First Impressions of Colombo

I expected Colombo to be bustling and beautifully chaotic; and in some parts especially in the port area, it was. But as my travel companion commented, it is not the same as Mumbai, India. Indeed, travelers in the past, have been tempted to draw a comparison between the two neighboring South Asian countries.

The busiest section of the city is (not surprisingly) the center, referred to as Colombo Fort.  Here, the main roads converge and they are made busy by dozens of agile tuk tuks (three wheeled taxis) whipping around the bigger vehicles in hopes of getting a passenger.  And because there are way too many tuk tuks than potential passengers, the result is far from smooth traffic flow. The roads may be busy, but the commuters on the road did not give out a very impatient and hurried vibe which I usually get from larger city dwellers. Perhaps it is the calm continence that their main religion (Buddhism) is teaching, or the fact that Sri Lanka is still an island; but the people in Colombo were much more relaxed than their urban environment would predispose them to be.  Sure, it is as colorful and cultural as India; with women wearing multicolored sarees and the smell of curry everywhere. But as I see it, Colombo, and the rest of Sri Lanka has its own identity, plays its very own mellow groove, which I, of course, eagerly wanted to dance to.

Finding a Suitable Driver

Colombo is a big enough city that it is hard to get around without any kind of transport. It is also quite hot and humid that it will surely make you feel uncomfortable walking around the city for hours, even in the morning. But we attempted to walk around the busy port area anyway. And sure enough, not only did the heat and humidity eventually get to us, but also the thick dark smog given off by various vehicles paid its toll.

To see all of Colombo’s most notable spots; we came up with an ingenious plan.  We decided to hail a few tuk tuk drivers to ask them if they could take us around the city for 3 hours. We were quite particular with the driver we wanted. We wanted someone with decent English, and who seemed friendly and fair. We  encountered this religious Sinhalese driver named Yunis, who was willing to do it for a fair price. He knew the city quite well and he freely suggested sites we could visit. It did not seem like it was the first time he had to tour around tourists (so it was not an ingenious plan after all).   We already had a list of Colombo attractions we read about and picked his brain about them.  Soon enough, we came up with an itinerary with the most convenient route.  This was the point when our tuk tuk adventure around Colombo began.

Travel Checklist: Do you have everything you need?

The Fort Area

Colombo’s Fort area is a tourist hub and the historic heart where you can find the old colonial-era structures in the city. Thus, it only made sense to head out there at some point.  There are many attractions in the Fort like the Old Galle Buck Lighthouse and the clock tower, but perhaps the most notable of them all is the Old Dutch Hospital. We told the driver that this was our last stop and that he could leave us here to fend for ourselves. Technically, the fort area was close to our hotel, and so you could say, that we did a distorted full loop.

I was expecting to see an old preserved hospital turned into a dignified museum, but I was quite surprised. The Old Dutch Hospital’s structure and sections still remain intact; but I did not see any preserved hospital beds, emergency rooms or clinic wards. Instead, the building was turned into a chic commercial complex filled with fancy boutiques and what probably were, the most luxurious restaurants in Colombo.