Sri Lanka – Day 1: Arrival & Colombo
The flight went very quickly with a great range of entertainment and food. It was a late flight so I skipped dinner and waited for the breakfast omelette, which was a good choice.
Immigration was smooth and took no longer than 15 minutes which was fantastic. After the welcome at the airport, it was a 40-minute transfer into the city. On the way we saw the Lotus Tower, Colombo’s landmark, along with busy roads and busy people
At The Kingsbury Hotel we had another lovely welcome. Check-in was quick and we were soon shown to our rooms. Since it was just a short stop in Colombo, I decided to take a tuk tuk for an hour and a half to see as much as possible.
I started from the Kingsbury, right by Galle Face Green, and we went down Janadhipathi Mawatha, past the Old Parliament Building, and along Chaithya Road where the Sambodhi Chaithya stupa looks over the harbour.
From there we turned into Pettah. The first stop was the Khan Clock Tower, then down Second Cross Street to see the striped Red Mosque (Jami-Ul-Alfar). The streets here were busy, full of shops, tuk tuks and people moving in every direction.
After Pettah we headed to the Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil, a colourful Hindu temple, and then on to the old Wolvendaal Church.
Next was Beira Lake, where the calm Seema Malaka temple sits on the water. Just nearby is the Gangaramaya Temple, filled with shrines and statues.
From the temples we carried on past Viharamahadevi Park and the white Town Hall, then over to the Independence Memorial Hall with its stone lions at the steps.
To finish the tour we drove past the Lotus Tower again, Colombo’s modern landmark, before taking Galle Road along the coast back to The Kingsbury.
In the evening I went over to Nuga Gama at the Cinnamon Grand. The hotel itself is one of the great names in Colombo, but the restaurant feels completely different set up like a little Sri Lankan village with a huge banyan tree in the middle and everything cooked in clay pots.
Dinner was lovely. I tried the rice and curry spread, with a few different meats, vegetables, and sambols on the side. Proper home-style flavours, not fancy hotel food. For dessert I finished with some of the local sweets and curd with treacle, which was a great way to end the meal.
It was a relaxed and great way to close the first day great food, a great atmosphere, and a taste of Sri Lanka before the adventure continues tomorrow