Have you ever visited a museum? How big was it? Have you ever seen a red and white coloured mosque? Or have you done shopping in the mall with a seafront view?
Till the time you arrive at all these answers, let’s take you all through this beautiful road trip to Colombo…….
In case you don’t know who we are………..
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……..
Let’s begin this blog with a quick recap…..
1. Which all places did we explore on our Sri Lanka trip?
As we headed to the end of our trip, this was our last day in Sri Lanka. If you haven’t read our previous blogs, check out here to know more on our Sri Lanka Series, you will get an idea of what to explore and how to explore. If you need any help, we are just a click away.
Coming back to our story, our stay in Ella was amidst nature, surrounded by trees all around birds chirping. It was an amazing start to the morning. The view from our room’s balcony was stunning; Ella rock and waterfalls were visible, and it made our morning. We even heard peacocks screaming as it was quiet in the morning. Would recommend our readers to spare at least a day to enjoy the stay at the core. Of course, you can connect with us for more details.
We got our breakfast packed from the hotel as we had to leave early. Then, we started our journey from Ella to Colombo around seven o’clock in the morning. It was around six hour’s drive and on reaching Colombo, we had plans to visit the city’s attractions. Our flight was late at night, around 12:30 am, so we had the entire day to ourselves.
You might be curious to know……
2. Which was the next destination for the day?
We stopped for a quick refreshment and had some coffee on the way. After resting for some time, we continued our onward journey. The road condition was good, so we reached in the estimated time only. It was around 12:30 PM when we entered Colombo.
Our driver cum guide Mr Mahesh first took us to show Independence Square. The structure was constructed in 1948 to mark the independence of Sri Lanka from British colonial rule. It has a memorial hall and Museum with photographs, historical documents etc., from the Independence struggle time.
After exploring the place for around 30 minutes, we headed to our next stop for the day, the National Museum of Colombo.
3. How was the experience at one of the oldest museums of Sri Lanka?
It was a short drive of about 10-15 mins; the distance was approximately 3 km. After getting down, we glanced at the ticket counter, where options were mentioned. We went with the combo ticket, which included visiting the National Museum and the National Museum of Natural History. It cost around 1500 LKR.
The Museum was established around 1877. It had a huge collection of possessions from the Buddhist religion, many statues of Lord Buddha, and royal possessions from different kings who ruled in Sri Lanka. One will be amused to see all these. Going through such a vast collection will take a lot of time. After this, we moved to the Museum of Natural History, established around 1986, with galleries exhibiting Jurassic period fossils, cave paintings, specimens of different mammals, plants, etc.
When we finished exploring this vast place, we were hungry and decided to go for lunch. Mr. Mahesh took us to an Indian restaurant. We were deliriously happy to get Indian food after so many days. The restaurant was nicely decorated and had a cosy vibe.
We quickly went through their menu and ordered Rice with Dal Fry, Veg Handi, and Lassi. Mr. Mahesh also enjoyed the Indian cuisine along with us. After having a wonderful lunch, we visited a few last spots for the day Lighthouse, Galle Face, and Red Mosque.
4. How was our time at the last few spots in Sri Lanka Trip?
Lighthouse
Lighthouse is situated at the entry of the Colombo Harbour. The architectural style of the lighthouse had a British touch as it dates back to the 19th century. It started raining just when we reached. We had to take out the umbrellas to go out and explore the top. Soon, we moved to the next spot, which was Red Mosque.
Red Mosque
Red Mosque was situated in Pettah, one of Colombo’s bustling and commercial neighbourhoods. The area had huge markets showcasing everything you can think of, from wholesale to showrooms, vintage and street shops.
The Red Mosque was located on one such busy street. It had a unique architecture. This was the first time we saw such an awe-inspiring structure with a striking combination of red and white bricks arranged in alternate strips. There was a different gate for visitors also. The street had many food stalls and vendors selling fresh fruits. After roaming and exploring the street for some time, we went to the parking area where our car was parked.
Galle Face
We hopped into the car and, on the way to Galle Face, saw many remarkable structures such as Presidential Palace, Navy Head Quarters, Port City etc.
Then we stopped at the Galle Face situated on the Galle Road, providing stunning ocean views. We had ice-creams, took some snaps and spent the beautiful evening hours with the sunset view by the ocean.
5. How did we bid adieu to the stunning Island Country?
Now it was time for us to move to Airport. Mr. Mahesh told us that it was about 2 hours drive from there to the Airport. We started our Airport journey then. We stopped at a restaurant to get our dinner packed on the way.
It was around seven o’clock in the evening when we reached Airport. With heavy hearts, we bid adieu to this beautiful soul who showed us some of the finest colours of Sri Lanka and promised to be in touch. We had a great time in Sri Lanka.
Hope you all got a glimpse of this gorgeous island country through our eyes. You can connect with us anytime to help you plan your perfect itinerary.
Wait, we are not going anywhere without this last question……
6. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau