Saturday, May 2, 2020

Thoughts on Sri Lanka





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I wrote this while still in Sri Lanka. The only thing missing is that my flight got cancelled and there was a brief period of time where I thought I would be in Sri Lanka for an extended period of time. I ended up getting a flight to Hong Kong to Taiwan to Seoul and now life is almost back to normal in Seoul.

Thoughts on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka had been on my radar for a few years. My brother’s wife adores the place and planted the seeds for my eventual trip here. Sri Lanka being named Lonely Planet’s country to travel to in 2019 was more evidence that this country deserved some exploration. After being in Thailand for two weeks and with school being delayed another two weeks, I started looking at flights. One-way flight to Colombo was only $130. Sold. So, what’s the deal with Sri Lanka?


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It’s hot! Super warm. I am a fan of hot weather so I enjoyed it but carefully planning on staying in places with air con and limiting getting lost in the streets during the day is a must. Did I get lost my first hour outside of my guesthouse in Negombo? Obviously. I initially booked a one-way ticket because of schools closing in Seoul and an opening date not being set in stone. I figured I had 15ish days. (Ended up having like 9) The virus started to calm down a bit and school looked to be opening March 23rd so I booked a flight back to Seoul on the 21st. I found out today school is further delayed until April 6th which will give me time in Seoul to unwind after a month away.

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My two priorities for this trip were trying to learn how to surf and go on a safari. Sri Lanka is known for having great waves and an excellent place for beginners to learn how to surf. Safaris are also a famous part of Sri Lankan culture that I was unaware of. Did I go either of these things? Obviously not. I had planned to do the safari on Thursday March 19th but all parks are closed due to the virus. Nature has been cancelled. Surfing was delayed for a few inconsequential reasons. One, you really need to find a surfing school, spend a few days learning and really commit. The two beaches I ended up at weren’t big surf spots and after a few days, being at the beach becomes a little dull. Second, I think it would be more fun to learn with a friend or a group of people you know. Third, I might be slightly lazy and I just wanted to see more of Sri Lanka instead of getting angry at a surfboard and losing my temper.


Let’s start at the beginning. I land at the airport which is 15 minutes from Negombo and 45ish minutes from Colombo. I did not hear great things about Colombo so I had booked a guesthouse in Negombo. I took a taxi to Negombo, desperate for some AC, some WIFI, a nap and a jump in the pool after waking up at 4:15am to catch my flight to Sri Lanka. I arrive at the place and they let me know that the power is out so internet and any type of cooling mechanism is not working. There were two older people just chilling at the pool and I didn’t want to mess up their vibe so I left in search of the beach. I walk through the town, find the sea and realize this is not an interesting place to be. I proceed to get lost walking back to my guesthouse and wonder why I am not better at traveling.


 I finally found the place, power still off so I make an executive decision to leave the guesthouse I have just paid for and head south to an allegedly more beautiful area. The owner is slightly confused why I was leaving hours after arriving but I feel that as long as I didn’t write him a negative review, he would not care to see me go. I took a bus to Colombo and then eventually figured out what bus to take south to Unawatuna. If you believed that buses in Sri Lanka were super modern, you would be mistaken. It looked like this:

A Perspective of Sri Lankan Bus Conductors

By the time the bus left Colombo, it was 108% filled with Sri Lankans and one awkward foreign person from North Bay.

Was the bus quiet? If your definition of quiet is Sri Lankan music playing at a level 9 out of 10 for four hours then yes it was. Did I miss my stop and end up in the wrong town, unaware of how to get the bus to stop for me with a dying cell phone, no lunch or dinner and sweating in my seat like a pineapple at customs? Certainly. I found a Sri Lankan restaurant; told them I was very hungry and would eat anything they gave me and it was a big hit. Eventually found a cheap room in Unawatuna and spent two days here:

Unawatuna Sri Lanka | Best Unawatuna Beach Hotels | Sri Lanka ...


Observation: Hot
Observation: Most Sri Lankans speak English
Observation: Super friendly

The second day in Unawatuna, I set my alarm for 5:50am to watch the sunrise. What I did not take into consideration was my phone was still on Thailand time so when my alarm went off the next morning, it woke me up at 3:50 am. It took me 15 minutes to realize my mistake and this news did not come as a shock to me. I stayed awake and eventually made it to see this:


After Unawatune, I made my way to Merissa. Nothing super fascinating happened during this time period. One beach is called Secret Beach that you can find on Google Maps. It’s almost like they don’t want it to be a secret.


If you wanted to buy beer in Merissa, you couldn’t just walk into a store. You had to walk up to a caged area where you tell the man what you want and they get it for you. I’m not sure how I feel about this system other than the government doesn’t trust Sri Lankans and finding alcohol in this country is not a simple task.

