# My very exciting trip to Sri Lanka- Aug 29th to Sep 1st, 2009 ( visiting Colombo, Kandy, Galle and beyond )



## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is my travel route map 











And here is the landing video on AK255 KUL-CMB, taken on my camera. 
Sri Lanka is so green! You can hear my voice in this video :lol: The passenger next to me is a local Srilankan whom I just met in the plane. And he let me join his family's car from airport and dropped me off at A1 where I could catch bus to Kandy kay: I had breakfast with his family and visited a friend's house on the way. What a pleasant start of my exciting journey to Sri Lanka !! kay:

Landing @ Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is my short narration on overall impression of Sri Lanka and the routes that I took. More narrations ( much longer than this ) will come, don't worry!!


Overall impression of Sri Lanka

I really enjoyed my trip to Sri Lanka and planning to visit there again this December! :cheers: 

Since this was my first trip I decided to explore the main spots stretching in between Colombo and Kandy ( Central ), Galle ( South ) and Negombo (slightly North ) 


To put it short overall, I found that Sri Lanka is an extremely "rural" country BUT strangely, living standard is good- most of the population live in solid homes, have relatively stable income to survive and to enjoy some luxuries, and there are very, very little poverty that came to sights. I did not find any beggars on the streets ( except for one old man in Galle ) and the worst habitations in Sri Lanka being the slums in Colombo suburbs. But out of Colombo, almost everyone live in solid homes and earn reasonable income even in rather remote villages. It's like the *"Switzerland of Asia"......... *a country of high rural population but with good living and healthcare standards. Life expectancy in SL is high at 75 years which is a unique figure in South Asia. That's even higher than average life expectancy in Malaysia. kay:

Colombo is pretty modern city with very colourful buildings and beautifully-decorated cute shophouses all along its northern and southern suburbs It looks alot better ( externally ) than places like Taipei which is the capital of a highly advanced economy which I have been for a couple of times! Of course if you look deeper Taipei is more efficiently run with mass transit and high level of punctuality and infrastructure but in terms of building codes and architecture Colombo and its suburbs seems fancier and alot more attractive. 

SL is the country of buses! Buses take you to almost every single corner of SL at very high frequency which I have never seen elsewhere!! It's sooooooo easy to move around with fast and smooth public transpo, unlike here in Malaysia where PT is slow and people are very car-dependent. And they are so cheap, with $ 1- $1.50 you may travel half the country from East to West , or North to South by ordinary buses and trains. Though they are always very crowded. Comfortable luxury buses and trains cost double of that, and that's still filthy cheap!


Here was my route:

I didn't make any plans in advance for this SL trip ; I simply flew to Colombo and decided everything on the spot :lol:

*Day 1*- KL to Colombo--> bus to Mawanella--> overnight stay in Mawanella ( small rural town before Kandy ) with a Sri Lankan family --> visiting Kandy , and scenic points in between Mawanella and Kandy e.g. Kadugannawa with Mawanella friends

*Day 2*- Kandy ( Kadugannawa Station )-Colombo Pettah by train, then Colombo Pettah- Galle by bus .Overnight stay in Galle

*Day 3 *- Galle- Colombo by train --> Negombo. Overnight stop in a restaurant in Negombo

*Day 4*- back to Malaysia


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## ~MELVINDONESIA~ (Dec 12, 2008)

Can't wait to see the pics!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Stay tuned!!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Day 1


I woke up early at 2.30 am and dashed off to KL Airport ( LCC terminal ) around 3 with dad by his car. I arrived at LCCT around 4 and it was already packed with people esp. those flying out to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Colombo, Guilin and several local destinations by Air Asia.


The flight to Colombo was 70-80% full with estimated 70-80% of passengers are Sri Lankans. I found 2 Sri Lankan persons at the boarding gate and asked them several questions regarding several beaches in SL and we had several chats on the plane. One of them is Waruna. He explained to me on what I should do in Sri Lanka and it was very informative

Landing into Colombo was spectacular and as we entered Sri Lankan airspace from the sea I was enchanted by how lush and green Sri Lanka is! I mean, looking down through the aircraft window, the whole of SL looks like jungle that floats on water! 

