🛌 STAY AT GRAND ORIENTAL HOTEL tidd.ly/49U2ZAR 🛌 STAY AT CITY REST FORT tidd.ly/49NxCrK We hope you enjoyed this video as much as we enjoyed Colombo! 😍 Welcome to our channel and thanks for watching. 🙏 Here's the link to our entire Sri Lanka series if you are hungry for more. There will be much more to come from this amazing country!! ❤🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Travel: ua-cam.com/play/PLCmNbKU5iMrm1426S5ltprrISCZunP-BF.html
I'm so glad you've noticed that. We have had so many good experiences with the people here. We hope that you manage to visit. It's well worth the effort. ❤️
What a fantastic video on Sri Lanka guys. I loved the people they are so genuine and friendly. That old colonial hotel was amazing. Thanks for sharing... ❤😊
Hi Lesley. 😍. We've really enjoyed Sri Lanka and are excited to share it with you. So many good things here. The landscape, the culture, the food and definitely the people! ❤️ The hotel experience was amazing. I love those historic places. It would be awesome to stay there but worth a visit anyway. ❤️
Hi Mandy & Lee, Sri Lanka's colonization is interesting: The Portuguese (1505-1658) The Dutch (1658-1796) The Brits (1796-1948) I can't think of any other country that was colonised by 3 different countries within last 5 centuries. That must make Sri Lanka an interesting place to visit. A mix of different colonial architectures (Brits & Dutch). At least the Portuguese named the city of Colombo 😉 Back to the video, people seem friendly and the food was so cheap! Is it me or it's cheaper than Thailand? 🤔 Beautiful hotel, I'm glad to see it's well maintained. Enjoy your week, take care 🙋🏻♂️
Hi Sergio, Yes, I found Sri Lanka totally fascinating and would love to return to see more. The history is certainly full of intrigue. I love reading about the era of discovery and the spice trade so it's right in the heart of the action here. The French even made an appearance which we'll show when we go to Trincomalee fort. 😍 It's got it all, topped off with friendly people and incredible value for money. Yes, I'd say cheaper than Thailand for food, travel and accommodation. I could spend a long time here exploring deeper and I hope to in the future. The hotel is one example of many fine colonial buildings dotted around the country. We'll be showing more in the coming videos. Have a wonderful week. 👍😍 L&M
Hey Sergio, it's all about the strategic geography of Sri Lanka, sandwiched between East Asia and the West. If you're looking to rule the roost in this neck of the woods, you've gotta flex some naval muscle in this tiny hotspot.
@@SuperYasela Hi, I'm totally aware of the importance of Sri Lanka for the European colonial superpowers. I was just stressing her w unusual for a country to have 3 European colonisers. I'm sorry to say that I haven't paid much attention to Sri Lanka up until Mandy & Lee's Vlogs. But after digging a bit, I'm pleasantly surprised and would love to visit 🤞
Thank you for sharing that interesting tidbit of information ❤ SL is an amazing little melting pot of different cultures which is reflected in its languages, architecture, music and most importantly the food!! Apart from Portuguese, Dutch and British influences, we also have the Moors, Malays, Indian Tamils, Parsis, Chetties, Chinese, Borahs, Memons, Kaffirs, and so many more! There are many places where you can just stand somewhere and you will see a Buddhist temple, Hindu kovil, Muslim mosque and Catholic church all within a stone's throw of each other. As a Burgher myself (aka of mixed Dutch/ Sinhalese descent) i am very interested in learning more about my own cultural roots as well.
That's so lovely, JC, thank you for that lovely compliment 🤗 There are many more videos to come, and we look forward to more of your kind comments 🇱🇰♥️
I live in Colombo and I’m learning so much from your videos in Sri Lanka. Just learned about the old buildings in Galle from your videos on Galle and now about the old buildings in Colombo. It’s so nice to see how friendly and humble you guys are. Very informative and quite different from the usual videos. Hope you enjoy your travels around our beautiful country! Wishing you all the best.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and welcome to our channel. 🙏❤️ We're glad you enjoyed the videos we made so far and we're pleased to say there are plenty more to come. We've really fallen in love with Sri Lanka. ❤️. Amazing country and such lovely people. Thank you so much 🙏❤️🇱🇰
Thank you for your lovely comment and great feedback, Alice. We spent 7 weeks in Sri Lanka, and there'll be many more videos to come, all of which will be very handy for planning your travels 😁🇱🇰♥️
Greetings again to you both, hope you are enjoying Sri Lanka. That place you said you aren't sure whether you can swim or not.....when we use to come on holidays from London, the water was very clean, in the 50 s and early 60s and we used to go about half a mile or more and spear fish,take home and grill it and it was a fun day. I am not sure about the water quality now. Kotthumalli is Corriander seeds. I am Singhalese and I was born in that beautiful country. Anyway enjoy your journey, take care and stay safe. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much for the great information. 🙏. I think the water quality there may have been affected due to all the construction with that new area being developed. We really enjoyed it down at the Galle face. It was so nice being amongst so many happy people enjoying themselves. 😍
Thank you so much 🙏 Colombo was full of pleasant surprises for us and we feel like we could have stayed longer and explored deeper. Hopefully we'll go back one day. 🙏😊
@@FrugalTravellers yes, people visiting sri Lanka visit it again and again. I have unforgettable memories of that country. Your video brought back those happy days. Thanks for your kind response.
