Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo
introThinking of a time when travel patterns return to normal post-coronavirus? Let your imagination wander, and consider a journey to Sri Lanka – starting with its capital, Colombo. A hub of trade, corporate culture and promising educational opportunities, Colombo is a city bustling with vibrant life – and though it’s tiny in size, it’s incredibly diverse. Here, modern skyscrapers stand next to dilapidated colonial buildings. Saree-wearing ladies run along the railway tracks in high heels to catch their daily commuter. The flashy neon lights of dingy spas and hole-in-the-wall eateries beat the eerie darkness of Marine Drive’s nightscape. Millennials dressed in hip European duds lunch in chic and happening cafés. It’s haywire like any other South Asian city, but give Colombo a chance, and you will untangle the beautiful cultural mess.
0/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
7am7am, Breakfast At Saraswathie Lodge – Start your day at one of the city’s popular breakfast joints. This little all-vegetarian restaurant sits close to Old Kathiresan Hindu Temple and dishes up South Indian delicacies. Frequented by students and nine-to-fivers, you pay very little for a hearty meal here. For a go-to Sri Lankan breakfast, order string hoppers: thin, steamed nets of rice flour. I enjoy mine with a delicious chickpea curry and sambar, a broth of lentils and mixed vegetables. [Photo: Ji-Elle/Wikimedia Commons]
1/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
830 am8:30am, A Spiritual Visit – Sri Vishnu Kovil is located in a southern Colombo suburb, and is a popular place of worship among the city’s Hindus. Adorned with majestic statues and shrines of the many deities of Hinduism, the temple has a serene atmosphere. Expect to be welcomed with the exquisite fragrance of jasmine garlands and the sound of beautiful, lyrical chanting. [Photo: Nathan Mahendra]
2/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
10 am10am, Browse The City’s Busiest Marketplace – Hop on a tuk-tuk to reach Pettah, a neighbourhood that’s synonymous with its bustling market. Here you can buy anything and everything – think fresh, farm-grown vegetables, seasonal tropical fruits, chunky gold necklaces, chocolates from the Middle East and carbon copies of Reebok jackets… for less than two dollars. It’s a hustling maze, but nothing quite captures the mundane survival of the ordinary Sri Lankan like the Pettah Market. Polish your crowd-weaving skills to manoeuvre on the narrow, six-inch pavements! [Photo: Nathan Mahendra]
3/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
11am11am, Holiness Amid The Chaos – Inside the Pettah Market sits the city’s most Instagrammable spot: Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, a holy place for Colombo’s Muslim community. Inspired by the Indo-Saracenic architectural tradition and built in 1908, the spiritual masjid is adorned with pomegranate-shaped domes. What makes it quite remarkable is the contrasting red and white pattern, giving rise to its colloquial name: The Red Mosque. If you plan to enter, it’s best to visit outside of the busy prayer times. Women are permitted inside, but will need to cover their arms, legs and hair. [Photo: Nathan Mahendra]
4/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
2pm2pm, Take A Leisurely Stroll – Just across from the restaurant is Viharamahadevi Park, a large green space – with plenty of trees for shade – which sits in the centre of the city and is often populated by both locals and visitors. It’s a welcoming oasis when the midday tropical heat soars. Next to the park, the adjoining street displays quintessential Sri Lankan paintings by young, up-and-coming artists and students. Have an ice cream from one of the many trucks, and walk towards local clothing retail store Cotton Collection to exit the park. [Photo: Alexey Komarov/Flickr]
6/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
4pm4pm, Tour A Temple – A popular tourist site and one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, Gangaramaya Temple is a cultural trove, housing a hodgepodge of antique statues of various deities, along with trinkets and artefacts. Keep an eye on the series of Buddha statues carved in stone, glimmering with the golden rays of the early evening sun. Be sure to take in Seema Malaka Buddhist Shrine, located outside the main temple complex and sitting on a platform constructed over the water of Beira Lake.[Photo: AKS.955/Wikimedia Commons]
7/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
530pm5:30pm, Grab Some Street Snacks – Take a stroll along Galle Face Green, where Colombo’s street food scene comes alive. I usually walk to the ramparts to take in a beautiful view of the sun setting over the Indian Ocean. About half a dozen small kiosks sell tempered chickpeas, peanuts and cassava chips, as well as vadai – tiny fritters made of dhal (lentils or peas). The most-loved version is isso vadai, which is topped with one or two Indian Ocean shrimps and served with a fresh, spicy chutney made of onions and minced vegetables. But don’t fill up too much before our next stop… [Photo: Rama/flickr]
8/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
730pm7:30pm, Indulge In Fine Dining – Palmyrah Restaurant at Hotel Renuka is a wonderful place to taste authentic Sri Lankan flavours in a lavish atmosphere. I suggest devouring crispy-edged hoppers: bowl-shaped pancakes with a meatier inside. Savoury plain hoppers and egg hoppers are a treat to your taste buds as well with seeni sambal, a caramelised onion relish prepared with spices and Maldive fish. If you have a sweet tooth, opt for jaggery hoppers and milk hoppers. [Photo: Palmyrah Restaurant]
9/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
9pm9pm, Beers By The Sea – Head to oceanfront Barracuda, and take a seat at a table by the mangroves, listening to the sound of the breaking waves as you sip a beer – you can even bring your own! The lively, chilled-out beachside restaurant is famous for its golden-fried hot butter cuttlefish. Crunchy and spicy, they’re excellent to munch on with your booze. When the night lamps come on, the atmosphere can be quite magical.
10/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
1130pm11:30pm, A Second Dinner – Usually, after a few drinks, everyone heads to Hotel de Plaza – which isn’t actually a ‘hotel’, but a roadside hole-in-the-wall popular for kottu roti, a hangover cure according to the local belief. Kottu roti is a chaotic mess of leftover flatbread, combined with a meat of your choice, eggs, fresh vegetables and cheese (optional). If kottu is messy, its preparation is messier: all the ingredients are diced on a large metal griddle with two metal spatulas, letting out a unique tak-a-tak-a-tak sound that keeps the midnight streets alive. I personally enjoy Plaza’s masala chicken cheese kottu. [Photo: Hotel de Plaza]
11/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
ReadRead Before You Go – Micheal Ondaatje, the award-winning author of The English Patient, was a Sri Lankan native who spent his childhood at his parents’ homes in Colombo and Nuwara Eliya. Ondaatje’s book Running in the Family captures the essence of local life in a heartfelt, humorous manner.
12/15
Travel
24 Hours In… Colombo.
authorAbout The Author: Zinara Rathnayake is a freelance journalist currently based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Along with her partner she co-manages her travel blog NatnZin, where you’ll find authentic information about sustainable travel and culinary experiences on the road. Check out their Instagram for inspiring images and stories.
15/15
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.