One of the most-visited places on the teardrop island of Sri Lanka is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa to locals. As the name indicates, the grand temple complex houses the remains of the tooth relic of the Buddha in a sacred chamber. It is believed to be the left canine ...
A few years back, I wrote a blog post titled "The Funny World of Sinhala, Singlish and English" and it seems like an opportune time to revisit this topic in a more practical sense. Over the past year I've had a quite a few expats get in touch, who are either moving or have moved to Sri Lanka, expressing an ...
I have a secret to share with you... my secret is that I have itchy feet! Admittedly, it's more figurative than literal You see, I love my freedom and if I had my way I'd be constantly on the adventure trail. Realistically though, that isn't possible 100% of the time, so I make do with a travel to-do list, which ...
As an expat living in Sri Lanka for awhile now, I'd say I'm relatively well-versed in the comings and goings of everyday life around Colombo and to a certain extent, Kandy. These are the places I've lived most of the time, as opposed to the various travel I've undertaken around this blessed little teardrop island. Very recently, I was invited ...
Pola is a big part of the way of life in Sri Lanka. These usually happen on the weekends, but there also established markets in daily operation throughout the island of varying sizes. Going to your local Sunday pola (or marketplace) is a must-do experience. It's a way of learning about local fruit and vegetables, locally made products, getting to ...
If you google search "volunteer opportunities in Sri Lanka" (or anywhere in the world), you're most likely to come across a plethora of foreign volunteer organizations based out of countries outside of Sri Lanka requiring registration fees and a fair whack of expense on your part. The two most common volunteer programs or projects that are touted through these ...
There is a sacred fig tree, known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, that was planted in Anuradhapura around the third century BC by King Devanampiyatissa. It was grown from a sapling of the sacred Maha Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha became enlightened in Bodh Gaya, India. The sapling was brought over from India by Theri Sanghamitta, who founded the ...
I thought I'd mention and provide links to Adventures in a Tuk-Tuk Blog's social media pages, just in case you haven't come across them yet. There are social media icons that are linked on the blog's website in the top right-hand corner under "Stalk Me", but sometimes they can be missed.The blog's Facebook page is regularly updated... probably more often ...
If you've been following this blog and my travels, then you will have noticed my profound passion for the national parks across Sri Lanka. I visit regularly, also taking advantage of any opportunity to tag along with visiting family and friends wishing to see something nature-based and adventurous. Just last week, I had the good fortune to accompany my visiting ...
Did you hear about a group of four foreign travelers who recently posed naked for photos on the top of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia and who were subsequently arrested, jailed and fined for committing an obscene act? If you haven't, then check out this article or google it. Such incidents with travelers visiting sacred sites or foreign places seem to ...
Until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't had a brush with this fatal infectious disease other than responding to a recent email from a traveler seeking some information regarding treatment for rabies in Sri Lanka. So it was a bit of a shock to find myself sat in the emergency room at the hospital late one evening after my ...
The Aluvihare Rock Temple is situated to the north of Matale (about 26km from Kandy) within Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle on the Kandy-Dambulla stretch of the A9 highway. It played an important part in Theravada Buddhist history, following the Fourth Buddhist Council, being the place where the Tipitika was committed to writing in Pali . Prior to this, the ...
When you embrace a new culture and country you have a choice whether to live on the outskirts, with a toe or two dipped in, or go all in. The alternative is to live in an expat bubble! I think for most of us expats we'd like to think we go all in from the outset, but in reality it's ...
If you're up-to-date on travel articles on Sri Lanka, then you may have noticed the plenitude of recently published articles promoting tea estates and the beauty of the upper countryside of the island. And, what's there not to love about this region?As you know, I love exploring this island - from its coastline of beaches to the lush mountains, diverse ...
For many people climbing a mountain is all about getting to the top and back down again as swiftly and efficiently as possible (and taking a few snaps along the way and posting them to social media). Travelers, the world over, love to conquer mountains and it's an understandable thing. You want to challenge yourself physically and emotionally. But there are only a few sacred mountains around
If you're wondering what this expat has been up to lately, I can share that I've literally just come down the mountain a few days ago - I climbed Sri Pada (a.k.a. Adam's Peak) with a group of friends and we also organized a dansel offering free food and drinks to pilgrims making the climb to the peak. Presently, my legs are aching and I guess it's obvious I've worked muscles in my legs that
As many of my regular readers will know, Minneriya National Park is one of my favorite places to visit. I wrote about one of my visits during the dry season in a blog post titled "Travel Monday: Jeep Safari of Minneriya National Park". The dry season is from June to September, though the period between May to October is considered open season for visiting Minneriya. The dry season is a
Welcome back to Part 2 of my blog post on "Sri Lanka as a Viable Retirement Haven". In Part 1 we took a glimpse at the idea of retirement, early retirement and sea-change; retirement considerations; retirement abroad; and an idea of taking a test drive of Sri Lanka as an option. In this installment I'll delve into more detail on ...
If you're in search of a unique day trip experience, then look no further than a scenic drive through Knuckles and a visit to Sembuwaththa Lake in Elkaduwa. Sembuwaththa Lake offers a unique blend of tea estate coupled with a gorgeous lake surrounded by forest with picnic and swimming areas and boat rides. The longer journey to this destination is definitely part of the fun and offers glimpses