Bandaranaike International Airport is pretty modern... it looks alot similar to most airports in Japan and China in terms of design and handling. I think the airport was built by either the Chinese or Japanese. Its far bigger than Zia in Dhaka, and alot more efficient with smart flight display boards and overall orderliness. Only passengers are allowed into the terminal, like Zia. Probably as a precaution against any possible threats by certain rebel group in SL ?


Coming from Malaysia I don't need pre-arrival visa for visiting SL. But I do need pre-arrival visa for visits to the rest of South Asian countries ( probably.. except for Nepal and Maldives ). This is a huge plus of Sri Lanka since I could avoid hassle at Embassies and saving $$$ to apply for visa. For India, Malaysian nationals need to pay around MYR150/ $ 40 for a single trip! That's crazy and distracting tourism industry IMO.


I arrived at Colombo airport around 7:30 and got out of the terminal around 8:30. Very hot! Abit hotter than in KL. Waruna offered me a ride to Colombo-Kandy road so that I could get on a bus to Kandy from there. He was greeted by his family and we left by his dad's van/minibus. His family members which consist of dad, mom, himself and a younger sister are very friendly; they are of Sinhalese ethnicity ( the majority ethnic of Sri Lanka- around 80% of total population). The first few minutes ride out of Katunayake ( where the airport lies ) I was stunned at how "rural" Sri Lanka is. I mean... the whole 20-30 km journey out of the airport towards A1 ( Colombo-Kandy road ) was completely rural despite we being so close to the capital city. Yes its completely rural but I noticed that almost all the homes that came along are solid and beautifully decorated. Sri Lanka's GDP per capita is around $ 4,800 for 2008 which makes it the second or third most developed country in entire South Asia. Only Bhutan and Maldives have higher figures maybe, though I think its unfair to compare populous Sri Lanka with 20 million people to Bhutan or Maldives which have under 1 milion inhabitants combined.


So I just skipped the city of Colombo and dropped off in the middle of Colombo-Kandy road. The road is popularly known as A1 in SL. It's 2-lane road with single lane on each direction. Road condition is ok... but less than what I expected for a country of $ 4800 per-capita GDP income. I expected 4-lane semi-highway linking the two important cities of Colombo and Kandy, at least . There were so many buses ( 10-15 mins frquency ) that run in between Colombo and Kandy. As mentioned before, Sri Lanka is a country of buses!! There are 2 types of buses- Ordinary and Luxury. I took an ordinary bus after just 2 minutes of waiting at the halt and... the bus was super crowded I could not find any seat so I had to stand for the whole 3 hr journey to Kandy. I paid only 80 SL rupees ( $ 0.70 ) for this 70-km journey. We passed thru several major towns like Kegalle where many passengers got on the bus and it became so packed that I could hardly breathe! Again, the journey was completely rural with almost no signs of anything " Urban".. hmm



Inside the bus, together with passengers, the driver and the conductor , occassionally there were some salesmen getting in to sell their lottery cards and I noticed many of such lotterymen during my stay in SL. And another noticeable things in SL are the posters pasted on sideroads promoting tuition classes for English and Science subjects to students. Driving is pretty aggressive in SL...I think almost the same with the standard in BD with the frequent honking and tailgating among all bus and 3-wheeler drivers that I knew of . 


Finally.. I arrived at my destination which is Mawanella. ( not Kandy ). It's around 25 km before Kandy. There I met a local Tamil family and they allowed me to stay in their house. I chose Mawanella because I wanted to see something typical of Sri Lankan life and experience the daily routines of local people instead of "big places" like Colombo or Kandy which are flocked by many tourists. Mawanella overall, is a rural town in th midst of jungle and it's the start of steep climb into Kandy if you're coming from Colombo. It's around 150 metres above sea level.... while Kandy is at 450-500. 


