The Dutch Fort and the Rest-House, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

 The Star shaped Dutch Fort is next door to the Rest House in Puliyanthivu, Batticaloa. It is an idyllic spot where the breeze from the lagoon takes away all the stresses of a day.

Kathankudy, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

 Kathankudy has boomed economically in the past decade. It is largely populated by Muslims. There are date-palm trees planted in the center isle of the highway passing through it. I took the picture of a bullock cart having rubber tired wheels. The palm trees have 'drip feeding' of water and some trees are already bearing fruit.The town certainly seems to have an Arabic look.

Fishermens huts, old and new, Kallady, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

 An abandoned fishermens' hut near collapse and totally bio-degradable was seen by me close to a new hut at Kallady Beach. They have one built of cement bricks and tiled roof but that does not look so simple as these two.

Branched Palmyra trees, GA's Residence, Batticaloa.

Cadju sellers, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.

Cadju plants grow naturally in the arid sandy soil of Batticaloa. The nuts were collected, roasted, split open and sold on the pavements of Batticaloa. Now the sales point is restricted to an area close to the Childrens Park in the centre of the town. I took this picture around 10 am. The current price is Rs.1000/- per Kilo of roasted nuts.

Kallady beach, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

The vast expanse of sand  at Kallady beach is shown in these two pictures taken by me. It is a place for morning walks, to watch the evening sunsets and to be under a full moon merry making and having dinner.

The slide and toy-house, Kallady, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

There is a lovely enclosed childrens park at Kallady beach, Batticaloa. I took these pictures there. These are all part of the post-tsunami rehabilitation project.

Casuarina trees, newly planted, Kallady, Batticaloa.

The newly planted Casuarina trees lining the landside of the Kallady beach are very hardy plants and will give many years of shade in the future.

Outrigger canoes , Kallady, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

Outrigger canoes beached caught my eye. I took these photos at Kallady, Batticaloa.

The Batticaloa Lagoon, Sri Lanka

 Batticaloa in Sri Lanka is known as the land of 'milk and honey'. It has buffalo curd and bee honey, it has cadju nuts and very tasty rice, sea food like crabs, prawns, lobsters and crayfish from the lagoon and fresh sea fish. It has the beautiful lagoon which at sunrise and sunset are paradise itself. Its people are very hospitable and they love their leisure. I took these photos of the lagoon during a recent visit.

Pied Kingfishers

Photo taken from the ramparts of the Dutch Fort, Batticaloa.

Sunset over the Batticaloa lagoon, Sri Lanka.

 

Watching the sunset over the Batticaloa lagoon takes one to another world. The peace and tranquility, unaffected by the rush of 'civilization' is palpable.