Sri Lanka update at Sept 2005

lyndy

Just returned from our 4 and a bit week vist to Sri Lanka. We arrived Aug 18 2005. Much of the tsunami damage is visible on the lower west coast and along the south coast. Lot of tents & temporary timber dwellings. It's a bit depressing down south of Colombo from Panadura down to Matara and beyond. Tangalle has been cleaned up a lot we were told, but Mirissa looked a mess last week when we passed on the train. Places we stayed at Dikwella and Bentota were cleaned up fairly quickly at great expense, but they had no option. If they were to re-open quickly then needed to do the clean-up themselves, not wait for the government to do it. Aid is still slow in coming to many people. Many don't want to leave their land so continue to live in tents etc. They are given weekly grocery money but they cannot afford to re-build and the buildings must now be a greater distance from the water than previously was allowed, except in special circumstances.

It is not easy to travel to Trinco & Jaffna with check points & armed soldiers everywhere. Some Dutch people we met were harassed & all their luggage tipped out of their bags & searched and their van also, in Trinco. They were a bit upset at the way they were treated! We decided to skip Jaffna & Trinco until things cool down. If they ever do. Tourists are pretty safe everywhere however why look for trouble if you don't really need it. We heard Nilavelli was glorious and we really wanted to see the beach but decided against it.

Sri Lanka is a great travel destination, in spite of the civil war going on there. I only hope the stupid people who want to ruin the country just calm down & go back to peaceful negotiations. Compromise is necessary but is not evident.

It has gorgeous mountains, beautiful waterfalls, top food, nice friendly people (when you escape from all the tourist leeches around the airport, Fort railway station in Colombo, the town of Kandy & at the Ancient cities).

Ella was our favourite village. It has clean air & is quiet, with some bargain places to stay & eat like Rainbow Inn for US5 per twin room with private toilet & shower and lovely owners. The best eggplant curry in the world there.

Nuwara Eliya was our least favourite place. Cold, wet, rainy, grubby. It's a dump with a nice golf course, imho. Second least favourite town was Haputale. Great climate but really dirty, like Kandy. URK! Don't people care about garbage everywhere? Why don't they bury the stuff? No, they burn it and pollute the air. You cannot see the valley & coast from all the smog & smoke!

I was given a gem of a place to stay down south by a guy on LP TT. We spent 8 days in total just soaking up the magic of the southern beaches and enjoying some of the best food we've eaten anywhere in the world. I'm not sure I'd want to share the info with anyone!

Anyway, for anyone looking for a taste of the exotic but a slower pace than India, go and see for yourself. We're returning late March 06 for another month after our India trip. Would love to live there permanently if they ever get their act together & run the country as it should be run. It was the model for Singapore and it's sad to see it run into the ground because of politics & religion! All the best.