Sri Lanka
December 2017 - January 2018
- Sri Lanka lies only a few degrees north of the Equator, but . . .. . . if you travel due south of the country, the first land you reach is – Antarctica!
- Sri Lanka is slightly smaller than Ireland
- Romantic geographers have compared its outline to “a teardrop falling from the tip of India”. The more practical Dutch likened it to a leg of ham!
We had booked a two-night stay in the capital Colombo and the owner of our accommodation was there in the arrivals hall with a board displaying our names - a welcome sight just before midnight after three flights from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia where we had been staying with David's daughter and family!
A 30-minutes or so drive took us to the strangely-named "Star Class Comfort in Capital City" guest house. But it did live up to its name for comfort with welcoming, friendly, helpful hosts.
We booked here to be close to the Immigration Office, just a 10 minute walk away from our accommodation. We entered Sri Lanka on a 30-day e-visa but, as we would be in the country for seven weeks, we had to extend this.
Having experienced government offices in other parts of world (think Turkey!), we were anticipating confusion, long queues, frustrations and a three or four hour-long process. However, the place was well organised, efficient and customer (foreigner!) friendly. We walked into the building a few minutes after opening time of 8.30 a.m. on Monday and left with our extended visa at 10.25. Probably close to a world record!
We booked here to be close to the Immigration Office, just a 10 minute walk away from our accommodation. We entered Sri Lanka on a 30-day e-visa but, as we would be in the country for seven weeks, we had to extend this.
Having experienced government offices in other parts of world (think Turkey!), we were anticipating confusion, long queues, frustrations and a three or four hour-long process. However, the place was well organised, efficient and customer (foreigner!) friendly. We walked into the building a few minutes after opening time of 8.30 a.m. on Monday and left with our extended visa at 10.25. Probably close to a world record!
Our rental car had been delivered to the hotel the previous day (Sunday), so after picking up our luggage from the hotel, we set off on the journey to Shanika Apartment in Bentota, about 80 kms down the coast, mainly on a quiet motorway.
The authorities here have a cunning plan to control the 100 kms per hour speed limit on the toll roads. When you enter the Motorways (they call them Expressways here) you are given a timed ticket. On leaving at the pay booth, this is automatically checked and you are handed a receipt showing the time & distance travelled and your average speed.
There are always traffic police at the exit booths in case you have exceeded the speed limit on your journey. A simple but effective system to control speeding!
Sri Lanka is another country with a great deal to offer. As with all Asian countries we have visited you feel extremely safe, comfortable and welcome. Shopping is easy here with a choice of supermarkets and just a few minutes drive from our apartment, a local family-owned shop selling really fresh vegetables and a reasonable choice of other grocery items. Prices are clearly marked and we prefer to support the locals rather than the large supermarket chains whenever possible.
The authorities here have a cunning plan to control the 100 kms per hour speed limit on the toll roads. When you enter the Motorways (they call them Expressways here) you are given a timed ticket. On leaving at the pay booth, this is automatically checked and you are handed a receipt showing the time & distance travelled and your average speed.
Sri Lanka is another country with a great deal to offer. As with all Asian countries we have visited you feel extremely safe, comfortable and welcome. Shopping is easy here with a choice of supermarkets and just a few minutes drive from our apartment, a local family-owned shop selling really fresh vegetables and a reasonable choice of other grocery items. Prices are clearly marked and we prefer to support the locals rather than the large supermarket chains whenever possible.
Here is our accommodation in Bentota. We occupied the first floor apartment.
Our rental car was just a small Suzuki Alto which has been ideal for us - until the air-conditioning decided to be less efficient than opening the car windows! Not good in these temperatures.
The rental company based in Colombo asked us to find a local garage to fix it and they would reimburse the cost. Can you imagine two tourists wandering into a Sri Lankan garage, trying to explain the problems in English and getting an acceptable quote? No? Neither could we. We also heard that for even the simplest repairs, it can take a day or three before the car is ready
Enter stage right the owner of our apartment, Wijaya, who is not only good friends with the boss of a garage specialising in air-conditioning repairs but is also a police officer. Good combination, eh?
The rental company based in Colombo asked us to find a local garage to fix it and they would reimburse the cost. Can you imagine two tourists wandering into a Sri Lankan garage, trying to explain the problems in English and getting an acceptable quote? No? Neither could we. We also heard that for even the simplest repairs, it can take a day or three before the car is ready
Enter stage right the owner of our apartment, Wijaya, who is not only good friends with the boss of a garage specialising in air-conditioning repairs but is also a police officer. Good combination, eh?
