Our tour officially finished this morning after one last breakfast with Upul and the remaining members of the tour group. We all said our goodbyes and I have to say it was nice to not be on anyone else’s timetable for the first time in a few weeks. Deb had put together a plan of things we would tick off today, which was something we haven’t really had to do this holiday so far. These decisions have been firmly in the hands of the tour leader. We organised to get a driver for the day which cost $50, which we thought was pretty good value.
Our first stop was the Gangaramaya Temple which is one of the most important temples in Colombo being a mix of modern architecture and cultural essence. It was completed in the late 19th century and it reputedly has a lock of Buddha’s hair in the main shrine. It also has a Bohdi tree that it is said was grown from a branch on the Bohdi tree in India where Buddha found enlightenment. It has a large collection of artifacts of Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Sri Lankan origin.
Our next stop was the National Museum of Sri Lanka, which largely showcases the history of the Sri Lankan royal families. Many of the displays were similar to the ones in to old capitals we went to while we were staying in Dambullah. It was good to refresh some of the information we’d received on the tour, but we’d only seen the archaeological site, whereas the museum feature the tools, weapons and cooking equipment used through all the eras. The building that houses the museum is a very british design with arches and bright white external paint.
It was getting close to lunch time, so we ask the driver to take us to the Barefoot Gallery, which has a cafe. Lunch was some prawns and rice for Deb and I had some roast chicken and the obligatory Lion Beer. After lunch we wandered through the gallery spaces which are an opportunity for artists, textile makers, card makers and other handicrafts people to display and sell their wares. Deb bought some earings, a cushion cover and a shawl. The earings do not feature any precious stones, so were considerably less expensive that the ones we looked at at the gemstone place in Kandy. Barefoot is a bit of an institution in Colombo and is well worth a visit.
There is a chain of stores in Colombo called Spa Ceylon. Products are inspired by relaxation, rejuvenation and healing rituals of Ayurveda, widely practiced in Sri Lanka. The products are made with natural products and the stores are beautifully designed. The range includes treatment oils, massage balms, massage and bath oils, essential oils, cleansing bars, exfoliating bars and shower gels. They are now a global company with about 60 stores globally including a retail outlet in Sydney.
We found our driver and went to a group of coffee shops and restaurants called Park Street Mews. The best part of this location is the street art. There are a number of great murals. We had a good cup of coffee at a pizza place to re-energise for the last few things on our list.
We had a Hindu temple on our list, but we realised that they are all closed between 1-4 PM, so we went to take some photos at the Old Parliament Building, that now houses the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka. It is in close proximity to the President’s House and adjacent to the General Treasury Building. The building housed the island’s legislature for 53 years until the new parliamentary complex was opened in 1983. The Neo-Baroque-style building was built during the British colonial era and was opened on 29 January 1930 by Governor Sir Herbert Stanley.
We had a little time to kill before we could get into any of the Hindu temples, so our driver took us on a little tour of the new Port City development which is currently under construction on reclaimed land. It aims to provide investment, business and sustainable living opportunities. Companies operating in the zone may be exempt from all taxes, personal, corporate, excise, import, and every other tax for up to forty years. Much of the development is being financed by Chinese interests, who also have a 99 year lease on the ports, similarly to Darwin in Australia.
Finally, the clock ticked past 4pm and we visited the Sri Kaileswaram Temple. This temple is the oldest one in Colombo and is well known for its vibrant interior. It was amusing to me that the local lads still had a cricket game going in front of the temple.
We came back to the hotel and discharged our driver. We’d walked past the coffee shop at the hotel and decided a stop for cake and coffee was required. I had strawberry cheesecake while Deb had a chocolate brownie. The food items were excellent and the coffee was pretty good. I have found Colombo coffee to be pretty good, on balance.
We retired for a bit of a chill in the room. One downside of the hotel is that our room faces the pool and the covers band is quite loud. I’m hoping they will ‘pull up stumps’ soon. We had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants called Tenku which served authentic Japanese food, which was very good. Sushi is always better when it tastes fresh. I had a green tea cake that they called Tiramisu, while Deb had some ice cream for dessert. It was a good meal and not to heavy after our late afternoon cake indulgence.
As the sun set on our day in Colombo, we did actually see a sunset tonight as the afternoon storm blew through fairly early. A great end to a busy day!
Until tomorrow
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