This is part 2 of my day trip in Colombo. You can find part 1 here, where I visited the Plâté art gallery that also sells art supplies and the Sri Lanka Tea Board where I found some fun packaged black tea!
From there, we went to a bookshop, because no trip is complete without visiting one!
Makeen Books
The discount section had mostly thrillers, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews. Prices ranged from LKR 250-600(US$1.50-4) if I remember correctly.
The staff were quite friendly and ready to help. Too bad the store didn’t have what I wanted: Lies by Michael Grant.They had a decent amount of YA, Romances, Thrillers and Children’s fiction. The place consisted of 2 floors with a large section dedicated to educational books.
Adult fictionI was a bit surprised they had J. K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike novels!
Wellawatte Fruit & Vegetable Market
Messy floor! A crow shocked me when it swooped in right above my head!
The avocados are large here, yum!Guys…what is this?? Looks like a large, mole-like mushroom…what’s your guess?
And here are some random street shots of Colombo:
These rickshaws, or tuktuks, are the taxis of Sri Lanka. They do have Ubers and cars for taxis, too.40 kmph? Yeah, right. Like they even pay heed to the speed limit here! Buses and trucks and everything in between all seem like they’re on a time crunch, I have no idea why. Quite dangerous, to be honest.
Our last stop was the local candy shop, Faluda House, popular for their Indian sweets. You won’t find any gobstoppers or licorice straps here. They sell them in varying box sizes at set prices. Aside from the sweets they also sell samosas(a fried, savoury snack with filling. In this case, chicken or mutton), which they make themselves, syrup and salty chili. I love their samosas, although they can be a wee bit saltier than I like. Their sweets are also a bit too sweet for me, but taste good. Sometimes I feel like they taste almost the same xD
This is before I cut them up myself into smaller cubes.They have mainly two textures: crumbly blocks and jelly-like. The block ones have a milky flavor and can be buttery-soft or more firm. I prefer the jelly ones, they’re quite like turkish delights, with rose syrup as a common ingredient, and can have figs, peanuts or almond flakes in them. The forest green jelly has Nelli syrup, a.k.a. Indian gooseberry.
The shop itself is very minimal and a bit narrow. I did not appreciate the swarm of flies at their entrance. It’s so off-putting, not to mention, unsanitary. The locals here don’t seem to mind flies though!
I’m curious, what are the local specialties in your town? Did you spot any books you love or are reading currently in my bookshop pictures?
There is a cute local bookstore the next town over that had an adjoining coffee shop, but sadly the coffee shop closed. The bookstore is looking for a new partner and once that is all settled I will visit and make sure to take a picture to share!
Yes, please!! I shall wait for that photo! I had a favorite bookstore, too, but it closed. It was spacious, with high ceilings and wooden shelves. Oh, it was my family’s regular haunt! They had a coffee corner planned but it never opened. Wish the place stayed open though. It was called Magrudy’s, at the Dubai Festival City Mall.
Riding in a tuktuk (did I get that right?) is one of my life goals LOL. They look amazing! And this little bookstore looks like a great find 🙂 Anytime I go somewhere new, I have to check out the bookstores. It’s like being drawn to magnets. Great post 🙂
Oh, thank you Megan! Hahahaha, what a quaint life goal! Ikr?? A trip is never complete without a visit to the bookstore! They have quite a few in the capital here.
There is a cute local bookstore the next town over that had an adjoining coffee shop, but sadly the coffee shop closed. The bookstore is looking for a new partner and once that is all settled I will visit and make sure to take a picture to share!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, please!! I shall wait for that photo! I had a favorite bookstore, too, but it closed. It was spacious, with high ceilings and wooden shelves. Oh, it was my family’s regular haunt! They had a coffee corner planned but it never opened. Wish the place stayed open though. It was called Magrudy’s, at the Dubai Festival City Mall.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bummer, that sounded charming!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such fabulously colourful pictures. I have no clue what that big brown thing is but it is with various types of Squash so maybe it’s a sort of Squash.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😂😂 Thanks a bunch! I shall have to ask one day what that mysterious vegetable is 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the shops! What a fun post! thanks, for sharing with us!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a lot, Terrie!! It makes me happy that you enjoyed it 😀
LikeLike
I loved this – Thanx for the glimpse into your community.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was fun for me 😀 Thank you, DJ!!
LikeLike
Great pictures! You gotta love it when books are 50% off!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ikr? There’s a book fair coming in July that’s supposedly 60-80% off 😄
Thank you!!
LikeLike
That bookshop looked like a wonderful dream! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jenn 😄 I’m sure the bookshops at your place looks ten times better!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great looking bookstore and all that fresh fruit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Stacey! It is Stacey, right? I love the great papaya and avocado they have here, not much varieties of veg though.
LikeLike
Riding in a tuktuk (did I get that right?) is one of my life goals LOL. They look amazing! And this little bookstore looks like a great find 🙂 Anytime I go somewhere new, I have to check out the bookstores. It’s like being drawn to magnets. Great post 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, thank you Megan! Hahahaha, what a quaint life goal! Ikr?? A trip is never complete without a visit to the bookstore! They have quite a few in the capital here.
LikeLiked by 2 people