Colombo: Care for Tea or Crab? |

Seema Malaka, Beira Lake

Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, may not be tourists’ first choice of attraction. But I’m pretty surprised with the locals’ hospitality and the diverse culture on this tiny island surrounded by the Indian Ocean in Southern Asia.

Colombo City

Moving around in Colombo is reasonably affordable and safe. The three-wheeler is such a darling in escaping the traffic in this congested city. With such compactly equipped vehicle, it makes it easy for me to wander around the Colonial buildings along the main district or skip across the town from one temple to another.

Seema Malaka, Beira Lake

Buddhism is the main religion in Sri Lanka; nearly 70% of the population is Buddhists. Buddha statues are certainly not rare sights in the city. Call me ignorant, but I’ve never felt this close to my own religion during my long stint of travel history before.

Gangaramaya Temple

Tea and crab are 2 important commodities here. In fact, Sri Lanka is the fourth largest tea producer in the world. Many tourists will not miss the chance of tea tasting before they leave the country. There are quite a mixed variety of tea leaves here, I bet good enough to satisfy thirst of the tea lovers.

Ministry of Crab

I would personally urge my fellow readers to try the “Ministry of Crab” at the “Old Dutch Hospital”. Honestly, I find the place a little too commercialized for tourists and the price might be a bit steep for some. Well, crabs never come cheap in any other places too. But all of these are well compensated by excellent flavor with perfect mix of spices. I like the concept, “Pick your desired size and cook your preferred way!” So diners have greater choice and flexibility to access their own crave.