What a fantastic video! I learned more about Colombo watching this video then when we were there a few years back. 😅 What a wonderful introduction to a marvelous country. 🇱🇰 Enjoy. 👋🏻
Hi Lucchesse. It's great when someone who's been there also enjoys it. We must have got something right then. 😊. There's another coming soon with even more gems from this fascinating city. Sri Lanka really did surprise us. 😍
3:06 Wait! Is that really where Doran Doran filmed their ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ video? ua-cam.com/video/RatTijc2YR0/v-deo.htmlsi=WMvfv8zFAfphOvVq Well how cool is that?!? 😮
@@lucchese20 I am from Sri Lanka and my father said that this video was shot in Sri Lanka back in the 80’s.Also Duran Duran's 'Save a prayer 'shot back then here in Sri Lanka
Thanks so much 🙏 We really have enjoyed the whole experience in Sri Lanka and have found the country and the people very welcoming and friendly. So much that we already intend to return and see more. 🙏 We have many more videos to come of this experience as well. We hope you will enjoy them. ❤️🇱🇰
WOW! Mandy and Lee, thank you for an amazing video on Columbo. I haven’t heard of the city until now. The Dutch hospital looks beautiful and I like that they leave the old signs in English up. I am happy that the restaurant was not offended to use silverware, I don’t mind to use hands, but I prefer to use fork and spoon. The grand hotel is very luxury. I love hearing the wave in the background. I can eat mango and pineapple with chili any day. 😋 Is Columbo safe? Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience!
Hi Sue. 😊 So glad you enjoyed it. We were really surprised with Colombo and had a wonderful time there. I'm (Lee) not so into big, hectic cities but I really took to Colombo. It was fun and I felt no sense of danger. That said, there are quite a few scams around so you have to be alert to that and trust your instincts. Most popular are very friendly and helpful. 👍 There are so many interesting places to see and the food was incredible, especially the chilli mango! 😊😋😍
Hello Tyro. Thank you for your lovely comment. We are happy that you enjoyed this video, and we have many more to come after our amazing 7 weeks in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰♥️
In Feb 24 we also stayed at the Grand Oriental Hotel. Our room was just next to where Queen Elizabeth had her suite of rooms on two occasions over the years. Our experience was mixed. Grand hotel, always full, huge rooms with antique furniture, but it just cannot compare in comfort to modern hotels. But if you want to imagine you just got off the steamer from Europe in 1900, well this is your place.
That sounds incredible. I imagine these heritage hotels struggle to offer the comforts and luxury of a modern hotel but what they lack in comforts, they no doubt make up for with character. They'd personally be my choice anytime. I'm a bit of a romantic for nostalgia when it comes to travel experiences. 👍
It's an absolute riot seeing you folks having a blast at Colombo Galle Face Green! This place is a gem, especially considering the whirlwind that is Colombo city center. Kudos to you adventurous souls for diving into local traditions like chewing betel. Me? I've only dabbled in it a couple of times-definitely not a habit I've acquired! But hats off to you for fully embracing the hand-to-mouth experience and sampling all the local goodies. And hey, if you haven't already, don't leave without trying the legendary "Kottu" dish. It's the pièce de résistance of Sri Lankan cuisine! Keep on exploring and enjoying the local flavors!
Thanks so much and we're really happy you enjoyed our experience there as much as we did. What a fantastic start to a Sri Lanka trip enjoying the 'vibe' down at the Galle Face! The betel nut chewing was a fun experience but I'm not sure I'd make a habit of it. 🤣. We've had quite a few Kotthus and will show them in future videos. They are definitely a huge part of the Sri Lankan staple cuisine and I love hearing them being chopped up as you walk down the street. Musical entertainment as well as a delicious taste. 😍
Lovely video guys. A little side note, The green cabin or the Pagoda which the two of you checked out in Fort used to be much bigger and it was actually in the opposite building as to where it is now. The change up was done a few years back but about 10 years ago it was in the opposite building and it had the colonial and ancient look which it was famous for. And at present they only serve short eats and some baked items. But when i was a kid (maybe 10-15 years ago) i used to go there alot with my parents and had really nice meals, specially for lunch. Im sorry you guys couldnt experience the real Pagoda which you guys wanted to see. Anyway this is a really cool video and good luck to you guys. Keep promoting Sri Lanka!
