There’s so much to say about Angkor, but today, time does not allow. So, I thought I’d let Shelley speak through his poem, Ozymandias. Ozymandias I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on […]
Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a rock-fortress in central Sri Lanka that you can read more about here. Since I am writing on an iPhone with a spotty connection, I’ll keep it short. I’ll write more in the coming days, but I wanted to share an image of this more-than-cool chunk of rock. It’s a seriously wild climb to the top. Most basic safety standards for handling large crowds in high places were cast aside. It’s everyone for […]
I say lucky because even though I visited Udawalawe National Park at mid-day, I still saw over a hundred elephants. Despite the crushing heat, the elephants were out in large numbers, maybe because there was a little atmospheric haze that brought the sun down one notch. Even though their skin looks tough, apparently it isn’t and they regularly cover themselves in muddy water and dirt throughout the day to protect themselves. And in the extreme afternoon heat, you see them […]
A coastal town sounded like the perfect reprieve from the grime and congestion of Colombo so I headed south to the beach-town of Unawatuna. The town itself is nothing spectacular–it’s primarily a tourist destination with little soul. But it does have the amenities of relaxation: rooms and restaurants at nearly every step and, of course, it has the ocean with its long, sandy beach and surf break. I studied the break for awhile and I was convinced that this was […]
Driving here is not for the weak of spirit. Like so many other places around the world, the streets and roads of Colombo are wildly chaotic and dangerous to navigate especially if you’re a foreign driver. Even as a pedestrian in traffic, survival requires thought. The featured image is more of a back street scene, but I like this one because it shows the mix of street life. Oftentimes, there are no sidewalks. And one has to be aware of […]
As islands go, Sri Lanka is the 25th largest in the world. On a map it may look like the size of a mouse alongside the elephant of India, but it’s still twice the size of Vancouver Island. Consequently, it has a vast coastline and fishing is a major occupation in Sri Lanka. If you like seafood, this could be your paradise. It’s on nearly every menu. In the featured picture, if you look way out on the horizon (depending […]
This is my first day in Sri Lanka, and, if first impressions are worth anything, I think I’m really going to love it here. The weather is hot, the people smile easily, the food is sublime and culturally it’s rich. Really rich. There is something new everywhere. And it doesn’t seem to have the hassle factor that is quite common one nation north. Luckily for me, today is a public holiday known as a Poya Day, of which there are […]
In the last post, I talked about where the people of Singapore live. Well, this is where I’ve been living. It’s called a Capsule Hotel and they originated in Japan where space, like many densely inhabited regions of Asia, is at a huge premium. So, as always, if things get too expensive for the masses, they either give you less of them or they make them smaller. Hence the Capsule Hotel. I’ve never stayed in one of the Japanese originals […]
In Singapore, this is how you dry your laundry and apparently it rarely falls. It it does, maybe you just forget about it. Can you imagine finding it on a windy day? But really this post is about how and where people live in Singapore. Pretty much everyone except a few very rich souls ( ~1%) live in units such as these. There are just over 5 million people living in Singapore, and everyone owns their own residence; No one […]