An empty day provides a great opportunity to cycle through and explore the more urban areas of  Colombo without the usual heavy bustle and activity impeding your progress and threatening your life every few metres or so.

We took our rides out on the day after elections, but you don’t have to wait till the next election comes along to get your game on, just try on any Poya Day or even a Sunday.

Marine Drive

Marine Drive boasts scenic views of the ocean around Wellawatte and is a great place for a walk, jog or in this case a bike ride at practically any time or day of the week.

The beach is mostly reinforced with rocks except for around the area surrounding the railway station, which is a popular spot for bathers, families and would be touch ruggerites.

Galle Face/ Fort

Galle Face, until recently guarded by soldiers armed to the teeth watching you like hawks, is now only guarded by the said same soldiers with similar weapons watching you like owls. Which is slightly less unsettling.

Ride along the tree-lined Galle Road or park your bike and take a walk along the rocky coast and grassy lawn. Bikes aren’t allowed down the road leading right next to the water as yet. Perhaps the archaic reasoning behind such a measure will meet the destructive heat of logic soon.

Photography is still frowned upon. So make sure to take any photographs  after obtaining a nod of approval from any nearby army personnel.

Fort is an island that the Dutch fortified. The name has stuck, as is obvious. There are several bridges leading into it and its massive buildings of Dutch architecture are a treat to look at.

More interesting areas like the harbour are as yet blocked to the public.

Pettah and surrounding areas.

‘Pettah’ is a generic name for an area surrounding a fort and another testimony to a dearth of creative copywriters during ancient times. Pettah is a bustling market town with a myriad of criss-crossing streets that are virtually brimming with crowds during business days.

The nataami’s and their self-propelled carts are a unique sight seen only in Pettah. But be warned, they are about as reckless as the average Sri Lankan tuktuk/bus/car driver during market days.

The Dutch Museum is a good place to visit for some archaic architecture and to relieve your eyes from the sight of  garish signboards. Although its closed on major holidays.

Eating

There is many a food joint in these areas but a wise traveller will take care; good places are hard to find. We recommend Vani Villas which is a great Indian restaurant situated along Armour Street. Their vegetarian rice and curry is particularly good.

Temple, Kelaniya

Among the chief attractions of Kelaniya are the famous Kelani river and almost equally famous Kelani Temple or Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya. To get there, go along the Kandy Road past the Kelaniya bridge, you will come across the turn off to the temple after about 200 meters. The Temple is roughly 4km along this road.

The Kelaniya Temple has a history that dates back to 500BC and the Buddha is thought to have hallowed it eight years after reaching enlightenment. The temple prospered under the Kotte era but invading Portugese almost razed it to the ground (if its murals are anything to go by). Later on, the Dutch help restore it to prominence.

Walk about its peaceful surroundings. The stupa, though not overly big, looks majestic on a sunny day. Paintings cover the interior of the temple proper and murals depicting scenes from history grace its walls. They are sure to get the art connoisseur in you fascinated in short order.

Footwear and bikes must be left outside.

Railway Quarters, Dematagoda

Tucked into a little known corner of Dematagoda lies a secluded collection of houses that date possibly from the beginning of the last century. They are placed along tree lined streets that will leave you slightly bemused when you step into them directly off the busy Baseline Road. Right before the flyover when coming from Borelle, there are a few ancient looking houses and a road to your left. The entire neighborhood consists of houses that make you feel like you stepped into a Carl Muller novel. It’s almost enough to make you demand bread for 25 cents at the corner shop.

Ride along the tree lined streets and have a rest on some dead leaves. Try and act suspicious to have the extremely rewarding experience of having an irate housewife chase you off. Take pictures with permission, if possible.

A while back, we decided to take a few bikes and just go cycling around the outskirts of Colombo. We just remembered to put the post up yesterday.

So anyway, for cycling trips, depending on the length and location of your path, always carry enough water. A bottle each should be fine, as you can get refills from around. Food isn’t necessary, but if you’re going somewhere remote, better pack a few biscuits or something. As for the bikes themselves, make sure they’re in good condition as getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken bike to lug around is undesirable.

Take it over to a bicycle repair shop nearby and ask him to give it a once-over. Don’t  come across as a complete bicycle-noob and you (probably) won’t be fleeced. Bicycle repairs are one thing that is still cheap in this country; most minor repairs take 10-20 rupees. Parts are available at hardware stores and are typically around Rs. 250 for a chain and Rs. 450 for a set of cog wheels. Cheap.

In case you do need to do a few repairs en route, better carry a suitable sized wrench at the least and an entire toolbox at most. Most of the outskirts have bicycle repair shops around, just ask the locals.

Good backpacks are essential. But remember to pack light and take small day packs. Sunglasses too as long exposure to Colombo’s sun is not very friendly on the eyes during most of the year. And sunscreen if you’re into that kind of thing.

