Manoj's Blog Posts
Self-Driving Around Sri Lanka
South Africa - the Perfect Honeymoon Destination
Background
As a native Sri Lankan, I cut my teeth as a tour guide in Thailand in the early 1990s. Learning the local language set me on a five-year path that led into the remote parts of the Far East. Back in my homeland Sri Lanka, working for one of the country’s biggest tour companies, I spent many years combing the island for secrets and I still love going back to catch up with my friends in Colombo and my mother who still lives in Mount Lavina.
After almost 30 years tailor-making holidays with client-focused luxury specialists in the UK and around the world, I have forged a wealth of close contacts and amassed a treasure trove of specialist knowledge. Africa is my latest passion and recent trips to South Africa, Tanzania & Kenya have only made me want to discover more about this fascinating continent. One of the most relaxing things you can do is go on a safari and get completely lost in the vast plains of the Masai Mara or the Serengeti. I'm already planning a trip to that area in the next few months!
Where are you originally from and have you lived abroad?
I was born in Sri Lanka and spend most of my childhood there. I then followed my dad and my stepsister to Thailand where I spent almost 5 years, learning to cook, play the guitar and speak the local language, including the southern dialect.
Where did you spend your student days?
I went to a boarding school in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where I nurtured my love for rugby and made lifelong friends who now live in almost every major city around the world.
Countries Manoj has visited:
About Manoj
When you're not working or travelling, you're...
Watching live sport and helping with my boys' sports.
How many languages do you speak?
3 - English, Sinhalese and a bit of Thai
Which place exceeded your expectations on your travels and why?
South Africa – the food, the food, ooohh the food and wine!
What are your top 5 must-pack items?
A camera with a good lens for wildlife photography, insect repellent, laptop (I need it for work), Calpol for all ailments for my boys & an adapter.
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be and why?
LA for the amazing houses in the Valleys, chaos of Santa Monica, being pretentious in Malibu and all the road trips you want in a big car.
What is your first great travel experience?
Thailand, I hadn’t flown until I was 17 years old and that trip to visit my dad was special. A lasting memory I have is enjoying street food that costs almost nothing.
What is your favourite hotel, why and where is it?
So many to mention but Mutara Camp, sitting just outside Ol Pejeta, where the last 2 northern white rhinos live (Najin & Fatu), is a very special place. Our tent was perched high above a watering hole and we watched a large herd of elephants that came there in the night for water. The service and everything about this place has made a huge impression in our lives!
Which is your favourite beach, why and where is it?
Again, quite a few but the beaches on Silhouette island in the Seychelles were so white and beautiful.
Which passport stamp are you the most proud of?
Jordan.
What destination is at the top of your bucket list?
Have you ever worked abroad?
Yes, my very first job was helping with refurbishing a house in Thailand. I was the only brave one to climb to the top of the roof to clean tiles – I was paid double for it! I was also a tour guide in Thailand and Walkers Tours in Sri Lanka as a Travel Consultant just after finishing.
Have you experienced culture-shock, if so, where?
Probably the townships in Cape Town and the tea pluckers in Sri Lanka.
Where is the most depressing place you’ve found yourself?
Watching the ladies pluck tea for 8 hours a day and get paid £2.50 a day was heart-breaking to find out. These ladies work day in and day out and get paid at the end of the day, not for the hours they work, but how many tea leaves they had plucked (in weight) that day.
If you had just 24 hours in a big city, which one would it be?
Dubai, relaxing whilst the kids play in one of the waterparks!
What do you miss most from home while you're away?
Not being able to put the correct bin out on the right date and of course, not being able to wheel it back in without leaving it out there as an eyesore for my neighbours.
What's the funniest thing that's happened to you abroad?
My wife was feeding a blind rhino and was smiling at the camera instead of concentrating on this big beast who almost ate her hand!
What’s the best party you have been to while travelling?
Folie Douce Meribel/Courchevel
Pictures of Manoj on his travels
Masai Mara, Kenya
Antigua
Samburu. Kenya
The Serengeti, Tanzania
Tangalle, Sri Lanka