Bute
The sensitive topic of toilets and travel
I don’t care if you’re a member of the aristocracy with refined blue blood coursing through your veins, at some point when travelling you’re likely to get caught short. […]
Sri Lanka
Asia
The Trouble With Vertigo
I can say when a path has an exposed ridge or falls away steeply but that doesn’t necessarily make it vertiginous because this is an affliction that takes many forms… […]
Food & drink
Drink Like a Local? You’d Have to be Mad
On a battered wooden skiff, we’d glided across the dappled, pea soup surface of a mangrove swamp into the jungle to reach a small clearing with a chunky log table… […]
Asia
Travel Moments, Gold or Wood in Sri Lanka?
Eventually we arrived at our hotel in Habarana, a convenient inland base for exploring Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa on Sri Lanka. As we arrived, an elephant lumbered… […]
Sri Lanka
First Impressions of Sri Lanka
From the moment the cloud cleared to expose a glistening, green, palm tree covered landscape the excitement rose to the point where I almost laughed hysterically out loud… […]
Asia
Monsoons and Camping Safari in Sri Lanka
There hadn’t been a drop of rain on the plains for three months, so it was serious bad luck that fifteen minutes into our Sri Lanka safari we were up to our knees in water and battling against driving monsoon rains […]
Asia
Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery
It’s an incredible experience to see these amazing creatures up close, to get to hold one in your hands and to release them into the sea in the hopes that maybe, just maybe your turtle will make it all the way to adulthood. […]
Food & drink
Food in Sri Lanka, Potato & Green Bean Curry
The potato and green bean curry dished up was much milder than the average madras. It had a very distinctive flavour (slightly roasted) that was quite different from the flavours of sauces from other areas of India. […]
Asia
Oruwa Fishing Boats
The Oruwa is the traditional Sri Lanka fishing sailing vessel used by the Sinhalese fishermen on the western and southwestern coasts of the island. The only place where Oruwa fishing boats are still used in in any number is in the fishing village of Negombo […] […]
Asia
Popular Alcoholic Drinks in Sri Lanka
Apart from sampling the local cuisine, part of the fun when travelling to new destinations involves also trying out the local firewater. […]
Asia
The Rock Fortress of Sigiriya
The rock fortress of Sigiriya dates back to 473 AD when Kasyapa, the illegitimate son of King Dhatusena of Anuradhapura, fearing invasion from his half brother, built the impregnable fortress and on its summit created […] […]
Asia
Drinking a glass of Toddy, the Local Brew in Sri Lanka
I have to confess that it won’t be the first time I’ve gone to great lengths to get a drink, but heading off into the jungle on little more than a broad canoe up a river just north of Negombo was maybe pushing it. […]
Asia
Riding the Galle to Bentota Bus
80,000 people live in Galle and most of them appeared to be at the bus station. The level of commotion and noise gave the impression that some major incident had just occurred […] […]
Asia
Surviving Sigiriya
“What are those tiny ledges cut into the face of the rock for?” I asked my guide.
“That is where the guards stood, Madam, and if the guard fell asleep, the rock would exact punishment.”
“What do you mean?”
“The guard simply fell to his death, Madam.”
[…]
Asia