Tag: tour

What to do in the Cameron Highlands? Our guide

The Cameron Highlands are famous for their tea plantations. Coming on the bus we saw nothing of that. To our surprise the closer we got to the area, the more strawberry farms appeared. All adjusted to Asian tourism, with massive strawberry statues and fruit menus. We saw buses unloading in front of so many of them. It was our first disappointment before we even arrived.

Where to stay?

Both of the villages (Brinchang and Tana Rata) are really not that special. Those are not coffee towns of Colombia with charming architecture and certain peace. Here there is a construction site everywhere, all concrete, all future hotels and hostels.

As a traveler you always want to be close to what there is to see, in that case to tea plantations and to be honest none of the villages will place you close to everything. The plantations and anything else that there is to see in Cameron Highlands is pretty widespread so in final end, it doesn´t matter where you stay, you will have to take a tour or a taxi anyway.

We were relieved when it turned out that our little hotel was really friendly and beautiful and Brinchang turned out to be a bit calmer than Tana Rata.

Hotel Flora Plus was situated almost at the outskirts of the village which we didn't mind, since there was little noise and food was still close by. The hotel itself had a really charming lobby filled with plants and comfortable places to sit. We also loved their quiet, spacious sitting area in the back that was just perfect for a chill out or eating your take out meal.

What to see?

Unfortunately exploring the Cameron Highlands we saw way more strawberry farms than tea plantations. It seems that those attract more Asian tourists than tea and at the end of the day, it’s all about business.

We decided to give it a chance and visit Big Strawberry Farm since it was at walking distance from our place. I wouldn’t call it a must-see. I wasn’t impressed by pots and pots of strawberries or their strawberry menu or certainly not by cheesy statues. All the other farms looked pretty much the same… So at least if you see one, you saw them all. The visit doesn’t take more than 30 minutes unless someone is very fond of screaming Chinese tourists than a visit in the café is recommended. On the bright side, entrance to the farm is free.

Tea plantations

Sungai Palas Boh Tea Estate is the most popular choice. The plantation is huge and spread all over the surrounding hills. In the middle of it all there is a building where one can explore the history of the estate and find out a bit more about tea in general. The busiest spot is definitely the terrace and the café where one can try local tea and pastries. The crowds are insane! It takes a fight to find a place and then a lot of patience to stand in the queue. And for what???? Because the tea there is not as good as assam black tea on Taiwan or even earl grey produced on Sri Lanka. To be fair the views from the terrace are spectacular.

I’m a tea lover so one plantation would not be enough. We decided to visit the Cameron Bharat Tea Plantation and this one has stolen our hearts. The tea house was maybe not as pretty as the one from the Boh Estate but the views were just as good, employees were very friendly and their chai tea was really good.

But the best part was that we had the whole estate for ourselves for hours. We could walk around between tea bushes undisturbed. For us that was the winner! 🙂

High tea

There are many places offering a high tea experience in the Cameron Highlands. But some seem not to offer really a “high” type of experience. What’s the point of going for high tea to a shabby café?

We decided to splurge in the Cameron Highlands Resort and it was as luxurious as the name could indicate. The whole hotel was stunning and brought us immediately back to the colonial past.

The tea room was exactly how I imagined a colonial manor. Rattan furniture, massive windows and lots of wood. Surrounded by lovely music we were ready to dig into our delicious scones with strawberry jam. Except for those we got some decadent pastries and lovely, tiny sandwiches. The tea was the same one we had at the Boh tea estate, not impressive but when the food is that good and the atmosphere is so lovely you can overlook that 🙂

p.s. high tea is served between 3-6 pm and costs 55 MYR (so around 11 euro) per person.

Surrounding nature

In our dreams we saw ourselves strolling through tea plantations, sitting on terraces with views on even more tea with a cup in one hand and a book in the other. In reality the tea estates were not as easily accessible as we thought and definitely not as omnipresent as we thought.

We decided to search beyond that and found out that the Cameron Highlands have much more to offer than just plantations. The only problem was that we had to take a tour simply because there are no buses or any other public transportation available. We also didn’t want to rent a taxi.

We decided to take a tour from Hill Top Tours (whole day for 98 MYR around 20 euros). We were both really happy we did that. First of all we saw rafflesias, the largest flowers on earth. I’m sure we wouldn’t be able to find them on our own in the forest even though they can grow up to 1m in diameter. We were actually very lucky, nowadays rafflesias are scarce and the flowers blooms only for few days.

Our guide didn’t know much about nature and actually many things he said were probably a creation of his imagination but I could forgive him that because he took us to a really beautiful mossy forest. We were the only people there and with a bit of mist, the forest looked like a set for Lord of the Rings.

In there I spotted many carnivore plants. Thankfully they stick to small meat like insects. They looked very innocent, hanging in between the branches of the trees.

