Well arrived in Vavuniya, I soon went to the bus station and searched for a bus bound for Jaffna. There was one too, extremely crowded and ready to go. I didn’t get a seat, had to stand upright. The ticket cost only 138 Rs (a bit more than a dollar).
My dream about visiting Jaffna was [...]
I left Dalhousie soon after returning from Adam’s Peak, even though it was very difficult to walk. I had other plans than to rest. I catched a bus to Colombo (via Hatton), and this time I stayed at the Colombo YMCA for 695 Rs, the cheapest place so far. And it shows. The hostel is [...]
It’s around 5km and 5200 steps to the top of Adam’s Peak, and the elevation gain is 1000m, from 1200m to 2200m. On top of the peak, there is an unremarkable temple. The place is a pilgrimage centre, although I was not there as a pilgrim, just as a tourist/traveler.
I went to sleep early [...]
After four pleasant days in Kandy, I decided to continue my Sri Lankan journey. I wanted to climb Adam’s Peak. Therefore, I needed to travel to Dalhousie, which is the main gateway to Adam’s Peak. There was no direct bus to Dalhousie. I had to change bus in Hatton, and also in Maskeliya. The trip [...]
Kandy itself is pleasant. There’s many old, crumbling buildings, and being situated at 500 meters altitude helps a lot too (I don’t even use the fan at night). This is in the middle of the the so-called “hill country”, and there is beautiful scenery surrounding the city. There’s a small lake here too, the Kandy [...]
Sometimes it’s possible to live like a king for a small sum of money. Expeditor Inn, where I’m staying at here in Kandy, is such a nice guesthouse and great value for money, so I thought I would post some pictures of the place. I have a new, spotless room at 3rd floor with attached [...]
On Monday, I took the “express” train from Galle to Kandy. No 1st class is available on this route, so I bought a 2nd class ticket for Rs 320. I was lucky to get a seat. Many passengers had to stand. The reason to choose 1st class is to get a seat reservation.
The train left [...]
I spent two days hanging around Unawatuna beach and surrounding village, staying at Village Inn, a modest place with well-worn rooms, but with an OK veranda at the second floor. I paid Rs 800 for the room. It’s a peaceful place set a bit back from the beach. From the veranda, I could see monkeys [...]
On Wednesday I catched a bus on the street just outside my guesthouse in Narigama/Hikkaduwa, to Galle, and the trip took only half an hour. I paid Rs 20.
Galle Fort (the fort walls and bastions and the old town inside) is a UNESCO world heritage site, and it is easy to see why. It is [...]
I rented a bicycle yesterday for Rs 100, and rode around in the countryside here, near Hikkaduwa. Not much traffic away from the main Galle Road. Many rice fields and small villages, just like in Java, Indonesia. My GPS showed 25 km in total for the trip.
The waves are a bit too big for swimming [...]
I took the train today from Colombo to Hikkaduwa, a ride of less than two hours in 2nd class (Rs 160). I checked out a few guest houses in Narigama before deciding upon one of them. I got a simple but OK room for Rs 900. Narigama is two kilometers south of Hikkaduwa town, and [...]
Here is an example of a meal I have had several times while in Colombo. It’s a vegetarian meal, not that it matters for me though. Most importantly, it’s tasty. It’s cheap too, around a dollar. It’s called a “Chapatti Set” on the menus here.
A “Chapatti Set” meal.
My arrival in Colombo was easy. I catched a bus to the city for Rs 40, and finally a Bajaj (motorised 3-wheeler) to the homestay where I had reserved a room, the Parisare, for Rs 150. The homestay is located in Cinnamon Gardens, an affluent residential district in Colombo, and is one of the best [...]
Since my flight to Colombo departs at such a difficult hour (07:05), I decided to simply spend the last night at the airport. There are several advantages to this, for example:
No need to worry about waking up on time (sometimes I don’t hear my cell phone alarm clock).
Save one night’s accommodation costs.
Save taxi fare out [...]
When I arrived in Singapore on Monday, I checked into Cozy Corner Guest House, at the tune of SGD 14 nightly in a dorm with AC. Fair enough. I stayed here two years ago too. I noticed the same woman in the reception as before.
And since it is the year of the tiger, I thought [...]
Welcome to the hard house world of the new Indonesia! In this regard, Tiesto (the Dutch DJ) made a significant contribution last Saturday night, when he performed at Carnaval Beach, Ancol Bay City Jakarta. We had tickets for this outdoor happening, and despite rain and muddy conditions, we stayed until 04:00. We arrived late though, [...]
Tiesto is performing at Carnaval Beach on Saturday, and I (together with Caecil and Sanjay) decided to not miss this event, and got hold of tickets yesterday. Price: Rp 250k each.
This is the schedule on Saturday:
20.00 – 21.00 : ORIGINAL NARO
21.00 – 22.00 : MILINKA RADISIC
22.00 – 23.30 : ROMY 1945MF
23.30 – 01.00 : WINKY [...]
Below is a GPS track log of the taxi ride from Kalimarau Airport to Tanjung Batu last month, and the speedboat trip from Tanjung Batu to Pulau Derawan, including waypoints. The position at Pulau Derawan is the location of the guesthouse where I stayed at.
I have marked Pulau Kakaban and Pulau Sangalaki as well, but [...]
Below is a GPS track log of the trip by car from Makassar to Tana Toraja last December. As usual, I used my Garmin GPSMAP 60CX to log the track and to mark the places we stayed at.
One day after returning from Pulau Derawan, I became sick with severe headache. It lasted a few days.
On 16 January I flew from Balikpapan to Jakarta.
On 18 January, my visa expired, so I flew to Singapore, and took a ferry to Batam for another 30-day visa. I stayed one night at Istana Hotel Batam for [...]
Pulau Derawan (and nearby islands) is another one of those hidden gems in Indonesia’s remote corners. Not many have heard about it either.
Arrival at Kalimarau airport.
Excited as I was, on 4 January, 10:40 hours, I flew from Balikpapan on KalStar Aviation (Rp 720k) via Samarinda, and arrived at Kalimarau airport in Tanjung Redeb, the [...]
We happened to be situated in Balikpapan during the New Year. Astrid was our host, and still is, during our stay here.
On 1 January we were surprised by a really heavy downpour while driving, and the streets were flooded in just 15 minutes or so, making some stretches impassable. But the rain vanished just as [...]
Christmas 2009 was spent in Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, together with Caecil, Astrid, Saras, Eka, and Rani. Tana Toraja is known for their unique burial rites. I and Caecil also spent a few days in Makassar afterwards.
23 December
I and Caecil flew from Jakarta to Makassar on Batavia Airlines (Rp 750k each), and checked into New Legend [...]