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Travel Notes of a Well-Informed Pessimist
I’ll make a reservation right away: I’m in Sri Lanka for the second time. The first time my wife and I were passing through, 2 years ago and only 4 days. Liked it a LOT. I wanted to come back, see more and of course relax on the ocean. The time of rest fell on the May holidays. At this time, in the Colombo region and on the entire west coast, it is not the season. A wave in the ocean, as in the Crimea in a 5 or more magnitude storm. There are several places in the bays where you can still swim, but it rains every day: maybe an hour and a half, or it can pour two days in a row. But in the east of the island the high season begins. The ocean is smooth, the water is + 29 C. Prices are rising. In general, we decided this: a 6-day sightseeing tour of the country and a week - a lazy vacation on the beach in the east in the Trincomalee region.
A few general observations
Political system.
After the liberation of Sri Lanka from the "colonial yoke" in 1948, a democratic system of government was adopted on the island, over time, with the help of the USSR, it turned into a socialist one. Now the President, who is elected once every six years, having successfully won the 2010 re-election and imprisoned his main opponent, confidently rules the country. Portraits of the President, his son and all his relatives hang on all corners. "Beloved friends" and relatives help the President to lead the republic, respectively, occupying ALL key positions in the government and in the field. (I felt sad and very much reminded me of something ... )
Economy
Everyone knows about Ceylon tea and gems of Sri Lanka. Tourism is developing. After the end of the war, at the end of 2009, the western tourist went wild. As a result, already this year prices for "foriners" (foreign tourists) have increased from 20% to 40%. A little more and it will be more profitable to fly to the Maldives.
Everywhere there is a repair of roads (after the repair - the same two-row, but with excellent coverage). The population is divided into two categories: “new Sri Lankans”, with all the ensuing consequences (there are few of them) and very poor, with a salary of up to $ 100 per month and hard physical work (the majority of them). There is, of course, a “layer of intelligentsia” and employees of hotels, travel agencies, etc. , but there are few of them, although often a tourist judges a country by them.
People
For the most part, they are benevolent. A man walks along the road and smiles at the oncoming one. And it is clear that not with an "American" smile, but from the heart. I’m standing, smoking (by the way, smoking is prohibited on the streets, I think they won’t stop a white tourist, but the locals don’t walk the streets with cigarettes) - a man comes up, smiles, wonders where I’m from, where I’m going, wishes a happy road and goes on. Splashing in the ocean - the same picture, only by swimming.
In my opinion, coins are used exclusively for tossing by tourists in various places - as a keepsake, for visiting collectors, well, it’s true, even when paying locals among themselves - they have a completely different price scale than is done for tourists.
Some prices
1 liter bottle of water - 50 rupees (with a guide) - 70 rupees (without a guide) - 150 (in the hotel), royal coconut (big cocoon), drunk through a straw - from 25 to 50 rupees (depending on size), in hotels - 200 rupees apiece, coffee - from the Nescafe coffee machine - 30 rupees (in small cafes), in hotels and roadside restaurants - 200 (tasteless and from the kettle), Lion beer - 100 rupees, in hotels - 350-400, kilogram bananas - 80 rupees, pineapple - from 200 rupees apiece, Old Arak - 900 rupees, in hotels - 150-200 rupees per 25 grams, "tuk-tuk" - from 500 rupees per 10 km. (be sure to agree before the trip - route, time, price).
Education
Children go to school at the age of 5. Studying - 14 years. The population is 98% literate. Many people studied in the USSR.
Therefore, they still remember how good it was under socialism and many work as Russian-speaking guides. In cities and hotels, everyone knows at least a little English.
Religion
In the southwest - Buddhism and Christianity (it affected more than 300 years under England). Hinduism and Islam in the northeast. However, there are practically no orthodoxies. And although the enmity between the Sinhalese and Tamils, who came to the island from India about 1000 years ago, has not subsided for about the same time, everything is mixed up among the common people.
* On the net, some enthusiastic fool wrote about how she had a good time in Sri Lanka and what lazy people the Sri Lankans are: so many years have passed since the tsunami, and their ruins still stand along the coast. Guys! This is Asia. They have their own mentality. It is not customary for them to disturb the dead. This cemetery can be leveled with an excavator and an “elite cottage village” is ready. And their ruins should be erased by time.
And I also saw along the road - tombstones right in the gardens on the ocean come across.
War
The war, mostly partisan and lasting 40 years, was successfully completed by government forces in 2009. The leaders of the extremists have been destroyed, the terrorists have been disarmed. Till. Ethnic conflict, and even fueled from outside, does not just go away. Although: God grant them - the best.
The medicine
For the public it is free. For foreigners, they say, $25 to $50 for a doctor's visit.
Souvenirs, stones, batik and spices
Although there are many sticky merchants in the places visited by tourists, unlike the Egyptian-Turkeys, they are much more modest - they don’t grab hands, they don’t yell: “good price, Natasha”, but sadly wander around and quietly mutter something, showing their goods. Of course there are exceptions. On stalls and in shops you can buy masks, wooden figurines of elephants, smaller copies of the “moonstone” and other Sri Lankan exotics.
The "cosmic" price is charged immediately. Trade is appropriate. Sometimes you can cut the price in half. As a result of bargaining, a small wooden Buddha figurine was bought in Polunaruwa for 1100 rupees, with a starting price of 2000. The same one in the souvenir shop offered by the guide in Kandy cost 1600, without the possibility of bargaining. Stones. You can buy in different places, but it is worth it only in large stores at factories. Otherwise, you can run into a fake. Discount from the starting price up to 35% (depending on the amount and personal qualities). Batik - traded in different places. We were at the factory, on the first visit - a waste of time, although a painted piece of matter with an elephant figurine was bought for a lot of money, but we spent 3 hours on the road. The framed elephant hangs proudly on the wall. "Garden of spices" - caught last time. If you don’t know exactly what you want to buy, then you get into an attraction for divorce of suckers.
The prices are high: if you don’t want it, don’t take it, but after an hour and a half of NLP with ointments and a cup of cocoa, you can’t buy anything, at least 100 bucks, it’s already a shame.
And finally, about traffic and roads
Movement is left-handed. Due to the many vehicles, different road conditions, impudent cows and lazy dogs (one lay and licked right in the middle of the lane and everyone went around it), the average speed was about 40 km per hour. Rules are practically non-existent. For myself, I figured out two things: the first - whoever is bigger is right (someone wrote correctly in his travel notes: the one who has the loudest horn is right) - the advantage is given to buses, especially regular and descending ones, and the second - RESPECT the other driver: slow down , let the fool through, let me overtake, (not like ours: where are you going, goat! Or: bull with your Zaporozhets, and even more so on a Bentley).
For all the time I saw only two accidents, both similar: a mikrik lying on its side and a “knock-knock” lying in a ditch - apparently stoned carriers flew off the road at night. I also saw ONE bus with a dented bumper. However, I would not risk taking a car for rent in my life and I do not advise you.
Travel preparation
We began to prepare long before the trip. The Internet both helped and fooled the brains. It seems - what is simpler: I went to the website of the travel company, picked up a tour for myself, or even better, I assembled it myself in the "tour designer". AND HAPPENED. The “native” travel company winds up about 20%, graciously makes a discount, right up to 7%. The travel company of the host country is its own, at least 10%. A guide that you need like a shark fish stuck: there are undoubtedly many benefits, but he lives and eats (literally) - at your expense. Plus, add $30-60 of the guide's salary per day of the excursion program.
So it turns out that the cheapest thing is: I bought a plane ticket, on arrival I hired a carrier with a car, and even better - on my own two feet and on a bus! NO. This is an option for active, English-speaking youth, extreme tourists, old infantry majors (retired) and just enthusiastic ……
The route was planned relatively quickly: Colombo-Dikwella-Yalla-Nuwara Eliya-Kandy-Dambula-Anuradhapura-Sigiriya-Trinkomale-Colombo. In real life, almost everything worked out.
Tour organization
The first number I sent a request to the Sri Lankan company that organized our tour in 2010. The answer came pretty quickly. The truth is that the mileage along the route was 2700 km. Accurate distance from Colombo to Phnom Penh. A certain Vera from the office in Colombo was also offended by me because I doubted her (driver with 40 years of experience) ability to calculate mileage. And I calculated it on the map very accurately. Well, okay, the starting price is there.