Thanks so much for this interesting information. 🙏. When we first heard about it we watched the music video to see what to expect and then were a little disappointed when we went in. It was great being in Fort and I think the area has a lot of potential if there was the money to renovate all those lovely old buildings which have become neglected. Hopefully tourism will help the local economy in the future. 🙏
I walked those very streets in Feb of 24. Not my first visit, but this time I spent a lot more time photographing the old buildings. It looks like many of them are in good hands with banks as tenets. And as some of them are overgrown or gutted, I would hope there are plans for the stragglers on the block. One thing is undeniable tho,... the mixture of old colonial, or stucco with terracotta tyle, and glass and steel high rises is gorgeous!
It's good to hear they are in good hands and hopefully restoration can stop them crumbling. I love to see a juxtaposition between the old and new. If done properly it's very attractive.
It's a wonderful, colonial masterpiece. I'd love to stay there one day. The staff were all very pleasant and the highlight was the view from the dining room. Awesome! 👍
Sarawita. Thank you so much 🙏 We are learning a lot here from Sri Lankans and we really appreciate all this new information for us and other people to learn. 🙏😍
I think you're on the money there, Kenny. Editing these videos has made us realise just how much we loved Sri Lanka and what an incredible country it is to visit. I'd go back in a flash 🇱🇰♥️ ~ Mandy
The clock tower shown at 5:00 is actually a super interesting one. This entire area of Colombo (Dutch Hospital, Green Cabin, Grand Oriental Hotel etc) is the heart of Colombo city, called Colombo Fort, or just Fort in short. Colombo city is comprised of 15 sections, Colombo 1 to Colombo 15, and Fort is in Colombo 1. It is where the Dutch built their fort 😊 That particular clock tower is the point from which distance is measured throughout the country, the base point or KM 0, if you will. So when it says some place is 10km from Colombo, that is the actual starting point! A little away down the Galle Face promenade you will come across a posh mall called "One Galle Face" (OGF) which is literally the address of the spot. It is exactly 1km distance from that clock tower.
Thank you so much for this very interesting information. 🙏. We love it when we get these really informative comments from local people because everyone who reads this can learn something new. 🙏❤️ So we really were in the heart of the city. I'd like to return and explore more of the different sections to compare. Hopefully we will. 🙏 Thanks for taking the time to write. We really appreciate it. 😍👍
@@FrugalTravellers yes, each section of Colombo has its own unique "theme"... Fort (Colombo 1) is the centre of it all with the most important office buildings, port, etc. Pettah (Colombo 2) is the bargainer's (and scammer's!) paradise with each street dedicated to different merchandise. You will find almost everything in Pettah at cheaper prices than anywhere else - from textiles to paper goods, electronics, plastic goods, toys, glassware etc. Cinnamon Gardens (Colombo 7) is the poshest residential area and so on...
Thank you so much this great information. We assumed it was important as it is very impressive. We were so impressed with all of Colombo actually! ❤️🇱🇰
Feel very moved watching your videos, especially these ones on Sri Lanka cos of my mothers stories about it. Hope this is the right video where Mandy picked up the little red fruit - cherry/apple to taste. It reminded me of some fruit given to me from a local tree. They were Apple guava. Very crisp and a little tasteless. Wondering if same fruit?
Hi Ally 😍 We really enjoyed our experience in Sri Lanka and were blown away by the friendlies of the people. That red fruit was interesting. Quite crisp without much flavour but the chilli jazzed it up. 😁. We never did identify the name.
In Sri Lanka the betel leaf preparation is referred to as bulath vita & the sweet version as saravita. I believe you had the latter. Sri Lankans refer to bread as paan.
colombo city population is just 600 000 (0.6 Millions) colombo district has 2.55 Million people and colombo metropolitan area has almost 7.0 Million people not 1.8 M as you said , btw enjoy all the best
Thanks for the useful information. There's such a wide variety of figures online. The metropolitan area seems huge and sprawling. I often wonder where these areas start and finish. 🤣 👍
Haha 😂 Yes. It was a brief encounter with 'The other side' and we only went in because they invited us but I'm so glad we did. Very friendly and welcoming people here. 😍
Have been several times to SL and soon again. It keeps amazing. Great food, wonderful people. But sadly, too many scammers. I know, they are everywhere in the World, but SL is a Scammers Paradise!!
I know what you mean. It is an awesome country to travel in. Fortunately the scammers are very easy to identify and avoid. You just have to keep your guard up. Most people are genuine and honest. 😍
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Pocahoetaz. Sri Lanka is an amazing country, and the people are so friendly. We had a wonderful time there and have made loads of videos, so keep watching for more of our Sri Lankan adventures 🤗🙏🇱🇰♥️ ~ Mandy
Hello Hana. We were in Sri Lanka in June-July last year. I was diagnosed with cancer in Kandy, which delayed editing, and as we filmed so much, we're currently 7 months behind real time... 7 weeks in Sri Lanka will equal maybe 25 to 30 videos 🇱🇰🤗
when westerners come to our country its all smiles and fun but when we go to your country you look at us in a rude way and dont even smile and never resepect us. This is the reality and I dont like it all.
