A tough start of this Asian trip

I got a 2GB SIM card and cash in the airport, walked to the bus station, and took the first bus from Awariwatta bus station to Negombo, a 2nd bus from Negombo to Kurunegala, and then the 3rd bus From Kurunegala to Polonnaruwa via Dhambulla. I made it into my hostel by walking 1.5 miles in high heat (yet took some photos while walking in sweat), so I drank a lot water tonight. I only ate some dry food when chatting with my new friends who I will share tuk-tuk to visit Sigiriya on 1/17. This has been the most strenuous opening among my 3-month annual international trips since 2011: fights delayed for snow, 30-hr 3-segment flights, and 7.5-hr 3-bus rides. 









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hiking in Tiamnu

Image
Since my dental implant stitches restrict my physical activeness,  I picked an easy hike with a local group along the Tianmu Trail (天母古道）that passes through the northwest slope of the Shilin Huagang area, along the ancient road, and connects to the 654M of the Shabu Mountain （紗帽山）which is a zig-zag stone ladder. The mountaintop terrace overlooks the Zhongshan Tower, Qixing Mountain and Dagu Mountain. Lunch at Yangming Lake 陽明山前山公園， and I had Tora rice noodles ( 芋頭米粉) while sharing sticky tofu (臭豆腐）and fried sweet patato (炸地瓜) with two other hikers. In the afternoon, we went through Hunglin Trail (橫領古道) to Longfeng Valley, and finished the 12 km hike in a really pleasant day.
Read more

“Future 100” report release

Image
I went to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park for the release of “The Future 100: 2019” that predicts how the disruptive currents will play out in culture, consumer behavior and emerging trends. By the way, Walter Thomason hosted an amazing dessert break. You can read the summary of the report here https://www.jwtintelligence.com/2018/11/the-future-100-2019/ This park sits on the grounds of a former tobacco factory established by the Japanese. In 2011, the Taipei City government finished renovations of the area, changing the space into a large public park with exhibition halls, art shows, and conference spaces. An Eslite is located at the northern end of the complex, housing a large bookstore, creative works shopping mall, vinyl records store, and a large number of shops in which guests can participate in creative art workshops. I like at the center a large, beautiful Baroque Garden where guests can stroll or relax. In addition, a large pond outside of the park has been modernized i...
Read more

Inle Lake 8-hr cruise

Image
I found a boat-sharing vendor for crushing Inle Lake today. It is a shallow 22-km long lake in the middle of Myanmar inhabited by many different tribes. I saw local fishermen posing for pictures at the lake entrance - with the expectation of a tip. The boat trip included visiting workshops, such as the Lotus textile weaving factory (lotus fibers are 7 times of silk), silversmith workshop, a shop for handmade cigars "cheroot" (from tobacco, honey, rice flour, tamarind, banana, and anise), 5-day rotating market (it's at the same location every 5 days), the Phaung Daw U pagoda with ceremonial boats, an over-priced lake restaurant for lunch, a cat-jumping monastery where the monks trained the jumping cats, the Indein village, The Sankar village and the nearby Tharkong pagoda. I really enjoyed this 8-hour boat ride passing through villages and great scenery.
Read more