A few years ago the “guerilla-ravaged” lands of Colombia gave me an amazingly different reality than what appeared on the television screen. Why not go for round two in another place?I went, and I am very thankful for my decision.
Sri Lanka Smiling People Clip Art![]()
Here are 9 reasons to consider visiting Sri Lanka in 2009 (and beyond): 1. The Art of SmilingIf you have not seen enough smiles lately, go to Sri Lanka.
The frequency with which locals will beam their brightness at you is mind-boggling. In a few days of venturing out of the capital city of Colombo, you will probably receive more smiles than you did in the previous two months back home. The LandSri Lanka is a bit larger than the state of West Virginia. But this nation contains over a thousand miles of coastline, vast tea plantations in the mountains of the central highlands, rainforests, deserts, and brilliant beaches. Its three zones are divided by elevation: the central highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt. FruitKings coconuts are widely sold in road-side shacks. Costing roughly 30 cents, they are hacked open by a vendor, who will stick a straw inside and presto – you have a refreshing all-natural drink said to help with digestion.Don’t miss the wood apple.
About the size of a small orange with a rock hard stone-looking shell, this fruit is smashed down on a hard surface in order to be cracked open. The ripe wood apple is on the sweet side, and is best used as a jam. The unripe wood apple offers nature’s version of Sour Patch Kids. It’s an unreal nature-candy if you like sour flavors.
Friendliness with InterestAfter seeing my friend (who is African-American and has braids), a Sri Lankan man in a restaurant could not stop himself from overflowing with excitement. He immediately began to say “Bob Marley!” over and over again while asking to take multiple pictures with my buddy.In general, families seeing a foreigner walk by their home are inclined to invite them inside for a cup of tea. They want to hear what you think of the country and its people, and they usually get a thrill out of having their picture taken. ArchitectureThis is a land of temples – Buddhist and Hindu.
Some of these praying structures are magnificently large and visited by many; others are small and seemingly known only by locals. Don’t be surprised to find yourself unexpectedly stopping in a small village to see a beautifully crafted Hindu statue or other eye-catching structure. CommercialsNo joke – they are hilarious, as is much of the media. Picture a young girl sitting in the backseat of a car with her mother driving. They stop, get out of the car, and walk into a park full of trees.
The child later drops her toy on the ground. A man then picks it up and hands it over with a smile. Next appears a close-up shot of the car’s wheels, for a tire advertisement. The commercial was so unconnectedly entertaining that it was difficult to forget – like a few other Sri Lankan adverts. But that is the whole idea, right?
English Spoken HereDue to the British colonization lasting over 150 years, a good percentage of the population speaks English – especially in the cities. When a traveler is lost or curious, the locals’ fluency in English comes in handy. A warning to those having difficulties picking up accents: some pidgin English is spoken here. My friends had no problem understanding from the start, but I was lost in this seemingly foreign language for a few days.
Surf’s UpSri Lanka has been rebuilding itself, with the help of many nations, since the horrific tsunami in December, 2004. In this restructuring, beach resorts – such as Awanatuna Beach – were built on the southwest side to cater to surfers from April to October. Waves are reported three to eight feet – substantial swells. The off season would be better for novice surfers as the swells usually come in at two to six feet. Watch a Forming Culture(s)Sri Lankans have fought for independence for more than 400 years, starting with colonization by the Portuguese in 1505, the Dutch in 1660, and finally, the British in 1796. Each colonizer has left its respective mark on the Sri Lankan society.
A consistent example of one of these marks is a popular men’s clothing style: a sarong (traditional), accompanied with an incongruous collared shirt (British) to complete the outfit.Since 1948, Sri Lanka has been a sovereign nation. In 1972, the country changed the British-bestowed name “Ceylon” to “Sri Lanka”, which roughly translates to “prosperous island.” Now, Sri Lanka is making its own way in the world, and figuring out who it is in the process.
