Flights and First Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Cathay Pacific Flight to Hong Kong
I’m terrified! There are many hours before we leave for the airport and everything is packed and ready to go. I must be missing something. What did I forget? It’s driving me crazy.
Cameron drives us to the airport and we pass quickly through the Cathay Pacific baggage drop off, then security before heading to our gate. It’s all very quick and civilized.
John informs me that we are flying an Airbus 350-1000. He points out (with quiet excitement) that we can watch the plane take off from cameras situated on the plane’s tail and belly with viewpoints facing forward and down. Click here for a short video of our takeoff.
I am happy to see pillows, blankets, earphones, a bottle of water and a menu on our economy seats. The meals look surprisingly appealing and come with real metal cutlery! It is my first time flying Cathay Pacific and this is promising to be a good flight. They even offer free alcohol and snacks between meals. I don’t usually drink on planes because it disturbs my sleep… but the fact that it is included is nice. My experiences on China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines cause me to note that China has great airlines.
The drink cart comes by. I change my mind and order red wine. There are so many good movies to choose from, I think I’ll stay awake for a while. I flick on “Knives Out”, sip my drink and enjoy the ride.
Sleep comes easily after the movie. I wake to find that we are flying over Russia. Most Western airlines are not allowed to fly over Russian airspace as retaliation for the sanctions imposed on Russia because of their invasion of Ukraine.
The only negative with this Cathay Pacific Flight (and it is a biggie), is that the legroom is rather small.
Cathay Pacific Flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka
We have a 14 hour 45 minute flight to Hong Kong with an hour and twenty minute layover. Then it’s another 5 hours 30 minute flight to Sri Lanka.
We arrive in Colombo, Sri Lanka at midnight and pass quickly through immigration. The airport is filled with locals, tourists, people waiting with f
loral bouquets and Buddhist monks in their orange robes. We meet our prearranged driver for a one hour drive to our hotel in central Colombo as the airport is quite far from the city.
The humid warmth greets us as we leave the airport. A soft and pleasant, exotic, almost smoky smell hangs in the air.
Our hotel is very comfortable and right in the centre of the Fort District which was originally the site of the Portuguese then Dutch fortications.
The population of Sri Lanka is 22 million people in a country 1/16th the size of Ontario.
Morning in Colombo
The morning is sunny and warm. We head to a nearby cafe for coffee and breakfast. My attempts at speaking rudimentary Singalese is greeted with big smiles.
We are stopped on the street by numerous friendly men wanting to give us tours…and one who was just friendly. We catch a red metered tuktuk to Gangaramaya Seema Malaka Temple.
It’s great to be seeing things again from the back of a tuktuk. We pass Beira Lake which has many different kinds of 
waterbirds hanging around it.
Gangaramaya Seema Malaka is a Buddhist temple complex, founded in the 1800s. It is a mix of different architectures and cultures (Sri Lankan, Chinese , Thai and Indian). There is a museum filled with rare artifacts, numerous buildings and Buddha’s. We are told that today we are allowed in more areas than usual because of some kind of special ceremony/holiday .
Tip: I chose a long dress that covers my knees and put a t-shirt in my purse to cover my shoulders. You need to remove your shoes before entering the complex so I also brought socks to protect my feet from the hot cement.
The tuktuk driver stays with us and unasked, gives us a rather interesting tour, highlighting things we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise, such as the tiny Buddha which you can only see with a magnifying glass and the past president’s car. There is an incredibly diverse mix of artifacts here that one wouldn’t expect to see in a temple complex, most donated by past worshippers and some dating back to ancient Sri Lankan kingdoms.
On the tuktuk ride back to the Fort area, we pass Victoria Garden and lots of interesting architecture; both colonial and modern. We also pass a few different fields with men playing cricket.
Pettah Area
We stop into our hotel for a short break to cool down before walking to the area of Pettah… with it’s many markets. The crowds on the streets and the traffic are crazy. Motorcycles are parked en masse on side streets. So many people. It’s a real culture shock. Click here for a short video.
Dutch Museum
We head to the Dutch Museum which is housed in the old governor’s house (built in the 1690s). The Portuguese ran Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) before the Dutch took it over. When the Dutch originally were negotiating with the Ceylon king, things went well until the Dutch envoy made a perceived insult about the queen. The envoy was put to death which, unsurprisingly, put a temporary halt to negotiations.
The Red Mosque
We next fight the crowds and make our way to the Red Mosque.
All the women and some men must put on robes for the tour of the mosque, but John is dressed conservatively enough to enter unrobed. Pomegranates are the theme of this mosque’s architecture and red & white colour scheme. We then climb stairs (over 150) to the rooftop and have a great view of the Lotus Tower.
Fort Colombo Railway Station
Once again we hit the streets. It is loud, hot and crowded and I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. We stop to check out the Fort Colombo railway station.
Originally we planned to take the train tomorrow morning to Galle. We want to experience taking the train but since we’re tired from the time change, we decide to hire a driver and take a train later in the trip.
We stop at an art gallery/cafe for mango-raspberry Lassis before heading to the hotel to decide on dinner.
Galle Face Green Promenade
We walk to the Galle Face Green Promenade, passing the Old Parliament building which is glowing in the late afternoon sun. Water birds on a creek are preparing for the day’s end
The oceanfront promenade is filled with people waiting for sunset. People are flying kites and blowing bubbles in the grassy area. Food trucks line the walk, many offering tasty looking seafood but I decide against it because who knows how long it’s been sitting out, unrefrigerated. Three soldiers take down the Sri Lankan flag as sunset commences.
As night sets in, John and I cross the street to find a restaurant. I get a stir fried shrimp dish which only gives a minuscule portion. I am still hungry. John gets a Sri Lankan dish called chicken Kottu. He orders medium spice and gets a huge bowl which he shares with me. Well the “medium” spice really gets our sinuses going and fire is escaping out of our ears, noses and mouths.
We walk back to our hotel, enjoying the lit up views of the Lotus Tower and Old Parliament building.
A few notes on our experiences so far. I find the Sri Lankan people I’ve met so far are very friendly. Some women wear saaris which I find looks good on all ages and sizes. I find a number of similarities between Sri Lankans and Indians including the business and loudness on the streets and their endearing head bobbling at times. I feel very safe walking around here and things are clean.
So far we are enjoying Sri Lanka very much.
