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Ayubowan! (Hello!)

Before anything else, lemme say: All photos are mine. :)

Due to the current global pandemic situation, travelling has become least wanted for health security – that in the meantime. And to that, please be with me in reminiscing our travel in one of the countries in South Asia,SRI LANKA, The Pearl of the Indian Ocean.

One of the Third World Countries, yet this country offers the richness in culture, religion, beliefs, astonishing nature & wildlife. Their currency is Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) where $1 is equivalent to LKR 181.483. And that ladies and gentlemen, a big HOORAY to a fun-filled cheaper travel experience!

Flight, Hotel and Visa Details

We booked our return ticket two days before our flight at cleartrip and luckily, the price of our airfare wasn’t that expensive at AED 2,342 for 2 adults. Our flight is administered by AirArabia and the flight duration is four & a half hours from Sharjah UAE to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

We indulged ourselves by booking a five-star hotel, Marino Beach Hotel, which we never regretted as it is one of the best hotels we have stayed and their breakfast buffet is to die for. And guess what, we have paid only AED354 ($96) per night - pretty cheap compared to the hotel prices in the UAE.

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As we are Filipino Citizen, our visa to Sri Lanka is upon arrival or you can apply online for the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) which we did to escape the long queue at the immigration (we received our e-visa within 48 hours). If you are not a Filipino, check first if your nationality is eligible for free visa/ visa upon arrival or you need to apply for the visa at Sri Lanka’s Embassy in your country of residence.

Welcome to Sri Lanka

Our flight was at 10:30 in the evening and we reached the capital city, Colombo, at 4:30am (Sri Lanka time). The time difference: Sri Lanka is ahead of 1 and a half hour from the UAE.

It was dawn break when we stepped out from the airport. Green scenery and fresh air welcomed us, and it never felt so calming that I just stood rooted in the unexplainable feeling of being home. The place shouts home as it was remarkably similar to the rural areas in the Philippines.

Our hotel is 30 minutes ride from the airport, so we hailed a taxi for USD 8 that brought us to the hotel we are staying. After we checked in, we prepared ourselves for our trip for the day.

Exploring the Capital: Colombo

As we do DIY itineraries on our travels, this one too is no exception. We were able to hire a TukTuk, a three-wheeled vehicle as one of the famous modes of transportation in the country, to bring us to four different spots in the City for USD5 an hour which at the end of our tour, we have paid USD20 only (includes a tip to the driver). The driver became our Tour Guide who taught and shared us their customs and religion.

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First Stop: GANGARAMAYA TEMPLE

One of the oldest Buddhist Temple in the country started & erected by, Hikkaduwa Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera, a famous scholar-monk. It is intricated with several structures among which the Church, library, Museum, classrooms. It is open to the public from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. There is no entrance fee however donation can be done where you will be given a ticket which costs USD1 per person.

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As it is a holy place for the Buddhists, wearing above the knee shorts/skirts is not allowed but worry not as they will give you a piece of cloth which you can wrap to your waist to cover your body’s lower part. Removing footwear is a must also (don’t worry, your favorite footwear will still be there once you come back :D).

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The temple’s interior screams bright colours with images of different Bhudas from smallest to the big one. Mouth agape, this was my first time to enter a Buddhist Temple and the experience of learning something about the religion and its customs is one of a kind.

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The Temple square which has a growing old tree where you can offer a prayer for your loved ones while walking around the tree and pouring the water provided by them. Sadly, all of our pictures while we watered the tree are severely blurred as it was not me who took the picture.

The multi-tiered wall, in the steps which has numerous statues of Buddha, is an eye worthy view. Your time will not be wasted by taking time appreciating the structures.

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The white Buddha in its own cottage is also time worthwhile. You can take a picture near the Buddha, but you cannot enter its abode.

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And the highlight of the temple, is the biggest Buddha inside it. Awe-struck, that I am, standing beside the biggest statue I have ever seen in my entire life is another addition to my book of life experience

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Seeing the monks, Buddhas and the refined structures of the temple was surely remarkable and being able to see a wedding ceremony during our visit is a treasure.

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Second Stop: Seema Malaka

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Just a few minutes from GANGARAMAYA TEMPLE, we went to a smaller Buddhist temple which was situated floating in the Beira Lake. This temple does not have an entrance fee and you can roam around freely yet silently, aware of the people having meditation and relaxation.

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The view from the temple is a must-see. The divergence of culture and modern architecture that reflects on the clean lake is breathtaking. You can’t imagine how clean the lake is having no trashes.

Third Stop: Town Hall – The White House of Colombo

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Less than 1 kilometre from Seema Malaka Temple, we then stopped at the Town Hall which the locals call as the White House for the obvious reason that it is a replica of the White House of the USA.

Fourth Stop: Independence Memorial Hall

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The hall that commemorates the Independence of the country from the British company is now popular as a recreational site for everyone not to mention a perfect relaxing place for the tourists. There is a museum in the basement of the hall however, we were not able to witness it as it was close during our visit. Nonetheless, our visit to this place is still spectacular. The architecture of the hall screams history, old is gold as they say.

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Our TukTuk tour has ended at Independence Memorial Hall and our driver brought us to our hotel after we had lunch. At the hotel, we just took a nap for a while and freshened up so we can roam around the street of Petta and a walk to the Park.

Pettah Street

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Walking at the street of Petta, you will be amazed at how clean and disciplined the locals are. Honestly, I was shocked to see the clean surrounding despite having congested traffic, overpopulated, and buildings/structures are crowded. This is less expected from a third world country and hands-up to the locals that they have kept their surrounding so clean that every tourist appreciate.

Old Kathiresan Temple

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A Hindu temple located at Pettah Street. The colourful tiered wall with different statues of Gods in Hindu is certainly worth the picture. The street is so crowded and it is dangerously hard to take pictures from the outside as there were a lot of vehicles. We decided not to enter the temple and we proceeded with our walk.

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

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If UAE have the Sh. Zayed Grand Mosque that proudly represents the country, Sri Lanka has it too. Not a magnificent white structure but a deliciously coloured red mosque! As one of the oldest mosques in the country, I find it hard to believe that it is a mosque as I have never ever seen a mosque that has been designed and coloured like this. It was a relatively large candy house for me. It is magnificently beautiful. Our only regret was we were not able to enter the Mosque due to my outfit and I felt guilty for my husband. ☹️

Chilling at Viharamahadevi Park

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As we finished our wander at Pettah Street, we decided to go to the park which we saw earlier as we still have time before the sun-set.

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The park was relatively peaceful. This is the greenest park I have ever been in my entire life so yeah, I love seeing the kids playing, families having picnics, people feeding birds and I was able to mingle with some young locals. This trip is, after all, being able to experience the country and that includes having a good relationship with the locals.

Wanting to escape the buzzing city and a routine lifestyle, who wouldn’t? A change of scenery where skyscrapers aren’t home and the sand ain’t land where you step in. Even just for a day, we wanted to escape the chaotically good city we are living in.

Travelling has become our stress reliever and it worked every time. Sri Lanka has marked our hearts for a personal reason. I hope, I was able to bring you to this beautiful city. Thank you for dropping by and see you on my next travel post.

Bohoma Istuti, @appleskie

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