Dave & Gary
Spain, April 2017
What did you like most about Sri Lanka?
We went for its wildlife and saw so many different birds and other wildlife it was great. The feel of the island seems peaceful and joyous – we travelled at Buddhist NY [New Year] so there was a holiday feel to the towns.
The parks were very beautiful with many flowers – we’re not used to seeing elephants with so much beautiful vegetation (having mainly seen then in the African savanna). The day trip into the tropical rainforest was wonderful.
What did you like least about Sri Lanka?
Not much. Sometimes the traffic was bad and sometimes it was a bit nerve racking – but Kapila was a very safe cautious driver. Wildlife viewing (whales & leopards) were a rat race. Not really great viewing – just commercial.
What is your opinion of your accommodation in Sri Lanka?
All good and friendly.
What is your opinion of your chauffeur guide in Sri Lanka?
Kapila was great – very knowledgeable and safe. He made us feel we could rely on him very quickly. His wildlife knowledge was just what we wanted and we wouldn't hesitate to ask for him on a future trip. Nahil [Nihal] was only with us for the drive back to Negombo but was very pleasant.
What is your opinion of your flights to and from Sri Lanka?
Very pleasantly surprised having travelled on two bad flights on Sri Lankan Airlines a few years ago to the Maldives. On time, good entertainment but quite cramped. [Economy Class]
Any other comments?
We found it difficult to communicate through Kapila to our 4x4 driver at Yala that we did not enjoy the diesel and mobile phone chase after leopards. After feeling quite disappointed we firmly reiterated we didn't mind if we didn't see a leopard – the chase was horrible. We then had a lovely couple of days watching everything else in peace.
The turtle hatchery in Kosgoda was a circus – not recommended. Since we had asked for this I had hoped there might be one which wasn't so bad. I've been in touch with some people I know who are turtle experts and am now in direct contact with Dr. Lalith Ekanayake Ph.D. – the foremost turtle expert in Sri Lanka. There are moves to bring the hatcheries into line and I will be blogging on this soon.
On our last night we asked Nahil [Nihal] if he knew somewhere in Negombo for an Ayuverdic massage clearly stating "no prostitutes". Unfortunately he took us to a place which was only the latter and explained to us it had been highly recommended. Clearly no longer.
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