's president signed death warrants on Wednesday for four drug offenders who will 'very soon' become the first people executed in decades on the island.Maithripala Sirisena said he completed formalities to end a 42-year-old moratorium on the death penalty, which he said was needed to clamp down on a rampant narcotics trade.' I have signed the death warrants of four. They have not been told yet. We don't want to announce the names yet because that could lead to unrest in prisons,' Sirisena told reporters at his official residence.He did not say when the executions would be carried out, only that it would be 'very soon'.An official in Sirisena's office said the president wanted the hangings to be a powerful message to the illegal drugs trade.Sirisena said there were 200,000 drug addicts in the country and 60 percent of the 24,000 prison population were drug offenders. Sri Lanka civil war: Victim's father vows to fight for justiceHis remarks came a day after said it was 'alarmed' over media reports of preparations to resume executions.' Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena must immediately halt his plans to resume executions,' Amnesty said in a statement.Sri Lanka is a party to the international convention on civil and political rights, which sets the abolition of the death penalty as a goal to be achieved by countries, it added. No executionerSirisena in February announced the country would carry out the first executions in decades, saying he had been inspired by President Rodrigo Duterte's in the Philippines.The president has also appealed to human rights organisations not to pressure him.
I first visited Sri Lanka earlier this year with my family. I only had three days there and it turns out that just wasn’t enough.
Despite not having a lot of time there I quickly fell in love with the island and the Sri Lankan people.LUCKILY, I got the chance to return this month on a 10 day press trip organised by the Sri Lankan tourism board. This time I was able to see much more of the country and it’s wonderful people. But why are the Sri Lankan people so special? What makes them different to other people in?
About the Sri Lankan PeopleFirstly, how many people are in Sri Lanka? The population of Sri Lanka is just over 20 million which is 5 times the population of Ireland.
It must be a bit of a squeeze considering Sri Lanka is 10,000 square miles smaller than. Though I must admit it never felt crowded to me.The people of Sri Lanka are mainly Sinhalese. They speak “Sinhala” which means “lion’s blood” (not as intimidating as it sounds). However, English is the language of commerce in Sri Lanka and most people seem to speak a bit. The island is fairly multi cultural due to a colourful history.
The main religions are Buddhism, Hindu, Muslim and, surprisingly, Catholic. Why Do I Love the Sri Lankan People? 1) The Warm Welcome.
Men waving from a shop front, welcoming us.As I cruised through Colombo with my fellow bloggers on a city tour Sri Lankan people came out of their shops and waved, crying “Welcome to Sri Lanka”. You don’t get that many places nowadays.
The locals seem genuinely happy to welcome tourists to their countryEvery single Sri Lankan person that I have met has been extremely welcoming and eager to show me their country and customs. Everywhere we went kids and adults alike would wave at us. The thought of that happening in a Western country is laughable. 2) The Colours. Even the little old ladies have great style.This may be slightly shallow but the Sri Lankan people sure know how to dress. The colours of their outfits, both traditional and modern, are always striking and incredibly beautiful.
On my first trip to Sri Lanka I was asked by a shop owner to try on a traditional Sri Lankan saree. I’ve never worn anything that made me feel more beautiful in my life.I was also lucky enough to witness two weddings in Sri Lanka during my recent trip. Let me tell you, the Sri Lankan people do weddings in style. The traditional Kanyadan (plush hat with a sort of Aladdin-type waistcoat) outfit for men is a sight to see. I don’t know if I’d want my future husband to sport it, but it sure looks good on the Sri Lankan men.
Sri Lanka Smiling People Images
Weddings aren’t all white as well, gold and red often feature heavily. Basically, the people of Sri Lanka are visually stunning.
3) The Lack of StaringIf you’ve ever travelled in Asia you’ll probably have noticed that a lot of the time people will stare at you because you look different. This is to be expected. However, the Sri Lankan people don’t seem to do this.
They’ll look at you, wave, smile and MAYBE ask for a photo (or just take one because they’re embarrassed to ask). But in general, no staring and DEFINITELY no creepy staring. Never once did I feel intimidated by a person in Sri Lanka.In fact, we were halfway through our trip when one of the other bloggers said to me, “You know what I love about Sri Lanka? No one has sexually harassed me at all”. That might sound like a low bar to judge a people by, but in fairness, being a blonde western girl in Asia, you’ll inevitably (usually) get someone making kissing sounds at you at some stage. This is not the case in Sri Lanka it seems, and I really appreciate that. Basically, the Sri Lankan people make you feel safe and respect your personal space.