Hi Robert. Thanks for your comment. I'm happy to report we didn't have a single dodgy stomach the whole 7 weeks we were in Sri Lanka, eating mainly street food.
🛌 STAY AT GRAND ORIENTAL HOTEL tidd.ly/49U2ZAR
🛌 STAY AT CITY REST FORT tidd.ly/49NxCrK
We hope you enjoyed this video as much as we enjoyed Colombo! 😍 Welcome to our channel and thanks for watching. 🙏 Here's the link to our entire Sri Lanka series if you are hungry for more. There will be much more to come from this amazing country!! ❤🇱🇰
Sri Lanka Travel: ua-cam.com/play/PLCmNbKU5iMrm1426S5ltprrISCZunP-BF.html
The Sri Lankan people seem so friendly and hospitable. You've inspired us to go there ourselves, another great video. Thanks guys! 🙂❤️
I'm so glad you've noticed that. We have had so many good experiences with the people here. We hope that you manage to visit. It's well worth the effort. ❤️
What a fantastic video on Sri Lanka guys. I loved the people they are so genuine and friendly. That old colonial hotel was amazing. Thanks for sharing... ❤😊
Hi Lesley. 😍. We've really enjoyed Sri Lanka and are excited to share it with you. So many good things here. The landscape, the culture, the food and definitely the people! ❤️
The hotel experience was amazing. I love those historic places. It would be awesome to stay there but worth a visit anyway. ❤️
What a lovey smiley couple 🥰
Thank you, Shaun. 🙏😍
I don't know why but Colombo reminded me of your time in Portugal. Same friendly vibes along the water. Tourists and locals enjoying the evening!
Yes I see the similarities also. 😊. People have seem to enjoy the simple things in life, as do the Portuguese and that makes us happy. ❤️
Okay now I am hungry! Wow, Sri Lanka seems beautiful!
🤣🤣. The food has been amazing here and we love to show our new discoveries. 😋❤️
Welcome to sri lanka
Hi Mandy & Lee,
Sri Lanka's colonization is interesting:
The Portuguese (1505-1658)
The Dutch (1658-1796)
The Brits (1796-1948)
I can't think of any other country that was colonised by 3 different countries within last 5 centuries.
That must make Sri Lanka an interesting place to visit. A mix of different colonial architectures (Brits & Dutch).
At least the Portuguese named the city of Colombo 😉
Back to the video, people seem friendly and the food was so cheap! Is it me or it's cheaper than Thailand? 🤔
Beautiful hotel, I'm glad to see it's well maintained.
Enjoy your week, take care 🙋🏻♂️
Hi Sergio,
Yes, I found Sri Lanka totally fascinating and would love to return to see more. The history is certainly full of intrigue. I love reading about the era of discovery and the spice trade so it's right in the heart of the action here.
The French even made an appearance which we'll show when we go to Trincomalee fort. 😍
It's got it all, topped off with friendly people and incredible value for money. Yes, I'd say cheaper than Thailand for food, travel and accommodation.
I could spend a long time here exploring deeper and I hope to in the future.
The hotel is one example of many fine colonial buildings dotted around the country. We'll be showing more in the coming videos.
Have a wonderful week. 👍😍
L&M
Hey Sergio, it's all about the strategic geography of Sri Lanka, sandwiched between East Asia and the West. If you're looking to rule the roost in this neck of the woods, you've gotta flex some naval muscle in this tiny hotspot.
@@SuperYasela Hi, I'm totally aware of the importance of Sri Lanka for the European colonial superpowers.
I was just stressing her w unusual for a country to have 3 European colonisers.
I'm sorry to say that I haven't paid much attention to Sri Lanka up until Mandy & Lee's Vlogs.
But after digging a bit, I'm pleasantly surprised and would love to visit 🤞
Thank you for sharing that interesting tidbit of information ❤ SL is an amazing little melting pot of different cultures which is reflected in its languages, architecture, music and most importantly the food!! Apart from Portuguese, Dutch and British influences, we also have the Moors, Malays, Indian Tamils, Parsis, Chetties, Chinese, Borahs, Memons, Kaffirs, and so many more! There are many places where you can just stand somewhere and you will see a Buddhist temple, Hindu kovil, Muslim mosque and Catholic church all within a stone's throw of each other.
As a Burgher myself (aka of mixed Dutch/ Sinhalese descent) i am very interested in learning more about my own cultural roots as well.
You both have a good vibe. Keep it up. I enjoyed your video. Thanks
Thank you so much 🙏 We hope you enjoy the next Sri Lanka videos also. 👍
Welcome to the most beautiful island in the world 🇱🇰 ❤
Thank you 🙏 We can see now why it is called the pearl of Asia. ❤️🇱🇰
13:17 They say don't bathe there because there are jellyfish near the beach, they can sting you. Water quality is actually okay.
Thank you, Sandev. That's great to know. 🙏 🙏
I am looking forward to all the videos from SL. Love your personalities ❤
That's so lovely, JC, thank you for that lovely compliment 🤗 There are many more videos to come, and we look forward to more of your kind comments 🇱🇰♥️
@@FrugalTravellers lovely ❤️
Thank you so much fir visiting Sri Lanka and exploring .... enjoy ...
Thank you to you and all the kind people who have welcomed us to Sri Lanka. 🙏❤️🇱🇰
Love how enthusiastic the Grand Oriental Hotel employees are about their hotel.
They were brilliant. They invited us in off the street and treated us so well. What an amazing place and lovely people. ❤️
what a lovely smiley couple. They always proudly appreciate Heritage in Sri lanka. some foreigners didn't do that. we love England..😀😀
Thank you so much 🙏 We have really enjoyed everything about Sri Lanka. The culture and the people here make us very happy. Thank you for having us. 🙏😊
I live in Colombo and I’m learning so much from your videos in Sri Lanka. Just learned about the old buildings in Galle from your videos on Galle and now about the old buildings in Colombo. It’s so nice to see how friendly and humble you guys are. Very informative and quite different from the usual videos. Hope you enjoy your travels around our beautiful country! Wishing you all the best.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and welcome to our channel. 🙏❤️ We're glad you enjoyed the videos we made so far and we're pleased to say there are plenty more to come. We've really fallen in love with Sri Lanka. ❤️. Amazing country and such lovely people. Thank you so much 🙏❤️🇱🇰
Will certainly keep waiting for your videos god bless you always 🙏
That's wonderful to hear, Nisar, thank you! 🙏🤗🇱🇰♥️
both of you are awesome, thank you for coming to Sri Lanka
Thank you so much, Dhanushka. We had such a wonderful time in Sri Lanka, and there are so many more videos to come 🇱🇰♥️
thanks for visiting guys
Thank you too 🤗🙏 We had such an amazing time in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰♥️
Absolutely Beautiful xx
Thanks, Susan. It really is a special place. 😍
Love the positive vibes
Thank you, Xavier 🤗🙏
Sri Lanka is on my list of destinations... hopefully not too far away 😎 loving these videos 💛
Thank you for your lovely comment and great feedback, Alice. We spent 7 weeks in Sri Lanka, and there'll be many more videos to come, all of which will be very handy for planning your travels 😁🇱🇰♥️
Looked amazing & getting a hotel tour!
Take care and stay safe x 🇬🇧
Yay for the hotel tour... Great people who just invited us in off the street. 👍 That's Sri Lanka for you. ❤️🇱🇰
Greetings again to you both, hope you are enjoying Sri Lanka. That place you said you aren't sure whether you can swim or not.....when we use to come on holidays from London, the water was very clean, in the 50 s and early 60s and we used to go about half a mile or more and spear fish,take home and grill it and it was a fun day. I am not sure about the water quality now. Kotthumalli is Corriander seeds. I am Singhalese and I was born in that beautiful country. Anyway enjoy your journey, take care and stay safe. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much for the great information. 🙏. I think the water quality there may have been affected due to all the construction with that new area being developed. We really enjoyed it down at the Galle face. It was so nice being amongst so many happy people enjoying themselves. 😍
This is an iconic video of the iconic places of colombo. Made me go down memory lane. A masterpiece
Thanks.
Thank you so much 🙏 Colombo was full of pleasant surprises for us and we feel like we could have stayed longer and explored deeper. Hopefully we'll go back one day. 🙏😊
@@FrugalTravellers yes, people visiting sri Lanka visit it again and again. I have unforgettable memories of that country. Your video brought back those happy days. Thanks for your kind response.
Nothing can beat the tropical beauty.
So true. It's amazing there. ❤️
A lovely smiley couple. Love from Srilanka...
Thank you so much, Kalum. That is so kind of you to say 🙏🤗
What a fantastic video! I learned more about Colombo watching this video then when we were there a few years back. 😅 What a wonderful introduction to a marvelous country. 🇱🇰 Enjoy. 👋🏻
Hi Lucchesse. It's great when someone who's been there also enjoys it. We must have got something right then. 😊. There's another coming soon with even more gems from this fascinating city. Sri Lanka really did surprise us. 😍
3:06 Wait! Is that really where Doran Doran filmed their ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ video? ua-cam.com/video/RatTijc2YR0/v-deo.htmlsi=WMvfv8zFAfphOvVq Well how cool is that?!? 😮
@@lucchese20 I am from Sri Lanka and my father said that this video was shot in Sri Lanka back in the 80’s.Also Duran Duran's 'Save a prayer 'shot back then here in Sri Lanka
You guys are awesome…
Thank you so much, All Things 🙏🤗
Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 the hidden diamond of Asia .
Hope you have enjoyed the unique tourism experience there.
It's been absolutely amazing. We've really loved it here. 🙏😍
You guys are making beautiful and amazing videos. I really like your style. Welcome to Sri lanka.🎉
Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙏. We hope you enjoy our videos about Sri Lanka. It's a beautiful place. 🇱🇰
Thanks for visiting Srilanka guys! ❤️ Such a nice video. A huge fan 🥹❤️ Ayubowan!
