Excursion program, beach holidays in Kalutara.
Before traveling to Sri Lanka, my friend and I took from our employee, who recently arrived from Sri Lanka, a card from their local mobile operator Mobitel. Arriving at the airport, we immediately replenished it with 1000 rupees. We praised this for calls and sms. Communication is not expensive. For example, SMS to Ukraine costs about 40 kopecks.
We flew with Arab Airlines - Air Arabia with a change in Sharjah. Take food with you, as there is no food on board the aircraft (only for an additional fee).
We ordered a tour with an excursion program, so we were already met at the airport by a local Sri Lankan guide. What I liked was that we were taken on excursions in an air-conditioned car, consider that we had individual excursions.
Immediately upon arrival, we went to the hotel, and the next day Sigiriya was waiting for us. The ascent to the mountain is not difficult, however, the steps are a bit slippery. Locals ran up to us and began to lend a hand, helping us up. But the guide said they would want $10 after that so we canceled their services. The guide who conducted the tour of Sigiriya did not understand some of our questions well and answered inappropriately. Didn't like it. A lot depends on the guide. At the end, this guide demanded a tip - $10. He didn't stop until we gave him the money. As a result, we gave him 1.000 rupees.
Then we were taken to a gem shop, although it was not on the list of our excursions. They talked about how stones are mined in Sri Lanka. Prices for stones are not low, they are not willingly traded. I read somewhere that in Sri Lanka it is necessary to cut the price by half, and then bargain, but this is not true. They will never lower the price for you.
Then we bought magnets, which were also not cheap (they were cheaper at the airport), after which we went to the spice garden, where we were also offered to buy not cheap Ayurvedic creams. I don’t know how effective they are, but we fell for a depilatory cream. I can’t say anything about him, but this is most likely a scam for money. So be careful there)
Then we went to Kandy, watched national dances (nothing special). So they wanted to take money from us even for showing where the toilet is...
At the hotel, we were immediately met by 2 porters who had to pay a tip (100 rupees each). This is such a rule. The hotel in Kandy was worse than the first because there was 1 double bed for two. And in the morning they simply kicked us out of the room so that we would leave as soon as possible, having previously sent 2 porters to the room again.
In Kandy, we visited the Temple of the Tooth Relic, after which we went to the Royal Botanical Gardens.
When we stopped near a tea plantation, women ran up to us and began to give tea leaves, I took a branch, so the woman immediately demanded money... I quickly returned this branch to her.
Be sure to carefully count money and check checks. It was only in Ukraine that we found out that more tea was included in the bill than we actually bought.
After the excursions, we arrived in Kalutara, where we were waiting for a beach holiday at the Hibiscus Beach Hotel. The room was with 1 double bed, which was not comfortable. But they didn't change our number. The cost of the holiday included breakfast and dinner. The food was delicious and plentiful. They offered fresh juices in the evening, who did not know, he ordered, thinking that they were free, but they cost 700 rupees.
In general, in Sri Lanka, locals almost always tell you to do something, not saying that it is paid, but then it turns out that they did it for money. So get ready for it.
Sri Lankans constantly approached the beach and offered excursions, take them to a gem store, etc. But, as we learned from vacationers, excursions, if booked on the coast, are much more expensive than we paid back in Ukraine, and be prepared for the fact that it will take a very long time to go to sightseeing sites. The most important thing is that you get a good guide, a lot depends on him.
In general, the holiday was a success. Despite the obsession and extortion of the Sri Lankans, we had a good rest, ate exotic fruits, seafood, sunbathed, jumped on the waves in the ocean (it is impossible to swim in it - huge waves) and saw a lot of different living creatures.
I wish you all a great holiday and always be on the alert in Sri Lanka)
