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By the standard of the developing world, the zoo, 10km south of Fort, treats its animals well though the big cats and monkeys are still rather squalidly housed. It has its detractors, rather squalidly housed. It has its detractors, however: 'a disgraceto mankind' is how one visitor describe it. You wonder what they had have to say about zoo in Dhaka. The major attraction is the elephant show at 5:15pm, when elephant troops on stage in ture trunk-to-tail fashion and perform a series of feats elephantine agility. The zoo had a wide collection of other creatures, including a fine range of birds and an aquarium. There is a charge for bringing camera.

VIHARAMAHADEVI PARK

This is Colombo's biggest park, originally called Victoria Park but renamed in the 1950s after the mother of King Dutugemunu. It's notable for its superb flowering trees in march, April and early May. Cuttin across the middle of the park is the board Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawathy (Green Path). Colombo's white-domed old town Hall or 'white House' overlooks the park from the northeast. Working elephants sometimes spend the night in the park, happily chomping on plam branches.

CINNAMON GARDENS

Cinnamon Gardens, about 5 km south of Fort and 2km inland, is Colombo's ritziest address, full of overgrown residences and embassies. A century ago it was covered in cinnamon plantations. Today, as well as elegant tree-lined streets and the posh mansions of the wealthy and powerful, it contains the city's biggest park, several sports grounds and a cluster of museums and galleries.

THE FORT

Originally a fort during the Portuguese and Dutch periods but now simply the commercial center of the country and the site of most major offices, big hotels, some of the better shops, airline offices, banks, main post office, immigration office, travel agents and restaurants. Within Fort are several places of tourist interest which can be conveniently seen on foot. The colonial buildings include the Presidential Secretariat, previously the parliament house, the Grand Oriental Hotel, built in the mid 19th century as barracks for soldiers, the Lighthouse Clock Tower which along with being.