As I walked thru Mawanella with some local friends, I found that most locals there spoke very good English and they know alot about current world issues and different cultures/places around the world. A big surprise, really. What a contradiction to Malaysia where many cannot grasp even simple English in urban centres, pretty ignorant about different cultures and nations ( this, despite being a multi-cultural country with huge presence of foreign tourists and investors ) and most people do not have anything to say when it comes to critical discussions. I think East Asian people in general share this same trait. I think that if not because of this war coupled with good leadership, SL could have become far more developed than Malaysia backed up by its smart and dynamic people with highly outstanding personalities. Wasn't SL an idol nation and being looked up by Malaysia and Singapore during 70's to achieve the same high level of living standard of SL during that time ? 


Mawanella's main industry is services/business, with few serving the public sector. After resting for 2-3 hours in Mawanella, me and 3 local friends got on a 3-wheeler driven by one of them and went for a day trip to Kandy. Our first stop was Kadugannawa with its breathtaking panoramic view of Srilankan central highlands ( Though it's not that high.. around 300 metres a.s.l ) and later we climbed up the hill towards Kandy. Ah.. from now on let the pics sum it up..


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

arriving at KL's LCCT terminal. very packed even though its still 4 am









Lining up at Check-in counter, most passengers seen are Sri Lankans with ahandful of Malaysians, Vietnamese and Australians on board










Flight display board. ah so messed up 









at departure gate



with Sri lankan persons I met at the departure gate whom provided some infos about travel into SL


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is the Airbus 320 thats going to take us to Colombo









Me :cheers:










My boarding pass









Enering Sri Lankan soil... so green!! :cheers:


















That's me :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Disembarking


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Apart from Air Asia, I also saw Sri Lankan airlines and Air India Express birds


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Inside Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Inside Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo






AT the baggage reclaim area


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Just outside the airport.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The journey from Airport to COlombo-Kandy road with Waruna's car


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

A pretty rural town in between


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Then we had a stop in a friend's house because they wanna see Waruna after 6months of separation. Waruna is studying in Singapore and now returning for a couple of weeks.










A narrow path


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Having breakfast somewhere in between Katunayake and A1 junction









Some paratha + tosai + fish curry.... same taste as in Malaysia.. but without sugar. I think SUbcontinent people never use sugar in their main course. :eat: Food price is almost the same for SL and Malaysia in the same category of restaurants.










Me, Waruna and his sister :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The roadside restaurant where I had the breakfast


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The road in between Airport and Kandy road... Car plate numbers in SL sound cool. I know that WP stands for Western Province ..


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Finally... we arrived at the junction for Kandy.... I said goodbye to the family and boarded the bus after just 2 mins of waiting at the halt... WOw Sinhalese script is very rounded ( more than Tamil ) :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

I took this bus . Taken during the lunch stop










This is the restaurant where we had the lunch stop.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Wow 62.5 This is the first country I've seen the pointers on distance boards:cheers:









A1 road connecting Colombo and Kandy


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Video taken just after leaving the airport


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Thats me with A1 -Colombo-Kandy road :cheers:









The 2 persons who took the photo I think they are workers in that restaurant


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Footage inside the bus .. I was standing at the front part of the bus for 2 hours and a half until reaching Mawanella


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mawanella
a small town where I had overnight stay.... it's not a touristy place but rather a typical rural town in Sri Lanka with very friendly people ; ethnic Singhalese, Tamils, Moors all living side by side and respecting one another. It's just 25 km/40min before Kandy on A1 Colombo-Kandy road

Mawanella is a crowded small town









Me in front of a bakery shop . I stayed in the house of the bakery's owner ( ethnic Tamil )


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Pics in Mawanella- this town of around 30,000 ( according to a friend there ) is very service-based and I cannot think of any other significant industries.


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## Abdallah K. (Jan 30, 2009)

very cool :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Nice!

