Why you should go to Sri Lanka!

Hi ( Princess ) Bev,
Thanks for that feedback, ( I'd almost given up hope but not quite . After meeting you and realising that you are a lovely lady, I knew you'd get around to it ).

""" And then, literally seconds later, the bus came round another of those hair-raising bends just as the sun came out on the stunning plain below, the most beautiful piece of music came on the radio and even the baby stopped crying. My little heart was filled with pure joy."""

Lovely, thats what it's all about , especially in Sri Lanka where the unexpected always seems to happen. Not sure about the baby but on a Lankan bus it could easily have been a sack of onions or something worse.
Sorry you got scammed, but I suppose thats also part of the whole deal, I just hope it wasn't for too much.
If we'd managed to fit in a dinner and a few drinks while in Negombo we may have talked more about possible scams and you'd have more forewarned, so probably my fault.

Hope you manage to make it for August.. Don't forget, the Kandy Perahera is end of July to August 5th and it's worth going for that alone.
I'm scouring the web for cheap flights to try to get there for that time so if you come cross any good offers, let me know.

Anyway, I'm pleased that you enjoyed your trip and delighted that we managed to meet up , perhaps we can share dinner and a few drinks next time.
Rod.

Hi,

Wow! Hope to have the same feeling and the end of my trip in July!

However, in order to avoid the bad experiences you had, are there any typical scams?

Thanks for your post since I had recently considered if going to SL was a good idea!

Michalik, I think there is something on FAQs about common scams. I did a post about the most common ( and cleverest) a while ago and a search under "scams" may bring it up. They are experts and the worst/best scammers are in Galle without any doubt. In one morning I met 3 men whose wives had fallen into the fire and got burnt and needed medical treatement and could I just help a little?

Bev, thanks for a fantastic post - really well balanced and I endorse every word. I once also got given a baby to look after on a bus (from Ella to Wellawaya.) Mine didn't cry but it did something else. I had one of these battery mini-fans with me that day and it got passed round the entire bus for everyone to try it - that trip has stuck in my memory .

Lucky you, meeting Rod and Val - I still have not met then though I feel I now Rod very well, a real star for anyone wanting advice about SL. I have had some interesting meetings with Thorn Tree people in Negombo, Galle and Kandy and it has always been lovely to know that any help I have offered on the forum has been useful and appreciated. I am sure Rod feels the same, and he does a lot more than me.

I hope Bev has convinced any doubters to go.

Hi
Thank you for your great thread. We are due to go to Sri Lanka at the end of July for three weeks. I have been getting quite anxious as to whether it is the right thing to do. We are due to pay our accommodation balance in about two weeks.Your thread has helped to reassure me.

Hello again

I’m pleased my post was useful – I was worried that it was a bit too sentimental. I’d be absolutely delighted if it means that just one person now decides to visit Sri Lanka after all. You won't regret it.

As for scams, well…. The first thing to say though is that it’s clearly not Rod’s fault if someone targets me and I then fall for it! Also, there’s no point getting too upset if you do get ripped off. I just put it down to experience - even though it can smart a bit at the time.

My first was an absolute classic and entirely my own fault really. At the end of my memorable bus journey to Nuwara Eliya I still didn’t know where I was going to stay (despite several hours to have sorted it). So off I get, clutching my Lonely Planet and looking completely lost so, of course, spotted a mile off by the touts (Plus, it was getting dark and then started pouring with rain again). I managed to shake them off, except one and this guy just would not leave me alone. He followed me to a pub (where I phoned the Rising Lion to book a room) and kept trying to give me a card for a hotel that was run by a British couple. Then he followed me to an ATM and finally to the tuk tuk stand. I jumped into a tuk tuk as this guy has an animated conversation with the driver. I knew exactly what was going to happen and, despite me repeating the name of my hotel, the driver suddenly lost the ability to speak any English.

The Rising Lion is quite far out of town but I wasn’t surprised to arrive at The Trevane about two minutes later. The driver asked for 300 rs but I gave him 100 which started a bit of a barney. The owners (Sri Lankan/French) appeared and I explained what had happened. They were very nice and called me a taxi whilst trying to persuade me to stay there instead. I explained that I wouldn’t stay there on principle because their tout had been such a pain. At this point my new friend suddenly arrives demanding the other 200 rs for the tuk tuk driver (I guess they were planning to split it). I got to my hotel with no further problems but the irony of all of this is that when I’d phoned to book the Rising Lion in the first place they’d offered to send a tuk tuk to collect me but me being me decided ‘no, I’ll get there myself’. What a twit.

