Reflections on Sri Lanka
184 | Kozhikode, Kerala, India | Travel notes and recommendations for Sri Lanka
This post is in three parts. I begin with a reflection on how ignorant it’s possible to be when travelling. And I know, because I’ve been ignorant! Then I’ll share what I learned about Sri Lanka’s current affairs, with some links adding context (this is what I *didn’t* know). Finally, I’ll list the things I most enjoyed seeing and doing in Sri Lanka (the list is requested by friends, so I thought I’d share with you all).
1/ BEING UNIFORMED.
For the first five of my six weeks in Sri Lanka, I moved frequently, ate rice and curry and discovered coffee houses overlooking the sea. I resolved, with no further question, that the island is a paradise, an unmolested utopia.
However, somewhere in the periphery of my consciousness I was aware of ongoing strife, some discontent, some recent instability. Still, I never cared to ask questions as to what had happened. Perhaps I wanted to avoid difficult conversations? —that’s the people-pleaser in me. If there was chaos I supposed it would come up in smalltalk. For five weeks it did not. So I continued to eat and apply sun-cream and do yoga and live in an almost psychedelic tropical delight.
Then I spent some time in Colombo to get a visa for India.
For a week, I mooched. I hoped I wouldn’t get too lonely. Gladly I didn’t, because one afternoon I was sitting in a cafe-bookshop pretending to read beside two beautiful women in their early twenties, and a man who might have been their father. (All three have become friends: the women are activists, the man a documentary film maker).
Discreetly, I listened to their conversation with my head in my book, turning pages I hadn’t yet read. They were stressing out about an upcoming press conference the following evening. Somehow the conversation opened up to me, and I found myself invited to a documentary premiere later that day, and another (with the press conference) the following evening.
In these two evenings, over three documentaries and a dozen conversations, I learned more about Sri Lanka than I had in the preceding five weeks (notes included below).
How, I wondered, had I not already discovered more of Sri Lanka’s context? How can we go to places without understanding them? —without getting to know them?
I remember leaving Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina and being hit by the same insight. I thought the country was pure in its beauty, and then I visited the city’s genocide museum. I wrote at the time:
The road leaving Mostar was a relentless climb from the Neretva River basin, up and over the mountains. … I had time to sweat and reflect. … On the road, I saw the same Volkswagen Polos that appeared in video footage at the genocide museum. They crossed red lights, all boxy and manic. The houses I’d seen in the same tapes, where murdered families had been burned, now sat charred and empty and full of bullet holes. A family had recently moved in to one house with fire damage and no windows or doors; they couldn’t afford to re-fit the burnt-out building. In the villages I inched past, I noticed several people with missing limbs. Some were only just older than me — were they injured as children? The conflict appeared absurdly recent, and the scars — which I was blind to before — were now visible everywhere.
I have since reflected that I didn’t see the reality of life in Sri Lanka (or, for that matter, in Bosnia and Herzegovina) because I didn’t make the effort to learn.
I did no reading about Sri Lanka. (Instead I was reading about the Black Death of ~1350 A.D., and of Bismarck. Neither were of any help!). I didn’t look at the news — I’ve unplugged from it in the West, so why plug-in when traveling? Well, turns out there are good reasons to be informed. And I avoided all questions about current affairs. This last omission was my biggest. People like to talk about what is happening in their world; they like to explain the inner dynamics of their country. I like to hear about these dynamics, too.
From brief conversations about politics in every country on this trip (aside, notably, from Saudi Arabia1), I have been told that the only thing truly broken about every nation is ‘politics’ and corrupt, self-interested, politicians. In Sri Lanka, there is deep dissatisfaction — and this was expressed in the political uprising in the previous few years.
Having confronted my ignorance, I discovered I can go deeper in quasi-political conversations. I can do so because I now know a little context. We learn through making an effort, by reading relevant books and checking the news. Now I really must learn more about India…
2/ NOTES ON CURRENT AFFAIRS.
An essential caveat: This note is incomplete because it lacks both nuance and information. I am a tourist, not an expert. Nevertheless, it’s good to understand a little more than nothing about a country! So, if you’re going to visit Sri Lanka, I encourage you to at least check Wikipedia, perhaps follow some links here and read up. If anything, it will help to inform the conversations you have with the wonderful people you meet. I wish I had known more before I had arrived, and not only immediately before I left.
Civil war: There are deep ethnic divisions within the country, a division which is thought to have deepened when Sinhala was claimed as the national language, and which culminated in a thirty year civil war that ended in 2009. From Wiki:
Ethnic tensions were exacerbated immediately after independence in 1948, when a controversial law was passed by the Ceylon Parliament called the Ceylon Citizenship Act, which deliberately discriminated against the Indian Tamil ethnic minority by making it virtually impossible for them to obtain citizenship in the country.[74] Approximately 700,000 Indian Tamils were made stateless. Over the next three decades more than 300,000 Indian Tamils were deported back to India.[75] It wasn't until 2003–55 years after independence—that all Indian Tamils living in Sri Lanka were granted citizenship, but by this time they only made up 5% of the island's population.
As I saw in one documentary, since the civil war ended in 2009 there been 60+ mass Tamil graves identified. The government forces acted with impunity and, according to the documentary, still do. Between 60,000 and 100,000 people have been “disappeared”. War crimes happened on both sides of the civil war, and some of the perpetrators sit in government.
Family business: The Rajapaksa family dominates politics. The family, at its peak, held 9 government positions, has deep oligopolistic business interests, and is powerful.
