If you’ve read some of my earlier journals you’ll know that I can’t resist popping in to any local church that I pass on my travels, and Galle gave me the opportunity to check out two that were very close to each other, were linked…Read More

If you’ve read some of my earlier journals you’ll know that I can’t resist popping in to any local church that I pass on my travels, and Galle gave me the opportunity to check out two that were very close to each other, were linked through worship and at the same time very different.

The Dutch Reformed Church looks classically Dutch with the telltale eaves design sitting precariously on top of the basic shell of a building. It’s flanked by what would have started off as a bright and impressive white wall, but nowadays the boundary is showing significant signs of neglect. A coat of paint would certainly restore it to its former glory. We enter the church through the front door and are interested to note that there’s not a single window on this side of the church. Indeed inside there are very few windows which means that the splash of light and colour from the two stained glass windows is sensationally dominant.

The plans for the building of the Dutch Reformed Church started in 1682, but work stalled for almost seventy years before the foundation stone was built upon and the resulting building was a straightforward and unassuming building. Two utilitarian pillars to the rear of the church do their job of supporting an impressive beam and the simplicity continues with a neatly beamed ceiling and slabbed floor.

An original narrow staircase leads up to the organ and a simple balcony and I speculate that the rush carpeting is how it would have been on the consecration of the church. Certainly some of the simple seating is original and I guess would have been commissioned by the wealthier families for their own use.

There are some historical floor plaques around the church and I was interested to note that the church hatchments were intricately carved and were not the traditional diamond shape that we see back in the UK.

An interesting and informative wall plaque indicated that the first seven Methodist missionaries set out from England on 30th December 1813 and of the group one died en route, another remained in Bombay and the remaining five reached Galle on 29th June 1814. That makes our 12 hour plane journey from England seem very short!
So it was the Methodist Reverend T. Squance who established the foundation for a "British Congregation" in Galle although it took several years for a church to be founded in the town. lndeed All Saints was not founded until 1868, but the pre-existing congregation continued to worship at the Dutch Reformed Church for over 50 years and was ministered by a colonial chaplain.

The second Bishop of Colombo, Rev Claughton, had proposed that an Anglican Church should be built when he visited Galle on 16th December 1862 and nine years later Bishop Claughton consecrated the church in front of 525 people. Interestingly the information plaque in the church tells us that the total collection made at that service was 105 pounds 10 shillings and four pence (£105.53 in current value). The church has an interesting external design with three white arched entrances at the front, topped with an orange arch and a dominant balcony. The windows mirror the same design (without the orange) and a large rose window looks onto the balcony. Although a dominant building it does not standout as a church although a large square tower to the rear emphasises the building’s importance.

The inside was somewhat of a surprise as it was much more of a conventional design than I’d assumed. Striking pillars joined together by sweeping arches led our attention to the altar. The starkness of the white walls and pillars contrasted with the darkness of the pews, floor and oak ceiling. The stained glass in the pulpit area reflected through the church and gave a touch of grandeur and extravagance that is not evident elsewhere in this church. It had a real touch of simple serenity about the place and I could imagine the satisfaction that the early congregation must have felt as they moved out of the Dutch Reformed Church into their own house of worship.

An interesting couple of churches that are well worth "poking your head into",

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The old Citadel town of Galle is well worth investigating and this was our first visits as we got off the train. Having explored the ramparts (see separate review) we climbed down the steps next to the lighthouse and headed off up the narrow streets…Read More

The old Citadel town of Galle is well worth investigating and this was our first visits as we got off the train. Having explored the ramparts (see separate review) we climbed down the steps next to the lighthouse and headed off up the narrow streets of the town. A suitable landmark was the large Muslim centre – a grand white building with pan tiled roof looking directly towards the sea. We turned off the main road which runs around the outside of the town parallel to the ramparts and felt confident that we’d manage to get around the town fairly easily. You see the streets are worked on a grid basis so three lefts should always get us back to the start! Well that’s the theory.