Routes

Planning a route is not that hard. Just pick an interesting enough area and you’ll find plenty of paths to ride down. We decided to start from Battaramulle. Our original intention was to get to the Kelani Temple, but we ended up passing through Hokandara, somewhere near Athurugiriya and then back to Battaramulle through Kaduwela and Malabe. Only the last leg of our journey was on the main Kaduwela road.

The North East suburbs, through which we traversed are rich in greenery. Paddy fields line the dirt roads that lead through villages and the occasional upmarket gated community.

Things To Do

When we set off, we had a vague idea of just heading East till we got to the Kelani River, cross, then head over to the Temple. We ended up going through Hokandara, ending up in some place we didn’t have any idea about, passed through a few housing schemes, wallowed in a muddy field, plummeted down a few hills and even managed to get drenched in the rain.

There are some really beautiful places all over Sri Lanka, and they’re not all outside of Colombo. Just try your luck and you’ll be surprised with small paths through paddy fields, great sunsets from atop hills and lush green landscapes. Most of the country is still covered in green, as evident through a cursory Google maps search for say, cycling routes.

Just explore, have fun. If you don’t find anything interesting, you can always just pedal somewhere else. Some interesting places you can try and cycle through include Colombo Fort, the marshland near and around the Bera lake and the areas further away to the North en route to Negombo.

We decided to finally make use of a tent instead of lugging it around the country and headed to Kalpitiya for a two day stay at one of its great beaches. Kalpitiya is the little finger of land you see on the west side of Sri Lanka, with its base roughly where Puttalam is located.

Important to note is that the very tip of this finger is inaccessible to most people because the Navy has colonized it in the name of defense measures. If you plan to take a boat to any of the surrounding islands, you will also need permission from the ministry of defense. But do not let this deter you, for you can still have an immensely good time without fear of being shot at.

For a camping trip out here, you will need a tent, a suitable amount of food (noodles are easy to prepare and light), a pot to cook in, paper plates or bowls, a little kerosene, a lighter or matches, plenty of water and good company.

Transport

We decided to take the 7:30 train from Fort, which turned out to be a regular train which stopped at every station. It took around five hours to get to Palavi, the closest town from where you can get a bus to Kalpitiya. The train ride itself is quite unremarkable except for the couple of dozen decaying train carriages you will see on the way there. Since the land is mostly just flat and full of trees, there won’t be much hanging off the footboard letting your arm dangle in the air above a thousand foot drop; Unless you find prawn farms terribly exciting to flap at.

Once at Palavi, you will have to make your way to the main road. At this point we decided to stop for lunch, as it was a shame to waste all that salt that had collected on our person on the last couple hours of the train ride. Prices were average, and most shops had the regular chicken, fish and beef but also prawn.

Once on the main road, make your way south for about two hundred meters and you will come across the junction that leads off to Kalpitiya. There is a bus, the 901, that arrives every ten minutes or so to take you where you want to go. Most of the time, it will be quite crowded. A local said that there were A/C buses which usually had seats but we didn’t see any arrive while we were there.

The bus from the junction will take about an hour and forty five minutes to get to Kalpitiya town. It will pass through Thalawila, where there is a famous church visited by many thousands. Most of the way there you will see sparse vegetation on mostly sandy soil. It looks kind of like the east but less dry and less likely to get you killed.

The drivers didn’t seem to mind some of us hogging the footboards even when the bus was emptying out. Although it did look like we’d never been on a bus before.

Once in Kalpitiya, there are a few places of interest such as the Jetty, where unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures. Most armed forces personnel around were friendly and informative. Sadly, most of the information they could provide was that we would need all kinds of permissions to get on boats and things.

Camping

We didn’t exactly have a concrete idea of where we were going to camp out when we set off. So we asked around town on suitable places. We finally decided on a stretch of beach near the Nara Institute, close to the Kudava fishing village, which is near Kandakkudi town, on the advice of a three wheeler driver. But as it turned out, we had happened upon private property and were asked to vacate the premises the next morning. You might want to seek out other spots to settle down on.

Setting up a tent is easy enough, as we found out. It was a first for most of us but it was straightforward and… straightforward. The wind might be a bit of a sap but if you manage to anchor it down, it’ll hold.

Once you’ve set up camp, you are free to enjoy the beach. Wallow in its cool waters, build sandcastles or collect seashells like a little girl.

For dinner, we had a few packets of instant noodles which we cooked over a fire using firewood we gathered from around the area. We recommend you try this for at least one meal for it is quite enjoyable.

Since it takes a while to get a fire going and you’re likely to run into a hitch or two if it’s your first time, take a few flash lights along.

Getting Back

Wherever you are, you can ask the locals for directions to get back to the main road which is never too far away on this thin stretch of land. Make your way there and catch the 901 bus back to the Palavi junction. You might want to continue all the way to Puttalam instead of getting off at Palavi since Puttalam town will offer more places to eat and easier access to buses and trains. There is a train from Puttalam all the way to Mount Lavinia, which I think is an express train but you should check times for it first. The Sri Lankan Railways web site will be of use here.

