A few days on the beach of Sri Lanka 'Unawatuna - Galle - Gintota - Hikkaduwa'

I needed a few days of relaxation and to end my stay in Sri Lanka, I chose a nice peaceful little place right by the sea. And once again, I was lucky to find the perfect beach after a long deliberation, almost empty, good for swimming with gentle waves. It was called Gintota Beach and I had a cozy little wooden hut here, the open-air bathroom was separate, and for good food, I only had to step out of this hut.

I had 4 more days until my onward journey back to India. I spent them with the famous mix of entertainment and hanging out at the beach. Of course, I also wanted to explore the underwater world of Sri Lanka. So one morning, I took a Tuk Tuk to "Unawatuna" where there was a well-run diving center run by a German. I did two enjoyable dives here. The first one was less fish and coral-rich than the second, and I must say that I am already spoiled by the diversity of species in Indonesia last year. But these two dives still gave me a lot of fun.

The afternoon looked like this. Lounging on the beach, swimming, enjoying King Coconut and delicious dinner.

The next day I visited the beautiful city of "Galle" with its beautiful fortress and Mediterranean old town. Here one could spend a nice time and if desired, also spend some money. There were many great restaurants and boutiques for shopping. But also many beautiful old well-restored buildings that were a feast for the eyes. Galle is a must-visit after a trip to Sri Lanka.

The afternoon was similar to the previous one... ;-)

With the onset of darkness, the local fishermen started their traditional fishing. They pulled a net along the beach with a large boat for 400 meters. At one end of the net, a fisherman swam to the shore. And the boat returned to the shore. From now on, the net had to be pulled on both sides by more and more people on land, estimated around 25 people on each side. It was a lot of fun, and of course, I joined in. Unfortunately, the catch was not worth mentioning.

Of course, I also wanted to learn about the recent history of Sri Lanka. And that's when I came across the Tsunami Photo Museum near "Hikkaduwa". And when I entered the small inconspicuous house, I was speechless. The owner approached me and told me her story. How she experienced December 26, 2004, at 9:30 am. She seemed composed but her voice was affected and her gaze was glassy, she spoke softly but clearly, and I could feel her holding back tears.

She told me it was a completely normal morning, the weather was beautiful and everyone was going about their usual routines. At half past eight, a wave about 2 meters high flooded the coast, no one could have seen it coming and everyone was surprised. Then the sea receded and many people went to the beach out of curiosity. There was no water anymore. 15 minutes later, a second and much more powerful wave built up on the horizon, it was 10 meters high and brought death and destruction. The pictures showed... everything was destroyed. Near the scene, there is a large Buddha statue that measures exactly 10 meters, the height of the second wave, and it stands for a great tragedy in this context. When the first wave hit, it caught a train, lifting one of the carriages off the tracks. However, the water receded again and it was decided to couple the locomotive with other carriages and continue the journey. Then the second wave came, undermined the rails, and tore the train apart. Even the locomotive weighing 70 tons was overturned. In retrospect, the incident with the train alone is considered the greatest train disaster ever. About 1700 people were on the train, 1500 did not survive. In summary, Sri Lanka alone had to mourn 50,000 deaths on this black day.

When I stepped out onto the street, another group of tourists arrived, but they came out after 5 minutes and laughed... Personally, I was in there for almost an hour and struggled to compose myself. What annoyed me the most was a middle-aged woman who entered the museum and kept repeating a pompous "Oh my God, Oh my God..."

It should be mentioned that amidst all the destruction, something stood firm. Namely, the Buddhist structures like stupas and Buddha statues.

In the afternoon, I needed some variety and visited the tourist hotspot "Hikkaduwa" where I satisfied my shopping cravings.

In the afternoon and the whole last day, as you can imagine, I spent at the seaside.