The second visit was to a Sverdlovsk company - their site is too beautiful, and the moderator - a fat sybarite Alex regularly answers everything, even stupid questions, for which special thanks to him, it really helped - with information. To the request for the calculation of the tour, the answer from the Uralian A. Khramtsov came two days later (after a reminder). The route, with some variations, cost $500 more than that of Vera from Colombo. After a short correspondence, I was given a $200 discount. Yes, it's recorded. The third entry is at the place of residence. In the Kyiv company, whose services we have been using for several years, the price turned out to be slightly higher than that of A. Khramtsov. Moreover, if the price for the first hotel on the route turned out to be $5 lower than on the hotel website, then for the rest it is from 30 to 55 dollars higher. In garbage. Fourth entry. Trying to book hotels on your own. From some hotels - muffled, no answer, no hello.
Of some - yes, please, sir, but the prices are much higher than indicated on the hotel websites. To the question: wow? The answer is domestic prices, for the citizens of Sri Lanka. RAVE. Book on sites like "tripdiving" or "hotel. com" - did not dare. In Ukraine, I did not find offices and representative offices of these services. And Russians are also foreign countries. And the last one is the fifth one. Negotiations directly with Sri Lankan guides. Dusya, who was actively criticized on the website of the "evil ensigns", we threw away immediately. The next on the list was Sanjay and his brother Seneca, from the site of fat Alex. They called, talked, a week later they waited for a more or less clear answer: guide services - $ 55 per day, a car along the route - $ 600, etc. It turns out no cheaper than Dusi. Next - Jesus, from somewhere in the e-net. 50 per day. To my offer - 30 per day - the answer came: "...who gave you the right to evaluate my services at $ 30 ... " (30 x 30 = 900 is a good salary, and for Ukraine, of course, 1500 is better). In the basket - to the rest.
There were a couple more candidates - with the same result. And finally, after some stirring of the brains clouded by this parade of greed, the option: a guide - 35 per day, an air-conditioned car along the route and a return transfer Trincomale - Colombo - 550. Plus, the guide books all the hotels along the route. OK. By the way, there was another option: upon arrival, move to Unavantuna and there, in the office of Alexei “Beard”, hire a driver with a car locally and buy a tour (quite inexpensively). But, the offer of an unrealistic program for the tour alerted me: one day meeting at the airport at 3/15 in the morning, moving to Yalla (320 km. , after an 11-hour flight), jeep safari in the savannah (3-4 hours on dusty off-road ), transfer to Nuwara Eliya (140 km uphill, along a serpentine with poor coverage), and the next day at 5 am - departure to the Horton Plateau (40 km by jeep on a very bad road and a 9 km hiking route. , in a circle, along mountain paths) with breakfast in nature, etc.
Breakfast at the "End of the World" is, of course, very tempting. But, I'm afraid that most tourists (I'm sure) would not have lived to see him. Or, out of a sense of self-preservation, they would have abandoned some item of the program (but the jeep has already been paid for ... ). And this is offered by a travel business professional who has been living and working in Sri Lanka for more than a year. But his site is nonetheless interesting and informative.
Hotel booking, bank transfer of money.
10 days before departure, the guide received a mail with the final prices for hotels. In the process of correspondence, some hotels were replaced. The first version of the prices sent by the guide was too much. In response to my letter that I would book hotels myself or we would settle and pay locally, an offer came with several other hotels along the route - cheaper, and at 2 beach hotels - the price became a little lower (special offers).
As a result, in my opinion, $ 5 was added to the base price, and this is by God, because the guide took care of the booking. Now you need to send money to the guide to Lanka. I'm going to the bank. And then it turns out that for citizens of Ukraine, the maximum amount of money transfer abroad is no more than 15.000 hryvnia (about $ 1.900) per day. Yes, plus the money goes first to the "back office" and only the next day (or later) they leave the bank. RAVE! ! ! Plus it was on a Friday. In short, after 5 days and three trips to the bank, the money was in Sri Lanka. Keep money in a savings bank! Glory to the USSR! When is this motherfucker. . zm will outlive itself? !
GO! ! !
Departure from Boryspil at 13:30. Everything is as usual. Boeing 737-800.4 is happy business class. The plane is 90% full. The flight was delayed by 20 minutes. Because of this, 2 extra circles were made over Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is small, two floors: an arrivals and departures hall and an expensive duty-free downstairs.
Time 50 minutes - smoke, stretch your legs after 5 and a half hours of summer. Further - the same Boeing, the same places. The plane was half empty. After takeoff, people dispersed around the cabin and it looked like a reserved seat car. Boarding at 3:45. Passport, with the filling of "emigration cards" - in 20 minutes. Straight ahead, to the left, through the duty free, down, the luggage belt (the luggage is already rolling in circles). Further - to the exit. Directly opposite - several bank counters, really bank ones. Exchange. Necessarily - several 1000 small ones, 100 each. Further, along the left - the Dialogue and Mobitel desks (calls to Ukraine at 35 rupees per minute, and not like our rednecks: from 14 hryvnia - from Life to 36 from Kyivstar and MTS). There is also mobile Internet. In the same place, but on the right - 3-4 counters of local travel agencies. Everything works at night.
ALL. Here is our guide. HELLO AYUBOVAN!
Route
Day one (Kyiv-Colombo-Galle-Dondra-Dikwella)
Back at home, in Kyiv, I looked at weather maps online and got upset.
Thunderstorm covered the entire region from the Philippines to Sri Lanka. On the approach, we twice passed over the strongest thunderstorm. And here we are on the ground. As long as there is no rain.
We leave the airport building. The parking lot is stuffy, humid, hot, good. The guide is on the phone. A couple of minutes later, a Nissan car rolls up. The last time was a Toyota minibus. But for two - a passenger car just right, later it turns out that it is more maneuverable, faster, and more prestigious. Of course, for a guide, renting a car was cheaper than a mikrik, but somehow I didn’t… It’s convenient, and the guide also earned money.
Passing Colombo. In the early morning everything is closed, there are few cars. It's starting to rain. We're going along the coast. OCEAN. We pass Wadduwa, the rain intensifies, cars begin to reach towards them - to work in the capital. We pass Kalutara, the rain turns into a downpour, the cars go towards us in a continuous stream. SHOWER. Well everything, kapets! All holidays in the rain! We drive up to Bentota, the downpour is over, the asphalt is still wet.
The first stop in Kosgod is the turtle farm. Entrance ticket - 200 rupees (buying this ticket you help save 50 turtle eggs). Funny and educational. For a special thanks (100 rupees to the caretaker) they gave me to hold in my hands and take a picture with a big turtle. Let's go further. We pass Weligama - sticks with crossbars stick out of the ocean, similar to bird perches in a pet store - famous fishermen on Weligama poles. On one of the sticks (I counted about forty of them) a lone asshole sits, I'm sorry, a fisherman. Where are the "famous fishermen"? The guide smiles. In my opinion, this is another scam for tourists. Well, what can you catch, sitting on a stick in the surf, in over-watered water, except for a tourist-photographer, for money?
We drive up to Halle - the asphalt is dry. The fort is an imposing structure with an outer wall 7-10 meters thick. Inside, everything looks old, beautiful, shabby, romantic. Many weddings come here to be photographed.
Further - Cape Dondra. The southernmost point of Sri Lanka, further - to Antarctica itself, only the ocean. Lighthouse in Dondra - although not easy after a long journey, it is worth climbing. The most beautiful view. Entrance - 300 rupees, to the "fund of lighthouse attendants. "
Final stop for today: Dickwella Resort. The most expensive of all the hotels along the route, I wanted to have a good rest after the road. But, as it turned out, the worst. The number is standard. Suite - differs from the standard in price, size, view from the window, the presence of TV (without a Russian channel) and a jacuzzi - on the balcony (for example, I hate to climb into the bathroom, in a hotel where toilet bowls and bathrooms in all rooms are washed with one rag). In addition to a luxurious, deserted beach in this weather, I can’t say anything good about this hotel. I wanted to boo: order king prawns for dinner in the room. Bummer. In a hotel that considers itself a four-star hotel, there is no room service (even the guide was surprised about this).
