Sri Lanka Tips

Tuk Tuk which is known from East Asia referred here also as a three wheeler and it is convenient transportation option in crowded cities. It is important and even necessary to check the price before getting into the Tuk tuk. Local drivers may charge the foreign tourists a price that can be five or ten times higher than when they charge from locals.

You can haggle politely, and listen to the driver’s complaints about fuel price and the condition of the roads, just like every taxi driver in the world.
You should know that if the driver has to wait or stop for several times, the price will change into higher amount. Tuk tuk chargers per kilometer is around 0.4 US$ in Sri Lanka.

Traveling by a train in Sri Lanka is a special experience. There are long lines for three departures:
•The third class – Compresses people unlimitedly. Some of them hanged on the carriage. Despite additional carriages received from China to the local government have a difficult plight of the lines on weekdays – mostly from/to Colombo.
• The Second class – There are marked seats and it is quite comfortable.
• First Class – Exists only in certain lines, you can enjoy an air conditioning and reserved seats.

Special train is the train from Colombo to Badulla. By an appointment there is an advantage to sit in a half- transparent carriage that gives a panoramic view. During the journey train passes through spectacular green landscapes of jungles and tea plantations all over the area.
In the train you can buy local food and fruits from local peddlers that offer its products to everyone.
The train station in central Colombo is called “Fort”. Near the entrance you will find a branch of the Sri – Lanka’s Ministry of Tourism and the officials will be happy to provide an answer to every question, including train times, ticket prices and guidance to tourists passing the station.
You should refrain from traveling on national holidays or days of “Poya” because the trains and stations are overfilled and passages are long delayed.

There are two main types of buses: local and intercity. Local bus is not air conditioned. It stops occasionally at each station, compresses the passengers without limitation. Everything is not done quietly- That is so typical nature in Sri Lankan state.

Intercity buses are air-conditioned, with a limited amount of transported passengers. Most of them are express buses and almost those don’t take any passengers from the road. You should refrain from traveling at night because of the roads and lighting.

It is strongly recommended to avoid a trip when it is dark. The combination of rickety roads condition and weak lighting are the main reasons for not to walk in complete darkness. It is very dangerous especially for a driver who has no skills to drive on this island.
Some roads, especially in Nuwara Eliya and Horton plains, it is required a high driving skills and experience.
For these reasons, the ideal way to travel in Sri Lanka for those whose holiday lasts up to three weeks is with a vehicle and a personal driver / guide. You can hire self-drive vehicles, but if your avoid driving by yourself is better because there are streams of bicycles, motorcycles, ox-carts, cars, buses and trucks on roads. As traffic laws are only a recommendation for roads’ safety, it is required a skilled driver who knows the roads well.

Apart from the local fruit drinks that are usually cool, the world famous Ceylon Tea is the number one choice for hot drinks here. Coffee too is available but not many prefer it over Tea.

Coffee nevertheless can be found mainly in hotels. Sri Lanka, the world’s largest tea manufacturer, is specialized, in producing the tastiest variety of tea. You can try different flavours with or without milk. As for local alcoholic drink, the popular kind among the locals is the arrack made out of coconut. And for beer admirers, it is the local brand “Lion” which is of a good quality.

Traditional desserts of Sri Lanka are mostly based on coconut milk and served after meals. “Watalappan “is a pudding made of coconut milk, eggs and sugar. Grated coconut mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and different spices are used to fill a kind of delicious stuffed pan cakes. Yogurt which is made of buffalo’s milk is sold in any eatery, boutique or local grocery; sometimes in clay pots or synthetic cups; usually it is mixed with natural treacle honey. It is delicious, cheap and healthy!
As snacks for the day, you can taste the “Rotti” – a kind of bread made with flour and coconut rice. They are often served with spicy curry on a side, and sometimes it is tasty when mixed with eggs, vegetables, or fried chicken on a wok-shaped pan. Another snack is “Wade” which is made of ground lentils with spices, deep-fried into little balls and served with onions and red chilli red, similar to what is served in South India.
Ulundu wade too is popular which is made of ground lentil variety and cooked in oil having included curry leaves and green chillies.

