… for one of our most unusual adventures: a brisk walking tour through the old part of Colombo on a meltingly hot 95 degree day. Our guide was Mark Forbes, a Sri Lankan photographer and author who loves his city. The bus dropped us at Pettah Market, an incredible mix of sights, sounds, and smells. Mark warned us before leaving the bus that if we heard “side, side, side!” we should immediately head out of the way because it meant a heavily laden porter was coming through with limited sightlines and no brakes! Far from an occasional occurrence, it happened constantly, so we dodged potholes, rubble, and curbstones to dive toward self-preservation. A single porter can move nearly a ton!
Pettah Market has four cross streets, each selling something different: vegetables, spices, textiles, and artificial flowers. The vegetable market’s greens, purples and oranges gave way to tiny spice stalls, and then a profusion of silks, cottons, and lace.
We walked past Colombo’s striking red and white mosque with its fanciful turrets, then stopped at a Hindu temple.
Sensing that we were fading, Mark bought us fresh coconuts – warm but refreshing. Mark explained that Colombo was caught in the country’s civil war, which ended only in 2009; the city was targeted by terrorist attacks for several years after that. Only in the last few years has it begun rebuilding, restoring the historic buildings which remain. We stopped at the Grand Oriental Hotel, where once resumes and bank balances were required to get a room; they fed us cookies and tea, no references needed. The balcony provided a great view of the Amsterdam in the port!
The tour continued with the historic Cargill’s Department Store, which may become a new Raffles Hotel; the Colombo clock tower and original lighthouse; and the Old Dutch Hospital, now a collection of upscale restaurants, shops and a spa.
We hope for a bright future for Colombo and Sri Lanka!
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