Nice beach holiday in winter time
In principle, I was going to Sharm, but they offered this trip. I must say right away that the tour operator "Metropol Travel Group" did not voice everything to the end. Firstly, if the flight there was in principle pleasant, even despite the Air Arabia flight, an overnight stay in Sharjah and daylight hours there is quite acceptable in order to form a minimal idea of the Emirates. But the flight back - very, very strained - departure at 4 am local, transfer at 23.00 from the hotel, transfer in the neutral zone of Sharjah airport for about 5 hours. And again, Air Arabia, after European airlines, is rather uncomfortable. As for Sri Lanka itself, a purely beach holiday is not bad, but I practically could not take normal excursions - firstly, there are few Russian-speaking tourists, and secondly, even ordering an individual excursion with a Russian-speaking guide is a problem. I booked an individual trip to Kandy, since there were no Russian-speaking groups, it cost me $ 135, but the guide who was sent could not connect even two words in Russian. Almost all the time he talked with the driver, at best he could say look, let's go, etc. . With the same success, I could just hire a taxi, I think it would be cheaper. For example, for German tourists, a two-day trip to Kandy with an overnight stay at a hotel, with breakfast and dinner, cost $ 125. As Victoria Ayvazyan, a representative of the Metropol Travel Group, later explained to me, there is a problem of Russian-speaking guides in Sri Lanka. Although when making a tour, she assured me that there would be no problems with excursions. In principle, I was satisfied with the trip, although I prefer trips when there is a desire to return. This did not happen here. There are many exotics - the most pleasant thing is the ocean, very warm, with a constant wave, an abundance of tropical fruits, the Sri Lankans themselves are pleasant, not as annoying as Arabs or Turks, but always friendly and polite. Normal service in hotels, well-organized transfers, calm environment, but no more. So next winter I will most likely go back to Cuba, although it is a little cooler there at this time. And most importantly, a very difficult flight back, if you count in time, I spent 16 hours on the road, with a net time in the air of 8 hours.