 |
| A man cycles along Rampart St in Galle, Southern Sri Lanka, January 25 2013. |
I felt fortunate, albeit for a short while, for having to encounter such a pleasant surprise: this little, cosy fortified town. This little beauty's name here is Galle. Surrounded by pristine Indian Ocean waters, guarded by sturdy rocks and adamant corals, the settlement sits protected, flanked by ever-ready bastions, with some of its earlier cannons still in position, mouths pointing towards the open seas.
Strong as it is outside, however, the inside offers lots of things tender: nice, friendly locals, succulent food, humble music, distant chatters, shy businesses, works-in-progress, and how gentle nature can be in treating centuries-old buildings.
Imagine finding yourself wrapped in a blanket offering you warmth in the middle of the night, making you feel shielded against whatever opposing elements: coldness, monsters, darkness. Galle was generous enough to lend that feeling.
Galle tickled me — reminded me of something so distant; the smell of the pavements, frangipani trees, cookings from the windows, all tried to lead me to something familiar.
I didn't find any exact answer, anyhow — not that I had too. But to see how design can celebrate a lot of things in life, and how life can celebrate design so much, I thought, what is this rewarding feeling?
No comments:
Post a Comment