NOVEMBER 17 FROM HATTON TO GALLE

We had a 4 1/2 hour drive today, so we got up early, had our breakfast, and were on the road by 8:15.  Gabriel had driven over to pick us up, and he's always early.

Early morning view of the tea factory across the lake.  The smoke stack was powered up to fire the tea leaves.

The drive down the mountains was beautiful.  All the things we should have seen on the train, but did not, we saw today.  Incredibly steep hillsides, beautiful vegetation, and lots of tea plantations. We had seen lots of leeches on our stroll yesterday.  When we got down the mountain a little ways, Gabriel said that the area was really infested with leeches.  Oh really?  What can this mean?  Like putting your sugar covered foot in an ant hive?

The main street of the city of Hatton.  We had been in a bungalow owned by the tea plantation, not in town

All the tea plantations have signs like the one above explaining which plantation the fields belong to.  It was very much like the wineries.  For tea tasting, the tea is slurped up, swirled around your mouth, and spit out.  The only thing you don't get are the crackers between tastings

The movie Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed in a village, Kitulgala, on the way down the mountain.  All the movie personnel stayed in guest houses around the town.  William Holden got to sleep in a manor owned by a wealthy local.  The manor is in the photo.  Piece of movie trivia, a bridge was built across the Kelani River (Black).  An overly enthusiastic movie man blew up the bridge by mistake, and it had to be rebuilt.

At the bottom of the mountain, we went onto a two lane (one lane each way) road that went to Colombo.  The traffic got worse and worse.  Finally, we turned onto a 4 lane lovely motorway.  Gabriel explained it was built by the Chinese.  The only problem was that the material used for the black top isn't up to world standards, so it won't be so nice in a few years.  It's only 2 years old now, and looks pretty good.  The highway also cuts the travel time from  4 hours to 1.

I wasn't sure what to expect in Galle (pronounced Gaul).  I had heard it was a seaside resort with loads of tourists.  I pictured a Sri Lankan Honolulu.  It turns out the tourist part of the town is a fort built by the Portuguese in the 1650s.  There are loads of old buildings, and only a few tiny streets.  We are staying in one of the English rest houses called Amangalla.  It's very colonial and very comfy.  

Gabriel stayed for a bit and showed us the marine museum and the basic layout of the town.  We wandered a bit.  Had a tea at the hotel (free for guests of the hotel).  Then we wandered onto the ramparts of the wall to watch the sunset.

The old post office is in need of some repair

Nathan, this light hou' is for you!

View of the Indian Ocean from the wall

When the Indonesian created tsunami hit Galle, the wave went up to the 9 on the clock tower.  3000 people were drowned.

Views of the city of Galle from the ramparts.

More views.  A cricket stadium is in the close distance

The 3rd world ubiquitous yellow dog.  If you were to take all breeds of dogs that can take high humidity and heat.  You let them run about on their own and choose the mate of their choice.  Mating for love?  Eventually you end up with yellow dogs about the size of large spaniels.

A lovely home inside the walls of Galle

Groups of people waiting for the sunset

What drew them to the sea

We went back to the hotel and had sea bass for dinner.  There are loads of fishing boats around, and this fish must have been in the ocean a few hours before.