Wednesday 20 March 2024

Sri Lanka (4-13 March 2024)

We decided to go to SL again as our previous trip back in 2020 was not completed because of Covid. We got quotes for flights and accommodation. The price of flights had almost doubled since 2020😳. There were cheaper flights via Qatar but the waiting period was much too long. We decided to go with Emirates. We booked our accommodation with booking.com and Agoda. Our planned itinerary was 3 nights in Bentota then Galle for 2 nights, then Colombo for 4 nights (we were leaving at 3am therefore had to book a fourth night). Paying for a holiday always fills me with much trepidation, feeling anxious about things happening before the impending holiday (accident, illness, death). I am so paranoid that I will take out travel insurance immediately after I pay for the flights. I am also anxious about booking for holidays via booking.com and Agoda. I will also constantly contact the home stays or hotel to confirm the bookings.


The day of the holiday arrived. Once you are at KSIA the flights and connecting flights go by so quickly and before you know it you are at your final destination. It always still amazes me how one can get to another part of the world in just 2 days 🛩Note to self, seat 29 on Emirates should be avoided at all costs as passengers seated in this row will be served with their meals last😖. 



We booked our driver in SL with Jeev who came highly recommended. He arranged our airport and hotel pick ups. Our flight arrived at 18.20 in SL, the drive to Bentota took about 2 hours. Our homestay Aayus Guest was the best place we stayed in SL, just as how we had anticipated it would be. The breakfast was amazing and the bed was super comfy, the host Thillini was awesome. We enjoyed Bentota, a quiet beach town resort with a railway line running through it. We enjoyed the quiet laid back lifestyle, and walking back to the homestay in the dark after supper, which will not be possible for one living in SA. We ate at Bamboos Garden Restaurant. The food was good on our first visit and we got to know the waiter who was from Galle quite well. Our last supper here wasn't so good though. Thillini arranged for a tuk tuk (fare 3000 SLR) to take us to the Buddhist temple and the Geoffrey Bawa home and gardens (fare 10 USD each). We were most impressed with the interior of the home but not the gardens. When hubby got sick on the day of our departure Thillini suggested an Ayurvedic tea for him. On the morning of our departure we took a walk to Cargills to get the tea which helped him a bit.


 






 



Our next town was Galle, which was very touristy. Our homestay Albert Guest did not look very pleasant from the entrance to the stairs leading to our room. First of all the lounge didn't have an aircon, and we assumed that our room wouldn't have one either, but it did. We really felt the heat in Galle as was typical for SL during the time we were here. We made sure to explore Galle in the blazing sun and retreat back to our room with the aircon in full blast. We walked to the Galle cricket stadium, and we found that  the alcoves of the Galle fort area proved to be a favourite spot for young lovers. We ate at Indian Hut and food was similar to what you would have in India. The Royal Dutch Cafe proved to be a huge disappointment. First of all the staff didn't seem very interested in serving us. The food took a long time to arrive and was cold and the  roti was dry. The owner mentioned that they do not use microwaves, maybe he should start doing that. After reading rave reviews about Dairy King we decided to have ice cream here, hubby's order was nice but I wasn't too impressed with mine. What stood out for me in Galle was the Historical Mansion Museum which was free. This place had an amazing array of antiques and we enjoyed looking at all the stuff on display. There was another warehouse full of antiques and beautiful pottery which we just found by chance. The other 2 museums (National Maritime Museum and National Museum Galle) that we paid for were a big disappointment.

 






Our final destination was Colombo. We stayed at Zest Metropole, which had the features of a posh hotel, but the bed was soft and uncomfortable, the wifi wasn't very good, the aircon worked some of the time, and the TV hardly ever worked. On our first day (Sunday) we wanted to know where Cargills was, and a kind gentlemen walked us there, only to find that it was closed. We walked to One Galle Face Mall and found a pharmacy there. Hubby needed antobiotics and we contacted our GP who whatsapped the script. Wifi was only for 1 hour at the mall, luckily a young man at the information desk allowed us to use the hot spot on his mobile. We also visited the One Galle Face Green area and Pettah market. The walk from the hotel to these places was stiflingly hot and crossing the busy streets was another hurdle we had to overcome. Luckily we found cheap eateries and Cargills inside the World Trade Center, which was opposite the hotel, and which we frequented often.




