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17. February 2019 Asia, Itineraries, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 3 week itinerary

Blue train making a turn by green fields

Before booking my flight to Sri Lanka this summer I was torn. It’s not that I didn’t want to go, because I really did. I just didn’t know whether going in July, during the monsoon season in the south, would be a mistake, and I couldn’t find any information assuring me that it wouldn’t be. But my summer holiday from work was approaching and I needed to make a decision. I decided to just book the tickets and hope for the best, and I’m so glad I did. Traveling Sri Lanka is amazing, also in July.

I was fortunate enough to experience a lot during my three weeks in Sri Lanka. Here is my exact itinerary, for anyone planning a summer adventure, or any adventure, really, to the beautiful country of Sri Lanka.

Day 0 – 1: Negombo (1 night)

Our flight touched down in Sri Lanka around 10 pm, and with the late arrival we had decided to spend the first night in Negombo, which is a lot closer to Colombo Airport than the actual city called Colombo.

Most people choose not to spend a lot of time in Negombo/Colombo, and neither did we. For a quick overview of Negombo we had our hotel organise a guided tuktuk tour for us, where we saw the main sights in only two hours. It was a good introduction to Sri Lanka.

Where we stayed: Barcode Residence Negombo – This is a nice place, and the couple running it is lovely. We had no time to explore the area, but it worked perfectly as a place to land after a long day of traveling.

Day 1 – 3: Dambulla (2 nights)

We traveled from Negombo to Dambulla by local bus, making a stop to change buses in Kurunegala. With the help of a friendly stranger the trip turned out unproblematic. Upon arrival in Dambulla we were approached by several tuktuk drivers, and made arrangements with one of them to take us to Sigiriya Rock and Pidurangala Rock the following day. This turned out to be a great decision.

The morning after we were picked up at 06:30 and taken to climb both Sigiriya Rock and Pidurangala Rock. Such a great day! I particularly enjoyed the tricky parts of the Pidurangala climb, and the views from the top of both rocks were amazing. We ended the day with a visit to the temple caves and the Golden Temple. Simply put; the cultural triangle has a lot to offer, and you could easily fill more days here than one.

Where we stayed: Lak View Family Resort – This is basically like staying with a local family, and the woman of the house makes a delicious rice and curry. Be aware that even though your booking site says breakfast is included, they will charge you for it. The location is alright, but Dambulla is not a very nice place in my opinion, so we didn’t walk around much.

Day 3 – 5: Trincomalee (2 nights)

Trincomalee is only a 2 hour bus ride away from Dambulla. I guess it is still a bit off the beaten path, but this little beach town is a great addition to your Sri Lanka itinerary, especially when traveling in July and you want to spend a bit of time on the east coast. Trincomalee is still building itself up as a tourist destination, after being considered unsafe for years during the civil war, but it’s definitely up-and-coming. For me, this was the first town in Sri Lanka where I really enjoyed spending time without doing anything in particular. It just has a nice vibe, and also some really nice restaurants. Well worth a visit!

Apart from nice beaches there are also some cultural sights to be seen in Trincomalee. We visited the Fort Fredrik, an old fort built by the Portuguese, and the Koneswaram temple, and then had a nice little walk back down to the centre of the city. We didn’t stay in the centre ourselves, but instead chose Uppuveli as our base. It’s a more chilled vibe up there, and the beaches are nicer which is always good.

Where we stayed: Aa Inn – it’s nothing special, to be honest, and I saw a lot of places that looked way nicer. Try and stay closer to the beach. The area where it’s located is like a maze and we got lost on more than one occasion.

Day 5 – 6: Kandy (1 night)

The bus ride from Trincomalee to Kandy is quite long (about 4,5 hours), but requires no bus changes and you do get a short toilet break midways. Always appreciated.

We had decided to only spend an afternoon in Kandy, but accomplished a whole lot in a short time. Quite immediately upon arrival we got picked up to go to a local dancing performance close to the Kandy Lake and were taken for a drive around the entire lake. Afterwards we paid a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, where one of Buddhas teeth is said to be kept. Keep in mind you do not get to see the actual tooth. Instead you get to shoot the shrine containing the tooth a quick glance from about five meters away. Oh, and we queued for about 30 minutes for this. It was one of the things that just had to be done.

Where we stayed: Kandy City Hotel – after spending the past nights in various guest houses it was strange sleeping in an actual hotel for once. This is a nice one, I would recommend it.

