Always wondered what India looks like? How diverse, colorful and beautiful its people are? Maybe you are interested in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas? Or you love beautifully crafted travel photography? Then this video is not for you. This is an almost ten minute long compilation of selfies taken with a GoPro Hero action camera with a very annoying looping Indian soundtrack. You'll mostly see my travel partner Whitney and me smiling at a little camera mounted on a selfie-stick with India and Nepal in the background.

A tad narcissistic? Yes. Fun and great memories? Hell yes!

The GoPro was an impulse purchase because I wanted to have a camera to use during Holi, the festival of color. This festival has gained a lot of popularity outside India in recent years but the real hardcore action still happens in India. It is messy, crowded and a lot of fun. Neon-colored powder flies at you from all corners: a nightmare for any electronic device. The waterproof GoPro held up pretty well but after a couple hours the powder started getting through the buttons. Luckily it came back to life the next day after washing with water.

We used the GoPro across India and Nepal to take selfies everywhere. In the end I had more than 10,000 selfies. Browsing through them looked like a recording of our adventures in India and Nepal so I decided to turn it into an actual video.

Who is awake at 5am on a Saturday morning in Chiang Mai? In Thailand you don't go to the supermarket for the best fruits, vegetables and meat. You go to one of the many markets where farmers sell some of the freshest produce you've ever seen, straight from the back of their trucks. Some of these markets are open 24 hours, but for the best deals you want to arrive early in the morning.

We usually buy our fruits at Muang Mai market, located a couple blocks northwest of Chiang Mai's old city center. Muang Mai is the main wholesale market in Chiang Mai with a mix of stalls, shops and trucks. Today I decided to go at 5am to have time to take photos before going home to make a delicious smoothie with fresh fruit from the market. For photography the early morning light can be quite magical and today was no exception. It was well-worth getting up this early and stroll the market.

In the early hours of April 26, 1986 a test carried out on Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant did not go as planned: safety procedures were not followed and alarms were ignored. Several explosions destroyed the reactor and blew tonnes of radioactive matter into the environment. The power plant, situated in present-day Ukraine was owned by the communist government of the Soviet-union. The government initially tried to cover up the accident but after radiation readings all over Europe began to spike it became apparent that something had gone terribly wrong.

The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a 1,600 square kilometer area around the power plant that was established days after the disaster. Anyone living inside this zone was ordered to evacuate. This included the village of Chernobyl and the nearby city Prypiat with a population of 50,000. People were told to only bring their papers and some food as the evacuation would be temporary. This however ended up not being the case and people were never allowed to return. Nowadays Prypiat remains frozen in the communist eighties whilst slowly being reclaimed by nature.

On my way from Ho Chi Minh City to Amsterdam I passed through Ukraine. This was a great opportunity to visit Chernobyl and to have a look at ground zero. For understandable reasons you can’t just drive into the exclusion zone by yourself. The easiest way to get near the power plant is to join a tour, and that’s what I did.

Photos of Chernobyl and Prypiat showing how quickly nature returns have always intrigued me. A visit to the exclusion zone is a surreal experience, especially on a hot summer day late in August. Nothing out of the ordinary can be seen until someone holds a Geiger counter near a patch of unassuming moss. The steady beep from the instrument turns into a constant whir: not safe. Another reminder that looks can be deceiving and that this is not a normal forest. From here on everyone would be hopping from one concrete patch to the other, carefully avoiding the moss.

These robots were used to clean up inside the power plant after the disaster. A huge graveyard of contaminated vehicles can be found in the forest but due to the radiation is not safe to visit.

A daycare center where children of the power plant's workers stayed. Situated a little away from the road, creepy dolls and other toys make this a scary place.

The new sarcophagus that -- when completed -- will be rolled in place on top of the reactors.

