Harald Baldr

SRI LANKA, GALLE: The country I enjoyed touring the most in 2019 was Sri Lanka. The distances between tourist attractions are short and the country is full of incredible characters who make you feel welcome at not only your local Daru shop but upscale hotels as well. I therefore decided to kick-off the 2020 travel season by checking in to a luxury 5 star hotel in the old Dutch fort city of Galle. After an absolutely horrendous flight where I was squeezed in next to two mega amazonian babushkas from Poland, I needed a serious deep sleep to recover. I therefore decided to splurge on the most luxurious hotel I could find. My choice fell on Le Grand Galle, roughly 3 hours by car from the airport north of Colombo. With a private swimming pool accessible from my bedroom window, my own beachfront backyard and a24/7 gym i figured this was exactly what I deserved. So did this Sri Lankan boutique hotel live up to the high expectations set by those I stayed at in 2019?

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Before the steamed vegetables and fried fish arrives at your dinner table at Galle's five star hotel restaurant, Le Grand, they were sourced locally two different fresh markets nearby. These places can be highly entertaining and chaotic when you go alone. So I decided to take Le Grand Galle's master chef up on his offer to join him on his morning round to them both. After procuring the ingredients it was back to the kitchen to see how it all comes together before sitting down on the edge of the Indian ocean for a most unique five star dining experience.

SRI LANKA, GALLE: ... or you'll end with anything but socks at a reasonable price ???? Jokes aside he was a funny man and provided some much needed entertainment (although a lot of it unintentional) in what has to be the dullest market I've ever gone shopping in. I've asked at least a dozen people about a real bargain hunting market in Galle and every single person have directed me to this one right behind the bus station. Yet as I wandered around there was hardly anything interesting to buy. I couldn't even find my staple purchase: socks! That was until a man selling bananas and carrying a Daru bottle decided to grab my hand and take me for a walk...

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Looking for things to do on the outskirts of town in Google Maps, I came across a Sea Turtle sanctuary operation. A family, with the help of volunteers and donations, have set up Sea turtle shelter on the beach where they nurse injured sea turtles back to health as well as rescue newly laid eggs from the dangers that lurch on the beach. They dig-up and collect thousands of eggs and re-bury them within a fenced area, nursing them until they hatch. Then they set them free back in the ocean. They also help sea turtles damaged by fishing nets and propellers heal from their injuries (when possible). Join me as I tour their facilities north of Galle city on Sri Lanka's southern coastline and get a fascinating look into this incredible operation.

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Fresh from being crowned Sri Lanka's worst fisherman, I rushed back to the room to get changed before going back to see the man who runs the Sea Turtle Hatchery. On my visit the day before, he invited me back to release some newly hatched baby sea turtles back into the Indian ocean. Naturally this was something I wasn't gonna miss. After meeting his whole family who'd just arrived back from a village visit we ventured over to the holding tanks and picked out 10 lucky turtles. Then we walked down to the beach for the main event: seeing which of these sea turtles were natural born swimmers and which was not! On the beach we also ran into a mega iguana, the main threat to these sea turtles before they hatch, as well as a fresh track made by a mother turtle who had just buried her eggs on the beach the night before. For a finale I got to hand feed some of the grown sea turtles.

SRI LANKA, GALLE: Since that first day when I went to the fish market with the hotel chef I'd been curious if it was possible to join the fishermen on a trip out at sea. A couple of days later whilst enjoying a Carlsberg on the beach a an opportunity to do just that presented itself. A boat with a crew of lobster fishermen just came back from a day out at sea. Some of them joined me for a beer and although we had zero words in common I was able to make them understand that I'd love to join them on a dive for lobsters the following day. They seemed to understand but just to make sure I brought a local driver down to the beach to ask if I could truly join. The answer was in the affirmative. So at 6 o'clock before the sun was even up I rocked up on black rock beach as the locals call it, to begin my new career as a Sri Lankan fisherman or Lobster diver to be precise. Little did I know that a few hours later I'd earned the title of the nation's least seaworthy fisherman of all time...

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: With only half a day to to your weekly shopping, the Sri Lankans of the Southern district called Galle had their work cut out for them today. There are only so many supermarkets, corner stores and fish markets to chose from. And everyone had only today to replenish their fridge and freezers. Some people don't even have that and thus have an even harder stocking up on supplies for the long haul. So how long were the queues? what did we manage to buy? And how are people holding up? And can you buy Kassipu at a banana market? Plus what did the diver from my Lobster diving video think about his newfound fame? This and more are I go shopping with two local Sri Lankans.

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Before leaving my luxurious hotel, where the food was nothing short of superb, I expected my new life in a tiny Sri Lankan village in Hikkaduwa would be somewhat difficult when it comes to food. I couldn't have been more wrong. My neighbors, who own the house I'm staying in, have cooked up one delicious meal after another for the entire duration of my stay. So what's my favorite dish thus far? It's hard to pick just one but Sri Lankan pancakes are easily in the top 3. So how are they made and what do these delicious pancakes look like?

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: The only positive externality of the current curfew imposed on us all here in Sri Lanka for me personally has been that my taste buds have experienced a world of flavors from the local cuisine I didn't know existed before. A new local favorite of mine is the Sri Lankan rice Mango curry. But in the village, before you can cook and devour a delicious mango curry, you must first pick the mangos. That can be quite the adventure in and of itself....

