Photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/dVXjGR1EVnCTxDd66

Visited a pleasant Buddhist temple nearby, Yatagala RajaMaha Viharaya, set up high on a rock. Not 1800 steps, this time only a few hundred. There were western hippies sitting in lotus position in the temple - spiritual tourists. One tried to bring a lit incense stick into the temple, but was admonished and sent away - the smoke can cause damage to the 3rd century BC art inside. Then came the selfie, back turned to the Buddha, which is disrespectful and also frowned upon by locals.

More meandering around Galle. It’s a small place, with the fort area being the main interest.

Saw the tail end of a fish market. Even in the afternoon, everything looked so fresh and perfect, not at all sad like most markets after the morning rush. The small boats go out at night a few km off shore, and come back and sell the catch after dawn.

Galle Fort’s history had 3 major periods.
It began with Portuguese era (1505-1640), with construction in 1588. The Dutch East India Company, with their own private corporate army and navy captured the fort and built massive ramparts and bastions. They were the first multinational corporation, worth 7-8 trillion in todays dollars.
Imagine Amazon or Google today with it’s own Army/Navy/Air Force, taking data centres and manufacturing facilities at their whim by force, making people work for peanuts, eliminating all competition as a modern equivalent….
The British took control in 1796. I was reminded of a Sri Lankan comedian, Rajapaksa, who described Sri Lanka during the Age of Conquest as having many ‘visitors’ over the years, and likened Sri Lanka to Britney Spears in the 90’s - ‘everyone liked us too much for our own good, and Sri Lanka, now, is also much like Britney, now - not in the news that often, but when it is, it’s rarely for a good reason’.

This country has produced so much wealth over the centuries, in gemstones, spices, etc, for so little benefit to the locals (a bit like Australia’s LNG and ore).

Having had Sri Lankan curry & rice for 3 weeks, I thought I’d have something different today despite enjoying every meal of the whole trip.

I went to a restaurant called Maru, and had a tuna Poke bowl, with spicy chillies, and lots of pickled and raw veg, on a bed of local red rice. It was fantastic - best Poke bowl I’ve had. The tuna tasted like it was caught a few hours earlier, which it probably was. Washed down with an awesome passionfruit, mint and ginger smoothie. Still no booze (other than a few small glasses of light beer on the hottest of days).

While I’ve loved the food here, I’m going to smash a Chateauneuf and steak back home.