Who's Seeing Sri Lanka?

I was curious about the kind of travellers I’d meet in Sri Lanka, which is all little off the beaten backpack path. I’ve met some fantastic and inspirational people here!

In Kandy, I met two adorable English ladies, who were returning to Sri Lanka for the first time since they were stationed here in the war (WWII). One met her husband here, he'd recently passed away, and she was teary at seeing the country again. They were marvellous!

I also had dinner with an adorable young couple, from Sweden/Norway, who had just arrived for a 15 month project in a small town. They are working with locals on farming and environmental practices. They were so idealistic and kind. They had such great respect for the people of Sri Lanka and I couldn’t help but think that they must represent the best of their countries too.

Here in Hikkaduwa, I met James, the former chief of global operations for Shell, and current volunteer coordinator for a Tsunami project. He left his job to find something more rewarding to do in life and is working in Sri Lanka while he figures out his path. I admire his decision to make a big life change!

I also met some great surfers here. The waves are big and the crowd is relaxed. I really enjoyed meeting Anton, an English guy who is working in Bangalore for a year with a British Helicopter company. He’s trying to teach modern business practices to the Indians. We had such fun laughing about life in India! We shared the same reaction to the locals in Sri Lanka. Braced for the persistent worst in each interaction with locals -- it’s so pleasant to find that many people are just saying hello and not trying to sell you something. And, those who are making a sales pitch will leave when you say no thank you—this would never happen in India! I gave him my favourite book “Holy Cow” and was sad to see him head back to Bangalore.

The locals here are some of the kindest people I’ve met on my whole trip. Unlike many countries that see travellers as walking money bags, the people of Sri Lanka want to ensure that you are enjoying their amazing country as much as they do!