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Sri lanka

Colombo City

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Colombo Travel Guide Colombo Travel Guide and Colombo Travel Information - TravelPuppy.com "The Emerald Island” Colombo is situated on Sri Lanka's west coast with a population of between 800,000 and one million, which is by far the country's biggest city. Colombo has natural harbour located at the mouth of the Kelani River which was the attraction for consecutive traders and conquerors - first Arab merchants, then Portuguese, Dutch and British imperialists. Colombo may not have the historical and cultural atmosphere of Kandy or the scenic beauty of Hikkaduwa, but it is a good place to start a Sri Lankan discovery. The city has its history and its beautiful places. It is the seat of government and the home of most businesses. In many ways it is the commercial and political heart of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a jarring combination of old and new, with a group of high-rise office blocks and hotels overshadowing red-tiled colonial-era buildings and sprawling street markets which overflow with high piled fruit and vegetables, colourful cottons and silks, and fragrant spices. On its busy streets are places of worship, a symbol of the country's multi-ethnic heritage. The tasteful Buddhist viharas are located close to attractive temples encrusted with Hindu statuary, and Muslim mosques with slender minarets. The city's streets are filled with life during the day when its population is swollen by some 400,000 commuting workers, become nearly empty after nightfall, with little nightlife outside a handful of international hotels. During the day colombo's colourful street markets, colonial-era buildings, museums and galleries, mosques, churches and temples, and the charming Viharamahadevi Park make it an excellent place to reach on foot. In the beginning, Colombo named Kolomtota and was the major seaport of Kotte, Sri Lanka's 15th- and 16th-century capital. It was known to Arab traders as Kalamba. The city attracted the Portuguese as early as 1505 and became the bastion of their rule for almost 150 years. Little remains to prove this era, aside from a few Portuguese surnames in the telephone directory and a cluster of Roman Catholic churches and seminaries. Nor of the Dutch who forced the Portuguese to leave in the mid-17th century. The central part of the capital is still known as Fort, but the remains of the colonial battlements have long since been incorporated in newer buildings or demolished. There are more mementoes of the British period, such as the neo-Classical old parliament building, the Victorian-era President's House (often called 'Queen's House'), and the grand mercantile brick facade of Cargill's, a 19th-century shopping mall that has changed little since the heyday of the country's British tea planters. __________ Colombo Business Profile Colombo Business Overview - TravelPuppy.com Business Profile One of the faster developing countries of the Third World, the Sri Lankan economy was mostly based on agricultural products. Agriculture supports about 1-3rd of the working population and contributes around 20% of GDP. The principal cash crops are tea, coconuts and rubber, which produce more than 75% of export earnings; rice is grown for consumption inside the country. Fishing and forestry are also meaningful. The principal industrial sectors are mining (gemstones and graphite being the major minerals), and manufacturing. Iron ore, clay, limestone and uranium ore are also present in commercial quantities. Hydroelectricity is the key source of power, augmented by imported oil. Some main manufacturing industries are cement and textiles, both of which are export earners. In the service sector, the growth of tourism has been stuck by the civil war and the tsunami; however, banking and insurance have both been performing well. Since the mid-1990s the government have followed the general market-oriented policies – privatization and deregulation – while searching to build up possible export-earning industries. This strategy was a slow performer at first, but the government has persevered and some benefits are beginning to materialize. Business Business dress is not formal. English is spoken in business circles. Appointments are required and it is appreciate to arrive on time. It is customary to exchange visiting cards on 1st introduction. Office hours: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 4.30 pm. Commercial Information The following organisations can offer information and advice: Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka, Level Three, 53 Vauxhall Lane, Colombo 2 (telephone: (1) 230 4253; fax: (1) 230 4254/5; e-mail: fccisl@sltnet.lk) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (Sri Lanka Tourist Hotels Association), 50 Navam Mawatha, Colombo 2 (telephone: (1) 245 2183 or 242 1745 or 232 9143; fax: (1) 243 7477 or 244 9352; e-mail: info@chamber.lk) Conferences and Conventions For further information, contact: Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Hotel School Building, 4th Floor, 80 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (telephone: (74) 713 500/1 or (1) 2440 002; fax: (1) 2472 985; e-mail: slcb@sri.lanka.net). _____________ Colombo