Land of smiles and relaxation
The trip is timed to coincide with my husband's birthday! It was Christmas and it was cold and I wanted a holiday and warmth. Therefore, the main criterion for choosing a place and a hotel was: warm countries, direct ocean views, average distance to the airport. So: the country is Sri Lanka, the hotel is The Surf, excursions ....We decided to sort it out on the spot. We arrived in a good mood - and that was the main thing. I won't describe the host - I'll just say that we were just dropped off the bus without an accompanying guide. There was only the driver, who nodded to us that we had arrived. At this point, we decided to forget about the host country and excursions from it. And they did it right. The Internet is a great thing! They did the right thing by buying a Dialog card immediately at the airport - the issue with communication was resolved for the entire period. And this is not our connection quality - it was accepted everywhere - in the mountains or on the beach. 2 days at sea - and it's time for excursions.
The guide from the agency did not know much of the language, and they did not have such excursions - they decided to act on their own. And they never regretted it. Google helped by the phrase "Russian-speaking guide in Bentota" to find positive reviews about Nuan (Nuwan) he has his own website vacationlanka. com, via Skype, Nuwanpioneer contacted him the same evening. He had an excursion, but despite this, he arrived after it at 22:30 to our hotel and we agreed on excursions for 2 days. We left at 6 in the morning. If you plan to go to Kandy, Sigiriya - get ready for long journeys - we miscalculated what we took for 2 days - it was necessary for 4, but in 2 days Nuan showed us as much as guides from hotels show in 4 days. There was a comfortable car for 5-6 people (free), but because we were only with my husband - we had enough space : )))) What we saw: a rubber plantation (it was interesting to touch a cut of rubber), a pineapple plantation - cut in the morning (personally) pineapple - what could be better! Elephant nursery.
Breakfast and during breakfast on the terrace to watch 30-50 elephants bathe - unforgettable photos (attached). A small spice garden - it's interesting to see how turmeric, cocoa and .....cobra's hole grows : ) (it seems to be not there already, but to my question "and if there is, is this a problem for tourists? " - they laughed merrily : ))))) ) - they definitely have a sense of humor! On the way, I stopped to look at a small monument, it was not even a monument - these were rollers for building roads that the British brought and left. And then ATTENTION: in 1826. Can you imagine? The British left them, but the Sinhalese kept them, and in such a state as if they had just been made. Impressed. Then we jumped to a tea plantation (Nuan said that a tour to a large plantation would take a whole day, but we did see a small piece of it. Apparently it was made for tourists, because a lot of people sat and tasted tea there (attached).
Then we moved to the Queen Victoria Garden. The tree of Nicholas 2 and Yuri Gagarin, orchids, huge trees, the most expensive coconuts, an alley of seemingly drunken trees. All this is worth seeing. Then moving to Kandy - an evening dance show: how skeptical I am with folklore - I was surprised! The Temple of the Tooth of Buddha is a sacred place and is saturated with holiness and the aura of the fact that here you are safer than anywhere else. We managed all this in one day - dinner (their meat is tough - I do not advise). The Sinhalese do not eat it. Virtually no one - they are vegetarians. The hotel was not bad - swimming pool, clean and comfortable rooms and helpful staff - what else do you need after such a busy day? ! Next day - Dambula and Sigiriya. In the afternoon we went to the hotel (the road took 6 hours - therefore I advise for 3-4 days) and by 20.00 Nuan drove us to the gates of the hotel.
Nuan was very attentive to us, and was not distracted by anything or anyone during the excursions: he was 100% busy with us - he told and showed us, he was responsible for his duties as a guide, explained a lot of interesting things about traditions and customs, and by the end trip, we looked at Lanka with completely different eyes - kindness, calmness and smiles were felt everywhere - constant smiles! It gives something to your soul, what is called the enrichment of your soul. Yes, my husband and I have become spiritually richer! Thank you Lanka and Nuan! Upon arrival at the hotel, Nuan took us to a shop for masks, leather bags, jewelry, fruit - everywhere he took us with a smile and answered “yes, of course” to any request. They asked us to organize sea fishing - we went to sea fishing. No problems! We did not catch a big fish, but we took 4 fish with us : ) Nuan asked her to fry in the SUSANTHA'S restaurant - it was very tasty.
In the SUSANTHA'S restaurant you can eat - the menu is very diverse - it's simple, without pathos, but very tasty - 2 times cheaper. If you go - compare : ) The most memorable thing from the trip is the ocean. It is powerful, beautiful, clean and warm. I will return to Lanka, it is so calm and warm there (the heat is not felt, but my husband, despite the creams, still burned out). If you need a guide - contact Nuan. We highly recommend it to my husband. English, German, Russian - knows all languages. A good guide is very important.
Have a good rest everyone! There will be questions - write, I will be happy to answer!
