We loved it, Bob!

I did too!

I do know that, thanks... as have many others

Hello there welltraveledbrit! Enjoying your report and now I will explore your blog.

For those who have been to southern India, how does Sri Lanka compare?

As the late lamented dogster said, "India lite". It's quieter, it's cleaner, the traffic is better behaved. Equally, it's less exciting and diverse, it's less intense, the temples are Buddhist instead of Hindu and in the case of the stupas, quite plain. I didn't find the food that good, but that could have been the places I stayed (click on my name for my TR.) I enjoyed my visit, but it didn't make my go-back-to list.

I preferred Sri Lanka to Southern India. The slower pace was more to my liking as was the food. Fewer crowds and less intense; more positives from my point of view.