Happy Smiling People
4) They Love Horoscopes. Traditional Sri Lankan Angampora martial arts.The Sri Lankan people place a very high value on horoscopes. They check them for marriages, business deals and all sorts of important occasions. Udara, our representative from the Sri Lankan tourism board was extremely proud of the fact that he and his fiancee had 95% compatibility according to their horoscopes (usually over 60% is good).
I also met a traditional Sri Lankan martial artist who informed me that in Angampora (Sri Lankan martial arts) they will not accept any new members without first checking their horoscopes. Pretty interesting! But maybe that’s just because I’m fairly astrologically obsessed myself.Aannnnnd there’s a million other reason like their views towards animals but I won’t go into all of them or I’m afraid you’ll just fall asleep. Photos of Sri Lankan PeopleHere’s some of my favourite photos that I took on my recent press trip to Sri Lanka. I LOVE the colours of this photo.
A local vendor and his shop.I hope that you visit Sri Lanka in the future and get to experience the hospitality of the Sri Lankan people for yourself! If you would like any further information on Sri Lanka, check out the OR leave me a comment.Have you been to Sri Lanka? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!.This trip was sponsored by the Sri Lanka tourism board. However, all views, opinions and tips are (as always) my own.Recommended ReadingIf you liked this article make sure you check out my article about.Also check out myFirst NameLast NameEmail Address.
Annicka Henttonen SteinerI really enjoyed your article and the spirit of it, and I agree 100%.I just hit back 4 days ago after 3 weeks there and am suffering withdrawal, so I googled and found your article. Beautiful photos!Yes: the colors, the smiles, the beauty, the animals, the astrology, the temples, the food, the ocean, the climate!I never felt sexually harassed but did receive a lot of love declarations 😀I have the impression “I love you madam” means something else there – also told to me by a young woman. A mystery – to be continued.Annicka.
On our way to Kithugalla, where a rafting adventure awaited us, we stopped at Gampola – a town which used to be the island’s capital in the fourteenth century, and whose distinguishing feature is now a Buddhist stupa-like tower, located on a hill, which takes nerves of steel to climb. As you enter it through a tunnel from inside, you then have to go up the stairs on the outer wall.
Spiral-shaped, they get narrower and narrower as you climb, until you can hardly squeeze in, facing a precipice. I admit I didn’t make it to the top, but the view was amazing anyway. Mum and a tea grading tableOur next day began with driving by the one and only Ella Gap: the sight of its moist forests and mountains, all in midday sun, was like an energy shot.
Then we went to the Yala National Park and had a marvellous jeep safari, which took us through all the wonders of the reserve. Mind you, Yala is best known for its leopards (you didn’t expect that out of Sri Lanka, did you?), but even though we didn’t have the luck to see them, we were stunned enough by its birds (over 200 species!), buffaloes (so many) and elephants. Unlike those used in Africa, the jeep in Yala had no windows, which gave us a chance to see everything perfectly well at the mere cost of ending up all in dust. Fancy some fish?Of course, the country’s capital, Colombo, was not a place to be missed either. There were two ways to get there from Negombo: by train (rather slow, though said to have a colonial charm) or by bus (twice as fast and five times as cheap – the ticket for this 45-minute ride was 120 rupees, equivalent to about 1 dollar). First, however, we needed to arrive at the bus station in Negombo, which is when we jumped at the chance to have a rickshaw ride – Sri Lanka’s tuk tuks are a fast and safe means of transport.
Sri Lankans were getting ready to welcome the PopeThe National Museum turned out to be partially closed due to renovation, but the exhibition rooms available were certainly worth a visit. Finally we saw a statue of a lying Buddha! (normally it’s either in a seated or in a standing position, whilst a lying Buddha is said to be typical of Sri Lanka) We were no less surprised to see 2,000-year old toilets used by Buddhist monks – a clear indication of their concern for hygiene and aesthetics alike.
A typical toilet in a Buddhist monastery 2,000 years ago, ladies and gentlemenIt didn’t take us long to get to the capital’s greatest area of greenery: the Vihara Maha Devi Park. Located in the very heart of the city, it borders the Town Hall, commonly addressed as the ‘White House’ for its colour and shape. The neighbourhood of the building’s grandeur, however, certainly doesn’t stand in the way of young couple’s dating habits: plenty of young people stroll arm in arm along the alleys or sit under trees. To me it was a perfect setting for some meditation 🙂.
