Not exactly what we expected in Sri Lanka

I’ll admit: we came to Sri Lanka on the basis of pretty thin information. There’s a blogger we kinda like who calls Sri Lanka “delightful”. Then there’s a handful of clickbait-y “best places” lists; for example, Sri Lanka topped Lonely Planet’s list in 2019, that year’s “top country” for travel. Throw in our logistical reality: Cape Town is far from, well, everywhere; we knew we wanted to go to Asia this spring; at some point in our planning, not every place, even those generally open to tourists, was keen to accept visitors transiting from South Africa. But we didn’t do much in the way of boning up on current events before we landed here. I’m not sure if it would have made a difference in our decision but either way here we are: smack in the middle of a national financial mess, one that has been brewing for years, escalated during the pandemic and has now reached a crisis (for local people and the Sri Lankan government) and a somewhat stressful hassle (for us).

The basic problem seems to be that the country’s debt is very high, greater than annual GDP. Current reserves don’t cover even this year’s debt obligations and further borrowing is difficult to secure due to a combination of facts: the Sri Lankan rupee is pegged to the US dollar (considerably below the real rate), the government is printing rupees to keep interest rates low and domestic prices for key goods, like fuel and energy, are fixed. Oil must be entirely imported and while the country does have some other sources of energy (notably, hydroelectric) these are non-contributory during the dry season. Which is now. As a result, the country (the country!) ran out of diesel a few days ago and there are ongoing petrol shortages as well. Each day we’ve been here, there have been planned power outages for as much as seven or eight hours per day and taxi/Uber rides can be hard to secure. Other goods are also no longer being imported: the largest grocery store here in Weligama seems perpetually under stocked; we snagged the last five bags of muesli last week and the shelf remained empty last night. I’m also worried that the war in Ukraine will worsen grain shortages here in the coming months (and obviously, fuel shortages too).

A fight breaks out at a nearby gas station where everyone is milling around with plastic jugs to fill

Lots of both Russian and Ukrainian tourists here

Contributing a bit more to my stress, we’ve had trouble figuring out how to leave Sri Lanka. The international airport in Colombo is mainly served by regional airlines (Sri Lankan, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Smile) as well as Emirates and Qatar. Twice we tried to book tickets to Phuket and received a soothing confirmation email but both times the flights were later canceled or rebooked in some impossible way. Now we have (in theory) a flight next week on Malaysia Airlines to Bangkok and we’re scrambling somewhat to try to find the needed Covid PCR testing in time to leave as well as navigate documentation requirements to enter Thailand under their “Test and Go” program (so many forms!). All of this is made considerably more challenging by limited access to WiFi when the power is out.

Ordinary sunscreen doesn’t stand a chance against the sun here

For all of these reasons (but mainly: a general sense that we shouldn’t waste fuel frivolously when it must be needed for other more serious purposes in the country and a theoretical concern that if we travel someplace, we won’t be able to get back or won’t be able to get to the airport in a few days) we’ve mostly stayed put here in Weligama rather than hop a train or bus for points north. I’m disappointed I won’t get to see the relic of Buddha’s tooth in Kandy and Brian is grumpy about missing Sigiriya. We joke that we won’t be able to post pictures of our feet dangling from the train between Kandy and Ella on Instagram. Obviously, we’ll survive.

Somewhat worse for wear after a day of surfing

So I’m homeschooling my guys when the power’s on and watching them surf on Weligama Beach when it’s off. But I’ve also found, absent another more diverting pastime, watching the street scene below our apartment’s sunny balcony to be almost endlessly interesting. Right now, as I write, the street is full of bikes going in every direction. There are also lots of motorbikes and a few tuk tuks, carrying a mix of local people and tourists. In the center of the street, I can see a frail old man in a sarong, hobbling along barefoot and carrying a heavy white bag full of something on his left shoulder. I imagine lentils or onions but really I have no idea. To the left of the old man, a mother holds an umbrella to shield herself from the sun in one hand, the hand of her young son in the other. They walk purposefully past the cream shop across from our apartment and the boy gazes inside as they pass. We may not be seeing Sri Lanka at its best but honestly I’m glad we’re here.

Not exactly what we expected in Sri Lanka

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