There are loads of colonial houses in the town in varying state of repair. One unusual looking place was a first floor wooden shack built on the side of a very grand quarter circular corner house. Both were operating as small shops but the juxtaposition perhaps said it all. Galle is a town of contrasts.

At one point we took a left and ended up next to a huge factory-like building that had been turned into a school. Indeed the whole street was main up of numerous schools from kindergarten to secondary.

Parked on the roadside was an original Morris Minor car. Fantastic with its split windscreen, indicators cut in to the bodywork and leather upholstery. It was in great condition for its age and had a number plate that my friend would have loved to have owned. It bore his initials!

We passed the local library that had been established back in 1832 and a Dutch warehouse that carried the date stamp of 1670. The latter was now a marine museum and we had a quick look around. It was opened in 2010, with help from the Dutch government, after the original museum was destroyed in the tsunami. The warehouse is interesting in its own right being in the classic Dutch design and inside there are numerous marine artefacts, maps and most interesting, as far as I was concerned, a scale model of the fort and the waters around the town of Galle. This confirmed who well the fort reinforced the town’s protection from invading forces.

Somehow are careful plan to investigate the town had run into problems because we ended up right back at the entrance to the fort and despite our best thoughts we couldn’t suss out how we’d got there. So a new strategy was employed. We’d just walk down streets that looked interesting. Well it was a plan of sorts!!

We strolled back down the main peripheral road until we reached the temple that we’d seen from the ramparts. The children and their teachers were still engaged with keep fit, drums and megaphones and we went to check out the temple on the green. This temple was "surrounded" by carved elephants and the centre piece inside the temple was a "shrine table" that had been given in memory of Guenter Karl Steinberg, a local dignitary. Just across from this temple were a stupa and a Buddhist Monastery. We poked our head into the attached church which was surprising plain and uncluttered.

Walking into the town we pass a small mobile market stall ladened with colourful fresh vegetables and as we continue down the narrow street we’re surprised that all the houses have significant patio areas at the front. Indeed we’re even more surprised when we look into one of the houses and see a large internal courtyard, garden and a house that seems to go on forever. It seems that these houses are deceptively large and must have been grand residences in their heyday.

There’s a magnificent residence that must have been recently restored with magnificent external plasterwork, fine pillars and wrought iron window frames. Indeed we were impressed to see that the majority of the towns’ street lights were original oil lamps converted to electricity. There’s a great "historical mansion museum" that’s well worth spending time at. It’s free admission and will give a good idea as to how the wealthy families lived here in Galle. I particularly liked its rear courtyard and delightful garden. But make sure you pay good attention to the internal architecture of the place – it doesn’t look like they skimped on detail anywhere in this grand mansion.

Galle has a great mixture of design with the gentle curves of art nouveau house, the impressiveness of the colonial mansions, properties with impressively carved outside staircases, fine pillars, brightly painted walls and then..

Despite all the grandeur (and some shabby chic) there are pockets of clear deprivation with tatty accommodation and signs of multiple-occupancy.

We stumbled across a magnificent square somewhere close to the centre of town and it turned out to be Galle’s judicial area with solicitors’ offices all over the place. The court buildings were fairly unassuming and within this area were the family law, magistrates and crown courts for the region. "Nosing" as subtly as we could (because there was a high police presence in this area) we spotted a group of shackled prisoners being led across a courtyard. It’s strange because we’d actually assumed that crime was quite light on the island, but this area seemed to give a different message. We hastened away making sure that our cameras were kept well to our side. We assumed that people would take offence if we started "snapping" in this area of town

Galle’s wall city has been around since the early sixteenth century and it truly reflects the architecture of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial times. It’s now an Archaeological Reserve and has been identified as a World Heritage site. What a great visit.
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Having wandered the majority of streets in the old walled town we decided to head out for the harbour and, if we still had time, part of the town of Galle. Straight ahead we saw Galle’s cricket ground. This seemed to be in a prime…Read More

