3/4: Tuk Tuk Tour of Colombo's Sights Including Wolf Dale!

After enjoying the treasures at Colombo's National Museum all morning, our tuk tuk driver, Yoga, was there to pick us up as prearranged to take us on a tour of the city's sights for under $3 an hour. Sure hard to beat that deal even though we hadn't figured on seeing most of the sights as they were spread so far apart. He started by driving past the White House aka the Old City Hall, which dated to 1865 in the British era.

Close by was the Old Parliament which had been built by the government of Japan. As a former poli sci major, it was interesting to learn Sri Lanka had two capitals: Colombo was the executive and judicial capital while Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte in a Colombo suburb was the legislative capital.

We stopped for several minutes at the Old Galle Buck Lighthouse that was built in 1954 in the hope of getting views of the Indian Ocean. 

But, because of the rapidly expanding commercial port and huge offshore developments, there wasn't much ocean to see. Yoga explained the financing for the mega project came from China.

The ceremonial canons on the terrace looked over what had been open water just a few years ago.

The magnolia trees by the harbor were blooming and smelled beautiful.

Also in Colombo Harbor was the Sri Sambodhi Jayanthi Chaitya Stupa that Yoga suggested we climb up to. In 1953, a renowned Buddhist prelate decided that Colombo needed a Buddhist landmark to indicate to approaching passenger liners and merchant ships the major religion of the country. The idea was to place it by the harbor and to elevate it on concrete arches in order to be clearly viewed out to sea so it wouldn't be lost amid the port cranes and overwhelmed by a backdrop of buildings.

You can get a sense of the zillion steps we climbed up to reach the stupa by seeing how far above the buildings I was! You can bet Steven and I paused several times on the way up to 'admire the harbor views' aka rest from all those steps, too! It was only 105 feet above the ground but it felt a lot higher because we kept going around in circles climbing up the tower. Because it was a place of religious importance, we needed to leave our shoes at the bottom so it was hot going in the 95 degree heat.

The stupa itself reached 154 feet into the sky. To reach it, we needed to walk across the narrow steel bridge from the concrete tower - not good if you suffered from a fear of heights! 

After entering the stupa, what caught our eye first was an imposing round shrine for worshippers in the middle of the circular floor. Four recessed seated Buddha statues were contained in the shrine. Encircling the shrine were 31 murals that depicted scenes from the life of the Buddha and Buddha's arrival in Sri Lanka from India.

We were happy our next sight needed no climbing in that heat! The restored Clock Tower was a former lighthouse built in 1857 and just a five-minute walk from our hotel.

Visible throughout Colombo and its suburbs was the 356-meter high Colombo Lotus Tower, the symbolic landmark of Sri Lanka and also the tallest self-supported structure in South Asia. Also funded by the Chinese government, the lotus-shaped tower will be used for communication, observation and leisure facilities. 

Yoga wanted to show us next what I think was the Sri Bala Sewa, an impressive Hindu temple. I say, I 'think' it was that because I can't find confirmation of the temple under that name online! We didn't enter but I can't remember whether we weren't allowed to as foreigners or why. Instead, we walked around the exterior where we had great views of the marvelous detail of the figures. 

From the temple, we had another view of the Lotus Tower. 

Yoga indicated the gray stone base of the temple was original and was 250 years old. 

Back in the tuk tuk, Yoga drove us to the Pettah Floating Market. To indicate he needed to change lanes was decidedly low tech: he just put out his left or right hand and hoped that other drivers would see him!

The market was an indication of how quickly Colombo has been changing. What was once an industrial canal has been converted into a waterfront district with cafes, food vendors. Note the Lotus Tower again in the background!

Though the market was almost totally empty, it was still enjoyable to get out of the tuk tuk and stroll along the boardwalk.

Very close to the 'floating' market was the Manning Market which we found far more interesting as it was full of vendors and produce galore. That made sense as it was the city's wholesale market. The market would have been heaven for monkeys with the profusion of bananas!

The market was the first time we'd seen a significant population of Muslims since arriving in the city. As it was in the Pettah district of Colombo, it was the most ethnically mixed area in the country with buildings representing many different faiths.

Long before we could see the dried fish, we could certainly smell them!

I remember Steven and my whispering to each other as we passed the small butcher shops in the Manning Market how the scenes reminded us of the photos from the market in Wuhan, China where the coronavirus is thought to have begun!

I loved the produce's vibrant colors! We were lucky the market was still open as it had opened at 4 am and normally closed mid- morning.

Someone had painted the country's flag in a narrow alley.

Thank goodness Yoga had no bigger a vehicle than his tuk tuk as he weaved his way among the throng of shoppers and vendors at the Federation of Self Employees Market. People didn't seem to appreciate Yoga's constant honking to move them out of the way as they seemed to be used to 'owning' the entire street! As it was also in Pettah, there were huge crowds compared to other areas of the city we'd been in earlier.

Situated in the bustling Pettah district was Colombo's Red Mosque or Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid said to be a landmark for sailors approaching the port of Colombo ever since it was built in 1908. Its tall minarets towered over the hustle and bustle of the busy neighborhood streets. 

The mosque’s distinct red-and-white pattern was positively mesmerizing. The domes were built in the shape of pomegranate, unlike the traditional onion shape, and the colorful brick patterns were meant to convey the same image.  

