As soon as we round the bay defended by the Galle fortress, Ary announces another almost obligatory seaside in the Sinhalese south, the cove and beach of Unawatuna.
On the approach to the Indian Ocean, Yaddehimulla Rd. narrows. Pursued by rickshaws and other cars, the driver finds himself struggling to park. We see too much wasted time and one of the phenomena of tropical lands that always fascinates us.
Two coconut pickers synchronize their efforts to get them from a coconut tree that is just a little inclined. One of them climbs the tree, without apparent effort, armed with a knife.
Down here, the other one does everything he can to control the traffic. In vain. Several rickshaws ignore him. Perched, the climber gets tired of waiting.
Start cutting the large bunch under the tree canopy. A few coconuts crash onto the road.
When a new rickshaw bypasses its colleague on the ground, it hits the roof with a coconut with a bang.
The driver is scared to death. When he stops the rickshaw and realizes what had happened, an inevitable argument ensues.
Ary turns a deaf ear and still has no solution for the car. “Let’s leave right here. Then we’ll meet at the beach!” we threw it at him in desperation.
We salute the climber who cares little or nothing about events on the ground. When he sees that we praise his agility, he gives us a thumbs up in return and takes a few photos. We do them, excited to get back into action. So committed, that it has to be the man who warns us to move aside.
When he finishes collecting and returns to the ground, the collector no longer finds signs of the fight. He helps his colleague collect the cut coconuts, shortly afterwards, sold to nearby bars and guest-houses, their prodigious water, devoured by thirsty backpackers and surfers.
The Golden and Green Beach of Unawatuna
The same busy road takes us to the golden, almost ocher, sand of Unawatuna. We entered the beach, closer to its western corner. A few fishing boats sway in the wake of the surf that is more like a lake than an ocean, as was the case in the Indian Ocean a long time ago.
The coconut grove that delimits the sand adjusts to an elevation that closes the bay. At the top of this hill, we come across an unexpected Buddhist monument, a golden, enclosed statue of Buddha accompanied by a stupa shaped and colored like a sigh.
The Welle Devalaya, Sanctuary of the Beach, crowns it with faith and a coastal peace that soothes us.
We only see four or five bathers in the distance.
A fisherman stands out with a shirt wrapped around his head, similar to a turban, fishing rod behind his back and cigarette in his mouth, leaving his footprints along the length of the sand.
Every now and then, he stops and throws the hook into the ocean. In order to facilitate fishing, he himself goes into the Indian Ocean, almost up to his waist.
Not all of Unawatuna beach appears so natural and immaculate. Further towards the center of the bay, we find a profusion of chairs and loungers installed by hotels and inns that profit from the exoticism and tropical and Sinhalese beauty of the place.
And yet, that same cove, its waters and almost jungle were the scene of the colonial conflict over Ceylon.
The History and Colonial Legacy of Unawatuna and Galle
It was in Unawatuna that, after having defeated the Portuguese forces in Negombo, the Dutch disembarked and reorganized with the aim of taking Galle, which they ended up achieving.
Subsequently, the Dutch built several homes for military and government officials in Unawatuna, as well as other buildings.
Some survive. These are the cases of the town's hospital, a mansion today called Maharambe and the Nooit Gedacht Hotel, originally the country house of a Dutch commander from Galle.
Another hotel, formerly the UBR, today Calamander Beach, was built on a land called Parangiyawatta, translatable as land of the Portuguese, like others in Sri Lanka that preserve this nomenclature.
The Portuguese and Dutch left. They left their legacies, nicknames and influences. In Unawatuna, they appear from time to time, as travelers and especially with backpacks.
We left the seaside village planted.
We had in mind the goal of finding and photographing Sri Lankan beaches that were almost undeveloped and full of coconut trees.
We advance through the south of the island, along the A2 road.
The Effect of the 2004 Tsunami on the Sri Lankan Coast
We also followed the recommendation of a lady from Unawatuna who “had the idea that, in Talphe, they still existed like this”.
In Talphe, we learned about the urban deterioration resulting from an indelible catastrophe.
In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami and tsunami greatly affected the coast of Sri Lanka.
The waves destroyed much of the west coast railway, countless structures and, of course, altered the beaches, stealing part of the sand and coconut trees.
It was thought that the scare would make authorities and businesspeople build further from the sea.
It wasn't like that.
Also in Talphe, small inns appeared among the resistant coconut trees, much less than in 2004.
The Stake Pseudo-Fishermen
We pass to Kogalla. On the side of the road, a sign with a worn photograph announces “Lonely Planet Stick Fishermen Place. Casting a Spell".
Immediately, Ary raises the alarm and sums up the controversy “They are fake fishermen, this is a complete scam!”.
In times of scarcity and hunger triggered by the Second World War, men on the south coast of Sri Lanka were forced to fight for fishing spots like never before.
In order to create new ones, they placed damaged boats and planes in parts of the coast that were prone to coral reefs and attracted fish.
With the corals consolidated, they installed stakes, in the shape of a cross, which made it possible to see the schools, but provided uncomfortable and scarce fishing.
Unsurprisingly, from 1990 onwards, the tradition faded. The 2004 tsunami disturbed the corals they were fishing on and toppled the pilings.
It felt like a final thrust. Until documentation by famous photographers, especially that of Steve McCurry, from 1995, gave the practice a new fame, photographic.
Given McCurry's history of visual manipulation, it would hardly surprise us if he had been one of the pioneers in paying fishermen to stage an entire fishing trip.
Whether or not this was the case, at a certain point, fishermen realized that they made much more profit by sitting on stakes and pretending to fish, at any time of the day, even in the heat of the day. That was still the farce we encountered.
We decided not to align.
Tropical Beaches and Irresistible Surf
In agreement, we move forward. To another beach in Kogalla, with a vast sand that was invaded by climbing vegetation, as far as the waves allowed.
There, a small but sustained surf propelled a group of five or six Sri Lankan surfers, in a wild-looking setting made intriguing by strong sea fog.
We spent a brief moment with one of the surfers coming out of the water.
“They are certainly not the best waves in Sri Lanka, but we are having a lot of fun. That’s what counts.”
We take a final dive. We return to the car and the road.
The Small Private Island of Taprobana
We stopped again in Tangalle. Back on the beach of the same name, facing one of its peculiarities: the private island Taprobana, home to Paradise on Earth projects and visitors with extraterrestrial fame.
He chose it in 1925, and installed his Eden there, Maurice Talvande, a French writer and designer naturalized British. Over the years, the island changed hands: North Americans, Sri Lankans and an Australian.
Showbiz personalities and stars passed through there, including the singer aussie Kylie Minogue, who, so amazed, composed the theme “Taprobane (Extraordinary Day)”.
Tangalle Fishing Port
We take a look at the fishing port of Tangalle.
We find it in the midst of multicolored boats with flags flying in the wind.
Some decorated with images of actresses and singers idolized in those parts of the world.
We photograph fishermen stretching long nets.
And others, who rest and coexist, waiting for the night and the time to set sail again for the arduous task from which not even photographers, photography and the booming Sinhalese tourism saved them.
HOW TO GO
Book your Sri Lanka travel program with the operator TRAVEL QUADRANT: Tel. 256 33 11 10
Email: [email protected]