Lets continue :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me in Mawanella









Aha that's my favourite shop in Sri Lanka ( esp. to get juices) . Food city rocks :banana: ALmost every smaller town in Sri Lanka has Food city shop. This is the first time I heard of this brand!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

What the zigzag yellow lines mean?


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The room of a local friend 









Then we ( 4 of us ) took a 3-wheeler for a short visit uphill to Kandy . In terms of altitude:

Colombo- sea level
Mawanella - 150 m 
Kandy- 450-500m

So basically, Mawanella is the starting point of steep rise into Kandy if youre coming from Colombo


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

On our way we reached Kadugannawa area with its spectacular vista over SriLankan central highlands :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Thats me having a stop in Kadugannawa... It feels exactly like in Malaysia with the same greenery and weather!! Monkeys too!! 



















Me & a friend Nafee ... I stayed in his house in Mawanella that night!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

With another local friend that I made in Mawanella.. Mr *Huzni*











Me & A1 Colombo-Kandy road , in Kadugannawa... note at the steep rise into Kandy


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

In the rock of Kadugannawa and the downward direction of A1


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

After Kadugannawa we made a stop on a bridge of Mahaweli which is the longest river in Sri Lanka ( 300 km+ ) . The river originates from the Central Province


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

On the bridge of Mahaweli with Mawanella friends!!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)




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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Then we stopped at Peradeniya University which is the largest university in entire Sri Lanka :cheers: Its pretty huge and surrounded bu natural greenery. Only 5 km towards Kandy and very close to the opular Kandy Botanical Garden


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mr Huz shows his college to me which is in the outskirt of Kandy










[email protected]


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Inside Kandy Commercial ( KCC ) Mall... iI think its still new because 30-40% or so of the shops were empty


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Walking along the famous Kandy lake


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

walking along Kandy lake.. approaching the famous Temple of the Tooth, which is the prominent landmark of Kandy.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

around Kandy lake


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Kandy lake.










Taking a bus from the end of Kandy lake back to where we parked our 3-wheeler


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

After 2 hours or so in Kandy, we returned back to Mawanella.. again we had acouple of stops 










Inside our 3-wheeler. 









That night we had gathering in a friend's house....Chatting for about an hour.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

That's my room for sleeping that night in Mawanella ( thanks to Nafee )











He got this PC as well inside his room


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Day 2 in Sri Lanka
Mawanella--> Colombo--> Galle

So I woke up around 8 and had breakfast, then preparing for a long journey to Galle in southern tip of SL. I thought that there was another road connecting Kandy/Central province and Galle in the south, but this was not the case. I got to go back all again to Colombo before heading southwards. So Nafee escorted me to Kadugannawa train station ( the nearest from Mawanella town ) to take train to Colombo. We paid 50 Rupees ( $0.50) for Mawanella-Kadugannawa bus ride and rushed to the train station, to be informed that the next train to Colombo would leave in an hour. So we decided to stroll around Kadugannawa town and the scenic places that we went on the day before. 

I bought the Second-class ticket for Kadugannawa-Colombo journey which costs 175 Rupees ( $ 1.60 ); a First class ticket would be 250 rupees and third class is available at 80. The train actually originates from Kandy. Sri Lankans always regard train as the best way to travel between Colombo and Kandy because the track is built on high cliffs and terrains, thus providing the panoramic view of SriLankan highlands. This is in contrary to journey by A1 road which goes beneath the lush jungle.

The train was very crowded and all seats had been taken. So I gotta stand for the whole 3 hr journey to Colombo. The train looks pretty tired and it runs pretty slow , probably at 60km/h max on the way down then raised to 80-90 when it approaches Colombo. The train passes through many tunnels where some passengers, especially ladies, yell aloud. 