As a woman, I had to don a cloak to cover my arms and legs and also remain in the small entrance area while Steven was free to walk around.

It almost felt like we were on a tour of all the religious sites in Colombo when Yoga took us next to the new St. Anthony's Shrine! The previous incarnation of the Catholic church was tragically bombed on Easter Sunday morning of 2019, killing 310 people and injuring many more. I remember hearing about that last year but sure didn't think then Steven and I would have the opportunity to visit the new church.

What a tremendous tribute to the wonderful people of Colombo and other areas of Sri Lanka that this lovely new church was able to to be built so quickly on the ashes of the other.

St. Anthony: 

Directly across from St. Anthony's was another Hindu temple. 

Across from the church were a profusion of flower sellers making garlands. 

We obviously hadn't seen enough religious institutions yet in Colombo so Yoga took us next to Wolvendaal Church! It had been the most important Dutch building in Sri Lanka when it was constructed in 1749. At that time, this area was so far out of the city it was a wilderness beyond the city walls. The Europeans thought the packs of roaming jackals were wolves so the area became known as Wolf's Dale or Wolvendaal in Dutch!

Through a fence we could spot some Dutch gravestones but everything looked like it was locked up tight. Thank goodness Yoga didn't give up; he found a woman who was able to persuade a caretaker to kindly open up for us. It reminded us right away of our very similar experiences traveling in Paraguay in December with Jose, our wonderful guide and driver who was able to also work similar magic!

We felt truly blessed that we were granted entry to the historic church. I read that overdue repairs began in 2017 but that wasn't readily apparent. We of course tipped the caretaker who gave us several minutes to wander around the church.

The church was in the form of a Greek cross and had walls that were about five feet thick.

All the street signs in the Wolvendaal area of Colombo were in Sinhalese, Tamil and, of course, English. 

Apart from Wolvendaal Church, Steven and I had really wanted to see Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara Temple as we had read it was one of the holiest sites in all of Sri Lanka. As it was located a good distance from central Colombo, we were very happy to have Yoga take us in his tuk tuk rather than navigating the local buses! 

This sweet woman took pity on me when she noticed I had difficulty tying the wrap around my waist!

According to Buddhist lore, the temple was blessed during the final visit of the Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka, which is believed to have been in 500 BC. According to early records, the temple enshrined a gem-studded throne upon which the Buddha preached.  During the subsequent centuries, the temple flourished and became a major pilgrimage center for the Sinhalese majority.

The main attraction was the striking 27-meter high stupa, which dominated the 10-acre site. Painted a dazzling white, the traditional Buddhist funerary monument consisted of a hemispherical base and a spire-like structure.  A path which circled the stupa allowed pilgrims to walk around it, an important Buddhist devotional practice.

The Golden Buddha Image House, named after paintings from the life of the Buddha, including scenes from his reputed visit to Sri Lanka. They were painted by a local artist named Solias Mendis. 

We were struck by the vivid colors of the magnificent paintings that covered every inch of space. 

Janina: A pretty grand ceiling, don't you think?!

As is common with Buddhist temples we'd seen in other parts of the world, many worshippers had brought flowers and garlands to lay before the mammoth Buddha.

I had to crane my neck to take this photo, you know who!

Yoga explained to us that these murals depicted the Indians' arrival in Sri Lanka and their bringing the bodhi tree, an element important to Buddhists.

Every scene was more beautiful than the last!

I was relieved to find a shady spot to take another image of the Buddha Golden House as it had been extremely uncomfortable walking barefoot on the hot sand from the moment we entered the grounds. I was so thankful the temperature was 'only' in the 90s and not well over 100 as it would be in the summer!

In the same grounds was the belfry that was built in 1978.

Yoga told us the faithful were making offerings for good wishes, money, jobs, health, etc. 

Our impromptu tuk tuk tour of Colombo's mostly many religious monuments had taken five hours and had been an excellent way to pass the afternoon and see sights we surely wouldn't have seen on our own. Dennis and Gail: I heartily recommend you also take advantage of the many tuk tuk drivers  wanting to show you their lovely city when you're lucky enough to also visit Colombo.

We had Yoga drop us off at the Cargills Main Store as it was so close to our hotel. The local retail giant was located in this ornate building that dated to 1906. Its ground floor colonnades enabled people to get around sheltered from monsoon deluges!

How quaint the sign was that spoke of 'toilet requisites'!

A few steps away from Cargills was the former Central Bank building now known as Central Point, another colonnaded building that dated to 1914. 

Its beautifully restored interior featured the tallest chandelier in Asia amid its Greco-Roman detailing.

Though tired and still recovering from two back to back overnight flights from Denver, we had really enjoyed discovering so much of Colombo over our two brief days in the capital. We couldn't wait to learn more about the fascinating island nation in the next week!

Next post: Taking the train to Kandy in Sri Lanka's central mountains, touring the British Garrison Cemetery and attending a fire-walking performance!

I am simultaneously finishing writing about our trip to the UK that took place last September and early October. Here's a link to the most recent post about our fun day exploring some of the most charming villages in northern Wales.

https://bergersadventures7.blogspot.com/2020/03/925-n-wales-national-slate-museum.html

Posted on March 30th, 2020, from our home in Denver in the age of Covid-19. May each of you stay healthy and practice 'social distancing' so we can avoid the virus' spread as much as possible.