The second real scam was another stupid one on my part. I arrived at Galle station to get the train to Colombo quite early and dying for a coffee. I had time to leave my bag and go in search of a café. Again, spotted a mile off no doubt, this guy comes to help me, helps me check my bag at left luggage and persuades me to have coffee in the station café. Let the scam commence…

He joins me for coffee, charms me by explaining how grateful SL is for the post-Tsunami aid the Brits have sent and tells me that the train is coming from Weligama and will be packed so they’ll be no seats and I’ll have to stand all the way to Colombo (about three hours, if memory serves). Well, I didn’t fancy that but as luck would have it (!) this guy had the perfect solution. For a small, unspecified fee, he would despatch a colleague back to the previous station where he would get on and save a seat for me. (As I’m writing this, I’m laughing because I can’t believe I fell for it and it wasn’t really adding up for me at the time either). So the second guy disappears and a few minutes later the train arrives on time. On I hop to find the second guy who has clearly just got on himself – there were loads of spare seats incidently. I handed him 400 rs (I know. The first guy just wouldn’t tell me how much I should pay except to say that guy number 2 had lost his entire family in the Tsunami). I had a quiet word with myself after that one.

You’ll come across legitimate-looking people, sporting ID, collecting for orphanages etc. I do hope they’re genuine but suspect not and never gave money to them. Whenever I travel to countries like SL I find a reputable charity and make a donation before I go. That way I don’t feel guilty for not giving to these sorts of people.

I hope this doesn’t put anyone off. There were other scams (and some I probably didn’t even realise) but they weren’t ‘bad experiences’ – just irritating, cost me a few quid and I felt a bit foolish afterwards. You just have to keep your wits about you and follow the usual rules like always agreeing a price beforehand - for drivers and guides (I’ve just remembered another one!) in particular.

I found Sri Lankan people to be kind, sweet and funny (they can have a wicked sense of humour and they love to tease!) and, as I said in my original post, the times they helped me far outnumbered the times I was scammed.

So please go and enjoy!

Bev
X

PS Rod, I’m sending you a PM.

Hello again Bev,
Sentimental is OK,... it's allowed and within the rules.
Perhaps that explains Sri Lanka. I can go other places and just return home after having an enjoyable break but every trip to Sri Lanka does get sentimental.

A good follow up to your first post and now I'm awaiting the PM with bated breath,
Rod,.

Hi again Bev. You were right to be suspicious about the respectable men collecting for orphanages or blind homes or deaf schools. Despite their clip boards and list of western donors they are as genuine as a glass diamond. But everyone falls for it the first time. They often also tell you they used to play cricket for Sri Lanka and they usually have a brother in London or Oxford or somewhere similar. Maybe that changes with your nationality.

The other old favourite is the baby milk powdewr scam where they persuade you to buy a pack of milk powder for the baby. The shopkeeper charges you double the price (how would you know?) and after you leave he takes the powder back and they split the money. A favourite in Galle. In Kandy several people will say "Don't you remember me, I am the cook/waiter from your hotel" and offer to show you around (straight to his brother's shop where of course you feel obliged to buy something.) This is easy to deal with - just say "Which hotel?" and they are in a spot.

Anyway, you will be back to learn some more of these tricks - glad you take the right attitude to them. Also glad you have discovered the magic that keeps drawing us back.

Hi

I don't want to drag this thread out but you made me laugh with the last post. Allison_F had warned me about the baby milk powder scam but I fell for the puppy equivalent! What can I say? I'm a total sucker for puppies and I was outnumbered - there were three of 'em.

In my scammer's (the chef's - I know!!) defence, he knew how excited I was about a planned phone call home to my family who were all gathered for Mother's Day and as I was talking to my Mum he suddenly appeared and dropped all three into my lap.

Awww....

So those were PuppyRupees well spent after all I think.

Bev
X

Hi Bev,

Thanks for your feedback! I enjoyed reading about your trip (and quite amusing!). I never thought about visiting SL until a few days ago and began researching threads on Thorn Tree and found this one! : )

I'm thinking of doing a 30-day trip. What was your route and did you travel mostly by driver or train/bus? Any recommendations on accommodations? I'd like to mix it up a bit with guest hotels, budget.... or general areas that you recommend. Someone else mentioned that traveling clockwise is typical so I will probably follow the same.

Thanks!

Marsha