Quote
dcba
Isn't it a bit weird to go to a country where a terrible fierce civil war raged until not long ago... Like going to Lebanon in the late 80's, or Cambodia in 1982.
Nice places but errrrrr... knowing a bit of History doesn't hurt.
Actually your analogies are way off the mark. Sri Lanka's civil war was nothing like what happened in Lebanon and Cambodia. I was in the Peace Corps in SL during the civil war and have continued to visit, during the hard times, up to the end of the war. The war was a very sad and destructive event in SL history. It was complex, and was strictly internal, in that foreigners were never purposely targeted, accept near the end of the war when the LTTE attacked the airport. The fact that SL was in a civil war did not mitigate the fact that the country is a beautiful place steeped in poverty. And that traveling there gave the innocent folks a means of survival. Also tourism educates and expands understanding of the world. For sure there are a lot of political issues in Sri Lanka that the world should know more about. Again, traveling to SL, while it may seem strange, should be encouraged to help the locals and to learn more.
Now in reference to the other comment about SL and men holding hands, yes that is true, as it is in many parts of the world, where affection towards others does not need to have a sexual definition. It is close affection for friends, and how beautiful it is to see...and again the West can learn a lot from this.