Colombo
2 September 2015


The busy study routines of our semi-independent youth make it difficult to get more than a couple of them together at any one time; but today we had a rare opportunity to take five of our girls on a much-deserved day-trip to Colombo, the 'big city' and capital of Sri Lanka...
Our Day
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.