Some frank observations a la Sri Lanka

The "Colombo Conspiracy" is based on the phenomenon of many flights arriving in Colombo late at night and visitors usually stay in Colombo for only one night so the accommodation touts have you by the short and curlies. I paid US$55 for a taxi from the airport, including one night stay in a hotel which probably would have cost me 400 rupees for a room of that quality. I would strongly urge all passengers to advance the booking in Negombo for the first night and get an early morning bus into Colombo the next day to go elsewhere.

Sri Pada in the Hill Country, was an "other worldly" experience. From the crowds of pilgrims jammed into the bus to the continual loudspeaker acoustics. Some speakers played Buddhist chants, others contemporary music and others goodness knows what. All the sounds echoed off the rocks, incredibly. I would have done the climb in one hour 45 but near the top I was forced to queue. I originally was going to skip Sri Pada due to ideological concerns about getting up before 9 am, but I am so glad I did not.

Snorkelling the coral reef at Hikkaduwa is described as one of Sri Lanka's highlights. When I stepped onto the beach in front of the Coral Gardens Hotel, my first reaction was to laugh. I felt like I was watching an exhibition in a zoo. A mass of glass bottomed boats and a continuous band of dead coral. The coral looked like it had 20 years of accumulated sewerage bleached into it and when I turned the corner to the hotels direct-to-sea sewerage outlet, I found this to be so. Coming from Australia where the freedom and space aspect of National Parks are so important, I found the jeep experience not very inspiring. Not being able to leave the jeep and paying to be crammed into a small space and having your back damaged adds insult to injury. Horton Plains by contrast was fantastic, simply because you were allowed to walk.

I went on a national park tour from Kandy and any misgivings I had about the National Park were more than made up for by the road there. The Knuckle Range road through Madugoda and the Canal Road from Hasalaka to Wasgomanuwa was simply extraordinary. It was a misty afternoon and the rice terraces and wetlands looked very impressive. It was also hard to imagine the environment being only 20 years old. I don't know about the bus services to these areas, but it is definitely worth looking if you want to see beautiful rural areas and the Knuckle Range.

Negombo is a very interesting town but travellers should be warned it is the insect capital of Sri Lanka. Mosquitoes and midges are the minimum you get flying around at once; one night I had this plus black beetles of varying sizes and moths. Like touts the insects don't respect personal space.

Courtesy Lonely Panet.

More Plus

Return to Plus Contents