A new highway (Colombo-Katunayake Expressway E03) had been opened last year so the trip from the airport at Katunayake into Colombo was faster although it still took us two hours because of the after-school traffic jam. We'd booked into the old and tired (but Malaysian owned) Berjaya Colombo Hotel in Mount Lavinia for our six-day stay but serendipity happened (again!) and we spent our first night at the historic and romantic Mount Lavinia Hotel nearby.
Berjaya Colombo has a prime beach front in this old resort by the sea. But ... you have to cross over railway tracks to get there, much to the chagrin of some guests/visitors. It does help though that the hotel has a dedicated overpass bridge. We love trains, so no matter how many times they rumbled by (and they did so many, many times), we'd be going out to the balcony to do a bit of trainspotting! Also to get a glimpse of the local populace clinging by the train doors during 'rush hour'.
Other than enjoying the Mt Lavinia beach and the Indian Ocean, we went on a day-long road trip upcountry to Kandy; stopping by the Pinnawala elephant orphanage, the Glenloch tea factory, and the Island Spice Grove at Mawanella. We saw Kandy in the rain (and rain here is usual, they say). We also had a look at the beautiful architectural details at the Temple of the Tooth Relic. Pity we had to give the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya a miss because of the incessant rains although our kind driver/guide Mr Attanayake did show us this botanical wonder at the University of Peradeniya campus. A small consolation but a very grand old tree indeed.
Our Colombo City tour covered the colonial landmarks in the Fort area, and we braved the busy, bustling and chaotic Pettah, to visit the exquisite Red Mosque there. Other landmarks included the Gangaramaya and the Independence Memorial.
Btw the only shopping we did in Colombo was at Barefoot Gallery... for Sri Lankana books*, one by the designer/founder Barbara Sansoni. About thirty years ago she founded Barefoot, a company of rural hand-weavers in Sri Lanka. Their products are hand-made and very beautiful & colourful, but because we already suffer from 'stuffocation', we did not buy any. (Okay, we did already buy the customary Ceylon teas at the tea factory we'd visited earlier.)
Writing about my first visit to this Indian Ocean island earlier (see my 22.03.2012 blog post), I'd recommended that "When in Sri Lanka ... drink Ceylon tea..., also drink thambili or King coconut water..., eat 'hoppers' (appa/appam) with sambols, ride a three-wheeler... and definitely enjoy the beautiful, technicolour sunsets". We did all these during this (my second) visit, except for one. Guess which one?
* Ashok Ferry. Serendipity (Ex Libris CNB 2259)
Chhini Tenduf-La. The Amazing Racist (Ex Libris CNB 2260)
Barbara Sansoni. Press with the Toes in the Grass (Ex Libris CNB 2258)
10-15 February 2015
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