Colombo

Up at 4:30am and off to the Kandy railway station for our 6:15am departure.  Despite the early hour, we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic train ride, just under three hours to Colombo.  We also had plenty of snacks for breakfast on the way.  Arriving in central Colombo at 9:00am, we walked through the heart of the business and government district of Fort, taking note of buildings and sites that are familiar to us from the daily news.  A short time later we were at Galle Face, Colombo's seaside promenade.  We enjoyed an hour stroll and a bit of wading on the beach, and then continued on through city streets to Gangaramaya, -a lake with a lovely island park as well as a picturesque Buddhist temple.  From there, another short stroll brought us to Viharamahadevi Park.  The mid-day tropical heat and humidity were beginning to take their toll, especially as we are used to our cooler hill-country climate!  So the park's shady lanes were a welcome site (as were the ice-cream vendors).  After a bit of leisure, we crossed the boulevard to view Sri Lanka's beautiful new Nelum Pokana Theatre.  From there we boarded a bus to visit our dear Colombo friends Jennet and Lalith Sarathchandra, who had invited us to their beautiful home for lunch.  Back to the train station for our 3:35 departure back to Kandy where we arrived at 6:00pm in the evening.