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: New year's eve for Sri Lankans doesn't fall on December 31st, but April 14th. The occasion is marked by a family feast with some rather unique sweets that are prepared in the days before. Having gotten a thorough insight into what Sri Lankan villagers eat in the last 3 weeks of the year, I was eager to see what they cook up to mark the beginning of a new one. More importantly I was eager to see if I could become a Sri Lankan Master chef. Needless to say things didn’t go according to plan.......

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Although this curfew has been a culinary blessing due to the master chefs living next doors, it has been strange spending so much time locked up inside my house. I therefore decided to spice up my life and start scouring the village for available bachelorettes. Luckily for me, the first woman I decided to court also makes Sri Lanka's best Halapa, the greatest homemade village dish known to man!

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: There are physically demanding jobs then there are exhausting jobs! The profession I witnessed today falls into the latter category. A day laborer ventured into the village and went from house to house asking if people had any coconut trees he could climb. Despite him not speaking a word of English I decided to tag along on his hunt for trees to climb. So why does he climb these coconut trees? What does he get paid? How many trees does he climb per day and more importantly, does he like Kasippu?

SRI LANKA, THALPE: There are times when your food options are bountiful and there are times when you have no options at all. After over 90 minutes on the road, cruising along the Southern coastline of Sri Lanka, I finally spotted a tiny restaurant. It was the first one I'd seen open since I left Hikkaduwa. I ventured inside and the owner had already put down a rice curry dish on the table for me. But this was no ordinary Sri Lankan rice curry. For it contained a secret ingredient....

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA

SRI LANKA, HIKKADUWA: Since leaving Freeman's Airbnb, getting a proper meal has been an issue. Pizza Hut has closed (permanently it seems). There is no Burger King or McDonald's in all of South Sri Lanka. And there's no Chipotle in the whole country! I've therefore ben forced to seek out alternate means of procuring my daily sustenance. That is no easy task given that most restaurants have closed due to the recurring curfews that just won't end. But I've been able to find 4 restaurants that are open. 3 of them got a major fail! More on that in the vid. The only one that gets a massive Harald Approves is Mama's! The oldest restaurant in Hikkaduwa which is now in its 50th year of operations. So what pre-workout power meal did I devour? Did I break my leg on the tyre coconut swing? Can I use a paddle board? And does this restaurant also have Sri Lanka's most spartan gym?

HERAKLION, CRETE: Greece is open for business and travelers are once again welcome to the the countless museums, islands and stores that plays such a huge part in the economy. Whilst I do have history videos coming, I decided to kick things of with a shopping trip I made on the island of Crete. The capital Heraklion have a lot of intriguing shops that sells historically themes souvenirs. After sampling 4 or 5 such stores I decided to go back to the one I liked the most to buy some Greek souvenirs for a competition I have planned. The store has been run by the same family since 1961 and they still make the goods they sell in it by hand.

ATHENS, GREECE: With the last match of the season being played on their home turf of Piraeus, the fans of the 2020 league Champions Olympiacos gathered outside their stadium to watch the match on a giant screen and to celebrate like only Greek fanaticos can. Naturally this was something I had to experience as the the prospect of seeing thousands of fans as into their team as those I saw on Crete was an opportunity too big not to miss. So I took a taxi and drove to the stadium. There the party was in full swing so there was only one thing to do to get into the zone; Alfa beer to the rescue!

ATHENS, GREECE: My go to burger wherever I am in this world is the Double Whooper from Burger King. However, in Athens, I don't even think there is a Burger King. So where do local Athenians go then to get their hamburger fix? BBQ is a hamburger chain who specializes in humongous angus beef burgers and is the locals' favorite pick. Everyone I've asked to recommend me their favorite burger have mentioned this restaurant with zero exceptions. So naturally I had to give it a go and sample the biggest burger they have on offer, a monstrous angus beef burger they've named: The Brave One's Grandfather. An eight paddy mega burger with egg, bacon and cheese weighing in at 2kg+. When it arrived at my table it was hands down the biggest hamburger I've ever seen by far. So did I manage to defeat it?

ATHENS, GREECE: My go to burger wherever I am in this world is the Double Whooper from Burger King. However, in Athens, I don't even think there is a Burger King. So where do local Athenians go then to get their hamburger fix? BBQ is a hamburger chain who specializes in humongous angus beef burgers and is the locals' favorite pick. Everyone I've asked to recommend me their favorite burger have mentioned this restaurant with zero exceptions. So naturally I had to give it a go and sample the biggest burger they have on offer, a monstrous angus beef burger they've named: The Brave One's Grandfather. An eight paddy mega burger with egg, bacon and cheese weighing in at 2kg+. When it arrived at my table it was hands down the biggest hamburger I've ever seen by far. So did I manage to defeat it?

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Never have I ever encountered a hotel breakfast I've enjoyed. With no burgers, pizza or pasta bolognese on the menu, how could I? When I saw the price of the breakfast at Hilton airport hotel in Amsterdam was a whooping $30, and urge to investigate it came over me. So what did the breakfast consists of and is it worth the money?

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS: Cheap to mid-range hotel rooms in the centre of Amsterdam offer zero value for money and will leave you regretting you booked a room in the first place. The high range rooms, meaning those that cost $150+, in comparison, are not as overpriced as they deliver on the promise implicit in the price point to be better in terms of amenities and professionalism of the staff. As a guy who stays in hotel rooms (or AirBnb apartments) all year round, I often find the complete opposite to be the case in the vast majority of the world, with low to mid-range hotel rooms offer superior value. This tour of the Craftsmen boutique hotel in the centre of Amsterdam will hopefully suffice to show you why...