Thanks so much 🙏 We really have enjoyed the whole experience in Sri Lanka and have found the country and the people very welcoming and friendly. So much that we already intend to return and see more. 🙏
We have many more videos to come of this experience as well. We hope you will enjoy them. ❤️🇱🇰
Visit Srilanka again soon. We are waiting for your new videos too🥹🫶🏼Much love!
Awesome video
Glad you enjoyed it! There are many more Sri Lanka videos to come 🇱🇰♥️
Congratulations it’s tempting to see such foodies
Thanks, Roshan. 🙏. We're discovering so much good, new food here and will be happy to show more in our next videos. 😋😍
WOW! Mandy and Lee, thank you for an amazing video on Columbo. I haven’t heard of the city until now. The Dutch hospital looks beautiful and I like that they leave the old signs in English up. I am happy that the restaurant was not offended to use silverware, I don’t mind to use hands, but I prefer to use fork and spoon. The grand hotel is very luxury. I love hearing the wave in the background. I can eat mango and pineapple with chili any day. 😋 Is Columbo safe? Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience!
Hi Sue. 😊 So glad you enjoyed it. We were really surprised with Colombo and had a wonderful time there. I'm (Lee) not so into big, hectic cities but I really took to Colombo. It was fun and I felt no sense of danger. That said, there are quite a few scams around so you have to be alert to that and trust your instincts. Most popular are very friendly and helpful. 👍 There are so many interesting places to see and the food was incredible, especially the chilli mango! 😊😋😍
You two are very nice, good luck for your channel ❤
Thank you so much, Rebecca. We had such a wonderful time in Sri Lanka, and have many more videos to share with you 🇱🇰♥️
Its makes me happy, because lots of youtube channels did vlogs about srilanka
Hello Tyro. Thank you for your lovely comment. We are happy that you enjoyed this video, and we have many more to come after our amazing 7 weeks in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰♥️
I always watching
In Feb 24 we also stayed at the Grand Oriental Hotel. Our room was just next to where Queen Elizabeth had her suite of rooms on two occasions over the years. Our experience was mixed. Grand hotel, always full, huge rooms with antique furniture, but it just cannot compare in comfort to modern hotels. But if you want to imagine you just got off the steamer from Europe in 1900, well this is your place.
That sounds incredible. I imagine these heritage hotels struggle to offer the comforts and luxury of a modern hotel but what they lack in comforts, they no doubt make up for with character. They'd personally be my choice anytime. I'm a bit of a romantic for nostalgia when it comes to travel experiences. 👍
Most welcome to Sri Lanka
Thank you! We love Sri Lanka 🇱🇰♥️
It's an absolute riot seeing you folks having a blast at Colombo Galle Face Green! This place is a gem, especially considering the whirlwind that is Colombo city center. Kudos to you adventurous souls for diving into local traditions like chewing betel. Me? I've only dabbled in it a couple of times-definitely not a habit I've acquired! But hats off to you for fully embracing the hand-to-mouth experience and sampling all the local goodies. And hey, if you haven't already, don't leave without trying the legendary "Kottu" dish. It's the pièce de résistance of Sri Lankan cuisine! Keep on exploring and enjoying the local flavors!
Thanks so much and we're really happy you enjoyed our experience there as much as we did. What a fantastic start to a Sri Lanka trip enjoying the 'vibe' down at the Galle Face! The betel nut chewing was a fun experience but I'm not sure I'd make a habit of it. 🤣. We've had quite a few Kotthus and will show them in future videos. They are definitely a huge part of the Sri Lankan staple cuisine and I love hearing them being chopped up as you walk down the street. Musical entertainment as well as a delicious taste. 😍
good intentions give good results..wish whatever you do be successful..welcome to sri lanka🙏
Thank you so much 🙏 We feel there is a lot of good karma here. It's a pleasure to visit. ❤️
Wel come 🇱🇰 my mother land . Lovely couple ❤️ so much
Thank you so much, ms suhat 🙏🤗 We love Sri Lanka and hope you enjoy all the videos to come! 🇱🇰♥️
This was a cracking vlog - we watched it on the telly last night, hence the lack of comment.
I hope that you enjoyed it on the 'big screen' 😂. I like to do that as well myself, too. 😊
Have a good time
Thank you so much, Tyro
Hi,i hope. you're enjoying srilanka .🎉🎉🎉🎉
Hello Fahath! We had an amazing time in Sri Lanka, and there are many more videos to come, so keep watching 🤗🇱🇰♥️
Lovely video guys.
A little side note, The green cabin or the Pagoda which the two of you checked out in Fort used to be much bigger and it was actually in the opposite building as to where it is now. The change up was done a few years back but about 10 years ago it was in the opposite building and it had the colonial and ancient look which it was famous for. And at present they only serve short eats and some baked items. But when i was a kid (maybe 10-15 years ago) i used to go there alot with my parents and had really nice meals, specially for lunch.
