The Colombo Hop on Hop off Bus
The Colombo Hop on Hop off Bus
There isn’t really a genuine Colombo Hop on Hop off Bus. Although you can find one listed on all kinds of travel platforms, in reality it only resembles such a vehicle in appearance. The upper deck has seats and is open, and you climb up a winding staircase to reach it. So far, so identical.
But the essential feature of a hop-on hop-off bus is the fact that you can get off and on again at any stop. Unfortunately, this is completely different with the Colombo Hop on Hop off Bus. It is more like a normal coach, with only the top deck open and the bus equipped with a loudspeaker system.
You can only get off when the itinerary and the guide say so. But first things first. As I wrote yesterday, the staff at the reception desk here were extremely helpful in reserving tickets for this fake Colombo hop-on hop-off bus. At 8:45 a.m., the bus is supposed to pick us up at the hotel gate. So we jump out of bed at a completely unfamiliar time, have breakfast and get ready for the Colombo hop-on hop-off bus adventure.
When we step outside a good ten minutes before the announced departure time, the red monster is already waiting at the roadside. That’s the first surprise. The second follows immediately: I’m just thinking, ‘No one’s on the bus yet, so are we the first guests to be picked up?’ when the tour guide announces over the loudspeaker that we will indeed be the only passengers today because a large group that had booked the bus has cancelled. Wow, the whole bus to ourselves – not bad!
And off we go on our wild ride. To summarise the route very briefly: we are mainly travelling through the really well-maintained districts of Colombo, and this alone makes the tour much more impressive than if the journey were to take us through the poorer areas. We opted for the ‘Glimpse of Colombo’ route, which offers the following highlights:
- Gangarama Temple
- Independence Memorial Hall & Arcade Independence Square
- A visit to a handicrafts emporium for exquisite souvenirs from Sri Lanka
During the nearly four-hour tour, we also pass many other parks and buildings that are particularly worth seeing, which the tour guide explains to us perfectly and very vividly. Specifically, these are:
- Colombo Lighthouse
- The Prison Cell of the last Sri Lankan King
- Lighthouse with Clock Tower designed by Lady Ward (built before the Big Ben in London)
- Galle Face Promenade with cannons from World War II
- the Port City
- South Expansion of the Colombo Harbour
- President’s House
- York Street with remnants of British Colonial Architecture,
- Fort Railway Station
- Lotus Tower, famous
- the scenic Beira Lake in the heart of the city
- the War Memorial
- Public Library
- National Museum
- Nelum Pokuna Theatre
- Vihara Mahadevi Park
- Colombo Town Hall
- Independence Square and Arcade Independence Square
- Bandaranayake Memorial International Conference Hall
The above list really covers practically all the sights worth seeing in the city. First, we get off at Gangaramaya Temple. This is a fairly large complex where, according to our guidebook, Lord Buddha is still actively worshipped today. Next to it, a kind of museum has been established, where relics, books and everyday objects, some of which are several centuries old, have been collected.
We are not sure what all this has to do with Lord Buddha, but some of the exhibits are really interesting. The museum is definitely worth a visit. Almost seamlessly, you then enter the actual temple complex, which is dominated by a statue of ‘Lord Buddha’ presented behind thick glass. Further information is available at Wikipedia.
Of course, we also stop at a souvenir shop, which is state-owned, after all, where we buy a few small items related to cinnamon. Then we walk north along the beach towards the fort to Independence Square. The tour ends at the Lotus Tower, from where we are driven back to the hotel.
Fortunately, there is still enough time to enjoy the pool area at Cinnamon Lakeside. Today, we will be going to bed relatively early. Good night!
And here is a little impression of a walk through Colombo. There is actually a pub on Galle Face Centre Road with ‘Bavaria’ in its name, ‘The Bavarian German Restaurant and Pub’. They actually serve schnitzel there, in the following variations:
And what can I say? Of course we stopped in! Even if it was just for a beer – but still!
And one more curiosity to finish with: in front of the building pictured, we saw this tuk-tuk taxi driver waiting for customers – it’s as if centuries collide here!
