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Day 31- Sri Lanka- what I have learnt


Sophie and I had a lie in before making it to the airport. Sophie is off to Delhi and I’m off to Bangkok. I thought whilst I had some time to kill at the airport I would write about what I have learnt in Sri Lanka.

Environmental
  1. The streets are very clean. There isn’t much litter or waste discarded. 
  2. The beaches are stunning. Very sandy with warm water. 
  3. There are lots of mountain areas
  4. Sri Lanka is struggling with deforestation. Previously 70% of Sri Lanka was made up for Forrest’s and this has now been reduced to 20%.
  5. Major cities such as Negumbo are heavily polluted.
  6. Sri Lanka has a huge amount of wildlife including beautiful fish, birds and turtles. Sri Lanka has many conservation projects in place to try and protect these animals. There are however a lot of places that use animals purely to make money without treating them right! Please please please do your research before you touch a turtle or have a picture with an elephants trunk wrapped around you.

Social issues
  1. Alcohol and cigarette consumption are not allowed on the street. Sri Lanka is quite strict on this with these activities being heavily disapproved by local people. Because of this it is very rare to see cigarette butts and discarded bottles.
  2. Despite the above there is still a drug issue in Sri Lanka, this is something I think exists everywhere. Drug possession is very heavily punished with the death penalty being on the cards.
  3. Sri Lanka is becoming a popular tourist location. It is easy to see why when there is so much variety in landscapes. Everything from beaches with water sports to mountains with hikes and vibrant cities.
  4. 87% of people in Sri Lanka have access to safe drinking water. 
  5. Since 2005 Sri Lankan’s unemployment rate has dropped from 15.2% to 7.6% which is pretty impressive!
  6. Sri Lanka also has an incredible Health and schooling system
Culture
  1. 70% of people in Sri Lanka are Buddhists
  2. Sri Lanka is becoming one of the top tourist destinations with the tourism industry thriving.
  3. Sri Lanka has dropped from the 1st to 4th biggest exporter of tea.
  4. The most popular sport is cricket... they love it here. 
  5. Rotti, rice and curry are popular foods (they taste amazing)

Overall I have loved my time in Sri Lanka. The people have been kind and it has been green with loads of wildlife. I think I still prefer the charm of India with its chaos and friendly people however i would definitely recommend Sri Lanka as a destination. 

A few of my Sri Lankan highlights are below! 

Sigiriya Rock (view from the top) 

Sigiriya Rock (at the bottom)

 
Dambulla Cave Temple 

Cooking string hopper in a village

Botanical Gardens in Kandy

High tea in Nuwara Eliya 


Tea factory in Nuwara Eliya 

Ella’s Rock

Nine Arch Bridge Ella 

Galle Fort 


Hikkaduwa beach at sunset 

Turtles in Hikkaduwa 

Hikkaduwa Beach 

Reunited with fri


Turtles in Hikkaduwa 

Bus Ride from Hikkaduwa 

Seeing Wild Elephants 



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