Tuk Tuk time

A bit of a delay with the update but we’ve found wifi in Lanka is pretty crappy.

So we decided to hire our own tuktuk and drive ourselves around Sri Lanka for three weeks.

Impulsive – heck yes, but it’s going to be hilarious, scary, possibly dangerous at times, but a whole lot of fun as well.

There’s about 1.5 million tuktuks in Sri Lanka and most are purchased by families to support them. At about $5000 each this is a big financial burden for most families. We booked our tuktuk through tuktukrentals.com in Sri Lanka. This company pays the owners above the normal rate they would normally get for the use of their tuktuk so they can make a decent income for their families. It’s costing us around $600 for 18 days not including fuel. The speed limit for tuktuks in Lanka is 40km/hr so it will be slow going but there lots to stop and see on the way.

First we had to do a driving lesson and we both passed with flying colours. I think Kannun, our instructor exaggerated our driving prowess a little.

Driving in Negombo traffic is quite the experience. Imagine three lanes of traffic using the space of two lanes and no one using indicators. Everyone’s beeping horns but just to be friendly and let you know they’re coming past or to let you know they’re there. No one seems flustered or angry. It’s just a huge stream of trucks, buses, tuktuks, and scooters with a few bicycles chucked in for good measure. Basically you just have to chill and go with the flow of the traffic, give way to anything bigger or faster, and just enjoy the process.