Will there be more floods in Sri Lanka?

Floods in Sri Lanka photo credit kanchana Ariyadasa

Floods and Landslides in May

At the end of May the late monsoon rains hit Sri Lanka hard causing flash floods and landslides across the country. It was estimated that over 200,000 were affected by the flooding and over 80 died. In Sri Lanka housing development is not controlled, basically if you have a piece of land you can build what you want, how you want, and to hell with any drainage system. Given the lack of planning and regulation its hardly surprising so many properties were damaged or that the drainage systems overflowed.

Will there be flooding in June July August?

Having looked at the forecasts and weather models prepared by weather experts and posted on the government meteorology website http://meteo.gov.lk no one has a clear idea. From the reports it looks like there is an equal chance of above average rain, below average and average rainfall over the next 3 months. In other words it's anyone's guess!

Personally I would say that as there are substantial rain clouds heading towards Sri Lanka due to arrive Wednesday - I would pack a strong umbrella!

What to pack

Even when it rains it's still hot with temperatures between 25-33Celcius, so take a light weight shower coat but most important of all pack the MOSQUITO REPELLENT. Rains mean breeding time for mosquitos and they breed everywhere. Dengue fever is carried by them and its rife in Sri Lanka so stay safe and slap it on.

 

Sri Lanka and Global Warming

The sad truth is Sri Lanka is being affected by global warming. Sri Lanka is also contributing big time to the problem by cutting down the rain forests. Sri Lanka is currently ranked 4th in the world amongst those destroying the natural forests. Currently there is only 16.55% of the natural forest left!
(source dailynews.lk)

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Floods, Cyclone winds, Power cuts. Welcome to Sri Lanka!

Floods, Winds and Landslides batter Sri Lanka

In January, Sri Lanka experienced it's hottest January on record due to Global Warming and El Nino. Droughts resulted in power cuts as the country struggled to create enough hydro electricity to feed the increased demand for fans and air conditioners. People passed out in the street from heat stroke and bottled water supplies ran dry.

 

Monsoon Batters Sri Lanka

In April people prayed for the arrival of the monsoon. They were disappointed and Sri Lanka remained hot and dry, with daily temperatures in the mid to high 30"s.  This week extreme Monsoon rains have finally arrived causing havoc across the country. Sri Lanka is being battered by Cyclone force winds and torrential rain. 8 people have already died and 2 people narrowly escaped death when a large rock fell on top of their house in the ADAMS PEAK region. The Civil Defence Force have been kept very active in this highland area where there is a high risk of flooding and landslide. Already up to 31000 people have been displaced in this region and worse is to come as the bad weather continues (source http://www.dailynews.lk)

Major Flood Areas 

Colombo, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya have seen major flooding. Jaffna will be hardest hit on Wednesday. Colombo had 350mm or 13.90 inches yesterday and there's a lot more to come. Now is the time to seriously examine your tour itinerary and perhaps head further south and sit it out.


AVOID ADAMS PEAK
There have been a number of  LAND SLIDES in the Adams Peak region, so it's better to stay away and find another activity to add to your Back packing tour as torrential rain will be battering Sri Lanka for the next week or more.

Unpredictable Weather

Global Warming is having a huge impact on Sri Lanka. Temperatures are rising year on year and weather patterns are being disrupted it is now harder to plan your tour of Sri Lanka with any degree of certainty. For more information on planning your tour of Sri Lanka and for useful tips on Backpacking, check out my guide book for the best information.

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Find Out What Gem is For Birthdays in May

 

Birthstones for May

According to the Gem association of Sri Lanka the precious stone representing the month of May is the beautiful green Emerald that the Greek’s called “Smaragdos” literally translated to mean ‘green coloured stone’.

"Who first beholds the light of day 
In spring's sweet, flower month of May 
And wears an Emerald all her life
 Shall be a loved and a loving wife."

Sri Lanka is famous for its Blue Sapphires (Ceylon sapphires) and Pink/Red Rubies which come from the mining district in Ratnapura. Ratnapura is a difficult place to backpack to and a very uninteresting place once you get there! To find out better tour options and discover more about Ratnapura and  Sri Lankan Gems check out my Backpacking Sri Lanka guide book below.

Celebs Born in May

Audrey Hepburn, George Clooney, David Beckham all have emeralds as their birthstone.

Celebs Who Love Emeralds

Royalty such as Queen Elizabeth 11 of UK, who reportedly has a massive emerald collection, have always favoured emeralds and former icons such as Elizabeth Taylor also loved the stone.

However, it was Angelina Jolie who caused the biggest stir when she strutted her stuff  at the 2009 Oscars. The fashion world certainly took notice as she walked down the red carpet wearing huge emerald tear dropped earrings designed by Lorraine Schwartz. Since then emeralds have been a firm favourite with fashion conscious celebs.

