Stepping back in time

I needed to get out of town for the weekend. Galle, pronounced to rhyme with ball, seemed like a good option. A town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, happily easily accessible from Colombo via the Southern Expressway, the first in the country, that cuts the 120km distance down to a manageable hour or so, once you've negotiated the Colombo traffic.
And Galle proved to be a delight. Jutting out into the sea, the historic part is an ancient fortified town filled with crumbling buildings showing evidence of Portuguese, Dutch and English occupation and a mixture of Muslim, Christian and Buddhist cultures and traditions. Huge wooden doors open onto cool interiors providing welcome retreat from the bright, steaming sun. Glimpses of inner courtyards through open carved panels and timber columns gave hints of lush green gardens and ponds of tranquility.
It is said that Marco Polo stopped here, and Sinbad the sailor, yo ho. Records dating back to the 1400s tell of cinnamon trading to the west, so it really is a place steeped in history and there's no doubt there would be some ghosts about.
It's not yet a perfectly restored tourist mecca, many buildings are still decaying gently back into the rocky ground, some have been restored to discrete luxurious oases. Small businesses are popping up and daily life still continues for the many long term residents. Rebuilding is continuing from the tsunami too.
Climate: Tropical hot and steamy.
Loved: Colourful hoards of Sri Lankan tourists out for a weekend jaunt.
Unexpected: the occasional Art Deco villa.
Photos: Galle