Having wandered the majority of streets in the old walled town we decided to head out for the harbour and, if we still had time, part of the town of Galle. Straight ahead we saw Galle’s cricket ground. This seemed to be in a prime position and probably highlights the importance of the game on the island. There was a game in progress at the time and we were aware that the original ground had in fact been devastated by the 2004 tsunami. From the ground we could see the Indian ocean was visible on two sides of the ground and the towering above the ground was the fort’s clock-tower. I gather that England’s Ian Botham was instrumental in getting the ground back into decent condition after the tsunami and we speculated that the match in progress was a pre-curser to the imminent World Cup.

Anyway we continue our walk toward the ocean and suddenly we’re overseeing a group of fishermen attempting to move their heavy fishing boat back in to the water. Probably a dozen had their backs against the structure and they were attempting to slide it down the sand into the water. I reckon in the time we were watching them it probably moved a couple of feet, so to get it into the sea would by my calculations have taken them well over the hour. Close by a couple of fishermen were preparing their catch for market as they de-headed and gutted the fish. Close to hand birds lay in wait for the pick of the left-overs and a few metres away four guys were busy making repairs to their fishing nets. They seemed very casual as they worked industriously to sort out the damage.

We head off back round the cricket ground past a statue of a man on horseback and then seeing a stupa on the other side of the road we risk life and limb to get close to it. This turned out to be a good move as it was going to lead us in the direction of the train station through a small market area. Here we see stalls selling only hair bands. Not just one but probably three or four all selling identical goods. How on earth do they survive?

Old carriages seem to be converted for stall holders to push their goods around town and several of these are selling snacks. I see a short alleyway that is reminiscent of the entrance to a souk so I head off down to investigate. My friend is less convinced but with some gentle persuasion he accompanies me. This area is full of craftsmen – some tailors, leather ware "manufacturers" and two stalls which are working on repairing what looked like irreparable shoes. The latter seems to be one of the most favoured small businesses that we see around Galle.

At the end of the alleyway there are loads of cages full of small birds. Not sure if they being sold as a delicacy, for religious ceremonies (I seem to recall that the release of caged birds is a feature of some Buddhist ceremonies), or as household pets. Guess I’ll never really know for sure!

Having reached the end of the alley we saunter back down to the main road. No-one has been bothered by our presence and we did not feel in the least bit imtimidated, With hindsight I’m not sure that I’d have risked investigating this alley if I’d have been on my own.

Time is now marching on and we realise that we’re not absolutely sure where we are in relation to the train station. We pause to get our bearings and then spot the bus terminal, which we both recall was near the train station. With renewed confidence we stride out and our instinct and recall was correct – there in front of us was the main railway station and with 20 minutes left to buy our tickets and board the train we both reckon that our timing is impeccable.

We just have time for a quick look around the station before heading to the train. We’ve successfully viewed Galle and now we’ve bagged a comfortable seat next to the window for our return journey. What a great day out.
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I decided to enjoy a massage on my penultimate day in Kalutaru. I’ve only had two previous massages and the one I most enjoyed was an Ayervedic massage when we stayed in Kerala. As this was one of the options I was happy to sign…Read More

I decided to enjoy a massage on my penultimate day in Kalutaru. I’ve only had two previous massages and the one I most enjoyed was an Ayervedic massage when we stayed in Kerala. As this was one of the options I was happy to sign up for the "treatment".

There were several options to choose from. I’d seen a treatment centre and spice garden just off the main street close to the hotel and popped my head round to check it out. In truth I’d just made the small detour of the street when I was accosted by the treatment centre’s "representative" or tout. He ushered me towards a small room where the doctor was sitting and within seconds I was sat down while he explained the options to me. At 3500 rupees he was offering a two hour programme of massage and steam bath and although it sounded very professional I wanted to check out where the treatment would be administered. He pointed to a small alcove and then pulled back the curtain. In this tiny cupboard sized room was a massage bench and a small table. It was dowdy and uninviting and didn’t really attract as a place with the type of ambiance that made for a relaxing and therapeutic massage. I decided to give this one a miss!

