Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo is the commercial and financial capital of Sri Lanka after the administrative capital was moved to a suburb east of the city.Weather wise, the best time to visit is during the North East monsoon season, which is November to April. Despite the ongoing conflict, Sri Lanka is relatively safe if you avoid the trouble spots and common targets of insurgents. Sri Lanka has lifted travel alerts for visiting Colombo after the conclusion of the civil war however it is advisable for travelers to check their local tourist advisory authority if there is any doubt Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, an enchanting island lying off India's southern tip. These city folk go about their daily business with a heerfulness born of optimism in this chaotic, noisy and traffic-congested metropolis. It would be difficult not to immerse yourself in the serenity of Buddhism, which is practiced by the majority of Sri Lankans yet Colombo is home to all religions as evidenced by temples, mosques and churches sprouting amidst a jumble of Dutch and British-built buildings, a legacy of its colonial past. Colombo sits on the west coast of Sri Lanka and has developed from an old seafaring port into a huge urban sprawl bristling with Asian atmosphere. Around the historic centre of Fort (currently closed for security reasons) are colonial facades of banks, buildings and tumbledown shops and streets teeming with people, trishaws, bicycles, buses - and the occasional cow! Towering above Fort to the east are gleaming skyscrapers reflecting modern Colombo but wherever you go in the city you stumble across history, culture and friendly folk. Colombo is divided into districts (or postcodes) numbered 1-15 and knowing these numbers is essential for orientation. South along the coast from Fort, the district known as Colombo 1, is Colombo 2-10 where many top-end hotels are located. These districts continue inland taking in the fashionable shopping and residential area of Colombo 7, while Colombo 11-15 spreads northeast covering the harbour area.