Serendipity in Tissa

From Galle, we moved on further along the coast towards Tissamaharama (i.e. Tissa for short). Our ride, a minivan arranged by Shangri-Lanka Village, was comfortable enough and the driver friendly. After 2 days in Galle Fort with only a short venture outside to the turtle sanctuary, it was fascinating to see more of Sri Lanka. This was a country that was embroiled in a 26-year civil war until only recently and was partly ravaged by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. It was sobering to know that many villages in that part of the country we were travelling in were wiped out. Family members were lost, houses gone in seconds. A train on the very same service that we took from Colombo to Galle was derailed and wrecked by the waves near Hikkaduwa, with a death toll of more than 1,700.

Today, travelling along the costal route past sleepy villages, there was no evidence of the country's past disaster. The only disaster I could see was in the form of a group of tourists taking the term "tourist trap" to a whole new level. Sri Lanka is famous for its stilt fishermen and we had asked the driver to stop us at any beach where we could see the fishermen in action. He did - but the only action taken by the fishermen there was taking Rs2,000 from the gullible tourists just for the latter to sit on the stilts and be a "fisherman" for a few minutes, with pictures taken of course.

Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka....

...doing a lucrative business

After the coast, we past wide and open grasslands, wind turbines, paddy fields full with egrets, boundaries of Bundala National Park and makeshift stalls selling buffalo milk curd with palm treacle, apparently a specialty in that part of Sri Lanka.

One of the many curd and treacle stalls lining the
road leading to Tissa

After more than 4 hours on the road, we arrived in Tissa. Before taking us to our hotel, the driver made an unplanned detour just before the lake to show us one one of the most amazing spectacles I have seen in my travels. We stopped near a huge rain tree, on which countless equally huge pelicans were nesting. More amazingly, the tree was shared by colonies of roosting bats hanging upside down from the branches. Irf couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the bats. And neither could I.

Nesting pelicans...

....and roosting bats near Tissa Wewa

We were again acquainted with the beauty of (the completely underrated) Lake Tissa or Tissa Wewa the next day. After our safari in Yala National Park, we had a couple hours to spare so decided to walk to the lake. It looked near enough when we were being driven to the hotel and anyway the hotel staff assured us that it would take 10 minutes. So we walked and we walked and obviously it took more than 10 minutes, probably 30 minutes. Despite the busy 2-lane road with tuk-tuks, buses and lorries, it felt like a walk in a village with roadside stalls selling fruits and freshly caught fish and locals hanging out at the roadside. I nearly gave up until, turning around a bend for the umpteenth time, I saw slivers of the lake.

Tissa Dagoba - originally built around 200 BC

An evening in rural Tissa

We had not planned for any activities, only a walk around the lake. That all changed when a boat approached us and we were asked whether we wanted to take a boat trip to "Bird Island". I was not at all keen thinking that it was another tourist trap but Irf, perhaps seeing all the birds flying around the lake, was so excited with the idea. The boatman quoted Rs1,000 per adult (free for kids) for a 1-hour trip and as the boat was clean and came with lifejackets, the 3 of us ended up in the boat.

It turned out to be one of the best things we did in our Sri Lanka trip - minus the crowd. We saw colonies of nesting black-headed ibises and cormorants including their hatchlings peeking out from the nests, egrets chilling out on the back of wading water buffalows, more pelicans and herons. One hour on the lake and I was turning into an expert in birdwatching.

Black-headed ibises

The egrets using the water buffaloes to catch fish

Sunset at Tissa Wewa

The boat ploughing through a vast 
expanse of lotus plants and flowers

Birds and bats changing shifts

Our boat trip ended in the dying light, with orange and pink streaks in the sky. It was Rs2,000 (plus generous tips) well spent, definitely a much better choice than giving it to the "stilt fishermen". The experience proved that the unplanned are often more rewarding. Perhaps it was fitting that we encountered those serendipitous moments in Tissa. After all, serendipity is derived from the word Serendib, an old name for Sri Lanka.

