Being a Foreigner in Sri Lanka!

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Being a foreigner in Sri Lanka has many dimensions as we found out during our trip to this lovely country. As an Indian, our dress, skin colour, and body features do not make us out as a 'foreigner' (whiteskinned!) among the Sri Lankans.
 
But the moment you start speaking in English, as Hindi or Tamil is not understood in many places, they will ask you whether you are from India. And as per the rules, for entrance to many of the tourist sites, you are charged at rates applicable to foreigners.

However for Sri Lankan visa purpose, Indian citizens are charged as a SAARC member country national only US$20 while other foreigners need to pay a higher fee of US$35. This distinction worked to our advantage while visiting Pinnewala elephant orphanage, where the entrance fee for a SAARC national adult is only LKR 700 and for other foreigners it is LKR 2500.

At Hikaduwa we experienced another subtle variation of being a foreigner in Sri Lanka! When we walked into a beach restaurant for lunch the waiter politely told us that they serve only "foreigners". We didn't wait to ascertain from him what yardstick he used to characterise us as "non-foreigners", as it was quite obvious!


We were in for another surprise at Kandy railway station where a toilet was located prominently at the beginning of the platform with a notice in bold letters proclaiming that it is for use by foreigners! None of us was in any dire need to determine whether we qualify as a "foreigner" for entry into this august portal.

Well, as in India, there are vestiges of the British colonialism still remnant in the minds of the people.


Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

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