Get to the good blogs already.
Alright here it is….
Having been in this country for 2-3 weeks now I feel like I know enough to post my top ten observations on this beautiful little island. Here we go.
1. Smiling faces
Life is difficult for the locals. It’s not easy to make a living. However, the people seem genuinely happy. In fact, it seems that everyone is smiling all the time. When you meet someone on the street, more often than not, they will greet you with a smile and a hello. This is a stark contrast from some of the other countries that I have visited but it is very refreshing. To add to this, we have never felt unsafe once while in Sri Lanka.
2. Good Education/Healthcare
Despite the many challenges that Sri Lanka is currently facing, the country has a lot going for it. Healthcare is free and so is education. Sri Lanka also boasts a literacy rate of 98.1% (one of the highest in Asia). After High School (as we would call it) students are eligible to write National exams to qualify for free post secondary education. However only a small percentage of students qualify which has made an extremely competitive environment between students (and parents).
3. No One is Trying to Rip You Off
Sri Lanka is kind of like Toyota – there isn’t much room for bargaining. When someone tells you a price, it is most likely a fair price. In fact, numerous times we have been pleasantly surprised when someone quotes us a price that is far less than we expected to pay. While many other Asian countries are trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the tourists, the Sri Lankans seem quite happy to do a fair job for a fair price. Which leads me to my next observation……
4. Customer Service
Anything you need, your guesthouse will be happy to accommodate. Need a tuk tuk ride to the next town? They will arrange it. Need advice on where to go next? They will provide it. Want to rent a motorbike? They will call the shop for you. Nothing is too much trouble which makes traveling a breeze. However sometimes it’s a bit too much. At times we feel like our guesthouse owners are waiting on us hand and foot which makes us feel guilty.
5. Great Food
Sri Lankan food is delicious, although it can be very labour intensive to prepare. We took a cooking class here and were shocked to find out how much work goes into preparing a local rice and curry dish. To make coconut milk from a coconut alone takes ages:
1. Peel coconut and break in half
2. Scrape the coconut meat from the coconut
Megan scraping the meat off a coconut. Note the stool she is sitting on in specially made for coconut scraping. The metal scraper is attached to the wooden stool.
3. Add water to coconut meat and mix
4. Strain and squeeze the coconut meat through your hand until all the milk is separated
5. Repeat steps 3-5)
My favourite Sri Lankan foods so far are:
Roti
Roti is a thin bread filled with vegetables, meat, seafood, fruit, or just about anything else you can think of.
Kottu Roti is essentially the same thing although its diced into small pieces. You can hear the sound of clanging metal throughout Sri Lanka from restaurants preparing Kottu Roti.
Sri Lankan Rice and Curry
Ordering Sri Lankan rice and curry usually gets you several curry dishes including: Potato curry, pumpkin curry, dhal, meat curry, pompadom (crispy chip), and coconut sambol.
Devilled Dishes
Sweet and Spicy devilled dishes are made with almost any kind of meat you can find in Sri Lanka.
6. Tuk Tuks
Tuk tuks are the preferred method of travel in Sri Lanka. They act in the place of taxis. The are cheap and efficient and offer a very pleasant ride. When I say cheap I mean cheap. The going rate for taking a tuk tuk is 50 rupees (50 Canadian cents) per km. We just took a tuk tuk 35km to the next town today for 1600 rupees ($16). If you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka plan on spending lots of time in a tuk tuk.
7. Buddhism
Buddhism is more front and center in Sri Lanka compared to the other Buddhist countries I have been to. A few examples:
We had one of our tuk tuk drivers stop at a temple to pray/donate money in the middle of our trip (we just chilled out in the back of the tuk tuk waiting for him to finish).
We’ve also seen our taxi driver fold his hands in prayer (while driving) while we passed a temple.
Once I killed a large spider in our guesthouse. When I informed the owner she seemed dissapointed. I was puzzled. She explained to me that next time I should call her so she can come capture the spider and set it free outside. I suppose if you believe in reincarnation you think twice about killing a bug – it could be one of your dead relatives!
We’re off to a cricket match!
Kamikaze Canuck 
I’m surprised all of the colourful birds or the squirrels fighting on the trees didn’t make the cut. Hope you guys enjoy your last few days. Can’t wait to see you guys soon!