In March 2015 I jetted off to Barcelona for a packed weekend of sightseeing with a friend. We managed to do the whole trip in a weekend, leaving after work on Friday and returning Sunday evening. While I would have loved to spend more time there, sometimes it’s nice to travel in short sharp bursts … Continue reading A weekend in Barcelona – 2 day itineray
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Sri Lanka essentials – some top travel tips
Based on my own experiences I'm sharing some practical tips for travelling to Sri Lanka including what to take, how to get around, and how much it's going to cost you. Do I need a visa to visit Sri Lanka? You will need a visa to travel to Sri Lanka but it’s very straightforward to … Continue reading Sri Lanka essentials – some top travel tips
12 days in Sri Lanka – the last supper, Galle and Colomobo
My last day in Galle and the trip back to Colombo was a foodie affair with a giant curry for lunch and Ministry of Crab for dinner. Before heading to the airport to round off my trip I also visited Colombo National Museum and Viharamahadevi Park.
12 days in Sri Lanka – more elephants than you can shake a stick at
Day 10 – more animals: another early start! Probably not everyone’s idea of a holiday, but I wanted to make sure I made the most of my time in Sri Lanka and came back having seen as much as I could see in the 12 days available. I was far less impressed with this safari, … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – more elephants than you can shake a stick at
12 days in Sri Lanka – safari time
Day 9 – safari: Sri Lanka is great for wildlife watching as it has more than 100 protected areas under government guard, which covers more than 8% of the country. Yala is famous for its leopards, which is why I headed there as a fan of cats both big and small. I asked the hotel … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – safari time
12 days in Sri Lanka – by the seaside, beside the sea
Day 6 – the beach at last: up at 4:30am (again) for the 6:10am express intercity to Mirissa. It's not really an express train, it goes about 20 mph, but when it's such a lovely journey who's counting? You need to do this train ride, it’s amazing. And do it at this time in the … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – by the seaside, beside the sea
12 days in Sri Lanka – Indiana Jones
Day 5 – so many temples: after a massive breakfast of fruit, omelette, and my first ever hoppers (both the plain and the string variety) I headed out to tour Polonnaruwa. I only had until 3pm when I had to be back at the guest house and ready for my driver to take me the … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – Indiana Jones
12 days in Sri Lanka – sweat and rain
Day 4 – heat wave: I don’t think the day was hotter than any other day, but you really feel it when you start the day climbing a huge rock and finish it climbing another huge rock. Sigiriya was about 15km from my hotel, so a pleasant and cheap ride in my tuk tuk (if … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – sweat and rain
12 days in Sri Lanka – venturing out
Day 2 – first Sri Lankan train ride: I walked to Colombo Fort Station in the dark, giving a wide berth to the various stray dogs milling around seemingly harmlessly in the street. Despite getting to the station at 4:50am for the fast intercity train to Anuradhapura, it was already booked up in advance (first … Continue reading 12 days in Sri Lanka – venturing out
12 days in Sri Lanka – arrival and orientation
My first two days exploring Sri Lanka starting with Colombo and Anuradhapura
Think on paper 