Colombo
I didn’t enjoy Colombo at all. In general I try to be fairly upbeat on this blog - after all I’m incredibly lucky to be travelling the world for months on end - but honestly I couldn’t wait to get out of Colombo. My first impression of Sri Lanka was a very intense hour-long tuk tuk ride from the airport with I think the most aggressive driver I’ve ever experienced. I’m pretty accustomed to pushy drivers by now, but in a tuk tuk with completely open sides I could see how few centimetres we were consistently away from other vehicles! We made it to my hostel incident free, but this journey rather set the tone for Colombo.
By the time I left Colombo it just felt like a big, heavy city with big, busy roads full of cars, and nowhere to go. It’s very possible the city has some beautiful parts I didn’t manage to find, but on several walks from my hostel I just encountered more busy roads, often with no real pavement, making for a stressful walking experience. I tried walking to the beach, but with another busy road alongside it and a lot of litter it wasn’t a nice place to be. I couldn’t find any parks within walking distance. I tried finding a nice cafe to sit in, but they all seemed to be (you’ve guessed it…) next to busy roads. In the end I retreated to my hostel and its small but relatively peaceful garden space, and worked out where else in Sri Lanka I could go.
I don’t mean offend anyone who loves Colombo, but this was my true experience of it. I’m sure Sri Lanka has a lot more to offer though. I’m excited to get moving.