Day 6 – 7: Nuwara Eliya (1 night)

The train ride from Kandy to Ella is supposed to be one of the most scenic train rides in the world. We chose to split the 7 hour train ride into two legs, in order to get to spend a night in Nuwara Eliya. The journey between Kandy and Nanu-Oya (Nuwara Eliya) was just unreal, and made even more amazing as I got to sit in the open doorway for the entire ride. A special experience for sure.

We arrived in a rainy, cold Nuwara Eliya, and once again found ourselves wanting to make the most out of a short stay. That afternoon we visited one of the many Sri Lankan tea plantations. We also made arrangements to go hiking in Horton Plains very early the following morning. Waking up freezing at 4 am to go hiking for hours in the rain had me feeling pretty miserable, to be honest. However, the hike to the End of the World turned out to be worth it and I was glad I made the effort.

Where we stayed: Nuwara Eliya Hills Rest – This place is just beautiful and I felt like a princess in our cozy little room. Recommended for sure.

Day 7 – 10: Ella (3 nights)

I was expecting the train ride from Nuwara Eliya to Ella to be even more amazing than the one we had the day before, but for me it was quite a miserable one. It’s definitely a ride not to be missed, but keep your expectations realistic; these trains can get crowded and people can be annoying. The scenery is still unreal, though.

I loved Ella and every single thing about it. It was my favourite place is Sri Lanka and cannot be missed. We spent our time hiking to Ella Rock, Little Adams Peak, the Nine Arch Bridge and along the railway. Ella is beautiful and has a bit of a backpacker vibe. We had great food and even managed to find a place to watch the world cup finals. This was the first place we stayed for two full days (three nights) and I’m so glad we did.

Where we stayed: Mountain Breeze Villa Homestay – Please stay here! This was my favourite place to stay in Sri Lanka. The family running the place is beyond adorable and the breakfast is amazing and plentiful. I almost cried when we left and they told us they’d see us soon because I felt so welcome.

Day 10 – 13: Arugam Bay (3 nights)

Since arriving in Sri Lanka I had stayed true to my desire to always using public transport when moving between places. When going between Ella and Arugam Bay, however, I caved and agreed to arrange for private transport. It was expensive, but very comfortable and we made it to Arugam Bay in no time at all.

In Arugam Bay we did absolutely nothing. I don’t even know if there is something you’re supposed to do while being there. We went to the beach. That’s all, and I’m not sorry about it.

Where we stayed: Shadow Bay – It’s a pretty new place, which means it’s got A/C and that’s always a good thing. Arugam Bay gets hot!

Day 13 – 16: Unawatuna (3 nights)

It was when trying to get out of Arugam Bay that I realized how far away from everything it is actually located. Especially when you’re going to the south coast, which is what we were doing. It took us a tuktuk to get to Pottuvil, a 6 hour bus ride to get to Matara and then another 1,5 hour bus ride to get to Unawatuna. It is safe to say we arrived exhausted.

I had been slightly worried about what kind of weather we would get on the south coast, as I knew we were visiting during monsoon season. Unawatuna greeted us with sunshine and lovely temperatures, and the weather stayed that way for our entire stay. We might have been lucky, but it also proves the south coast shouldn’t be ruled out just because it’s July.

Our days in Unawatuna were spent beach hopping. We went to Unawatuna Beach, Wijaya Beach and Jungle Beach, with Wijaya Beach being my favorite. We also spent an afternoon in Galle Fort, which is the loveliest place and should absolutely be explored.

Where we stayed: Srimali’s Residence – Nicely located in the main road within walking distance to most things. Nice and basic.

Day 16 – 18: Hikkaduwa (2 nights)

Hikkaduwa is only a short tuktuk ride away from Unawatuna, so we got there in no time at all. As this was our last stop in Sri Lanka, we had splurged on a nice beach hotel and that was quite alright.

As these were our last days of vacation we made beach time and relaxation our priority. We went into the centre of Hikkaduwa a couple of times, and it wasn’t anything special. Our hotel, on the other hand, was very comfortable, so why venture out?

Where we stayed: At Ease Beach Hotel – Now this was something else, compared to all the budget accommodations we’d been staying at. Beautiful place located on the beach, eco-friendly with a no plastic-policy, and with a swimming pool outside. This might sound unnecessary when the ocean is right in front of the hotel, but the waves get huge so the pool definitely comes in handy.

Day 19: Hikkaduwa to Colombo Airport

Let me tell you, 3 am departures are no fun. As we had to check out of our hotel room in the morning we then had to spend a full day camping in the hotel lobby like homeless people. Oh well, I can’t say I haven’t done it before.

