Every once in a while, as you’re wandering the globe, you stumble upon a place that catches you off guard. This can be a bad thing (like the time our train conductor suddenly declared our ticket “no good” and decided to scream at us in Russian to help rectify the situation). But more often, it seems like the surprises leave you with a feeling of bemusement and a smile stretched across your face.
Sri Lanka has been one of those places – chock full of the good surprises. The kind that causes you to scratch your head and wonder, “Why aren’t people traveling here in droves?”
OK, Sri Lanka may have a slight PR problem on its hands thanks to the 25 year civil war (that recently ended), and a major tsunami in 2004, but aside from that, we will make an argument for why this little tear drop country should be at the top of your list for 2012, and why it’s one of the most underrated nations on Earth.
#1 Food – Indian cuisine gets all the attention, but Sri Lankan curries draw from a vast array of local spices to make your mouth buds jump for joy. Just tonight, we asked our guesthouse owner if she could fix us dinner, and two hours later we were sitting in front of a 10 course meal that included: vegetable soup, papadoms, chicken curry, potato curry, rice with vegetables, green bean curry, banana flower salad, eggplant curry, vegetable salad, mango chutney and ice cream. Just your average dinner that will set us back all of $12.
#2 Friendly Locals – After enduring a nation full of sullen unsmiling Russians, Sri Lanka seems like a wonderland of pleasantries. Everyone from schoolchildren to the street sweepers light up when you walk by, often belting out, “Hello, how are you!” And it’s not the fake kind of friendliness where you count the seconds until they try to sell you something. The Sri Lankans are constantly smiling and hassle-free, filled with an honest, genuine warmness that is astounding.
#3 Cheap – You can backpack around on $20 a day without even trying, or you can live like royalty on $50 a day. A six-hour train ride cost us less than $2.50. A private bungalow on the beach, less than $25. Yeah, it’s that cheap.
#4 It Just Feels Exotic – Driving down the coast from Colombo, our driver suddenly piped up, “You want to visit turtles?” Um… yes! Before we knew it, we were standing inside a hatchery feeling day-old baby turtles kick their tiny flippers against our fingers. In the mountains, locals hung from open doorways of our train swatting the foliage as we puttered through 19th century tea plantations shrouded in mist. Those things just don’t happen at home.
#5 Those Little Delights – They’re everywhere. From the time we encountered a giant chameleon (then watched him change colors and pounce on an unsuspecting female), to the fruit seller who popped open something called an ice fruit so we could sample a new exotic flavor. It’s the kind of country where a troop of monkeys go crashing past your guesthouse, men stroll around in sarongs, the rains flood the streets every day at 3:00, and an elephant might wander across the road at any moment.