What Joakim Gomez Got Up To When Vacaying In Sri Lanka
How — and why — the 987FM jock went on a week-long solo backpacking trip to Sri Lanka on $1,300.
Joakim at the Independence Square in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo last month. “The initial reaction I got from people when I told them I was going to Sri Lanka was, ‘Huh? Why Sri Lanka? Are you sure it’s safe?’ People might be a bit skeptical of places [like Sri Lanka],” says Joakim Gomez, who went on a week-long solo backpacking trip to Sri Lanka on $1,300. But the 987FM DJ wasn't put off by that. “My goal was to go there, experience it for myself, come back and challenge their views of the country. We need to update whatever we learnt [about Sri Lanka in school] (laughs). My Airbnb hosts in [the hilly region of] Kandy told me that the Tamil Tigers are out of Sri Lanka. They lost the war [with the Sri Lankan Army] in 2009. Ever since then, the country has been peaceful.” If, like Joakim, you decide to travel to Sri Lanka, here are six tips from the jock who's been there, done that.
Joakim at the Nine Arches Bridge in Ella
#1: Haggle with the tuk-tuk drivers
“Like Bangkok, Sri Lanka has many tuk-tuks. You’ve got to know how to bargain with the tuk-tuk drivers and agree on a flat fee. I bargained a lot. The tuk-tuk drivers tend to overcharge and give you some excuses, like ‘The roads are very difficult to navigate.’ ”
Joakim's tip: "Go 300 or 400 rupees (S$3) lower than the quoted price. The rule of thumb is that it should cost 45 to 60 rupees per km."
Joakim on the three-hour train ride from Colombo to Kandy
#2: Buy reserved seats when taking the train
“The train rides in Sri Lanka can be very long. If you buy unreserved seats, you’re not guaranteed a seat. And when the train stops, you just have to push your way up — I made the mistake of letting everyone else go up first. At the train stations, there will be ‘Good Samaritans’ who offer to ‘chope’ a seat for you, only to reveal later on that they are from a blind or deaf association and ask for donations. I said no to the guy who approached me. So I stood for three hours during my train ride from Colombo to Kandy. Thankfully, for my subsequent train rides, I was able to get a reserved seat.”
Joakim’s tip: “Reserve a seat by buying either first or second class reserved seats — the difference is that first class is air-conditioned. The very first train I took in Sri Lanka, I bought an unreserved seat ticket for 190 rupees (S$2). For that, go an hour earlier to ensure you get a seat."
Joakim at the Sigiriya Rock, a UNSECO World Heritage site
#3: Hire a guide
“In Sri Lanka’s prime hill resort, Nuwara Eliya, I hired a private guide. They are not official tour guides, but locals who know the area very well. The way to go to Horton Plains National Park is very tricky so it’s better to have a driver. If I didn’t hire a local guide, I’d probably have overspent on a tuk-tuk. The guide drives a mini-van, not a rickety tuk-tuk to go up the hill, so it’s a bit safer as well. But it’s easy to navigate the rest of the state using Google Maps.”
Joakim's tip: “TripAdvisor has plenty of different guide packages available. I paid about S$150 and I had my driver for the entire day. He brought me to two different locations — the Horton Plains National Park and the Pedro Tea Estate. Lunch was included in the package too."
Joakim at the peak of World's End in Horton Plains National Park in Nuwara Eliya
#4: (Back)Pack right
"You’ll be travelling around a lot so taking a suitcase can be a bit of a hassle. Also, I had a lot of mozzie bites on my neck even though I had applied a lot of repellant."
Joakim’s tip: “I brought a backpack with a smaller compartment that I could unzip and carry around, so I could leave the big bag in my room. Bring malaria pills and a lot of mosquito repellant. If you’re going to Nuwara Eliya, bring a sweater and sweatpants ’cos it can get quite chilly at night.”
Joakim at Ravana Falls, one of the many falls in Sri Lanka
#5: Don’t bare it
“Tourism is only just picking up in Sri Lanka. So if you’re wearing short shorts or showing a lot of skin, people will stare at you ’cos they'd be very curious.”
Joakim's tip: “Wear sweatpants, track pants or berms — nothing too revealing. And there are a few areas in Sri Lanka, like the temples, where you’ve to be covered; if not, you have to buy a sarong."
School kids in Kandy
#6: Don’t be afraid to talk to people
“The locals that I met were very friendly. Many tuk-tuk drivers told me that they used to work in Singapore and they can speak Malay. Their three main languages are Singhalese, Tamil and English, so you always see all three languages on the signs on the roads, buses and everything. The school kids there were very intrigued by my blue hair. In Kandy, I stayed near a school. Whenever I walked past it, the kids would look at me and say, ‘Sir, can I touch your hair?’ My nickname there was ‘Blue Boy’. There were a couple of policemen who took a selfie with me ’cos of my hair colour (laughs).”
Joakim's tip: “The locals speak English. There were times I got lost and they would point me in the correct direction. If you need recommendations, feel free to DM me on Instagram (@joakimgomez). People have asked me for my itinerary and I've e-mailed it to them.”
Catch Joakim on The Shock Circuit with Sonia & Joakim on 987FM, weekdays, 4-8pm.
PHOTOS: JOAKIM GOMEZ
