Sri Lanka (My point of view)

Here's a lttle write up of my holiday in Sri Lanka. Please don't take it the wrong way especially if you are from there. It's longish but woth reading if you are considering going.
-----------------------------------------------------

The Bad side:
I'm not sure why everyone I spoke to said "Oohh, Sri Lanka, we went and loved it."

I didn't. I hated it. I hated it so much I'm glad to be back in the sand box.

OK, there were one or two nice bits, but these were grossly outwieghed by the negative aspects.

Here's my "WORST OF SRI LANKA" to serve as a warning to anyone else considering it as a holiday destination:

1. Sadly, your mask/elephant carving is not worth $48 of anyone's money!
2. Everyone 'works' in your hotel.
3. Don't say what you are looking for. Your 'tout' will have a brother selling it.
4. I don't want gems, real or fake.
5. My legs work fine. If I didn't want the previous 100 tuk tuks, why should I want yours.
6. I will tip good service. I will not tip if you are merely doing your job.
7. There's an audio tour of the Tooth Relic Temple. Why should I pay you $20 to tell me the same thing!
8. You do not get a tip for showing me the route to somewhere I was already going.
9. I already have a hotel booking at the best place in town. Why would I give up that booking to stay with your grandma!
10. You had a Tsunami. We know. Don't harp on about it; Indonesia doesn't. England had the Black Death and Great Fire of London, do we rub that in your face at every opportunity?
11. The whole place is dirty. Not just the rubbish lined streets of Colombo, but everything you touch. I had to clean under my finger nails twice a day - where did it come from? A pair of shorts lasted 2 days before looking grubby and needing cleaning.
12. Don't believe everything (anything) you read in the Lonely Planet!
13. Just because it's on the 'specials' board, doesn't mean it's special!
14. No, I can buy your $40 'original' Colombia shorts for $10 back home (I actually got away with this one!)

And don't get me started on my last day in Galle .... I wanted a DVD to watch that night, and knew EXACTLY where to go in the market as I saw them the previous day. I also needed the money changer. A bloke 'who worked at my hotel' showed me the money changer, though I already knew where it was. I came out and got the usual "Where you from?". The guy followed me to the DVD shop I was already going to, where I found something worth watching. He and the shop guy then offered to show me every other stall selling DVDs (that I already knew about) but then I stopped at a bag/belt stall....

I've been looking for an airport friendly belt; i.e. webbing with a plastic buckle (Colombia do them). I found a webbing belt with a metal buckle and the stall guy said "Wait, I get you plastic buckle". I thought this was good service. He then took me, with the webbing belt and plastic buckle to a tailors shop where he tried to marry the two together. I said from the start, "Don't cut it till you check it fits. It didn't. Seems they cut the belt - now unusable. They also got the buckle from a perfectly serviceable bumbag (fannypack) - now also unusable. I tried to walk away but they (big gang by now) insist I pay 200 Rupees for the damage. I stumped up the $2 and stormed off in a foul mood.

Now fast forward a day: I'm at the railway station and this guy comes up to me. "Remember me? I helped you out yesterday and you didn't pay me"!!!!!! It was all I could do not to lay him out there and then.
---------------------------------------------
... and here's what I sent to the Lonely Planet as feedback to their guide book:

Many items so I'll go through the book in order:

1. Colombo:Galle Face Green, Colombo - NO PHOTOGRAPHY. Too many military installations and the roads around the preisdent's palace are all closed.
2. Carry photo ID everywhere for the over abundant checkpoints.
3. Molly's Irish bar has gone, thought the White Horse is still there and does a mean Devilled Shrimp. I am led to believe that Clancy's is also closed.
4. Galle Face Hotel is great for lunch. Bar area is a great hang out for expats in the evening, thought that night the Sea Spray restaurant managed to cremate my 'rare' Tuna steak, that 2 weeks earlier the verrandah restaurant got right!
5.Gangaramaya Temple is a vast labarynth and can take you two hours to explore on your own, or 15 minutes with a 'guide' :o(
6. Holiday Inn is dank and musty and past its prime. Windos do not seal properly and room was infested with mosquitos.
7. Holiday Inn has a Friday night disco on the ground floor. This can be heard on the top floor till 4am. Take earplugs or go elsewhere.
8. Special note for drinkers: NO Alcohol on any Poya (Full Moon) night!!
9. Galle: Might be worth a mention that there are hardly any touts working inside the fort walls :o)
10. Indian Hut restaurant on Rampart street, between Lighthouse street and Church street, close to the mosque. Very good food, no pork, no beef, but the veggie curry and roti were fantastic.
11. Fort Printers hotel: NO bathtub, only a shower in the Arts Room. Large well appointed rooms, clean, good a/c and mostly mosquito free. Excellent food - Had a 7 dish curry night for only Rs1600
12. Galleria restaurant and pub has gone. Now called Sydney Hotel, it's inhabited by a few shady ne'er do wells only, has no food and less ambience (though I did take a few good candid black and white photos)
13. Unawatua - Sun n Sea by far the best bar on this strip of sand. Friendly staff - had a nice long chat with the proprieter "Florence". Great views of the bay from here, though the rocks in front may put people off venturing this far.
14. Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery is now Rs1000!!!! ... and they expect a donation too!!!!
15. Nice river cruise by Robinson Crusso (how they spell it) up the Madu Ganga between Ahungalla and Ambalangoda. Just off A2 Road near to Balapitiya Train station.
16. Kandy: Pinnewalla Orphanage. There are two tickets. One for the reserve and a second one for the river. Well worth buying the second. The river is down a track
opposite the orphanage gate and the souvenir shops down here are a lot (50%) cheaper. A couple of good restaurants on the river bank give great views of the elephant bathing.
17. Hotel Casamara rooftop bar is now called the Stag's Head. Two balconies with slightly different views and great place for sundowners.
18. Queens Hotel. Big thumbs up. Dirt cheap but quality. Had to ask for the wireless modem, otherwise internet connection is in lobby area only. Poolside bar is ok for
beers and snacks.
19. The Pub, also thumbs up. Pub grub, but adequate at Rs500 average. I found out about 3 coins Dark Irish in this bar. 8.8% and delicious. Great place for people watching as well as the parking antics of visitors to the eatery downstairs!
20. Pub Royale, seedy but cheap.
21. Kandy Garden Club - I got in for free. Signed in by the owner :o)
and finally ...
Train reservations can ONLY be made in advance for first class. All other classes you

must turn up on the day, and all seats are oversubscribed.