Eating in Galle

Galle abounds in family-family restaurants and cafes and there were even several halal restaurants. The only problem that we had was to choose where to eat. It goes without saying that most of the restaurants within the Fort were primarily catered for tourists but unlike many of the tourist-targeted restaurants in other other towns/cities, the food offered here were really good - partly contributed by the fresh ingredients used.

1) Pedlar's Inn (No. 92, Pedlar Street)

We had our first dinner here. Ravenous after the train ride from Colombo, we were there quite early and managed to grab a quite corner on the patio. The place could get quite busy so its best to time properly.

The best pizza in the whole wide world,
according to Irf

Ordered grilled tuna and chicken curry between A and I, for what is a trip to Sri Lanka without trying the curries. Irf had the Pizza Margherita which he managed to clean off the plates all by himself. Dinner for the 3 of us cost Rs4,300 (approx. RM130) which I'm sure was expensive by overall Sri Lankan standards, but then again everything cost more within the Fort's walls. Our subsequent meals cost less than this (probably because we became more cost-conscious) but it's safe to say that a decent meal in the Fort for 3 people in a comfortable surrounding would be around the RM100 mark.

2) Crepe-ology (No. 53, Leyn Baan Street)

As the name implies, this place specializes in a variety of sweet and savoury crepes. It also offers wraps, salads and finger food and it's the perfect place to have lunch. You would have to go up a flight of narrow steps from a shop on the ground floor. We sat at a table on the cozy rooftop terrace but there's also an air-conditioned room (complete with a play area for toddlers)  if you've had too much of the heat.We did not need the air-con as the refreshing chillers on offer were more than enough to cool us down. The best feature of the cafe as far as Irf was concerned was its Mac n' cheese.

Hummus for lunch - not exactly
Sri Lankan, I know

3) Heritage Cafe (No 61, Pedlar Street)

Located at the corner between Pedlar Street and Lighthouse Street, the 400-year old building used to be a bakery. We ended up here on our 2nd day after  20 minutes of walking around looking for the best place to have dinner until we got to the point of I-don't-care-but-I-need-to-eat-now. Don't let the candle lights and the dim lighting deceive you. The place welcomed families and there's a wide variety of food to choose from the menu, from authentic curries to nasi goreng. Dining in the courtyard garden was a good way to unwind after a long and hectic day.

Fried squid with butter rice - the exotic sounding
vegetable turned out to be petola

4) Poonie's Kitchen (No 63, Pedlar Street)

I was adamant to try this place after reading the reviews on the net and anyway I was craving for something light and healthy for a change. This is not the place to go for rotis and curries, but more for vibrant-coloured salads, fresh juices and not forgetting the quirky decor. This courtyard cafe is accessible through a set of double doors in MimiMango boutique. With a koi pond, vases of heliconias, mismatched rustic furniture and turquoise colour theme,  it's one of the prettiest cafes I've seen. Food-wise, the selection for us was quite limited. The salad looked too healthy for A and they ran out of prawns when we were there. But the drinks were fantastic, especially the pineapple, guava, gotukola & mint juice which was served in a huge glass jar with a lemongrass straw.

Pink heliconias as table centrepiece

Tomato, feta and basil on wholegrain toast

On top of the food from the above cafes and restaurants, there were also the obligatory lashings of ice-cream and for that we had Dairy King Homemade Ice-Cream and Pedlars' Inn Gelateria to thank for.

Ice-cream pit stop at Pedlars' Inn Gelateria

The fairy tale-like shop that is the Dairy King

Suffice to say we stuffed ourselves silly in Galle, but gutted that I did not get to try Sri Lankan crabs.

