Yala to Tangalle and Galle
A short stop was made at the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Centre. This was set up in 1995 to care for orphaned elephant calves with the goal of rehabilitating them and returning them to the wild. Older elephants are also cared for when appropriate. We watched a large adult elephant which had lost a hind leg and had it replaced with a prosthetic one. It was being rehabilitated by carrying light loads around the property. Presumably, it would live the remainder of its life in care.
Elephant with prosthetic rear leg
Rehabilitation of the younger elephants didn't just mean their physical health, but their mental health too. Being orphaned when young, some of them had behavioural issues such as bullying and these were addressed too.
The stop at Tangalle Peace Haven Resort was just an overnighter but as with other accommodation, it was extremely high quality and the first one right by the ocean.
Reception area at Tangalle
View from the deck area of our room - not too shabby
A stroll along the beach
Sri Lanka is renowned for its spices and cinnamon in particular. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a cinnamon-producing establishment, followed by a harvesting demonstration which was super-interesting. Apparently, the skills required are passed between generations.
The cinnamon branches are ready for cutting when they're about 1" (25mm) in diameter
Cutting suitable branches
Removing the outer bark layer
The inner layer is the part which contains the cinnamon. It's rubbed with a brass rod to loosen the fibres, then split with a knife to remove the layer in large pieces. This is where experience and real skill is required.
Removing the cinnamon layer
A lifetime of wear on the brass rod
The lengths of cinnamon are then slipped inside each other to fill the space and bundled together to form the sales unit.
Slipping the peeled cinnamon layer inside each other
Mrs J with a sales bundle of cinnamon
I chewed a piece of the fresh cinnamon and it was wonderful - far stronger flavour than the common dried powder. I was immediately transported back to the early 1960's when we used to buy Dentyne Classic cinnamon chewing gum from the school tuck shop. As far as remember, it tasted exactly the same. Amazing how a sound, smell or taste can trigger old memories eh? An utterly delightful way to spend an afternoon.
Some technical information
Galle has a strong Portuguese and Dutch heritage and much of the early colonisation buildings and other structures are extremely well preserved. Traditional fishing boats were still in daily use, parked up along the beach.
Local fishing vessels
The subject of the following photo caught my eye, a biker cafe! There was no evidence of it actually being frequented by bikers but it was a nice entrance. In fact, during our stay in Sri Lanka; we only saw 4 or 5 motorcycles which could be classed as belonging to enthusiasts. The remainder were simply cheap forms of transport.
Oh really?
Lunch on our first day in Galle was in an old Dutch building converted into a nice restaurant. I was particularly taken with Delftware porcelain attached to a dining room wall as decoration.
Delftware wall art
As with most restaurants we stopped at, they had an elegant courtyard in the centre. Almost without exception, there was a large bowl or pot full of lotus flowers - just lovely.
An elegant touch
During the walking tour of the old Dutch Fort area, we visited the Dutch Reformed Church, built in 1755. It had been beautifully maintained.
Stained glass work and decorative organ pipes
Impressive pulpit for delivering a sermon
The old sea wall round the fort area had been constructed using cement and coral. Wholesale destruction of coral was apparent from the photo below.
Large chunks of coral embedded in the sea wall
The Galle sea wall and lighthouse
Stonework from colonial days
Massive early anchor - maybe from a tea clipper?
Bird of prey over Galle Fort
Part of Galle Fort and clock tower
We were scheduled to visit the Galle International Cricket Stadium after our tour of the Dutch Fort. It was amusing to note that one of the canons was perfectly aligned with one of the cricket buildings just across the road. A perfect incentive for the home side to keep winning!
A nice alignment
As a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Sri Lanka suffered a large amount of devastation. The sea wall around part of Galle helped to mitigate loss but the cricket ground suffered severe damage. Late Australian cricket legend Shane Warne helped to raise money for the restoration and it clearly hasn't been forgotten by the Sri Lankan people.
Inside the cricket club bar
Yet another magnificent place to lay our tired bones at the Jetwing Lighthouse with stunning views out to sea.
Sunset from our room deck
We were fascinated by the beaten copper figures around the large spiral staircase in the main part of the building. Apparently, they depicted the Portuguese phase of colonisation. We really enjoyed the artwork but it probably alarmed young children! Slightly reminiscent of some of the characters from the movie The Dark Crystal.
Fabulous spiral staircase
It was at this final location that we solved a mystery! At every place we stayed, there was a tiny arrow unobtrusively located on the ceiling of our rooms. This was a real head-scratcher and we came up with all sorts of highly improbable and bizarre theories. In the last room, there wasn't one on the ceiling but I discovered one in a drawer. Here 'tis:
Unable to contain myself any longer, I asked a member of staff. A dead simple answer: The direction of Mecca for members of the Muslim faith!
The dinner that evening brought the tour to a close with tour members going their own way. Every single tour group member was an utter delight and we all got on famously with great humour and support for each other. Can't speak highly enough of the tour organisation, the delightful tour director and of course the wonderful Sri Lankan people who were helpful, gracious and good-humoured to a fault. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a destination a little outside the "normal" major destinations.
Jennie and I headed back to Colombo for a day before catching our flights back to New Zealand. However, there was still a surprise in store for us! When we rocked up to the Singapore Airlines desk at the airport, we were checked through for the first 5 hour leg from Colombo to Singapore, but we were told that they couldn't check us through from Singapore to Auckland as the 10 hour flight wasn't leaving for over 24 hours! We thought there was only 3 hours between flights. Instant stress as we assumed that we were simply transiting through Singapore as per the outbound flights. Keeping it simple, we didn't pick up the dates due to the late pre-trip changes to our route because of the Middle East conflict and the impact of the international date line. Neither did we have accommodation in Singapore or the necessary official clearances. In short, I spent most of the first flight on the internet arranging clearances and emailing back and forth to our NZ travel agents to arrange accommodation. Hugely grateful that they took care of the accommodation with no dramas. Not long after landing, Jennie and I were eating street food not far from our hotel.
Tucking into delicious street food with the locals
The final flight home went without a hitch and business class food and comfort made for a relaxing end to the holiday.
Pre-flight champagne duly downed
Roast duck, spiced orange dressing and an excellent Sauvignon Blanc
There was one delightful incident during the flight which Jennie told me about later (with a rather self-satisfied smile, I might add). We weren't able to sit together on this leg because of the late pre-holiday bookings. She said that the young male flight attendant flirted with her for most of the trip, despite her saying that she was old enough to be his grandmother! Got to make the most of these occasions when they arise!
