This weekend I traveled south to Galle and Unawatuna with a few fellow Fulbrighters. We left Colombo via train and headed south, only to realize that the train we were on was the wrong one; we were able to transfer a few miles outside of Colombo onto a train headed to Galle, and made up our lost time. The four hour trip cost Rs 180 (USD $1.34).
When we arrived at the Galle train station we hopped onto a bus and made our way to Unawatuna, we dropped our bags at our guesthouse and headed to the shore. Dusk was arriving, and we ran into the warm waves of the Indian Ocean. After a while of enjoying the water we headed to dinner at a restaurant on the shore.
Unawatuna is a beautiful stretch of beach, just a few kilometers away from Galle. Its a tourist attraction which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami. When the rebuilding happened, many of the codes were ignored and buildings were built right on the beach. The Government tore down some of the hotels in 2011, the foundations of which still can be seen from the beach, for violating this code. It is my understanding that the hotels were all on the other side of road, away from the beach, prior to the rebuilding. It is a shame that the natural beauty of this beach is encroached upon by businesses which now are regularly dealing with waves washing into their establishments.
Galle (ගාල්ල) is the fourth largest city in Sri Lanka, and has been a major sea port for centuries. The modern city was established when the Portugese took the city by force, and the Dutch built the original fort out of granite. The fort walls kept the old city protected from the Tsunami, though surrounding areas were wiped out. Today Galle is a city full of cafes, stores, and galleries catering to western tourists and affluent Sri Lankans.