Im sorry you guys couldnt experience the real Pagoda which you guys wanted to see.
Anyway this is a really cool video and good luck to you guys. Keep promoting Sri Lanka!
Thanks so much for this interesting information. 🙏. When we first heard about it we watched the music video to see what to expect and then were a little disappointed when we went in.
It was great being in Fort and I think the area has a lot of potential if there was the money to renovate all those lovely old buildings which have become neglected. Hopefully tourism will help the local economy in the future. 🙏
Beautiful smiles 😅keep smiling
That's so lovely, Rav Pat! Thank you 🙏🤗
Waiting 😍😍
Excellent, hope you enjoy 😍🙏😍
@@FrugalTravellersLot ..you both are so kind..much ❤
I walked those very streets in Feb of 24. Not my first visit, but this time I spent a lot more time photographing the old buildings. It looks like many of them are in good hands with banks as tenets. And as some of them are overgrown or gutted, I would hope there are plans for the stragglers on the block. One thing is undeniable tho,... the mixture of old colonial, or stucco with terracotta tyle, and glass and steel high rises is gorgeous!
It's good to hear they are in good hands and hopefully restoration can stop them crumbling. I love to see a juxtaposition between the old and new. If done properly it's very attractive.
Chew of betal is a refreshner..generally it is not for swallow..but, since its mixed with coconut, you can swell it.
Thank you 🙏 I found it quite difficult to chew but enjoyed the flavour. I did spit it out eventually. 👍
I stayed at the Grand Oriental 5 or 6 years ago-- the rooms were comfortable but the dining room was spectaular with its view-- also a good location
It's a wonderful, colonial masterpiece. I'd love to stay there one day. The staff were all very pleasant and the highlight was the view from the dining room. Awesome! 👍
Bulath its called sarawita. Its include many herbs for it.
Sarawita. Thank you so much 🙏 We are learning a lot here from Sri Lankans and we really appreciate all this new information for us and other people to learn. 🙏😍
Welcome Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 😘
Thank you so much 🙏😍 It's a pleasure to visit this amazing country. 🙏🇱🇰😊
Lovely couple, love from Sri lanka
That's so lovely, Prabash, thank you 🙏🤗🇱🇰❤️
I have a feeling yall will be coming back to sri lanka multiple times going into the future
I think you're on the money there, Kenny. Editing these videos has made us realise just how much we loved Sri Lanka and what an incredible country it is to visit. I'd go back in a flash 🇱🇰♥️ ~ Mandy
The clock tower shown at 5:00 is actually a super interesting one. This entire area of Colombo (Dutch Hospital, Green Cabin, Grand Oriental Hotel etc) is the heart of Colombo city, called Colombo Fort, or just Fort in short. Colombo city is comprised of 15 sections, Colombo 1 to Colombo 15, and Fort is in Colombo 1. It is where the Dutch built their fort 😊
That particular clock tower is the point from which distance is measured throughout the country, the base point or KM 0, if you will. So when it says some place is 10km from Colombo, that is the actual starting point!
A little away down the Galle Face promenade you will come across a posh mall called "One Galle Face" (OGF) which is literally the address of the spot. It is exactly 1km distance from that clock tower.
Thank you so much for this very interesting information. 🙏. We love it when we get these really informative comments from local people because everyone who reads this can learn something new. 🙏❤️
So we really were in the heart of the city. I'd like to return and explore more of the different sections to compare. Hopefully we will. 🙏
Thanks for taking the time to write. We really appreciate it. 😍👍
@@FrugalTravellers yes, each section of Colombo has its own unique "theme"... Fort (Colombo 1) is the centre of it all with the most important office buildings, port, etc. Pettah (Colombo 2) is the bargainer's (and scammer's!) paradise with each street dedicated to different merchandise. You will find almost everything in Pettah at cheaper prices than anywhere else - from textiles to paper goods, electronics, plastic goods, toys, glassware etc. Cinnamon Gardens (Colombo 7) is the poshest residential area and so on...
Welcome to paradise
Thank you so much, riyas 🤗😁🙏
The yellowish building was the old parliament bldg, now the presidential secretariat
Thank you so much this great information. We assumed it was important as it is very impressive. We were so impressed with all of Colombo actually! ❤️🇱🇰
❤❤ to lovely couple visit our mother land thank you very much.
Our pleasure! Sri Lanka is amazing, and there are many more videos to come of our wonderful experiences there 🇱🇰♥️
@@FrugalTravellers waiting 👍
thanks for the vid info. when did you travel there? month & year?
Hello DD. June-July last year.
Fun fact, The Colombo Parliament building resembles the Northern Ireland Stormant building and the White House.
Wow 😳. That's great to know. I've never been close to either but when I do I shall be comparing. 😊 Thanks 🙏
Welcome to sri lanka ❤❤❤
Thank you, Prasad 🙏😊 There are many more videos to come, and we hope you enjoy them 🇱🇰♥️
Feel very moved watching your videos, especially these ones on Sri Lanka cos of my mothers stories about it.