Colombo Fort is the central train terminal for entire SL. Next to it there is a central bus terminus where buses to all other parts of SL originates. ANd they are running at very high frequency ! Buses to Moratuwa ( a Colombo suburb town 30 km away ) for example, leaves every 5-10 mins. I lined up to get on the bus to Galle ( medium-haul ) which leaves on 30 mins-1hr frequency and managed to get a seat. The journey from Colombo to Galle was very breathtaking- for the first leg into Moratuwa the bus went though most parts of Colombo city and the beautiful stylish-looking suburbs of Dehiwala/Mt.Lavinia until we reached Moratuwa and on another leg the journey was entirely rural with rural towns, villages and most importantly- the sea- came into sight. Most segments of Colombo-Galle road, known as A2, is built along the seaside so it offers a pleasant and spectacular jouney to travellers.

Galle.... is a pleasant small town and it made world headlines as it was one of the most terribly hit towns during 2004's tsunami. Around 6,000 people were estimated to be dead in Galle area alone ( a town of 100,000 ) . I stayed with a local Tamil-speaking family ( I was handed over to them by the family in Mawanella ) . I went to a local communication shop and dialed the number of Mr. Simtaj and he picked me up somewhere near Galle bus terminal. He is working in a local telecommunication company . Again, let the pics sum things up :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is the house where I stayed in Mawanella.. it has 4 rooms and comfortable


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

another side of the house


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Walking from home to Mawanella bus halt to get to Kadunannawa station for train ride to Colombo




















Me & the homeowner... he was manning his shop that day


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The back street of Mawanella


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mawanella town


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Mawanella Town































There we go.. we took this bus to reach Kadugannawa railway station. :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Inside the bus











My ticket


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

After 25 mins, we arrived at Kadugannawa

Kadugannawa Town


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me @ Kadugannawa Railway station... still 1 hour till the next train arrives


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

View from the railway overbridge towards Kadugannawa









Thanx Nafee for holding ma bag


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Fuel prices is incredibly high in SL - $1.2 for a litre of petrol










Towards Kadugannawa town


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

With an ad board


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Walking downhill 









Kadugannawa police station board


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The largest umbrella factory in Sri Lanka is in Kadugannawa :cheers:.. owned by Rainco Co.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The lighthouse of Kadugannawa


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

WIth the Welcome Board to Central Province of SL










A local restaurant


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Don;t drink and drive..











A1- cars coming from Colombo direction into the rock


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## simcard (Feb 18, 2009)

great pictures Skyprince, glad you enjoyed your trip. great narration by you with the pictures.


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## Balaputradewa (Jul 11, 2008)

thanx Skyprince,, I never see Srilanka before.. Srilanka people looks so friendly n warm.. what about Colombo, is there highrise building?


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## Inconfidente (Oct 5, 2006)

Skyprince, thanks for the pictures! Great shots! I would like to see more of Srilankans, they've got a very good look! :cheers:


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## ~MELVINDONESIA~ (Dec 12, 2008)

Wow!
Srilanka very interesting!


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Balaputradewa said:


> thanx Skyprince,, I never see Srilanka before.. Srilanka people looks so friendly n warm.. what about Colombo, is there highrise building?





Inconfidente said:


> Skyprince, thanks for the pictures! Great shots! I would like to see more of Srilankans, they've got a very good look! :cheers:





~MELVINDONESIA~ said:


> Wow!
> Srilanka very interesting!


Nice n great! Colombo has several highrises the most notable ones are the World Trade Centres and about the good looks.... I think everywhere in the world is the same hmm..

More pics to come but I am currently on holiday.. will post 'em once Im back to KL


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## Balaputradewa (Jul 11, 2008)

ok.. Im waiting ya..


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Awesome pics mate - as always you make the best photothreads! :happy:

Great pics, great info, great work! :cheers1:

Looks like a very nice pace too


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## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Your threads are the most interesting ones on SSC. 

If you ever plan to visit Frankfurt, let me know and i will organize a free accommodation for you.


