I was in Kandy Sri Lanka and I was chatting to the girl at the reservation desk at the Queens hotel. We stayed there often, and she had even invited me to her wedding. Anyway, I was asking her where she had her nose pierced and she gave me directions to this little jewelery shop up the street and around the corner. Or so I thought....

I wandered around town for a while, looking, but not finding the shop my friend had directed me to. So I walk in to a few other shops randomly to see if they'd pierce my nose.

GET BEST RATES FOR KANDY HOTELS

The first few said "Oh no madam, we could not do such a thing to such a beautiful face!!" Ha! I'm sure. I found a place that would pierce my nose, and for just 150rs! I thought that it was a steal, considering it would cost me about 30$ back at home in the US, or about 20$ down at the beach. So I picked out a plain silver stud. And after much debate they let me buy the plain stud rather then the gaudy gold hoop with jewels......

The owner then sent for another staff, and he proceeded to take me out of the shop, down the street, into a dark alley....I was a bit wary at this point, and when I stopped the youth to ask him where we were going, he says to me "No problem Madam, no problem". So we keep going down this alley, which is getting smaller and dirtier by the footstep...to a stairwell....Very dark, and rickety....He leads me up, (against my better judgement I must say) about 5 flights, to a room about 10 by 10. I see about 6 smallish fires and about 8 stooped backed older men pounding gold. I was taken aback, but the youth told me that the man who would pierce my nose worked here....

So they take my stud, file down the end to a very sharp point.....sterilize it over the open flames for a bit, and then just shoved it into my nose! Not quite what I was expecting, but it got the job done!

Kristina wins a prize from the Traveloscopy 'Treasure Chest' for this fun story. Why not submit your own?