Things to do in Galle with kids

We were in Galle for only 2 nights. Some would say that 2 nights are more than enough but travelling with a kid meant we had to space our activities and hence we had limited time to cover the things that we wanted to see. Here are the things that we managed to see/do:

1) Galle Fort

Built by the Portuguese and fortified by the Dutch, Galle Fort is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It goes without saying that this is the main attraction of Galle. Walking the atmospheric streets of the Fort is part of the attraction so staying within the Fort is highly recommended. We stayed in Mango House which was as central as you could get.

Seafood restaurant near Pedlar Street

Walking around the Fort and along the ramparts is one of those things that you have to do in Galle. More of that here.


2) Turtle sanctuary

There's quite a number of turtle sanctuaries in the areas surrounding Galle. Finding one that has a genuine objective to conserve turtles is the hard part. I have done some research prior to the trip but I couldn't find any info on the best place to visit. We ended up going to the Sea Turtle Conservation Project and Hatchery in Koggala, and that was purely based on our tuk-tuk driver's decision, which I knew was not a guarantee on the authenticity of the place.

We did this trip after resting from our walk at the ramparts. The hotel arranged for the tuk-tuk and we were charged Rs1,500 for 2 hours. I thought it was quite steep but Irf had set his mind to see turtles and I did not want to let him down.

Our tuk-tuk arranged by the hotel for Rs1,500 for 2 hours 

The turtle sanctuary charged Rs 500 for entrance (free for kids). A guide took us around, explaining the different breeds of turtles (5 out of 8 turtle breeds come to Sri Lankan beaches) and also on what they do for turtle conservation. There were posters on the features of the different breeds and a few turtles could be seen swimming in small concrete pools. Baby turtles were kept in basins, waiting for the right time to be let out to the sea. Our guide even took out a baby turtle and put it on Irf's hand (much to his delight) - on hindsight I'm not sure whether that was the right thing to do but he probably does that to all visitors. Small pools and petting zoo-experience notwithstanding, I'll reserve my judgment on whether this passed as conservation or cruelty to animals.

Irf learning about different turtle breeds

His highlight of the day

The turtle conservation project in Koggala

3) Beach everything

Galle's location ensures that there's never a shortage of beach-related activities that you can do. Swimming in the sea, sunbathing, beach-combing - the list goes on. We did not get the chance to spend a day relaxing by the beach, something that I regretted. We did ask the tuk-tuk driver to stop at a couple of beaches on the way back to the Fort from the turtle sanctuary.

In some areas, the sea seemed bent to unleash its full wrath with crashing waves and all, while other areas were protected by reefs. Apparently Unawatuna and Jungle Beach were the safest for kids to swim in, but again there was no time for us to check out these places.

Robinson Crusoe's crib

No superpower involved - only reefs

4) Watching the sunset

Our tuk-tuk driver dropped us in Galle Fort somewhere near Flag Rock. It was 5.30pm on a Saturday evening and the locals and tourists were out in droves taking strolls and waiting for the sunset. We sat on a (wide) ledge of a stonewall. Watching a Sri Lankan sunset could well be one of your epic travel tales but you would need luck on your side which - alas - ditched us that evening.

Waiting...

...and waiting. In the end, the best shot that Irf got was of
some clouds

5) Bat-watching

Ok, this would not pass as an attraction per se but Irf was so taken by it that I thought I would just include it here. And it's free entertainment for kids! On our first evening in Galle, just an hour after we arrived, we walked towards the sea near where the hospital was. There was a huge tree and it was not long before we discovered that the tree was a roost for hundreds of bats. In the fading light, we saw bats swooping high and low, some so low that I thought Batman himself was coming for us. That corner of Galle would forever be etched in Irf's mind as Bat Territory.

So that's Galle in a nutshell for us. Go now before it's discovered by more people!