Anyway, under a light rain, tired and hungry, we go to a restaurant. On the way, by the pool, a local "helped" stuck to us. Looks like Kyrgyz. And in pure Russian, he began to hang all sorts of services for us: starting with a balloon flight (I read somewhere that it costs from $ 500) and a boat trip “to whales” (I know for sure - now it’s not the season in the south) and ending with: “If you don’t like this hotel, come with me to the Maldives! ". He fell behind only when we sat down at a table in a restaurant. Menu. However! But what can you do: “Welcome! ". Have a bite. In the rain, on a completely deserted beach, they swam in the ocean. You can swim only near the coast, on the waves, further, despite some protection of the beach from big waves, it begins to drift into the ocean. Rest. Dinner. Dream. Tropical rain fell overnight. We were awakened not by thunder and lightning, but by a stream of water from the ceiling, flowing directly onto the pillows through the roof.
Well, at least the bed is big - do not sleep under an umbrella, The result - did not get enough sleep. For a snack at the reception, we were charged 200 rupees for 2 half-liter bottles of water drunk in the room. No one even thought to apologize. The owner is Italian, the guide makes a helpless gesture. Conclusion - definitely do not recommend this hotel.
Day two (Dikwella-Mulgirigala-Yalla)
Early in the morning we check out from the hotel and after 30 minutes we arrive at the village, where the next attraction is located. A small note. Almost all the sights of Sri Lanka are small. If you are going with the intention of seeing something like the Egyptian pyramids, you will definitely be disappointed. The locals try to show tourists everything they can (for money, of course), but the island is still small and the sights are appropriate. So: Blow Hol - a howling hole in the town of Kudavella (entrance ticket 200 rupees).
A natural hole in the rocks from which a fountain of ocean water beats every 5-15 minutes. Out of season: the fountain is 4 meters, in the season, they say - up to 30. In a year, they say, a dozen people were washed away, with ends, one jumped by itself. We take pictures and move on.
The next point is the Mulgirigala temple complex. Drive - an hour and a half on a bad road. There are few cars. For about 5 minutes we drive behind a large shiny car, resembling a fuel truck in size and shape, from which, through a hatch open on top, something splashes onto the road in a considerable amount. People who come across stop their noses, our driver laughs: this car is a shit truck. Finally overtaken. We drive up to the gates of the complex. There are practically no tourists. The place is still vacant. Entrance ticket 200 rupees. The guide says that the temple itself is better than in Dambul. True, first you need to climb the stairs to a rock 110 meters high, although it's hot, it's worth it. Top view of the jungle. Reclining Buddha. Interesting.
Transfer to Yala. On the way, we stop for a bite to eat (the guide is free of charge, due to the considerable price for tourists' lunch). Here we hire a jeep for a safari in Yalla National Park. We choose the best jeep, with seats like a normal car, and not like a truck - along the sides. 5000 rupees per car (maximum - 9 people, there are three of us with a guide), the owner wanted 5500, but the guide bargained. Later I saw 5 more points where you can rent a jeep - the prices are about the same everywhere. We arrive at the Mandara Rosen hotel. A good hotel with a terrible (in my opinion - self-made) billiards in an empty bar, a rich Ayurveda salon, spacious rooms. At the appointed time, a jeep arrives for us. NOT THAT. Old, broken, but still well done. If it doesn't work - let's have ours. Guide calls on the phone, swears. We agreed - we drive on this one to the meeting point (5 kilometers) and transfer to “ours” (it didn’t pass and it’s not necessary). On "our" jeep we drive to the gates of the park for about 40 minutes. Here is the ticket office - entrance ticket: 5306.
45 rupees (for a guide and a jeep driver - 120 rupees, for 2 foreigners - 3375 rupees + taxes and fees). The park is divided into 4 territories, tourists are allowed only on the first. Safari impression: liked-disliked = 0. If you are a hunter or, on the contrary, like to drive comfortably, then this entertainment is better to be missed. It is interesting - the animal roams the savannah, the elephant walks through the thickets of low palm trees against the backdrop of the ocean, the leopard lies on a rock. BUT. This animal roams other places in Sri Lanka, even along highways and hotel areas, except perhaps for peacocks, none of which have spread their tail. Where an elephant roams along the ocean, there are the ruins of a mini-hotel, here 200 tourists and locals died during the tsunami. Around the rock with the leopard, two dozen jeeps huddled together in an uncontrollable heap, I barely managed to take a photo. You can't get out of the jeep along the entire route.
On the way back, before the closing of the park (at 18:00), the jeeps lined up in a column - for the exit. All cars, except for the first one, drive in clouds of dust to the gate for about 40 minutes. So the impression is “0” by the sum. Around 19:00 we were at the hotel. Calculation with the driver, shower, pool under the stars, dinner.
Day Three (Yalla Nuwara Eliya)
In the morning we planned to go to Horton Plateau. But it turned out that in order to drive 140 km uphill along a serpentine to Nuwara Eliya, transfer to a jeep, drive 40 kilometers from Nuwara to the entrance to the plateau and be in time before the heat, you need to start at 5 in the morning. Hang up. We decided to take a break and postpone the “End of the World” for the next time. Lazy woke up, breakfast, swimming pool. We left at 12:00. And they realized that they did the right thing. The road took 5 hours - repairs are underway. At the end of the journey, at an altitude of about 2000 meters, it began to rain. We arrived and settled in the small hotel The Heritage Nuwara Eliya. Style - old England. The only free (very good) Wi-Fi throughout the route. BUT. Hotel
Andrews, on our last visit to Nuwara, I liked much more: sincere, more comfortable and ancient.
Day four (Nuwara Eliya-Kandy-Sigiriya)
Descent, on a normal road, four hours, if without stops. Rain. First stop is the Macwood Tea Factory. The last time the sun was shining, they laid a table for us on the street, gave us delicious tea. Now, probably due to the early time, tea was served for tasting tasteless, and they forgot about milk. We buy REAL Ceylon tea and move on. Kandy - were last time 2 days. We decided to stop only at the gift shop. First, the guide brought to a large, expensive supermarket with fixed prices - no good. Take it to the little one! Brought - the choice, of course, is not so rich, but the prices are lower and the possibility of bargaining. Purchased. We popped into a jewelry store, quickly bought what we planned further. On the way we stopped at a cave Buddhist temple in Dambulle. Beautiful temple complex.
They stretched their legs, but they did not climb the mountain to the cave temple. Farther. Hotel Sigiriya. Stop for 2 nights. The hotel was chosen because of the magnificent view of Temple Rock. Good hotel. The guide is accommodated in a room next to us. We are two, and he luxuriates alone. What do you think: how much are 2 rooms? True, for locals, the prices are really different. But in the end, everything is invested in the price for the "foriners" tourist.
Day Five (Sigiriya-Anuradhapura-Polunaruwa-Sigiriya)
In the morning we drive to Anuradhapura. About 60 km. It's worth it. Really big and old thing. Huge Dagoba (stupa), crowds of pilgrims and tourists. Bo tree. Away, around the old, now restored by UNESCO, the second largest Dagobah, flocks of monkeys roam. We feed with pre-purchased local cookies (dangerous, the animals are smart, but wild), we take pictures. Entrance fees are $25 (until recently it was $20).
Moving to Polonnaruwa. On the way, we have lunch in the town of Khabarana. At the restaurant at the Acme Transit Hotel. Tea - 400 rupees, skinny sandwiches - 800, service fee - 120.
To the question: why does tea cost 400 and not 200, as it is written on the menu? Answer: there are two of you. The guide is happy - had a bite - "for free. " By the way, elephant riding is organized in Khabaran. How much does it cost - did not care. Because they saw how they ride: several people in baskets suspended from both sides on the back of an elephant. Not interested. Last time we rode an elephant in Pinavella - then we liked it very much. In Polunaruwa - we examine the ruins of the old city. Interesting. Entrance tickets for $ 25 (at the box office at the exchange rate in rupees). By the way, in all the temple complexes you have to walk barefoot, you can wear socks (we, as “experienced”, stocked them up in advance).
Already in the dark we returned to Sigiriya.
Day six (Sigiriya - Trincomalee - Nilaveli)
It is best to climb the rock of Sigir (Tample Rock) in the morning. Climbing 1300 steps is a little tiring, especially when you crawl up a ladder suspended from a rock at a height of 200 meters.
And it's hot, despite the rather strong wind that appears closer to the top.
