My friend was puzzled to learn that I had been in Sri Lanka for nearly a month.
He asked, “Is a bankrupt country really that fun?”
Indeed, Sri Lanka is a bankrupt country, but this word is far from enough to define it.
After staying in Sri Lanka for a while, I found that this is perhaps one of the least easy places in the world to “pit” tourists.
When we travel, what we are most afraid of is being pitted. This may be encountered at home and abroad.
Because tourists often don’t know enough about local prices compared with locals.
Some unscrupulous vendors may hold the mentality of “making one order is one order” and don’t care about repeat customers.
To avoid being pitted, it is important to make a good strategy in advance, but there is a more objective factor:
What is the ethos of your chosen travel destination itself? Are the locals simple?
Traveling is going to a place we are unfamiliar with, which also means that it is difficult for you to fully grasp all the information, no matter how many strategies you do.
Sri Lanka gave me an unexpected experience in this regard-I didn’t expect this at all before setting off.
What attracted me at first was the legendary seaside train. It is said that the railway tracks are very close to the sea, and sitting on the train is like driving against the sea.
The actual experience is indeed the same. But what struck me even more was the overall atmosphere of public transport in Sri Lanka, which was much better than many other places.
Trains in Sri Lanka are divided into classes: First Class, Second Class and Third Class.
Except for some special trains and first-class seats, it’s best to book in advance. I can basically buy tickets at the scene for every third-class seat I take.
These tickets with different routes and prices can be bought by domestic people, as can foreign tourists.
In some tourist countries, such as Egypt, tourists can only take the “tourist train” whose price is times higher than that of local people.
But in Sri Lanka, you don’t have to worry about this problem at all-even the goods in street shops are clearly marked and don’t fool people, whether you are a tourist or a local.
When traveling in Sri Lanka, you don’t have to be on tenterhooks all the time. I’ve basically never been pitted when I came down this trip. Of course, it is inevitable to encounter some unfriendly people, but that is only a few.
When visiting supermarkets in Sri Lanka, there is basically no need to compare prices specially. I have a habit in China. I will go to different supermarkets to see the prices, and finally I will know which one is more cost-effective.
But in Sri Lanka, supermarket prices are transparent-because the prices of goods are not labeled separately, but printed directly on the packaging bags.
When I went to the supermarket for the first time, I didn’t understand it. I thought the prices here were opaque, but I didn’t see the price tag.
In fact, the prices are all on the product packaging, and each brand has its own pricing.
If the supermarket does activities, you will find that the actual selling price is cheaper than the price printed on the package.
Generally speaking, I don’t dare to buy fruit at roadside stalls. But in Sri Lanka, even the fruit stalls outside the bus station are clearly priced.
Of course, I don’t have a scale, so I don’t know if I weigh enough. But judging from the final weight and price, it is still very cheap, and it should not be cheated.
Besides, the price is written on the sign, and everyone can see it. If the price is not affordable, who can a hawker’s cart load of fruit be sold to?
The trip to Sri Lanka once made me feel very worry-free. In addition to transparent prices, local adults and children are mostly friendly.
Greeting people with a smile every day has become the norm. The scenery of Ceylon is beautiful, and the cultural atmosphere here may also be a bright color in the journey.