Seafood lovers visiting Korea should not skip the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul. Early-risers are treated to the freshest seafood and fish, but the market is open 24 hours a day so you can visit at any time. It's a great place to gaze at the strange creatures that inhabit our oceans. Once you're tired of walking around try the freshly sliced sashimi.

Getting there

The fish market is easy to find as it is right next to Noryangjin subway station. Take subway line 1 to Noryangjin station. Exit the station and walk over the bridge crossing the tracks. You have reached your destination.

Hidden somewhere in the Mongolian Gobi desert is a turtle. A concrete turtle in whose shell a restaurant serves some of the finest Mongolian cuisine in the region. One night the turtle started blasting heavy techno music into the empty desert. This night happened to also be the night I stayed in a nearby nomad camp.

We’d been riding camels and running down sand dunes during the day and a party seemed like a good way to end the day. Wearing our least smelly clothes — we hadn’t showered in days — everyone jumped in the van and we set off towards the pumping beats in the distance. Roads do not exist in the desert so in the darkness our guides just aimed for the sound and we all prayed that no drunk nomads would cross our path.

Upon arrival at the turtle we were greeted by about a hundred nomads — all men, no women in sight — who had clearly already been partying a while. As the only foreigners we were immediately welcomed in their circle and we drank and danced in front of this bizarre turtle. While taking a piss in the desert a little ways from the dance floor I looked up and saw one of the most beautiful night skies I’ve seen in my life. It was one of those magical moments of perfect happiness with just me, the milky way and the Black Eyed Peas and Britney Spears screaming and shouting in the background.

After a couple drinks we headed back to our nomad camp to get some sleep as tomorrow would be another long day driving to God knows where. I’d learned that in the emptiness of the Gobi desert it didn’t matter what direction you drove, as exactly this emptiness is its best feature. Encouraged by the alcohol and with thick sleeping bags some of us decided to spend the night outside, right under the milky way. I couldn’t imagine a better way to fall asleep than with my nose freezing off and shooting stars flying through the sky.

The next morning I woke up with the sun warming my face and my nose still attached. It had been a memorable night, but as the saying goes: ‘what happens in the Gobi, stays in the Gobi’. I do not have any tangible evidence that this night ever happened. You’ll just have to take my word for it. However I do have other photos from my Gobi trip in which I’ve tried to capture the emptiness of the desert. Interested in visiting Mongolia? Read some practical things at the bottom of this post.

Recipe for Magic

Here is some practical information if you’re also considering getting lost in Mongolia (recommended!):

• You can get in by flying directly to the capital Ulaanbaatar. A much more interesting way however would be to take the train from Beijing
• EU citizens can now enter Mongolia visa-free for 30 days. US citizens can enter visa-free for 90 days. Canadians and Australians need to apply for a visa beforehand. This is different from when I visited as I still had to get a visa.
• In Ulaanbaatar all guest houses offer tours to different parts of Mongolia. I did a 6 night Gobi tour which cost me 300 USD (May 2013). This included all transportation, meals and accommodation. It is possible to do it on your own if you have a vehicle but as there are no signs, roads or gas stations I figured it would be easier to join an organized tour.

Canadian, the ~ 1 Friendly and apologetic person, inhabitant of Canada. 2 4,466 km transcontinental train journey from Toronto to Vancouver.

I am no stranger to long train journeys. In 2013 I traveled from Vietnam to the Netherlands by train, an epic trip of more than 16,000 kilometers. Trains are not always the fastest way to get around but I've said it before, and I'll say it again: traveling by train is infinitely more comfortable, enjoyable and interesting than any other mode of transport. The Canadian is no exception to this rule, on the contrary…

The Canadian is an epic four day train trip across Canada from Toronto to Vancouver operated by VIA Rail, Canada’s passenger railway. In less than one hour it will depart from the biggest and busiest railway station in Canada: Union station in Toronto. I’m excited to hop on this train and travel all the way across North America to Vancouver. I won’t travel directly to Vancouver, I’ll make a stop in Saskatoon to visit my friend and awesome travel buddy Whitney from Where Whitney Wanders.

