‘Sri Lanka should be a model for the rest of the world’: Gemma Anderson on her Lankan vacation

07 May 2021

‘Sri Lanka should be a model for the rest of the world’: Gemma Anderson on her Lankan vacation

07 May 2021

Gemma Anderson, a British national, and her American husband, both in their early 30s, recently visited Sri Lanka for a vacation. Giving us some insight on how the two of them met, Anderson explained that they came across each other in Belize two years ago, while she was on a one-year secondment to Mexico, and were married five months later in his hometown Denver, Colorado. They both work professional corporate jobs, and Anderson goes as far as to describe herself as a bit of a workaholic. She is also studying a part-time MBA, so they don’t have a lot of “downtime” in their daily lives. One reason for them moving countries was for the opportunity to travel, which, she added, that they haven’t been able to do in their 18 months living in the heart of Asia. We caught up with the two of them for a chat on their experience of Sri Lanka. Here's what they had to say. When did you discover your passion for travel? Law school. I sat down in an induction lecture, grabbed the course guide, and went straight to the study abroad section. I told a classmate next to me that I would study in Maastricht University in year three. And I did. What was it like travelling to Sri Lanka during the pandemic? A stark contrast to working in the concrete jungle. Our mornings involve a 5 a.m. run along the beach to watch the sunrise, local cuisine for breakfast, and a compulsory 30 minutes sunbathing/reading by the pool. The pandemic restrictions are relaxed compared to what we were used to, which was so refreshing. The economic damage it’s caused the country (and many other tourism-dependant countries) is stark. We’ve found to disregard many of the online reviews of places, given that the many we consider are now closed unfortunately. We’ve been the only guests at many locations, and the beaches are quite deserted. Some may appreciate this “exclusivity”. For me, however, it shows the sad reality of the desperate situation many of the developing world will face during the years of tourism recovery. What was your quarantine experience like? It was like no quarantine at all – Sri Lanka should be a model for the rest of the world opening up, as it allows for full access to resort facilities and organised tours. You can even go between hotels for a change of scenery. The “safe and secure” hotel options are plentiful and take the Covid measures very seriously. How much of Sri Lanka were you able to see and did the pandemic affect your experience? We spent a total of two months, so we have seen a lot of the country. We did our “biobubble” in Galle, moved on to Unawatuna, Weligama, and Colombo for four-night visa; Dikwella, Yala, Ella, Adam’s Peak, Kandy, Sigiriya, Pinnawala, and Kalpitiya for my husband to finish the trip with kite surfing – his favourite sport! What would you describe as your most memorable moment in Sri Lanka? Being in Sri Lanka, watching the sunrise surrounded by nature, wildlife, and the ocean has given us the space and perspective to re-prioritise our life goals, and spark new areas of interest to study and generate business ideas. The three weeks we have to spend in hotel quarantine on arrival back home will be spent putting these into action (and reminiscing)! Are you planning on travelling in the future? As soon as the Hong Kong borders open up, we will start our Asia adventure that we planned to do upon relocating to Hong Kong as newlyweds in 2019. We still have to go for our honeymoon in South Africa that we postponed, so we want to get there eventually! What advice would you give someone looking to travel during the pandemic? If you’re in the fortunate position to even consider travelling, I’d strongly encourage you to do it. The pandemic has taught us that your health and financial position can change drastically with little warning, so don’t live as if you have a thousand opportunities! From a practical perspective, you’ll want to cross one international border, given the added complexities and individual requirements each country has in place. Sri Lanka is the perfect size of country to explore – unlike the Maldives which we visited in July 2020, that purely is a two-week destination. I’d advise not booking one hotel for more than a couple of nights. Our trusty 2019 travel websites now present a picture severely outdated, so when turning up, you should have low expectations. And last but definitely not least, be generous. “Furlough” schemes do not exist in the countries that need it most – many of the people you’ll come across live hand to mouth, so ditch the “haggling” techniques and give more.

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‘Sri Lanka should be a model for the rest of the world’: Gemma Anderson on her Lankan vacation

‘Sri Lanka should be a model for the rest of the world’: Gemma Anderson on her Lankan vacation

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