After I completed my mission in India, my trip was not over yet, as I had to continue to Colombo, Sri Lanka, the land of the Indian Ocean pearls, to work before returning to Thailand. The last city I visited in India was Kochi (Cochin), a well-known tourist destination with an international airport serving multiple countries. Colombo was also a destination with direct flights from this airport, which was fortunate for me. Sri Lankan Airlines provided two flights per day from this airport (information as of August 5th, 2017)
The flight from Kochi to Colombo was a short international flight, taking only 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was a cross-country flight from the mainland of India to the island of Sri Lanka. I was impressed by how quick the journey was. The flight details were as follows.
ROUTE : Kochi (COK) – Colombo (CMB)
FLIGHT : UL168 – Sri Lankan Airlines
AIRCRAFT : Airbus A320
ETD : 04.15PM (GMT+5.5)
ETA : 05.25PM (GMT+5.5)
DURATION : 1 HOURS 10 Minutes
CABIN : ECONOMY
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I arrived at the Kochi International Airport in the afternoon, around 1.30PM. I had finished work in the morning in the city and had rushed to the airport because I was worried about traffic and queues. The airport was located about 35 km away from the city, and I was surprised to find that it was not many people around. I went straight to check-in. The airport didn’t have as many flights as other major cities like Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai.
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After I checked in and got my boarding pass, I had some free time to exchange my Indian currency to US dollars before exchanging it again to Sri Lankan rupees at my destination. Once I passed through immigration and security, I grabbed a bite to eat since I had rushed out of the city without having anything to eat.
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After I had finished eating, I sat down and did some work for a while. When it was time, I went to wait for boarding at the gate. Our flight was boarding at gate number 2 of the international passenger terminal at Kochi airport today. The terminal building wasn’t very big and there weren’t many people around, so the atmosphere was quite relaxed.
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When I arrived at the gate for the Sri Lankan Airlines A320, the plane was already parked and waiting. After a short while, they called for boarding according to the schedule.
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The Business class seating arrangement is in a 2-2 configuration, while the Economy class is in a 3-3 configuration, following the typical Single Aisle aircraft layout.
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The seat pitch was not too narrow, so I could sit comfortably without feeling cramped. However, on longer flights, there might be some joint pain for tall people. As for the seatback pocket, it contained safety instructions and a magazine, but there was no personal TV.
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Once all the passengers were loaded, the plane pushed back on schedule. When the plane was in position, the seatbelt sign turned off, and I began to explore the lavatory. I had to criticize the cleanliness a bit as there were some stains visible on both the toilet seat and sink.
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The crew immediately served the snack as the flight was only an hour long, and there were no other options. They only served a Veggie sandwich in barbecue sauce (which is fit for both vegetarian and halal options) with an apple juice box. The taste was okay, a bit salty and sweet, and that was it. There were no soft drinks or tea/coffee available.
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After that, the staff quickly collected the garbage before the seatbelt sign has been turned on. Then, we descended and landed at the Colombo International Airport very quickly for this flight. I thought it was a domestic flight (or something similar). We entered the passenger terminal via a bus gate.
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After that, I went through the immigration process. I used an E-Visa. Then I picked up my luggage at belt number 1.
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After getting my luggage, I arranged for a taxi to the city from the counter. The airport was about 40 km away from the city, and the price for a taxi from the counter was around 3,200 LKR (about 24 USD). It took about 1.00-1.50 hours depending on traffic.
During this trip, although I went for work, I had some free time half a day before my flight back to Thailand on the last day. During my previous trip to Sri Lanka, I missed visiting Seema Malaka Temple due to time constraints. Therefore, on this trip, I decided to take some time off work to visit this temple. Seema Malaka Temple was built in the early 19th century and is located in the middle of Beira Lake in the heart of Colombo. It is used as a meditation and relaxation spot for monks and is also open to tourists (admission fee of 300 LKR, or approximately 2.50 USD per person).
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In conclusion, I would like to wrap up my short review of my Sri Lankan trip with SriLankan Airlines and my quick visit to the Seema Malaka Temple in Colombo. It was a wonderful experience to explore this beautiful country, and I hope my review has been helpful for those planning their own trip. Until next time, happy travels! 😀
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Written By : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH
Shipy-Ship 