Sunkissed in Sri Lanka (Part 1): Basics of Colombo Fort

- April 12-13, 2025, Saturday to Sunday.

- I can't believe I'm finally here!! I've always been curious about Sri Lanka, especially as someone who majored in South Asia for his studies before. Sri Lanka is an island nation often called "the teardrop of India" because of its shape, and because it is located southeast from the corner of India. It was formerly called Ceylon before changing its name to Sri Lanka in the past century. It is known mostly for its tea, its Buddhist pilgrimage sites, beaches, and as the probable location of the Kingdom of Lanka in India's Ramayana epic.

- Getting into Sri Lanka is easy. As of writing this, nationalities that need an e-visa can just apply through this official website (click here). After application, the electronic travel authority will be e-mailed to the applicant in a few minutes, and that's it! I flew to Sri Lanka visa AirAsia, which is the cheapest option coming from the Philippines (transit in Kuala Lumpur). Each leg is roughly the same duration, around 3.5 hours, which makes each flight quite tolerable.

- I arrived at Colombo around 9PM of April 12, bought a tourist sim card and changed my money before hailing a car to my hotel. The airport is actually around an hour away from the city, and the best way (for comfort and price) is by using the PickMe app. PickMe is also like Uber, but Uber is not always used as it is more expensive than PickMe. I checked into my hotel, called C1 Colombo Fort (good value for comfort, money, and location!). -- By the way, Colombo is one of the two capitals of Sri Lanka. Colombo is the executive and judicial capital, and is also the economic center of the country. The legislative capital being Sri Jayawardena Kotte City and has been the main political center since the 1970s.

After a decade or more of thinking about visiting Sri Lanka, here I am!

My dorm room. It's really comfy, AND COLD. (It was scorching hot in Sri Lanka, much like Manila!)

- My first clear view of Colombo was early morning the next day, when I walked from the hotel all the way to Pettah Market. Pettah Market is Colombo's central market area, and to me, reminds me of Divisoria or Quiapo in Manila, and to a degree, it also reminds me of Chandni Chowk in New Delhi. It mostly had stores selling food, candy, clothes, bags, shoes, and other everyday items.

The very first thing I saw after leaving the hotel. Nature is just, that, I guess.

The historic Cargills Building, built in 1844. The company is active today in many industries.

Lankem Plantation House, which produces paints among other businesses. The building was also built in the 1800s around the same time as the Cargillas Buidling. 

Pettah Market (I took this photo on another day because I wasn't able to take a photo during my first visit there. Oops.)

- My main agenda was to take a photo with the Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, a mosque built in 1909 with red and white bricks to resemble a pomegranate. It is not only a pretty building, but a historical one that serves as the heart of Pettah Market. (More information on the mosque later).

It was 7AM, and it was a holiday. Perfect for taking photos since there was almost no one there.

Notice how it has Indian and European architectural styles. This is called the Indo-Saracenic architectural style.

It does stand out a lot from the other modern buildings.

Bulbs and clocks.

This is the newer and bigger side, facing the opposite street. This newer side was built in the 1970s to accommodate thousands of people in the mosque, as compared to the original structure.

Back entrance.

- After take photos of the mosque's exterior, I had breakfast at Plaza Hotel and Bakes just across the mosque. In Sri Lanka, the word "hotel" does not always refer to a place to stay, but in most cases it means a small local no-fuss restaurant. I tried traditional Sri Lankan curry with egg, and falooda as a drink-slash-dessert (it is made of rose water and ice cream).

My authentic Sri Lankan breakfast!

- A few blocks east, at the Main Street Roundabout, is the Old Town Hall. Built in the late 1800s, it was one of the first buildings built for public council meetings. It was used until the 1920s, before a bigger town hall was built in another part of the city. Today, the Old Town Hall has a museum showing the architecture and some memorabilia from the British colonial era, as well as models of the first council of Colombo in 1906. Part of the Old Town Hall is now used as a kind of function hall. It was a small museum, but I appreciated the volunteer who explained the context and value of the whole building.

Old Town Hall. I think it needs to be restored better.

First council meeting. I was actually startled by the...."people".

Apparently I had a chance to be part of the meeting (was signing their guest book!)

I think they're typewriters of some sort.

One of the features of the Old Town Hall is their mode-change windows. Normally, the stained glass windows are up.

When the day is a bit hot, the can hide the stained glass window through that hole at the base of the window, and pull out the blinds, and attach it to the window frame. Genius!

Function hall.

- I walked south from the Old Town Hall until I reached the Pettah Floating Market. This market opened in 2014, and is part of a redevelopment scheme of the government. As the name suggests the stalls are located along the banks of a part of Beira Lake. As it was Sinhalese and Tamil New Year around that time, most stores were closed for the holidays. The floating market, by the way, is a good place to take a photo of the Lotus Tower.

With the Lotus Tower.

Floating Market.

- From the floating market, I took a tuktuk to the Sri Kaileswaram Temple. Built in the 1700s, it is the oldest Hindu temple in Colombo. The main temple is dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, with other smaller shrines dedicated to other Hindu gods. Photos were not allowed inside but I could tell you that it is extremely colorful! The temple was not that big too, so one can spend a few minutes going around and admiring the statues of the gods.

