TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(LKR)
Sri Lankan Rupee |
| Electrical |
230 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 94, City Code, Colombo 11+6/7D, Jaffna 21+7D, Negombo
31+7D, Matara 41+7D |
Time:
GMT + 6.
Electricity:
230/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Round three-pin plugs are usual, with
bayonet lamp fittings.
Telephone:
IDD facilities are available to the principal cities.
Country code: 94. Outgoing international code: 00. Phone cards
are available at post offices and shops.
Climate:
Tropical climate. Upland areas are cooler and more temperate,
and coastal areas are cooled by sea breezes. There are two monsoons,
which occur May to July and December to January.
Clothing:
Lightweights and rainwear.
Food & Drink: Standard foods are spicy and
it is advised to approach curries with caution. There are many
vegetables, fruits, meats and seafoods. Continental, Chinese,
Indian and Japanese menus are available in Colombo. A speciality
is basic curry, made with coconut milk, sliced onion, green chilli,
aromatic spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron and
aromatic leaves. Hoppers is a cross between a muffin and a crumpet
with a wafer-crisp edge, served with a fresh egg soft-baked on
top. Stringhoppers are steamed circlets of rice flour, a little
more delicate than noodles or spaghetti. Jaggery is a fudge made
from the crystallised sap of the kitul palm. The durian fruit
is considered a great delicacy. Tea is the national drink and
thought to be amongst the best in the world. Toddy, the sap of
the palm tree, is a popular local drink; fermented, it becomes
arrack which, it should be noted, comes in varying degrees of
strength. Alcohol cannot be sold on poya holidays (which occur
each lunar month on the day of the full moon).
Shopping:
Special purchases include handicrafts and curios of silver, brass,
bone, ceramics, wood and terracotta. Also cane baskets, straw
hats, reed and coir mats and tea. Batik fabric, lace and lacquerware
are also popular. Some of the masks, which are used in dance-dramas,
in processions and on festival days, can be bought by tourists.
The ‘18-disease’ mask shows a demon in possession
of a victim; he is surrounded by 18 faces – each of which
cures a specific ailment. Versions produced for the tourist market
are often of a high standard. Sri Lanka is also rich in gems.
Fabrics include batiks, cottons, rayons, silks and fine lace.
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1730, Sat 0900-1300.
Tipping:
Most hotels include a service charge of ten per cent. Extra tipping
is optional.
Currency: Sri Lanka Rupee (SLRe, singular; SLRs,
plural) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of SLRs1000, 500,
200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of SLRs10,
5, 2 and 1, and 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. There are also large
numbers of commemorative coins in circulation.
Credit
& debit cards: American Express, Visa and MasterCard
are widely accepted. Diners Club has more limited acceptance.
Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant
acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers
cheques: The rate of exchange for travellers cheques
is better than the rate of exchange for cash. To avoid additional
exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers
cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
