Our first day in Sri Lanka - Colombo

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Our Travel Day – Monday, 4 September to Colombo We departed Brisbane at 2.30pm on our flight to Sri Lanka arriving at the Colombo International Airport at 11.45pm local time which is 4 ½ behind Australia. We had 2 hours in Singapore on the way.



It was a dry, balmy night when we arrived and had no problems catching a recognised taxi to our Hotel which was in Colombo 1 district, about 35 minutes from the airport.







A bit about Sri Lanka before we start: Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country located southeast of the Republic of India and northeast of the Maldives. Its current existence is due to the merger of several empires present on the island under European colonial rule.



The island is home to many cultures, languages and races. The majority of the populationis from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history; Christians in both groups are recent converts who have kept the traditional culture. Moors, Burghrs, Malays, Kaffirs, and the aboriginal Vedda are also established groups on the island. Toda, Sri Lanka has a population of over 20 million.



Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.



Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon. Its recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively ended when the Sri Lankan military defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.



Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is a bustling city and a hopping-off point for beaches in the island nation's south. It has a population of 6 million people. It has a long history as a port on ancient east-west trade routes, ruled successively by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. That heritage is reflected in its spicy cuisine as well as its architecture, mixing colonial buildings with high-rises and shopping malls.







Tour Day 1: Tuesday 5 September Colombo



After getting to sleep at about 2.30am by the time we booked into the Galadari Hotel which was across the road from the sea, we were at breakfast by 9.00am.







We were excited to be looking around Colombo during the day. Walking south from the Hotel which was next to the old Parliament House, a local came up to us and asked us where we were going. One thing lead to another, and as is typical in Asian countries, the people are enthusiastic about helping tourists as well as making as much money as possible!!







Our helpful local explained there was a public holiday being a full moon which is when followers of Buddha celebrated and give offerings to their Gods. He took us to the key temple for the celebration, the Gangarama Buddha temple where several 1000 Buddha statues, of all sizes, were displayed. Many of them were laden with precious stones such as diamonds, rubies and the Sri Lankan sapphires as well as many other gems.



There were also 3 musicians entertaining the people. I hope the photos give you some idea of the incredible display of wealth.







On the way we stopped to view the colourful Temple of Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil.







We were then taken to a jeweller which was offering 40%!d(MISSING)iscount for their gems on this holiday period. They are great salesmen but we didn’t buy, not even their famous sapphires.







After giving our “guide” some Australian money and the tuk-tuk drive 8000 Rupees (120 SL Rupees = $1AUD) for 2 hours of hi time, we returned to our hotel just as the rain and wind whipped up suddenly. We had a light lunch at the hotel.







Throughout the afternoon until about 3.30pm, it continued to rain and our City Tour on the double-decker bus was cancelled. At about 5.00pm we decided to go for a walk as the rain had stopped. This didn’t matter in the end as my list of “must see” in Colombo was achieved over the next couple of days.







We visited the old Dutch Hospital which had been converted to numerous restaurants and retail outlets in Colombo 1 district. We then took a 10-minute tuk-tuk ride for 100SL Rupees to Victoria Square and Independent Plaza, passing the Galle Face Green, an area which later staged the Full Moon Festival for the local people. The Galle Face Green promenade stretches 13 acres between Galle Road and the Indian Ocean.







We enjoyed walking through the many streets, as we always do, to learn about the city and what stage it is as re development. Colombo is more advanced than several other SE Asian countries we have visited over the years. Roads, utility infrastructure, street drainage are some of these areas that appear OK. The country was one of those which was bailed out during the GFC as it was establishing its infrastructure and didn’t really have the funds to pay. Then the GFC struck and the country was in trouble until the IMF gave them large loans.







We then went back to Colombo 1 district for dinner at one of the restaurants at the old Dutch Hospital Plaza. There was no alcohol served in any of the restaurants and hotels due to the local rules imposed by Government for the public holiday. Tom had a lovely Kandy Chicken curry and I had crispy, lemon chicken with both meals served with very spicy chutney – yum!



We Saw the remainder of Colombo after we returned from the Wetlands the next day. Perera our driver, droveus back to Colombo and stopped at Independence Square, the old Town Hall which includes the mayor’s office and the Galle Face Green along Galle Road. The latter is the area where locals hang out on the weekend or on special holidays, to eat, fly kites and be entertained.

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