Famous Jewelry Pieces

The Crown of Andes made by the Incas weighs over 100lbs and is decorated with 453 emeralds that are approx. 1500carats.

Biggest Emerald Stone in the World

The Devonshire emerald is one of the largest emeralds in the world, it’s a whopping 1386 carats and was given to the 6^th Duke of Devonshire by the Emperor of Brazil in1831. It’s now in the Natural History Museum London

Healing powers

Emeralds were thought to be so beautiful, so dazzling that their brilliance could restore sight. A true believer in this was the short sighted Roman Emperor Nero, who was seen to use an Emerald eye glass to watch the gladiator games.  Other healing properties include fertility, spine, headaches and enhanced mental ability.

History

Emeralds were loved by the Peruvians, Romans, Incas and the Spanish. The Romans used emeralds as lie detectors, they believed the emerald would become lighter in colour if someone was lying or up to no good. The Incas were big time collectors of emeralds, especially the priests, who believed they had magical powers linked to the goddess Esmerelda. Some say the emeralds were as large as ostrich eggs. Many of the emeralds were stolen the Spanish who ransacked the temples and looted from the priests. The Spanish explorer Pizzaro ordered his soldiers to steal huge emeralds from the Mexicans. However a priest had the last laugh, he told the stupid soldiers that if they wanted to be sure the stones were real they must put them on an anvil and bash them with a hammer to see if they broke. So they bashed all there big stones with a giant hammer and ended up with lots of tiny little emeralds :)

Urban Myths: Hebrews believed that the stone was so brilliant and dazzling that it could turn a serpent blind if it looked at one, Peruvians believed that demons and griffins guarded the emerald mines and the Romans believed that you would have very bad luck if an emerald fell from its setting.

Investment Value: Emeralds represent excellent investment value as they have a stable market price.

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Mayday Madness in Sri Lanka causes travel chaos.

May Day In Sri Lanka = Traffic Nightmare!

It's May Day - a public holiday in Sri Lanka, this former British colony kept some of it's links to Old Blighty and May Day is one of them. Think May Day in the UK and most people will think of something like this.

Girls in white dresses skipping around the May pole is a typical image for many people but not in Sri Lanka, in fact most people in Sri Lanka wouldn't even know what a May pole is. Swap the May pole and ribbons for placards and protesters and then you will have a better idea of May Day in Sri Lanka.

Placards not May poles in Sri Lanka

May Day is the day when protesters head to the streets in their 100's especially in the big cities like Colombo. Every year they take to the street to demonstrate against lousy pay or poor workers rights or whatever else takes their fancy. If you happen to be on a tour of Sri Lanka and have time to kill then it's interesting to watch the protests for a while.

Chaos and Delays to Travel in Sri Lanka

The large crowds of marchers who arrive in the bus loads result is organized chaos on the streets of Sri Lanka. Good luck to all those with a planned Sri Lanka  tour that passes through any of the cities, or any one expecting to travel smoothly around the country by bus or train, the chances are that just ain't going to happen. As city streets are likely to look like this-

(photo credit to the great www.news.cn)

Beach Madness

Yes May Day is a time of Madness in Sri Lanka in many ways, those who aren't on the streets protesting will be heading off towards the beach, where the parties will begin. Dancing, singing and drinking Arrack or extra strong beer is a definite favourite for many people on May day. The atmosphere on the beaches can be really good to start with and it's a great way for tourists to check out the real Sri Lankan way of life but be WARNED, you will get harassed, you will get asked for money, to buy gifts you don't want or give them sex or asked to buy drugs etc etc and as the evening approaches and the Arrack kicks in, fights are likely.

About Sri Lanka
For those of you wondering about Sri Lanka, it is a beautiful tear shaped island that sits of the southern tip of India, it's hot and tropical weather means the sun shines 365 days a year. For years the former British colony was isolated from the rest of the world because of the bloody civil war between the Tamil tigers and the native Singhalese, but now all that has changed and Sri Lanka has opened it's doors to tourists.  It has some great things to offer, beautiful countryside, great wildlife such as elephants and leopards,  ancient ruins, sandy beaches and warm seas.

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What the heck are Poyah Days?

Poyah Days in Sri Lanka

Many people planning a tour of Sri Lanka have seen the phrase Poyah day and often ask me what  Poyah days are and will they affect their backpacking or holiday plans. The truth is Poyah days are national holidays so some disruption to your travel plans may occur.

Sri Lanka is mostly a Buddhist country and so many of it's holidays are linked to religious Buddhist celebrations such as Poyah day. Poyah day also known as full moon day is linked to the moon cycle. There is a full moon every month so every month there is a Poyah day which is a national holiday.

