For the first time in nearly 14 months, Chris and I left SEA and headed west to visit Sri Lanka. A country we did not expect to travel on this trip but both funds and time would allow us to. We had recently met a few backpackers that had travelled Sri Lanka on their way to SEA and had said it was a definite up and coming place for backpackers. For us it had always appeared to be a country for holiday makers, but we were keen for the backpacker challenge!
We arrived into Bandaranaike International airport late morning and had information to catch the local bus into Colombo, Sri Lanka's largest city. The airport staff were happy to point us in the right direction and thankfully there was a seat at the front of the bus, with space for our backpacks. Around an hour later we arrived into the Colombo Fort bus station and right in the heart of the bustling local markets. Despite having been travelling for 14 months in Asia, suddenly being out of SEA bought another culture shock and new smells to adjust to!
Something more familiar was the use of the bajaj, which after a lot of searching and effort, we found a metered one to take us to our room for the night. A metered bajaj/tuk tuk was a new experience as we had become accustomed to bartering and agreeing the price beforehand. But the meter makes tourists life much easier, if you can find one and persuade them to use the meter that is!
We hadn't been successful at finding anywhere to stay on TripAdvisor, so for the first time we were using Airbnb. It seemed to have worked out as we were welcomed into the home of a nice local family, shown to a clean, simple room, and offered some green tea.
We soon got chatting to an Aussie couple also staying in the house, one of which was living in a hill town in central Sri Lanka, learning the ropes of her family's guesthouse, and the other was about to fly to Mexico to work as a dive instructor. It was great to get some basic knowledge and understanding of Sri Lanka as another first for us was travelling a country without a Lonely Planet or Rough Guides!
We wandered out in search of somewhere to eat, and confusingly small local eateries are called Hotels in Sri Lanka. We tucked into a huge portion of rice and curry for less than a pound, bought some snacks and water for later, and spent the remainder of our evening researching and planning.

The rice and curry had not sat well in my stomach over night so I was not keen to go native for breakfast. Instead we munched on some bananas and a sweet bun from the bakery.
Not afraid of tackling and using the local transport, we jumped on the bus back towards Colombo Fort. The bus was painfully slow, continuously making stops along the way, and incredibly hot. As we approached the central area the bus was crammed full and even sat down we couldn't move an inch.
Seeing the colourful fresh food market as we arrived at our destination we couldn't help but have a quick nosey around. The locals were friendly and seemed intrigued by our presence. Some of the fruit was new to us, including the bizarre looking 'wood apple'.
We headed towards the Fort area, stopping by the tourist information at the train station, and booking our train out of the busy, polluted city for the following day. The Fort area was much calmer and cleaner and we walked around seeing the sites, such as the Fort Clock Tower, which used to be a lighthouse, and the new lighthouse. As well as a quick look at the Old Dutch Hospital, a beautiful building, and a walk past the presidents house. We ate more rice and curry for lunch, a staple meal in Sri Lanka. It tends to be served on a plate with a plastic bag covering it - saving on the washing up! By now it was unbearably hot and the heat was really getting to me. So we hailed down a tuk tuk to take us to the 'Gangaramaya' temple, one of the most important temples in Colombo. Its combination of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architectures makes it fascinating to admire. Then we found our way to the 'Vihara Mahadevi park' hoping we would find somewhere to sit and enjoy a cold drink. We were out of luck, but managed to hunt out a charming coffee shop but both opted for the lemon iced tea. Mostly we were there for the satisfying AC!
After the much needed rest we waited at a bus stop to catch a bus towards the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Colombo is the commercial capital). After a little while it seemed that the same two buses kept appearing, but not the bus we needed. Buses appeared to run very regularly so it was unusual for us to have to wait so long. Chris asked me to check if I had led us to the correct bus station, which regrettably I had not! I had navigated us down the wrong road, but it wasn't far to the correct bus stop and not long before we battled our way onto the bus. We were packed in like sardines! The heat, the sudden frequent braking and the traffic equated to an intolerable experience.
We disembarked at the 'Diyatha Uyana park', and along with local families and young couples, walked around the boardwalk and enjoyed the slightly cooler late afternoon. Much to our delight there was a small restaurant serving cold draft Lion beer (the Sri Lankan beer), so we sipped away as the sun went down.
The park also had an area of cheap food stalls, so rather than hunt around, and seemingly popular with the locals, we too ate dinner there. Sri Lankan's tend to eat with there hands, or right hand specifically, so we joined in and got stuck into our rice, curry, and roti.

After a local breakfast of string hoppers (small flat bundles of rice noodles), dahl curry, and coconut sambal, which the majority of locals seem to eat, we leisurely made our way to the train station, using the hot and sweaty bus. We stocked up with oranges and water and waited at a very busy platform for the train heading north. It was a sight in itself watching hundreds of people battle their way onto the train for a seat. Pleased we had booked a seat we threw our backpacks on and boarded.