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## Philly Bud (Jun 8, 2009)

*Thanks for the memories*

The pictures were great and reminded me of my trip to Sri Lanka a few years ago. I especially liked visiting some very historic places north of Kandy like Anuradhnapura and Pollonarawa (sp?). The Sri Lankan people are very friendly.

Anyway, when I was in Colombo, I stayed at an elegant old hotel called the Galle Face Hotel that was over 130 years old! Here is a picture of the hotel and me having lunch at the terrace restaurant in the hotel(PS I have lost some weight since then :lol:


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## Get Smart (Oct 6, 2008)

just seeing this, excellent post and pictures skyprince :applause:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

FREKI said:


> Awesome pics mate - as always you make the best photothreads! :happy:
> 
> Great pics, great info, great work! :cheers1:
> 
> Looks like a very nice pace too





Tom_Green said:


> Your threads are the most interesting ones on SSC.
> 
> If you ever plan to visit Frankfurt, let me know and i will organize a free accommodation for you.





Get Smart said:


> just seeing this, excellent post and pictures skyprince :applause:


That's very nice! Though I think I will cover more of Asia from now on.



Philly Bud said:


> The pictures were great and reminded me of my trip to Sri Lanka a few years ago. I especially liked visiting some very historic places north of Kandy like Anuradhnapura and Pollonarawa (sp?). The Sri Lankan people are very friendly.
> 
> Anyway, when I was in Colombo, I stayed at an elegant old hotel called the Galle Face Hotel that was over 130 years old! Here is a picture of the hotel and me having lunch at the terrace restaurant in the hotel(PS I have lost some weight since then ):


I will save Anuradhapura and Nuwra Eliya for the next trip. Those are very nice pics in the Galle Face Hotel- I heard about Galle Face from a friend and is it located in Mount Lavinia or somewhere south of Colombo ? I think Sri Lanka is the cheapest country to travel in entire Asia. The prices there are incredibly cheap.

Anyway, more pics to come. I will post them today.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Lets continue with the pics since I just arived in KL from long holidays

Then back to Kadugannawa Train Station...


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The train timetable @ Kadugannawa Station in Sinhalese..
The next train to Colombo Pettah would depart at 11:16 am, which means in 7-8 mins time :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Waiting at the platform


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The train finally comes... and its sooooo crowded


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The train.. and there are many salesmen selling prducts like wade, snacks, drinks, etc. Some even got permission to get inside train and travel altogether to Colombo.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

I got no choice but to stand in the crowded train


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Wow some breathtaking view of mountains from the train


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

These are the two videos I took on the train... it was too crowded, but very exciting ride!!
Enjoy!! :cheers:

Video1






Video2 ( inside tunnel then exiting)


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Very nice scenery :cheers:




A train coming from Colombo direction


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Another video.. must watch !! :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

A train station in between ( forgot its name )



Some green views as the train approaches Colombo


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

Looks like big adventure. Very nice.

Wish I had darker skin to blend in more in such societies. As a white person you are always seen as outsider and treated in a weird way.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Approaching Colombo


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

goschio said:


> Looks like big adventure. Very nice.
> 
> Wish I had darker skin to blend in more in such societies. As a white person you are always seen as outsider and treated in a weird way.


When I was in SriLanka many thought that I was from Bangladesh.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Another video taken as the train passes thru Colombo suburbs :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Colombo Fort train station

Crowded with many trains departing to other cities & Colombo outskirts.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Colombo fort


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Colombo FOrt


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Colombo Fort


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The train timeable @ Colombo Fort ..as I said It's veryyyy easy country to move around Sri Lanka as trains go into all directions


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Colombo Fort


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Display [email protected] Colombo Fort station... the train is going to Panadura at 15:20


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The train display for Kandy


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Moratuwa, a huge suburb town south of Colombo


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Beautiful coast ( Gulf of Mannar ? )


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Around Beruwala or Kalutara, I forgot


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Finally... we reached Galle around 19:00

And my first stop was... Food City !! Getting some drinks


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

So that night in Galle I stayed with a Tamil-speaking family and these are pics taken in the house during the morning of 3rd day