Culture Guide Colombo Culture Guide - TravelPuppy.com Colombo is frenetic, noisy and just a little crazy. Gratefully, the breakdowns, traffic jams and power cuts are received with a smile and a shrug. "No problem" can be the national motto; it is undoubtedly the one phrase everyone knows and uses. While the capital holds less distinct interest than many other parts of the island, it is still a colourful place that is ideal to visit and see what makes Sri Lanka tick. Colombo is an easy city to travel around. To the north is the Fort district, the Sri Lanka's business and commercial quarter. Fort has shopping centres, bookshops and airline offices, and is also the important location of the Central Bank, which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996. Travellers can also find a good selection of interesting places which include the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the president's residence (known by traditionalists as Queen's House), and colonial buildings, which lend the district an air of the bygone Empire. Sinhalese dancing is similar to Indian dance but relies mostly on acrobatics, nimbleness and symbolism to unfold its stories. Colombo is the place to watch the ritualistic exorcism of 'devil dancing'. Folk theatre combines masked drama, dance, drumming and exorcism rituals to vividly recreate Sri Lankan folklore. Woodcarving, pottery, weaving and metalwork are all highly developed crafts. Sri Lanka is especially famous for its gems. Rice and curry - usually fiery hot - dominate meal times and include small side dishes of vegetables, meat and fish. Indian curries such as vegetarian thali, mildly flavoured biriyani, and a boiled, fried and dried-in-the-sun vegetable combo, are also available. Hoppers are a unique Sri Lankan snack, like a pancake, served with egg or honey and yoghurt. There are plenty of tropical fruits to enjoy, the tea is terrific and the beer is good. The city's manufacturing industries are profit from the processing of raw materials exported through the port. General engineering industries are connected with public utilities and with the service, sale, repair, and assembly of motor vehicles and other machinery. Light manufacturing industries process food, drinks, and tobacco. Numerous factories are located on the city's outskirts. Colombo is the commercial centre of the island with the head offices of local and foreign banks, the Insurance Corporation (which has a monopoly of insurance), brokerage houses, and government corporations all located in the city. ___________Colombo Festival - Events Colombo Festivals and Events Guide - TravelPuppy.com The following is a listing of festival - events occurring in Sri Lanka in 2005: January Duruthu Perahera Festival (commemorating a visit of the Buddha to Sri Lanka), Colombo; Thai Pongal (traditional Hindu festival) February Navam Perahera Festival (colourful street procession with nearly 100 elephants and ‘low country’ dancers), Colombo; Classic Car Rally, Colombo to Wattala February 4 Independence Commemoration Day March Elephant Polo, Weligama April Hindu New Year; Flower Show and Gardening Competition, Nuwara Eliya April 13-14 Sinhala May 16 Wesak Festival (commemorates the Birth, Enlightenment and Death of the Buddha) June Bellanwila Festival, Rajamaha Vihare July - August Kandy Esala Perahala August Kataragama Festival, Tissamaharama September Facets 2005 - International Gem and Jewellery Show, Colombo October International Marathon, Kandy November Deepavali Festival December Sri Pada Pilgrimage Season ____________Colombo Getting around Getting Around Colombo - TravelPuppy.com Colombo has a reasonable network of public transport, with buses and trains that link the main city to the satellite towns. Train fares are cheaper than bus fares, but to catch a bus is much easier than to catch a train, so it works out about the same. Taxis and 3-wheelers can also be hired, although these are more expensive; meters are not often used, so it is best to negotiate and settle on a mutually acceptable price before you start the journey. ___________ Bandaranaike International Airport Colombo International Airport - TravelPuppy.com Name Bandaranaike International Airport Location The airport is 32 kilometres or 20 miles from the city Time GMT + 6 hours Transfer Buses depart for the city every 30 minutes. Taxis are available. Travel time is about 1 hour 25 minutes Facilities 39 check-in desks, 4 gates, 575 short term parking spaces, 3 Airport Hotels, Min. Connection Times Intl-Intl: 60mins, Bank, Post Office, Restaurants, Cafeterias, Bars, VIP Lounge, Duty Free Shop, Gift Shops, Travel Agent, Tourist Help Desk, Car Rental, Taxi Service/Rank, First Aid, Baby/Parent Room, Disabled Access/Facilities Departure tax None Telephone 94 (0) 1 2252861 Fax 94 (0) 1 2253835 Email administrator@airport.lk Hotels Hotels in Colombo include the Holiday Inn Hotel, and Trans Asia Hotel. These hotels are about 45 minutes from the airport. Discounted reservations can be made through DirectRooms.com __________ Colombo Nightlife Colombo Nightlife - TravelPuppy.com Nightclubs The popularity and life of Nightclubs can be limited. Please check locally for the most up-to-date hotspots. Some nightclubs may only open certain nights of the week. The Blue Elephant The Colombo Hilton, Echelon