....Where to start....
Prior to leaving Hikkaduwa I did try to do some research on how was best to get to the airport. This came up with no clear and obvious easier way of doing things, some said the train, some said the express bus and some said the local bus.
Our flight was at 14.50 but knowing Sri Lankan public transport we left early...leaving our room at 6.30 to get the 7.10 train. It was not expensive but was very busy. With us needing to stand up for the entire journey which took around 2 hrs15 mins. Colombo train station was fairly easy to navigate and the buses for the Airport park over the main road, - walk over the footbridge and you will see them all. The bus is number 187 and has airport written on it. Make sure it says airport at the front as there is a bus number 187 that doesn't go to the airport. There was plenty of these buses, coming every 10 mins we were told. (We only waited 2 minutes). It was a busy intercity bus which seemed to stop every 200 yards so it took nearly 2 hours to get to the 'airport stop' where the bus stopped at a stand in a little town near the airport without us knowing where the airport entrance was in relation to this. We tried to walk from here to the airport but Google maps wasn't working and everyone we asked looked confused or pointed in different directions, so we hopped in a tuk tuk that charged us 100 LKR. It was probably only about 500m to the entrance once on the main road, but not knowing which direction to go in the first place this was our only option with a flight to catch!
We made it and had some (although not as much as anticipated) time to kill in the airport. We decided to treat ourselves to a much needed coffee at the airport, following our rather long journey!.....Our jaws almost dropped on the floor once we were told the prices!! It was $16 US for a soya latte and Frappuccino... we were shocked at the cost as not only was it extortionate for Sri lankan people wanting to use the airport but also for us westerners!!
There was Wifi at the airport but it kicks you offline every few minutes and you need to log back in. Which you need to enter your passport number and Date of Birth. (You will know your passport number off by heart after 20 mins trying to use this WiFi).
Our flight was slightly delayed by about 20mins, We were flying with Sri Lankan airways who we thought were great. Despite it being a very short flight we actually still got an in-flight meal of veg biriyanni with a spiced rice pudding for desert! Their service is great.
It was a nice 1 hour flight into Kochi Airport...Taking us to the next country in our big adventure...India
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