Except for the “hidden” mossy forest we visited another one that already has the tourism infrastructure. There was a deck there leading through a less impressive, trampled down forest. It was a sad example of “before” and “after” mass tourism…

Except for those the excursion took us for a demonstration of blow pipe hunting. It was a typical touristic circle that we never really enjoy and probably never will. We also passed the Boh Tea plantation.

TIP! Since transportation in the Cameron Highlands is not that easy if you show up without your own car, we really would recommend taking an excursion. Taxi is not such a great option, simply because they tend to be more expensive and you have to pay per hour rather than for a certain route. Also when it's busy taxi drivers are very picky and prefer clients that book them for a whole day rather than an hour or two.

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Sigirya, Sri Lanka

How much does it cost to travel in Sri Lanka? Our budget and tips

Coming from Oman Sri Lanka was a breath of fresh air to our pockets. Almost everything was cheap and for those who want to lower their standards even further and get cozy with rats it can be even cheaper 🙂

On Sri Lanka we spend a total of 1311 euro over 29 days. So that makes almost 23 euros per day per person.

So let´s break it down:)

Where did we go?

Starting from Colombo we travelled along the coast stopping in charming villages and towns down to Mirissa. After seeing whales we started going more north to enjoy some tea in Ella, the famous train from Ella to Kandy and finally the cultural triangle. For the last few days of our stay on Sri Lanka we chilled out on the coast close by Colombo.

How did we travel?

We wish we could say "safe" but honestly the buses in Sri Lanka were really scary especially along the south coast. Whenever we could we tried to take a train rather than the bus. But on the positive side the transportation of all kind was really cheap and offered really breathtaking views over tea plantations, rice fields, lakes, seaside and whatever you could imagine. Many times we saw elephants from buses and not only passing the temples.

For the famous train passing through tea plantation we paid 800 LKR (around 5 euro)... for both of us. And that was a 7 hour train so probably the most expensive that you can get. It was 3rd class but it was comfortable and we were sitting without a problem.

Buses are a bit more expensive, probably because you pay for the adrenaline shot that you get in there… So a short ride from Kandy to Dambulla costed us 200 LKR (1.2 euro) for us both.

Tuk tuks are obviously the most expensive option except for a private car with a driver of course. They require quite a bit of bargaining skills and patience. Within a city or just outside for a short ride we would pay maybe around 120 LKR (around 75 cents).

In Colombo and surrounding areas along the coast we used UBER which turned out to be cheaper than local tuk tuks. For that price we were expecting a Flintstone-like vehicle but to our surprise we were always picked up by a car.

Overall on transportation we spend a total of 77 euros.

Where did we stay?

Accommodation was the biggest part of our spending and cost us 557 euro. That said we slept in really few shabby places and we treated ourselves with nicer places to sleep twice. We even rented an apartment which was ridiculously cheap.

Only 4 nights we spent in dormitories not even because we were open to spend extra on private rooms but actually because private rooms were often cheaper than two beds in dorms. For 3000 LKR (around 19 euro) we already had a nice double room with a private bathroom in most cases. For just additional 1000 LKR we stayed in a charming, little cottage with a private terrace overlooking a green, lushy tea region. Rowinrich Cottages was definitely our favorite accommodation where we stayed just for 5 nights. We wanted to stay there forever 😀

Another treat was an Airbnb apartment in Mount Lavinia for 30 USD. It was worth every dollar of that price. We had our own kitchen where JD could cook his amazing curries, great, spacious living room, aircon in the bedroom and a stunning, huge terrace with plenty of trees and plants of many kinds.

What did we eat?

On food and eating out we spent a combined 514 euros. The prices of restaurants on Sri Lanka were surprisingly high. In some places especially along the coast we couldn’t find anything that wouldn’t cost us a day in a bathroom, for under 10 euros per plate. Thankfully in many spots we had a kitchen so we just cooked ourselves buying a lot of vegetables, seafood and occasionally meat. Whenever we cooked we were definitely not saving on ingredients of any kind and still it was mostly cheaper than eating out. The only delicious and really economic restaurant was Matey’s hut in Ella where we ate every day. Everything there was prepared fresh with love and passion. Prices were very low and we were leaving happy, full and ready for any adventure for 1000-1500 LKR for both of us (6-9 euros).

Along the coast we went to a few hip restaurants and bars and generally for both of us we would pay around 2500-3000 LKR (16-19 euros).

How expensive are museums, tours etc?

On tourism we spend 147 euros. In general entrances to museums, temples and sights were cheap or free BUT in the cultural triangle the prices are just insane. For seeing Sigiriya Rock we paid 9000 LKR (56 euros) for both of us which is just a ridiculous price considering that you’re only visiting ruins on top and bottom of a rock which don't resemble more than few walls…. Honestly we were not even impressed. Well maybe we were stunned by the crowds but that’s it. It would have been a nice trip for 10 dollars but it’s not worth the whole price we paid.

Polonnaruwa ruins which also belong to the cultural triangle cost us 7500 LKR (for both, 47 euros) so also overpriced in our opinion. But those were at least pretty extensive and included many ruins and temples. It was also not that crowded in the morning.

