Sri Lanka – What I Learned

Sri Lanka is a beautiful, loud, culturally dense, dirty, untouched, and simple piece of paradise. It’s one of those places you will both fall in love with and will need a break from if you stay long enough. I want to share with you what I loved, what I didn’t, some of my favorite memories, some of my not so favorite memories, a bit about Sri Lanka itself, and information to prepare you for a visit to this island.

First of all if you are thinking of visiting Sri Lanka I would recommend staying for a minimum of two weeks. You cannot begin to grasp all that Sri Lanka has to offer with anything less than two weeks. If you have the time – stay a month and extend your visa for another two months. This will take a trip to the Immigration office in Colombo but it will be well worth it. You will begin to feel a connection to the culture, the locals, and have more than just pictures to take with you when you leave.

Here are some of my favorite things about Sri Lanka.

• It is paradise on earth. Beautiful empty beaches with warm turquoise water, turtles swimming about, coconut stands on the side of the street, and friendly stray dogs wherever you go.
• The surf is awesome and numerous breaks along the coast. The lineup isn’t too busy and generally very friendly. I was able to surf one break for a few months with mainly just my good friends 2x a day. Party waves for days.
• The prices of accommodation, transport, food, and activities are very reasonable.
• I was able to pedal bike to work with my surfboard and catch a couple surfs during the day.
• You can rent a scooter for $8 a day and go anywhere you like on your own time. The traffic is crazy but you learn the local’s habits and keep an eye out for dogs.
• We went almost everywhere barefoot. This happens after you are around for a while and you do not need shoes…even for driving a scooter. The only time I would really bring shoes is if we would walk around a larger city for the day as the sidewalks can get quite hot.
• Phone plans are very cheap. I paid $8/month for 5 GB of data and calls and texts.
• It is very easy and cheap to start up a business. If you take the time to ask around you can get business cards made, clothing labels, and find a tailor for a very good price.
• The fresh fruit is endless and tastes way better than anything at home. We would grab fresh fruit daily from a local shop on the side of the road or the grocery store. You have to try jackfruit-so good!
• You can make a meal of egg hoppers (a thin rice flour bowl with a cooked egg in the middle) and fresh juice for $1.75 – one of my favorites.
• The temperature will grow on you – you never need to moisturize as it is very humid. It is great to be able to just throw a dress on over your bikini and be set. The salt water keeps your hair looking great and you have a constant tan.
• The healthy lifestyle: eat surf work surf eat sleep and repeat. The cafes run by expats are delicious, healthy and cheaper then what you would spend back home. If you enjoy rice and curry this is your place. You can find it anywhere for a couple dollars and it will be more than enough.
• The small community – if you go to the grocery store you will see someone you know or if you drive thirty minutes away for a surf you will recognize someone in the lineup.
• The low price of health care – you can go see a doctor get an x-ray and medication for $15.
• Being able to eat at a five star breakfast buffet for $14.
• All the wildlife and animals roaming around – on a two minute bike ride to the beach you will see a herd of cows, monkeys running along the power lines, wild peacocks roaming about, and a water monitor or two.
• The other travelers you will meet will be on the same wave length and will be very easy to connect to. No one is “above” someone else – everyone is very outgoing and friendly and interested in sharing stories.
• How minimalistic and non-superficial you become to be – no one is wearing makeup or heels and you become very comfortable as your true self.
• Locals have what they need and not much more. They generally have one room in the house where they eat, do laundry, and relax. They spend way more time with each other and aren’t distracted by so many unnecessary things.
• You learn to really enjoy life and watch the sunset every night, get up for sunrise surfs, and just live. You will learn to unplug and really take in each moment.
• You become much more humble-you will see people with nothing living happy full lives and realize what is important and what you really need in life.

