
First, WATCH the video above!
Welcome to Colombo, the capital and largest city on the island of Sri Lanka!
This 5’11” Video Tour of Colombo shows some of the coolest things to do and see in town!
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Here are the highlights of the tour of Colombo:
- 1:12 – Pettah Market – Colombo’s largest and most vibrant local market
- 1:44 – Tuk Tuk Rickshaw tour of Colombo
- 1:58 – Gangaramaya Buddhist Temple
- 2:13 – Viharamahadevi Park
- 2:21 – Cobra snake charmers on the street
- 2:36 – Independence Memorial Hall monument
- 2:45 – Sri Kailasanathar Swami Devasthanam Hindu Temple – a live Diwali festival!
- 3:09 – Rickshaw race on the streets of Colombo
- 3:20 – Galle Face – enjoying the sunset and a feast of delicious Sri Lankan food!
- 4:38 – Sri Lankan wild bus ride to end the day
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I hope you enjoyed this Video Tour of Colombo! Thanks for watching!
I’d love your video suggestions, tips, or recommendations – Please let me know what you think!!!
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Jay Pathbey
10 years ago
Hi Mark,
It was very nice visiting your site and seeing various recipes. However Sri Lanka as shown here is very different to the Sri Lanka that I lived for 65 plus years. After the elimination of terrorism it is slowly turning into a paradise just the way it was for time memorial till about 1983. Sri Lanka only has about 8% tamils (they were about 12% before 1983 but most of them became economic refugees and took refuge in the west). Your video shows tamil food, tamil music, tamil kovils (temples) and such and the some slums.
Compared to Tamil Nadu (A hell on earth with 98% slums) Sri Lanka is beautiful. I wish you took some time to visit the ancient kingdoms, the temple of tooth, the beautiful pristine beaches, nature habitats and ate in some of the better restaurants. Slumming is good (and again what can you expect at $10 a day budget) but it gives a wrong picture about Sri Lanka to others. Even though your collection of various low budget foods from various parts of the world is very good, the video is unreal.
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Thank you for your thoughts Jay. I really hope to visit Sri Lanka again to do more exploring. I was there for just 3 weeks, but need about 1 year to go back and stay and learn more!
Victor
10 years ago
Im about to travel to Sri Lanka, and searching for food info came across your blog. Really liked it thanks.
The Tamil music thats playing, do you know who it is and what its called, I love it!
Thanks
Mark Wiens
10 years ago
Hey thanks Victor, hope you have a great trip to Sri Lanka!
Virushan
11 years ago
That’s pretty racist Naufer
Bhathiya
11 years ago
we are not using high musics in our worshiping …. ( you can see it in temple of tooth in “thevawa” time )
we like to peace that’s why ….
how ever, Tamils are also one of part in sri lanka …
are you hoping to visit sri lanaka again ??
if … please vist to temple of tooth and “anuradapura”
nice work ~
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks Bhathiya! Yes, I really hope I can visit Sri Lanka again in the future!
Naufer
12 years ago
Although you have given a prominent place to Tamils [Hindu Temple] and Tamil background song Mark,majority people of Sri Lanka are Sinhalese and their language is Sinhalese. Thus you have given a wrong message to the world about Sri Lanka.
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Hey Naufer, thanks for the message. Yes, I do know that the majority of Sri Lanka is Sinhala, however I couldn’t find any “royalty-free” Sinhalese music to use in this video. I’m just an amateur blogger/video producer and I don’t have a budget to buy music, so I have to rely on non-copyright music that I can legally use. Hope you can understand and thanks a lot for checking it out!
Janz
12 years ago
Nice video. U could have used a sri lankan song which will make this video more nice
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks for checking it out Janz. Yah, I wish I could have used Sri Lankan music, but I wasn’t able to locate any Sri Lankan music without copyright…so I had to use this Tamil music that I got online royalty-free. Thanks again for watching!
Sophie
12 years ago
Really nice presentation of Colombo, Mark. I want to go. Now!
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks Sophie!
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy
12 years ago
Good stuff. That bus is really crowded. I love the music playing at the end!
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks Scott! Man, they don’t drive buses in Sri Lanka unless they are packed!
David @ Malaysia Asia
12 years ago
haha Great Video Mark! Loved your reaction when you first ate the curry. Anyway, keep up the great work bro!
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks for watching David! Hope you are doing well!
Naomi
12 years ago
These are some serious video ninja skills!! Also, the staring guy in the market is hilaaaaaarious.
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Haha, thanks Naomi. That guy in the market followed my friend and I for about 1 hour – we bought him some food and a new t-shirt but he still followed us. Finally we had to kindly run!
John in France
12 years ago
That is superb Mark. Excellent video, and so helpful for those planning on visiting Sri Lanka.
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks a lot John!
Brock – Backpack With Brock
12 years ago
Love the video Mark! Haven’t made it to Sri Lanka yet but you got me curious. Had a lot of the same feelings I got from India.
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks Brock! I haven’t been to India, but I’m guessing that Sri Lanka is similar to south India. Anyway, thanks a lot for watching and hope you can get to Sri Lanka soon!
Cathy Sweeney
12 years ago
Great video, Mark. Well done with the music, too. Really piqued my interest in Sri Lanka. Real snake charmers?!! Pretty cool.
Mark Wiens
12 years ago
Thanks a lot for watching Cathy! Yah, I thought the snake charmers were pretty cool.