Cycle day 1 - Negombo to Moratuwa - Far too much luggage - Sri Lanka

March 18, 2025

Cycle day 1 - Negombo to Moratuwa

Negombo to Moratuwa = 57km (Total distance on this trip so far = 57km)

Weather = last nights low was 23 degrees with todays high 31 degrees. Sunny day with light southerly winds.

Accomodation = Akira Beach Hotel = 6150 rupees ($32.59 Oz)

We were up nice and early this morning with our host serving breakfast at 7am. We sat out on the cooling balcony waiting for brekky as our bags were all packed. Breakfast was delicious as usual.

On the road at 7.40am along with peak hour traffic - church goers (must have been early morning mass), workers and school drop offs was all part of the mix on the road at this time of the morning.

We took a slightly different road to Negombo than what we took yesterday just to avoid the shopping traffic - it was a good idea as you can see below.

We are quite comfortable riding amongst everyone now. We are accustomed to the fact that we sometimes have oncoming traffic in our actual lane and basically we do what everyone else does and that is just move out of the way!

We haven't quite adopted the stray dog approach and that is to just not move out of the way at all! Seriously they just sit in the middle of the road and don't move for anything.

Once through Negombo we are on a quieter local road that runs parallel with the highway

Neil checking to see if we are on the correct road!

The houses are nice working class houses and the Indian Ocean sometimes comes to view in between houses.

We managed to get access to the beach through an empty plot of land and I can just see the outline of Colombo city, it is quite hard to see as it is covered in smog so I zoomed in ...

Speaking of smog, with all this traffic and the vehicle fumes we are breathing in - I suspect that if I was to die right now and they cut me open they would look at my lungs and think I was a diesel smoker of some sort. I tell you I can still smell it now in my nostrils.

As we get closer to Colombo we have to cross a canal and I immediately think oh canals like the Murray River channels ... no think green sluge is more like it and the smell!

Along the canal the traffic begins to pick up again

Clearly along this canal is most definitely the economically challenged or basically - the slums (gosh you wouldn't get a tour bus coming down this road!) How do I know it is the slums - the open gutters and sewer smell and rubbish is lining the street sides this is something you don't get in the middle of down town Colombo! It is interesting to see and most people are either walking or riding their bikes. If there is any cars they would be trucks from the surrounding industries.

We cross over some water way and we can see Colombo is closer

We leave the canal slums and enter an area that is what I would regard as the city edge slums with the traffic really thick and by now there are only a few of us on bikes with the rest in trucks, tuk tuks and cars. It is a dog eat dog world out their on the road and I don't think I could drive in this but feel quite at ease riding in it!

There is one point just before we enter downtown Colombo and it is at an intersection (with no traffic lights as per usual!) where I know I am becoming a local. It is a main straight road with oncoming traffic needing to turn right and have to cross our side of the road. By the time we got their they were a continual flow even though we had right of way so we stopped and the tuk tuks next to us and cars behind them all stopped and then it began. What to do? Well I am telling Neil inch forward a bit to for them to stop, so we did along with the tuk tuks, bit by bit we moved forward so that only tuktuks and motorbikes could get through then a bit more and only motorbikes could fit through and just a wee bit more and wham our side of the road finally had its right of way back! That was fun!

Then we were at the center of Colombo where all the important businesses are located! We stop for a break and to take some photos of the lovely old buildings.

a lovely old building - something to do with tea I think!

From here we knew we were through the toughest part of the day. By now it is really hot. Around the corner of the above building we come to a double lane road that has a fantastic view of the ocean and a public park we can stop and sit and admire the big buildings

and some poor bugger cleaning the windows of that flash hotel!

Along here it was nice riding although we could not get back on the other side of the road so we rode on the footpath as there was no one on them. By now we are the only people riding bikes! So unbeknownst to us while riding on the footpath we pass all these embassies that have all these army people carrying guns -we don't stop to ask if we can take a photo! So I got you a photo of this frangipani!

Eventually we can get across the road and continue on riding amongst the traffic. By now we are on Marine Drive - 2 lanes both ways and not much traffic.

then we come to a built up area with lots of shops and people and traffic again!

Gosh this is the 2nd one I have seen, haven't seen McDonalds yet!

By now we are really hot being enclosed within all this concrete and fumes that we decide to try our luck on roads running parallel with this highway and gosh it was just lovely once on them!

however they were narrow in places and we started to see a change in the economic standards of the houses and before we knew it we were in amongst the slums again. After this mornings ride amongst the slums (I hate using that word but I don't know what else word to use!) I actually don't mind it, the people are very happy to see us and the kids love us and all say hello and bike, we say hello back and wave! Now Sharon I took your advice and have bought along a few Aussie pens, pads and Aussie stickers for kids and you do think I remembered to keep them close at hand? no they are in the bottom of my pannier bag! But the first thing I did when we got to our accomodation was take some out and put them in my handle bar bag!

It was odd while riding through these back streets - we came across 2 Norwegian cycle tourers at the end of their trip.

We are alongside the main train line out of Colombo

and yes just in front of the train in this photo those buildings are actually houses!

Relieved we get to our accomodation just after 1pm, hot and hanging out for a cold shower -just as well we want a cold shower as that is all there is- no hot water!

It is an ok place, a bit pricey compared to Lillys but it has a massive fan and I think we are in for a noisy night as there seems to be a train every 2 minutes!

The guy in reception tells us we can order food to be delivered as we are not quite sure where the restuarants are. So he helps Neil select our dinner tonight and orders it for us - it was delicious and only 1700 rupees ($9 Oz) delivered!

2 meals each with Chicken, dhal, some grass thing, a potato thing, some beetroot thing and some bean thing but really nice all served on a bed of rice.

Tomorrow we are making for Bentota and it is meant to rain in the afternoon. We haven't had alot of rain since we have been here just a few showers early evening the past 2 nights.

Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 513 km (319 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	5
Comment on this entry	Comment	0