Travel Between Negombo & Colombo

There are a few options for traveling between Negombo and Colombo. One can travel by road, rail or boat.

Buses run between Negombo and Colombo

Tuk-Tuks of Lanka

Tuk-Tuks are an economic alternative of taxi cars in Sri Lanka. Similar vehicles can be found in neighboring India as auto-rikshaw, in Bangladesh as CNG. But there are a few differences setting them apart from the counterparts in neighboring countries.

Meal Packs in Sri Lanka

Meal packs are common street food in Sri Lanka. They are also sold in small restaurants sometimes. This is the most economic option for food known to me. These are not mouth watering food per say. More akin to modest home cooked meals in decent portions. That is precisely why I like them.

Landing in Sri Lanka

My apartment in Negombo

Sri Lanka is an island nation of South Asia. As such, the only ways to reach Sri Lanka is either by a boat or an air plane. There are quite a few countries connected to Sri Lanka through air plane routes. Regular flights are operated between Sri Lanka and neighboring countries of Maldives, India, Bangladesh etc. and also south east asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia etc.

My flight from Chennai landed in the Bandaranaike International Airport. Nearest town, Negombo is about 6 km away. A taxi from the airport to the hotel / beach resort neighbor hood (Lewis Place) was 1500 LKR.

It was 4:00AM in the morning and the manager of the hotel I walked in was sleeping. He was woken up with the help of the taxi driver. This hotel was full, so he took me to another one where I could get a room for 3000 LKR per night. Later that day, I found an apartment close to the beach with kitchen, bathroom and terrace for only 1500 LKR per night. Thinking that this could serve as a base to travel around in Sri Lanka and come back to rest, it was rented for a month. Thus I completed my landing in Sri Lanka.

Idly and Dosa

Idly or Dosa served with coconut chutney, sambhar (or sambol), vaadai etc. is a typical Tamil breakfast. Can be found in both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, India.

Dosa, (also spelled as Dosai, Thosa, or Thosai) is a pancake made of fermented rice flour mixed with coconut milk and spices according to taste. Idly (also spelled Ittly) is a steamed rice flour muffin of round shape. A similar muffin called Vapa is cooked in Bangladesh for winter breakfast. Vapa usually has a sweet core of coconut and jaggery which is missing in Idly.

Local restaurants in both Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu, India and serves these in breakfast. The chutney and sambar varies from one region to another, and from one restaurant to another. Curry dishes of vegetable, chiken, fish and mixed were found but not all at the same place.

In most places, Idly or Dosa breakfast was found to be quite cheap and filling. A filling Dosa breakfast can be no more than 150.00 LKR in Sri Lanka. This would also include a cup of fine Ceylon tea. Sri lankan grocery stores often sell break fast packs of Dosa. It contains three to four Dosa and a small serving of spicy sambol. A pack costs 40.00 LKR.