 

I think we overspent our time in Colombo. Hubby was sick and I started getting sick on the day of our departure from SL. SL was a good experience. In hindsight I would say my favourite place was Bentota.





 


Tuesday 20 June 2023

Turkey (29 May-8 June 2023)

This trip was planned to celebrate a special birthday 🎂. It was going to be a do-it-yourself type of holiday with me booking the hotel through booking.com as well as booking the airport shuttle online. So there was a lot of nervousness before the trip. I was also paranoid about us getting sick, as you feel that if a holiday is booked though an agent there is more assurance or security (I could be wrong), and you can liase with the agent if such an issue occurred.


 

Wednesday 11 January 2023

Cape Town (16-30 December 2022)

The hubby and I decided to do a road trip to Cape Town with a friend. We were fortunate in that he was going to drive us all the way there. We were going to do a 1 night stopover in Colesberg, then a 9 night stay in Cape Town, and finally a 2 night stay in Riebeeck Kasteel. The hubby and I always travel together, and there were some apprehensions about travelling with a friend. But as you will read on, the trip proved most memorable.

View from apartment

 
will miss the sunset

Friday 6 March 2020

Travelling in the time of coronavirus to Sri Lanka (March 2020)

Just when we thought terrorism and natural disasters were the only threats preventing us from travelling abroad, here comes another, in the form of coronavirus. South Africa and Sri Lanka (as of 9th March) are not in the grips of the coronavirus scare, but as we come closer to departing for our trip to Sri Lanka, panic sets in. What if we come into contact with passengers who are infected. How safe can we be on the planes or airports without being infected.  Should we postpone our journey. What if either one of us are infected in Sri Lanka. What if we return to work, and then realise that we are infected. These are the questions that are at the back of our minds. Two days before we leave I am in a deep dilemma. To add to this, the day before we leave, one of the owners in our complex had a break in, in broad daylight. Is this a bad omen for us. What if our house gets broken into while we are away. We managed to pack our bags, with all these thoughts hanging over our heads. The day finally arrived, We secured our home as best we could, and set on our journey.

Wednesday 19 June 2019

South Korea (May 2019)

Friendly people, excellent transport system, lots of things to see and do ... this is how we experienced South Korea.

Tuesday 19 June 2018

Turkey (May/June 2018)


Turkey has always been on our bucket list of places to visit. In retrospect it was the best place I have visited. We flew Turkish Airlines.

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Monday 7 November 2016

My first travel experience (1987)

I remember that day so clearly, way back in 1987. My colleagues dropped me off in front of the Imperial Hotel (in Pietermaritzburg) so that I could take the Cheetah Coaches to the Louis Botha airport in Durban. This was going to be my first ride on a plane and my first trip to Cape Town.

Thursday 27 October 2016

What to pack

It  can be daunting for a first time traveller, not knowing what to pack or what to include in your carry-on and main luggage.

Monday 6 June 2016

Bali (May 2016)

We combined the Bali trip with Hong Kong. The beautiful gardens, the enchanting music and amazing people will forever be etched in our minds.

Monday 30 May 2016

Hong Kong in 3 days (May 2016)


We flew Cathay pacific. We arrived at our hotel at 7 o’clock in the morning only to be told that we would have to wait until 3pm for our room to be ready. All we wanted to do was to rest our tired and weary bodies, and this is the last thing you want to hear.

Sri Lanka (4-13 March 2024)

We decided to go to SL again as our previous trip back in 2020 was not completed because of Covid. We got quotes for flights and accommodati...