The following day when my wife and I were strolling down the beach we once again saw that there were numerous massage centres along the way. Bizarrely they seemed to be twinned with restaurants or craft shops. The centres’ representative lined the beach trying to cajole us to check out their restaurant or shop and to try a massage at the same time. Somehow that didn’t ring true with me and I wondered how professional a service I would be signing up to. That sounds like it was high pressure sales but in reality the "pitch" was fairly low key and when I indicated that I wasn’t interested they just smiled and said "perhaps another day".

The safest bet seemed to be the services that were offered on site at the hotel. Here the ambiance was set the moment you walked into the massage centre’s reception – gentle running water and a smart setting. I checked out the massage rooms and the receptionist led me over a short bridge, through the trees to a modern block where there were modern, clean, bright and spacious massage rooms. This was my preference and so I booked for an hour’s Panchakarma Ayuvedic Treat. It was actually called Sambahana with Vaspasweda. None the wiser? Well it was actually a full body massage with medicated oils followed by a steam bath.

I arrived a little early for my treatment but was almost immediately taken to the centre where I needed to give a brief description of my medical conditions (although I’m not convinced that the masseur had read them) before I was escorted upstairs to the massage room.

I clambered onto the "operation couch" face down in a non too dignified fashion and soon the process of dripping oils onto my back commenced. I’m thankful that the massage wasn’t too "hard" and I was soon relaxing as the guy set about his work. Given a little longer I reckon I’d have been in the land of nod but his request for me to turn over interrupted me. Having "flipped" the oil was again applied and I suspect I was now almost "oven ready". A few "knots" were found and as I groaned he remarked "pain". "uh huh" was my response and although I had anticipated that he’d let up a bit he seemed to concentrate more on that very spot. No use complaining, I thought, it must be doing me some good. Didn’t feel that way at the time but I have to confess that the following day I did feel "much easier".

Of course the head massage was superb, despite having oils poured onto my head and that was not far short of putting me to sleep.

But that was soon over and I had to patter downstairs to the steam room for the last part of the treatment. Now I’ve never endured a steam bath like this before. It looked more like a wooden MRI scanner and I gingerly climbed onto the slatted wooden bed which was covered in leaves, before the coffin like top was lowered down. My neck was covered over in towels and the steam turned on. "Just shout" he said, if it gets too hot for you. I felt like James Bond in Thunderball as the temperature increased and the masseur was nowhere to be seen. Not that it mattered because when he got back I was ready for it to be turned up a notch.

The final part of the treatment was a warm shower to release the oils and then a gentle meander back to my room for an early evening siesta before dinner.

A most enjoyable experience.
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We took a tuk-tuk from just outside the hotel and headed off for Kalutara South Train Station. We’d checked with the hotel what the approximate cost was likely to be and when the driver said it would be 300 rupees we were quite happy. The…Read More

We took a tuk-tuk from just outside the hotel and headed off for Kalutara South Train Station. We’d checked with the hotel what the approximate cost was likely to be and when the driver said it would be 300 rupees we were quite happy. The hotel had suggested that it was between 300 and 500 rupees!

It was an exciting 10 minute drive from the hotel to the station although I reckon we tested the vehicle’s suspension (if indeed they have any) as we found almost every bump and crack on the road’s surface. Anyway we arrived in good time and in one piece at the station and then sorted out our train ticket. There’s a choice of 2nd or 3rd class so we push the boat out and opt for 2nd class as we reckon that should ensure us a seat. It only costs 120 rupees for the single journey which will take us almost 2 hours, so it’s actually cheaper than our short Tuk-Tuk ride to the station!

