Middle-aged flash packers

All good things have to come to an end – why?
That’s what I’m asking myself, now ensconced in Unawatuna. Don’t get me wrong, if we’d arrived here first, we’d probably have been most impressed. A sweeping crescent of beach, perfectly clean sea, reasonably sensible development. What’s not to like?
But it’s not Mirissa. Compared to Mirissa, it’s got no atmosphere. I don’t know if it’s the mainly Russian clientele. There is a sense of heaviness, dourness that contrasts with lighthearted and fun Mirissa. Think Prokofiev rather than Debussy. Whatever it is, we miss Mirissa!
Anyway, we dropped our bags at the guest house French Lotus , ( very nice, flowers on the bed, old wooden seating with tasteful cushion outside the room) and hot footed it into Galle.
Galle is a harbour/old town. It’s been dominated by the great sea faring Portuguese, Dutch and British over the centuries. The town is ordered and manicured. It has a French feel even though the French have had no involvement over the years. I like it but it is a bit Disneyesque, nothing like most other parts of Sri Lanka.
We had a pleasant but very hot afternoon meandering around the town. The most “real” thing we saw was the magistrates courts with various characters hanging around, including a family in very obvious distress. It seemed quite surreal actually- I’m surprised the courts hadn’t been moved to the new town so that “foreigners” didn’t have to witness the realities of Sri Lankan life.
After returning to Unawatuna, we went for a quick dip and then back to our guest house to arrange more accommodation as we only have 2 nights at this hotel.
Dinner was on the beach. Where is everybody? Lots of restaurants but no one in them. More expensive than Mirissa , the food is less interesting. The atmosphere is so dull, one lady had fallen asleep in her chair!
Already missing Sanda and Mack, our hosts in Mirissa and the Paragon beach club.
Never mind, upwards and onwards, hopefully lots to see and do over the next few days.