I wouldn’t change my Sri Lanka plans because of the terror attacks

April 22, 2019 BLOG Andy

Couchsurfing host Sri Lanka — Wasantha, the forest officer who hosted us in Nuwara Eliya

I had made a friend in Sri Lanka through Orkut, the most popular social networking site of the time. When I decided to visit Sri Lanka in 2012, both of us were equally excited that we would meet for the first time.

Kanchana had been to India on several occasions and had told me: “You will find the people in Sri Lanka same as Indians. Only warmer.”

After my trip to the island nation, I couldn’t agree more. Today, when the world is reeling from the shock of the Easter attack in Sri Lanka that killed hundreds and left so many more injured, I decided to write about the warmth of the islanders and their hospitality in this post.

Train journeys

Ella train station in Sri Lanka — The ticket counter at Ella train station.

Of all the people I know who have been to Sri Lanka and made a train journey of several hours, there is not one who has not struck up a conversation with a local person.

Maybe I just know the lucky people?

Sri Lankans love to carry their food along and eat on the train and my friend and I were offered chocolates, coffee and other snacks even though neither of us could understand the other’s language.

People I know exchanged contact details with co-passengers and have remained friends.

I cannot tell you how welcome this makes you feel when you are visiting a new country.

When the local forest officer hosted us

My friend (not Kanchana) and I were Couchsurfing at Nuwara Eliya and a kind gentleman had agreed to host us. He came to pick us up at the bus station and took us to his sprawling bungalow.

We later got to know he was the local forest ranger officer and that was his official residence!

The kind gentleman also got us in touch with a tuktuk (autorickshaw) driver he knew, who took us all around.

Both my friend and I have kept in touch with Wasantha.

When Nandy met Nandi

Welligama coconuts — Nandi, at Welligama.

We met Nandi at a tiny coastal town called Welligama. He was the man for everything. He could arrange hotels for us, take us snorkelling… pretty much everything you wanted.

He was a great guy to talk to and when the friend travelling with me returned to Sri Lanka, she got in touch with him again.

I especially remember an incident when the two of us were having lunch at eatery that had an open front. Nandi was standing just across the road. When were just about done with eating, he came over and gave us a pack of fresh, ripe mangoes.

He didn’t have to do that. The mangoes were as sweet as his gesture.

Welligama lunch — That was where we were having lunch when Nandi came from across the street and handed over the mangoes to us.

About Kanchana, she is one of the friendliest and most respectful person I know. She is always ready to meet up or help whenever anyone I know is in Colombo. She met my parents when they went to visit Sri Lanka and my mother came back and told me how nice a person my friend was.

There are a lot of good people in this world. And many of them are in that island called Sri Lanka. For those of you who had been thinking of visiting the island but are now unsure in the wake of the attacks, I’ll tell you this — don’t go if you don’t want to. But don’t change your decision to go based on the Easter attacks.

Terrorist attacks could happen anywhere in today’s world. But not every place has people as warm as Sri Lanka.