Having bought our ticket when have to present it to a station attendant sat at a large table with a significantly sized ledger. He solemnly checks out the number on each of our tickets and carefully enters some details into the ledger. We are ushered on to the station having checked out that we need platform 2. Indeed the majority of the passengers are standing on platform 2 (this is immediately inside the entrance) with only a handful waiting across the rails on platform 1).

We check on the electronic information board for details of the trains but struggle, despite the fact that’s it’s displaying in English, to make much sense of it. However, we soon ascertain from which direction it will arrive as the Galle- Colombo train arrives on Platform 1. Suddenly waiting passengers from our platform jump down on the rails and rush across to board the train from the rails. The clamber up the steps and as there are no doors on the carriages it seems that prime seats are to be found in the on the stairs of the carriage entrances. Although boarding seems frantic it, on reflection if really quite ordered in a chaotic way!!

About 10 minutes later our train arrives and predictably we’re at the wrong end of the platform for second class, but we have plenty of time to get to a carriage and we’re pleasantly surprised when we find there are seats available - seats that look and indeed are comfortable with plenty of leg room. We struggle to open a window but finally manage it and then settle down to enjoy the Sri Lankan countryside from the train.
On the 90 minute journey from Kalutara to Galle we pass through many small villages, but as we’re on the "express train" we only stop at four of them. One was particularly memorable because we were welcomed by a small group of goats that walked right alongside the carriages and then stood at the open doors. I guess they are used to getting discards of food from the passengers. The train was only a couple of minutes late and we were reasonably impressed with the comfort and efficiency of the journey. We’d enjoyed the track changes into sidings so the up-train could pass through, the numerous views of temples, the village activity and the superb views of rivers and the sea as we sped southwards to Galle.

At the end of our day in Galle I guess we confidently returned to the station. The trip down had passed without hitch and having purchased our tickets for the return journey we settled down in the carriage. My friend remarked that we were travelling much slower and I had to confess that they journey was seemingly far less smooth. Still we were making good process and I settled down near to the window with my camera ready.
Half an hour into the trip the train stopped – in the middle of nowhere. No there are no real communications on board so we sat and waited and after 10 minutes or so we started up again and managed to limp into a station. Perhaps the lights had been at red and perhaps our increasing pessimism about the reliability of this train was ill-founded. . But then the fan stopped whirring and the engine juddered to a full halt. Yes, the engine had died on us and we found out that it would be a couple of hours before they could get a replacement engine to us.

Apparently the Colombo-Galle train had to uncouple with the engine returning up-line to hitch up with us. Some people on the train headed off to catch a bus or hire a tuk-tuk, but we decided to bide our time and "enjoy" the experience. We were soon to get to know Hikkaduwa station quite well and were pleased to be able to get into conversations with both locals and fellow passengers. Apparently engine failure isn’t uncommon on this route and I reckon the English speaking locals seized the opportunity to come up to the station for a chat with the tourists.

Time passed remarkably quickly and we were soon back on track (well 90 minutes after the breakdown occurred) and with the clickety-click on the rails we watched nightfall and had yet another experience on the rails.

A little tip. I’d suggest that you avoid using the toilets on board the train. They were absolutely rank and.... No I won’t say more, but leave it to your own imagination. Indeed whatever you’re imagining is probably right!!

Despite the delay we both thoroughly enjoyed our day trip to Galle and am pleased that we opted to travel independently and enjoy the journey for its own sake. A great day out for minimal expenditure.
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The day had been a bit mixed, weather wise, and once again we’d seen precious little of the winter sun that we’d flown all those miles to see. In fairness it is exceptionally warm and we’ve been able to sit out on the sun loungers…Read More

The day had been a bit mixed, weather wise, and once again we’d seen precious little of the winter sun that we’d flown all those miles to see. In fairness it is exceptionally warm and we’ve been able to sit out on the sun loungers for part of each day that we’ve been here.

