Ok so I have decided that because the internet is so expensive in Europe (and because I am likely to get really behind) - there will be no more posts on this blog. I guess if you are my friends reading, this gives us something to catch up to chat about when I get back. Thanks to those who were loyal and actually read what I wrote.
Cheers, Bec
This is a travel diary of sorts, aimed at documenting my adventures and musings throughout my year off between university degrees. It will last as long as my money does.
My life is composed of a series of conscious decisions that make up a particular direction; it is not a result of a fantastical notion of fate; or some ungovernable body (like god). My strength is in my conviction that the choices I make will result in a person of firm moral character; a transcendental democratic socialist who stands slightly at an angle to the world.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Karak Castle
Interestingly, I have noticed that the reaction to women here exists in two extremes. You either get overtly rude comments or you are ignored as only a 'woman' and people refuse to touch you or shake your hand. It has become quite disconcerting.
I am the master of LIGHT! |
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Amman Adventure
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sri Lanka, the final chapter.
So the question was where do we go from Nuwara Eliya? Although we had planned on scaling Adam's Peak (a serious hike up a mountain), David was still sick so we gave it a miss and went in search of Vicky down in the south. It took three buses and 7hrs of cramped, sweaty travelling first back the way we came to Haputale, then to Wellawaya and then on to Tangalla. Upon arrival we secured a room in a place called Ravindu and immediately headed out for a delicious meal of chicken, chips and SALAD!!!!
Unbeknownst to us, the next day was Poya. The most important day in the Buddhist festival Vessak, which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha. After sunning ourselves for an hour on the pretty beaches, we were informed by our host that everything would be shut, but that we could come with him and his family to celebrate this most auspicious day. Basically, Poya is a mix of haloween, christmas and any other festival you'd care to mention. Communities get together and string up hundreds of lights, enough to make the most serious grinch smile and gasp (i.e. me). They also set up roadside stalls manned by energetic boys waving flags that give out free rice and curry, milk rice (yum), tea and biscuits, cold drinks, bananas and sweets. Each stall is different and you don't even have to leave you're airconditioned car – they bring it to you.
Although I believe our host delighted in saying “you come” before leading us behind the scenes and showing his new white people off to his friends. Both he and his wife seemed to find it hilarious watching me trying to scoop up food with my right hand.
On our drive we were also treated to a trip through the national park for free (we saw wild elephants, buffalos and all manner of birdlife), we were invited in to a temple to watch people pray and we covered in 3hrs what it had taken us nearly 6 to traverse the day before. They also drove us around the town at night and took us on a walk to view all the elaborate and beautiful lights. In the evening his wife made us dinner (rice and curry in case you couldn't guess) and gifted me with a bunch of bananas for dessert. We were never asked for anything in return (except that we should come back for our honeymoon) and this is the way in Sri Lanka.
As an aside, we actually finished our trip by catching the train back to Colombo. Again, there is no reason to take buses in which you have to stand up for 3 hrs (due to overcrowding). The train tracks hug the south coastal region and you get to see the blood red sun set over the beautiful beaches as you enter in to the Vessak festival lights that make even Colombo seem magical.
Jack and Jill went up the hill...
On the second day here, we decided to hike through the mountain roads and tea plantations only to encounter more friendly smiling Sri Lankans who love cricket, Ricky Ponting and who giggle when they say hello (even more when we answer). One lovely man even directed us on a narrow path through the plantations (that were by now covered in clouds) and invited us in for tea at his guest house. Thouroughly impressed by this hamlet in the heavens we packed up again the next day and bussed it (most painfully as the roads are too narrow and only half finished) to Nuwara Eliya to meet David's cousin Vicky and her friends.
Nuwara Eliya is a perfect example of the English presence in Sri Lanka. There are beautifully constructed old homes that are right out of a Jane Austin or Charlotte Bronte novel. The town is surrounded by pine forests, botanical gardens, golfing greens and a tranquil lake on the east side. Unfortunately there is precious little to do here for people on a budget, except enjoy my first salad and red meat in 2 weeks. We managed to find Vicky and it was great to be around first time travellers again (they are surprised and excited by everything). We shared a massive chocolate cake, some beers and unfortunately had to say goodbye after only one day together. As you will read in my next post, we did try to meet them again on the south coast in Tangalla.
