 Besides the traditional tea, gems, and spices, tourists can buy some of the most attractively-priced garments and crisp linen in Sri Lanka. It’s one of those warm, sultry Sri Lankan days: a brilliant, blue sky overhead, and the tropical sun kissing your skin. The sound of traffic mingles with the cries of vendors in their gaily-decked stalls, trying to entice you with their wares. Across the road, the modern façade of a shopping complex lounges against the sky. That’s the first thing you’ll notice about Sri Lanka: the contrast. You can enjoy the noise and the bustle of a colourful street bazaar; or step into the elegant, refined atmosphere of a fashionable boutique, in one of Sri Lanka’s newest shopping malls, where everything you could possibly want is there to be purchased – whether it’s local handicrafts, pure-silk scarves, designer perfumes, or a Prada handbag. The range is seemingly endless. Well come to a veritable shopper’s paradise!
While Sri Lanka will give travelers many memories to take back with them, there are also lots of tangible souvenirs to carry home, too. Leave alone the traditional tea, gems, and spices, modern Sri Lanka has even more variety to offer, such as clothes. Garments are one of the country’s biggest exports. So, whether you tastes are for crisp, cool cottons, flimsy voiles, or slinky silk, you’ll find shopping for clothes a delightful experience. Make your way to Odel Unlimited, Cotton Collection, or Arena – they have an extensive rang of casual, summer clothes for day-time wear, and chic sophisticated shirts and dressers for the evening. You can even get winter clothing here, at a price you’d never get back home! House of Fashions is another store you may like to visit. So, it you see something you really like, grab it before someone else does!
Sri Lanka has several shopping malls, the most popular being Majestic City, Liberty Plaza, Crescat Boulevard, Odel Unlimited and the JAIC Hilton. The five-star hotels in Colombo, such as the Colombo Hilton, the Trans Asia, the Lanka Oberoi, and the Taj Samudra all have shopping arcades. Here, prices will be higher than in most other shops, but the quality of products is excellent. Shopping malls are convenient, because you can purchase a wide range of products under one roof, and there’s always some interesting promotion taking place.
Sri Lankan handicrafts are intricately fashioned, and the are of making them is often passed down from one generation to another. Brass and silver are crafted with exquisite designs, and can be purchased at shops such as Lanka Hands, Lakmedura, Lakpahana, and Laksala.
If your tastes are for more contemporary styles in accessories and décor, pay a visit to Odel Home. It has lots of things to brighten your home, and the colours are tropical, bold, and as vibrant as Matisse painting. You’ll find something for every room in your house, here. If bold, bright colours attract you, step into Barefoot. They have hand-woven fabrics, and attractive sarongs in unusual colour-combination.
The Sri Lankan Gem and Jewellery Exchange has jewellery set with precious and semi-precious stones. Sri Lanka is renowned for its sapphires and rubies, but there are other stones like the cat’s-eye, and the ethereal moonstone, which are equally beautiful. Silver jewellery is very much in vogue, and you may like to see the collection of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings at Ridhi. Sri Lanka has a large number of shops selling gold jewellery in 22-carat, or 1-carat gold. Shops such as Vogue Jewellerys, Hemachandra’s, Earl’s Court, Zam Gems, and Sifanis sell exquisitely-crafted jewellery, in intricate designs.
The and spices are traditional flavourites which many visitors like to take back with them. A good cup of tea is said to revive both body and spirit. If you are adventurous, you will like to try the fruit-flavoured teas, rather than the conventional blends. Mlesna is a name synonymous with teas, and they have shops in all the shopping malls. Here, you will find a range of teas beautifully-packed in ceramics, wooden, or leather containers in a variety of shapes. They are perfect to take back home as gifts. The Shoppe, at Crescat Boulevard, also has a fine range of teas. If you’ve acquired a taster for spices, you can buy them in attractive packs form most supermarkets, and shops such as Lakmedura. Shopping in Sri Lanka is an advantage. Even when you are at the tail-end of your stay, and at the airport waiting for your flight, you may still like to browse in the duty-free shops. The prices are very competitive, and even at the last moment, your still can take a bouquet of orchids back home – to remind you of your sojourn in an exotic and enchanting island.
Fresh fruits – banana, mango, papaya, pineapple, guava, orange, etc., - are available in Sri Lanka throughout the year. Fruits such as passion fruit, avocado, pears, mangosteens, durians, and rambuttans are available during the seasons – July to October.
The lure of spices led the Europeans to discover Sri Lanka ages ago. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and pepper have earned a lasting popularity.
Finally, herbs and trees known as “aralu”, “bulu”, “nelli”, etc., significant to the ayurvedic pharmacopeia, are found all over the country.
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