My Dreams - My Travel Days 2006 - 2013

After retirement, I am like a giraffe sticking my neck out to see the world as much as possible ...... what I like about free & easy traveling is that it really tests your mental, physical & spiritual strength to the utmost ......

 " Dare to live the LIFE you have dreamed for yourself - Go forward and make your dreams come true "

" Do not regret growing older, it's a pprivilege deny to many " 

" Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself " 

My travel days (2006-2013) - the best moments of my retirement LIFE. Don't take LIFE for granted. Cherish every moment you have.

After retirement at a tender age of 56, traveling was in my blood ! There was a big learning curve in planning my free & easy travels right from the beginning. I started with a clean sheet of paper, the first step towards accomplishing my dream of seeing a total of 48 countries since 2006 till now ! Prior to retirement and after working for 36 years, I had only visited 10 countries, mainly achieved through working visits or on holidays ! So for new starters, go somewhere until you have no where to go !   

I have no regret taking up travelling as a passion after my retirement - away from the comfort zone I enjoyed at home, using my six senses to wander and see the world and like all wise travelers, you should never despise your own country ! Happy travelling !

" A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step " 

" When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make it's own people comfortable " 

" If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion & avoid the people, you might better stay at home "

" Lucky me, I have a travel blog to jog my memory after each travel and share my travel experiences & stories to my readers - those wonderful years of travelling from 2006 till now ! Happy reading !!! "

2013

- Dec  My 11 days in China (Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, Hong Kong & Macau)

- Sept My 21 days in China (Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Shantou, Xiamen, Hukeng Tulou, Meizhou, Shenzen, Hong Kong, Macau & Sanya & Haikou) 

- June    My 8 days in Thailand (Hatyai,Krabi, Phi Phi Islands, Koh Samui & Phuket)

- Mar My 15 days in Nepal (Kathmandu, Pokhara, Sarangkot, Chitwan National Park & Bhaktapur      

- Jan      My 6 days in Sri Lanka ( Colombo, Kandy, Sigiriya & Galle )

2012

- Jan My 3 days in Singapore

- May My 31 days in Europe (Paris, London, Edinburgh, Geneva, Laussane, Bern, Lucerne, Interlaken, Zurich, Lichtenstein, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Algericas, Lisbon, Gilbratar & Fez, Morocco)

-Sept  My 22 days in China (Guilin, Chengdu, Beichuan, Xian, Xining, Golmud, Yushu, Garze, Kangding & Fenghuang )

-Dec My 9 days in South Korea (Jeju Island, Seoul & Mt Sorak)     

Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter 2012

2011

-Jan   My 9 days in Northern Thailand & Laos (Bangkok, Vientiane & Lua Prabang )

-April My 3 days in Southern Thailand (Betong) 

-June My 36 days in Europe (London, Warsaw, Talinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Turku, Paris, Barcelona, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Ljubljana, Zagred, Sarajevo & Vienna)

-Aug My 6 days in Kota Kinabalu & Mt KK , Sabah, Malaysia

- Nov My 23 days in China (Tianjin, Haerbin, Manzhouli, Changbaishan, Shenyang, Tingchuan, Xining, Changsa & Cuilin " 

- Nov My 4 days in Indonesia ( Bali )

2010

April  My 14 days in Japan (Shizuoka, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Himeiji City, Hyogo, Yokohama & Tokyo)
June My 40 days in Europe (London, Luxembourg, Berlin, Copenhagen, Krakow, Bratislava, Vienna, Bucharest, Sofia, Athens & Rome)
July   My Dream - Discovering Europe

My Dream - Top Wonders of the World

My Dream - The Great Wonders of the World
- Oct My 30 days in China (Tianjin, Beijing, Taishan, Qufu, Suzhou, Anhui, Hangzhou, Wuyishan, Lushan, Wudangshan, Wulingyuan, Dali, Lijiang & Guilin)
- Nov My 5 days in Thailand (Bangkok & Pattaya)

2009     

-July My 45 days in Europe, Russia, Mongolia & China (London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Nedejovice, Riga, Talinn, Moscow, St Petersburg, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan Bataar & Beijing)  
- Oct My 29 days in China (Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, Huanlong, Chonqing, Yangtzekiang, Yichang, Luoyang, Pingyao, Datong, Beijing & Tianjin)
- Dec My 3 days in Cameron Highlands & Qigong camp 

