Sri Lanka c or d - s/d

MIA has roots there so Destroy.

Apart from that, it does seem to be a nice place.

how was this merely "exciting" and not also "ohmygodwe'reallgoingtodie"?

Some really lovely temples, don't miss out on Dambulla. Sigirya is well worth the climb, as long as you have a stomach for heights. I was slightly underwhelmed by the famous statues in Polonnaruwa, but the rest of the site is brilliant.

I have no idea what's still there in places like Galle though, and I'm guessing the turtle sanctuary was destroyed.

what is the dominant language, if there is one?
do lots of people speak english?
do westerners get hassle, deference, respect or none of the above?
how expensive is it in uk/us terms?
what is the state of Tamil-related stuff in 2005/6?
are Tamils a race, or a religion? Or is it a region of Sri Lanka?

(All this is pre-tsunami, obviously, and I don't know how it affected prices or attitudes at the beach resorts which were amongst the worst hit areas.)

A thread for discussing Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers

so, can anyone put their hand on their heart and say "charlie, if you've been invited to visit a friend who lives in sri lanka, you should totally go"? or do reservations abound..?

so, who's got £500 they can lend me?

REVIVE because spouse and I are going in December for our delayed honeymoon (we've been saving the "honeymoon" card to play on a trip for which we'll be ditching our jobs for 3+ weeks).

Anyone been since 2005?

Also, is Singapore awesome enought to arrange a couple of days there en route? Trying to figure out travel strategy.

I went with my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago and we both really enjoyed it.

We stayed in Colombo for the first part of the holiday to watch England play cricket, and then went on a tour of the island with Acme Tours for nine days before flying home.

Colombo is probably worth visiting for a day, but it isn't where I'd want to spend the majority of my time. It's definitely worth going to some of the sights in the 'Cultural Triangle' - although these can be relatively expensive. There used to be a ticket which included all of the heritage sights for $50, but this has been withdrawn this year.

Sigiriya is one of the highlights ($30 each) as long as you are able to climb lots of steps, and don't have a big issue with heights. I can't think of any experience quite like it. The cave temples of Dambulla are another that's worth seeing.

I would recommend going on at least one jeep safari of the national parks - they seem to be quite different too so if you're in different areas of the country you will see different animals.

Kandy is a picturesque colonial town - we stayed in Queen's Hotel which was good value and very pleasant. Try to time a visit to the Temple of the Tooth when the three-times daily ritual is being performed, although it can get quite busy.

Ella in the mountains is worth visiting because of the amazing views. Galle on the south coast is very pleasant, and if I was going again I think I'd spend more time on one of the south coast beach resorts now we have seen the cultural sights.

Going on a tour with a tour guide & car makes sense, because it isn't that expensive and you will get to see more things without the hassle of public transport (although both the trains and buses are incredibly cheap). I'm sure there are plenty of reputable companies; I can highly recommend Acme Travels.

Sri Lankan rice and curry is cheap, tasty and available everywhere. In Colombo there are high quality restaurants of other cuisines; and some of the buffets at the more expensive hotels (Hilton, Cinnamon Grand, Mount Lavinia) are excellent, especially Sunday brunch. Outside of Colombo, 'western-style' food tends to be of a lower quality, so I'd stick to rice and curry.

When you arrive, it's a good idea to change money at the airport. The rates there are as good as anywhere on the island. One thing you need to be prepared for is the volume of notes you will get - the highest value note is 2000 rupees (I think there is 5000 but no-one uses them) which is worth approximately £10 or $15. It's worth getting a collection of lower value notes (20 to 100) that you can use for tips.

Take a spare unlocked mobile/cell phone with you, and buy a SIM card from Dialog or Mobitel at the airport with some Sri Lankan credit - this is much cheaper than using your own mobile/cell phone.

Sri Lankans remain very friendly, and we didn't see any crime during our entire trip. There are people around who will try to overcharge you; just be aware of what a reasonable price for things is. You won't ever be paying the same price as the locals for a tuk tuk, but they are so cheap anyway that it doesn't matter. There are some scams, like offering to show you a Buddhist festival in a temple and then trying to sell you stuff / overcharge for things; but these are easy to spot and avoid.

Thank you for the excellent write up! Very helpful. I'll probably have more questions as we get further into the planning--at the moment we're just taking a deep breath and buying the most expensive plane tickets we've every purchased.

In Sri Lanka widespread protests continue as the country grapples with severe shortages of food, fuel and medicine. One person participating in the protests died after the police opened fire on the demonstrators.

Solidarity with #SriLankaProtests https://t.co/k7hXaOHQBi

— World Without Prisons (@withoutprisons) April 21, 2022

Sri Lanka has officially declared that it's bankrupt. Civil servants have been instructed to stay home because the country has no fuel left. The next shipment of fuel is expected on 22nd July. Schools are closed. Inflation is nearing 60%.

— Ahmed Mohammed (@M_Ahmed52) July 5, 2022

#BREAKING Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees as protesters surround residence: defence source pic.twitter.com/wbMTmAcwtJ

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 9, 2022

Protestors taking a dip in the pool at President’s House. pic.twitter.com/7iUUlOcP6Z

— DailyMirror (@Dailymirror_SL) July 9, 2022

Really good report (from a Chinese outlet) on the Sri Lanka crisis.

They are in IMF hell.

Significantly better Sri Lanka reporting than I've seen anywhere else https://t.co/I17TQ39wCk

— jonathan financial-crime (@xoayquanh) July 15, 2022