Landscape - beauty, sensations - super, frescoes - for an amateur. In Sophia of Kyiv - they are somehow closer in spirit. The thought haunts: Well, it was necessary to build such a thing on top of a cliff 300 meters away, and then ruin everything! Everything, the descent, the souvenir market. Entrance tickets are the same $25.
We are going to Nilaveli. On the road, behind Khabarana, we come across a stretch of road, 50 kilometers, where we are driving at an insanely fast speed for Sri Lanka: 120 km / h! ! ! But then for an hour we crawl the remaining 30 km to Trincomalee. Nilaveli Beach Resort is 12 km from Trinco. The road is normal.
Hotel Nilaveli Beach.
We are staying in a standard room. We went to see the deluxe: a little more, a safe, a TV, a hairdryer - that's all the differences, I was not impressed. The price is $50 per day - more expensive. According to locals, the hotel is over 30 years old. survived the tsunami. A “small” wave, about 6 meters, passed through the hotel. One of the waiters said that he escaped by climbing a tree.
Just in case, we specify which one. Locals say that nearby some places were blown clean, and the hotel was lucky. The last major renovation was 3 years ago. Standard rooms are scattered around the territory in one-story blocks of 3 rooms, in the second line blocks of 4. The room is clean. cleaned 2 times a day. The beds are a little bedridden. The cabinet probably survived the tsunami, the drawers are skewed - exotic. Old, rather noisy, air conditioner. I set it to + 27, the old man worked for almost a day. You come in from the street, from +37 it's cold. But the mortise air conditioner in the central (neighboring) room of our three-ruble note is a bummer. I thought that only the Baku Air Conditioner could rumble like that, but this one surpassed it! There is also a noisy Singer refrigerator. Turned it off as unnecessary. Kettle with a set: tea-coffee. A couple of chairs, a table. On the terrace there is a wooden table and chairs. In general, you can live.
The deluxe suites are located in 2-storey blocks of 4 rooms and above the restaurant. The ones in the blocks are at an angle to the ocean, so you can feel a light breeze blowing from the land on the balcony. Comfortable in the evening to sit, watch and listen to the ocean. In the rest of the rooms - stuffy, the wind blows "in the back", and the terraces are "facing" the ocean. From all rooms to the ocean 50 - 150 meters.
On the territory: the main restaurant, when the breeze blows, dinner is served outside, 2 bars - one between the pool and the beach, and a non-smoking lobby bar!
The ocean is quiet and calm, it's nice to hang out at the shore. THE BEAUTY. From the shore at 100 meters depth is up to 4 meters. BUT. Empty - no living creatures are visible. In the mask, except for the sandy bottom, there is nothing to look at. The beach in front of the hotel is clean, empty, sun loungers are under palm trees and under 4 mushrooms. Half are unoccupied.
After I made friends (for money) with a beachboy, when he saw me walking to the beach, he was already dragging 4 mattresses (it’s hard to lie on one, the mattresses are thin) and towels on “our” sunbeds.
The weather - not a drop of rain! Lightning flashed the first evening, but it never rained. Then small clouds ran up, but it was only pleasing - it was not so hot.
Neighbours. If you face the ocean, then on the left is the "city" beach of the village of Nilaveli. On the right - the ruins of the hotel (I did not understand: either the tsunami destroyed it, or the war destroyed it), further, 300 meters away - a military base. The passage is closed. But neither one nor the other - does not bother. The locals do not climb the shore near the hotel (in Sri Lanka, all shores 50 meters from the surf line belong to the state). Soldiers don't shoot. Often, especially in the morning, there was not a soul on the beach except my wife and I. Before entering the hotel - a small market.
We didn’t use it - it somehow seemed undignified to run through the checkpoint to the bazaar and save 100 rupees on a bottle of water. There are several tuk-tuks on duty at the market - to Trinco and back 1200 rupees (the same tuk-tuk at the reception, but 1500 each). We were going to go, but we never did. After a busy trip around the island, it was just too lazy to go to a dusty town in the heat to inspect an Indian temple and a supermarket. And there is nothing more to do there.
Pigeon Island. Frankly DISAPPOINTED. From the coast - 4 km. Boat round-trip $ 15 (at least for the whole day). There is a lot of greenery on the island, two rocks, 4 soldiers with 2 Kalashnikovs. Several bays. Snorkeling is less interesting than in the Black Sea. Only here, compared to the Crimea, instead of algae on boulders, there is dead coral and smaller living creatures. Well, we saw 2 sharks half a meter each, so what. Marine life if taken as 10 - Egypt, here at 3.
The attempt to swim around the island failed for two reasons: because of the strong oncoming wave and because of the large number of small, up to 2 cm transparent needles stuffed into T-shirts (the locals later explained that they were small shrimps). The coral garden was removed from the list for the same reason - the coral has not yet recovered from the tsunami. Entertainment is everything. Animation, thank God, no. Ayurveda is missing. Disco too. The territory is large enough, but there is nowhere to go. At 22:00 everyone goes to bed or goes to drink by the numbers.
Food. We paid for breakfast/dinner. Breakfast - like everywhere else, "buffet": scrambled eggs, bacon, sometimes fresh juice, fruits, sweets, coffee-tea. Satisfying, but a little monotonous. On the first day, upon arrival, dinner was buffet style. Then, due to the small number of tourists, they made a customized menu. Once at dinner, only 5 tables were occupied. The waiters are polite and helpful. BUT.
They don’t know how to cook either pork or beef (although this is not only here, but throughout the entire route). Not only to chew, you can’t always cut with a knife. But seafood! For dinner - on the menu: shark, barracuda, squid, shrimp ...For lunch, at the pool bar, for a lot of money: shrimp in local seasonings (very spicy, but I liked it) - 900 rupees, royal grill - 2000, crab - 2000 for half a kilogram, lobster - 500 per 100 grams. BUT. Now I will not eat fish or shrimp for two months.
Livestock. Periodically, a green parrot with a large yellow beak flew busily past our terrace. A lot of noisy, impudent, cunning, skinny crows. Once I saw a green palm snake the size of half a meter. Full of chipmunks (very similar to our squirrels, only smaller and striped). Those chipmunks who live near the beach bar are bolder: during lunch, they climb on the tables and can take a treat from their hands. Thick. Those who live further away are shy and not well-fed.
Three times flocks of monkeys passed through the hotel, about 20-30 each. Once they were fed specially for this purpose with biscuits and bananas stored up for this purpose. Four individuals were so crazy that they went into the room and began to demand more. However, when they saw a whip-boy with a slingshot hurrying towards us (he constantly fights with monkeys), we hastily rushed over the fence.
Shells. In the hotel, next to the beach bar, there is often an Arab who sells shells. Bought several. He is "patronized" by guards and chased by "foreign" sellers. But more beautiful and interesting bought from a passing seller.
Way home.
The journey from Nilaveli to Valkal took 6 and a half hours, although with stops for a smoke break, etc.
We arrived in Valkal by 7 pm. We stopped to rest at the Club Hotel Dolphine. I can’t say much about the hotel - we spent 6 hours there. Large room, good technology, noisy, a lot of people, reminded me of an Egyptian beach hotel. At 00/30 we go to the airport - 30 minutes. Border.
Duty free - souvenir set-box: arak + rum + gin $ 20, plus a little more - for the soul. Airplane in reverse order. Kyiv.
A few words in conclusion
*Stops along the entire route in 3* hotels. Firstly: there is no point in staying in hotels of a higher category, such as “pass along the deluxe route”, in Lanka, 3-rooms are good enough on their own, and enjoying 4 * and higher service in one evening is still not realistic. And secondly: the Dickwella Resort 4 * hotel in practice turned out to be complete crap, worse than any of the triplets visited.
* I don’t describe sights and hotels in detail, dwelling more on my feelings. For the curious, it is enough to type the name of the hotel or place in the search engine, there are all descriptions in abundance.
*The overall impression of the trip is positive. There are still many unexplored interesting places, but in the near future we are not going to return to Lanka, for various reasons.
*The text was written - having nothing to do, on vacation at the Nilaveli Beach hotel, sometimes instead of an afternoon nap and completed in Kyiv.
* I hope the story will be useful to someone.
Nilaveli - Kyiv.