Sri Lanka Part 2
Fair warning, I am quite behind on my blog posts, so I will be posting 3 at once.
The best place to stay in Kandy is the old colonial hotel and it is exactly that. This almost antique building has rooms for $10 that open on to a big verandah and every day the manager replaces the bouquets of flowers with new arrangements. As twilight broke, Dave and I enjoyed a lovely night of bread, wine and cheese (a luxury) with a game of scrabble and cards with another couple staying there. These relaxing moments are one of my favourite aspects of travelling. In Kandy we also visited the first tea factory ever built in Sri Lanka and learnt all about the process of making tea in the 1800's, we climbed a massive hill and discovered the joy of getting lost in back streets and we visited Kandy's massive botanical garden (not worth the trip nor the price).
Trincomalee also turned out to be a sort of nothing place – if it wasn't for the beach it would have been a total loss. We stayed at the French Gardens. Right on the beach, we got to enjoy seeing the sun rise over the ocean and made friends with the cows that wandered along the beach freely. Many of the locals took every opportunity to engage us in conversation and they are certainly curious. I have found that most Sri Lankan men are not shy about their lude comments, the way western men (usually) are. These guys will whistle, leer and comment even when I am walking with Dave. This doesn't just apply to me as a female, this is also a comment on the fact that we are the only white tourists in Sri Lanka (as that's how it feels) and we are apparently most interesting. Most of the time it's harmless, but eventually you will get sick of it and just wish that they'd find a new sideshow. Ladies, if you are after an ego boost, head to Sri Lanka (and based on my previous travels; Egypt and South America).
I should mention that the reason I am so excited about eating cheese is because it is comparatively quite expensive at $4 when we have been having massive meals of rice and curry for $1.50. The food in Sri Lanka varies very little. They eat copious amounts of pastries (sweet breads, rolls, buns, cakes and samosas) for breakfast and lunch and the standard fare for dinner is a huge plate of rice and a buffet of curried potatos, curried beans, dahl and curried pieces of chicken. Nothing else. No salads, no steamed or boiled veges, nothing roasted only fried and definitely no red meat. We did get a surprise when served with curried beetroot the other day – but alas still a variation on the same theme. I am going to murder one of their cows and BBQ it on a spit if I can't get something other than curried chicken and rice soon.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Starting out in Sri Lanka
At 10pm we caught the bus to Kuala Lumpur airport. I slept for an hour and at 4pm we went through customs so as to catch the 6.15am flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. 4 hrs later we touched down in Colombo, hungry, tired and without a clue as to where we were going or how to get there. I believe it took me less than 2 hrs to proclaim my love for the Sri Lankan people. This country has to be one of the last remaining underdiscovered tourist destinations and as such the Sri Lankans are determined to demonstrate their love for their own country by making sure you love it too. You cannot go two metres without someone asking you if you are ok and if you need directions. Unlike other Asian destinations, they do this not because they want you to take their taxi etc, but because they care about making sure tourists are happy and experiencing Sri Lanka the way they know it.
Its strange, but in Thailand for example, if the locals stare at you, it appears menacing or even annoying. In Sri Lanka, it's as though they really have never seen a white lady before. Every third person says hello, wants to chat or they just gawk – but it is in no way annoying. I feel as though they are the friendliest people I've met and there is genuinely no pretence, no malice whatsoever to the ignorant foreigners. Just the desire to 'spread the love'.
Ok so we are being treated well, but what have we been doing exactly? Well after deciding that we really only need a day (or half a day in reality) in the capital, Colombo, Dave and I headed by train to Kandy, the capital of the hill country. Here is an important note to anyone travelling through Sri Lanka, grab yourself a third class ticket to anywhere and watch the countryside roll by. I was mesmerised by the resplendent green of the rice paddies, tea plantations, mountainous ranges and the lush forestation that is abundant in Sri Lanka. At one point the tracks were flooded, but our driver forged ahead (slowly) and the locals waved at the strange foreign lady leaning out the train window.
