Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. Recently one of my friend went to this Beautiful country, it has been my dream to visit this country. I will go there one day but for now I went straight to his place to ask about his experience as it was his first time going out of the country. In this way I will also get a detailed note on my bucket list destination by sitting on a comfortable couch and a cup of coffee probably at his place.

The next paragraphs will be completely based on what he told me in his own wordings. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did listening to his experience.

“On my way to Colombo, I was filled with lot of questions in my mind. A bit nervous, you know…It was my first time out of country. I was a little worried that what type of people will be there, how they will treat an Indian. But above all I was very excited to visit this beautiful country sitting in the lap of Mother Nature, and I guess this things kept me going.”

With this all going through me I didn’t came to know when I reached there. Picked up my luggage and started moving towards the exit of the Airport. As soon as I stepped out I heard my name being called out. A person standing on the other side with a board on which my name was written was calling me. I went to him, He was very polite and we gently shake our hands. He told me he is here to pick me up and drop at the location where I will be staying. He must be in his early 50’s but was sharply dressed in his chauffeur uniform and his body language didn’t show any signs of aging. I sat in the car and he put up my luggage in the boot of the car and started driving. We went out from the Colombo airport and were cruising towards the guest house. The guest house was quite far from airport around 35 kilometers. After getting out of the airport Lush green fields accompanied us on both side of highway. It cheered me up and all the worries I was carrying with me, simply vanished. This was way better than I ever could demand off. I slide my window down and let the cool breeze strike on my face, this made my whole body relaxed and all the fatigue of travel was now gone. The car driver probably guessed my happiness and to make it better, he played a local music radio station. I couldn’t understand it properly as it was in the local language but its beat get me grooving in the back seat of the car. Small Coconut trees also started making their appearances on our way. The road to guest went through Small jungles which makes you feel like you have come to a trip to safari. After a couple of turns the driver slowed down the car and parked it in a front of the well maintained house which was surrounded by coconut trees. Bonfire preparations were going on. I read the name on the hoarding and yes it was the place I will be staying. Driver unloaded my luggage and took it to the reception while I was still making my way out of the car. My fatigue was already gone on my way here and this guest house was a cherry on the cake. The guest house was right in front of the ocean. It took us around 30 minutes to reach here but this place was worth the wait. Ocean waves coming and touching your footsteps and going back. I paid the driver and thanked him for such a wonderful drive, meanwhile my luggage was shifted to my room so I decided to sit down on the beach to enjoy this wonderful moment. I kept sitting there until a butler from the guest house came and asked ‘If I would like to order something?’ by that time I came to know I have spent 2 hours sitting there, but for me it was just a blink of eye, I went in and order my meal and came back to my room to prepare for my meeting tomorrow.

Shopping fun.

It was my day 2 here or shall I say evening 2. Well, my most of the day was spent in the office work and in meetings. I got free by 6 in evening and went straight to the market for some shopping for my friends and family back in India. Usually in normal places there is a lot of crowd and traffic. But here things were completely different. If someone raises his/her hand to cross the road, vehicles will stop like sowing their respect towards the pedestrian. I didn’t saw a single overtaking and every single car was parked on one side. Market place were well maintain and totally clean. Despite of so much people in market there was a way of moving and not disturbing the traffic or blocking the paths. People were very friendly and disciplined. Colombo is not only famous for its cleanliness but you will also find a lot of variety to shop. It offers a wide array of shopping items, the most recognized being gems, batik, tea, and handicrafts. The most popular items among tourists are hand loom fabrics, leather products, reproduction antiques, jewelry and ceramics.

Art and craft.

It’s my 3rd and final day of the trip. Today I will be exploring the local traditions, art & craft etc. If you have interest in local and traditional art than you should must visit Galle road in Colombo. Barefoot gallery is situated on this road and it’s a must visit. From clothes to Floor mats, books, paintings, wall hangings you will find everything here. Raavan is still alive here in masks. After visiting this gallery I went out straight to the local market nearby, I don’t usually go to purchase handcrafts or décor material but this time I couldn’t stop myself. You can find a lot of antique and unique items for your home décor and that too at a reasonable cost.

Sea food to North Indian food.

I spent my whole day in the local markets and purchasing a lot of stuff which I have no idea how I will take along with me back to home. My both hands were filled with bags and was no short of a moving store and my arms work as a shelf to display products. I quickly booked a cab and put my bags in it. Settled down and could feel how lighter my arms have become after unloading those heavy bags. Pat myself for the efforts and asked the driver to take me to the guest house. It has been two days in Sri Lanka and I have only eaten the food from the guest house only. So I decided to take out myself for the dinner today. It was 5:30 in evening by the time I came back. So I decided to freshen up and then move out for dinner. Relaxed a bit, got freshen up and it was 7 by the time and it was time to move out. I asked the receptionist of the guest house to suggest a few good places. He suggested me the Pettah market. Pettah market is the biggest and reasonable price market to enjoy the food. If you are a foodie like me than you will find no better place than this. From sea food to North Indian, Chinese , South Indian you will get everything here. Don’t forget to try some local food including Asmi, Polos, Sri Lankan egg hoopers etc. This are some of the dishes you will absolutely love.

• 

• 

So this was his experience of travelling to Sri Lanka and now his new found love for travel has overcome his fears of meeting up new people and settling in new places. There are few more places to visit there including Independence square, Independence hall, Gangaramaya temple and much more. I hope you like reading this article, I have done my best to put every worthful detail of his trip in this blog. You can also share your views down in comment section.

Thank you

Escape Window.