No more lazing around. This was our one day to get out and do some sight-seeing around Colombo, so off we went. At the hotel gates we hailed a three wheeler with the intention of heading to Fort district for a look around. Instead of which, our friendly driver, Siri, immediately offered to take us around, show us the sights and generally be our guide, all for a very reasonable price. We agreed and, as the day continued, we were very glad we did as Siri turned out to be a very pleasant chap and well up to the task. He proudly showed us photographs of his daughter's wedding earlier this year and when we heard that the cost of the whole thing, including all the gold, had been around a million rupees we could certainly understand why he needs to get as much work as he possibly can!

Siri drove us through the hustle and bustle of Saturday traffic pointing out places of interest as we went and pausing for us to take photographs … whenever it was possible without imminent risk of loss of life! In Fort area there are many crumbling old colonial buildings and some streets still have their original British names. We passed the President’s house and saw many old Dutch style buildings, a huge old Cargill’s department store and on the corner there was the Grand Oriental Hotel, possibly the oldest hotel in Colombo, opposite the port entrance.

We moved on through many local shopping streets thronging with Saturday shoppers into the Pettah bazaar district which comprises lively, narrow, noisy streets full of small shops selling every conceivable type of goods. Many of the streets only sell specific item, ie one street sells shoes, another household items, whilst another sells teas and herbs, and so on. A fascinating area if you want to brave the heat and the crowds. We were quite pleased to ride through at a leisurely pace on the tuk tuk!

We drove along Sea Street and saw many jeweller’s shops selling gold and silver. We passed a small Hindu temple, one of the new and old Kathiresan Kovils which are the most important of many small Hindu temples in the area, before turning a corner and stopping to see the Wolvendaal Kerk at the north eastern edge of the Pettah. This Dutch church was begun in 1749 and is still in use today. We went inside and were taken round by the caretaker who proudly showed us the carved, wooden font, the organ, the canopied pulpit and the floor made from tomb stones brought from a Dutch church in Fort.

On our way again we passed several buildings of note including the railway station, the law courts and the old Town Hall, before drawing up outside the Gangaramaya Temple. We dutifully paid our entrance fee and removed our shoes and went to have a look round. It is a typical modern Buddhist temple with a main shrine containing an enormous, orange Buddha and a peaceful courtyard with a Bo tree typical of the one under which the Buddha meditated. There are various other buildings filled with Buddhas donated from other countries such as China, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia and a temple elephant chained up outside. The most fascinating thing about the temple is its museum which houses a vast array of antiques mixed together with general 'old stuff’ and random junk of which there is so much that it spills out and can be found all over the temple. All the items have been presented as gifts over the years and range from ivory carvings, brass, jade and crystal Buddhas, through an old typewriter, out of date computers and cameras, several antique printing presses and an ancient steamroller, to a large collection of beautiful vintage cars which probably aren’t being maintained as they should be.

It is a wonderful array of fabulous clutter and you could cheerfully spend a whole day marvelling at everything you come across. As it was, we stayed much longer than we intended. Just before we left the resident guide proudly showed us a small, gold figure of the Buddha which not only followed you with his eyes wherever you went, but with his whole face and if you sat on the floor he shut his eyes! No disrespect intended but, to be honest it was seriously creepy!

Our next stop was at Viharamadevi Park which was originally known as Victoria Park. At the entrance is a golden Buddha, and the elegant, palm-lined avenues lead to ebony, mahogany, lemon, fig and eucalyptus trees which grow among the lotus ponds. Opposite the north eastern entrance to the park is the new Town Hall which is neoclassical wedding cake in style with a golden Buddha sitting in front.

After spending some time in the park we made our way to an area on the south side of Fort called Galle Face Green. It was late in the afternoon by now and hundreds of local people were gathered on the water front meeting friends, flying kites, eating snacks from the food carts and generally enjoying a relaxing Saturday afternoon. There are several new hotels along the green but none draw your attention like the colonial splendour of Galle Face hotel built in 1864. Inside the lobby there are plaques on display informing you of the long list of the names of the rich and famous who have stayed there over the years. We were suitably impressed. This hotel is considered to be the best place in Colombo to watch the sun go down and we joined the many other visitors in the open air bar overlooking the sea to enjoy a sun downer while watching the amazing light show in the sky.

It was time to return to our hotel, The Cinnamon Lakeside, which sits by Beira Lake on Slave Island, named after the slaves who the Dutch once imprisoned here by night. The slaves were flogged and branded if they tried to escape and the lake was stocked with crocodiles to further discourage them from the attempt. Tough times for some. On the way we passed the Seema Malaka Buddhist temple whose small buildings sit on top of three podiums sitting in Beira Lake. It is designed by Sri Lanka’s foremost 20th century architect, Geoffrey Bawa and gives an exciting modern flavour to traditional Kandyan architectural styles.

A busy day and I’m sure we saw many things I haven’t mentioned. At least we took plenty of photos!!