Discovering Sri Lanka, the Emerald Isle: A magical mystery tour around Colombo, the capital city.
Sri Lanka is probably the most amazing country we have ever been to…amazing scenery and beaches, temples and ancient sites, wonderful wildlife, friendly people, fascinating traditions and cultures.
I found a flexible tour package offered at well below the normal price, with excellent flights on Qatar Airways, a private guided tour across the country to see the main temples and historical sites, staying at lovely hotels and meals included!
Negotiating extra days at a coastal resort in Negombo at the end of our trip for little extra cost, it all seemed too good to be true! Sri Lanka beaches are legendary, from the wild kite surfing shores of the north to the leisurely sands in the south of the island where you can see the famous stilt fishermen.
Sri Lanka is a gorgeous country located off the tip of India – on the world map it looks just like a teardrop in the ocean. A colourful and sometime unsettled history coupled with the exuberant natural resources makes this island quite unique.
Arriving at Colombo International Airport, our guide and his driver greeted us with a garland of flowers before driving to the hotel. Colombo is the busy capital, an important shipping port, the hub of the country’s commerce and teeming with street life…Sri Lankans dressed in traditional attire and three-wheeler tuk tuk ‘taxis’ contrast with suited businessmen and chauffeured cars…and the different districts of modern office towers, colonial buildings and humble dwellings.
On the western coast of Sri Lanka, Colombo city has been a strategic sea trading post for more than 2000 years. Arab traders, the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonials have all left their heritage here. With only an afternoon and one night stay in the city, my husband and I still managed to see the most emblematic and incredible sites.
The Murugan Hindu temple is enchanting; it was like stepping barefoot into another world. The intricately carved and painted facades strike a bright note in the sunlight and the cool dark interior guards various holy shrines dedicated to the different gods – burnt offerings leave the floor and walls charcoal black. Hindus place flowers and other donations by their sacred idols and in turn are blessed.
Gangaramaya Temple is an intriguing Buddhist complex with a museum, library, residential hall and workshops – the ordained monks dressed in unmistakable orange and the students in brown robes.
It was a privilege to be escorted by our knowledgeable guide, an educated man who gave us an invaluable insight into his country and taught us so much about everything we saw.
A Buddhist temple has a series of main features we learned…a stupa, a sacred relic chamber, a Bodhi tree and a tusker elephant (this was sad to see, as he was chained).
The Gangaramaya complex has too many images of Buddha to count – at the back of the building there’s a stone tiered terraced with dozens of small statues.
Don’t stand in front of a Buddha for a photograph in Sri Lanka as it is considered sacrilege, and never touch the idol as it would become ‘unclean’ and upset people immensely.
Seema Malaka is part of the Gangaramaya complex. This picturesque ‘lake temple’ is a wooden paneled pergola built on floating platforms connected by pontoon bridges in the middle of Beira Lake, a congregational hall where Buddhist monks can meditate.
A series of golden seated statues represent Buddha in various mudras, the position of the hands portraying significant meanings.
Just before sunset our driver stopped at the Independence Memorial Hall located in Independence Square, in the city centre near the cinnamon gardens. The forecourt is presided by a statue of the ‘Father of the Nation’ and used for Independence Day ceremonies which commemorate the Sri Lankan (formerly Ceylon) independence from British rule in 1948.
Somewhat jet-lagged and with an early start in the morning, Juan and I stayed decided to relax in the hotel that evening and enjoyed a leisurely meal of exquisite spicy curries.
Related Posts: Follow our travels through Sri Lanka to discover the wonders of this beautiful country.
- Sri Lanka the Emerald Isle – Colombo City Tour
- Visiting Dambulla, Sigiriya & Polonnaruwa
- Spice Gardens & Batik in Matale / Sacred Temple Kandy
- Kandy: Peradeniya Botanical Gardens / Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
- Kandy: Giragama tea plantation / Embekke, Lankathilake & Gadaladeniya temples
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
- Negombo Beach and Catamarans
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