Hello Travelers!

I just spent a week in Colombo, Sri Lanka and I have some things to share. I spent the week at Trans Asia Hotel, which is a 5 star resort and costs only about $10 per night.

A the time of this post 12/20/2007: $1USD = 39 Rupree (INR); 1GBP= 78INR

Arriving:

On arrival (once you’ve survived the customs queue at the airport) I was met with intense humidity and exhaust fumes. Nevertheless, before I arrived to my hotel I learned three lessons:

Don’t allow anyone to pick up your luggage because it is an instant charge of 50 Rupees (INR).

Choose a car that actually resembles a taxi because some locals offer their taxi service, which means riding in the back of a truck.

Always arrange payment before getting in which should be no more than 2000-3000 INR depending on how far you need to go.

My ‘Tuk Tuk’ed’ Experience:

On my day out in Colombo, my friend and I decided, as one does, to go for an exploration stroll to find the local drinking holes, banks, cafes, parks, shops, information centers, etc. You know, the stuff one expects to be in a capitol city and within walking distance of a five star hotel; however, we quickly realized that simple things are not so simple in Colombo as the hotel staff looked at us with mild alarm when they understood our seriousness about ‘taking a stroll’.

So, sticking out like a couple of lemon bon bons in a bag of liquorish, we went out to survey the area when we were soon approached by a really charming and friendly Sri Lankan man who explained he was from the hotel and thought we might have needed a little direction. We thought, “great ,why not?” as the city is very busy and not exactly foreigner friendly, so we allowed our ‘guide’, who I will now call Mr. Guide, to take us under his wing. In the beginning it was nice because he explained some interesting facts, about local buildings and Sri Lankan culture. We were then ushered into a ‘tuk tuk’, which is a vehicle that back home would be condemned on sight and banished to the lowest depths of any scrap yard! Anyway, with a mutually concerned side glance exchanged between me and my friend, or co-victim, we clambered into the back to begin our ‘tuk tuk’ adventure.

Now, with the three of us jammed into the back of this matchbox on wheels, whilst our still charming guide barked commands to the driver who obediently chauffeured us to what seemed like every temple in Colombo. Sri Lankans are pretty serious about their religion, so we obligingly and gratefully accepted all invitations. I did enjoy seeing a Buddhist priest performing a ritual to a female goddess that was composed of lots of incense, smoke, fire and bananas; my friend and I felt privileged to have had this experience. Hence, feeling all special and generous we accepted another invitation to go to a gem shop. I must point out at this stage that Mr. Guide mentioned earlier in the journey that he was going to the temples anyway and we were welcome to join him; a detail he later failed to recall. After trying his hardest -along with about four of his gem shop posse- to get me to buy a silver ring, which did not fit nor I had not asked for, Mr. Guide’s charm had started to diminish. Then without being asked he proceeded to instruct our driver to take us to a shopping mall called ‘Odel’. By the time we got there, I was fuming under my sun hat, my friend was still in shock and Mr. Guide had become very quiet indeed. But not for long as unfortunately the conditions of travel had altered on route and we were now faced with two stony faced Sri Lankans, Mr. Guide and driver, who were holding out their palms, whilst beaming sinister smiles in our direction. “Shit” we thought and not wanting to spice up the tension any further I handed over 5000 rupees- 3500 for the driver and 1000 to him. Oh, I had to kick in another 500 to the driver because, of course, he did not have change. And that is how we were, well and truly ‘tuk tuk’d up’!

Kelly’s key lessons learned:

• Don’t believe anyone who approaches you in the street and gives you some crap about working at a hotel.
• This “Guide” system / scam exists in a lot of cities. The way it works is that the “Guide” gets payoffs from all the places that he brings you. So, for instance, if I would have bought the ring then Mr. Guide would have gotten some cash, which means that I am getting even more ripped off.
• Always get sound advice about the local sights from your hotel information desk.
• Even though the ‘backpackers’ budget doesn’t normally cater for hotels, get one, they are really cheap, as in Colombo it will mean the difference between enjoying your experience and wishing Sri Lanka never existed.
• Never pay more than 200-250 INR for a ‘tuk tuk’ ride and always set the price before getting in.
• Keep a lot of small notes on you, as you may not receive change.
• Confidently say ‘No’ when constantly asked if you want to see the temples; unless you actually do want to see them.
• Checkout any local trips out of the city as Colombo is not very big and you will get bored.

Thanks for reading and Happy Travels!

Kelly