To Sri Lanka
On February 9, we returned from Sri Lanka, traveled together with my husband.
The trip left such indelible impressions that in March 2012 we fly there again. The country is very interesting for its religion, nature, and especially people. We flew by Emirates with a connection to Dubai. The flight is very comfortable, connections are convenient. At the airport we were met by a guide and a driver with a car. The guide's name is Channa, he speaks excellent Russian (it was important for us, because we don't speak English very well). I would like to note the excellent knowledge of the guide of the history of the country, its attractions. And in general, we received a detailed answer to almost any of our questions. The driver, Jaya Sinha, surprised me with his ability to maneuver in this stream of tuk-tuks, bicycles, motorcycles, buses and cars of all sizes. Upon arrival, we went to the Palm Bay Club Hotel. I liked the hotel for its large territory with lots of greenery and a wonderful pool.
True, the ocean near the hotel is unclear. But a varied European cuisine and a large selection of fruits. Unfortunately, by a terrible accident, all the photos for 4 days were erased, so there are no photos from excursions and from hotels on the excursion program. The next morning we went to Kandy. We visited the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Temple of the Tooth Relic. It rained all day, which did not prevent us from enjoying the amazing views in the botanical garden, which is especially impressive when you realize the contrast between the fact that we have winter now, frost and snowdrifts, and here everything is blooming and fragrant, birds sing in all voices and you inhale the intoxicating smell of warm earth, thick emerald grass and flowers blooming with all colors ...I will not describe the Temple of the Tooth Relic, much has been said about it, but, in my opinion, it is worth a look. In the evening we visited the national dance show: interesting, very well conveys the color of the country, characterizes its originality.
On the way between excursions, we stopped at a factory where elephants, masks, Buddha figurines, etc. are made of wood. etc. Bought souvenirs there as gifts. Prices are reasonable, especially after bargaining. In general, in Sri Lanka, bargaining is almost a self-evident ritual everywhere, except for state-owned stores. At the end of the second day we arrived at the hotel "Amaya Hills". The hotel is very pleasant, good food, and the morning views from the terrace - as if you are in a fairy tale ...Almost tame monkeys run and frolic on the balconies, birds sing, and the mountain peaks are hiding in the clouds ...By the way, no one tips us extorted neither in this nor in other hotels, when they wanted, they gave it themselves. The same applies to the guide and driver accompanying us. Even before the trip, we agreed that we would not visit different factories, because we were not planning to buy drag. stones, batik, spices, etc. , and this was strictly observed: they didn’t even offer us to go anywhere we didn’t plan to.
On the third day after breakfast we went to Nuwara Eliya. The weather was not good again. A small digression. We were not lucky at all with the weather. Everywhere they read that January-February in Sri Lanka is the season, the weather should be clear and dry. So, out of the 15 days that we were there, it was partly cloudy for 3-4 days, the rest of the time it was cloudy and it rained from time to time, and for 2 days it rained from morning to evening. The ocean is also not to say that it was absolutely calm. Another question is that all this did not prevent us from sunbathing and not getting out of the ocean, since it lights up wonderfully through the clouds, and the water, despite the excitement, was still crystal clear and transparent. But still, purely visually, we lacked the sun ...
I will continue.
At the Macwoods tea factory in Nuwara Eliya, we looked at the process of making tea, learned that tea, in addition to all other varieties, can even be white (by the way, one of the most expensive varieties of tea), looked at the stunning views of tea plantations. In this picturesque place, we were treated to the freshest and most delicious tea. But the choice of tea at the McWoods factory is very meager, so we bought at the Mlesna factory, and we bought not only teas of various varieties, but also a wonderful tea set and a cool teapot, not to mention mugs in gifts and gift packages of tea, of which there is a great variety ...In short, after Mlesna we were no longer traveling light. Along the way, we saw several beautiful waterfalls, and the views are such that sometimes it takes your breath away! And ahead of us was a night climb to Adam's Peak. But here comes the overlay. In the evening we were supposed to arrive at the Ratnaloka Hotel in order to climb the Peak at night.