On this pleasant autumn evening in early September Toronto’s Union Station is quiet; when I arrived from Montreal two days ago it was much busier. The facade of the station is supposedly impressive but unfortunately it is hidden behind scaffolding. Inside it’s easy to see where the ticket hall got its nickname Grand Hall. It’s huge. On the West side is an entrance to the recently reopened business lounge and because I travel in sleeper class I can wait here. Hurray for free drinks and snacks! I also receive a paper slip for my lunch and dinner reservation on the train. Compared to flying catching a train is much less time-consuming and stressful. No long queues, no invasive security checks and I only have to arrive half an hour before departure. Both passengers and staff are relaxed and happily chatting away. Looking around the lounge reminds of an elderly care home, with my 29 years I am definitely one of the youngest.

The boarding process starts at 9:30 P.M. and only a couple minutes later I have my belongings stowed under my berth in car 112. The size of the berth is a pleasant surprise. I have traveled in many sleeper trains around the world and this berth is easily twice as wide as in other trains. My bed is already made and to top it all off there is a little chocolate on my pillow. After hundreds of nights in hostels and cheap hotels this feels like a proper five-star experience.

“Champagne, sir?” We’re leaving the bright lights of Toronto behind us, they are now a mere glow illuminating a carpet of clouds in the distance. All passengers are invited to the bon voyage party in the dome car for a glass of champagne. If only every train trip started like this. A British woman is nervously tapping and swiping away on her iPad. “Is there Wi-Fi on this train?” she asks. “No, madam”, our ‘activity coordinator’ replies “and there won’t be cell coverage for most of the journey.” People are shocked. Some of them don’t seem to understand how remote and empty the country is we’ll be traveling through.

We’ve gone dark. Aliens might invade the planet but I won’t know about it until I get off in Saskatoon. For the next 50 hours I have nothing to do but to engage in face-to-face conversations with strangers and worry about the battery level of my e-reader. The lights in the dome car are now switched off, revealing a starry night sky. Slowly people leave the darkness of the dome car to sleep. I stay up for a while, fully intent to consciously experience as much of this journey as possible.

Good Night

The total length of the journey from Toronto to Vancouver is 3 days and 11 hours. That is 83 hours in a big stainless steel snake with only once or twice a day the opportunity to get off for a couple minutes. If you’re going all the way this probably means that you'll want decent accommodation to sleep at night. There are different classes of accommodation, ranging from private cabins to dormitory style bunk beds to reclining seats.

The cheapest option is a seat in Economy class. I would only recommend this for short distances. One night in one of these seats won't kill you but four nights just might. Also take into account that you cannot freely walk around the train, most of the train is only accessible to sleeper passengers. You also have to pay for your own food.

Next up are the various levels of the Sleeper Plus class. This class includes all meals aboard the train, free snacks and fruit and – most importantly – a bed. The more you are willing to pay, the more privacy you get. The cheapest sleeper accommodation is a berth with curtains to give you some privacy. Most privacy you’ll get in a cabin for two with a bunk bed and a private washroom. The cabins seem like a good option for older people who have to get up to pee every night. I personally think it is weird to have a toilet in a cabin that also functions as a side table during the day. I much prefer walking to the toilet at the end of every car.

I chose the cheapest sleeper available, an upper berth. Every morning after breakfast the car’s steward stows the berths for the day, revealing benches to sit on. After dinner this process is reversed and my bed is made for the night. A first for me were the decent hot showers on the train. On my bed I found a bag with two big towels, a small face towel and soap and shampoo. It’s nice to be able to take an actual shower and not only have a small washbasin where you can splash some water in your face.

On VIA Rail’s website you’ll find an overview of the fares (2014) for the different classes. These are the cheapest, discounted ‘regular’ fares. For the full trip Economy class starts at 434 CAD, an upper berth in Sleeper Plus class at 955 CAD and a cabin for two at 1,440 CAD per person. As mentioned before keep an eye out for special deals on the website to save money.

