hi

Go out to Mt. Lavinia, visit the Mt. Lavinia Hotel--------the beach there is good for making contacts also.

ok.. thnx @yungcarl.. wil go there fr sure.. whats so special abt Mt Lavinia Hotel ?? is it the food because i m already staying in some other hotel

Aside from the view, there is nothing special about the Mount Lavinia Hotel. It is overpriced and pretentious while the food is mediocre at its best. I would do nothing more than have a drink there on the terrace to watch the sunset. Most of the people who go there are frightfully boring.

On the other hand, I like Mount Lavinia Beach. There are numerous restaurants all of which are next to one another and directly on the sand. There are also some beach cabanas where you can find some foreigners to talk with, and some locals too.

You really haven't said much about your interests. If you like, you can send me a PM with more details and I might be able fill in more for you.

I don't know what to tell you about finding some people to talk to. You might try some coffee shops such as the very popular "Hot Shots" on the top floor of Majestic City shopping mall on Galle Road in Colombo 4. Their coffee is pretty good and the place is usually crowded, but with a preponderance of Maldivians who tend not to be as friendly as Sri Lankans. But there is a mix of younger people there and they have pool tables as well.

You could get a temporary membership at Kinross Swimming Club, right on the water in Colombo 6 directly opposite Global Towers Hotel on Marine Drive. Kinross Club is very down to earth and several friendly locals are there every day especially in the morning up to lunch time and then again in the evening. Next door is the Beach Wadiya Restaurant where you can find a mix of interesting people and the owner Olwin is a great guy. Ask for him by name if you go there. Tell him you want to meet some people. Maybe go to Beach Wadiya first and then see what happens before you try Kinross Club.

There used to be a club in Lionel Wendt Art Centre in Colombo 7 and that was a beehive of activity for Colombo's more creative and intellectual set. That has long since closed when the fools who ran the Art Centre decided to charge the Club an outrageous rent. They call that "progress". What a loss that was.

There is also the Barefoot Cafe just at the rear of Barefoot shop on Galle Road in Colombo 3 just north of Majestic City. The crowd here tends to be pretty cold if the truth be told. But they fancy themselves to be the creative elite of Colombo. To its credit, Barefoot has a very good bookstore, and if you can break through some of the ice surrounding the people in the cafe, you might luck out. They also have an art gallery and sponsor regular music shows, mostly jazz.

There are some bars that interesting locals patronize such as the Nildiya just south of Mount Lavinia junction on the seaside of Galle Road. A lot of retired civil servants hang out there and you will find English spoken, and it's very easy to chat up the guys there.

Send me a PM with more specifics and I'll get back to you.

I recommended a visit to the hotel for just a look see at one of the old time, posh,luxurious hotels from the last century-----not to stay there. As said above, try a drink perhaps and then follow the advice given about the beach and other places.