Barring an obligatory eight pages on Colombo, Sri Lanka&rsquos Other Half, as its name suggests, ignores the touristy south and west entirely. The writing is warm and personal, constantly fed by anecdotes and dialogues. And the information is as thorough and as insider-y as it can get in places where tourism is still finding its feet. But beware, things are changing so rapidly that some of the details, such as guidelines for permits and air transport options, might be dated by the time you get there.
