Hikkaduwa and about

We settled in here for 10 days. Basically a continuous strip along the old road running along the ocean the Ocean.

A day trip south to colonial Fort area of Galle by tuk tuks using less busy roads took us through villages and countryside:

The Portuguese followed by the Dutch and, finally, the English each occupied the fort of Galle roughly 150 years each starting in the 16th century.

The Fort is the largest remaining fortress in Asia constructed by European powers (thank you wikipedia).

Local Hikkaduwa Sunday market

We walk to the Szunami Picture Museum through back roads. The szunami occurred Dec 26 2014. Thirty thousand + perished in this area.

The picture museum is a labour of love. The host’s home was struck but family escaped. 20 minutes was the time they had to move to higher ground. Many went down to beach after first wave to grab the stranded fish. A mistake. Second wave arrived minutes later. Many foreigners perished as well: unbelieving. Poor warning system at the time. Supposed to be better now. ?

Tuk tuk hired to explore further afield on another day: