After some consideration between Trincomalee and Kandy we decided we were after something a little different after all our recent beach time so started to figure out the best way to get to Kandy. Knowing that 9 hours on a bus sounded hellish (the Sri Lankan buses are fine they’re just cramped for long journeys) we instead decided to hop on a train to Kurunegala (Rs290/$2.45 AUD/1.80 USD - 6hrs 3rd Class) and then catch a bus the rest of the way to Kandy (Rs78/$0.65 AUD/0.50 USD - 1hr). This takes almost as long as the bus but is a much nicer experience. At Kurunegala all you have to do is walk from the train station up to the main road, cross to the other side and flag down any bus with Kandy written on the front. It really is that easy. Once we arrived in Kandy, Dani set off to find us somewhere to stay while I waited with the bags and after 45 minutes she was back glowing with excitement. She had managed to negotiate us a beautiful room at Lime Grove Inn for Rs2000 a night ($17 AUD/12.60 USD), which was Rs1000 less than the initial price she had been quoted. Sri Lanka is a minefield of negotiations but its possible on pretty much anything, from food to accommodation, gifts and sometimes even local transport (not trains). Our plan for Kandy was a simple one. We wanted to learn how to cook some of the delicious food that we had been living on over the last few weeks and the only way to do that was to sign up for a cooking class. We had been tempted to try a new shared economy website With Locals and with €30 credit to spend on your first trip this seemed perfect. We signed up for a class to learn how to make 5 dishes. Dahl, yellow rice, devilled potato, egg curry and eggplant salad and we were served traditional buffalo curd with treacle to finish. This was really not the hands on class we were hoping for and was more of a demonstration but we did learn a lot about the cooking of Sri Lankan food and actually the surprising amount of flavour that can be imparted within a short timeframe. In Kandy we decided to avoid visiting the Buddha’s Tooth temple as although I understand the huge significance to Buddhists the $15 USD ($20.25 AUD) entrance fee seemed unreasonably high. It does however look like a beautiful temple to visit so if you don’t mind the steep fees it might be worth the visit. After the cooking class, a few trips to the markets and some lovely walks around the lake it was time to take the train to Nanuoya to return to Nuwara Eliya. This really is a stunning train ride but there is certainly no reason to take the fancy 1st class observation train. For Rs80 ($0.65 AUD/0.50 USD) you can get perfectly adequate 3rd class ticket which gives you the exact same view (but without the aircon or a cushion in your seat). On arrival at Nanuoya we ignored the calls of the taxi drivers and walked the 200m up the hill to the main road. There, waiting just to the right was a bus to Nuwara Eliya. It cost Rs28pp ($0.25 AUD/0.15 USD) and took about 30mins to reach the centre of town. We had booked our room in advance so headed off out of town in search of it but in hindsight this was totally unnecessary as just behind Victoria Park were a number of guesthouses that looked great and reasonably priced. The number 1 thing to do in this pretty colonial town is to visit tea plantations. We decided on 2 while we were there. The first one, Pedro’s is close enough that we decided to walk there and the other Bluefields is a 45minute bus ride on the Kandy Road (this should cost you Rs60/$0.50 AUD/0.35 USD on any Kandy/Colombo bound bus but they will try and charge much more - I was quoted 220Rs one way by one driver!!). Pedro’s Tea Estate is also close to Lover’s Leap waterfall which is an easy, 30 minute, signposted walk from the factory. Pedro’s cost Rs250 ($2.10 AUD/1.55USD) for a quick tour of the factory and a cup of tea over looking the plantation. At Bluefields an almost identical tour is free. As Dani believes that tea is more essential than oxygen we were pretty happy to do both tours but it probably isn’t necessary for the non tea drinkers/enthusiasts out there. From here it was time to head somewhere new again. So, back to the train station by bus we went and then on to Haputale by train (Rs40/$0.35 AUD/0.25 USD 3rd Class) which was actually even prettier than the last train journey. It’s only a 2 hour ride so we were there by early afternoon ready to find somewhere to stay. This was where we seriously lucked out and met Ali. Haputale turned out to be our favourite destination in Sri Lanka and Ali probably had a lot to do with this. Dani and I don’t always shy away from touts at train and bus stations as we have found some of our best deals on accommodation have come from them, it’s just a bit of a case of knowing who you can trust. Ali was someone we definitely felt we could trust. After listening to the pitches from a few other guesthouse proprietors we decided to followed this strange man with his bright orange beard down to what looked like the most out of our price range hotel we’d seen. Knowing that if we were too enthusiastic we may loose all bargaining power we had to seriously contain ourselves when he offered us a beautiful ensuite double room with the most glorious view out over the hills and tea plantations for only Rs2000/night ($16.90 AUD/12.55 USD). Sri Lak View turned out to be one of the Lonely Planet picks and it does offer some seriously good value. The only downside is the mosque perched behind the hotels annexed wing that will wake you up briefly at 4am with its call to prayer. This being said if you get one of the rooms close to reception you can’t hear it (we had to move rooms during our stay so experienced both). Haputale offers a lot in terms of a travel location. It still isn’t on the main tourist trail so prices are fairly reasonable and locals are less likely to take you for a ride. It’s in a pretty location and there is a lot that’s accessible from there. We had chosen it to go to Lipton’s Seat. Not really wanting