Last breakfast at the impressively welcoming 'Waterside Bentota' where we found that they had organised our train tickets from Aluthgama to Galle for us. Tuk-tuk to the station and this time Second class travel on an express train.
The difference between third class at R50 and second class at R110 ( 55 pence) is that due to this exorbitant price, you get a seat. Plus the overhead fan appears to be attached to the carriage ceiling and the train rumbles along rather than rattles along. True the wide open windows and doors still give you the benefit of the incessant horn blasts, but this seems to be a common feature of all modes of Sri Lankan transport.
Reached Galle ( the final letter is redundant, the name rhymes with all) around mid-day. I estimated the speed of the express train to be about 30 mph. Tuk-tuk to Muhsin Villa on Lighthouse Street. In complete contrast to the last hotel, this is a somewhat austere and gloomy Muslim establishment, but chosen for its location in the heart of the old town.
Spent the afternoon wandering around the streets and bastions of the old town. Temperature about 32 or 33C. We missed the museums in Colombo as they were closed for a religious holiday. We missed the museums here as the guidebook confidently voted at least one to be definitely the worst in southern Asia.
In the evening we went searching for a beer. This turned out to more challenging than we had anticipated. Most of the town appears to be dry and we ended up back at the old Dutch hospital which like its counterpart in Colombo had been converted to westernised eaterys and drinkerys.
Supper in a small cafe consisted of rice and curry, the local staple diet. It came with multiple dishes of strange vegetables but all were edible in spite of being only dimly visible.
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