From 2006 - March 2009, all my travels & pictures are posted in my old blog : www.km-travel.blogspot.com

2009

     

-Mar My 5 days in Indonesia (Jogyakarta, Borobudur, Daeing & Solo)

2008

-Nov    My 37 days in Jordan, Syria, Turkey & Egypt (Amman, Jerash, Dead Sea, Madaba, Mt Nebo, Petra, Aqaba, Damascus, Palmyra, Homs, Aleppo, Antakya, Cappadocia, Istanbul, Selcuk, Ephesus, Bodrum, Pamukkale, Canakkale, Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Alexandria, Port Said & Nuweiba)

-July   My 14 days in Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama, Shizuoka, Nara, Kyoto & Ninja Village)

2007

-Jan  My 4 days in Thailand (Bangkok & Ayutthaya)
My 24 days in Northern India, Kashmir & Himalaya (New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Kashmir, Leh/Ladakh, Manali, Mcleod Ganz & Shima)

My 6 days in North Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay & Catba Island) 

2006  

-Jan My 16 days in China (Xian, Huashan, Turpan, Dun Huang, Urumqi, Buerjin, Karamay & Kanas Lake )
- Nov   My 4 days in Cambodia (Siem Reap)

One for the album - The Best Moments of My Life - These places I visited are thousand miles away from home - A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step !!! Have you taken your first baby step in traveling ?

Kanas Lake Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China - 2006

Taj Mahal, Agra, India - 2007

Petra, Jordan - 2008

Trans-Mongolian Railway, Russia - 2009

Sakura season, Kyoto, Japan - 2010

Norwegian Fjords , Norway - 2011

Interlaken, Switzerland - 2012

Patan Durbar Square, Nepal - 2013

" Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends ..... the mind can never break off from the journey " 

" Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony "

Sri Lanka (Colombo, Kandy, Sigiriya & Galle) Jan 2013

" You have this lifetime to make the best of your dreams. don't wait a moment longer & start right now "

" We are at the cross roads of change. Change we must. Don't afraid of change. Embrace it "

" The art of living is the art of bringing dreams & reality together " 

" My 6 days solo visit to Sri Lanka (Colombo, Kandy, Sigiriya, Galle & Negombo) from 4-9 Jan 2013 - captivated by a small country which houses 8 UNESCO world heritage sites & inherited a similar colonial history with that of my home country, Malaysia " 

Total expenses incurred (6 days) : Rm900 (US$295)

Air Asia Ticket: Rm$365.80 
KL>Colombo : 11.00>12.00
Colombo>KL : 12.55>19.10
Visa fee (online) : US$20 (Rm60)
Airport shuttle bus: Rm16
Hostel (5 nights): SLR5,900 (RM171)
Hostel booking fee: US$6 (Rm18) 
Entrance fee: US$30 + SLR1,000 (Rm120)
Transport: SLR1,513 (Rm44)
Food: SLR2,417 (Rm70)
Sundries: SLR1,520 (Rm44)
Exchange Rate: SLR100=Rm2.90; US$1=SLR125; US$1=Rm3.05 

Travel Itinerary : Kuala Lumpur (KL) > Colombo > Kandy > Sigiriya > Dambulla > Colombo > Galle > Negombo > KL

The Great Book of World Heritage Sites has a write up on Sigiriya, The Lion's Rock & the ancient paintings dated 1,500 years ago - this has driven me to pay a visit to Sri Lanka, only 3.5 hrs by air from Malaysia. Besides Sigiriya, I also had the opportunity to visit two other UNESCO sites ie the Temple of Tooth Relic, Kandy & Galle. So you won't be let down if you are an UNESCO world heritage sites admirer !!! Rain or shine, a fascinating Sri Lanka awaits you upon your arrival !

Sri Lanka & Malaysia are like a Siamese twins - both have quite a similar colonial history. Sri Lanka was under Portuguese influence in 1505, followed by Dutch in 1638 and then British in 1796. The country was declared independence in 1948. Whereas Malacca (a state of Malaya) was under Portuguese rule in 1511 & the Dutch in 1641 ; Malaya was under British administration in 1786. Malaya (now Malaysia) achieved her independence in 1957. 

