Colombo

Our Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's capital is a vibrant colonial, cosmopolitan chic mix of past and present.  Only in Colombo can you find Hindu temples and colonial churches sharing the space with shiny office buildings, sprawling parks, trendy shops and crowded bazaars.

We arrived about 90 minutes late due to losing a day before Fremantle and the strong cross currents which slowed our progress.  We did manage to maintain an average of around 20 knots.  On arrival the weather was hot, overcast with high humidity.  Thankfully there was a breeze which softened the heat.

We were booked onto a private Tuk Tuk Safari tour with friends.... there were 8 of us all up and 4 tuk tuks.  To leave the port we had to get a ticket to get a complimentary shuttle to the port gate where we were bombarded with offers of tuk tuk tours.  The going rate seemed to be about $10US per hour per tuk tuk.  Our safari was costing $65US per person for around 5 hours which included lunch, refreshments, cold refreshing towels, snacks and the undivided attention of our driver Leonardo DiCaprio or Leo for short.

We negotiated a local tuk tuk to take us to the Galle face Hotel which is where we were meeting our tour guides.  The fare was $5US and took about 5 minutes.

We were greeted by Bob Marley, Leonardo DiCaprio, Randy and Caviar with a flower lei for the girls and fresh coconut juice still in the coconut.

We set off in our duelling tuk tuks for a hair raising drive through the city visiting the highlights.  We stopped off at a local market which all produce and goods for sale had to be Eco friendly or organic with no additives.  We samples some of the local delicacy and some were very spicy... too much chilli for me!

Another stop was at Independence Square which was quite interesting.  Independence from the British happened in February (19?) 1948.

A drive through the middle of Peddah Market was very interesting and crowded!  The floating market was closed as it was Saturday but the area was quite picturesque.

Our lunch stop was at the Curry Pot which was a little "local" restaurant on the beach.  Lunch was an assortment of local delicacies served on a banana leaf... saves washing up!  We were encouraged to mix the food together with our fingers and to eat with fingers.  I and most others used a fork!  It just doesn't come naturally to eat food such as curries and rice with fingers.... very messy! 

Next stop was to a tea house which was interesting but mainly pitched to buy their tea.  I tried the white tea which has 10x the benefits of green tea and did not have the after taste that I find with green tea.  I could have been tempted to buy but not at $46US per 100gms!

Our last stop of the tour was to the Gangaramaya Temple which was very interesting.  We were lucky as we had a torrential downpour while we were inside which was very convenient.  We also were served our dessert while sitting in the ceremonial area.... clotted buffalo curd with treacle syrup.... it was absolutely delicious!  A bit like a decadent crime caramel....

Our tour was now over so we were asked to be dropped back to the Galle Face Hotel.  This Hotel is a beautiful grand old building which reminded me a lot of Raffles in Singapore.  It is situated right on the beach and we found a bar with comfortable lounges, free fast wifi and affordable good cocktails.... consequently we whiled away a couple of hours enjoying the amenities and the view.

We sailed away on time enjoying a cold drink with our friends in the usual place on deck 11!

Dubai is our next stop.

Quick Facts:

Founded: established by the British in 1796

Location: on the west coast of Sri Lanka on the Indian Ocean

Population: 752,993 (2011)

Climate: warm and tropical monsoon

Language: Sinhala and Tamil

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