We had arranged for a van to pick us up and take us to the airport so we wouldn’t have to spend any time in Colombo. A very clever decision. From there we waited around in various airports and airplanes before finally arriving back on Norwegian ground.

What we did not do

I feel like most people who visit Sri Lanka include one of the national parks to their itinerary. Sri Lanka has some great wild life, and offers the opportunity to see elephants and leopards, to name a few. We weren’t particularly into this idea and therefore opted out.

As for beach towns, Sri Lanka has plenty. We chose a few of them quite randomly, but there are so many options so take your pick.

The end

I didn’t have time to get particularly excited about our trip to Sri Lanka before going there. Still I arrived back home with Sri Lanka being one of my favorite countries I’ve ever visited. It is crazy how you can have such a diverse experience from spending only three weeks in one country, but Sri Lanka has so much to offer.

I’ve been freezing, sweating, hiking, being laid flat on the beach, eating the most amazing meals, interacting with the friendliest of locals and witnessed scenery that is just unreal. Thank you, Sri Lanka, I think I’m in love with you.

—

♥ Erica

23. June 2018 Asia, Malaysia

A 48 hour excursion to Kuala Lumpur

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur after dark

Malaysia is one of those countries I’ve always figured I’d stop by at some point. Not as a main destination, but as a part of a trip to somewhere else in Asia. I guess I also knew that this «somewhere else» would be Singapore, a country I saw myself visiting someday anyway. And when that trip to Singapore was finally booked, my next concern was figuring out how to fit an excursion to Kuala Lumpur into that trip. Luckily my travel partner was immediately excited about the suggestion, so all I needed to do was to make it happen.

Getting from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are no more than 5-6 hours apart by bus, but I still found booking bus tickets in Asia a lot more difficult than in South America. After going back and forth for a while we decided on a bus company called Aeroline. This was the company that seemed to be getting the best reviews, although also slightly more expensive than the other companies. When trying to book a ticket for the following day, we realized that they were all sold out. That meant going through the companies once more, to find the second best option. We went with First Coach to get to KL, and booked our return tickets with Aeroline at the same time.

We were more than satisfied with both companies. They both departed on time, waited for all passengers to get through immigration (I’ve readabout people getting left at the border because immigration took too long) and took us to the point of arrival as promised. They also both made a short stop along the way, which is nice when you prefer actual toilets over bus toilets. Aeroline, is a bit more «luxurious», as the ride includes a meal and they have entertainment on board. Although Aeroline is known to be the most reliable choice, we had no complaints about First Coach, apart from it being very difficult to find out where to pick up our tickets, whichwe had booked online, at Novena Square. Apparently you get them at a travel agency on the top floor of the shopping centre.

Touring and photographing the Petronas Towers

I’m not gonna lie, the main reason why I wanted to visit Kuala Lumpur was to check out the Petronas Towers, so we did this almost immediately upon arrival. I had seen some cool pictures of the towers in social media, and just really wanted some of my own. As with all attractions you visit solely because of social media, the place was packed with people. Therefore getting those cool photos proved to be a challenge, but we certainly gave it our best shot.

We decided that we also wanted to take a tour of the towers, so the following morning we went to get our tickets for later that day. Although they were all sold out online, we had no problem getting tickets when showing up in person. I found the tour to be a bit overrated, but looking back at it I am happy I went. For some reason, I imagine that going up in the Menara KL Tower is a cooler experience, but I have no facts to back up that hypothesis.

A daytrip to the Batu Caves

When visiting KL for a day, you want to do some exploring. I certainly did, anyway, as I didn’t see myself returning anytime soon, and wanted to make the most out of the short stay. A quick google search on what to do in Kuala Lumpur, lead us to the Batu Caves; a Hindu shrine located a bit outside of the city. To get there we took the metro to KL Sentral, and from there we were supposed to catch a train to the caves. Due to maintenance work on the tracks, we had to catch a free bus to get to a different train station instead. A bit confusing, but eventually we made it.

I quite enjoyed visiting this place, which features several different caves, and is also the home of tons of little monkeys. They look cute, but are also known to be sneaky little thieves, so visitors need to watch their belongings carefully. The highlight of the caves, to many, is getting a view of the giant Murugan statue and climbing the stairs up to the Temple cave. At the bottom of the stairs there were buckets of sand lined up, to be used for construction at the top. Everyone climbing the stairs were encouraged to help out by carrying what they could. We took on the challenge, and with one bucket in each hand we climbed the 272 steps to get to the top.

