Colombo, the Garden City of the East!

Colombo, Sri Lanka, was a thriving sea port as far back as the 5^th century.

The seafaring Portuguese arrived in the early 1500’s, followed by the Dutch and then of course the British.

As you pass through the old fort area, it is obvious that Colombo flourished throughout these colonial times.

Fabulous old buildings overlook the leafy streets giving a wonderful insight into daily life of these earlier times.
The old city is extremely flat and very compact which made it great to walk around. We were both fascinated with the grand colonial architecture. The beautifully restored old Fort precinct gave way to the bustling bazaar area of Pettah.

It was your typical Asian market with all sorts of goodies for sale ranging from clothing and trinkets to locally grown fruit and vegetables. It did however have a somewhat relaxed feel due to the abundant smiles and waves we received from the street vendors and other shoppers alike.

It was clear right from the moment we arrived in Sri Lanka that the people here are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Their first question was usually a simple ‘what country?’ As soon as we answered ‘Australia’ their white broad smiles lit up and the conversation started. The first thing they wanted to talk about was the cricket!

 

Working in the Kimberley, away from the news and TV for extended periods of time proved to be a disadvantage for us as far as these conversations went. The locals here were way more up to speed with the results of the recent games than us! Of course they thought we must know the players personally!? One guy was very proud to show us a selfie of him and his favourite Aussie cricketer, Shane Watson!

 

We were instantly captivated and pleasantly surprised by Colombo as it lacked the chaos of many other Asian cities we have visited.

The day just got better and another surprise was in store for us! Our friend in Colombo, Nishad, arranged for us to stay at the Colombo Swimming Club. Both of us expected the equivalent of a room at the Casino Municipal Council  swimming pool, and most likely just behind the broom cupboard! Wow, how wrong were we! This place was amazing! A private club, in an fabulous old colonial building with an olympic size swimming pool overlooking the sea! Just Incredible!

The service was impeccable and we enjoyed an amazing afternoon lazing by the pool. We were very spoilt!

A little later, as we walked into the city, we passed the well known Galle Face Hotel. A very grand colonial building perfectly placed on the seashore. We couldn’t resist going in for a look.  The terraced verandah overlooking the ocean provided the perfect opportunity to try a classic ‘high tea’. Silver 3 tiered ‘high tea’ trays were delivered with Scones, biscuits, sweets and savouries. It was a devonshire tea on steroids along with a large choice of local Ceylon teas!  Simply brilliant ! As we left at 5:30pm we certainly knew that dinner that evening would not be necessary.

As the day drew to a close, we both wondered how it was possible that after 20 + years of travelling, we had not yet experienced Sri Lanka!

We are now very excited and absolutely certain that the next 3 weeks are going to be simply amazing!