Two Days in Colombo / Sri Lanka

Arriving in Sri Lanka is like arriving back in the West… I mean to say that the terminal is modern and has a range of stores selling anything you could possibly want and the area outside the arrivals lounge is calm… I mean that you are NOT surrounded by touts or Rick Shaw drivers but are left to organise yourself. My taxi was an AC car with friendly staff and drove me rapidly along a smooth road into Colombo, not once was there are cow on the road or a pot hole!! I could definitely get used to this :)
Colombo on first impression is a wonderful city - However, it does have to have a clear security presence so be aware that if you are travelling here that some roads have no transport access and photos are prohibited in some sensitive areas.
I stayed at the Colombo City Hotel and found the staff friendly, welcoming and helpful with a buffet breakfast throne in with the room booking. You can get a room here for £35 per night and it is pleasant comfortable with large bed and hot showers ;) All the essentials in life…
Walking around Colombo is certainly easier than walking anywhere in India - the pavements are well maintained and wide, most roads are signposted and tuck-tucks only ask once if you need a ride (Yes the affable tuck-tuck survives here and is a helpful way to get around the city - just be aware that they will ask for a price double what it should cost - remember to haggle here!!). I awoke at 6am in order to explore the city and found that with 10mins walk you can be striding along the sea front with spray searing up from the breaking waves and stinging your skin! It is a great site to see the ocean waves crashing against the coastal defences and you sea the odd bit of flotsam (like a whole tree!!). The ice cream and soda stalls were mostly shut on this very windy day but one or two had opened in the hope of selling some candy floss… The Galle Hotel stands at one end of the green and is well worth a visit for coffee/tea. It has an old world colonial charm with a veranda and checkerboard terrace, perfect to while away an hour or two while taking in the ocean views.
Walking further into town requires a little more energy because you can soon clock up 5km along the rest of the front - but it is worth visiting:
Barefoot - It does not look like much from the outside but when you go in it is like an Aladdin’s cave of fabric, toys gifts and a lovely tea room on a patio style garden. Lovely - if only all shops could be like this…
The Museums - although they are a little short on displays and some of the stuffed animals are looking a little weather worn…
Coffee Bean - As a coffee addict this is a sensational place as it has a fantastic ambience, great coffee and more cake than you can imagine!! I mean it had 4 shelves of cakes with 5 on each to choose from including cheesecake and chocolate brownies all more than twice the size of the UK options at less than half the prise!!
Bavarian Restaurant - I have eaten here twice with fellow travellers and have found the food very good. This is a haven for meat eaters and it has a wide variety of sausage, pork, beef, chicken and sea food. It is based on German food and the portions are excellent.

So to sum up my two full days in Colombo - it is a modern westernised city with all the mod cons such as AC shopping malls, fantastic places to eat, coastal walks and shows. On my last evening here I managed to catch a Jazz session at the Rugby ground held on the first Sunday of every month and it was great :) The musicians sat together and played a session of well known popular classics. I particularly loved the energy of the drummer who sat in his John Lennon style shades and French style Berry and kept the rhythm of the band going. Wonderful.

I have booked a car and driver for a few days out from Kandy so the cultural triangle will be the next report…