Here are some of my not so favorite things about Sri Lanka:

• The men will get your attention by making a kissing sound similar to what someone would make when calling a dog-this happened in all of my jobs when someone wanted to get your attention instead of saying your name. This also happens on the street if a guy wants himself to be noticed by you.
• The men spit-a lot. This happens out the side of the bus or a tuk tuk and there have been times when we have passed a tuk tuk on a scooter where you get a face full of saliva – not on purpose but by very bad timing. The men also chew something red and spit it on the ground which stains the ground and their gums.
• Sri Lankan’s have a different concept with lines – they will cut in front of you at the grocery store if you leave a half foot gap – there is no spatial awareness. If you are at the counter at the bank someone will come and stand at the counter next to you as you make a transaction. People will budge in front of you to get petrol as well and generally give you a wry smirk.
• The local buses play the loudest Sri Lankan music you will ever hear no matter what time of day or length of trip.
• Deodorant isn’t a widely used item and when the bus is full in the middle of the day it carries quite a stench.
• Sri Lankans are not generally nice to animals – because of this dogs will go after locals and really bark at any local entering their territory. I have seen terrible things happen first time to stray dogs and it’s heartbreaking. Obviously this isn’t the community as a whole but it is much more common than any place I have been before.
• The weather or surf forecast is never accurate.
• There will be occasional power and water cuts that last usually only for the day. There also isn’t hot water unless you are in a nicer facility. This is fine unless it is a bit colder if it is raining and you go home to a cold shower. Generally a cold shower is welcomed as it is usually mid 80s every day.
• Monkeys are actually a nuisance. They would come by the hostel every morning, take any food left out, knock over the water filter, and just make a mess. If you tried to shoo them away they would hiss at you and do a little lunge.
• If you ever end up in the hospital you need to keep in mind this is Sri Lanka and things work differently. My friend had a deep fin cut on her groin and had to wait over an hour in the hospital for any kind of pain reliever. Nurses in training will come in the room in groups of 5 or 6 and not do anything – just look at you, talk amongst themselves and giggle. Professionality isn’t well versed here.
• A simple mosquito or spider bite may get infected and blow up into something way bigger than you imagined. I was going to the hospital every month or so needing new medication for a bite, a reef cut, or some other scrape that was infected. Because it is so hot and everyone is in the water so much, even a small reef cut will take ages to heal.

I will share with you a bit about what I have learned from the culture in Sri Lanka.

