Colombo in a day, Temples & History

Of all the shore excursions from the whole 17 night cruise, I think this was my personal favourite. Colombo had unexpected surprises around every turn, with its many colourful temples, vibrant culture, people and food. The morning took us to see the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya Temple, its Reclining Buddha and a very white Stupa. It's a very active Temple with many local visitors and also full of cruise tourists on our day, so you have to show some patience to get good photos and try to soak in some ambiance of the place at the same time, but it's well worth the visit. Next up was the Sri Kailawasanathan Hindu Temple, back in closer to the city, dedicated to teh Gods Ganesha & Shiva, and the oldest Hindu Temple in Colombo. Winding our way through the city streets we stopped at Independence Square before lunch at a hotel over in Galle Face. After lunch we visited the National Museum with its array of Sri Lankan artifacts housed in a Colonial Era mansion. There is an obligatory stop at a local handicraft centre (tourist shop) before you can head back to your ship after a long but very satisfying day. Sri Lanka is a definite revisit, and I will be back someday.