Today I decide to travel to the famed sacred city of Kandy, some 130km from Colombo, in the central mountains. I get myself a car and a driver for US$70, for the whole day. Athula is a youngish Sinhalese chap and a pretty decent driver. Speaks good English as well.
We set off from Colombo at 9.00am to avoid the notorious morning rush hour jam, and reckon the road-trip should take 3.5hrs. It's along national highway Route A1, which is just a 2-lane highway winding through quaint villages. Kegalle is the largest town along the way.