Square, Colombo 1, Fort. Telephone: 249 2061/254 4644 The Colombo Hilton is renowned for its Blue Elephant. The trendiest and most famous club in town, it is a place with lots of activities throughout the week. You will not see much of a crowd till around midnight. Tickets cost Rs.500/- nett and women are free of charge. The Boom Galadari Hotel, 64, Lotus Road, Colombo 1, Fort. Telephone: 254 4544 It was recently renovated and redecorated with a new look. It has an appealing interior with top class entertainment. DJ music, live bands perform regularly here as well bands from the U. S and Canada. Tickets cost Rs.1000/- per head. Open Tuesday to Sunday. Cascades The Colombo Plaza Hotel, Steuart Place, Colombo 3. Telephone: 243 7437/242 1171 A pub from 4.00 to 8.00 pm and as nightclub from 8.00 pm to 3.00 am. More of a young crowd. The Library Trans Asia Hotel, 155 Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 2. Telephone: 254 4200. Only house guests or members can use the services. The Library is quieter than the other clubs and its atmosphere including music, food and drinks are of a very high standard. My Kind of Place – also called The MIX Taj Samudra Hotel, Galle Face Green, Colombo 2. Telephone: 244 622. Blue Leopard Grand Oriental Hotel, 2 York Street, Colombo 1. Telephone: 232 0391-3 A trendy and popular club. Tickets costs Rs.500/- per head. The Hut Mount Lavinia Hotel, 102, Hotel Road, Mount Lavinia. Telephone: 271 5221-7. Email: laninia@sri.lanka.net Previously known as Little Hut. The Hut is the newer addition to the city’s line of discothèques. It offers 70’s reggae, 80’s disco, and the 90’s techno sounds. A live band is shown every Friday and Saturday from 9.00 pm to 4.00 am while DJs are available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 9.00 pm to 2.00 am. Casinos There is plenty of nightlife in Colombo. Many casinos, also called clubs here, scream for your attention with flashing neon lights. The clubs offer gamblers roulette, poker, baccarat, blackjack, and other games as well as complimentary food and drinks, and sometimes music with live bands playing. Entrance is for those over 18 years and some clubs offer entrance only for foreigners. Be dressed in smart casual attire for instant admission. There are about twenty casinos operating in Colombo. Opening hours are at least through the night and often for 24 hours. The more popular ones include the Continental Club, Fairline Building, 425 Galle Road, Colombo 3 and the Ritz Club, 5 Galle Face Terrace, Colombo 3. Some other casinos available in Colombo are Atlantic Club, Bally’s Club, Bellagio Casino, MGM Club, Star Dust Club and Star Club. Pool Parlours There are a couple of Pool Parlours for those who love this sport. Blizz, Park Road, Colombo 5; Potluck, 6, Duplication Road; Precious Pool Parlour, Millennium Park, Colombo 3; Q-Stick, 84, Green Path, Colombo 7 and Shooters, 31, Maitland Place, Colombo 7. Karaoke Colombo offers places where music lovers can relax and enjoy. Hilton Colombo, Echelon Square, Colombo 1; Hotel Empress, 383, R. A. De Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3 and Galadari Hotel, 64, Lotus Road, Colombo 1. Music, Dance and Cultural Shows Most hotels provide Sri Lankan music and dance where special performances of traditional Kandyan and ‘low country’ dancing and the famous ‘Devil’ dancing can be arranged by the management or a travel agent. The Sri Lanka Philahrmonic Orchestra holds concerts at the BMICH. For live jazz, rock and reggae the Saxaphone Jazz Club on 46B Galle Road, Colombo 3 is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Local newspapers have information for the other latest events. Theatre Sinhala theatre can be found at the Lumbini Hall in Havelock town and The John de Silva Theatre in Colombo 7. For English try the Lionel Wendt Hall and Gallery. Cinema Colombo’s air-conditioned cinema halls show English (British and American), Sinhala, Hindi (from India), Tamil, East European and Continental films. You can enjoy English language films at cinemas along Galle Road and the 2 other places are the Liberty cinema at Kollupitiya and Majestic cinema in Majestic City shopping complex on Galle Road, Barnbalapitiya. Local newspapers contain the best information for the most updated films that are showing. Colombo Planetarium Entrance is at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7. English shows are performed at 2.00 pm on the last Saturday of the month. The Colombo Planetarium also arranges special shows for parties of 75 or more. Phone them on 586499 for more information. __________ Colombo Shopping Colombo Shopping Guide - TravelPuppy.com As the business and cultural district of the country, Colombo has good representations of traditional wares from all over Sri Lanka including items on a more contemporary shopping menu. Aside from shopping arcades in many hotels, there are great varieties of specialty shops in the Colombo. >Majestic City and Liberty Plaza are the 2 main department stores, both with supermarkets (Cargills and Keells respectively), stocking a wide range of foreign goods and products. Pettah is a site for good bargains on anything and everything. The normal shops in Pettah close on Sundays but the Main Street substitutes as an open air bazaar. Another similar bazaar develops