- Everyone says hello especially the kids. They shout hi but mostly bye bye. It’s so cute.
- When you cycle through some of the small towns the locals sometimes think you’re in a race… like Tour de France passing through (ha ha) and they shout encouragement and wave at you!
- After 30 years of civil war they are very happy to see tourists
- Lots of ladies walk around under umbrellas which is understandable once you’ve been out in the sun for even a few minutes- it’s roasting!!
- There are a LOT of mosquitoes
- There are no hairdryers in the hotels but I don’t care… I don’t need one – hooray!!
- The hotels are mostly basic – you get a bath towel but no hand towel
- The tea is wonderful although they do tend to serve it with hot milk – easily corrected
- Speaking of milk, the fresh stuff is hard to come by, it’s mostly powdered which is probably why it’s always served hot
- Arrack is the local liquor – it smells a bit like whiskey but doesn’t really taste like it
- Most cars and tuk tuks will beep when passing you on the road either coming toward you or behind you – one beep is a friendly hello, repeated louder beeps means get out of my way!
- Women are very much equals in Sri Lankan society they even do construction jobs. We saw lots of them working on new roads.
- In Sri Lanka the Buddhism practiced is Theravada. In Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet which I’ve come to learn more about it’s Mahayana so the Sri Lankan Buddhists don’t recognize the position of the Dalai Lama.
- Smoking in public places is illegal… my kinda place!
- I didn’t get to check out the tv much but when I did I saw English grammar classes and accounting lessons. There is also a channel for Buddhist teachings, another for the Muslim faith and another for Christians.
- There is no income tax in Sri Lanka even though healthcare and education is free. Apparently you could live in a hospital as they never throw anyone out if they’ve nowhere to go.
- Ice cream tuk tucks drive around and all seem to have the same tune playing – “it’s a small world after all, it’s small world after all”
- My favorite phrase that our guide used was telling us when we had “chill down” time 😀
- There’s always a chance of seeing an elephant no matter where you are.
- There’s very little hassling to buy stuff and in shops and at markets people are really friendly and genuinely want to chat to you and find out where you’re from and welcome you to Sri Lanka
- Lots of restaurants and cafes in Galle don’t sell alcohol- thank god we weren’t staying overnight there!
odohertyelaine 