Colombo is a city of two parts, Old Colombo and New Colombo. As a result there is an old parliament house and a new parliament house. We saw both. Old Colombo has a strong British presence in its architecture whereas New Colombo is a mass of new skyscraper building. We drove past the cricket ground where Sri Lanka was playing a 50 over match against Bangladesh.
The Independence Memorial Hall was built to celebrate the independence of Ceylon in 1948. It is a beautiful building, surrounded by lions and at the front, featuring a statue of Don Stephen Senanayake. He is known as the Father of the Nation and was the first Prime Minister of independent Ceylon.
We walked around the market to get a feel for shopping in Sri Lanka. It was busy, noisy and fascinating to see the items for sale. We also had some shopping time - at a government sponsored craft and souvenir shop and at a cotton clothing shop. A few small purchases were made.
We finished the day with drinks at the Galle Face Hotel, somewhat of an equivalent to the Raffles in Singapore or the Windsor in Melbourne. There was a strong British influence and photos of famous people who had stayed there. People were having high tea with scones and cream and little cakes but we had cool drinks. Gins and tonic went down well with Kelly and me.
For our last night in Sri Lanka we are staying at the new Jetwing Colombo Seven. Jetwing has been the local travel company associated with our Lotus Holidays booking. Their group of hotels have been perfect for us.
Great report Eleanor
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