Co-incidentally Colombo
I was a first year undergrad architecture student when I had
tumbled upon the name of Architect Geoffrey Bawa in a Graphics class. His
intricate hand drawn elevations, style
of work and huge contribution to what is today known as "tropical
modernism" intrigued me. Since then, I had always wanted to visit Sri
Lanka, just to be able to walk through one of his creations.
In fourth year, I had decided I would do my internship under
a Sri Lankan firm in hopes of fulfilling my wanderlust. I had gone as far as to
applying for it and getting a positive reply in return, when my parents had
banished all my hopes by disagreeing to let me leave alone.
When Adnan came up with the plan of attending a friend's
wedding in Colombo, before heading to UK
for his masters, I was thrilled! This trip would fulfill two of my desires, one being a walk through Geoffrey Bawa's creation, the other being the opportunity to attend a Christian wedding in a foreign country.
Day 1: Around the City
It was a jam packed two day itinerary of
Colombo, starting with ofcourse, a visit to Geoffrey Bawa's residence. Photos cannot justify the beauty of the spaces in this house. The walls were all white and decorated with art pieces and architectural hand drawings. Spaces opened up to skylights and courtyards. Every thing in the house seemed in total harmony with one another. For any admirer of Bawa, it is a treat to the eyes.
Tip: Try to get your hotel on the Marine Drive road or anywhere near Galle Face. This will help you to save time to go visit the beach. Also, you can try walking the city rather than taking vehicles for short distance.
After the house tour and a content heart, we hung out for lunch with some of Adnan's friends. Adnan had made friends from around the world in his 5 years in China, most of them being Sri Lankan. We had lunch at the Garden cafe of Barefoot, one of the most happening places in Colombo for tourists, a cafe supported by a souvenier shop and a gallery. Mandy, Piumanga and her fiance Buddhika were happy to play host.
Buddhika took full responsibility to take us around town in his car,
which had certain rules that no one really followed. He showed us around
Gangaramaya temple, one of the most important temples in Srilanka for its
architectural roots, the Independence Memorial Hall, and the Independence
square opposite to it, which had been an Asylum in the British period, now
converted into a shopping precinct.
Later, we had evening tea at the famous yet affordable Raheema, along with the Sri Lankan delicacy Kottu Roti ( got so involved in eating, forgot to take photos! ). Afterwards, Buddhika insisted that the day would be incomplete without some Srilankan icecream, which landed us at Rio Ice Cream parlour. Hence, the day started with breakfast and coffee at the luxurious cafe at Hotel Taj and ended with a high in the form of Faluda from a locally reputed Ice-cream shop on the beach road, near our hotel.
Day 2: Wedding bells!
The wedding ran from the afternoon till late at night. The church rituals was followed by a grand reception at the posh Negombo Jetway Lagoon, which to my utter amazement and amusement, was just another great "architecture blends with nature" example from my favorite architect Geoffrey Bawa.
The reception was a grand outdoor affair, with delicious food, fun dance moves, and good laughs. Adnan got together with more of his uni friends, thus resulting in one big reunion party!
Day 3: Goodbye for now.
The next morning before leaving for the airport, we
took a stride along the beach. Here I'll have to say, that all the beaches I have seen abroad have failed to fascinate me as much as our beach back home does,everytime. However, there is so much more to see in Sri Lanka,
starting from Kandy to Pinnawala to Bentota. A two days trip was not enough to satisfy our passion for travel. Maybe next time.
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