Traveling to Sri Lanka in November 2012 was a great experience however the Lonely Planet guide was not very helpful.
Here is a list of things you should know that the Lonely Planet guidebook fails to mention.
- The archaeology museum in Anuradhapura is closed. You have to buy a ticket for 3,500 rupee ($35US) to visit 3 museums. The archaeology museum is supposed to be the biggest and the best but it is closed for renovations and is not opening again anytime soon. When we asked when it would reopen, they looked at us blankly and said “we don’t know when it will open again, a long time, maybe a year.” This means your 3,500 rupee ticket can only be used at the other smaller and less impressive museums. You can see plenty of great sites and ruins without going to the museums.
- The people who don’t speak English are the nice ones, the people who speak English well are not. We decided those that could speak English well had discovered that this skill could be used to manipulate and scam tourists. This isn’t a rule of thumb but it’ll help in your choice of who to trust.
- Bring toilet paper. If you’re not a fan of using a hose to clean your butthole like the locals do, then you better have a stash of toilet paper handy at all your hostels, homestays and hotels.
- Prices have gone up. If the Lonely Planet said something was 350 rupee it was actually 500 rupee. The guidebook was very inaccurate when it came to displaying the price of things. If it said a homestay would be 1000 rupee, it was at least 1500.
- Buses are fast, dangerous and fun. On 5-hour bus trips the drivers are in a hurry. They scream down roads in the outback, overtaking 2-3 cars at a time with oncoming cars visible in the distance, in many cases oncoming traffic swerves onto the dirt in order to make way for the bus. It’s better to just enjoy the ride and not look out the front window at all the near death overtakings.
- The first row of seats on public transport are reserved for the clergy. Avoid those awkward glares and sit at the back.
- Don’t expect any hot water. Came as a shock to me, a cold shock every morning.
- Wear white (or light coloured) clothes in holy sites. Don’t stress if you wore your best khaki pants into that remote temple, but if you know you’re heading to Anuradhapura or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth, pack a white shawl or wear a white shirt.
- Cover your legs and shoulders. This mainly applies to female travellers. By all means wear singlets and shorts but don’t be surprised by the amount of attention you get when you show a bit of skin. The only time when this is actually a problem is when you’re entering holy sites like temples. This is where you HAVE to cover up.
- Everything is negotiable. From stalls, markets and tuk tuk rides. Figure out your price with your driver before you get in the taxi, tuk tuk or bus.
- The eastern beaches are deserted from November-April. At this time though the Southern beaches are packed. Then in reverse from May-October- eastern beaches packed, southern beaches empty. You get my drift.
- Don’t buy cricket tickets in Galle. Save some money and sit on the Galle fort walls. It’s more enjoyable and you get to hang with the locals.
- Forego the knife and fork and eat with your hands. If you dare. It’s pretty exciting eating like the locals. But remember eat with your right hand and drink with you left.
- Tuk tuks struggle in the rain. And by struggle I mean break down for an hour on the side of the road while you wait for the driver to dry out his engine.
So enjoy your trip to Sri Lanka! Be a little prepared (mentally and physically) and don’t forget to wave to the locals.
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