Buses, Trains, taxis and Tuk-tuk

There are fewer buses and trains and fewer taxis and tuk-tuks available, so be prepared for delays or get ready to make new travel arrangements if backpacking. If your tuk-tuk driver turns up at all be prepared to find him drunk.

Visiting the Beach on Poyah Day

On Poyah days everyone heads to the beach and you will quite often see Sri Lankans all jammed into the back of a lorry, singing, dancing and eating as they head off to the beach. The privately owned blue and white buses get hired for the day and get packed with party goers. With music pumping out full blast the bus is magically transformed into a disco bus and as it races towards the beach at full speed, horn blaring you can see the locals inside dancing and singing their hearts out.

Places like Negombo beach park become a Mecca for locals on Poyah day, traffic comes to a stand still around the beach side and the beach park area is absolutely packed full of locals partying. Expect to find parties of guys singing and dancing and getting high on extra strong beer and the local arrack. This is fine to start with by the tend to end up fighting as the night falls. If you decide to brave the local party zones be prepared for constant harassment, as every few seconds a local will be asking you, "Where you from?" "What hotel" and the kids will say "Give me money". It's best to ignore all of them and just keep walking.

Eating out on Poyah Day in Sri Lanka

Many restaurants/bars will close on Poyah day and those that stay open cannot sell alcohol and should not sell meat dishes, fish and vegetables are allowed.  Most restaurants will observe the no alcohol rule but many do still sell meat dishes. Wine stores/supermarkets are also prevented from selling alcohol and shops are not allowed to sell fresh meat produce, although they can sell prepared hamburgers etc.

More about Backpacking and travel to Sri Lanka

If you would learn more about Sri Lanka please check out my 5* rated guide book to Sri Lanka HERE

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April New Year in Sri Lanka

New Year in Sri Lanka

For those of you who don't know Sri Lanka  celebrates it's New Year in April. From the 12th of April the country goes on a go slow as the New Year festivities kick in. Sri Lanka has a large Buddhist community and so follows the Buddhist New Year on the 13th April, known as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The President sends out a very nice message to all mobile phones and the country goes into party mode.

Sri Lankans love to party especially at New year, the men in particular love to sing and dance and of course drink bottles and bottles of Arrack or the terrible but potent and illegal kassipu (moonshine), a very nasty drink that is sure to help you go blind, you can read more about this HERE in Backpacking Sri Lanka.

Transport cannot be relied on 100% during the party season so double check all arrangements during festive times. Most holidays in Sri Lanka result in a ban on alcohol sales which can be a big pain if your looking for that nice cool beer or a nice cold cocktail to cool you down. Fortunately party season ends very shortly!
This New Year brings with it the Monsoon rains and although very welcome it is likely to mean that travel especially tours in tuk-tuks might not go as planned!

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Find Out What Gem is For April Birthdays

Gemstones For April Birthdays

Diamonds for beautiful April People
People born in April get Diamonds as their birthstones. Diamonds are loved world wide and always in big demand because of their clarity and purity that gives off that wonderful sparkle. Sri Lanka is a gem mining island famous for rubies and sapphires but not diamonds as they are not mined in Sri Lanka.
The small tropical island of Sri Lanka sits off the southern tip of Indian a warm blue sea that kisses it's golden shores and although you can find a rich supply of precious and semi precious gems, Diamonds are not on the top of the list so be warned if anyone offers you a white diamond mined in Sri Lanka it's a scam!

Healing Powers of Diamonds

The amazing sparkle that Diamonds have comes from their purity and clarity, this is said to give them great healing powers allowing them to purify and detox the body. Diamonds are strong and unbreakable and so they are known for helping you to build up your bodies strength and stamina and to rebalance the metabolism. The purity of diamonds has lead them to be used in treating allergies and chronic conditions and to help clear glaucoma and to bring greater clarity to sight. Their healing powers are considered so great that they have removed dizziness and vertigo and improved the clarity and functioning of the brain.

Diamonds used to Predict Guilt
Believe it or not Diamonds were once used in trials to decide a persons guilt or innocence. Jewish high priests believed that if a person was innocent the diamond would sparkle when held in front of their face, but if guilty it would be dull and dark.

Famous Diamonds

One of the most famous diamonds in the world is the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, it is found in the crown of England and was a staggering 186 carats. However, it was not a very shiny diamond so Prince Albert had it cut down to just 105 carats trying to improve the shine. Result - smaller diamond still not shiny!

The most famous gem mined in Sri Lanka is the Blue Sapphire, the Sri Lankan sapphire was made extremely popular by Princess Diana who had a massive blue sapphire from Sri lanka in her engagement ring. The gems are mostly mined in Ratnapura which is an unremarkable town in the middle of Sri Lanka.

Traveller Tip 

If you want to buy Gems on your tour of Sri Lanka but are worried about getting ripped off, buy at departure, gems here are a reasonable price. For more useful tips buy my book and save yourself money!

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