This Fitness Rocks – Sri Lanka
“Only where you have walked on foot have you truly been.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe From our lovely hotel, Sigiriya Village, you can already see it: majestic and imposing, Sigiriya Rock rises right behind the swimming pool, and we can’t wait to climb it. What we didn’t expect, however, were more than 1,200 steps […]
Malakka – Malaysia
One of our planned excursions is a visit to Malacca. We had actually imagined something like a more or less private guided tour—similar to our firefly trip. But to our surprise, we initially find ourselves on a large bus with around 20 other tourists. This bus takes us to a station in Kuala Lumpur, where […]
Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia
To our left and right: a minibar. In front of us: a wide-screen monitor. And the flight attendant is offering us a glass of champagne. Pure paradise. We could have spent the flight lying down all the way to Dubai—but we preferred to enjoy the full VIP feeling instead. Getting an upgrade really is something […]
From Wilpattu to Nuwara Eliya – Sri Lanka
After a peaceful night at our beautiful hotel, Sigiriya Village, today we’re heading to Wilpattu National Park. Maybe we’ll spot a leopard—that would be the highlight… “Anticipation is the greatest joy.” At 11 a.m., our private guide Newton picks us up, and 2.5 hours later we arrive at the park entrance. He’s already taken care […]
Elephant Love – Sri Lanka
Our first stop is the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala. Since we visited a similar elephant sanctuary in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, two years ago, our expectations are quite high. Equipped with safari pants and our cameras, we buy our entrance tickets—and also get one for feeding the baby elephants. Unfortunately, we’re very disappointed when we realize that […]
Dambulla – Sri Lanka
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” On our journey from Negombo to Sigiriya, we visited the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (see report) and then continued on to Dambulla. The town is located in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, 148 km northeast of Colombo and […]
Tuk Tuks & lots of fishes – Sri Lanka
Munich → Colombo, Sri Lanka: 16 hours. Admittedly, such a long journey is exhausting, but almost everything went smoothly. Next time, though, we’d definitely get the visa online beforehand. On arrival, it costs around €40 per person, and you have to wait in a long line to get it. Online is cheaper—and saves a lot […]