Next Destinations

Galle Face Green, Colombo

It’s been way to long since my last post, and we’ve been to many great destinations since.  I’ll try to get back up to speed in the coming weeks and quit neglecting this blog…starting here with a trip through Sri Lanka.  My wife and I love Sri Lankan food, and that’s what originally sparked our interest in the country.  Fortunately, the food in Sri Lanka didn’t disappoint.  It was delicious.  But more on that in a moment.

Galle Face Green Beach

We started our trip off in the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo.  I wouldn’t recommend spending more than a couple of days in Colombo, as it’s jam packed with traffic, largely falling apart, and there’s really not all that much to see.  One of our favorite things about Colombo though was the Galle Face Green on Sundays and “full moon days”, called Poya days.  On those days, as you can see in the pictures above and below, the people of Colombo come out for what looks like a great festival.

Food Stall

The ocean front is lined with food stalls selling delicious treats, including spiced mangoes and pineapples at the stand above.  And on the “green”, families are everywhere flying kites.  We stayed at the Colombo Hilton, within walking distance of the Galle Face Green.  The rooms were pretty nice, but what made the hotel great was the food.  Here’s an image of a Sri Lankan breakfast I ate one morning:

Sri Lankan Breakfast

Most of our time in Colombo we tried to eat outside of the hotel, but surprising as it was to us, there weren’t very many restaurants open.  After talking to locals, it seems that most people eat at home, and not so much in street stalls as is so common in the rest of South Asia.  One of my favorite meals at the Hilton was this black dhal dish:

Black Dhal

The biggest problem we had with Colombo is that most of it looked really bad and neglected, and tuk tuk drivers constantly tried to scam us with stories about “gem store” sales, once-a-year “king elephant” celebrations, etc.  So after spending just a few days in Colombo we were ready to get out.  Fortunately we found a terrific Sri Lankan driver named Sisi.  He was a real life saver for us, as he was not only incredibly knowledgeable but also really fun.  He knew were all the best spots were, along with the best places to eat.  So in the next few posts I’ll cover our 3 week trip throughout the country.  More soon…