How to live like a local in Sri Lanka


The best method to explore a country’s culture is to be a part of it. Whenever you travel to a new destination, keep this in mind. Needless to say, Sri Lanka is a small country with an amazing culture that is highly diversified, and if you visit this amazing destination, the best tactic to explore their culture will be to live like a local, learning new things and facts. Here’s a guide to how to do that.

Try out the locals’ favourite food items

Although rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka, now people do not eat rice and curry for all their three meals. Instead, they take something simpler for their breakfast and dinner. The food patterns have changed drastically over time, and now they have some modern and easy food items as their favourites, and when you are there you can try some of them too. Kottu roti is one such interesting dish, that’s more like street food in Sri Lanka. Known for its spiciness and the burst of flavours, kottu roti is a dish that’s fun to watch when it’s being prepared. Then, Sri Lankans also have this amazingly unique ‘Isso Wade’ which can also be called a street food. ‘Issa’ in English means a prawn, and yes, you find a prawn on the top of this spicy patty which is heavenly delicious.

Travel to the hill country by train

Not only train rides but bus rides and tuk-tuk rides are all so amazing in Sri Lanka. Do not miss these moments when you are there because they give fine opportunities for you to blend with the actual locals. If your idea is to travel to the hill country, choose a train ride, and that’s a great way of exploring the beauty of this island nation. Travel to an area like Bandarawela by train and spend a day or two with the local communities there. To provide you with quality accommodation services, there are many hotels in Bandarawela offering a blissful stay. Venues such as Bandarawela Hotel are renowned among tourists for providing classy hospitality services.

Taste some local toddy

This means getting drunk in the true Sri Lankan style, and you will love it. The local coconut toddy in Sri Lanka is called ‘Raa’ and it tastes almost like wine and looks similar to the Japanese rice wine- ‘sake’. Local farmers extract toddy from the coconut sap in the morning, and then let it ferment for some hours before they harvest it. You don’t need to get addicted to this local version of liquor, but there’s no harm in trying that out once.

Spend some hours with the Veddas

Sri Lanka is a country that has a proud history, and Prince Vijaya is considered the very first Sinhalese king in this country, the story goes back to thousands of years ago. They believe that the Veddas are the descendants of him, and therefore they are the native Sri Lankans in the country. If you ever get a chance to visit Sri Lanka- the pearl of the Indian Ocean, do not forget to visit the rural cities of Mahiyanganaya and Dambana in which the Veddas live with their communities. Although they have their own language, if you get a guided tour, things they say will be translated to you and through what they say, you will be able to explore more about how they live and how they are different from the rest. In their communities, they have hunters and gatherers and that’s how they sustain their self-sufficient society. It’s a completely different experience that you’ll remember forever.  


  


AddDan Lundberg, 20160126 Sri Lanka 3931 Dambana sRGB (25468977590), CC BY-SA 2.0
 caption



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