After Merissa, I was not overly excited to take two buses to Ella that would take close to 8 hours so I hired a taxi to take me to Ella in under four hours. That cost about $90 which I feel is not a crazy amount of money. Some Ubers around Toronto can add up to more than that.

How many times would you say is a reasonable amount of times to be stopped by the police on a four-hour journey? Zero sounds about right but that was not my experience. We seemingly got stopped at random about an hour into our trip. The driver got out of his car, showed some papers and within 10 minutes we were set free.

“Why did they pull you over,” I inquired.

“For driving across the middle line on the road but I talked my way out of it,” he replied.

How can you talk your way out of driving across the middle of the road? I feel like police aren’t super into being told they were wrong. I do not believe a bribe was exchanged and here is why:
About two hours later, we get pulled over again. This seems unlikely but I was in no rush so excited to hear his story.

“Why did they pull you over this time?”

“I was going 90 in a 70 zone.”

Seems like a good reason to be pulled over.

“How much is the fine?”

“About a thousand rupees” ($8)

“Why didn’t you try and offer him 500?”

“I tried that to be honest but he refused!”

So apparently in Sri Lanka, once you get a ticket, you need to give the police your ID, then drive to some station and pay your fine immediately then return to the police with your receipt, then you are given your ID back and you are on your way. The fact that he offered to bribe the second police officer makes me think that he was being honest when he said he talked his way out of the first fine. I also feel like I asked him about the first encounter after our second stop and he said he didn’t bribe them so apparently Sri Lankan police are not super, super corrupt.

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We make it to Ella which is known for its tea plantations and hikes. Ella is also where I ended up meeting up with a couple from Australia who are friends with my mom and ended up paying for my dinner so Ella was a win. The world isn’t that big of a place. Here are some Ella pictures I have stolen from the internet


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Ella - Sri Lanka Photograph by Joana Kruse


Which brings me to a hot take I have:

Taking pictures of most things is stupid. What’s the point of going to a place that actual professional photographers have spent hours taking pictures of but you rock up and take some pictures on your Galaxy S7. I don’t get it. It makes slightly more sense to take pictures of yourself or you with friends but in general, can we all just knock it off and enjoy being where we are at and just ‘borrow’ pictures from professionals later? 

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I will give you another example. Ella to Kandy is supposedly one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. When I got on the train, it was 92% empty which was great. The downside is that I was worried about getting at least one great picture from this journey. This is so dumb. I should have just put my phone away and enjoyed watching the scenery pass me by. Instead, I probably spent 30ish minutes taking sub-par pictures and when one of the more scenic views on the trip came into view, I wasn’t hanging off the side of the train snapping up prime pics like these:

Kalugala Gerandi Ella Waterfall - Attractions in Sri lanka

If I took that train for a year, I doubt that I would get better photos than that. Thousands of people taking pictures of the exact same thing just to show other people they were there. I think we should all take a step back, quit it with the amateur photography hour, borrow professionals’ pictures and live in the moment more. Finally, not only are these pictures repetitive and inferior quality, people are also dying when trying to snap the best train picture. Apparently 28 people died as of June 2017. 28 people died in 6 months trying to take pictures. But it’s super worth it to get pictures like this:

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Once in Kandy, countries had started to shut their borders and panic was rising. I went to a national park yesterday and was told it was closed because of the virus. My plan to hit up a safari was dashed but after looking through these pictures I feel like I got the just of it


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I am spending my last two day in Colombo then flying back to Seoul. Some final thoughts:

I read Island of a Thousand Mirrors. A novel about two your girls growing up in Sri Lanka. I recommend that you read a novel set in the next country you visit. I felt like it enriched my trip and I learned about the history of Sri Lanka.
I’ve been wondering what the main differences between India and Sri Lanka are. Here are some things that I found:

Sri Lanka has 21 million people. India has 1.3 billion.

Sri Lanka has a higher GDP per capita while India has more land and manpower.

India is the world’s biggest democracy. To learn more about their president, this is an interesting watch:


Both countries have an abundant amount of wildlife and a love for cricket.

Sri Lanka is an island while India is not.

Sri Lanka is mainly Buddhist while India is mainly Hindu.

Sri Lanka has three official languages while India has 22.

While both countries have a caste system, it is followed much more strictly in India and is not as serious in Sri Lanka.

India's movies are a cultural phenomenon while Sri Lanka's aren't.

Sri Lanka has better education, less pollution and better infrastructure.

Apparently, algebra, the number zero, shampoo, diamond mining and the value of pie originated in India.

Sri Lanka was the first country to elect a woman as the head of a government in 1960

Should you visit Sri Lanka? If you are into good, cheap food, train rides, beaches, nature, friendly people, fairly safe, hot and somewhat touristy country then make your way over. You can dream and start planning your next vacation whenever life goes back to normal. Stay safe.

Flag Of Sri Lanka, 4k, Silk Flag, National Symbol, - Sri Lankan ...





 “There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.”


Abraham Lincoln 



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