floor room which meant I had the entire top verandah to myself. It was so peaceful.
I immediately headed for the beach, bought a sarong and soaked up some rays. The water was a perfect temperature. The sun was so hot, but then half an hour later, the clouds came in and the rains came down. Welcome to the tropics! So I planted myself on my verandah and finished my Bill Bryson book. It was amazing and even though I was at the beach, I really enjoyed the dual sound of the rain and the waves crashing.
The food was amazing. I sold my soul and ordered prawns which were incredibly tasty and the fresh juice was to die for. No added water (but I had to request no added sugar because Sri Lankans have something of a sweet tooth!) and the mango, papaya and pineapple juice was the best I have ever had.
Unfortunately I had to leave this paradise. But I hope to be back.
I was reading my lonely planet on the train and there was a section that read:
Between Ambalangoda and Hikkaduwa is where some of the most significant loss of life occurred. It was here that a train was trapped and thousands of people lost their lives.
I looked out the window and tried to imagine the fear of the people trapped in the train. I can’t comprehend what those people must have felt and the sheer panic as they tried to flee the rising waters. It was one of the scariest thoughts I have ever had.
And it appears every Sri Lankan has a story related to the tsunami. The people I met on the train said some close family friends were on the train, and the mother, father and two children lost their lives. One daughter survived and is being cared for by her aunt.
And I stayed at a place called Beach Bungalow in Unawatuna which is owned by a Sri Lankan family. They had a concrete barrier at the back so when the waters came in, they fled and jumped the fence which gave them time to continue running and escape the water. Unfortunately, their neighbour and her baby weren’t so lucky.
It is so painfully sad, that it is difficult to understand how these communities are bouncing back. But bouncing back they are. The reconstruction is slow but it is obvious. There are still makeshift houses but new ones are being built. Businesses are growing again and the area is slowly returning to the paradise it once was. It was heartwarming to hear the following story: the Beach Bungalow tuk tuk driver (who is one of the 9 children of the woman who owns it) told how his tuk tuk was damaged and it was going to take an extortionate amount of money to repair it. This pretty much meant that he would have no vehicle to earn the money to repair the vehicle. There was an English woman staying at the Beach Bungalow just after the tsunami and she heard of his story. So when she got back to England, she transferred 33 000 rupees to his account (about 1600 pounds) and he was able to get his vehicle fixed and he is now running people around the coast earning a living again. My tips were extremely generous in this region and they did not go unappreciated. The people are so beautiful and there appears to be an optimistic vibe that the region will be what is once was.
Now let me describe the places I visited. Galle was built by the Dutch in 1663 and occupies a 36 hectare fort. This is recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Inside the walls are very old homes, churches, administrative buildings, and a growing number of guest houses and restaurants. There were a number of foreigners and I learned from Sabri at my guesthouse that many foreigners are taking advantage of the cheap real estate and buying property. There is a sense that this town will boom but there is still a lot of work to be done to restore some of the beautiful buildings. And it is still very much a working community.
I stayed at a beautiful guesthouse that had ocean views. I quickly checked in and rushed out to the walls to take advantage of the fading light. The walls are beautiful as the sun sets with lots of couples and people just enjoying the ocean breeze. It’s not uncommon to get hassled a little with people selling items and people asking for money while they tell you how they were affected by the tsunami (the lonely planet said to watch out for these), but I’m quickly learning to give a swift no thank you and keep walking. Actually, it may take about 5 ‘no thank yous’ but it eventually works.
The beauty of Galle is to simply walk around and enjoy seeing the history in its buildings which is basically what I did.
The guesthouse cooked me an incredible dinner. It was far too much for one person but I did the best I could. There was a huge bowl of rice and 6 different vegetarian curries. I foolishly said I liked spicy food so my nose ran like a tap but it was still delicious. I retired to my balcony where I wrote in my journal while listening to the waves crash against the fort walls.
The next day I walked around as the sun was rising and just watched people running around the wall and doing their morning exercise. The guesthouse made me yet another delicious meal of toast, egg, fresh papaya juice and the biggest papaya I have seen. I simply squeezed some lime onto it and ate the entire thing.
I then made a quick dash to the local government run craft centre where I bargained for some lovely batiks (traditional Sri Lankan art on cotton where they use wax to colour the material). Then I jumped in my tuk tuk and made my way to the beautiful Unawatuna. Unawatuna was devastated by the tsunami, mainly because everything is so close to the beach. But many places have been rebuilt due to its beautiful location and international assistance.
Many places are built onto the beach, so you can dine at a table that is held stable by the sand. My hotel was 5m from the beach and they kindly gave me the top floor room which meant I had the entire top verandah to myself. It was so peaceful.
I immediately headed for the beach, bought a sarong and soaked up some rays. The water was a perfect temperature. The sun was so hot, but then half an hour later, the clouds came in and the rains came down. Welcome to the tropics! So I planted myself on my verandah and finished my Bill Bryson book. It was amazing and even though I was at the beach, I really enjoyed the dual sound of the rain and the waves crashing.
The food was amazing. I sold my soul and ordered prawns which were incredibly tasty and the fresh juice was to die for. No added water (but I had to request no added sugar because Sri Lankans have something of a sweet tooth!) and the mango, papaya and pineapple juice was the best I have ever had.
Unfortunately I had to leave this paradise. But I hope to be back.
No comments:
Post a Comment