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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 8, 2013 15:01:21 GMT
Many travellers want to experience local culture when they travel overseas. But in some countries such as SL and India, I've noticed lesser people visiting main cities (Mumbai, Colombo)- therefore missing a rapidly growing urban culture. I feel travellers primarily bypass Colombo when in SL- but I found it a nice city to visit. Only went in Dec 2010. Has good shopping and a handful of attractions as well.  Cricket culture is strong in SL- see billboard. I saw 1 cricketer and met another in Colombo. Colombo does pretty good with open spaces. The seafront Galle Face Green, though not green, is a popular evening hangout to fly kits and to eat street food. Strangely, no one plays cricket here.  View of skyline from the Galle Face Green:  Galle Face Green:     And as in many other Asian cities, Colombo doesn't lack in greenery on the roads. Heck, photos don't work. www.flickr.com/photos/ansh_jain/sets/72157632467696371/{Will post more later} |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2013 19:06:07 GMT
Unfortunately, I only saw the airport in Colombo when I was in transit to the Maldives.
I planned a trip to Sri Lanka in 1989, but I was mugged in Paris the night before departure and spent a week in the hospital. Although the mugging was not fun, the impossibility of leaving was just as well, because it turned out that my flight was cancelled, and there was only one flight a week on the airline I was taking.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2013 19:57:24 GMT
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Post by lugg on Jan 8, 2013 20:17:33 GMT
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 9, 2013 11:47:41 GMT
Ouch, that's very sad, Kerouac!
Thanks, Bixa. Need to read up more on the technicalities of this forum...
Hi, Lugg, thanks. Love your shots- where did you get the elevation from? Talking about picture 2. Is hat Beira Lake?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 10, 2013 16:20:31 GMT
Oh, lovely, Lugg! I was happy to be reminded of those two super posts, & it's always great to see places from more than one perspective.
Ansh, why do you think travelers avoid Colombo, especially since both you & Lugg see it as a place with much to offer?
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 10, 2013 16:26:56 GMT
Ansh, why do you think travelers avoid Colombo, especially since both you & Lugg see it as a place with much to offer? Having seen posts on TT. People spend a night in Colombo if they have a flight out, or are landing lat. A handful spend an extra day or two. I was in Colombo during tourist season and saw few Westerners (I think, just 5). |
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Post by lugg on Jan 12, 2013 11:03:58 GMT
Hi Ansh -yes I think it is Beira although the smaller narrow part on the other side of Slave island.
Elevation -as I took them from my room in Hilton which was quite high up as you can see.
I think you are right Ansh re tourists , I also think it probably a mixture of other reasons; possibly a hangover from the war plus the international airport is some way out of Colombo so a lot of tourists overnight / rest up in Negombo.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 12, 2013 11:21:50 GMT
Thanks- the Hilton's location is very good (but I didn't stay there). Great views and pictures!
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Post by anshjain97 on Mar 2, 2013 16:02:43 GMT
Hmm, why did I end this report so abruptly? Colombo, of course, has more. Fort is the main colonial district in Colombo, with the World Trade Centre and the only other skyscrapers. Besides of the terror threat- SL has been experiencing a civil war till 2009- there is a security checkpoint in the area- either the guards will let you proceed or not- we were allowed but stopped later. Despite this, I took a picture right there and no one seemed to mind.  And...  And more colonial architecture:  Just outside the Hilton in Fort is a Buddha statue.  Near Fort is the main market district of Pettah.  ALso nearby is the district of Kotahena where I saw 2 churches. One is the Wolvendaal Church, which is built in a graveyard.  More pictures on the Wolvendaal:    More later. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 5, 2013 15:55:26 GMT
Yay ~~ keep going, please, Ansh!
I love the "soft" look of the old buildings. So interesting in the 1st of the checkpoint, where the buildings on one side of the street seem so much older than the other side.
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Post by anshjain97 on Mar 16, 2013 15:55:01 GMT
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Post by lugg on Mar 16, 2013 18:07:27 GMT
Fabulous Ansh, you have just re-confirmed my desire to re-visit SL and spend more time in Colombo
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 24, 2013 16:25:48 GMT
Ansh, what about day trips using Colombo as a base? Are any of the plantations close enough, for instance?
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Post by anshjain97 on Mar 25, 2013 1:17:05 GMT
I don't think there are any close enough for a day trip, more like 3-4 hrs by road.
I will post more later, including of Sri Lanka's second biggest city, Kandy.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 25, 2013 10:14:34 GMT
Here's a bit of Kandy. It is SL's second largest city and in the interior of the country, in the Hill Country. We were staying in a lodge near the city, a bit away from it. Here was the dirt road which lead to the main road, which led to the city. Here's the exit of the lodge.  And here's the view from the front lawn of the hotel. It was in a very English style, the exterior of the lodge. I will have to see if I can find a photo of the lodge building.  Streetview while going to the city.  Our first stop was the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, just at the outskirts of town.  A few shots from the wonderful gardens.   |
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Post by spindrift1 on May 25, 2013 10:58:34 GMT
Just before the advent of digital cameras I was invited to stay with Australian friends who were living in Colombo and setting up mobile phones there. Must have been around 2001. I loved the city. In those days there was a real problem with unexpected bombings here and there, usually set off in traffic jams. From our base in Colombo we set off to visit as much of the island as possible in 3 weeks. I remember I was thrilled to see FLYING FOXES at night - I thought they were huge! My favourite place was the Galle Face hotel that, in those days, had not yet been renovated. It was very decrepit. I used to sit on the terrace for hours gazing at the sea, overlooked by army snipers on the tallish buildings around just waiting for something to happen.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 25, 2013 11:05:23 GMT
Ah...right in the civil war period. I went to SL in the end of 2010, not long after stability was restored. It was interesting to see how normal everything seemed...but of course, even then, anything could happen.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2013 7:23:54 GMT
Kandy is supposed to be considerably cooler than Colombo, isn't it? (I mean the temperature!  ) |
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Post by anshjain97 on May 26, 2013 8:37:06 GMT
Yes, to some extent. I'm lost to what other meaning "cooler" could relate to!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 26, 2013 9:32:53 GMT
Here is a view of town from a viewpoint on a hill.  A Buddha statue on the road.  And this is Kandy's main attraction: the UNESCO titled Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is rumoured to have a tooth of Buddha. This thing is usually not visible to tourists except during the Pooja (prayer); which wasn't the time when we went.  Here is a bit of the interior.  Here's looking towards Kandy Lake, right in the heart of town.  And surrounding it is the main market area.  Centre of the town- streetview  |
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Post by anshjain97 on May 26, 2013 9:41:42 GMT
We went to a resort on the fringes of town for lunch. Beautiful view, as you see.  Sorry, that's all I have. |
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Post by spindrift1 on May 26, 2013 15:43:03 GMT
I am very fond of Kandy. I stayed at the Castle hotel which is nearly opposite the Temple of the Tooth...I watched the Pera Hera from the windows on the first floor (a good view).
About the lake at Kandy - rumour has it (or maybe it's a fact) that during its construction a man was tied to a pole and sacrificed in the middle of where the lake would be, before the water was put in!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 26, 2013 16:55:42 GMT
Ouch- I hope that is a rumour and not a fact!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2013 11:28:56 GMT
Maybe it was to feed the future fish.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 28, 2013 21:08:14 GMT
I googled and found this link about virgin sacrifces in Kandy (but not in the lake)...of course this was when Lanka was a despot's kingdom and before it became Buddhist!
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