Very nice SriLankan biryani










This is my room for that night.... very comfortable house indeed. And that's a standard middle-income Sri Lankan home with average local salary, I think. Mr. Simtaj works in a local telecommunication company in Galle and he is the breadwinner of the family while his parents running a small grocery shop if i've not mistaken. :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

My room that night








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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Nice room. Just I forgot to install the mosquito net


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

I think one of the girls took these 2 photos


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Skyprince is a foodie :eat: 


My breakfast. The same biryani but with dal, green vegetable curry, salads and newly-made Chicken leg spiced up with chilli paste


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

The *super* delicious Chicken leg with chilli paste !! :eat: Very Crispy!!! Its the best briyani I ever had in my life !! :banana:











The green vegetable ( forgot its English name :doh: ) with yellow curry


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is the salad for my breakfast










And finally. the green syrup jelly as dessert. :eat:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Day 3 in Sri Lanka

Woke up around 9 and spent the whole daytime in Galle... The house where I stayed in was like 500 metres from the beach, and is located in the city of Galle itself. I simply couldn;t believe that I was finally in Galle i mean the town is quite popular with its fort and the headlines it made during tsunami back in 2004. Simtaj informed ,e that around 600 people died in his neighborhood alone and he knew few dozens of his close friends and close neighbours who were swept away by the tsunami. 

Galle is Sri Lanka's 4th or 5th largest city in terms of population but I think its the 2nd most important city in Sri Lanka after Colombo in terms of popularity and tourism. We ( me & Simtaj by his motorbike ) visited the Galle fort with its breathtaking scenery ( I seriously didn't do any research about the fort, even until now ) but basically it has many beautiful remnants built by Europeans ( again I forgot whether Dutch or Portuguese ) which are rere sights in Sri Lanka. There are many beautiful cliffs with superb view towards the Indian Ocean . Then Simtaj left me on a beach inside the Fort for about 2 hours as he had something to do in a bank. I saw loads of local crowds swimming there ( though the beach looks murky ) so it seems attractive at the beginning.........later when I got into the water I found it very rocky and not swimmable. A bit of disappointment, but when Simtaj returned to pick me up he agreed to take me to Unawatuna beach which is 10-15 km away from Galle city. 

Unawatuna was really superb- the water was very pristine, not rocky at all, great views of surrounding green mountains and there are loads of Sri Lankans and European tourists having fun there. The water was pristine despite the very cloudy weather. I had great time swimming there ( alone... )

Later we returned to SImtaj's home, picked up my bag and said goodbye to the family.... Simtaj dropped me off at Galle train station since I decided to take train to Colombo. I never had the experince of travelling by inter-city trains in Malaysia because train is very unpopular in Malaysia with very low frequency .. So I would take the chance to travel by train as much as I could while I was in Sri Lanka with its smooth, frequent and reliable train service. The journey by train from Galle to Colombo Pettah took more than 3 hours and it was alot better way to travel compared to bus since the track goes right on the seaside for almost 70% of the journey. The train only started to leave the shore 2-3 minutes before arriving at Colombo Fort station. During the 2004 tsunami, a crowded train which run on that exact track was swept away by the tsunami, derailed and almost 1000 passengers ( some argued its 800+ ) died on the spot

Again, lets the pics speak the rest..:cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

^^ Great! Let's continue!!

This is the neighborhood of Galle where I stayed at. Just 1km from downtown Galle itself. :cheers:


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me with helmet gazing at that famous Galle's corniche


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Me @ downtown Galle


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Bustling Galle town


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

This is Mr. Simtaj with the bike... the bike has Colombo plate number instead of Southern one


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Typical mileage board in Sri Lanka..... Seriously I feel that Galle is around 250 km from Colombo ( instead of 117 km ) because the jopurney by bus and train were long with so many towns, natural sights, crowds etc. between the 2 cities


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Galle town


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Then we went to the famous Galle Fort


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