Colombo is Sri Lanka's city centre and we have been advised not to hang around too long so we didn't have high hopes.

After getting off the plane we were both shattered and completely oblivious to the culture shock outside of the air conditioned building. We walk out onto the taxi rank and were immediately hassled to get into the cars. We couldn't find the train station anywhere and decided to get the bus. After asking lots of people eventually one very kind man showed us to the bus after we'd refused his on his tuk tuk and we hopped on!

The buses are interesting, they obviously don't like crazy tuk tuk drivers and they are constant beeping at each other. We finally got to our bus station which was in the middle of a market and packed full of cars, buses and people all ignoring road safety rules!

We asked a couple of people where the train station was but just ended up walking in circles! Luckily Matthew had the energy to keep asking people and eventually we arrived at the station.

Now you think train stations are all the same, but sadly not in Sri Lanka. It was an experience in itself trying to find the right ticket booth, platform and the station we wanted to get off at. When we did get off there was a metre jump to the platform! When your getting on the train people are getting off, there is a barging allowance here and being British it's hard to not form an orderly Queue next to the door!

Our train stop was on the coast and it had just started raining, which was welcomed in the heat! We walked along the coast to our hotel, which was lovely and the staff were so helpful.

We learnt a few things in the first day:

1. Organise yourself before you get out of the airport

2. Not every country has road or information signs

3. If the first person you ask isn't helpful ask another

4. Make sure you write information down on paper as your bound to forget it

P.s. the attached picture is not Colombo, we didn't have any photos to put up from it so chose this pretty one.