Also, he understands the appointments system. We set off from the apartment at 7 o'clock in the morning to join the queue at the garage which was about 15 minutes drive away. The premises looked nothing like any repair place you have ever seen. More like a run-down undercover car park with no sign of tools or equipment of any kind.
Anyway, go with the flow we thought. Wijaya informed us we were No. 6 in the queue but that work didn't start until 8.30!! Just before opening time the boss arrived closely followed by his staff. After a serious discussion with the boss, Wijaya informed us we had now jumped up to No. 1 in the queue! Not sure what helped most - their friendship or the fact he was a police officer.
So, after testing the air-con with a sophisticated device which seemed to appear from nowhere and which detected a serious lack of gas in the system, the gas was refilled and we were ready to go.
The cost? UK£7.20 which included UK£1.40 'tip' to the technician who promoted us to the front of the queue. As always it's usually not what you know, but who you know! The car rental company even reimbursed us the small charge.
Things that go bump in the night can sometimes be a bit worrying, especially when they seem to come from the roof. We experienced several strange bumps and bangs during a couple of consecutive nights. We asked Wijaya about it and were surprised to hear it was a monitor lizard which seemed to enjoy roof-top wanderings in darkness.
Things that go bump in the night can sometimes be a bit worrying, especially when they seem to come from the roof. We experienced several strange bumps and bangs during a couple of consecutive nights. We asked Wijaya about it and were surprised to hear it was a monitor lizard which seemed to enjoy roof-top wanderings in darkness.
Now monitor lizards are not naturally dangerous being very afraid of humans but they are big and heavy and can make quite a lot of noise when coming into contact with water tanks, etc. If you don't know what a monitor lizard is, think of a 1-metre long crocodile with a snake-like face. Here's one we spotted earlier strolling along the side of a country lane:
The beaches here are spectacular (and all kept extremely clean), in fact the whole coastline is amazing although close to us at Bentota the waves are often too rough for snorkelling. However, just a 15 minute drive north we have discovered Beruwala Beach with an offshore reef which protects the sea close to the shore. So for our final three weeks in Sri Lanka we booked another lovely apartment at Beruwala. Here is one of the nearby beaches:
We were enjoyed our time in Sri Lanka so much and explored other areas south of here on day trips by car including Unawatuna, Mirissa and Hikkaduwa.
Hikkaduwa is a busy resort mainly because of the famous offshore coral reef which attracts divers and snorkellers from all over the world but the waves are too strong for us to enjoy off-beach snorkelling there.
Hikkaduwa is a busy resort mainly because of the famous offshore coral reef which attracts divers and snorkellers from all over the world but the waves are too strong for us to enjoy off-beach snorkelling there.
During one of our days out, Dora the Explorer drove down a narrow lane towards the coast where we reached a small deserted beach. A tall concrete pillar had been built on top of the rocks as you can see from this photograph:
And finally, they have a novel way of serving King Coconut on the beaches here. A lovely refreshing drink on hot, sunny days:
Then on Sunday evening, 11th February we get a 13-hour non-stop flight from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur where we shall relax for two nights to recover from our journey, before continuing on to Cambodia for a three week stay.
Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
Visas:
Update August 2024: Check current Visa requirements and how to apply. Responsibilty for issuing Visas was the responsibility of the Immigration Office, then an outside agency, VFS Global. Now it's back with the Immigration Office!
The online ETA process has been temporarily suspended. However, citizens of most countries can get a Visa on Arrival for USD50 (card or cash).
You also need to complete an Arrival Card up to three days before departure. It's a simple (free) procedure. The official link is HERE
Travel requirements can be subject to change at very short notice. You should check and observe all health and entry requirements applicable to your journey and the latest travel guidance of the relevant authorities of your destination.
Shopping: We mostly used Cargill's Food City and Keells Supermarket, both in Aluthgama which is just north of Bentota over the river bridge crossing Bentota Gangga and straight ahead. But both supermarkets have stores throughout Sri Lanka.
Occasionally, we shopped at Nebula Supermarket. Turn right just over the bridge on the main road B157 and it's on the right. Nebula stocked European brands and therefore more expensive.
Car Rental: We rented a small vehicle for two months through Casons Rent-a-Car and found them reliable and customer-friendly. Their Website is HERE.
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