Excerpt From the Book

"This is the new Colombo. I could see the change as I was coming here on Marine Drive, past the beachfront homes of Millionaire’s Row in Dehiwala and Wellawatta, past the Golden Mile entertainment district between what used to be Bambalapitiya and Colpetty railway stations—I see a theme park with rides that skim the ocean waves. I see cafes and bars, a carnival, a docked Princess Cruises ship full of holidaymakers, and the Rio ice cream shop still going strong. As we turn north past the tan, marble façade of the American embassy, past Temple Trees, past the stately Galle Face Hotel, then alongside Beira Lake, I could see the tip of the giant ferris wheel nicknamed Colombo Eye after its cousin in London.

The lake itself is now extended by canals connecting it to Port City and Diyawanna Lake in Battaramulla, surrounded by a tree covered boardwalk with lily pads dotting its waters, and a few dozen lanternlit traditional Oru canoes taking romantics out on rides like Venice gondolas. We pass the neoBaroque style of the old Parliament building, now a boutique hotel and a fine arts gallery. This is the new Colombo, where the sea breeze that carries the parrot calls and the occasional peacock cry mixes with the dreams of thousands of young people.

People who come here from all over the region to make riches, to fall in love, and to make the best of themselves. Then, as we pass the twin towers of the World Trade Center that look modest compared to its neighbours, “Are you a knight?” asks my seven-year-old granddaughter. She was busy hopelessly trying to count the crowded skyscrapers rocketing into Colombo’s skyline, eclipsing the naked sky, all gleaming in the golden sunset. “A Sri Lankan knight,” I said to her as we arrive here to the charming President’s house, suddenly flooded with pride for my country.”