Read this blog: The one where we experience robot room service
Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd March 2026
In Sri Lanka, every full moon day is a public holiday, known as a “poya” in Sinhala [Sri Lankan]. It is a day for Buddhists to visit temples for religious observances and there are 13 or 14 poyas per year. Each one has a different name and the one in March is the Madin Poya celebrating the Buddha’s first visit, after attaining enlightenment, to his place of birth at his father’s palace.
The full moon in March is also known as the Worm Moon symbolising the transition from winter to spring when the ground thaws and worms reappear, although here in Sri Lanka it is hard to imagine the ground ever freezes.
Actually at its brightest at 17:07 on March 3rd this year, the full moon is nevertheless being celebrated on March 2nd here. Consequently many businesses, offices and restaurants are closed and no alcohol is sold.
With this in mind we planned to visit the Lotus Tower, Colombo’s tallest landmark, which we knew would be open [see Selfie of the day]. Entry is US$20 per person for foreigners which is very expensive compared to other sites here and after our visit we did not feel it represented value for money.
Built between 2012 and 2019 the tower measures 356 from the base making it the tallest building in South Asia. The outside of the Lotus Tower is illuminated by 21,280 external lights at night as we had seen from our hotel room after the cricket.
A sign says that the “fastest lift in South Asia” will transport visitors up the 243m to the observation deck on the 29th floor in just 48 seconds.
Once up there we found the view was rather obscured by mist [or possibly smog].
Knowing that Matilda enjoys some old colonial grandeur, and mindful that the moon was full Robert suggested coffee at the Galle Face Hotel and we used PickMe to book a tuk tuk to get us there.
As it was so hot, instead of coffee we opted for mocktails: Robert chose The Digester and Matilda opted for a Pineapple Ginger Lifter. Both were very refreshing.
Revived and lifted, we walked back towards our hotel along the Galle Face Green sea front promenade and took a stroll round the shops in the air conditioned One Galle Face Mall to cool down on the way.
On a poya day although many offices and shops are closed and the sale of alcohol is prohibited, Robert was delighted to discover that at the Fairway Colombo Hotel, room service is still offered and beer will be delivered by robot [see Video of the day].
That evening we ate at The Crab King – one of the few restaurants open for the full moon. This is almost immediately opposite – and the poor man’s version of – the Ministry of Crab. The menu is similar in that you can choose the size of crab or prawns you want and the sauce to go with it [see Dish of the day]. Whilst very tasty, it was not quite the same delightful dining experience we had had the night before at the Ministry of Crab.
The following day we had originally planned to take the train from Colombo to Anuradhapura, but trains have not yet been reintroduced on this section of the network after the flooding last year. Consequently we had to use a ‘rail replacement service’. Having already booked a car and a driver/guide through Walkers Tours, we extended the booking to include transport between the two cities.
We were met outside our hotel by our guide and driver Dilanka who kept up an interesting commentary about Sri Lanka and the things we passed. He also insisted we try a king coconut from a roadside stall. Not only can you drink the coconut milk. . . .
. . . but you can eat the flesh which is softer than the coconut which are usually available in the UK.
At one point we drove over a temporary bridge where the floods had washed one away. Apparently both India and Pakistan have donated temporary bridges to Sri Lanka until the infrastructure can be repaired.
We passed fields where rice was being harvested and stopped to watch for a while.
The rail replacement service took around five hours – approximately an hour longer than the train – but included a running commentary, sampling king coconuts and door to door collection and drop off. It also had air conditioning.
Anuradhapura Is in the dry zone. Enjoying a cold beer on the roof of our hotel, it already felt much hotter here than it had been in Colombo and we realised we would need serious hydration and sun protection for the following day.
Video of the day:
Selfie of the day:
Dish of the day:
Route Map:
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