Smell the scent of spices in the air and experience the bustle of the street whilst you buy a stylish artwork. There are so many great things you can pick up from precious gems and jewellery through to fine handicrafts and great clothes. Take a peek at what is on offer when you go shopping in Sri Lanka.
Spices
The spice gardens of Sri Lanka are a massive tourist draw and you can visit the spice gardens on tours to see where and how spices are produced. You won’t find a bargain here though. Of course, it is nice to buy a memento of the gardens you visited but the spices here are often overpriced. If you want to buy excellent quality spices at a bargain price then look no further than the local supermarkets.
Clothes in Colombo
The capital city has clothes with price tags you won’t believe. You will find Odel’s at 5 Alexandra Place, Lipton Circus and this has great fashionable clothes at really amazing prices. Alternatively, the House of Fashions on Duplication Road is also a fine place to find clothes at good prices. Looking for even lower prices? Try the factory warehouse in Dickman’s Road, Colombo 5. If you are staying a little further out of the city then take a taxi or tuc tuc, for a small fee they will take you to the door and wait for you while you shop.
Handicrafts
There are handicrafts everywhere in Sri Lanka but there are a few restrictions on what and how you can buy things. Marine products are illegal and contribute to the destruction of the environment. It is also illegal to export antiques without a licence, this means anything over fifty years old, so it is wise to bear both these restrictions in mind when shopping. Look out for quality, as with a lot of tourist destinations the quality of the handicrafts can be spotty with mass production in recent years. However, there are still excellent quality handicrafts if you take the time to look for them. Colombo has some great boutique craft shops if you are looking for genuine craftsmanship and quality products.
Batiks
The process of producing batiks is time consuming and a work of art. The craftsman will put wax on the area of fabric that they do not wish to be dyed. Then they dye the fabric and remove the wax and fix the dye. This is repeated several times with the same cloth to produce some really fantastic cloth artworks. Good batiks can be found in Ambalangoda alongside the masks.
Masks
Found everywhere across the country, masks are traditionally used in the kolam dance and exorcism rituals to appease bad spirits. Production takes place in Ambalagoda, which is on the west coast, and here you can visit the workshops and watch the masks being made. You are most likely to find the best quality masks here.
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