13 I say Ceylon, you say Sri Lanka.. Lets just go to Galle!

This is our third visit to Colombo and each time we have docked at a different pier. 

We managed to snag the first shuttle out to the port gates, and this time it was not that far.

Preparing ourselves for the onslaught of Tuk Tuk drivers as we walked through to gates, you could imagine our surprise to find no one was in sight.

Suddenly, with the realisation that we had arrived, a tsunami of drivers came charging around the corner towards us. We were only interested in the one that was booked to take us to Galle for the day.

Having survived the first challenge of getting past all the touters, the second was facing the traffic of Colombo. We are not sure if we were taken along the back streets on purpose or maybe there are no direct routes, but it took quite a while before it even looked like that we were on the outskirts of the city.

13a I say Ceylon, you say Sri Lanka.. Lets just go to Galle!

Elephants! Did you say elephants?, I know where there are elephants!  We made a slight diversion to a temple that kept elephants as pets… well they cared for a few older retired elephants that come out and are decorated for ceremonial events.

When researching Sri Lanka, a must-see stand out, are the traditional Stilt fishermen.  An tradition where the older fishermen, who no longer go out in boats, sit on these crudely made platforms and fish the waves as they break on the sand.

Stilt Fisherman - Commercialism has taken over this time-honoured tradition.  Pulling up, there was just one lone fisherman surrounded by many empty stilts, sticking out of the water like crudely made crucifixes. 
Suddenly there is a call and a few others jump out of their make shift shelter, wrapped sarongs  around their rip curl shorts, grabbed a stick and ran onto the beach.  Like little birds they scampered up and perched themselves upon their stilts. But hang on, there are no lines nor hooks on those sticks ….  OMG they are fake!!   Having read trip advisor I had already read that so it came as no surprise.…  For the bargain price of $5 each you can take as many photo's as you like…

13b I say Ceylon, you say Sri Lanka.. Lets just go to Galle!

Next stop was the Koggala Sea Turtle Conservation Centre.  A haven for injured turtles.  Turtles of different ages, some held until they are well enough to be released back into the sea, others whose only survival could be within these walls.  

 

What looked like a turtle graveyard was actually a protected area for buried eggs awaiting incubation.  Wow this Olive and Ridley are very productive turtles as many of the “headstones” had their names on them. It took a while before the penny dropped that Olive Ridley was a type of turtle!

13c I say Ceylon, you say Sri Lanka.. Lets just go to Galle!

Galle is a holiday coastal area whose claim to fame is the Fort built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, then taken over by the British in the 18th century. The Forts' wall still stands tall even after withstanding the Boxing Day Tsunami, which destroyed so many other places.

We walked a short distance along the top of the rampart with views of the waves crashing on rocks below on one side and the thriving town of homes, restaurants, museums and shops on the other. This is the first of many walled cities we will visit on this trip.

13d I say Ceylon, you say Sri Lanka.. Lets just go to Galle!

Our last visit to Colombo introduced us to the delicious flavour of Buffalo Curd. A creamy, silky yogurt style desert with a hint of lemon topped with honey treacle. So delicious and traditionally sold in clay pots. No matter how much you eat, you just want to eat more. Well I did drop a couple of  hints at the beginning of the tour, and sure enough our guide sourced some for us from the Dutch Markets just outside the Forts walls.

Making sure that we were leaving enough time to get back to the ship, we were once again back on the main freeway on the way to Colombo. With a little time up our sleeve we felt very posh having a spot of tea at the Pagoda Tea Rooms. Situated in a Colonial style building complete with high ceilings and whirling fans, we felt as if we were taken back in time only missing white gloves and safari suits.

The markets on the pier were a little sad by the time we got back, but the diehards were still there offering specials for the last sale of the day. With a last minute change of sail away time it was no surprise that urgent calls were made around the ship for a few missing passengers, but we believe, with all on board safely the lines were dropped and it was full steam ahead for our next port of Muscat

Step count 227,961... well on track with 772,039 to go