Good Morning

For my first breakfast I’m having perfect fluffy pumpkin pancakes. Watching the sun rise while eating pancakes, how better to start the day? I get to share this wonderful experience with a nun from Ontario on sabbatical looking for the Holy Spirit and a depressing American couple from Rhode Island. You see, in the dining car you always meet new people every meal. This means that you’ll be telling the same story over and over again. But you also get to know all these different people on the train. Most are retired and everybody complains about the size of the cabins and the beds. Still, it’s nice to have some company and to hear some interesting stories while enjoying a good meal.

All in all the food on The Canadian is great, some meals are even delicious. It brings the concept of food-while-on-the-move to a whole new level. When you consider everything is prepared on a moving train it tastes even better. Three times a day a meal is served in the dining car. For lunch and dinner there are usually four options to choose from. My personal favourite was the brunch served before arrival in Jasper: French toast stuffed with cheesecake filling topped with wild berry compote and whipped cream. I still get hungry just looking at pictures of the food.

Strangers on a Train

Four days, twenty-three stainless steel train cars from the fifties. It looks exactly like the train in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 film-noir thriller Strangers on a Train. Except smoking is not allowed anymore.

It’s great to see that people still know how to speak to each other when smartphones and tablets are silenced. Most passengers are couples but there are also a few solo travelers like me. One of these is Sylvie, a retired school teacher and Greenpeace activist from England. She has an inspiring story of doing all these things that she never dared to do before. She realised that life is short and now she is challenging herself to get out of her comfort zone. The berth beneath mine is occupied by Kate, a Canadian girl who is moving from Toronto to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. She tells about her passion for cycling all around Canada and Alaska. I have great conversations with beautiful German Gisele who is doing this trip on her own. Her life is the complete opposite of mine; where I want to keep running around the world she is happy to have her own home to go back to after this trip. And then we have Roger, a retired American software engineer who seems like an older version of me. I love listening to his stories about the early days of software development; of punch cards and searching for bugs in the machine instructions written on paper.

All these people make my trip a lot more enjoyable and interesting. Traveling is not about where you are or where you’re going, it’s about the people you are with along the way.

Priceless But Not Free

Canada is not the cheapest country in the world so it won't come as a surprise that a trip like this is not cheap. However, if you are flexible and patient there are often deals with which you can save a lot of money. I’ve split the trip in two: first I travel from Toronto to Saskatoon and then from Saskatoon to Vancouver. For each leg I bought a separate ticket from the Express Deals section on VIA Rail's website. Total cost for an upper berth in sleeper class? 770 CAD incl. tax (540 EUR). How does this compare to flying? Well, looking at the cheapest economy class tickets I would have paid around 500 CAD (350 EUR) for two flights.

Looking at the raw numbers the train is more expensive, but we’re comparing apples with oranges. What do you get on an airplane? A seat with limited legroom that may or may not recline. On the train? A spacious berth at night and a whole train to roam around during the day. What about food? Chicken or pasta, that’s as good as it gets at 34,000 feet. Sleeper class on The Canadian includes three full meals a day. Even a sophisticated in-flight system does not compare to the activities organised aboard the train. An ‘activity coordinator’ organises wine tastings, gives presentations and holds movie nights on the train.

The World is Outside

Time flies when you're having fun. Before I know it I am in Saskatoon where my friend Whitney picks me up from the train station. The next two weeks I have an amazing time doing yoga, eating Saskatoon berry pie and riding combines. But – again – before I know it I'm back in the train station. Unfortunately the train is an hour late so we have plenty of time to explore the station. After three minutes we’ve seen everything.

When the train arrives I have to get to car number 122, at the very end of the train. It’s cold outside but luckily we get a ride in a golf cart. In ‘only’ 33 hours I'll be in Vancouver.

