Traveling in Sri Lanka
My friend and I got to Sri Lanka by accident, I wanted to extend the summer, we were going to Morocco, but there were no suitable tours for the right dates. The choice fell on Sri Lanka, which I did not regret for a minute. The tour was farted in the Maldivian, which is in Kitay-Gorod. Moreover, we love to travel on our own. without any bindings. So this tour operator, one of the few did not force us to buy the whole package. And since we independently traveled around the island. the savings were great.
The flight through Qatar did not tire. I was struck in Doha by the fact that they threw things on the bench and went for a walk, so they came, and the things lay as they were. so they lie. Four hours to Qatar, four hours to Colombo. Here we are in the "hopra". The first impression is super wet. You get wet in seconds, I don’t advise obese people to go there, you suffer.
The hotel was first taken by 3 * Villa Ocean. so-so, the rooms are large, plumbing without frills, but for these places it's normal. On the way it was RAINING, it's something. All in all. dinner and sleep. I woke up from the noise, what is it, I wake up a friend, let's go look. Mom dear so it's the OCEAN! BATHE! The waves are creepy. You come in, and you come back, skinned your whole ass, laughed like a child. AWESOME. And then it dawned completely. The beach goes beyond the horizon. Not very clean after the storm. but what are we? Two days and on the road.
The route was in Moscow, I booked hotels there. The first point of Sigiriya. You can travel by bus or train. but we hired a local with a car (a decent nissan with air conditioning, $ 270 for 4 days of ruthless exploitation) We drove 6 hours to the place. speed no more than 40. Oh, the jungle, I have not seen this. In Sigiriya, we took the Sigiriya Village hotel. Wow! greeted with a glass of cocktail, worship from the servants to the manager! The room is a separate cottage with a luxurious bed. super designed! fragrant flowers were placed on the bed and in the bathroom every evening. The food is spicy, but you can order and they will do whatever you want. The mountain itself is 2 kilometers from the hotel, climbed in the morning. View of the jungle pipets, it's impossible to describe, it must be experienced! Two days have flown by. fast.
We went to Dambula. there is a Buddhist temple carved into the rock. All ok. cheap, you have to bargain with a tuk tuk, but they don’t give a lot. Next is Kandy. On the way we stopped at the spice garden, didn’t buy anything, it’s cheaper in supermarkets. I liked the elephant nursery, there are a lot of them and you can touch them, it's cool. Well, there are Buddha temples everywhere. In Kandy, the hotel is super, I don’t remember the name, but a little outside the city. They say it's the best, which is true. Room 5 *, food class. It was also a whiskey holiday. my friend for free tried so hard that the servants brought him into the room. Everyone is very friendly and always helpful. Razvodilovo is present. but not as active as in other countries. In Kandy, two days golop to the temples and to the ocean, swim! They lived in the Riverina, a normal hotel, not as luxurious as in Sigiriya and Kandy, but it will do. Of course, I would not be able to sit the whole tour on the shore, like many of our compatriots.
Nothing to do in Colombo, big chirkizon, noisy and dirty. But I advise you to visit Galle. For some reason, our tour operators are silent about this place. I would even rather rent a hotel there. The beach is the purest, the ocean is turquoise, there are almost no Russians. I was struck by the multitude of loving couples sitting on the shore. Galle-fortress, built by the colonialists, the architecture is appropriate. I recommend! All in all. The holiday was a success, I want to go there again.
In short: the entire expense amounted to $ 3.000 for two for 10 days (they didn’t deny themselves anything, the tour - they drank the rest, drank the rest, spent it on clothes and souvenirs). Do not be afraid to get out of the hotel, the locals do not bite. And you will grab exotics up to your ears. then you will be proud. car rental with driver only. You yourself are exhausted, there are no rules! There are no signs other than "beware of elephants". Model your trip yourself, don't buy excursions in the hotel, they tear up godlessly. Buses and trains are still the same, of course, but you won't scare us. We sometimes travel during rush hour. Take the second class on the train, it's cheap and the windows are open, from where you will see a lot, the main thing is to take a seat near the windows, which is not always possible. show agility when landing and you will be rewarded. Buy food in supermarkets. especially water. The beer is excellent, worth a pint - a dollar. the rest of the alcohol is just awful, all kinds are made from rice. and whiskey and vodka. and the rest.
And on the new moon, all alcohol is NOT FOR SALE, ANYWHERE. We fell for it. almost died from the desire to drink beer. buy souvenirs away from tourist trails, cheaper at times. Be sure to visit the botanical garden! the jewels did not impress me, the prices for the stones are high. I don't need batik. I bought tea at the supermarket. There is a huge selection of different places on the island. The spices are there too. bought some more clothes. Brand prices are outrageous. All in all, a great vacation!