• Initially when you come into the country you will be amazed by how friendly the locals are and how interested in you they seem. Some people are very genuine and want to improve their English and make a connection. Generally you are asked what your country is, how long you are here for/how long you have already been here, if Sri Lanka is a good country, if you have a boyfriend, if you like Sri Lankan boy, and it usually goes south from there. I have had tuk tuk rides or met people on the train who were very nice and told me about their family or taught me some words in Sinhala. Do not think for one second that a man old enough to be your grandpa won’t come on to you – you are a white female and they will assume you are wealthy and their ticket out. Groups of young boys like to impress one another by speaking to a tourist but it usually goes something like this: they see you walking towards them and as you pass they all look away and say hi repeatedly. I wouldn’t say Sri Lankan boys have the best game. If they are a bit more forward a tuk tuk driver or someone on the street might say “hey baby you want to have some fun, very beautiful I like you…tuk tuk”? If you do give them any attention they will run with it, become obsessed and very insecure about your “relationship” and need validation every day. Know what you are getting into.
• Men are used to Sri Lankan women wearing modest clothing which is a dress or skirt below their knees and all shirts will have sleeves to cover their shoulders. It is assumed that we as travelers are quite easy if we wear shorts and a tank top. I would recommend wearing loose pants on the bus and bring a scarf to put around your shoulders. I wore a baseball cap just for less attention. I also wore rings on my wedding finger to help deter any unwanted attention. There have been times where a man will pleasure himself to you – generally not in aggressive way but off to the side if you are on the bus or in the bushes if you are at the beach. The best way to deal with this is to make a scene. Especially if you are on the bus shout “knock it off” or something similar. Get people to look and they will stop. Another thing you can do if there are people around and you feel it would be safe to do is take a picture and report it to the police. The worst thing to do would be to let it go, get embarrassed and leave-this just gives them power and makes them think they can do it again. This has never made me feel unsafe and they do not take any action further than this but it will disgust you. I am not sharing this to scare you away from Sri Lanka but to inform you and prepare you with what to do in this situation. Stick to busier areas or travel in groups and you will be fine.
• As I understand it women do have the upper hand when it comes to dating and marriage. The men have to have enough money to get married and weddings in Sri Lanka are a very big event. The dating is quite strict and a date does have to take place in a public area. If you are seen going into an empty house together or something else everyone will know and you will no longer be desired in the community. A popular date young people go on is to sit on the beach with and umbrella and make out. If you drive along the road on the weekend you will see loads of couples doing this.
• Locals will motion to someone to come over always with their palm down-almost in a digging motion.
• When handing you money Sri Lankan’s will support the hand with the money with the other hand at the wrist.
• Sri Lankan’s believe it is good luck to touch a white child’s head. This happened quite a lot when I was a nanny and we took the boys to town.
• When passing a temple religious Sri Lankans will stand up quickly and take off their hats. They also may stop shortly, say a quick prayer, and make a donation.
• Every month on the full moon there is no school or work for many businesses. This is called Poya. No alcohol is sold at liquor stores or at most restaurants.
• Everything is on island time-every bus will arrive in 5 minutes which is generally closer to a half an hour.
• If you know a Sri Lankan and his sister is getting married-even if you have never met her-you will be invited. Another way the locals associate social standing is your connections to white travelers.
• There are a lot of deformities that arise due to a lack of medical attention. I saw a man at the bus station once where his knees went the other way- almost like a dog. There are many people who do still work with these deformities and it is amazing to see that they haven’t let their situation control their life.
• Sri Lankan’s handle crime amongst themselves prior to police arrival. I was at my tailors one day and two guys came dragging this man by his arms. A group gathered and were kicking him and beating him and videotaping it. He had supposedly stolen a scooter and they all gathered around to watch – women too. The police finally arrived and took him away. You will most likely never see a situation like this as it was in a much more local area. There have been other videos that have come out and one where a group of guys beat a leopard to death for no reason. These videos make me sick and there are men in the video laughing. This again does not speak for all of Sri Lanka but it is prevalent.
• When I lived in Galle I had went to a surf spot just outside of town and was told by the man who owns the surf shop I shouldn’t return home that day as our local town was in conflict and had a strict curfew set. The Sinhalese were at odds with the Muslims because of an old bike accident where a Muslin boy was knocked down by a Sinhalese boy. Then a group of Sinhalese boys assaulted two Muslim boys on a scooter and one was hospitalized and passed away. Riots started and dynamite was being thrown into the houses of these families. A curfew was put into effect until 9am the next day and saw 16 Singhalese and 3 Muslims were arrested. Troops and riot police were deployed to settle things down. The curfew stated if anyone was out within the time period they could be shot on site. Luckily this cleared up in a day or so.
• I will share a story with you to show how helpful and kind the locals can be. Kali and I decided to drive a scooter one afternoon to Udawalawe National Park- about two hours one way from where we lived. We left around one and during the rainy season. We arrived around 3 and right in the middle of a rain storm. We had dinner and then went to the baby elephant orphanage for feeding time which was at 6. After it got dark we walked across the street to get snacks from a small shop and told them we were headed back to Dikwella. Kali used a purple garbage bag for rain protection and got a few laughs. We said goodbye and walked back to the scooter to start it up. It started just fine but the headlight was out- and it was barely light out. We went back to the shop and we asked if they knew anyone who would be open. The young man who was working there offered to take us to his friend who was a mechanic/welder to try to fix it. We drove up in the friend’s back yard where he was welding a car and asked if he could help. He took the light cover off and then I went with the young man to get a lightbulb. They put it all together again and we paid them and headed off. A minute down the road the light went out again so we decided to go back and he took everything apart again. After it was fixed we thanked him and headed off again. About an hour down the road the middle line on the road was gone and it was pretty hard for Kali to see so we switched. Not much longer after that it started to downpour- we didn’t have shields on our helmets so we pulled over by a little fruit stand to huddle under. The owner of the house came out and offered us fruit and chairs under her roof. We waited out the rain and headed home. Kali and I just wanted to get home and we were so grateful for the help from everyone.

Overall I highly highly recommend experiencing Sri Lanka yourself and seeing what adventures you will find. You will learn so much about yourself and realize what is most important in life and what makes you happy. Be present and take in every situation and opportunity and make the most of it.

“Stop looking for reasons why you can’t. If you can you should.” – High on Life