well on Olcott Street, near Fort railway station. Sri Lanka is a main garment manufacturer and exporter. Famous international brand name clothes are available at very reasonable prices. The well known Odel on 5 Alexandra Place, Lipton Circus, Colombo 7 is the place where you can find cotton shirts, T-shirts, jumpers and padded jackets as well as a snack at the in house cafe. Another similar shop is Cotton Collections at Ernest de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 7 where you can find clothing for women, men and children. Both have branches in Majestic City. Kids, 169 kynsey Road, Colombo 8, is a place for pre teenage clothing and Toys For U, 385 RA De Mel Mawatha is where toys are sold. Majestic City has Leather Collection for bags and shoes. Although gem and jewellery shops are distributed throughout Colombo, the greatest concentration is at the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Exchange, 310 Galle Road, Colombo 3 where the State Gem Corporation has a testing centre (telephone: 576144-46). Laksala, the state run emporium, 60 York Street, Fort (telephone: 323513) is the best place for handicrafts. Lanka Mahila Samiti Craft Centre, 1st Floor Unity Plaza, Galle Road, Colombo 4, has rural handicrafts at good prices and Barefoot, 704 Galle Road, Colombo 3, provides quality handicrafts at higher rates. For antiques, buyers can visit Paradise Road, which doubles as a restaurant and has several branches, and Lanka Ceramics Ltd,.(Telephone: 589349) at Bambalapitiya is ideal for ceramics. For a taste of the best tea in the world, sales counters at the Sri Lanka Tea Board, 574 Galle Road, Colombo 3, is a great place for it. Bookshops at the Serendib Gallery sell rare books on Sri Lanka and on antiques. For contemporary books, buyers can head for Vijitha Yapa 202-5 Galle Road; Unity Plaza, Colombo 4 (another branch on the same side of the road); Lake House Bookshop, 100 Chitt ampalam Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 3; and Bookland, 20 Street, Michaels Road, Union Assurance Centre, Colombo 3. _______________ Colombo Sightseeing Colombo Sightseeing Guide - TravelPuppy.com Colombo is an easy city to travel around. Fort district, Sri Lanka's business and commercial areas is in the north of the city. You can find many shopping malls, bookshops, airline offices here. Fort is also the sight of the Central Bank, which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996. There are considerable sites including the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the president's residence (known by traditionalists as Queen's House), and colonial buildings, which lend the district an air of the bygone Empire. In the southern part of Fort is Galle Face Green, a seafront expanse of green graced by cricket games, kite flyers and trysting lovers while in the east is the Pettah bazaar district. Visitors can walk through its where there are many different kinds of goods which include fruit, vegetables, meat, gems, gold, silver, brass and tin junk. Wolvendaal Church This stone church built in 1749 is found on Wolvendaal Street. It is a relic of the Dutch period and worth seeing are the tombstones, set into the floor, which were moved from a church the Fort in 1813. The dates on the tombs show how risky life could be for the Dutch conquerors: even in the times of peace, the death toll from disease was high and many people died after only a short stay in Colombo. Dutch Period Museum Built during the 17th century as the residence of Count August van Ranzow, the Dutch East India Company's governor in Colombo, this old building at 95 Prince Street is one of the few surviving remnants of Colombo's Dutch colonial heritage. On the outskirts of Pettah, market stalls and antique shops surround it. Its rather chaotic collection includes weapons, coins, pottery, portraits and furniture from the period of Dutch rule, and traces the descent of the dwindling 'Burgher' community. Open Saturday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. National Museum and Puppetry and Children's Museum The National Museum was the country's first museum constructed in 1877. Located at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha (also known as Albert Crescent), the museum's collection covers several centuries and a variety of cultures, from the Sinhala kingdoms through the British era. Some of the most important collections are the royal trappings of the last Kings of Kandy. There are also superb stone sculptures, including Hindu bronzes and wooden carvings, Sri Lankan and European furniture and ceramics, and a good variety of masks reflecting Buddhist demons and deities. There is a huge library at the museum with more than 500,000 books which is mainly of interest to scholars. Some of its collection of 4,000 palm leaf manuscripts, created by etching the lettering into the fibrous surface of the leaf, are on show. A small gallery of mid-19th-century paintings and etchings depicts Sri Lanka through the eyes of British artists. The Puppetry and Children's Museum is within the National Museum. Puppetry is a living part of the country's cultural heritage, and the museum shows traditional Sri Lankan figures and marionettes from all over the world, with weekend performances. Open Saturday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. The