In Sri Lanka, January 27 was the last day of campaigning before the elections, and it just so happened that a rally of supporters of one of the political parties took place right on the narrow mountain road along which we had to go. In general, the traffic was almost paralyzed already on the outskirts of this place, at first we tried to make our way through the crowd of honking and flashing cars, tuk-tuks and policemen trying in vain to resolve the situation, and then, realizing that we were stuck here for a long time, our guide and the driver decided to go around this place, and, as it turned out, we didn’t have time to get to the hotel ...That's where the adrenaline was! We drove along the already old road, but we were not the only ones who decided to go around! An unforgettable sight when oncoming cars sneak up to each other by a centimeter, with an abyss on one side and a rock on the other. And all this on a serpentine with sharp turns every 50-100 meters!!!
The result was that we did not have time to get to the hotel provided for in the program and stopped at some kind of guest house, but practically at the foot of Adam's peak. When we drove up, it was already dark, and now we saw in the distance, against the background of the black sky, a path of lights, rushing straight into the sky and breaking off somewhere in the sky ...And we had to climb it! Since we arrived late, we only had time to have dinner, sleep for an hour and collect a backpack with warm clothes and a thermos of coffee. We left at 2.30 am, from the foot to the top 7 km. steps. In general, there are two ways to the Peak: in addition to the one along which we climbed, even from Kandy, there is a little more to go to the Peak along the plain. At the foot of the mountain, we saw several Buddha statues in different positions, a large beautiful dagoba and even a cave temple, in general, everything around is interesting.
Climbing is not easy, despite the fact that my husband and I are fond of sports, for me there was a moment after about a third of the way, when it suddenly became very difficult, I had to take a break. Then everything went better: we got to work, found our pace, stopped from time to time to rest and drink coffee, and after 2 hours, even unexpectedly for ourselves, we were at the very top. This climb is the most fantastic experience of our whole trip! When we were nearing the end, the peak was in the clouds and you can even see how we are walking in the cloud, and it is rushing past us, it feels like you are being sprayed with a spray bottle - the touch of the clouds is so felt! And the energy at this peak is such that when you hold on to the railing, it is as if an electric current passes from the metal of the railing through the hands ...And around ...FANTASTIC!!!
super: There is a strong wind upstairs, we changed into dry clothes, drank the rest of the hot coffee, found a place behind the wind and hugged, in a state of crazy euphoria and harmony, waiting for the sunrise...Yes, we were unlucky: just before dawn everything was covered with clouds and We did not see the sunrise as such, it just became light. Everything around was like in milk, nothing is visible. But we stubbornly waited for something. And so, when the monks began to offer their prayers to the Buddha and the Sun, when they brought their offerings for them ...as if by magic, an unknown force blew the clouds upwards, such a stunning view opened up before us ...Words cannot describe it, you must see it . . We descended quite quickly and cheerfully, inspired by the energy and magnificence of this beautiful place, which Buddha visited 2500 years ago and since then it has been sacred, and, as we were told, for adherents of all religions without exception.
After the descent, we had breakfast and rushed to the coast, to the ocean. Our first beach holiday hotel was Kogalla Beach. We spent 6 days there. Liked the hotel. Very friendly service staff, without any tip, they quickly respond to any of your requests (of course, we couldn’t resist before leaving, thanked us - people live quite poorly, it’s not difficult for us, but they may be real help), the food is quite varied, there is always a choice of European dishes, a lot of green vegetables, fruits. Sri Lankan pineapples were especially impressive - so sweet, it's something! In the evenings, various musical groups always perform in the restaurant.
The hotel agreed with one of the guys performing the functions of lifeguards to accompany us to the coral reef, located 200 - 250 meters from the shore, we took masks and flippers with us.
Despite the excitement and cloudy weather, we decided to see the underwater world and did not regret it. There were few living corals in that place, but the fauna did not disappoint us. We saw a lot of fish and different ones: both large and small, and whole shoals, and individually, and very bright, and one-colored ...I can imagine what beauty we would see if the sun shone ...
