Of People and Places

The quaint town of Galle is right at the southwest tip of Sri Lanka, overlooking the harbour. The fort at Galle was built by the Portugese and fortified by the Dutch. Galle's strategic location made it much coveted among colonizers and is one of the oldest seaports in the world. The Galle clock tower is something you can't miss. Built in memory of a doctor, it was a later addition inside the fort ramparts. It was fantastic to see the sea from inside the fort. Don't miss Galle - it is worth visiting. We didn't have enough time to explore, but I think it's a great place for backpackers . 

A sketch I'd made of the view from Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala One of the best things about our trip to Sri Lanka was the magnificent properties we stayed at. The trip was organised by my father's alumni association ( Batch of '79, Agriculture college, Dharwad) with a conducted tour operator in Bangalore ( Ujwal International holidays ) who has good tie ups with travel companies in different countries. In Sri Lanka, it was with Royal holidays  . There were 34 of us. It was a surprise to me that we would be staying at swanky hotels, the likes of which I have seen only in TLC and insider TV. My favourite hotel was Cinnamon Citadel in Kandy. It's right next to the swampy Mahaweli river and the way it's built is fantastic. It is built on a hill, so our rooms were closer to the base, with the river in our backyard while the lounge and the pool are built upstairs with a superb view of the surrounding dense forests. Do check out their website - the aerial view is unbe...