The train gathered its speed across the awakening Capital of Sri Lanka and was taking the railway track heading Down South, to Galle. The railway ran along the South-Western coastal line. It was always a nice feeling to hear the graceful sound of the ocean, to get the first glimpse of the blue color and the ivory colored beaches through the tropical trees. The waves climbed up the beautiful beach regularly and again were dragged back by the ocean. Waves created white foam on the beaches which disappeared with the succession of another hurrying wave.
The train travelled across eye-catching sceneries of the South-Western coast passing beautiful beaches such as Mount Lavinia, Beruwala, Polhengoda and Kaluthara.
The train was not crowded and it was a very comfortable journey. It gave a pleasant sensation to stare out of the window towards the sea. The wind kept blowing towards us carving a smile in the faces.
After a four hour ride from the Capital, we reached our destination, ‘Galle’. Galle served as a strategically important naval base and also as a harbor from the period of Dutch and British.
The highlight of the city was the Galle fort, constructed on a headland beside the Galle bay; it is a majestic building complex with ancient buildings constructed by the Dutch. The fort was fortified by a high strong wall with guard towers at the corners. The Fort only had one entrance from the mainland. A majestic clock tower loomed from the inside overlooking the area.
The wall around the fort allows a walk on top of it which gave a great view over the coastal area. The grey color of the clouds added beauty to the ocean and the waves came hitting the jagged rocks surrounding the fort. Ships were seen as tiny dots in the horizon. Some parts of the wall opened into steep cliffs where you can see the heavy waves battering the strong wall.
In another side of the Fort a lighthouse loomed. You can get down to a small beach from there, where the beach is protected from a stretch of rocks midway in the sea. It allowed slowing down the waves, making the basin an ideal spot for bathing. The temptation to bathe was too much that we could not resist. It was two hours passed noon when we got into our swimsuits and jumped into the water. It was a great spot for bathing and we spent time playing and challenging the wave’s whole evening. As it became dark, the lights flashed from the lighthouse helping the boats and ships at sea. It was a remarkable experience to bathe in the night, looking at the sky filled with stars and looking at the flash of light emitting from the lighthouse souring across the sky. We saw the multicolored lights of the ships and boats at bay. After hours of bathing we left the wonderful beach and went to a friends’ place to spend the night.
The next morning we went to the Unawatuna beach which is famous for its beauty. A twenty minute bus ride from the Town and a five minute walk brought us to the beach. The beach was protected by a small bay in the shape of a half circle which was covered with soft sand. The beach was so beautiful but the waves were rough making it hard for us to bathe. Unawatuna is a tourist attraction famous for diving, surfing and snorkeling.
Our next destination was Roomassala, a rocky cliff which overlooked the other side of the Galle harbor. Few minutes back again in a bus towards Galle and after a thirty minute walk on a hilly area, we reached our destination. Roomassala gave a magnificent view over the coastal area. It was a fascinating place where the geography of the area was quite different from the surroundings from Galle. The area was much cooler and also the trees were different which we thought had much greenery.
Roomassala was famous for the ‘Jungle Beach” where you have to climb down to the beach from top of the cliff through a small jungle. It was a darling little beach deserted and unspoiled by humans, not known by many travelers. The beach had rough sand compared to Unawatuna. We had a stroll around the beach and we waited resting as it was an ideal location.
Then we again climbed up through the jungle and went to the ‘Japanese Peace Pagoda’, a marble white monument newly constructed on a cliff in Roomassala. The scenery from the top of it was magnificent where you can see miles into the blue ocean.
We left the place after making a quick decision to visit the Polhena beach which accounted be a great place for bathing. Polhena was very close to Matara and we had almost an hour’s ride on Bus. We passed the southern coastal line of the country as the bus raced along the smooth road passing the towering coconut trees alongside the coast. We came to a stop at Polhena.
After a fifteen minute walk we were in ‘paradise’. It was a large unspoiled beach, which had sand as white as marble and with blue water. We were so hurried to get in the water. We spend hours and hours in the water having the fun of a lifetime.
The sight of stilt fisherman few miles across the sea indicated the unique note and heartbeat of the southerners’ lifestyle. It was such nice scenery to be overlooked.
A chat with a local fisherman revealed that there was a dear little island few miles from the mainland. We decided to give it a visit and the fisherman took us in his boat. It was a jolly boat ride where we peaked from the sides of the boat to see the shallow bottom of the sea covered with corals.
We finally brought ourselves near a dear little island which had a mystic look with it. It had a monument in the middle which loomed over the stretch of jungle covering it. We were waiting for someone to raise the question. No sooner one of our friends asked “What is that?” from the boatman.
“It’s an ancient Pagoda made in the times of the kings, but we still don’t think that proper historical research has been carried out about this place.” He said.
We jumped down from the boat. Soon as our feet touched the ground and as our eyes hit the surrounding landscape, we knew that we were in heaven. It was a tiny island which was extremely beautiful. Sea shells were plenty on the beaches, birds soured the sky above the island. The beach around the island was rocky and we jumped from rock to rock and went around the island. There was also a strange looking monument made of stone which reminded us of the statues of Easter Island. The middle of the island was covered with a thicket which hided the track to the pagoda. Through the thicket we searched our way towards the pagoda. It was almost in ruins. We could imagine the grandeur and the ancient history of the place. We thought the top of it would be an ideal spot to see the surrounding of the Island. We climbed to the top and got a marvelous view of the island. It was ultimately the paradise, isolated from the rest of the world.
Although we wanted to stay back, alas we couldn’t. The sun slowly hid behind the horizon. The sky took its unique beautiful bluish color and its color was reflected in the water. We turned back thanking mother nature for such a lovely creation. We clambered in the boat. The sun took its final dive into the horizon sinking the world in darkness as the boat took us to the mainland. It was time to leave the paradise………..
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