Hope this is the right video where Mandy picked up the little red fruit - cherry/apple to taste. It reminded me of some fruit given to me from a local tree. They were Apple guava. Very crisp and a little tasteless. Wondering if same fruit?
Hi Ally 😍 We really enjoyed our experience in Sri Lanka and were blown away by the friendlies of the people. That red fruit was interesting. Quite crisp without much flavour but the chilli jazzed it up. 😁. We never did identify the name.
@@FrugalTravellers Yes mums stories were about the people she met.
Please visit commons coffee house for good food my favourite place ❤
Thank you for the recommendation, Nisar. We had an amazing time in Sri Lanka, with many more videos to share with you 🤗♥️🇱🇰
@@FrugalTravellers take care Sri Lanka it's people and all are so good my favourite place to visit always 🙏❤️
In Sri Lanka the betel leaf preparation is referred to as bulath vita & the sweet version as saravita. I believe you had the latter. Sri Lankans refer to bread as paan.
Thank you for this interesting information. I find it fascinating. ❤️ The world paan for bread is very similar to Portuguese and Spanish. 👍
@@FrugalTravellers Thats cos colloquial Sinhala have lots of loan words from Portuguese, Dutch, English and Tamil
wow nice video nice for americing in choice to you colombo in travel to many places in sri lankaans please reqlight me
Riplaye me plz
Thank you 🙏. Colombo was amazing and we also will have many other videos of other places we visit in Sri Lanka. Hope you enjoy. ❤️🇱🇰
I got married in Grant oriental Hotel ❤
Oh wow, Deepthi... that would have been incredible! 🤗😍♥️
🇱🇰👍❤️
We're so pleased you enjoyed this video 🙏🤗😍
I think Sri lankans don't sallow bulat 😂 awesome vlog again. Didn't know u guys from England ❤️
Hello Dilshan, and thank you for your lovely comment 🙏🤗 I'm from New Zealand and Lee's from the UK, but we live in Australia 😁🇦🇺
Please i am inviting you to travel up country nuwaraeliya, Kandy, and udawalawa
Keep watching as we will be going up to Nuwara Eliya and Kandy... we spent 7 weeks in Sri Lanka and have so many videos to share ♥️🇱🇰
colombo city population is just 600 000 (0.6 Millions)
colombo district has 2.55 Million people
and colombo metropolitan area has almost 7.0 Million people
not 1.8 M as you said , btw enjoy all the best
Thanks for the useful information. There's such a wide variety of figures online. The metropolitan area seems huge and sprawling. I often wonder where these areas start and finish. 🤣 👍
5* hotel - I think you'll have to change your name to 'The Extravagant Travellers'! 🤣
Haha 😂 Yes. It was a brief encounter with 'The other side' and we only went in because they invited us but I'm so glad we did. Very friendly and welcoming people here. 😍
Have been several times to SL and soon again. It keeps amazing. Great food, wonderful people. But sadly, too many scammers. I know, they are everywhere in the World, but SL is a Scammers Paradise!!
I know what you mean. It is an awesome country to travel in. Fortunately the scammers are very easy to identify and avoid. You just have to keep your guard up. Most people are genuine and honest. 😍
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Beautiful Sri Lanka ♥️🇱🇰
What time of year are you in Sri Lanka guys 😎
Hello Alice. We were there for 7 weeks in June/July.
People in Sri Lanka are so nice well I believe people around the world are nice and kind until we start talking politics😅 great video as always
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Pocahoetaz. Sri Lanka is an amazing country, and the people are so friendly. We had a wonderful time there and have made loads of videos, so keep watching for more of our Sri Lankan adventures 🤗🙏🇱🇰♥️ ~ Mandy
This is not betal nut..look like betal nut
That's so interesting, Dark Wolf, thank you. What is it, if it's not betal nut?
Is this video 1 year old?
Hello Hana. We were in Sri Lanka in June-July last year. I was diagnosed with cancer in Kandy, which delayed editing, and as we filmed so much, we're currently 7 months behind real time... 7 weeks in Sri Lanka will equal maybe 25 to 30 videos 🇱🇰🤗
GM was so stupid. 😁
Dude, that's neither positive nor very kind. Remember to be polite.
when westerners come to our country its all smiles and fun but when we go to your country you look at us in a rude way and dont even smile and never resepect us. This is the reality and I dont like it all.
I am sorry to hear that, epic9. We wish you all the best.
dont be sorry. just show us the same respect that we show you here in your home country.. not just when you visit here.@@FrugalTravellers
I hope the food vendor had washed his hands. His fingers were all over the food.
Hi Robert. Thanks for your comment. I'm happy to report we didn't have a single dodgy stomach the whole 7 weeks we were in Sri Lanka, eating mainly street food.
Thank you so much 🤗🙏🇱🇰♥️