The meet and greet part of this tour was awful. It was
supposed that the pick up point would from inside the port
as mentioned in the tour details, and I have paid additional
money for that since there was another cheaper tour but pick
up point from outside the port entrance. Since there was
nobody waiting for us inside the port, we called the contact
phone number provided, and the tour operator told us that we
have to go outside the port, to the main entrance to catch
the tour!!! So we walked to the main entrance quite a long
walk 15 min crossing in our way some dead rats and crows
eating them and street dogs roaming everywhere!!
Disgusting!! After reaching the main entrance, the toyr
driver was not there waiting for us!! We called the contact
number again and they told us we had to wait for another 15
min!! So we had to wait between infront of the main entrance
with tens of taxis hasseling us to go with in an unfriendly
environment!! Same happened with another couple who
purchased the same tour at the same time.
Finally our car driver arrived, named Arosh. He was the
driver and the guide at the same time. He was not fluent in
english, and he didn't have much touristic info to give us.
He said that the tour time is only 3-4 hours. But after we
showed him that the tour is from 8 to 2pm he said ok. He
tried to make us skip the entry of the Magamaraya temple
saying that my wife is wearing inappropriate cloths for the
temple to save his time of course, but we insisted to go and
it appeared that the temple provides body covering to allow
us to go in, so we did! Beautiful temple.
The car was ok, a new small Honda with AC.
At the end of the tour, the driver refused to go inside the
port saying he is not allowed to go in to save the entrance
fee of course, althou we had paid for that service!, so he
dropped us infront of the main entrance of the port and we
had to walk again that terrible distance back to our cruise
ship.
I would not recommend this tour. For a little more money
just 15 more /pers you will get a respectable excursion tour
excursion from ur cruise ship!!