May 2011
I’ll make a reservation right away: I’m in Sri Lanka for the second time. The first time my wife and I were passing through, 2 years ago and only 4 days. Liked it a LOT. I wanted to come back, see more and of course relax on the ocean. The time of rest fell on the May holidays. At this time, in the Colombo region and on the entire west coast, it is not the season. A wave in the ocean, as in the Crimea in a 5 or more magnitude storm. There are several places in the bays where you can still swim, but it rains every day: maybe an hour and a half, or it can pour two days in a row. But in the east of the island the high season begins. The ocean is smooth, the water is + 29 C. Prices are rising. In general, we decided this: a 6-day sightseeing tour of the country and a week - a lazy vacation on the beach in the east in the Trincomalee region.
A few general observations
Political system.
After the liberation of Sri Lanka from the "colonial yoke" in 1948, a democratic system of government was adopted on the island, over time, with the help of the USSR, it turned into a socialist one. Now the President, who is elected once every six years, having successfully won the 2010 re-election and imprisoned his main opponent, confidently rules the country. Portraits of the President, his son and all his relatives hang on all corners. "Beloved friends" and relatives help the President to lead the republic, respectively, occupying ALL key positions in the government and in the field. (I felt sad and very much reminded me of something ... )
Economy
Everyone knows about Ceylon tea and gems of Sri Lanka. Tourism is developing. After the end of the war, at the end of 2009, the western tourist went wild. As a result, already this year prices for "foriners" (foreign tourists) have increased from 20% to 40%. A little more and it will be more profitable to fly to the Maldives.
Everywhere there is a repair of roads (after the repair - the same two-row, but with excellent coverage). The population is divided into two categories: “new Sri Lankans”, with all the ensuing consequences (there are few of them) and very poor, with a salary of up to $ 100 per month and hard physical work (the majority of them). There is, of course, a “layer of intelligentsia” and employees of hotels, travel agencies, etc. , but there are few of them, although often a tourist judges a country by them.
People
For the most part, they are benevolent. A man walks along the road and smiles at the oncoming one. And it is clear that not with an "American" smile, but from the heart. I’m standing, smoking (by the way, smoking is prohibited on the streets, I think they won’t stop a white tourist, but the locals don’t walk the streets with cigarettes) - a man comes up, smiles, wonders where I’m from, where I’m going, wishes a happy road and goes on. Splashing in the ocean - the same picture, only by swimming.
In my opinion, coins are used exclusively for tossing by tourists in various places - as a keepsake, for visiting collectors, well, it’s true, even when paying locals among themselves - they have a completely different price scale than is done for tourists.
Some prices
1 liter bottle of water - 50 rupees (with a guide) - 70 rupees (without a guide) - 150 (in the hotel), royal coconut (big cocoon), drunk through a straw - from 25 to 50 rupees (depending on size), in hotels - 200 rupees apiece, coffee - from the Nescafe coffee machine - 30 rupees (in small cafes), in hotels and roadside restaurants - 200 (tasteless and from the kettle), Lion beer - 100 rupees, in hotels - 350-400, kilogram bananas - 80 rupees, pineapple - from 200 rupees apiece, Old Arak - 900 rupees, in hotels - 150-200 rupees per 25 grams, "tuk-tuk" - from 500 rupees per 10 km. (be sure to agree before the trip - route, time, price).
Education
Children go to school at the age of 5. Studying - 14 years. The population is 98% literate. Many people studied in the USSR.
Therefore, they still remember how good it was under socialism and many work as Russian-speaking guides. In cities and hotels, everyone knows at least a little English.
Religion
In the southwest - Buddhism and Christianity (it affected more than 300 years under England). Hinduism and Islam in the northeast. However, there are practically no orthodoxies. And although the enmity between the Sinhalese and Tamils, who came to the island from India about 1000 years ago, has not subsided for about the same time, everything is mixed up among the common people.
* On the net, some enthusiastic fool wrote about how she had a good time in Sri Lanka and what lazy people the Sri Lankans are: so many years have passed since the tsunami, and their ruins still stand along the coast. Guys! This is Asia. They have their own mentality. It is not customary for them to disturb the dead. This cemetery can be leveled with an excavator and an “elite cottage village” is ready. And their ruins should be erased by time.
And I also saw along the road - tombstones right in the gardens on the ocean come across.
War
The war, mostly partisan and lasting 40 years, was successfully completed by government forces in 2009. The leaders of the extremists have been destroyed, the terrorists have been disarmed. Till. Ethnic conflict, and even fueled from outside, does not just go away. Although: God grant them - the best.
The medicine
For the public it is free. For foreigners, they say, $25 to $50 for a doctor's visit.
Souvenirs, stones, batik and spices
Although there are many sticky merchants in the places visited by tourists, unlike the Egyptian-Turkeys, they are much more modest - they don’t grab hands, they don’t yell: “good price, Natasha”, but sadly wander around and quietly mutter something, showing their goods. Of course there are exceptions. On stalls and in shops you can buy masks, wooden figurines of elephants, smaller copies of the “moonstone” and other Sri Lankan exotics.
The "cosmic" price is charged immediately. Trade is appropriate. Sometimes you can cut the price in half. As a result of bargaining, a small wooden Buddha figurine was bought in Polunaruwa for 1100 rupees, with a starting price of 2000. The same one in the souvenir shop offered by the guide in Kandy cost 1600, without the possibility of bargaining. Stones. You can buy in different places, but it is worth it only in large stores at factories. Otherwise, you can run into a fake. Discount from the starting price up to 35% (depending on the amount and personal qualities). Batik - traded in different places. We were at the factory, on the first visit - a waste of time, although a painted piece of matter with an elephant figurine was bought for a lot of money, but we spent 3 hours on the road. The framed elephant hangs proudly on the wall. "Garden of spices" - caught last time. If you don’t know exactly what you want to buy, then you get into an attraction for divorce of suckers.
The prices are high: if you don’t want it, don’t take it, but after an hour and a half of NLP with ointments and a cup of cocoa, you can’t buy anything, at least 100 bucks, it’s already a shame.
And finally, about traffic and roads
Movement is left-handed. Due to the many vehicles, different road conditions, impudent cows and lazy dogs (one lay and licked right in the middle of the lane and everyone went around it), the average speed was about 40 km per hour. Rules are practically non-existent. For myself, I figured out two things: the first - whoever is bigger is right (someone wrote correctly in his travel notes: the one who has the loudest horn is right) - the advantage is given to buses, especially regular and descending ones, and the second - RESPECT the other driver: slow down , let the fool through, let me overtake, (not like ours: where are you going, goat! Or: bull with your Zaporozhets, and even more so on a Bentley).
For all the time I saw only two accidents, both similar: a mikrik lying on its side and a “knock-knock” lying in a ditch - apparently stoned carriers flew off the road at night. I also saw ONE bus with a dented bumper. However, I would not risk taking a car for rent in my life and I do not advise you.
Travel preparation
We began to prepare long before the trip. The Internet both helped and fooled the brains. It seems - what is simpler: I went to the website of the travel company, picked up a tour for myself, or even better, I assembled it myself in the "tour designer". AND HAPPENED. The “native” travel company winds up about 20%, graciously makes a discount, right up to 7%. The travel company of the host country is its own, at least 10%. A guide that you need like a shark fish stuck: there are undoubtedly many benefits, but he lives and eats (literally) - at your expense. Plus, add $30-60 of the guide's salary per day of the excursion program.
So it turns out that the cheapest thing is: I bought a plane ticket, on arrival I hired a carrier with a car, and even better - on my own two feet and on a bus! NO. This is an option for active, English-speaking youth, extreme tourists, old infantry majors (retired) and just enthusiastic ……
The route was planned relatively quickly: Colombo-Dikwella-Yalla-Nuwara Eliya-Kandy-Dambula-Anuradhapura-Sigiriya-Trinkomale-Colombo. In real life, almost everything worked out.
Tour organization
The first number I sent a request to the Sri Lankan company that organized our tour in 2010. The answer came pretty quickly. The truth is that the mileage along the route was 2700 km. Accurate distance from Colombo to Phnom Penh. A certain Vera from the office in Colombo was also offended by me because I doubted her (driver with 40 years of experience) ability to calculate mileage. And I calculated it on the map very accurately. Well, okay, the starting price is there.