Something I noticed is that by traditional standards (and in comparison to many of the 3rd world places I have been) there is little poverty in the country here and even less population problems (civil wars do tend to thin out the old population a bit). The people take pride in their homes no matter what their standing and there is less pollution (again comparatively). Kandy is a very charming example of the British colonisation. The town is built around a lake and has many temples, beautiful old colonial buildings (one of which we stayed at) and a massive botanical garden (entry is 1100Rs or $10). Our first night here reflected how I feel about the country in general, magical. We went to see a cultural dance show (500Rs) where we were treated to elaborate costumes, acrobatics, flame throwing (and eating) and coal walkers. As we climbed the hill to our hotel, I caught my first glimpse of fireflys, or little fairies if you please, and went to sleep waiting for the next magical example of my Sri Lanka experience.
Killing Time in Malaysia
So after relaxing on the beach and eating easter treats, it was time to leave Koh Samui. David and I had to be in Kuala Lumpur by the 30th for our flight to Sri Lanka, so we decided to meander slowly down to Malaysia. Our first stop in Hat Yai (the Thailand border) was a long drawn out process of waiting for the ferry, then waiting for the (very uncomfortable) mini bus, then waiting at a 'rest stop' for an hour - all in all a 4 hr journey actually took 9hrs and we arrived at 10pm. Thank goodness that our driver knew a hostel, because I feared that this might be the first time that our policy of not booking any accommodation was going to fail. Actually the place we stayed at had a lovely intrepid explorer feel to it. The sort of hostel you would have gotten in the 70's, complete with cockroaches. There was some kind of cheap charm about this place, from the plastic chairs to the whomping sound of the single fan highlighted by the solitary drop light. Perhaps a throwback to the Casablanca era of gangsters and cigarette smoke. But the staff were lovely and I was so happy to sleep that I didn't even notice that the bed was made of concrete.

Next was a bus to Penang. Very uneventful, although a strange border guard did ask for my email so that he could send me a book. Georgetown is a quite, clean place that would have been lovely during the British colonisation. Unfortunately we didn't have time to get out of the city and visit the hills, but we did take the train up to the top of Penang hill. At 710m the view was quite nice, but the Devonshire tea was better. David and I sat for 2 hours debating and enjoying a lovely garden complete with water lillies and a delicate breeze.
Finally we took the train down to Kuala Lumpur and made our way to the Birds Nest guesthouse (a cute backpackers with a garden out the back just a very cosy vibe about it). David had been talking about this place for as long as I have known him and I watched as he relished in having an oven again. I can appreciate how great it is having someone so interested in cooking travelling with me, because I got to sample pancakes, scones and a blueberry yoghurt cake in the two days that we have been here. And this he did with almost NO ingredients - AMAZING. Tonight we say goodbye to South East Asia and hello to Sri Lanka.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Koh Samui
As we were in Samui for Easter, my travel buddy demanded a makeshift Easter celebration. In deference to this I set about making him a scrabble set (we have missed playing), with which I paired a bottle of red wine and David armed himself with a multitude of surgery, chocolatey treats and hot cross buns. One of my favourite elements of our Easter sunday was the silver black phantom bike we rented for the day (400 Baht). I have missed riding and completely enjoyed tearing it up for an hour or two on my own. Although I did pay for my indulgence with an exhaust burn to my calf.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Ancient Angkorian Adventure
My second day began with a bicycle ride to the Angkor site. I was determined to make the most of my three day pass and as such I decided to cycle the 9kms to Angkor and proceed to cycle the 26km 'big' circuit and visit all of the smaller temples and ruins. There are less people and my visit to Preah Khan was virtually a silent pilgrimage to a temple buried in the rainforests of Angkor. The smaller sights are not as impressive as say Angkor Wat, but they are worth a look and are great if you want to read in the shadow of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Angkor itself represents a former interconnected series of aqueducts and even into the beginning of the Khmer empire, was an agricultural Babylon. It is now a mecca for millions of tourists every year, each of them hoping to share in the memory of this impressive Cambodian Eden. Riding through the heart of Angkor is an experience not to be missed and as I left I felt that the combination of a very pretty city and my visit to Angkor has left me the most fulfilled I have been on this journey.
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