Sri Lanka currently has 8 UNESCO world heritage sites. The 5 that I have kept in view (KIV) and yet to visit are: 

1) Anuradhapura

2) Polonnaruwa
3) Cave Temple Dambulla
4) Sinharaja Forest Reserve
5) Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (Adam's Peak)

Due to a lack of expressways, public transport like buses may take a longer time to reach the destinations due to narrow congested roads eg Colombo > Kandy (96km - 3.5 hrs); Colombo > Galle (130km - 4hrs). Taking train is another option for inter-city travels and could save time. The bus and train tickets were dirt cheap (approx US$1.50 for a 3.5 hr bus ride) for most of my countryside travels !

Most hostels in Sri Lanka are of the home stay type, reasonably cheap (US$10-15 single or double room); clean, well maintained & lived in by the owners. I chose to stay in Negombo in my final day due to it's close proximity to the airport.

Sri Lanka is famous for her spices and if you enjoy spicy food, this will spice up every moment of your traveling day in this country !

1) Colombo city

 

2) Kandy (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

3) Sigiriya (UNESCO World Heritage Site)


4) Galle (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

" Take only memories, leave only footprints "

Sri Lanka (Colombo) Jan 2013

Total expenses (2 nights) : SLR3,195 (US$26)
Hostel : City Rest Motels (2 nights) - SLR650 + SLR1,000 (single)
Food: SLR895
Transport: Airport>Colombo (bus) - SLR200
Central bus station > Hostel (Tuk Tuk) - SLR150
Colombo > Kandy (bus) - SLR300

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka has a large harbour and was an active trading post going back to 2,000 years ago ! The Portuguese, the Dutch and the British had a huge influence on Colombo. Many of the old colonial buildings eg Colombo Fort Railway station, the Town Hall, colonial residences, government buildings are still in existence today!

Like Sri Lanka, South East Asia cities with harbor fronts eg Singapore, Malacca, Penang all had inherited a similar colonial past in terms of history, trading, landmarks & state administrations etc.

The traffic in down town Colombo was horrendous so you may have to rely on tuk tuks to ferry you around the city areas or touristy places. The area around the central bus station and Colombo Fort railway station appeared haphazard & needed an upgrade to cope with an increase in passenger demand !

Colombo city

 

Hello ! Welcome to Sri Lanka

Clock Tower

Colombo Fort Railway Station

Murugan Hindu Temple

Colombo Central Bus Station

Jami Alfar Mosque, Pattah

Main Street, Colombo City

Foss Market

The Light House

Plantation House

The World Trade Center Towers

Bank of Ceylon

Presidential Secretariat

Galle Face Green

Historical Cargills & Millers Building

Grand Oriental Hotel

Dutch Hospital - Shopping Precinct

Tuk Tuk - Metered & Non Metered Taxi

Old Town Hall

Sri Lankan National Flag Pole at Galle Face Green

Sri Lankan Port - Front Entrance

A Church opposite the bus station

" Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 60 - time is a concept that humans created "

Sri Lanka (Kandy) Jan 2013

Total expenses (2 nights) : SLR 5,890 (US$47)
Hostel: Hill Way Tour Inn (2 nights) - SLR3,350 (double)
Food: SLR1,045
Transport: Tuk tuk (SLR50) + bus (SLR 35) + Kandy>Sigiriya (SLR120) + Sigiriya>Dambulla (SLR40) + Dambulla>Kandy (SLR100) + Kandy>Colombo (SLR150)
Entrance fee: SLR1,000 (Temple of the Tooth)

I enjoyed my time in Kandy (an UNESCO world heritage site & a cultural capital with a strong Buddhist value), the 2nd largest city in Sri Lanka. The scenic Kandy Lake, the Temple of the Tooth Relic, the homestay up at the Kandy hill - very refreshing and relaxing visit indeed in this last kingdom of Sri Lanka before the British's rule in 1815 !

Kandy has a direct public bus service to Sigiriya ( 07.30>11.30) so you could do a day trip to visit the famous Lion's Rock in Sigiriya. From Sigiriya, you could take a bus to Dambulla for your return trip back to Kandy.

Kandy Town & Lake

 

Clock Tower

Kandy Lake

Inter-city bus from Kandy to Sigiriya

Petty Traders, Downtown

Old Colonial Building. Downtown 

Temple of the Tooth Relic (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

"Life is like a book, some chapters sad, some happy and some exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know the next chapter holds "