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Throughout Sri Lanka there are touts. I noticed this more here than in other countries. If you are not interested, you just have to be persistent and keep saying no. They are mostly at the tourist sites. I hardly saw any in Colombo.
Scams are everywhere, but Sri Lanka is the first place i really came across them. In the city of Kandy, i was warned by my lonely planet book that there are touts or scam artists, who work the lake area. Someone will say they work at your hotel and if you give them money they will make you a special dinner. When we were there, one man came up to us saying he was an English teacher and wanted to practice his english. He asked us where we was from, where we were staying and what we thought of the city. He then left quietly and we thought nothing of it. Within a few minutes, this sleazy kind of a guy came up to us saying he worked at our hotel. They two men didn't leave much time before approaching us-so we knew the first guy went up to the second guy and gave him our info. He then tried to get us to go to certain stores and was quite pushy. We walked away and tried to ignore him. Just...
In the central and northern part of the country, there are wild elephants. Most stay to the grasslands and nature sanctuaries, but when food is scarce they move to farms. This can be dangerous at night, since they do cross certain streets. Very few roads in Sri Lanka have street lights-so if driving at night in these areas, you should be careful for wild elephants.
Unless you are at a site that is on the cultural triangle ticket-you will probably have to pay something to use your camera or videocamera. It's usually around 250-300 rps. We went to a variety of sites and luckily only had to pay twice-so it's not everywhere. Also, you should not take a picture with someone, whose back is facing a Buddha.
If you are going out of season be very careful in the sea,it gets very rough and the under current is very strong,a man staying at our hotel broke his hand in the sea,he didn't realise how strong the current was.
Sri Lanka can have some Gnarly Weather, so pack accordingly. I always check the weather of countries I am going to. This way I know what to and how to pack. Also, I need to know so I can set my itinenary. The Guff: January is the coolest month, causing people, especially those in the highlands, to wear coats and sweaters. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains.The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is marked by four seasons. The first is from mid-May to October, when winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive loads of rain, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little...
I have already mentioned that travel on roads in the East is slow. Whether it is because of the elephants, the water buffalo, the goats, the bicyclists, the motorcyclists, the guerillas or the Army, you just can't go very fast. Also, the road is not in very good shape - even the areas not affected by the tsunami. Potholes abound, as well as the unmarked - at least to the non-native eye - speed bumps! The road in the east consist of a single artery onto which all traffic must flow at one time or another. The road width is barely enough for two trucks to pass. It is quite amazing to observe in action, much like many other places in south Asia, I talked with natives about the condition of the road in the East and asked if it had to do with the War or the fact that it was used by a Tamil population. They simply smiled and said, 'Now, I think you are beginning to understand more about
Driving at night in rural Sri Lanka is not to be taken lightly. It can be hard enough during the day. At night, cows, water buffaloes, goats, dogs, people, bikes without lights, cars without lights, guerilla patrols, Army patrols can all be part of the scene. One of the biggest obstacles, however, is the elephant. On the road towards Batticaloa, there are wild elephants to be found. In this picture, a domestic elephant was being led down the road.
The Far East around Batticaloa is comprised of a sea barrier island-lagoon-peninsula (on which the town of Batti is)-more lagoon-jungled plains. The LTTE (Tamil Tigers) guerillas used the lagoon as there highway to hit the Sri Lanka government, the local people, and the Army at any number of points. They also used the countryside to flow through in true guerilla fashion. In response, the Sri Lankan Army, in true counter-insurgency manner, has established a cordon of forts - fire support bases in the true Vietnam sense - along the highway into the Batti area from the West. There are forts every kilometer or so. A couple of times, the road goes directly through a fort, in which case, traffic is now shunted off the pavement onto a dirt track which goes around the fort. What happens in the moonsoons? You don't really go fast anywhere in Sri Lanka, but here, you simply go slow.
Because of the civil war, ther weren't a lot of good roads in the eastern districts anyway. The one one main road running down the east coast from Batticaloa to Kalmunai suffered severe damage when the tsunami topped bridges just northof Kalmunai. The bridges have been restored to traffic, but they are far from perfect. Even more extreme care should be given if you try to drive at night.
Mount Lavina Hotel Colombo
5 Reviews and 395 Opinions This is the closest hotel you can experience the Beach as you come to Colombo. Good food, good rooms...
Earl's Regency Hotel Kandy Kandy
4 Reviews and 235 Opinions Kandy Perahara Starts on Esala Full Moon Poya Day in July & finishes on Nikini Full Moon Poya Day on...
Palm Garden Village Hotel Anuradhapura
3 Reviews and 111 Opinions The Palm Garden Village is like a colonial club, but one with a relaxed and freestyle-air. It was...
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Q: Thinking of traveling to Sri Lanka in the end of March for 3 weeks. I will go with my 6 yr old. Will take Medical precoushns bu...
A: Any special reasons why you want to stay in Colombo for 3 days. Everywhere in Sri Lanka is child friendly, but as you want to end up in Trinco (and spend part of your...
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