Mike John, Content Explorer, MCA, Los Angeles, California, USA
Answered Jun 05, 2019
Sri Landa is a wonderful place when it's wonderful but things aren't all roses there by any stretch of the imagination. For one thing, addiction is bad. Addiction to alcohol, heroins, pills, you name it it's bad. Furthermore, rentals can be difficult to find - good ones, at least.
They may be cheaper but they often charge a full year, upfront. And, many times you just get a room. You have to watch what you say and do in Sri Lanka. Human rights are not very good or stable there. You will need to watch your back from some of the locals as well. But, it can be a good place too. A lot depends on who you socialize with and what part of the country you go to.
Ah, the gentle Buddhists and immaculate beaches are what sells tourism in Sri Lanka, but what about the Hindu population further South and the Tamil Tigers? Sri Lanka came out of a brutal 33-year war. The president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his extended family, controlled around 94 government departments and approximately 70% of the country’s finances and the country only escaped his rule in 2015.
That's very recent and the scars are still evident. Laws are made to prevent, as far as possible, outsiders travelling away from the typical holiday areas. In fact, locals don't travel much. It's usual to stay in or around your village or town, and this is true of Colombians. There are regions where atrocities are carried out far from the sight of the Human Rights believers. Now it seems that ISIS members hang out there. The dreadful massacre of church goers recently was no single crazy act. Warnings to tourists abound.