From Kogalla we went by tuk-tuk to Galle Fort (12 km): the tuk-tuk driver kindly gave us the opportunity to feel like real tuk-tukers and sit behind the wheel.
The fort, built by the Dutch during the colonization of Sri Lanka, is a majestic and beautiful place. When you stand on the fortress wall, an amazing view of the ocean expanse opens up...
On February 3, it was time to move to Dikwella, where we had to spend another 5 days. On the way from Kogalla to Dikwella, we saw the fort in Matara, which, of course, is much smaller than the Galle fort, but also beautiful.
And in the same place, in Matara, there is an ancient Buddhist temple. On the territory of the temple, local residents treat those who come with various fruits. The temple, like most of its kind, is majestic and beautiful.
After Matara we stopped at the lighthouse located in Dondra. The lighthouse is old, but now completely restored and modernized, so that at present it is 100% fulfilling its function. Entrance to the lighthouse is paid. We paid 300 rupees per person. But it was worth it, the view from the lighthouse is such that it seems noticeable that the earth is round...There is such beauty everywhere that it is impossible to tear yourself away from the camera...
In the middle of the day we arrived at the Dikwella hotel. Upon arrival, we went to see both lagoons and beaches. In the left lagoon, the fishermen were sorting out their catch. That day, the fishermen caught a hefty marlin, almost like Hemingway. We liked the hotel for its service and sincerity. In both lagoons we swam with fins and masks.
There are a lot of fish in the right, they walk in whole schools, you can wedge into the school, they will part, and as soon as you swim away, they will immediately close again, but the fish are smaller there. In the left lagoon, we did not meet schools of fish, but large, bright and beautiful individuals swim there. We saw small gray reef sharks and moray eels, large coral fish. And in the right lagoon they saw a fish-ball, which, when touched, swelled up to the size of a soccer ball, so that the eyes stretched over the muzzle! My husband and I even laughed out loud at her underwater!
The kitchen in the hotel is European, with an emphasis on Italian, because the owner of the hotel is Italian. In our opinion, there were few greens and vegetables at breakfast; in general, it seemed to us that the choice of dishes at breakfast was rather poor. But dinners are beyond praise: a wide variety of salads, side dishes, meat dishes and seafood dishes.
We took the HB type of food, and for lunch we often took pizza, which in a matter of minutes was cooked right in front of us in a real oven ...Even now it's nice to remember these pizzas ...
In the evenings, you can endlessly admire the bottomless sky. You will not see such a starry sky as at the equator in Russia. There you understand the meaning of the expression "myriad of stars" - you see the Milky Way, the inverted "Big Dipper" and thousands, thousands of stars in the black sky, where we have never seen the moon ...
Four kilometers from the hotel is a "young" Buddhist temple by Sri Lankan standards. It is interesting in that the life story of Gautam Buddha is depicted in sculptural compositions, and, in addition, there we saw the "corridor of sins" for the only time during the whole trip, an impressive structure...
I was lucky to celebrate my birthday this year in Sri Lanka, in Dikwella.
They brought me a basket of fruit, and for dinner they gave me a wonderful cake, on which there was a personal congratulation! Local artists sang us a romantic song about love and, together with the hotel staff, once again congratulated us on the holiday. I have never had a birthday like this!
In general, our vacation was a success. But in our opinion, the ocean coast in Kogalla is even more beautiful than in Dikwella, where small streams bring garbage from the village, which is then washed ashore by the ocean. True, this is not on the hotel's beach, but further, in the lagoon. In Kogalle, the ocean expanse, wide and absolutely clean coast is amazing! In general, both hotels are good in their own way, we would go again to both. Yes, by the way, no beach fleas and mosquitoes bothered us, the fumigators in the rooms were turned on, but only for order, we did not notice any insects. Now the time has come to leave. In the morning we left for Colombo. Along the way, we met the elephant Monika.
We sadly said goodbye to this immense, strong, but so gentle ocean...
We look forward to the upcoming trip, this time for a longer period and to new places for us.