Whale watching tour was surprisingly cheap and we paid just 4000 LKR for the two of us. We were sharing a boat with probably around 30 Chinese people which at times was challenging. All of them were running around from one side of the boat to the other trying to get the best shot of the whales. The boat was swinging like crazy but no one seemed to care except for us.

Many other sights were pretty cheap and our favorite was a temple carved in a rock in Dambulla (free of charge).

Where did the rest of our money go?

Most of our 16 additional euros we spend on mobile internet. For 649 LKR (around 4 euros) we bought a simcard from Dialog together with 4GB data during the day and 5GB data throughout the night time. We put some additional money on the phone to be able to call and text and honestly it was a great investment. The mobile internet was just great and came in very handy in so many situations especially that in some places where we stayed the internet was not really that good or sometimes even non-existent.

Our tips to save money on Sri Lanka

  1. Bargain, bargain, bargain!! On Sri Lanka prices are very negotiable. So before you rent a tuk tuk, a room or anything try to set the best price possible.
  2. Take UBER. In Colombo and nearby towns you can get better prices by just requesting an uber than you would get bargaining with a tuk tuk driver. And you will be picked up by a normal car:)
  3. Know the way! If you’re taking a tuk tuk make sure that the driver realizes that you know the way. We found that if you actually show on the map point A and B and tell them the amount of kilometers, you get a better, more honest price.
  4. Train! Trains are generally cheaper and safer than buses so whenever you can try to use them.
  5. Volunteer! Although we didn’t try it we met quite a few people volunteering via Workaway. It’s mostly volunteering in hostels and guesthouses but if you’re on a tight budget you can save on accommodation and food.
  6. Check out double rooms! In many cases we paid less for a double room than we would for two beds in a dorm.
  7. Check out the seasons! Sri Lanka has two monsoon season so it’s advisable to check them out before you go. We really wanted to see the whales so we went there in January which is also the peak of the high season. I’m sure that later on it would have been much cheaper.
  8. Share! Costs or taxis and tours are often calculated per car so if you’re with more people it’s way cheaper.

P.S. Exchange rate used for the overall budget 1 EURO = 159 LKR

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Kalouts, Iran

How we went to the Moon- our trip to the Kalouts desert

Kalout desert was our favorite sight in whole Iran. We are always more than happy to skip the crowds and in the Kalouts it’s not even a challenge. There we could feel like tiny ants in the big world, surrounded by all this giant rocks shaped by erosion.

How did we get there?

We didn’t really dare to rent a car in Iran but that would definitely be an option. Instead we organized a tour going from Kerman which is the most popular way of going to the desert. The guides have pretty varied prices and some of them are pretty open to negotiation so it’s worth giving them a call to find out the details. I preferred to call them also to check out their English … quite many of them couldn’t respond my basic questions so it was clear they wouldn’t be able to respond more complicated ones out there in the desert. In final end we went with Ali from Visit Kalouts.

How much did it cost?

We paid 150 euros for us both which wasn’t the cheapest but pretty close to it. We were really satisfied with our guide Ali, his English was good, he was friendly, patient and happy to explain everything. We chose him because we felt his company had the best idea of what there is to see around the desert and the most organized plan. Others seemed just to want to drive through without much plan.

What it included?

Practically everything, transportation, food, accommodation in a rather basic house (2 days, 1 night), flexible schedule. If we wanted to stay somewhere longer, sleep longer or wake up in the middle of the night, it was all possible.

What did we see?

Except for the amazing giant stones shaped through erosion we saw how the people in the desert lived. How they dealt with water, their water system and reservoir and even a salty river. Yep plenty of water in the desert.

How about Kerman?

Initially we didn’t plan to visit Kerman, we just wanted to skip it and use it just as a stop to get to the Kalouts but after our tour we still had a bit of time before the night bus and Ali and Shiva (Ali’s colleague) proposed to give us a little tour. So we walked around the main square, the bazaar and local library. We realized that the place had much more to offer than we initially anticipated. It was quite pretty and had one hidden gem. A tea house opened in an old bath house in one of the corners of a bazaar labyrinth. Sitting there surrounded by all the beautiful tiles, Iranian carpets and even a fountain we were just wondering how come all of the people love the heating so high. We were literally melting away. I guess it was another way to imitate the weather like if it was summer.

At some point we got hungry and wanted to order food but it turned out to be impossible because they only served lunch and it was already after the time. But impossible in Iran can be solved … with money I guess. So we met a nice Iranian man that lived all his life in Holland and described himself as an almost royalty in the region. His new friends couldn’t walk around hungry so he disappeared for a few minutes and came back inviting us to the restaurant part of the place. We got served whatever we wanted and the food was delicious. We were a bit hesitant when we were walking up to the counter, we thought we might end up paying for reopening the restaurant but the meal was actually really cheap. Power of money and connections in Iran…