The second visit was to a Sverdlovsk company - their site is too beautiful, and the moderator - a fat sybarite Alex regularly answers everything, even stupid questions, for which special thanks to him, it really helped - with information. To the request for the calculation of the tour, the answer from the Uralian A. Khramtsov came two days later (after a reminder). The route, with some variations, cost $500 more than that of Vera from Colombo. After a short correspondence, I was given a $200 discount. Yes, it's recorded. The third entry is at the place of residence. In the Kyiv company, whose services we have been using for several years, the price turned out to be slightly higher than that of A. Khramtsov. Moreover, if the price for the first hotel on the route turned out to be $5 lower than on the hotel website, then for the rest it is from 30 to 55 dollars higher. In garbage. Fourth entry. Trying to book hotels on your own. From some hotels - muffled, no answer, no hello.
Of some - yes, please, sir, but the prices are much higher than indicated on the hotel websites. To the question: wow? The answer is domestic prices, for the citizens of Sri Lanka. RAVE. Book on sites like "tripdiving" or "hotel. com" - did not dare. In Ukraine, I did not find offices and representative offices of these services. And Russians are also foreign countries. And the last one is the fifth one. Negotiations directly with Sri Lankan guides. Dusya, who was actively criticized on the website of the "evil ensigns", we threw away immediately. The next on the list was Sanjay and his brother Seneca, from the site of fat Alex. They called, talked, a week later they waited for a more or less clear answer: guide services - $ 55 per day, a car along the route - $ 600, etc. It turns out no cheaper than Dusi. Next - Jesus, from somewhere in the e-net. 50 per day. To my offer - 30 per day - the answer came: "...who gave you the right to evaluate my services at $ 30 ... " (30 x 30 = 900 is a good salary, and for Ukraine, of course, 1500 is better). In the basket - to the rest.
There were a couple more candidates - with the same result. And finally, after some stirring of the brains clouded by this parade of greed, the option: a guide - 35 per day, an air-conditioned car along the route and a return transfer Trincomale - Colombo - 550. Plus, the guide books all the hotels along the route. OK. By the way, there was another option: upon arrival, move to Unavantuna and there, in the office of Alexei “Beard”, hire a driver with a car locally and buy a tour (quite inexpensively). But, the offer of an unrealistic program for the tour alerted me: one day meeting at the airport at 3/15 in the morning, moving to Yalla (320 km. , after an 11-hour flight), jeep safari in the savannah (3-4 hours on dusty off-road ), transfer to Nuwara Eliya (140 km uphill, along a serpentine with poor coverage), and the next day at 5 am - departure to the Horton Plateau (40 km by jeep on a very bad road and a 9 km hiking route. , in a circle, along mountain paths) with breakfast in nature, etc.
Breakfast at the "End of the World" is, of course, very tempting. But, I'm afraid that most tourists (I'm sure) would not have lived to see him. Or, out of a sense of self-preservation, they would have abandoned some item of the program (but the jeep has already been paid for ... ). And this is offered by a travel business professional who has been living and working in Sri Lanka for more than a year. But his site is nonetheless interesting and informative.
Hotel booking, bank transfer of money.
10 days before departure, the guide received a mail with the final prices for hotels. In the process of correspondence, some hotels were replaced. The first version of the prices sent by the guide was too much. In response to my letter that I would book hotels myself or we would settle and pay locally, an offer came with several other hotels along the route - cheaper, and at 2 beach hotels - the price became a little lower (special offers).
As a result, in my opinion, $ 5 was added to the base price, and this is by God, because the guide took care of the booking. Now you need to send money to the guide to Lanka. I'm going to the bank. And then it turns out that for citizens of Ukraine, the maximum amount of money transfer abroad is no more than 15.000 hryvnia (about $ 1.900) per day. Yes, plus the money goes first to the "back office" and only the next day (or later) they leave the bank. RAVE! ! ! Plus it was on a Friday. In short, after 5 days and three trips to the bank, the money was in Sri Lanka. Keep money in a savings bank! Glory to the USSR! When is this motherfucker. . zm will outlive itself? !
GO! ! !
Departure from Boryspil at 13:30. Everything is as usual. Boeing 737-800.4 is happy business class. The plane is 90% full. The flight was delayed by 20 minutes. Because of this, 2 extra circles were made over Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is small, two floors: an arrivals and departures hall and an expensive duty-free downstairs.
Time 50 minutes - smoke, stretch your legs after 5 and a half hours of summer. Further - the same Boeing, the same places. The plane was half empty. After takeoff, people dispersed around the cabin and it looked like a reserved seat car. Boarding at 3:45. Passport, with the filling of "emigration cards" - in 20 minutes. Straight ahead, to the left, through the duty free, down, the luggage belt (the luggage is already rolling in circles). Further - to the exit. Directly opposite - several bank counters, really bank ones. Exchange. Necessarily - several 1000 small ones, 100 each. Further, along the left - the Dialogue and Mobitel desks (calls to Ukraine at 35 rupees per minute, and not like our rednecks: from 14 hryvnia - from Life to 36 from Kyivstar and MTS). There is also mobile Internet. In the same place, but on the right - 3-4 counters of local travel agencies. Everything works at night.
ALL. Here is our guide. HELLO AYUBOVAN!
Route
Day one (Kyiv-Colombo-Galle-Dondra-Dikwella)
Back at home, in Kyiv, I looked at weather maps online and got upset.
Thunderstorm covered the entire region from the Philippines to Sri Lanka. On the approach, we twice passed over the strongest thunderstorm. And here we are on the ground. As long as there is no rain.
We leave the airport building. The parking lot is stuffy, humid, hot, good. The guide is on the phone. A couple of minutes later, a Nissan car rolls up. The last time was a Toyota minibus. But for two - a passenger car just right, later it turns out that it is more maneuverable, faster, and more prestigious. Of course, for a guide, renting a car was cheaper than a mikrik, but somehow I didn’t… It’s convenient, and the guide also earned money.
Passing Colombo. In the early morning everything is closed, there are few cars. It's starting to rain. We're going along the coast. OCEAN. We pass Wadduwa, the rain intensifies, cars begin to reach towards them - to work in the capital. We pass Kalutara, the rain turns into a downpour, the cars go towards us in a continuous stream. SHOWER. Well everything, kapets! All holidays in the rain! We drive up to Bentota, the downpour is over, the asphalt is still wet.
The first stop in Kosgod is the turtle farm. Entrance ticket - 200 rupees (buying this ticket you help save 50 turtle eggs). Funny and educational. For a special thanks (100 rupees to the caretaker) they gave me to hold in my hands and take a picture with a big turtle. Let's go further. We pass Weligama - sticks with crossbars stick out of the ocean, similar to bird perches in a pet store - famous fishermen on Weligama poles. On one of the sticks (I counted about forty of them) a lone asshole sits, I'm sorry, a fisherman. Where are the "famous fishermen"? The guide smiles. In my opinion, this is another scam for tourists. Well, what can you catch, sitting on a stick in the surf, in over-watered water, except for a tourist-photographer, for money?
We drive up to Halle - the asphalt is dry. The fort is an imposing structure with an outer wall 7-10 meters thick. Inside, everything looks old, beautiful, shabby, romantic. Many weddings come here to be photographed.
Further - Cape Dondra. The southernmost point of Sri Lanka, further - to Antarctica itself, only the ocean. Lighthouse in Dondra - although not easy after a long journey, it is worth climbing. The most beautiful view. Entrance - 300 rupees, to the "fund of lighthouse attendants. "
Final stop for today: Dickwella Resort. The most expensive of all the hotels along the route, I wanted to have a good rest after the road. But, as it turned out, the worst. The number is standard. Suite - differs from the standard in price, size, view from the window, the presence of TV (without a Russian channel) and a jacuzzi - on the balcony (for example, I hate to climb into the bathroom, in a hotel where toilet bowls and bathrooms in all rooms are washed with one rag). In addition to a luxurious, deserted beach in this weather, I can’t say anything good about this hotel. I wanted to boo: order king prawns for dinner in the room. Bummer. In a hotel that considers itself a four-star hotel, there is no room service (even the guide was surprised about this).
