We Used Google Maps for 3 Weeks in Sri Lanka. Here's What We Learned.
Before landing in Bandaranaike International Airport, I saved the locations of all of our hotels, safari pickups, tourist locations, and more in Google Maps.
Here is our map.
Using the Google Maps app on my cell phone, it was simple enough to get our location and then click DIRECTIONS. Google then plotted several routes and away we drove in our rental car around this beautiful island.
What Went Well
Google Maps got us to our location every time with a few minor miscues. I was pleasantly pleased with its accuracy as it was door to door most of the time.
Google Maps ability to highlight poor traffic conditions was accurate as well. In several cases, it readjusted and mapped a detour around construction or traffic jams. This was nice as it often took us through some residential areas which were interesting to see.
And, if I missed a turn it would recalculate a new route quite quickly.
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Hill Country in Sri Lanka[/caption]Entertaining
Sri Lanka has some of the toughest pronunciations you could ever find on the planet.
It was entertaining to hear Google Maps pronounce cities such as Bogawantalawa, Polonnaruwa, and Udawalawa.
It actually did quite well overall.
Issues
In one case, Google Maps took us 500m past one of our hotels. It was simple enough to find the hotel as it was nearby and on the same road but still a minor glitch (fixable).
There were times when our location didn't update quickly but that is more likely due to connectivity issues.
At times, Google Maps directed us to take a right turn off the highway trying to make a short cut to another main road. However, the shortcut led us down a dirt road filled with potholes and mud. It would have been faster to continue on the main highway even though the distance was further.
For some reason, the voice directing us switched accents. Not a big deal but it got me thinking how cool it would be to have Chewbacca or Samuel L. Jackson's voice directing us (not sure how well the Wookie language would work out).
The Big Question
The big question is: did Google Maps get us there the quickest way?
Possibly.
Maybe.
Sri Lanka's highway system is far improved from when we lived there in 2003-2006. It's still a maze of roads that range from toll highways to paved roads to potholed dirt roads (like all countries).
That makes it hard to determine if the route Google Maps recommended truly was the shortest route.
Our Sri Lankan friends said that Maps did not always plot the quickest route in their experience though.
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Sri Lanka[/caption]Would I Use Google Maps Again?
Absolutely.
It is much easier than pouring over "paper" maps. The features that Maps offers made it a very useful tool for travelling.
Plus it keeps a nice little memento of our trip.
I'm looking forward to our next trip where we can use Google Maps all the time.
Tools
- Google Maps App
- Galaxy On7 Prime phone
- Car cigarette lighter USB charger
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