Today, Independence Day, it started to rain about two o’clock so my wife and I decided to take a short siesta and then wander in the local area. So by 3.15pm we were leaving "Tangerine Beach", armed with an umbrella (just in case) and heading towards a Buddhist Temple that we’d walked past the other day. We were both suitably dressed (i.e. my wife had her shoulders covered and I had three-quarter length shorts on) so we felt comfortable about entering the grounds. We’d not made it far before we acquired a "guide". He’d been sweeping up the leaves but as soon as he spotted us he headed towards our side and escorted us to the Temple. Shoes duly removed we were taken past the large enclosed Buddha who looked towards us on entry and walked quietly around the tree of life that was the centre of worship for this temple. At one point our "Guide" disappeared and then returned with a large vessel filled with water. We were both invited to throw the water towards the tree, but my wife was much more reserved and she gently poured some of the contents into the surrounding soil. Next point of call was a Stupa that I’d spotted in the corner of the grounds.

After a reasonable length of time we bid our farewells and despite being ready with a small donation the "guide" returned to his sweeping up duties and made no demands on my wallet. Surprising but true!

We next headed off alongside the rail way line and having past a number of cows wandering unattended on the track side we "hit a small village". Everyone was real friendly smiling at us, giving us a cheery wave or muttering something that sounded close to "hello". Our initial thoughts that we might be heading to far off the beaten track soon diminished as young children ran from houses just to wave at us. The houses in this area were, it’s true to say, fairly basic and I was a little reluctant to take photographs for fear of alienating myself to what otherwise was a very friendly community. Suddenly a flash of vivid green caught my attention but by the time I’d reached for my camera the parakeet had flown off at a rate of knots. We kept our eyes open just in case it would return to view but sadly it never came back.

I did ask a local how far we were to Kalatura station, because my friend and I intended to take a train journey down to Galle later in the holiday. The man explained that the next station was Kalatura North and the train from there was really slow. He recommended that we take a Tuk-Tuk to Kalatura South to get the Express train. I thanked him for his advice (although I already had that information from the hotel reception) and we carried on walking. Instinct is a marvellous thing and we felt that the next left would take us over the rail crossing and back towards the main road. In the centre of the road was another effigy to Buddha and the turn to the left did indeed take us just past the rail station and over the crossing. A short stroll and we had the main road in our sights with the remnants of the daily market on our right. All that remained were a couple of fish stalls but I suspect it’s a hive of activity earlier in a day. Must try and check that out if the weather doesn’t get too hot.

Then we take a right on the main road before stopping to admire another Temple. A woman stops to tell us that it’s a Buddhist temple and confirms that we can indeed visit it. Momentarily we consider the risk of crossing this busy road and spotting a lull in the traffic we both decide to cross the road. Our crossing is trouble free but we both sigh that sigh of relief when we get to the other side. We’re straight into the temple complex and enjoy a hassle free time just looking whilst keeping our distance from the main area of prayer. There’s a teaching session in progress for young novices and it would have been clearly inappropriate to get too close to this group.

Next we’re back at the side of the main road and the need to risk life and limb again as we cross on the pedestrian crossing. Not that this holds any significance for drivers who continue on at a pace despite seeing us waiting patiently at the road side. The fact that I’m now recording our excursion confirms that we successfully made the crossing and returned in one piece back to our hotel. Indeed close to the crossing was the road that we’d taken earlier in the week (our second day) when we’d walked past the local primary school just as parents were collecting their children for lunch. The children all seemed immaculately dressed in crisp white uniforms. It’s a colour that would not work too well back in the UK but seems to be the preferred attire in India and Sri Lanka. Indeed even after a morning at school all the youngsters seem to be still wearing white and unmarked clothing. Wat an achievement that is!

Our circular walk had taken us around an hour and a half and we were gratified that everywhere we looked there were smiling faces. We were only accosted once by a guy on a motor cycle who claimed to be responsible for our room service. What baloney that was so he got fairly short shrift and disappeared fairly rapidly "with a flea in his ear"!
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