Anyway, under a light rain, tired and hungry, we go to a restaurant. On the way, by the pool, a local "helped" stuck to us. Looks like Kyrgyz. And in pure Russian, he began to hang all sorts of services for us: starting with a balloon flight (I read somewhere that it costs from $ 500) and a boat trip “to whales” (I know for sure - now it’s not the season in the south) and ending with: “If you don’t like this hotel, come with me to the Maldives! ". He fell behind only when we sat down at a table in a restaurant. Menu. However! But what can you do: “Welcome! ". Have a bite. In the rain, on a completely deserted beach, they swam in the ocean. You can swim only near the coast, on the waves, further, despite some protection of the beach from big waves, it begins to drift into the ocean. Rest. Dinner. Dream. Tropical rain fell overnight. We were awakened not by thunder and lightning, but by a stream of water from the ceiling, flowing directly onto the pillows through the roof.
Well, at least the bed is big - do not sleep under an umbrella, The result - did not get enough sleep. For a snack at the reception, we were charged 200 rupees for 2 half-liter bottles of water drunk in the room. No one even thought to apologize. The owner is Italian, the guide makes a helpless gesture. Conclusion - definitely do not recommend this hotel.
Day two (Dikwella-Mulgirigala-Yalla)
Early in the morning we check out from the hotel and after 30 minutes we arrive at the village, where the next attraction is located. A small note. Almost all the sights of Sri Lanka are small. If you are going with the intention of seeing something like the Egyptian pyramids, you will definitely be disappointed. The locals try to show tourists everything they can (for money, of course), but the island is still small and the sights are appropriate. So: Blow Hol - a howling hole in the town of Kudavella (entrance ticket 200 rupees).
A natural hole in the rocks from which a fountain of ocean water beats every 5-15 minutes. Out of season: the fountain is 4 meters, in the season, they say - up to 30. In a year, they say, a dozen people were washed away, with ends, one jumped by itself. We take pictures and move on.
The next point is the Mulgirigala temple complex. Drive - an hour and a half on a bad road. There are few cars. For about 5 minutes we drive behind a large shiny car, resembling a fuel truck in size and shape, from which, through a hatch open on top, something splashes onto the road in a considerable amount. People who come across stop their noses, our driver laughs: this car is a shit truck. Finally overtaken. We drive up to the gates of the complex. There are practically no tourists. The place is still vacant. Entrance ticket 200 rupees. The guide says that the temple itself is better than in Dambul. True, first you need to climb the stairs to a rock 110 meters high, although it's hot, it's worth it. Top view of the jungle. Reclining Buddha. Interesting.
Transfer to Yala. On the way, we stop for a bite to eat (the guide is free of charge, due to the considerable price for tourists' lunch). Here we hire a jeep for a safari in Yalla National Park. We choose the best jeep, with seats like a normal car, and not like a truck - along the sides. 5000 rupees per car (maximum - 9 people, there are three of us with a guide), the owner wanted 5500, but the guide bargained. Later I saw 5 more points where you can rent a jeep - the prices are about the same everywhere. We arrive at the Mandara Rosen hotel. A good hotel with a terrible (in my opinion - self-made) billiards in an empty bar, a rich Ayurveda salon, spacious rooms. At the appointed time, a jeep arrives for us. NOT THAT. Old, broken, but still well done. If it doesn't work - let's have ours. Guide calls on the phone, swears. We agreed - we drive on this one to the meeting point (5 kilometers) and transfer to “ours” (it didn’t pass and it’s not necessary). On "our" jeep we drive to the gates of the park for about 40 minutes. Here is the ticket office - entrance ticket: 5306.
45 rupees (for a guide and a jeep driver - 120 rupees, for 2 foreigners - 3375 rupees + taxes and fees). The park is divided into 4 territories, tourists are allowed only on the first. Safari impression: liked-disliked = 0. If you are a hunter or, on the contrary, like to drive comfortably, then this entertainment is better to be missed. It is interesting - the animal roams the savannah, the elephant walks through the thickets of low palm trees against the backdrop of the ocean, the leopard lies on a rock. BUT. This animal roams other places in Sri Lanka, even along highways and hotel areas, except perhaps for peacocks, none of which have spread their tail. Where an elephant roams along the ocean, there are the ruins of a mini-hotel, here 200 tourists and locals died during the tsunami. Around the rock with the leopard, two dozen jeeps huddled together in an uncontrollable heap, I barely managed to take a photo. You can't get out of the jeep along the entire route.
On the way back, before the closing of the park (at 18:00), the jeeps lined up in a column - for the exit. All cars, except for the first one, drive in clouds of dust to the gate for about 40 minutes. So the impression is “0” by the sum. Around 19:00 we were at the hotel. Calculation with the driver, shower, pool under the stars, dinner.
Day Three (Yalla Nuwara Eliya)
In the morning we planned to go to Horton Plateau. But it turned out that in order to drive 140 km uphill along a serpentine to Nuwara Eliya, transfer to a jeep, drive 40 kilometers from Nuwara to the entrance to the plateau and be in time before the heat, you need to start at 5 in the morning. Hang up. We decided to take a break and postpone the “End of the World” for the next time. Lazy woke up, breakfast, swimming pool. We left at 12:00. And they realized that they did the right thing. The road took 5 hours - repairs are underway. At the end of the journey, at an altitude of about 2000 meters, it began to rain. We arrived and settled in the small hotel The Heritage Nuwara Eliya. Style - old England. The only free (very good) Wi-Fi throughout the route. BUT. Hotel
Andrews, on our last visit to Nuwara, I liked much more: sincere, more comfortable and ancient.
Day four (Nuwara Eliya-Kandy-Sigiriya)
Descent, on a normal road, four hours, if without stops. Rain. First stop is the Macwood Tea Factory. The last time the sun was shining, they laid a table for us on the street, gave us delicious tea. Now, probably due to the early time, tea was served for tasting tasteless, and they forgot about milk. We buy REAL Ceylon tea and move on. Kandy - were last time 2 days. We decided to stop only at the gift shop. First, the guide brought to a large, expensive supermarket with fixed prices - no good. Take it to the little one! Brought - the choice, of course, is not so rich, but the prices are lower and the possibility of bargaining. Purchased. We popped into a jewelry store, quickly bought what we planned further. On the way we stopped at a cave Buddhist temple in Dambulle. Beautiful temple complex.
They stretched their legs, but they did not climb the mountain to the cave temple. Farther. Hotel Sigiriya. Stop for 2 nights. The hotel was chosen because of the magnificent view of Temple Rock. Good hotel. The guide is accommodated in a room next to us. We are two, and he luxuriates alone. What do you think: how much are 2 rooms? True, for locals, the prices are really different. But in the end, everything is invested in the price for the "foriners" tourist.
Day Five (Sigiriya-Anuradhapura-Polunaruwa-Sigiriya)
In the morning we drive to Anuradhapura. About 60 km. It's worth it. Really big and old thing. Huge Dagoba (stupa), crowds of pilgrims and tourists. Bo tree. Away, around the old, now restored by UNESCO, the second largest Dagobah, flocks of monkeys roam. We feed with pre-purchased local cookies (dangerous, the animals are smart, but wild), we take pictures. Entrance fees are $25 (until recently it was $20).
Moving to Polonnaruwa. On the way, we have lunch in the town of Khabarana. At the restaurant at the Acme Transit Hotel. Tea - 400 rupees, skinny sandwiches - 800, service fee - 120.
To the question: why does tea cost 400 and not 200, as it is written on the menu? Answer: there are two of you. The guide is happy - had a bite - "for free. " By the way, elephant riding is organized in Khabaran. How much does it cost - did not care. Because they saw how they ride: several people in baskets suspended from both sides on the back of an elephant. Not interested. Last time we rode an elephant in Pinavella - then we liked it very much. In Polunaruwa - we examine the ruins of the old city. Interesting. Entrance tickets for $ 25 (at the box office at the exchange rate in rupees). By the way, in all the temple complexes you have to walk barefoot, you can wear socks (we, as “experienced”, stocked them up in advance).
Already in the dark we returned to Sigiriya.
Day six (Sigiriya - Trincomalee - Nilaveli)
It is best to climb the rock of Sigir (Tample Rock) in the morning. Climbing 1300 steps is a little tiring, especially when you crawl up a ladder suspended from a rock at a height of 200 meters.
And it's hot, despite the rather strong wind that appears closer to the top.
