Aside from the few noticeable changes I mentioned in my previous post (general upkeep, level of perceived safety) have a few observations about the how things of changed in Colombo, I'd assume the rest of Sri Lanka might have similar changes:
Electricity, in 2009 there would be frequent brown outs and black outs (in addition to those created in response to air raids), power levels would also fluctuate so having a UPS was almost necessary to ensure safety of electronics, or as my aunt and uncle would do, basically unplug anything while it wasn't in use. I've only been aware of one brown out since I've been here, which is quite remarkable since last time the power was out the day I arrived.
Food, prices are 2 to 4 times what I remember for basic staples (vegetables, bread, rice), there is a greater number of grocery stores (Cargills, Keels, Laughfs) so travelling to local 'kade' (shop) is transitioning a bit. Cleanliness has improved for most restaurants with routine inspections carried out, though oddly food doesn't taste as good as I remember... I wonder if there is a connection.
Beggars, they used to be much more varied and prolific, in daily routine would encounter the unluckiest people on Earth, half their family was dead, the other half would be deathly ill, with a few pregnancies thrown into the tale. There would be families, young mothers, old mothers, grandmothers, the infirm, disabled, and as detailed the healthy but unlucky, begging for change on buses and busy streets.
This time around there are a few, but I encountered more people asking for change within 1 hour of arriving at a hotel in downtown Edmonton than the first two weeks in Sri Lanka.
Tools, there is quite a larger number of power tools being used in renovation and construction work, labour costs have gone up but access to quality tools appears to have improved consistency in a variety of industries. Contractors can still be crooks though.
Animals, there does seem to be some population control for street dogs and cats. They don't seem as common as before, also haven't seen any goats, cows, or elephants wandering the streets.
Driving, it is still horrendous... truly it takes a resolve of questionable sanity to attempt driving in the main city streets. Though there are noticeable differences, the state of vehicles on the road is generally a bit better, there is the odd black chimney on wheels but also a fair number of hybrids (oddly haven't seen any smart cars on the road). People seem to be slowly learning that sidewalks are for people and not motorcycles - for the most part. Liberal use of horns to navigate traffic seem to have more purpose than just 'get out of the way', there are hand signals as well as use of turn signals, quite astounding.
Also noted more women drivers and motorcyclists, had seen the odd female driver back then but it would be an uncommon occurrence.
Pedestrians, sidewalks are actually in a reasonable state of repair, and stores no longer extend their storefronts to occupy the entire walkway. Crossing streets is still an exercise of faith in a higher power but back in 2009 crosswalks were at best considered 'suggestions' by vehicles and pedestrians alike. Now most people will try to use a marked crosswalk, and probably 1 in 50 cars will make a show of slowing down (about 1 in 100 will actually stop).
News and politics, ... actually not much has changed here. The propaganda machines pump out nonsense on a regular basis. Anecdotal evidence is reported as fact, and the 'Who' and 'Where' seems more important than the 'What', 'Why', and 'When'.
So overall, Sri Lanka seems headed down the road of progress, hopefully it doesn't get run into a ditch by the new driver.
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