to get up at the crack of dawn we decided to risk not having the view at the summit. We discovered there is a bus you can take from Haputale all the way up to near the ticketing booth for Lipton Seat (Rs60/$0.50 AUD/0.35 USD) cutting out the need for a pricey tuktuk. It drops you off 2km from Lipton Seat meaning you have a smaller walk than the hike from the tea factory but a nice enough one to make it worthwhile. When we reached the top there was no view to be had at all but the ascent through the plantations had been stunning so we were not bothered at all! We both agree that if we’d just taken a tuktuk from Haputale to the top (1500Rs wait and return) the whole thing would have felt a bit pointless but because we walked it was actually one of our highlights of the whole country. Knowing that we had almost 2 hours before the bus back to Haputale was due we decided to walk as far as we could back towards the factory. We took another path back from the summit that took us through the plantation village which was really quite beautiful and then along the main road back to the factory. We made it back before the shuttle bus arrived so we were able to take one of the normal buses back to Haputale (Rs33/$0.25 AUD/0.20 USD). From Haputale you can also access trips to Horton Plains as well, so it makes a great alternative base to Ella if you want to avoid the tourist trail a bit! We had stopped in Ella for a soda when we were on our safari tour and we already knew we weren’t going to like it. I’m really sorry if you’re reading this and Ella was your favourite in Sri Lanka but to us it represented everything that is wrong with a place once it’s “discovered” by people. Food costs 3 times what it should and is dulled down for the tourist palate, accommodation is the same, the hustles become more evident and the calls for taxis, tours and souvenirs become more aggressive. The only reason we were coming to Ella was to attempt another cooking class. We were lucky again when we got off the train (Rs25/$0.20 AUD/0.15 USD) and jumped in the back of a touts tuktuk, this time to be taken to his sister’s guesthouse. Walkers Nest was good value at Rs1750 ($14.80 AUD/11 USD - down from Rs2000) for a double room with private bathroom and was set in a nice location close to the station. The cooking class while more hands on than Kandy still left a lot to be desired but wasn’t expensive at Rs2000 ($16.90 AUD/12.55 USD). We noticed about 5 different signs for cooking classes here so I’d shop around and potentially avoid Ella Rocks, which was the one we had chosen. Our month in Sri Lanka was coming to an end and we had decided to round it off with a trip to Galle. From Ella we had 2 choices...we could either catch the overnight sleeper train to Colombo and then another train to Galle or we could catch a bus from Ella directly to Galle during the day. The funny thing was we actually chose the train but tickets in sleeper class were all sold out. This left us with the only other option of the bus. In fairness, despite my misgivings about this option, it turned out to be much easier than anticipated. There are 5 direct buses (7.10, 9.35, 11.30, 12.10 and 21.40) that go a day to Galle, taking between 6-7 hours and costing Rs400 ($3.40 AUD/2.50 USD). To catch the bus you go to the bus stop (it’s fairly obvious) just beyond the Ella-Passara Road (outside the Ella Gap Hotel). From here you can also catch the bus to Matara, Trincomalee, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and to Monaragala or Siyambalanduwa Junctions to carry on to Arugam Bay. If you are heading to Arugam Bay from here it is worth while banding together with other travelers and bargaining for a taxi for the journey. With some good negotiating you can pay Rs8000 ($67.65 AUD/50.25 USD) for 6 people which although more expensive than the bus seemed worth the money to forgo the 2-3 buses and a tuktuk it would take otherwise. Having left on the 9.35 we arrived into Galle a little before 4. The immense heat was immediately evident as we stepped off the bus and our initial attempt at finding accommodation in the Old Fort quickly showed us this was not where we were going to find reasonably priced lodgings. For a reduced rate of 2000Rs/night we were offered a glorified bedsit room complete with broken window, dirty bathroom and a single poorly functioning fan, not a great start! A little tired and grouchy now we headed out of the fort and into Galle proper where we were lucky enough to stumble across Home Living Unit. This was a full apartment complete with living room, bathroom and kitchenette and Dani managed to negotiate it down to Rs2000/night ($17 AUD/12.60 USD). All sense of dread about making mistakes heading to Galle lifted as we walked up the stairs to settle in. Galle fort is nice to wander around and has some great architecture but I would definitely recommend staying outside of the fort walls as it is not far to walk and you get significantly better value for money. It also comes with loads more local places to eat and they aren’t hiking up their prices because of the tourist dollars. We really enjoyed our last few days chilling out in Galle, wandering around and filling up on delicious Sri Lankan food while we still could. Our time in Sri Lanka was almost over but one thing was for certain…we would be coming back. Our final leg was taking us back to Colombo on the train (Rs100/$0.85/0.60 USD 3rd class train ticket) for our final night. We had chosen to stay quite close to the bus station (near Colombo Fort Train Station) at City Hotel (the owner gave us local rates which are Rs3000/$25.35 AUD/18.85 USD) so that we could catch the bus to the airport in the morning. We had read some seriously conflicting messages about this bus and I was filled with anxiety as we arrived at the bus station mid morning on departure day. It turned out I needn’t have worried. The information counter directed us to the bus, which is an airconditioned private bus that has 187 on the front and states that