Where to stay and eat in Kuala Lumpur

As we visited KL to see the Petronas Towers, we decided to stay as closely as possible. We found Acapella KLCC Suites at a booking site and were instantly amazed. For less than what we had paid for the quite mediocre hotel room in China Town, we got a two bedroom apartment with impeccable service. The manager of the complex even drove us to our bus at eight in the morning on the day of our departure, completely free of charge. I really felt like the staff made an effort to make our stay as good as possible, and the entire stay stood out as a very positive experience.

As for food, it certainly did not disappoint. Asian food is just so good. On our first night we ended up at a random restaurant, with menus only in the local language and staff that weren’t exactly fluent in English. I tried to explain that I was vegetarian, but had no idea if the waiter understood what I meant. As I was half-expecting to be served some meat or chicken, it was such a pleasant surprise to get served the most amazing vegetarian meal. I ended up getting way too much food (and ate it all), and it cost next to nothing.

While I found that Singapore is pretty expensive, I must say Malaysia is incredibly cheap.

We spent about 48 hours on the Kuala Lumpur excursion altogether, and I was so happy we went. I love visiting new places, and is all for making the most of the time I get to spend abroad. When deciding on making the trip, it was because I was convinced that a full week in Singapore would have been too long. Looking back, I am actually not sure if that would have been the case. There is a lot to do in Singapore, but Kuala Lumpur is a cool place, and I wouldn’t have done this trip in any other way.

—

♥ Erica

19. June 2018 Asia, Singapore

A spontaneous trip to Singapore

The more I travel, the more I realize that traveling isn’t very complicated. I used to think that I needed a lot of time for it to be worth it to travel to places far away, and that for shorter trips I’d be better off just staying in Europe. I used to think that lots of time to plan a trip was essential. This is no longer the case.

Since about a month ago I have a new job, and while it’s nice to once again have an income, it also means I can’t just jump on a plane whenever I feel like it. But Easter was coming up, and when my other travel plans fell through, I knew I had to come up with something quickly. I simply had to take advantage of this full week of vacation. And so, all of a sudden a ticket to Singapore was booked. Departure time? Two days later.

I quickly realized that I didn’t know much at all about Singapore. Oh, it’s about thirty degrees every day? How lovely. Wow, there is actually quite a few things to do there. I had no idea. But off to Singapore we went, with suitcases fully packed with summer outfits, and having only booked a hotel for the first two nights. And to be honest I really feel like this is my preferred way of traveling; just making the road up as I go.

China Town

For our first two nights in Singapore we stayed in China Town. Our hotel wasn’t anything special, as the bathroom was tiny and the bed was literally a mattress lying on the floor, but being located fairly close to the MRT (the Singapore metro), it was still a good base. Our first evening was spent exploring the area and having dinner at a restaurant close to one of the street markets. The food in Singapore is simply amazing. We decided to end the night early, as we were pretty tired from a long day of traveling.

The river walk

The morning after we woke up feeling revitalized, and set out to begin properly exploring the city. I had read about a river walk that was easily manageable on your own, and being a big fan of exploring new places by foot, I decided this was how our first day would be spent. We started by walking through China Town to reach the river in the Clarke Quay area. I immediately liked this area, as it had cute little restaurants, tons of bridges and little statues everywhere. All around you could see the skyscrapers that are very typical for Singapore. After having a healthy, delicious breakfast at a salad place, we ended up by the Merlion Statue that is a national icon for Singapore. From here we also had our first view of the Marina Bay area. This is probably one of the most popular areas in Singapore and also where our walk would terminate. When we were done taking photos of (and with) the Merlion we crossed the Anderson Bridge to get to the Esplanade. Here we bought some delicious coconut ice cream, that we had in an outdoor theatre that was slightly sheltered, as it had now started raining. Our walk finished as we crossed the Helix Bridge and made it to Marina Bay. Although the weather wasn’t completely on our side, it was still a lovely walk.

Gardens by the Bay

When first arriving at Gardens by the Bay, I had no idea of how much time I would be spending there throughout the next few days. There are a lot of things to do there, for sure, but we could probably have saved some time had we only done our research. Oh well, at least I can now say that I’ve seen those Supertrees in every lighting and weather condition possible.