A blood splattered Christ statue and wall inside St. Sebastian’sChurch in Sri Lanka ( AP )On Easter Sunday, April 21, Islamic terrorists launched targeting Christians in Sri Lanka; the current death toll is with more than 500 wounded.Eight separate explosions took place, at least two of which were: three targeted churches celebrating Easter Sunday Mass; fourtargeted hotels frequented by Western tourists on Easter holiday; and one, which killed three police officers, occurred during a later securityoperation.At least —including citizens from the United States,Britain, Australia, and Portugal—were among the slain. Most fatalities occurred in the three church bombings.
Theworst took place in St. Sebastian’s, a Catholic church in Negombo; thereat least were killed. At St.Anthony’s Shrine, another Catholic church in Colombo, the nation’s capital,; and at the evangelical Zion Church,.The Sri Lankan government said a local Islamic extremistgroup, the National Thowheed Jamaath, was responsiblefor the carnage; 21 people affiliated with the group were subsequentlyarrested. Although “all are locals,”said a government official during a news conference, “there was aninternational network without which these attacks could not havesucceeded.” Two days later, the IslamicState claimed the attack, “the group’s wording did not make clear whether it had directties to the local bombers, or if the attackers were heeding the IslamicState’s calls for Muslims to attack in their home countries.”, a news site, gives more context:The problem of the Islamic State has been rampant in Sri Lanka since 2016. That year the Parliament was told that 32 Muslims from elite families had joined the ISIS.
The following year, scores of Sri Lankan ISIS terrorists had returned from Syria, following which there was a spike in Jihadi activity. It may also be recalled that a postgraduate student from Sri Lanka, Mohammad Nizamdeen was charged with ISIS affiliated terror related offence in Australia. He was accused of being part of a plot to assassinate an Australian politician. Incidentally he is the nephew of MP Faiszer Musthapha, a cabinet minister in the Sri Lankan government.
Accordingto Sri Lanka’s, Christiansaccount for 7.4 percent of the population, whereas Muslims account for 9.7percent. The majority are Buddhist—70percent—with 12.6 percent Hindu.Negombo, where the worst church attack occurred, “is fondly called the ‘little Rome,’ with shrines and ancient churches,” a local. “Since the churches in these areas date back to 19th century, people flock in huge numbers to attend the Mass on Easter and Christmas”—making it an ideal target for terrorists looking for maximum casualties. Sebastian’s Church, Negombo (Stringer/Getty Images)“I don’thave words to express my pain,” another Christian man who survived St.Sebastian bombing in Negombo:We lost so many people. The smell of flesh is all around me. We are a peace-loving community in this small city, we had never hurt anyone, but we don’t know from where this amount of hate is coming.
This city has become a grave with blood and bodies lying around. Since the past three years, we don’t know why, but we see an extremist’s mindset developing among the Muslims. I know many good Muslims, but there are also a lot who hate us, and they have never been so before.
It is in these three years that we see a difference.“People were in pieces,” Ms. Silviya, 26, concerning the bombing of St.Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo.
“Blood was everywhere. I closed my son’s eyes,took him out, passed him off to a relative and ran back inside to look for myfamily.”Hotels celebrating Easter and offering special platters wereespecially targeted. Describes one such attack: “Thesuicide bomber waited patiently in a queue for the Easter Sunday breakfastbuffet at Sri Lanka’s Cinnamon Grand hotel before setting off explosivesstrapped to his back. Carrying a plate, the man, who had registered at thehotel the night before as Mohamed Azzam Mohamed, was just about to be servedwhen he set off his devastating strike in the packed restaurant,” which “washaving one of its busiest days of the year for the Easter holiday weekend.” “There was utter chaos,” the manager. “It was 8:30 am and it was busy.It was families. He came up to the topof the queue and set off the blast.”Minutes before a bomb ripped through another hotel, the Shangri-La, a young girl a family photo (below) depicting seven smiling people sitting around a table. “Easter breakfast with family,” she had on Facebook.Thesuicide bomber of that hotel is believed to have been popularMuslim cleric.
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