When you go to buy bananas in Sri Lanka, remember that there are more than 20 different types of bananas: small, large as an arm, red, sweet, salty and even some that are intended only for cooking(ash plantains). Each type has its unique name.
Throughout the year you will find in Sri Lanka delicious variety of healthy tropical fruits, including papaya, mango (different kinds), pineapple, Carrambolla and guava. Less familiar fruit Rambutane (kind of lichee, but hairy on the outside), Mangoes (another one from lichee family), giant Fruit of Jack and Durian – are all delicious and tempting. For those who prefer more standard fruits, can find here apples, grapes and citrus, some of them are imported (mainly from Australia). The indigenous or local variety has medicinal value as well.
Out of the exotic kinds, pineapple is common and it is in flourishing during May and June. Besides, the Rambuttan having a delicious flesh around its seed is mildly sweet but not sour. Out of the Mango family one that is special for its sweetness is the Karuththakolomban usually found in the North.
Avocado too is popular for its goodness for heart conditions and is scooped, mixed with milk and honey as a delicious take. Lime and oranges too are used for making drinks. But the real cooler is the orange colour King Coconut, sold everywhere. It quenches the thirst while providing the needed glucose for a sweating out weary traveller.

Typically, as an Asian country, the food prepared here is flavoured much by the spice variety as Sri Lanka has always been a source of spices, and it helps to serve plenty of dishes that suit all tastes and palates. The basic or staple food of the locals is made of rice and curries but a vast selection of fruits and vegetables that fruition throughout the year also accompanies the dishes. Fish, meat and seafood are usually cooked with coconut oil and milk adding that enticing to the local menu. Vegetable oil has also taken an important place in the culinary art during the last two decades or so.

Further, Sri Lankan curries that are served with rice, be they of vegetables, meat, fresh fish or dry fish fried they are spicy flavoured with Chilli and onion (Red or Big). Saffron too is added along with curry leaves.
Please, do not be embarrassed to imitate the natives, who eat with their hands. Mixing and crunching all the ingredients with rice brings a real taste. But it might a little too hot If you try to taste each of the components of the dish separately and the overall taste could be too strong for the Western palate as a first timer.
“Aapa” (hoppers) is a type of traditional pancake made of rice flour and eggs, made in a metal bowl over a high flame, served with an egg (“Biththara aapa” or egg hoppers) or honey (“Pani aapa or sweet hoppers”). Another common breakfast of Sri Lanka is the “String hopers “- a kind of noodles served with curry and coconut.
Most widespread seafood can be bought on the beaches; fish is served fresh brought from the Indian Ocean which is rich with different types of fish and other marine kinds. Shrimps of all sizes, many huge lobsters can be obtained at the beaches and mangrove lagoons. Of these, Tuna, Pot mulatto and others are prepared in a variety of cooking methods to make delectable dishes.

Sri Lanka, which lies close to the equator, is characterized by tropical climate country and it is blessed with many beautiful sceneries. There are two Monsoons in Sri Lanka, during May and August in the western and southern parts. Region’s dry season is from December to March. And thereafter from October to January the Northern and Eastern parts of the island are rainy. Dry season lasts from May to September. It means that at any given moment there are sunny beaches and places to walk about although the rest of the country will enjoy a different clime.
The average temperature of beaches is 30-25 degrees, making it possible to travel even during the rainy season.

In the highlands of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya, the average temperature is 22-16 degrees, and the nights are cold. But during very cold seasons Nuwara Eliya could become 120C. Amounts of rainfall in the south reaches – 3500-4000 mm per year, compared with other dry regions which get only 1000 mm per year. The tropical vegetation could be seen all over where the traveller goes. The various forms of green, which is the dominant color of the island, give a feeling of natural greenhouse throughout the year.
This is what makes Sri Lanka desirable in that, it is a land for all seasons with a blend of cool greenery and sunny coasts.