Viharamahadevi Park The Viharamahadevi Park is located next to the National Museum. It is the National Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum, which is the capital's largest, most elegant and attractive green space. Famous for its flowering trees, fountains and water channels, the Viharamahadevi Park overlooks the pristine white-domed Town Hall. The park is at its best from March to May, before the monsoon arrives, when its trees and shrubberies are in brilliant flower. In the centre of the park a statue of Queen Victoria commemorates her rule, while on the lawns near the Town Hall a golden image of the Buddha represents an older heritage. Dehiwala Zoo About 11 kilometres south of Fort, the zoo has a wide collection of fauna from all over the world. The Mini Medura or aquarium displays over 500 varieties of aquatic life is the only one of its kind in Asia. A reptile house has cobras, tortoises and crocodiles. There is a well-stocked Aviary, a Nocturnal House and a Butterfly Park. The highlight is the elephant show in the evening where the lumbering beasts perform for spectators. Open Hours: 8.00 am to 6.00 pm. Cinnamon Gardens The Cinnamon Gardens district, approximately a block inland (east) from Calle Road, is now the city's university and diplomatic quarter and its wealthiest residential area. With its boulevards lined with jacaranda and frangipani trees, it is in sharp contrast to the visible poverty of the Pettah area to the north. The white-domed Town Hall, said to have been modelled on the US White House, is a major landmark. _____________Colombo Tours - Excursions Colombo Tours Guide - TravelPuppy.com Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya Kelaniya Temple is an important Buddhist temple and a half-day tour. It is located about 7 miles from Colombo. The temple dates back to more than 2,500 years. It is believed that Buddha visited here and preached from a jeweled chair to warring factions on the futility of war. The original dagoba is believed to have enshrined the chair but was later demolished by South Indian invaders. The 2 major statues here are the reclining Buddha and the Buddha in meditative pose; however, it is probable to spend hours studying the incredible frescoes describing the life of the Buddha and notable events in the island's history. There is the story of King Kelanitissa who apparently boiled an alive Buddhist monk in oil as he believed that the monk tried to pass a love letter to the Queen. The angry gods produced tidal waves and the King was told that the only way to pacify the gods was to sacrifice his daughter to the sea. The King obeyed the wishes; the seas calmed and the daughter who was swept out to sea on a boat landed at Kirinda. King Kavantissa of the south married her and she became the mother of the best known of the island's kings, Dutugemunnu. On the full moon of January, when hundreds of elephants and thousands of dancers parade the streets, there are many activities to enjoy and try at the temple during the Duruthun Perehera festival. Kandy Sri Lanka's hill capital was the stronghold of the Sinhala Kings, is regarded by most Sri Lankans as the country's most beautiful town. It is 488 metres above sea level and is built around a lake and set in a picturesque natural arena. A day’s tour to the Royal City encircled in the hills, visiting the unique elephant orphanage at Pinnawela en route. Kandy, famed for the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is the home of arts and crafts offering extensive chances for sightseeing. Kandy is an excellent place for shopping for souvenirs in wood, copper, silver, brass, ebony and bronze. Ceramics, lacquer work, handlooms, batiks, jewellery and rush and reed-ware are also available. The highlight of the year is the Esala Perahera, when a replica of the relic casket is taken in procession by exotically costumed dancers, drummers and about 80 to 100 elephants during ten glittering nights in July and August. There are a number of shrines and temples in and around Kandy, where you will see rare paintings, frescoes, wood and stone carvings. The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya is a great place of outstanding beauty. The journey to Kandy is through picturesque rural Sri Lanka along a road, which is rich in history. Negombo The fishing town north of Colombo has golden beaches and catamarans with billowing sails bringing the catch home. It is a town of churches and quaint streets in a picture book setting. Plenty of swimming and exotic seafood can be found here. Ratnapura Ratnapura is known as the City of Gems. Visit a gem mine, gem museum and the cutting and polishing centre. A scenic drive will take you to Ratnapura. Travellers from all over the world have been attracted by the gems here. Even King Solomon sent his galleons to Sri Lanka to bring the gems with which he wooed the Queen of Sheba. Galle The scenic south coast road is covered with coconut plantations and golden beaches leading to Galle. Galle is an old Dutch town with a well-conserved fort. On the way you can tour the Bentota National Holiday Resort and the mask makers of Ambalangoda. It is known for its beautiful hand made lace. En route to Galle there are numerous seaside accommodations with great amenities and delicious food.