On the drive back to Colombo from Ella, Chamara suggested a detour through Galle, Sri Lanka. I said yes before he could finish the sentence. A birthday trip deserves a little adventure, and an unplanned stop in this old fort town on the southern coast felt like a gift from the Universe.
Galle (pronounced “Goal”) has a vibe all its own, closer to Krabi than to the rest of Sri Lanka. Yoga buns, elephant print pants and sandals share the streets with sarees, lungis and school uniforms. Fishing boats bob in the bay, and the morning’s catch is laid out like an invitation to a feast.
We had lunch inside Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it felt like a cousin of Fort Kochi, which shares the same colonial past. Both forts are bursting with colour, full of little treasures, yet utterly tranquil. I chose a restaurant at random, Bastille, and ordered squid curry with kaha bath – Sri Lanka’s festive yellow rice, made here with a short grain samba rice I had never tried before. It was divine.
With a few minutes to spare, I picked up a little shell family and a carved wooden stilt fisherman. Stilt fishing is unique to this stretch of coast, where fishermen perch on poles in the shallows just east of Galle.
Life seems easy in Galle. As a prawn town girl, I felt at home among the colours and the sea air. Before we had even left, I was fantasising about living inside the fort walls, the same fantasy I have about Fort Kochi. It is another Sri Lanka wish that mirrors my Kerala one. Different country, same daydream.
Some places feel like holidays. Galle felt like a possible life, one where I wake to the sound of waves and retire by the water with a massive sapphire on my finger.
One day, maybe. For now, Galle, Sri Lanka lives in my travel jar.
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