Sri Lanka—The Southern Coast
Is it snowing or raining outside where you are right now? Are you in a city and can’t see the horizon because of all the buildings? Close your eyes and picture yourself somewhere else, in the most perfect place you can imagine. Do you see palm trees reaching out over a white sandy beach that stretches out as far as your eyes can see with soft turquoise waves? If so, then you may be dreaming of Medaketiya Beach, Tangalle (pronounced Tan-GAH-leh)! For some, this is paradise.
The photos that follow were taken on the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka from 1999 to 2012 during 10 trips to the island. While Tangalle is spotlighted, other communities are mentioned like Dickwella, Matara and Galle. These are on the way if you are traveling from Colombo to Tangalle. It is a four to five hour hair-raising bus ride along the beautiful coast, or a seven hour ride over two days in a Tuk Tuk taxi as my wife, Amy and I did in 2010.