Day 23 – Galle

So farewell Peacock Wings guest house, you were really average. The ants running up the walls were  quite annoying, But when I squashed a moth by accident, the ants did conveniently take it away. A whole gang of tiny beasts gathered around and took the dead moth away to feed their babies. The place was quiet, but lacked comfort and charm. Alex Polizzi would have enjoyed making the place more appealing.  The landlady’s mother who brought breakfast didn’t manage to smile once at five breakfasts. Maybe she always wanted to be an undertaker and just got as far as the gloomy face. But it did have a nice view of the sea from the breakfast room on the roof, plus squirrels, monkeys, ants and mozzies. I put some sting cream on Julie’s legs this morning and counted at least twenty five red bites.

For breakfast we had space hoppers again, but no fruit for the first time since we have been in Sri Lanka. 

I am pretty good at cramming everything into my small wheelie bag and rucksack,  I wear my trainers and pack my flip flops, because they go nice and flat.

 We walked over the road just in time to catch a 350 bus to Galle. It stopped for about five seconds, just long enough to get into the bus. Jesus they go fast! They barrel along at about forty, beeping loudly the make sure all other traffic gets out of the way. The tuk tuk drivers are fearless, and have to steer clear of the charging buses. I haven’t seen any accidents yet, but I expect to. We passed through Weligama and Midigama, and saw some stilt fishermen perched on the cross pieces of stilts that are stood in the surf. They fish with rod and line, I don’t know how successful they are. It’s much easier just to buy fish fingers from Lidl.

Galle was a Portuguese trading fort then it was Dutch, who built huge walls around their settlement. We are staying at the confusingly names New Old Dutch House in Middle Street inside the Fort. For lunch I had my favourite Sri Lankan meal, rice and curry. It was a belter today, consisting of:

• Rice, a big bowl
• Fish curry, a small portion of tuna in a thin hot sauce
• Geeens curry, something like spinach or cabbage
• Jack fruit , tastes a bit like aubergine but  is starchy like potato
• Tomato and red onion salad
• Dhal
• Green bean curry

It cost about £4, the price of couple of naan bread at home.

The old Fort area has quiet streets, and is full of good restaurants and shops selling up market souvenirs. I bought a little wooden tuk tuk from a hawker on the ramparts. I paid nine hundred rupees for it, having knocked him down from four thousand. I probably paid at least twice what it’s worth, but I was happy with my deal.

We passed a restaurant on the way back to our hotel which advertised a very appealing offer for dinner. Ten curries for nine hundred and fifty rupee and enough food for two people.