Indian curreny stronger in Sri Lanka
The sudden realization that Indian currency is so much stronger in Sri Lanka is startlingly powerful.
Having eaten our fill at our villa, beach cafes and at places in Galle Fort that were highly rated by Madhur Jaffrey, we cast a rueful glance at the bills we had run up. That���s always the worst part of a holiday for an Indian, right? There���s that sinking feeling of having over spent, and we were no strangers to that thought!
A half-day Nissan booking cost about Rs 8000 SL, which seemed like a large sum...U until we carried out the conversion. Rs 100 (INR) was approximately Rs 300 (SL)! Whee, on with the gourmet food and the taxi rides ��� we almost felt like First Worlders on a jaunt with fat wallets!
The sudden realization that your currency was so much stronger than the local one was startlingly powerful. Until that day, my international forays usually involved bouts of painful calculation and even more painful wrestling with my soul. Whenever I passed a patisserie, I converted the cost of that cinnamon danish into rupees, and envisioned myself paying income tax arrears with the money.
Suddenly, in Sri Lanka, I had the power! I was like a Japanese or British tourist, and bargains were everywhere. The vacation, we realized with unexpected glee, was a steal!
Alas this realization only sank in shortly before we were to leave, so despite reports that Colombo is a shoppers���
paradise, all we picked up from the city centre on the way to the airport were some large wooden Sri Lankan masks. Others doubtless stocked up on their wardrobes and homewares with carefree abandon!
A few days after our return to India, a bomb explosion killed several people on the road from the airport to Colombo. Since then, attacks and civilian deaths have mounted, making Sri Lanka once again a dangerous place to visit. I���m waiting for peace to break out, so we can make it to the hilly regions of Nuwara Eliyah and Kandy.
And we need to make a trip back to Marrissa beach. We owe a bartender there a drink.
A half-day Nissan booking cost about Rs 8000 SL, which seemed like a large sum...U until we carried out the conversion. Rs 100 (INR) was approximately Rs 300 (SL)! Whee, on with the gourmet food and the taxi rides ��� we almost felt like First Worlders on a jaunt with fat wallets!
The sudden realization that your currency was so much stronger than the local one was startlingly powerful. Until that day, my international forays usually involved bouts of painful calculation and even more painful wrestling with my soul. Whenever I passed a patisserie, I converted the cost of that cinnamon danish into rupees, and envisioned myself paying income tax arrears with the money.
Suddenly, in Sri Lanka, I had the power! I was like a Japanese or British tourist, and bargains were everywhere. The vacation, we realized with unexpected glee, was a steal!
Alas this realization only sank in shortly before we were to leave, so despite reports that Colombo is a shoppers���
paradise, all we picked up from the city centre on the way to the airport were some large wooden Sri Lankan masks. Others doubtless stocked up on their wardrobes and homewares with carefree abandon!
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The airport had posters explaining which illness or blight each mask referred to. Had I known earlier, I would have made sure I picked up one specifically to ward off the feelings induced by high airport coffee prices and knowing that we were leaving Sri Lanka. A few days after our return to India, a bomb explosion killed several people on the road from the airport to Colombo. Since then, attacks and civilian deaths have mounted, making Sri Lanka once again a dangerous place to visit. I���m waiting for peace to break out, so we can make it to the hilly regions of Nuwara Eliyah and Kandy.
And we need to make a trip back to Marrissa beach. We owe a bartender there a drink.
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