Sri Lanka ’26 #24: A lone piper at dusk

Read this blog: The one where we divert via Mumbai

Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March 2026

Matilda was so pleased with our new ‘room with a view’ that she felt she needed to be recorded for posterity before going to ensure Robert honoured his cocktail commitment to her.

Earlier in the trip, Robert had promised that any left over Sri Lankan currency at the end of the holiday could be spent on cocktails at the Galle Face Hotel and we decided to go to the Firebeach Bar to indulge. The choice was more limited than Matilda would have liked but she first opted for a Cucumber Mule comprising vodka; cucumber; lime and ginger beer which she pronounced very refreshing.

Robert, unsurprisingly, preferred beer. The attentive and charming staff offered us insect repellent as we sat at the bar. I think they felt our pale skin would be an insect magnet.

This close to the Equator the time of sunset and sunrise does not vary very much and every day at around 17:40 a lone bagpiper in traditional Scottish dress plays as they process from the hotel, across the checkerboard [see below] . . .

. . . to the waterfront where the national flag is lowered [see Video of the day].

Although this is a comparatively new tradition – a piper first played on December 1st 2015 – we thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle and were surprised that such a ceremony had been started so recently to celebrate the hotel’s British colonial heritage when many of the attitudes and values of colonial rule are, justifiably, being challenged.

After another impressive breakfast [see Dish of the day] the following morning we visited the museum within the hotel, celebrating its history and some of the celebrity guests who have stayed here.

The late Prince Philip of Greece, later the Duke of Edinburgh, was one of the most famous. Whilst serving in the Royal Navy and working in the office of Lord Louis Mountbatten, he lived in Upper Chatham Street in Colombo. During this posting in 1940 he personally bought his first car for £12 – a 1935 model Standard Nine.

The next time he visited Ceylon [now Sri Lanka] in 1954 as he was the husband of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the II.

The museum also commemorates what is known as the Cannonball Incident. In 1845 when the British Army was using the Galle Face Green for artillery practice, a 30-pound cannonball was misfired from the Colombo Fort and hit the Galle Face Hotel before coming to rest under a chair. Fortunately it only damaged the roof and the floor where it landed.

An annual competition is now held to commemorate this event. Two competitors [well-known personalities] have to run from the position of the cannon to the hotel, with the first to lay their hands on the cannonball crowned the winner of the Galle Face Hotel – Cannonball Run.

Having enjoyed the piper; some cocktails and another delicious breakfast, the following day, we flew from Colombo to Mumbai as we were re-routing to avoid a stopover in Dubai. There were no direct flights so even though we arrived just in time to sleep – taking a taxi from Mumbai Airport straight to our hotel for an overnight stay – we still stepped onto Indian soil and had to pay for an Indian visa.

At the hotel, Matilda was impressed by the towel art while . . .

. . . Robert went down to the bar to watch the end of the first IPL T20 cricket match of 2026.

Continuing our journey home, Matilda was pleased to see the prominence of Hoegaarden at Mumbai Airport but felt it was too early to indulge.

Due to the instability in the region Robert tracked our flight avoiding Iranian airspace.

We were pleased to arrive home safely, as always, but this journey had highlighted the conflict and instability in the world and we were especially grateful.

We really enjoyed our time in Sri Lanka despite the cancellation of some of the trains Robert had hoped to travel on – a delightful place of trains, turtles, tea and temples. Extreme weather had destroyed much of the train tracks and so we used Walkers a local firm who provided a car and a driver/guide for the road transfers. We were lucky enough to have been assigned Dilanka who was always so helpful and accommodating. We would happily return, although there are still many other places we still want to see for the first time.

Video of the day:

Selfie of the day:

Dish of the day:

Route Map: