Only one statement we like to comment upon is, quote:
“Lonely Planet had never been there due to the area being closed in times of war. Naturally, we jumped at the chance.”
My response to this statement is:
The Looney Planet was good, when it started, no doubt.
Now there are a few more much better travel books around.
The Internet will see to it, that PROPER and up-to-date traveler’s own reports replace this outdated ‘Bible of the budget traveler’.
I am doing my level best assist that modern trend…..
For many years this publication “Lonely Planet” has been nothing but a successful commercial money making enterprise.

They make huge sums by the simple practice of mindless reprints, containing old and often nothing else but earlier entries.
Very little is added which could be seen as a useful addition compared to the previous edition of this very much overpriced little book.
Certainly no effort seem to be made by the visiting teams to discover new destinations.
Of late, all the brainwashed L.P. disciples simply jump around the Mirissa-Ella-Arugam Bay triangle for no other reason but L.P. says so…
Little in the way of proper research goes in these days.
Specially not, if this mini journalistic achievement is somewhat connected to a little more than a free drink, food, accommodation and even the odd bribe from any of their own ‘Pet’ establishments. Where they apparently can’t wait to return to in style and quickly enough.
As mentioned, I am a foreigner.
I am well integrated and I am fully Living in Eastern Sri Lanka.
Let me state here, now and again that I never, ever had any problem to travel to Okanda or indeed, anywhere around AbaY or on the entire East Coast, ever since 1977.
The statement that the road was “Closed” for many years is simply UNTRUE.
Specially for any visitor from abroad there never was a hint of a problem!
Because I have been going ‘up and down’ with my friends and even young daughter every months or so during our ‘troubled’ years with no hindrance.
I never hit it off with L.P.; never bought one of their books either, and we all here most certainly didn’t like their attitude.
But I (as well as a German conservationist called Wolfgang) still offered to take them, any day, to Kudumbigala and Kumana- but they declined.
They had other, more ‘pressing’ engagements no doubt; see above.
Instead they described my little girl Leila as ‘An annoying little monkey’.
To top the insult the Loonys told me, on their departure that “We are The Lonely Planet. We can MAKE or BREAK any business.”
There is the door, mate – P*** off was my perhaps understandable, and I feel very suitable reply.
Cheers
F***
Siam View Hotel
Arugam Bay
PS.: Sorry about the monkey when you drop to to see us…