After our ill-fated attempts at partying it up on New Year’s Eve, we decided to stick to what Pulau Weh was known for: diving. Our five days on the island pretty much followed this schedule: wake up reluctantly at about…
New Year’s Eve in Aceh
To be fair, I had read that Pulau Weh, an island off the north coast of Sumatra, was not a party place, but I figured New Year’s Eve would be the exception. After two overnight flights from Colombo to Kuala…
Missing the lazy days of Mirissa
After a long and windy bus ride where I was worried both Marieke and Cheryl were going to be sick, we made it to Mirissa. Dropped off on the main, busy road, we were a bit unsure as to how…
Finding Platform 9 3/4 in the Magical Town of Ella
Guest post by Cheryl Williams After a lovely day in Haputale, we caught the train to Ella. The train ride to Ella is iconic, and everywhere we read talked about how gorgeous it was. We’d been a bit hesitant about…
Climbing a Sacred Mountain at the Unholy Hour of 2am- Adam’s Peak
Buddha’s footprint, Shiva’s footprint, Adam’s footprint, apparently the path to Adam’s Peak was well traveled, and we were determined to join the crowd. Attempting to leave the highs and lows of Kandy, we bought second class train tickets for Hatton,…
My first First Class upgrade: Maldives to Colombo
Ok, so it was Business Class, not First Class. And the flight was only an hour and fifteen minutes. But it was still my first upgrade and the half a glass of warm beer, being the first in 10 days,…
Making the Most of the Maldives: Maafushi and Fulidhoo Islands
Guest post by Cheryl Williams: The Maldives…the country most people know as the place with the ridiculously beautiful blue-green water and the iconic over-water bungalows in the fancy resort islands. Until about 8 years ago, tourists could only visit the…
Moving in the Maldives: Ferries and Speedboats
Now that the local ferries are open to foreigners, and guesthouses provide reasonable accommodation that are not in the tune of $1000 a night like the resorts, exploring local islands becomes a real possibility. As per usual, I started looking…
Blo-karting our way off the beaten track: Barreal
With extra time in Argentina due to Marieke not having a passport (and therefore not able to enter Chile, Uruguay or Bolivia), we decided to head back to Mendoza to meet up with a friend we had met in Puerto…
Roadtripping through Northern Argentina Part V: Purmamarca to Salta
Our final day of the road trip started off with a bit of relief as left the odd town of Purmamarca, heading for the hills and beyond to Salinas Grandes. We were soon climbing sharply up the twisty mountain roads,…