Colombo in 4 hours

On the day after we arrived in Sri Lanka (after midnight), we only had half a day before we had to catch the train to Galle. I did not have a specific must-go list for Colombo but I thought of at least checking out Barefoot Ceylon.

Green Cabin 

But first thing first...breakfast! Moss B&B offered breakfast for USD4 but I thought it would be a travesty to have toast for breakfast in Sri Lanka. Fortunately, the hotel was within walking distance of Green Cabin, a venerable institution as per many travel guides. So we got a map from the receptionist and made our way towards Galle Road and towards Green Cabin. At 9 am, it was a pleasant walk, which was made better by proper pedestrian crossings.

After 10 minutes of walking, we reached the green and white shop that was Green Cabin but our hope of having hot breakfast of paratha, hoppers and the like was dashed - the restaurant was closed and only the bakery was open. We had  to settle with ready-made veg roti and fish roti. The fish roti, although very delicious, was too spicy for Irf so we ordered mini veg pizza for him. And the only coffee that we could get our hands on was of the cold variety, prepacked and tasted very much like the dreadful canned Nescafe in Malaysia. I nearly cried.

Had to resort to this for breakfast

Barefoot Ceylon

Next stop was Barefoot Ceylon which conveniently was just a few shops down the road. Well-known for its handloom textiles and locally crafted products, this is a souvenir shop, bookshop, cafe, gallery - all rolled into one.  Stepping into the store, we were greeted with a riot of bold colours and brilliant hues. If you are looking for high quality souvenirs made locally, then this is the place to go. No Made In China products, no tourist tats. We spent more than an hour there, especially at the bookshop where they have a nice selection of books revolving around Sri Lanka.

The entrance to Barefoot Ceylon on Galle Road

The only picture inside the shop that we managed to take
before we saw the No Camera sign

Early lunch at Barefoot Garden Cafe

The charming courtyard cafe, with dappled sunlight and a fish pond, was the perfect place to unwind especially when you badly need a proper shot of caffeine, as we did. We had an early lunch here of tuna sandwich, fries, coffee (naturally) and banana smoothie  (the first of many in Sri Lanka for Irf).

Then, it was back to the hotel to pack and check out. Left our backpacks at Moss and had an hour or so to see central Colombo. 

Galle Buck Lighthouse

I absolutely did not have anywhere specific to go (saving Galle Face Green for when we are back from Galle/Tissa), so we hopped into a passing tuk-tuk and based on a random glance through my LP, told the driver to take us to the Lighthouse at Colombo Fort area. The tuk-tuk weaved its way through the streets of Colombo until it stopped in front of a building called the Lake House. Righttt.

I did not have the energy nor the time to begrudge the few extra rupees that we had to pay and thankfully the lighthouse that I meant, location finally determined after a more detailed description of what a lighthouse is, was not too far off.

Galle Buck Lighthouse

The Galle Buck Lighthouse is actually quite a recent addition to the city as it was built only in the 1950s. Its main advantage is the elevated bases from which you could get great views of the Indian Ocean, Galle Face Green and the surrounding area. But the views were somewhat marred by constructions at the adjacent port and in its vicinity. And there was not much shade to escape from the scorching heat so avoid noon!

Dutch Hospital

Took another tuk-tuk to nearby Dutch Hospital for Rs100,000. This building is the oldest in the Fort and was built by the Dutch in the 1600s as a hospital. It has been refurbished and is now a swanky building with rather posh restaurants and shops. Despite the refurbishment, the colonial architecture was still intact with courtyards and thick columns. 

Down the corridors of Dutch Hospital

The time was approaching 1pm and after a quick browse through in Odel, we got into a tuk-tuk to head back to the hotel to collect our backpacks. I would have not known whether we were being conned by the driver. The streets that we passed through looked nothing like the ones we saw on the way in and traffic was heavier- we could have been brought around Colombo and we would be none the wiser. The consolation was that the fare was also at the Rs300,000 mark.

So that was our whirlwind tour of Colombo. We will be back but now time for the train to Galle! *takes a deep breath*