So it's been quite a while since I wrote in my little space of the world wide web, not because I haven't wanted to but more so because it's been so damn busy. Along with delivering some big events I was also promoted in my job, so it was quite a whirlwind these past few months. Needless to say I wanted to pack up and disconnect, and as a place within only 4 hours of Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka seemed to be just the destination.
So we jumped on a flight and headed on over to Colombo.
As soon as you step out of the airport your senses are assaulted by the warmth, friendly faces, beeping horns and trying to work out how many thousand rupee there are to the US dollar!
We decided to leave Colombo immediately and head straight to Galle Fort, but we missed our train, mainly because I was trying to work out how much money to get from the ATM. Luckily that turned out to be one of the best things that happened on our trip. With no other trains in sight and a bus that promised a long hot ride we were touted by a Tuktuk driver called Nashantha. He offered to take us to Galle by tuktuk, not believing that we really could he insisted and so after agreeing a price we hopped in along with our suitcases and started the journey.
Now don't get me wrong, the tuktuk was a hell of a lot of fun but it isn't for the faint hearted, if I thought driving was bad in the UAE, it has nothing on Sri Lanka. Luckily we were too tired from travelling through the night to really care about being near killed a dozen times. But it seemed Nashantha had it all under control and so therefore we just sat back and enjoyed the journey.
Following the road all the way down the coast it took us about 3.5 hours to reach Galle Fort and that included a charming breakfast stop on the beach and a speeding ticket stop!
After having paid our driver (and also paying most of the speeding ticket) we bid our farewells and took the obligatory photo for our memories.
As soon as we entered Galle Fort I think Warren and I both fell in love, it is like stepping back in time. The charm of this little town is incredible, choosing a place to stay is a hard decision, each hotel is boutique and filled with glorious verandahs and restaurants.
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We chose to stay at The Fort Bazaar, beautifully decorated, we felt right at home straight away. With a library filled to the brim and lots of nooks to find quiet space, everything you need is at your finger tips, including afternoon tea every day!
The food is phenomenal and you won't ever go hungry!
With a terrace over looking the rooftops it was the perfect place to have a cup of tea before the town wakes and the tourists come out to play.
Exploring Galle is alot of fun, you can take a tuktuk for which you will never fail to find one or the better option is to get walking.
We started our first day by walking around the fort perimeter of the town, I won't bore you with the history but with both Portuguese and Dutch heritage I can see where the town got it's charm.
Every street you turn down there is evidence of the crumbling Galle and the restored Galle, guest houses and boutique shops are making their mark but in a traditional manner.
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It was warm and humid while we were there but somehow that added to the charm for me, it meant retiring to a cool verandah for a local beer under the gently moving fans, and ducking into cute shops to get away from the heat of the sun.
I fell in love with the most adorable Tuktuk and decided then and there it was basically my dream mode of transport.
There is no right or wrong way to explore Galle Fort, just keep walking and you will see everything it has on offer.
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Of all the things to do I highly recommend drinking Champagne on the terrace at the Amangalla Hotel, eat ALL of the Sri Lanken curries and be sure to stop for homemade Ice Cream at Dairy King, the owner will not hesitant to tell you it's made with NZ's very own Anchor Milk!
Ayubowan - welcome to Sri Lanka!
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