Tuktuk selfie!

The main hall is the taller one in the right. The smaller temple to the left is dedicated to Ganesh. All the temples are connected inside.

These Hindu temples follow the South Indian architectural style, with a tall, layered roof, with each layer guarded by different deities and guardians.

I found this photo interesting. It has a mix of (from left to right) the Lotus Tower near the temple, the temple roof, a festival chariot, and another roof from a smaller shrine in the temple. They're so colorful! 

- I later walked from the temple to the Lotus Tower, which is one of the most iconic contemporary landmarks in Colombo. It opened to the public in 2022 and is meant to resemble a blooming lotus. Most people visit the tower to go to the viewing deck, as well as its digital art museum. For foreigners, the viewing deck ticket comes with entry to the Pixel Bloom digital museum.

It's one of my favorite towers. I think it looks nice!

At the entrance.

One of my favorite things about the tower is how cold the lobby is, and that it has a dining area. I tried Sri Lanka's famous king coconut. Judging by its size and meat, it's not as big as the ones I see in photos and videos. However, this was the only one I could find during my whole trip. Even better, this coconut was chilled! It's one of the best ways to combat the scorching heat.

At the viewing deck, a view of Colombo Fort, Galle Face Green, and the Indian Ocean.

Trains at the Colombo Fort Railway Station.

At the Pixel Bloom digital museum. This colorful parrot is giving me some powers.

Like a painting.

- After visiting the Lotus Tower, I rode a tuktuk back to Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque to visit the mosque. It was still closed when I visited that early morning. The mosque is open to casual visitors around 9-12, then around 1:30-4:30. It is closed during prayers times and on Fridays; Friday is the main prayer day for Muslims. Casual visitors need not pay anything to enter the mosque, but they need to be guided by the mosque's staff. The staff will share information on the history and architecture of the mosque as well as the basics of Islam, adding more value and appreciation to the visit.

Another trip, another tuktuk.

Inside the mosque.

Our guide explaining how this was the original prayer hall, but because the mosque expanded in the 1970s, it now has around 7 floors worth of prayer space.

The mosque was made to resemble a pomegranate because it was a fruit mentioned in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that it is one of the fruits that will be found in paradise.

I love how it also resembles a candy cane.

Thank you random Italian couple for taking this nice photo of me!

Had a bit of a climb to the roofdeck. Mind you it was so hot, the floor I mean, because we had to walk barefoot; we had to leave our shoes by the gate. 

A photo with the minarets of the mosque.

I had a brief late lunch at Plaza Hotel and Bakes, where I had breakfast that morning. This time I had Sri Lanka's famous kottu (sometimes spelled as "kothu"). It is a dish made with chopped flat bread cooked with toppings and some curry sauce. I would call this Sri Lankan pasta since it reminds me of stir-fry Chinese flat noodles. Kottu is now one of my favorite things ever.

- The perfect way to spend the late afternoon in Colombo is to take a stroll alone Galle Face Green. It reminded me a lot of Roxas Boulevard Manila Bay because of how it looks and because it also faces the west, perfect for sunset viewing. People like using this seaside park to have a picnic or just hang out with loved ones, fly kites, play games, or eat. There is also a mall across the street called One Galle Face Mall, where I later hid from the sun.

Passed by the Presidential Secretariat building.

At Galle Face Green.

With the Sri Lankan flag (and two canons.)

This colorful flag is full of symbolism, but most importantly, it represents the Sinhalese people (maroon), the Tamils (saffron), Muslims (green), and the minority groups (yellow border). Details on the lion such as the four leaves or the number of hairs all represent aspects or virtues of Buddhism.

Galle Face Green has a view of the many tall buildings of the city as well. See the stalls selling toys and kites, some of which are being flown by park visitors.

It really does remind me of Manila Bay and Roxas Boulevard.

- That evening at the hostel I had another kind of kottu for dinner. I had it delivered through the PickMe App. The dish is called "dolphin kottu". Before I get any reactions, It does NOT have any real dolphins in the dish. It is made of thicker paratha bread compared to regular kottu and cooked in a large work unlike a regular kottu which is cooked in a flat pan. The name "dolphin" comes from the pieces of paratha that appear like jumping dolphins while the wok is being flipped.  

Lotus Tower at night. The color changes. I was actually waiting for it to be pink, but having it in red is good enough haha.

My "dolphin" kottu.

- Despite having little sleep and needing to feel around this new city (and new country!), I was able to do so much on my first day. I had a really good impression of Colombo because it does feel "chill", has a lot of nice people and good food, as well as a selection of cultural and spiritual activities and places to experience. But I must momentarily leave Colombo to explore the "cultural" heart of Sri Lanka - Kandy!  

** Check out my other Sri Lanka adventures here!

Part 2: Kandy, Ambulawawa Tower, Three Temple Loop - here 

Part 3: Kandy, Sacred Tooth Relic, Central Market, Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya, Kandy Lake Club - here 

Part 4: Sigiriya and Dambulla Cave Temple - here

Part 5: Nuwara Eliya, Nanu Oya, Ella - here

Part 6: Kandy, Bogambara Prison Park and Train to Colombo - here

Part 7: Colombo, Gangaramaya Temple, Independence Memorial Hall, National Museum - here