Economic crisis: Bad management begets economic crisis. As we have seen elsewhere (e.g Kenya), large infrastructure loans, often from China, are dollar denominated and become difficult to repay. The threat of default weakens the currency, which makes the loans more expensive to pay back. Taxes are increased as a result, which strains the country and people suffer.
In 2019 Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President. He introduced
several policy decisions which proved to be complete failures — such as tax cuts, stagnant wages, the militarisation of education in the Kotelawala National Defence University Bill, and the overnight chemical fertiliser ban — brought farmers, trade unions and working people out into the streets in as early as 2020, as it catapulted the country even faster into socio-economic ruin. (Source — from the excellent watchdog.team, visit for further reading).
The crisis is demonstrated by the GDP per capita for the country, which increased steadily for decades, and then fell dramatically. This means that, on average, people are poorer than they were the year before.
Aragalaya: People were (and are) struggling. So major protests began in March 2022 which the vague objectives of regime change and economic recovery. These protests evolved into the Aragalaya (literally “the Struggle” in Sinhala). I met a some of the activists who participated at aforementioned documentary premier.
On 9th July, a massive march began, and the Presidential Mansion was stormed. It escalated, and the “military were granted powers to shoot on sight on 10 May” (again writes watchdog.team). The president then resigned, the protesters calmed, and his replacement cleared the protest. My friend Jeana wrote at the time (for the Guardian, I think):
“Finally, it’s confirmed [the resignation of Rajapaksa] — and after all the ups and downs it’s such an anticlimax. There’s no celebration at all. I watch the news with my friends, have some soup and cycle home to bed.”
3/ RECOMMENDATIONS.
Here’s a list of what I most enjoyed in Sri Lanka.
Colombo is underrated. I stayed in Seconds Columbo which was nice and they had private rooms plus dorms—both are cheap. Also Cafe Kumbuk has great food and (less cheap) lovely rooms. It’s in a good location. I visited the National Museum: the building is as nice as the exhibits IMO. It’s close to some of the good cafes, like Seed Cafe which is beaut and has yoga. Check out SNAFU which hosts creative/cultural events. I went to two events, both excellent. There is an awesome Community Library which is a gem, and silent so good for reading. Finally, if you take a 25 minute Tuk from the centre you can get to this spiritual masterpiece: Gotma Thapowanaya. It’s a wooded Buddhist temple and very serene.
When travelling, drive/peddle slightly inland. The coast is built up and touristy, but even five kilometres in it’s delightful and you will see no other tourists. If you hire a moped, get off the busy roads and get away from the coastal tourist hotspots. It’s spectacular countryside and people are extremely friendly.
I first went to Hiriketiya Beach, and stayed at Muru’s Place which was perfect if you are on a budget. Private rooms and dorm, and a lovely family homestay. Lemon Grass Cafe had the best food, though it takes ages. Taboo, next to the beach, has the best coffee and great breakfast. I wrote in cafe called MOND, which also is a boutique hotel and has an excellent design. The beach to the west of Hiriketiya, Dikwella Beach, has no surf but is beautiful, empty, and good for coconuts and chilling. If I were staying long term on the Sri Lankan coast, I would also spend more time in other beach towns further west (there there are more surf spots in Weligama or Midigama). Check the time of year, however, as there is surf on the east coast, not on the west, in some seasons.
If you want to learn to surf: Bandula is more expensive than others, but he’s also better value. They are private classes and I was very impressed. He actually discovered Hiriketiya as a surf spot! Search for: Bandula Surfing School and his number +94 77 635 7734. I am also happy to introduce you if you like.
The mountains are steep and I wouldn’t recommend cycling them lol. They are, however, very pretty and great to visit. In the interior, I visited Ella, which was incredibly touristy. I would not stay in the centre, as I had to move hostels because of how loud it was. In Ella, you can get a Tuk to Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery which was stunning, perched on the top of the mountain, and they do group meditations there daily.
When in the mountains I would also look at the Pekoe Trail. Per the website,
The 22 stage walking trail takes you through some of the finest ecology and mountain terrain in the South of Asia as you begin your journey in Kandy and make your way to Nuwara Eliya, passing through Haputale, Hatton and Ella. The first of its kind and a bucket list experience of a lifetime, The Pekoe Trail takes trekking in Sri Lanka to new heights.
I did one stage and it was excellent. I would consider walking the whole thing. The route is on the app AllTrails. I saw no tourists on the route.
I loved Nuwara Eliya, and just roamed the tea plantations for a day. It was dank weather and I was overjoyed that, for the first time in months, I was cold. The best restaurant was Ambaal’s Veg Hotel. Generally you can’t go wrong with a veg hotel. Coffee was also good at Cafe Noshers.
The Knuckles Range (national park) was awesome, and I had my most meaningful memory, sitting at sunset between the deep blue peaks, up to my neck in a cool mountain stream. I felt blessed, and so small. It was only afterwards that I discovered all the leeches on me, so be careful! Visit the range if you can, and go hiking. I stayed in random bunk house, you can find somewhere better (I hope).
Sigirya was epic! Huge rocks, which spectacular views. Lots of tourists, but still worth it. I watched sunset from Pidurangala Rock, where I also saw some monkeys attacking a woman for her food (don’t eat in public). I would have stayed here but it was full — it was recommended to me.
You can kite surf on the island’s west coast but there was no wind when I was passing, the season ended the day I planned to arrive.
In Saudi, presumably because positive societal change is happening so fast, and because the political elite are independently very wealthy, there is less perceived robbery of the people. I heard few complaints of the political class.