I took the road heading south to Galle, with the hope of explaining some things to myself. It helped me understand why not all shorelines were equally affected. The nature of the waves did not make a clean sweep of the coastline. However, the areas that were greatly affected were to the extent that no words could explain the damage it had caused. Anyone who first set sight on them would stare at the remainings speechless, until he finds the answers through himself.

Beginning from Aluthgama the coastline that stretches along to Hikkaduwa was entirely different from what it was the last time I took the path. They were in complete ruin, both sea and land sides. The ocean was as calm and beautiful as ever. As if it had forgotten its treacherous assault three weeks ago.

One of the major differences was the road view of the ocean. Usually, one could spot it irregularly through the houses and trees that almost covered it from the road side. But I didn't even have to make an effort to take a good view as the land was bare open exposing the sea at its entirety. Such damage did it cause to the land, to be complete flattened.

Whatever that was beside the sea was gone. But what amazed me the most was the damage caused to the land side. At some places the beach had a huge barrier of rocks preventing water from entering the lands. Even with these, water had at least reached a kilometer inland, not just at steady pace but with an unimaginable force, a force capable of flattening entire neighborhoods down to rubble. No one could believe how it could have reached so far, bringing down everything above ground level right up to the very end of one's sight. You could keep on walking inland just to find foundations in which houses used to stand a month ago.

Passing Kosgoda I got the reek for the first time. It was a mix of rotten wastage and corpses, still passing through the air. No one could be certain that all bodies were found and buried. I certainly got the impression that there were more left somewhere out there. But everyone had their own problems, the main being finding a safe place to stay.

Many, including small children, were beside the road waving their hands to passing vehicles, hoping that someone would stop and come to their aid. Some were getting together and clearing the rubble while others were planning on how to put up temporary shelters using them. Some were determined, but yet they showed expectation through their faces. But others who had fallen flat were forced with desperation. When you look at each one, you feel it's not a time to just sit back and pity them, but rather to get up and help.

Nearing Hikkaduwa, I witnessed the remains of one of the worlds largest train disasters. From the moment it stopped on the 26th of December, it has still not moved any further except the carriage that was brought down by the water. It still lies there on track, with the belongings of its passengers thrown everywhere beside it. It was a place where over thousand died in a matter of few minutes. The remainings and the smell did not fail to instantly pass that message. The rail track was hundreds of meters away from the shore with a barrier of rocks in the beach and rows of houses standing in between. No passenger in the train could have seen the ocean from the track and no one in the beach could have spot the train. Not until now.

Even before reaching Galle I spotted the Fort through the open sea. It reminded me of how much more destruction the city could have suffered without it standing there. Even with it, the city was completely submerged with sea water. How worst could it have gotten without it? Bordering the main road there were layers of shops divided by small streets. Taking one of them, I only had to move my head side ways to see what laid thousands of meters away. They were like see-through shops with gateless empty floors.

Reaching the peak of the fort we came to the point where it directly met the ocean. It's the only place which fought against the tsunami and won, at least in a small way. One of the trader's in the Galle Fort related his story.

I was with a friend of mine standing on top of this cliff. Suddenly, at around 9.30 we saw the sea water disappear even beyond the reef. The place was completely empty. Fishes & crabs were lying everywhere and some went down to pick them. It lasted only for a few minutes and suddenly we saw the water heading our way. We were used to the sea, so we just kept calm. As it got near it rose to around 30 feet height and slammed the stone walls of the fort. Then it splashed upwards so that the water was just an arms length away. Everyone started to run back to their houses. In a while I saw tables, chairs and TV’s floating in the sea. It was unbelievable. We didn't know what was going on, but sensed it could happen again. So I too decided to leave. The only ones left were some foreigners who were down with cameras. At around 11.45 the second wave hit and it was much bigger than the first. Water had reached the city from all sides except through the fort. Only the next day I knew all this happen because of an earthquake.

On my way, I spotted a very few hotels that were operational. The Light House Hotel was one of them, accommodating many aid workers including the Norwegian DART. Most others like Hikkaduwa Beach Hotel were minus the ground floor and the sea side area. However, amazingly, there were many small and hardy restaurants still welcoming tourists.

Unusually, but not surprisingly, at most times the Galle road was congested with traffic. It took twice as much time to reach Galle than it would have in a normal day. Security was in place at regular spots and more in areas which attract sightseers. However, there weren't any medics inline to care for the ones who fainted at the sight and smell of destruction.

In no way could the words above explain the realitical situation down the areas. It's to say that they are simply unbelievable, yet real in the bitterness of nature. To my surprise and to all who were traveling with me, one of my friends (coming out of the dark) exclaimed "Oh My God, what has happen? Surely a Tsunami has struck!". Indeed it has, unless we would have taken the ordinary road to Galle, seen buildings instead of rubble, neighborhoods instead of cemeteries, and the coastal beauty as it once used to be.