Being polite

When greated with '; ayubowan'; (welcome),what should I answer? In India it was easy-namaste to everybody

thanks from Raiza

Being polite

Hi Raiza,

Generally the same. Ayubowan literally means %26#39;good day to you%26#39; and you can reply with the same. %26#39;Namaskar%26#39; is generally also okay though it%26#39;s Indian, not Lankan/Sinhala.

Sandya is asleep after 24 h travel so cannot doublecheck, but this has worked so far for me - both when acting as tourist or more as a fellow local (volunteer, family member etc.).

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Being polite

Hi Raiza

You can return the greeting with your own Ayubowan, with hands joined togther in front of the chest, and a slight bow.

Ayubowan although used as a greeting to you actually means ';May you live long';

Regards

Dave

Great,thanks . My guide-book says welcome-so obviously not quite correct.. going in 3 weeks,getting exited.I just looked at the weather-sunny, but it shows 8 degrees in the tea country-is that really true?

Hi there,

Well the guidebook is a rough translation and indicates its usage. Which is to welcome people. Dave%26#39;s translation is more literal and mine more %26#39;proverbial%26#39;.

Yes, absolutely right the book on the tea country. It goes upto above 2000 m altitude and then even the tropical sun doesn%26#39;t help much! Daytime upto 20%26#39; and nighttime 2-5%26#39; IF no clouds/fog. There are valleys however with quite some fog-risks, like N%26#39;Eliya, and under those circumstances daytime temp stops at 8%26#39; or so.

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Hi raiza,

The greeting, Ayurbowan , you%26#39;ll be met with it on a Sri Lankan airline plane and maybe a few other places but in everyday live it isn%26#39;t used very much.

On the street, you%26#39;re far more likely to be greeted with a huge smile and '; Hello ';.

If anything, the addition is usually '; Kohomada ? ';

So the greeting is Hello, Kohomada ?. Which means hello, how are you ?

Reply , assumimng that you%26#39;re feeling good, is

'; Hundai, sturtee ';.

Which means '; Well, thankyou ';.

You enquire after their well being the same way.

I havn%26#39;t bothered about the spelling but the words are there.

Rod.

Hi again Raiza

Yes, both Erik%26#39;s and my interpretations are correct, and Ayubowan can also be used in saying goodbye too.

You will always get nice friendly smile when using the greeting, Sri Lankan people appreciate foriegn visitors using this.

Regards

Dave

thanks to everybody,very kind.I am sure we will have a

great time in Sri Lanka.

regards from Tenerife ,rain pooring down and thunderstorms

happy new year

Raiza