Landscape - beauty, sensations - super, frescoes - for an amateur. In Sophia of Kyiv - they are somehow closer in spirit. The thought haunts: Well, it was necessary to build such a thing on top of a cliff 300 meters away, and then ruin everything! Everything, the descent, the souvenir market. Entrance tickets are the same $25.
We are going to Nilaveli. On the road, behind Khabarana, we come across a stretch of road, 50 kilometers, where we are driving at an insanely fast speed for Sri Lanka: 120 km / h! ! ! But then for an hour we crawl the remaining 30 km to Trincomalee. Nilaveli Beach Resort is 12 km from Trinco. The road is normal.
Hotel Nilaveli Beach.
We are staying in a standard room. We went to see the deluxe: a little more, a safe, a TV, a hairdryer - that's all the differences, I was not impressed. The price is $50 per day - more expensive. According to locals, the hotel is over 30 years old. survived the tsunami. A “small” wave, about 6 meters, passed through the hotel. One of the waiters said that he escaped by climbing a tree.
Just in case, we specify which one. Locals say that nearby some places were blown clean, and the hotel was lucky. The last major renovation was 3 years ago. Standard rooms are scattered around the territory in one-story blocks of 3 rooms, in the second line blocks of 4. The room is clean. cleaned 2 times a day. The beds are a little bedridden. The cabinet probably survived the tsunami, the drawers are skewed - exotic. Old, rather noisy, air conditioner. I set it to + 27, the old man worked for almost a day. You come in from the street, from +37 it's cold. But the mortise air conditioner in the central (neighboring) room of our three-ruble note is a bummer. I thought that only the Baku Air Conditioner could rumble like that, but this one surpassed it! There is also a noisy Singer refrigerator. Turned it off as unnecessary. Kettle with a set: tea-coffee. A couple of chairs, a table. On the terrace there is a wooden table and chairs. In general, you can live.
The deluxe suites are located in 2-storey blocks of 4 rooms and above the restaurant. The ones in the blocks are at an angle to the ocean, so you can feel a light breeze blowing from the land on the balcony. Comfortable in the evening to sit, watch and listen to the ocean. In the rest of the rooms - stuffy, the wind blows "in the back", and the terraces are "facing" the ocean. From all rooms to the ocean 50 - 150 meters.
On the territory: the main restaurant, when the breeze blows, dinner is served outside, 2 bars - one between the pool and the beach, and a non-smoking lobby bar!
The ocean is quiet and calm, it's nice to hang out at the shore. THE BEAUTY. From the shore at 100 meters depth is up to 4 meters. BUT. Empty - no living creatures are visible. In the mask, except for the sandy bottom, there is nothing to look at. The beach in front of the hotel is clean, empty, sun loungers are under palm trees and under 4 mushrooms. Half are unoccupied.
After I made friends (for money) with a beachboy, when he saw me walking to the beach, he was already dragging 4 mattresses (it’s hard to lie on one, the mattresses are thin) and towels on “our” sunbeds.
The weather - not a drop of rain! Lightning flashed the first evening, but it never rained. Then small clouds ran up, but it was only pleasing - it was not so hot.
Neighbours. If you face the ocean, then on the left is the "city" beach of the village of Nilaveli. On the right - the ruins of the hotel (I did not understand: either the tsunami destroyed it, or the war destroyed it), further, 300 meters away - a military base. The passage is closed. But neither one nor the other - does not bother. The locals do not climb the shore near the hotel (in Sri Lanka, all shores 50 meters from the surf line belong to the state). Soldiers don't shoot. Often, especially in the morning, there was not a soul on the beach except my wife and I. Before entering the hotel - a small market.
We didn’t use it - it somehow seemed undignified to run through the checkpoint to the bazaar and save 100 rupees on a bottle of water. There are several tuk-tuks on duty at the market - to Trinco and back 1200 rupees (the same tuk-tuk at the reception, but 1500 each). We were going to go, but we never did. After a busy trip around the island, it was just too lazy to go to a dusty town in the heat to inspect an Indian temple and a supermarket. And there is nothing more to do there.
Pigeon Island. Frankly DISAPPOINTED. From the coast - 4 km. Boat round-trip $ 15 (at least for the whole day). There is a lot of greenery on the island, two rocks, 4 soldiers with 2 Kalashnikovs. Several bays. Snorkeling is less interesting than in the Black Sea. Only here, compared to the Crimea, instead of algae on boulders, there is dead coral and smaller living creatures. Well, we saw 2 sharks half a meter each, so what. Marine life if taken as 10 - Egypt, here at 3.
The attempt to swim around the island failed for two reasons: because of the strong oncoming wave and because of the large number of small, up to 2 cm transparent needles stuffed into T-shirts (the locals later explained that they were small shrimps). The coral garden was removed from the list for the same reason - the coral has not yet recovered from the tsunami. Entertainment is everything. Animation, thank God, no. Ayurveda is missing. Disco too. The territory is large enough, but there is nowhere to go. At 22:00 everyone goes to bed or goes to drink by the numbers.
Food. We paid for breakfast/dinner. Breakfast - like everywhere else, "buffet": scrambled eggs, bacon, sometimes fresh juice, fruits, sweets, coffee-tea. Satisfying, but a little monotonous. On the first day, upon arrival, dinner was buffet style. Then, due to the small number of tourists, they made a customized menu. Once at dinner, only 5 tables were occupied. The waiters are polite and helpful. BUT.
They don’t know how to cook either pork or beef (although this is not only here, but throughout the entire route). Not only to chew, you can’t always cut with a knife. But seafood! For dinner - on the menu: shark, barracuda, squid, shrimp ...For lunch, at the pool bar, for a lot of money: shrimp in local seasonings (very spicy, but I liked it) - 900 rupees, royal grill - 2000, crab - 2000 for half a kilogram, lobster - 500 per 100 grams. BUT. Now I will not eat fish or shrimp for two months.
Livestock. Periodically, a green parrot with a large yellow beak flew busily past our terrace. A lot of noisy, impudent, cunning, skinny crows. Once I saw a green palm snake the size of half a meter. Full of chipmunks (very similar to our squirrels, only smaller and striped). Those chipmunks who live near the beach bar are bolder: during lunch, they climb on the tables and can take a treat from their hands. Thick. Those who live further away are shy and not well-fed.
Three times flocks of monkeys passed through the hotel, about 20-30 each. Once they were fed specially for this purpose with biscuits and bananas stored up for this purpose. Four individuals were so crazy that they went into the room and began to demand more. However, when they saw a whip-boy with a slingshot hurrying towards us (he constantly fights with monkeys), we hastily rushed over the fence.
Shells. In the hotel, next to the beach bar, there is often an Arab who sells shells. Bought several. He is "patronized" by guards and chased by "foreign" sellers. But more beautiful and interesting bought from a passing seller.
Way home.
The journey from Nilaveli to Valkal took 6 and a half hours, although with stops for a smoke break, etc.
We arrived in Valkal by 7 pm. We stopped to rest at the Club Hotel Dolphine. I can’t say much about the hotel - we spent 6 hours there. Large room, good technology, noisy, a lot of people, reminded me of an Egyptian beach hotel. At 00/30 we go to the airport - 30 minutes. Border.
Duty free - souvenir set-box: arak + rum + gin $ 20, plus a little more - for the soul. Airplane in reverse order. Kyiv.
A few words in conclusion
*Stops along the entire route in 3* hotels. Firstly: there is no point in staying in hotels of a higher category, such as “pass along the deluxe route”, in Lanka, 3-rooms are good enough on their own, and enjoying 4 * and higher service in one evening is still not realistic. And secondly: the Dickwella Resort 4 * hotel in practice turned out to be complete crap, worse than any of the triplets visited.
* I don’t describe sights and hotels in detail, dwelling more on my feelings. For the curious, it is enough to type the name of the hotel or place in the search engine, there are all descriptions in abundance.
*The overall impression of the trip is positive. There are still many unexplored interesting places, but in the near future we are not going to return to Lanka, for various reasons.
*The text was written - having nothing to do, on vacation at the Nilaveli Beach hotel, sometimes instead of an afternoon nap and completed in Kyiv.
* I hope the story will be useful to someone.
Nilaveli - Kyiv.
May 2011
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- NILAVELI BEACH
- Magnificent hotel
- Travel Notes of a Well-Informed Pessimist
- No need to go to this hotel
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