On the buses

The timetable for reserved trains to Colombo is not user-friendly, so I have booked a bus. It doesn't leave from Galle's main bus station but the company have asked me to wait outside a bank ATM in Galle, where a man will meet me and lead me to where the bus leaves. Somewhat unexpectedly, this works! The main road towards Colombo is almost like a motorway but after arrival at a suburban bus station, there's a city bus that charges through urban sprawl to the familiarity of Colombo's Fort. By mid-afternoon I'm back at the Fairway, from where the first picture is taken.

The city centre is quiet but just beyond lies the Pettah, the traditional shopping and marketing area that buzzes any day of the week. It's not clean and it's not quiet but it's lively. A taxi tour takes me to some of the city's sights, including Hindu and Buddhist temples and finally, St. Anthony's Church, scene of one of the Easter bombings of 2019 but which thankfully is fully operating again.

Two weeks in Sri Lanka turn out to be nowhere enough and after the flight home, I'm already thinking about a possible return visit.Read more