We decided to take an A/C bus back to Colombo from Puttalam, and as it turned out it got back an hour faster than the regular train. Unfortunately the Rosa buses on the route weren’t exactly the lap of luxury, especially since we didn’t get the coveted rear seat. Four hours of sitting in a small seat isn’t for everyone.

Finally, the usual words of advice for anyone going camping: Don’t litter, and try not to kill anything.

A run down of some popular eateries sprinkled amongst the streets of Colombo. A traveler might very well end up requiring nutrition even in his home turf, so we’ve put together this bunch of restaurants(loosely) for your reference.

Burgers

Everyone’s familiar with Burger King by now I presume, and no I’m not talking about the international franchise, I’m talking about that little joint on the corner of Malay Street at Slave Island. Cheap, tasty burgers in a variety of forms and killer shawarma. Helped possibly by the chap who cuts up the chicken, who in some shades of light looks like a mask-less Jason X to my eyes. They’ve also got kebabs which I am yet to try out. The exact location is about ten feet into malay street when coming from the Galle face/Union place side of the road. It’s a tiny shack like thing, more or less the same size of one of those petti-kada which offer key-cutting services. They set up shop in the evening, with a bunch of chairs and tables spread out on the pavement.

Rottis

There are a variety of rotti based food to choose from. Time was when the number one joint for paratas, naan and other rotti like food items was Nana’s. He had an outlet at Galle face green and then one at slave island. But he’s gone and shut down his business now for some obscure reason and great butter naan with some tandoori chicken on the side while you sit of an evening looking at the sea at  Galle Face is denied us.

On the topic of rotti, but off the streets of Colombo, I simply have to tell you about this great place at Hikkaduwa simply known as the ‘Rotti Shop‘. It’s a few hundred meters before Amaya Reef on the land side if I remember correctly. The cheese rotti there is awesome. Very thick and juicy, filled with spicy chicken and cheese. And it’s not shaped like the standard cheese rottis available in Colombo. I’ve had it several times and keep going back for more whenever i pass that way.

When we talk kottu, most people think of Pillawoos (or Pilla) or blogs. The Pilla at Kollupitiya  is the most popular. You can park your car and they’ll serve you right there on the street. They’ve got a bit of variety with the cheese kottu, masala kottu etc. A good option is also Hotel de(?) Hijra right next door. They’ve got similar fare and will serve you the same way. Wash it down with a nice iced Milo and you’re all set to go. Though kottu fare seems to have dropped off in quality of late.

There are two other Pillawoos’s that I’ve spotted, in Bambalapitiya. They seem decent but I am yet to try the rottis there. Their kottu is not bad.

Indian fare

For Indian food like dosa’s, veggie rice, vadeys etc. the place to go in my school days was Amrithas next to the flats in Bambalapitiya. For unlimited and delicious vegetarian rice however, it used to be Vani Villas down Armor street. They serve your rice and spicy veg curries on a banana leaf and keep refilling you free of charge till you’re too full to move, they also get a bit offended if you don’t eat a lot. Sadly haven’t been to a really great Indian street restaurant lately, though Rahumania right next to Odel (Town Hall) is not bad at all. The vegetarian fare they have might not be everyone’s plate of tandoori but it is safe to say they cater to everyone’s palates, simply by there being around four sections to the place. On the ground floor you have three, the vegeratian, non-veg and dessert thing, where they have some good fruit salads and such. I wouldn’t recommend their kottu though. Climb up the stairs in the middle and you end up in the air-conditioned section where you get served even more food. It is located about twenty meters from Odel when walking away from Lipton Circus.

Vadeys, Rice and other stuff

Galle Face has always been a great place for vadeys, isso vadeys (or prawn vadeys) that is. there is also a chap at the top of the corner of Bullers road and Galle road (basically right at the mouth of the Bambalapitiya junction) who sells great Maldive fish vadeys. Other than that there are always people popping up here and there selling vadeys and things off the street. You just have to try one and see.

For manioc chips there used to be a famous place down station road Dehiwala. You could get a whole bag for just ten rupees.

Hoppers have always been a favourite. Sadly there is no trademark  place I can name for the best hoppers in town, but recently I tried out this tiny place at the Kirulapone junction that was fantastic. I like my egg hoppers watery, and like a lot of loonu miriss (onion/chilli mix) and gravy. Yum yum.

Finally we come to that staple of all Sri Lankan food, bread rice. You can get great biryani at Bilal Hotel opposite Majestic City, There is also a new Pakistani place called Eat More at the Bamba junction that’ll serve you some killer fried rice. They also got this very nice kind of chapathi. You have to try it. They’ve got a speciality called Brain Masala which I’m probably gonna try out soon.

As for all the shops and hotels strewn around the place, just walk in and try it out. There will always be some joint where you can go into and enjoy some hoppers and a tea. Just yesterday I went into a place in fort, a little way off from the railway station. The parata was slightly cold but the chicken was good. Best to go when they’re making everything. Which is usually after 7pm.

Sure I’ve missed out on some great places and even possibly some great food items. What are your favourite places?

Originally posted here – http://abdulhalik.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/street-food-colombo/