it uses the highway route. This bus, contrary to reports does go from the actual bus station, doesn’t stop a 100 times along the way and does drop you off at departures all for only Rs150pp ($1.25 AUD/0.95 USD). We absolutely adored our time in Sri Lanka. Both of us are aware it’s taking off as a backpacker destination but are astounded that it’s taken this long. It really does have it all. You can visit it all year round due to its unique weather pattern of having two seperate monsoon seasons on opposite sides of the country. It has beaches, wildlife, tea plantations, surfing, hiking, culture and cuisine. There really is something for everyone here and best of all it is amazingly cheap. I would recommend travelling there before everyone finds out how incredible this place really is. LGBT: Sri Lanka was a hard one for us. There was never any time we felt unsafe or unwelcome but at no point did we ever feel that we should share our true relationship. Homosexuality is still illegal in Sri Lanka (no one has been prosecuted for over 60 years) and never was an assumption made about our relationship being anything other than friends (except when people mistook Dani for my son... not as funny as it seems). The hardest time we had was on our 6 day safari where we felt uncomfortable coming out to our driver who would then make up his own story as t o why we were traveling together and I got to say it got hard not to scream... "She's my wife!!!". It feels as though Sri Lanka is definitely a don't ask, don't tell kind of place and due to the illegal nature and general non acceptance it's probably safer to stay quiet. Budget Time $$$Budgeting in Sri Lanka was an absolute dream, in fact, for the most part, spending money in Sri Lanka is the difficult part. We went in with a very reasonable sounding $25USD ($33AUD)pp/day. This would have brought it in at slightly under out general South East Asian target of $35AUDpp/day. As you can see below we came way under this! However, it is worth noting that they sum we spent overall did not include entrance to any of the majorly expensive national sights (Sigiria, Horton Plains etc) nor did it include safari park entrances, both of which are major attractions in Sri Lanka and can really eat into a budget. These were all included in our very indulgent safari trip. However, I have costed that up for you in the safari break down so you can have a better idea of what that would cost in addition to basic expenses on the ground.
Entertainment expenses are more than likely going to be the biggest part of a standard backpacker budget in Sri Lanka. The entrance fees for certain attractions are inexplicably high so if you want to keep your costs down then you need to really think about which ones you want to do and what you consider to be good value for money. In other words, do your research before you come. Transport in Sri Lanka is unbelievably cheap. Local transport on trains and buses will literally not even be noticed in a budget and if you want to go first class or hire a driver or take a long distance taxi these are all affordable options on a backpackers budget! Accommodation costs, like everything else is always up for negotiation, the longer you can guarantee to stay somewhere the more likely you are to get a discount. Again, don’t always accept the first offer and have an idea of what a reasonable amount should be or what you are willing to pay per night or for your total stay. Tips for Sri Lanka in terms of budgeting are fairly simple. Haggling everywhere, for nearly everything is essential! That’s just the way the culture works. Prices of accommodation, day trips, souvenirs, food…are all up for negotiation! If you don’t haggle, you will be likely to pay too much. If you think the cost of something is unreasonable then just walk away and look elsewhere for the same product/service. Locals will almost always try to get a bit more out of you than something is worth. The trick is to find a middle ground that you both agree on, it might not be the exact value but if you think what you are paying is reasonable then everyone’s happy. 99% of the time they are willing to play the game with you and they are willing and happy to be reasonable. If they aren’t then someone else will be! Before considering paying for ANYTHING make sure you have an idea of what it should cost and/or what you are willing to pay. Sometimes the difference in your own money may be negligible but there is no reason you should be expected to pay four times the price for a short local bus journey than a Sri Lankan would. This policy goes for eating in local restaurants too. If there isn’t a menu with prices on it (which is rare – and if there is one you may find it has inflated tourist rates on it anway!) always ask how much something costs before you order it and total the cost of things up in your head as you go. In spite of following this method throughout our time in Sri Lanka I had to question the bills we were given after meals almost daily! Like I said before, this is rarely done out of malice and more out of a sneaky little hope that they can make a little extra out of the foreigner, but in local places for local products/services this wasn’t something we were willing to put up with. If we had agreed a price before hand, that was what we were going to pay. Overall, Sri Lanka is cheap, amazingly cheap, unbelievably cheap. Backpackers can live there best life for almost nothing. Luxury is also attainable for much less than you would pay almost anywhere else in the world. Yes, some things like major attractions can quickly push up daily expenses, but savings on food, accommodation and transport can easily cover this! What it actually cost: $760.35AUD for 22 day (doesn't include our 6 days on safari) Accomodation: $334.48 Food: $127.11 Drinks: $89.19 Entertainment: $85.43 Souvenirs: $66.76 Transport: $45.84 Miscellaneous: $10.31 Bribes: $1.24 This works out at $17.28 per person per day.
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