Around the Fort in 80 minutes

This was our day of exploring Galle and the first thing on our list was to walk along the ramparts of Galle Fort. After a hearty breakfast at Mango House, armed with water bottles, hats and my LP, we made our way towards the ramparts. We did not have a specific route to take and just decided on the spur of the moment to walk from Leyn Baan Cross Street (where the hotel was) to Queens Street based on the map given by the hotel. Here are the things that we saw along the way:

1) National Maritime Museum

Housed in an old Dutch East India Company VOC warehouse, this museum exhibits artifacts relating to the seafaring and maritime trade in Sri Lanka.  It is open daily from 9am to 5pm. I thought that it would be a good educational visit for Irf but we had the ramparts to explore while the sun was not too hot.

The mustard-coloured walls of the old Dutch warehouse

2) Dutch Reformed Church

A few steps away from the museum stood the Dutch Reformed Church also known as the Groote Kerk. The pulpit was made from calamander wood from Malaysia and its floor paved with gravestones from the old Dutch cemetry. We walked past the church where, it being Sunday, a service was taking place.

One of the many beautifully preserved colonial buildings in Galle

Opposite the church, on a patch of grass shaded by a huge banyan tree, a snake charmer was luring tourists with his cobra and flute. I saw my first snake charmer in Marrakech years ago and until today the whole image of a cobra dancing out of a woven basket to the tune of a flute has always intrigued me. We came near to take pictures with Irf squatting too close to the snake for comfort. Gave the man Rs50 but he asked for Rs200 - utter rip-off for what it was. We walked away.

An intro to Sri Lankan wildlife

Not too far away, a HUGE iguana was making its way slowly across the grass. A cow was grazing under a tree amongst parked motorcycles. We were barely into 10 minutes of our walk and already it felt like a walk in a wildlife park.

3) Moon Bastion

The Moon Bastion with the Clock Tower

We started our walk at the Moon Bastion, near the Fort's main gate.

The Fort's location on a rocky peninsula extending into the sea makes it the best place to get uninterrupted views of the ocean. The water so clear that we could see rocks, coral and fish even from the ramparts. The Indian Ocean, vast, laid before us with many shades of blues and greens. Swaying palms, crashing waves, sea sprays, lone fishermen - these were the epitomes of Sri Lanka. As I looked over the open sea to the horizon, it was hard to imagine that there was nothing between us and Antartica except miles and miles of sea with its mysteries and secrets.

Views from the ramparts

Sri Lankan fishermen at work 

4) Flag Rock

Flag Rock - the southernmost end of the Fort

Next, we passed the Flag Rock where the Dutch used to signal approaching ships to alert them to dangers. Now, the only dangers lie in the actions of young locals who make a living by jumping off the ramparts and diving into the sea. We managed to catch the action of a couple of guys jumping off a rocky outcrop, and that was hair-raising enough.

5) Meeran Jumma Mosque

Galle has a sizeable Muslim community, which explains the ease of getting halal food. This mosque is located just a short walk away from Flag Rock and it is one with perhaps the best panaromic views I have seen. From the outside, it looked more like a church and I would not have know that it was a mosque had I not read about it before.

One of my favourite photo frames in Galle - with the
mosque and the lighthouse in the background

6) Galle Lighthouse @ Pointe de Galle Light

This lighthouse was located at the Point Utrecht Bastion. I have this thing with lighthouses so to see a working lighthouse (despite the fact that I could not get to the top) with its lights visible was a big thing. This lighthouse was built fairly recently in 1938 after the original structure was destroyed in a fire. Having said that, this light station is still the oldest in Sri Lanka. We walked around the lighthouse, wishing we could meet the lighthouse keeper.

To the lighthouse

Lighthouse or no lighthouse, by this time we had walked for more than 1 hour. There was little shade for most of the walk and with the scorching sun I swear I could hear my skin sizzled. Irf's hair was wet with sweat and was plastered to his head, thanks to his cap, and he was definitely already out of exploring mode. Looking at the map, we have not made a complete circle, but close enough. It was time to retreat to that wonderful thing called shade. And ice-cream. And iced coffee.