We made our way to Gardens by the Bay after visiting the Art and Science Museum located just across the Helix Bridge. The museum is fairly entertaining, but also expensive, so if you’re on a budget I would recommend only visiting the Future World exhibition, as this is by far the best one. Upon entering Gardens by the Bay we quickly got the sight of the Supertree Grove, which made me really happy. The Supertrees are probably what made me eager to visit Singapore in the first place. In Gardens by the Bay you can also find the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest, two greenhouse-like glass domes designed to be energy efficient showcases that minimizes the environmental footprint. The Flower Dome features plants found in seven different regions of the world, and is the world’s largest columnless glass house. The Cloud Forest replicates the climate found in tropical mountain regions, and features a 42 meter tall “Cloud mountain” and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. The Cloud Forest was definitely my favourite out of the two. As for food, we had my favourite meal throughout our entire stay in Singapore in Gardens by the Bay. The street food at Satay by the Bay is simply divine, even for me as a vegetarian. Truth be told I am still dreaming of the satay mushrooms I had that evening, and had it not been quite a long walk to reach the place, we probably would’ve gone back to indulge even more. It was that good!

The Supertree Grove

While the Supertrees make for an impressive watch from the ground, most people will also want to walk the OCBC skyway; a panoramic walk where you get really up-close to the Supertrees at a height of 22 metres. We attempted to do the walk several times, and succeeded on our third attempt. If you plan on visiting, remember that the skyway closes when it rains, and that the ticket sales end at 8 pm. Standing in line for about an hour should also be expected, although we found the queue to be quick and efficient and probably only took half an hour. In the end I found going up there to be well worth the effort. Another reason to visit the Supertree Grove is the light and sound show held every night at 7.45 pm and 8.45 pm.

Sentosa Island

Sentosa is a beach resort-like part of Singapore, a bit away from the centre, but still very accessible with the cable cars (and it’s worth going there for the cable cars alone, really). We got on the cable cars at Harbourfront, and went all the way up to Mount Faber before getting off at Sentosa Island. On Sentosa we found another Merlion Statue and visited the aquarium, before sitting down to relax with a coffee and a donut. We then got on the second cable car to get a nice overview of the island and its beaches from above. Like the rest of Singapore, Sentosa is very nice and clean. We were really lucky with the day we spent on Sentosa as this was in fact the only sunny day we had in Singapore, and Sentosa is definitely best on a sunny day.

Sky bars

Have you even visited Singapore if you haven’t been to a skybar? I think not. We had postponed our sky bar visit every night, and on our last night we realized that it was just something that we had to do. And if you’re going to visit a sky bar, you might as well visit the tallest one with the most impressive sky deck. One-Atmosphere it was. To enter One-Atmosphere you have to pay 35 SGD (about 210 NOK), but that includes a drink. Inside tip: the Singapore Sling does not have alcohol, and may or may not be a disappointing choice. I went with the Monster Caipiroska, and it was really good. The sky bar offers a 360 degree view of the city and they play music very much to my liking. Although we weren’t there to party the bar was well worth a visit, and I reckon it’s a pretty good place for a girls night out.

Apart from an actual sky bar, we also made it to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. As we weren’t staying nor eating at the Hotel we only bought tickets to the observation deck to take in the views. There was a lot of queueing involved, not only to buy tickets and to get into the elevator to go up there, but also to take the elevator back down. This made it slightly time consuming and it was also pretty expensive, but the views are stunning and it felt like one of those things you just have to do when in Singapore.

Arab Street

The Arab Street neighbourhood turned out to be such a pleasant surprise for me, and I can’t believe we almost missed it. After days of walking, stressing and exploring, we found ourselves having no plans for our last day in Singapore, but with an evening flight we had some time to kill before heading to the airport. We decided to hop on a metro to Bugis, just to stroll aimlessly around for a few hours. Arab Street is the Muslim quarter of Singapore, but also a bit of a hipster area. While the actual street called Arab Street didn’t instantly appeal to me, the rest of the neighbourhood sure did. Here you will find beautiful mosques, cute little Arab shops selling all kinds of stuff, amazing street art and some really cool restaurants and cafees. We sat down at a juice bar because we liked their chairs and their chilled vibe, and I had a really good ginger juice. The day spent in Arab Street was so nice, mostly because it didn’t feel stressed at all. Very much needed after doing all of the exploring.

Our little, spontaneous Easter adventure turned out to be eventful to say the least. Not only did we prove to ourselves that planning a trip to Singapore while already being there is perfectly manageable, but we even managed to fit a 48 hour excursion to Kuala Lumpur into the itinerary. I mean, we were only a six hour bus ride away so why not? During our four days in Singapore I feel like I got to see the essentials while making myself acquainted in the city. Singapore was a pleasant surprise, and who knows? I might even make it back there some time in the future.