Sri Lanka - Truly an Island Paradise (Sri Lanka)

Member Name: NizPerson

Product:	Sri Lanka
Date:	18/10/08 (298 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Too many to list

Disadvantages: Can be very hot and humid

Sri Lanka is a country with an area of 65,610 square kilometres. Don't know how useful that's going to be to the average traveller but I remember it from my schooldays and this is the first time I've been able to mention it since then. Now that that's out of the way let's get on with the review.


The Climate

If you think British summers are hot, please do yourself a favour and stay home! Sri Lanka can be swelteringly hot, and very humid, even unpleasantly so. Your first culture shock will probably be when the heat and humidity hits you when you exit the airport. Don't let that put you off though, no one's died of it yet. I think.



Broadly speaking, there are four main things you can see or do in Sri Lanka.

1. The sun and sand experience
2. The cultural experience
3. The Hill Country
4. Colombo



1. Sun and Sand

Traditionally it was the Golden Mile in Beruwela that was the hotspot for tourists who wanted to soak up the sun all day. Now though you have a huge choice of resort towns to choose from - Beruwela, Galle (with its historic Dutch fort. I'd recommend the Lighthouse Hotel if you stay there), Bentota, Wadduwa, Negombo, Hikkaduwa among others or, if you're up for a bit of travelling and proximity to the troubled areas, even Trincomalee with it's aquamarine beaches. In addition to lounging on a beach all day you can engage in watersports, visit a turtle hatchery and do a bit of boating etc. Most of these hotels have spas, so treat yourself to an ayurvedic treatment or ten while you're there.

2. Culture

You'll be surprised at the amount of historical sites for such a small country. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are the sites of ancient ruins and Buddha statues, including the famous 5th century 13-metre high avukana statue and the reposing Buddha. Expect to be asked to cover up before entering a Buddhist temple if you're in shorts. Footwear is left outside too. Note that it is offensive to take photos with your back to the statues.

In Dambulla (I'd recommend staying at the Kandalama Hotel - beautiful environmental hotel set aside and around a rock) you could see the temple paintings and statues and also visit nearby Sigiriya. Sigiriya is magnificient, well worth the visit. It is an ancient rock fortress with a network of gardens and waterways and a palace atop it. Most of it is in ruins, you will see the little that remains of a giant sculpted lion, the mouth of which used to be the entrance. Sigiriya actually means Lion's rock. The climb up is pretty grim in some places. Obviously don't forget to view the frescoes!


3. The Hill Country

Head up to the mountains, after a harrowing drive where the roads spiral upwards around hills. The roads are fairly narrow and you come across plenty of blind corners, but don't expect the driver to be put off by that. Nobody drives at anything less than breakneck speed. If you don't believe in a higher power, chances are you will by the time you get to your destination in one piece. Make sure you look out of your window, you wouldn't want to miss some of the most beautiful sights you will ever come across anywhere in the world; Rugged mountain scenery, cascading waterfalls and rolling tea plantations stretching as far as the eye could see, dotted with those indefatigable tea-pluckers hard at work under Sri Lanka's blistering sun.

Places to visit are Kandy (ancient hill capital and home to the Temple of the Tooth relic) and Nuwara Eliya (also known as Little England, with its own unique old-world charm). A lovely place to stay is the Tea Factory in Kandapola. It used to be a working tea factory, now converted to a hotel, and you can still see some of the old machinery and implements of the original factory. Staying there is a unique experience that I can highly recomend.

The climate in this part of the country is much cooler than anywhere else, it can even get chilly at night. Make sure you visit a tea factory and see firsthand the process of making tea (you can't go to Sri Lanka and not check that out!) and visit the elephant orphanage at Pinnawela too. The elephants having their daily bath is a sight to behold.


4. Colombo

Tourists usually come to Colombo as more of a stop-over during their travels in Sri Lanka than to actually visit it specifically. Colombo is divided into 15 sections, starting from Colombo 1 through Colombo 15, with the various areas of Colombo sectioned under each. The good news is you don't have to trip over such jaw-breaking names as Bambalapitiya; saying that you need to go to Colombo 4 will suffice. You haven't experienced Colombo if you haven't travelled in a three-wheeler/trishaw/auto. Make sure to take at least a short trip in one of them. Never get into one without finding out how much you're being charged for the trip. If you ask them only after you've arrived at your destination you're basically at their mercy and will have to cough up whatever amount they name.

When haggling with the driver, my top tip is, knock off 40% from whatever price they name, say that it's your final offer and walk away. They WILL call you back, and though they'll probably not match your price they will get pretty close if you stick to your guns.

Note: Tuk tuk is NOT the word used by Sri Lankans, it is used mainly by tourists or for the benefit of tourists who've probably been to Thailand before visiting Sri Lanka (and hence picked up that word). In Sri Lanka it is called a three-wheeler, trishaw or auto.

Most of the hotels in Colombo are in Colombo 1, opposite the sea-front promenade known as the Galle Face Green. Galle Face has a series of makeshift kiosks selling street food. Although I think the prawn vadai is to die for I wouldn't recommend that you eat any kind of street food during your trip. Tap water is not suitable for drinking, Sri Lankans have pitchers filled with cooled boiled water for drinking in their homes. Unless you're visiting friends at their home, drink only bottled water. While we're on the topic, if you want to surprise local friends use the word aiyo (pronounced eye-yo) as an exclamation, SLns tend to use it a lot. Public transport and public toilets are not for the faint-hearted.

Take advantage of the low prices by doing some shopping while in Colombo. Odel, House of Fashion, Paradise Road, Arena, Majestic City etc. You absolutely MUST eat at the Gallery Cafe of Paradise Road, the food is divine.



If you're into nature and wildlife there are several sanctuaries around Sri Lanka. Horton Plains, Uda walawe and Yala are some of them.



Cuisine

Rice is a staple in Sri Lanka. If you're having Sri Lankan meals, expect to eat rice at lunchtime everyday. You'll also be served a selection of curries, sambols etc. with it, always consisting of at least one meat/fish dish. You'll find rice and curry everywhere, even at McDonald's!

Sri Lankans are big fans of carbs, so your meal will always be referred to by the carbohydrate component. "We're having stringhoppers, hoppers, rice and curry etc. instead of we're
having fish or chicken". For breakfast or dinner you can expect to have milk rice (exactly what the name suggests), stringhoppers (a stringy type of food, lighter than noodles), hoppers (crispy bowl-shaped food) or pittu (cylindrical in shape and made of flour and coconut), again served with various accompaniments.

Sri Lankan curries are quite distinct from their Indian counterparts. They are less oily (arguably of course) and has a more gingery, cumminy taste to it. Curries are usually made 'kirata', which is in a milky gravy, or 'mirisata', which is in a red hot spicy gravy, or 'thelata', which is a dryish sauted mix without any gravy at all. Sambols are usually dry, uncooked mixes. The fiery orange coconut sambol is the commonest sambol of all.

Sri Lanka has its own unique fast food. Kothu rotti is a mish mash of chopped up roti (flat, unleavened bread), meat, onions, green chillies, egg etc. Tastes best from the little roadside "hotels" (you'll know what I mean when you're in Colombo) rather than proper restaurants. If you have a less than iron-strong stomach, I suggest you give it a miss.


Sadly, the war situation in the country doesn't look like it'll end in the forseeable future. Tourists are safe though, they have never been targetted and touristy areas are not under threat. The tsunami was a freak occurrence and shouldn't disuade people from going. Sri Lanka is a lovely country, a totally diverse and unique culture that you simply must go and experience.

Summary: Well worth a visit - although I might be a little biased *wink*