The Sweet Life in Colombo

Here’s a little story that’s a bit different from the usual, and it’s good to keep in mind :o) A girl had been traveling around India, where she bought a T-shirt featuring Buddha. She wore that T-shirt when she arrived in Sri Lanka and was promptly arrested by the police, as it’s illegal to wear clothing that displays Buddha. Luckily, she was released quickly. It’s perfectly legal to buy Buddha statues, but people worry that when a T-shirt gets old, it might end up in a gutter or be used to wash cars. And that’s NOT appropriate for Buddha. He doesn’t wash cars, and he certainly doesn’t belong in a gutter!! The closer you get to Colombo, the heavier the traffic becomes, making it hard to reach your destination in the three hours it should take. The local bus costs 113 rs per person – incredibly cheap. We headed to the YWCA, a hotel mainly for women. The YMCA is primarily for men, but they were fully booked. Instead, they recommended this hotel to us – Lake Lodge. It’s a really nice, trendy place located in the area we want to be in tonight. We’re celebrating our last evening with some good food. The restaurants that are most recommended on tripadvisor.com are located in five-star hotels. We went to Main Street in Pettah, where there are many tailors. Unfortunately, they can’t whip up an outfit in record time like they do in Thailand. They need at least 10 days. Colombo has three major shopping malls – Crescat Boulevard, Liberty Plaza, and Majestic City. They’re not super modern and don’t showcase the latest in fashion. Usually, shopping centers in big cities are built in trendy architecture, but that’s not the case here. They reflect the overall development of the country quite well. We enjoyed dinner at a super trendy restaurant that’s part of Hilton, even though it’s not located in the Hilton Hotel. It’s a Japanese restaurant called Nihonbashi, at 11 Galle Face Terrace, Colombo 3. You can choose to sit on the floor or on chairs. Our legs probably wouldn’t hold up on the floor for too long, so we opted for a table and chairs. The Japanese guests, of course, chose the table and floor. After 11 courses, we were quite full. We picked a menu that really let us try a variety of Japanese specialties. For two people, it cost 7900 rs. A bottle of white wine was 3900 rs. No restaurants can offer wine from Sri Lanka, even though some is actually produced here. Most people say it tastes horrifically sweet. We wrapped up the evening at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, where a band was playing. We struck up a conversation with both the band and one of their big fans. The band, Black Velvet, was semi-famous in Sri Lanka and had even performed on TV. Their big fan was an older, wealthy gentleman who had once been involved with the Tea Board – an organization that helps manage the tea industry in Sri Lanka. If you find yourself at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, be sure to order an Irish Coffee. A waiter rolls over a little drink cart, lights a small flame, and starts preparing your coffee. It takes a while. First, the sugar is heated, then the whiskey, before it’s all mixed together with cream on top. It’s a whole little ceremony :o) An Irish Coffee costs 600 rs.