It's 11:30 P.M. when I make myself comfortable in the observation car at the end of the train. The interior of this car has recently been completely redone, it even smells like new car. In the dark I watch the northern lights do what it does best: dancing in the sky. Tomorrow we’ll leave the flat prairies behind us and make our way through the Rocky Mountains.

Looking outside it's easy to understand where the name Rocky Mountains comes from: the mountains are very rocky indeed. The track winds along a river and slowly we progress towards Jasper. In Jasper many people get off to spend the night and continue the journey on the Rocky Mountaineer, an even more luxurious train. I go for a short walk but the weather is not great so I decide to wait inside the station while the train’s windows are being washed. An hour and a half after arriving in Jasper we board the train again for one last night. Many new passengers boarded the train in Jasper and we all know what that means: champagne! Shortly after I have dinner and I spend the evening reading my book and writing down notes for this story.

The End

After 4,466 kilometer and a last breakfast on the train we reach the end of the line: Pacific Central station in Vancouver. Time to go outside and enjoy the beautiful late-autumn sun in Vancouver.

“Cabin crew, please be seated for landing.” As you would expect from a well-prepared traveler this is the moment I realize we have no plan for our three weeks in Sri Lanka. Feels good, doesn’t it?

Now we are on final approach let's evaluate what I know about Sri Lanka. The first thing — sadly — that comes to mind is the civil war that ended only a few years ago. The Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army were up in arms for twenty-six years until the army defeated the Tigers in 2009. Another, more cheerful fact I know about Sri Lanka is that it is one of the largest tea producing countries in the world. The close proximity to India also gives me high hopes for the food here; Indian food is one of my favourite cuisines and I hope that Sri Lanka can match this.

As I said before I will be in Sri Lanka for three weeks. Actually, a little bit shorter: 19 days. This post is supposed to be a guide for those who do prepare themselves before plunging into a new country. Also, being a poor backpacker I will give tips on how to save money and travel on a small budget: traveling in Sri Lanka turned out to be surprisingly cheap.

Practical Information

Do I need a visa? Citizens of most countries need a visa to visit Sri Lanka. In my case, as a Dutch citizen, I was able to apply online for a 30 day tourist visa. The price of this visa, or ‘Electronic Travel Authorization’ (ETA) is 30 USD. Within 24 hours after submitting the requested information I received an email informing me that my application was accepted. Yay! For more information be sure to check out the official Sri Lanka ETA website.

What about money? In Sri Lanka you pay with Sri Lankan rupees (LKR or Rs). In the arrival hall at the airport you’ll find ATMs and money changers. The exchange rate when we visited was 130 Rs for 1 USD (180 Rs for 1 EUR).

How do I stay connected? You can buy a simcard for the various mobile networks at the airport. We bought an Etisalat card preloaded with 1GB of data and 200 Rs credit for 500 Rs. Coverage in all areas we visited was good, with 3G in most cities and Edge in more remote places.

Should I be worried about scary illnesses and painful vaccinations? Only correct answer: see your doctor. As with most countries in Asia there is an increased risk for annoying diseases you don't want to have. Rough Guides has a good overview on staying healthy in Sri Lanka. The war has brought another danger, especially in the North: landmines. It is important to stay on the roads here, as there remain thousands of landmines that still cause casualties...

Getting There

Sri Lanka being an island the easiest way to get there is by flying to Colombo’s Bandaranayke International Airport (IATA: CMB). We flew here from Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia. The flight is a bit strange because it is actually two flights with a stop on the Maldives. This was the first time I boarded a flight while already being on board. If you look on a map of the world you will notice that the flight path doesn’t make sense: first you fly past Sri Lanka to the Maldives and then you fly back towards Kuala Lumpur to be dropped of in Sri Lanka. However, if you are already in South-East Asia chances are this is your cheapest option. We paid 137 USD each for our KUL – CMB – KUL return flight.

From further away there are also reasonably priced flights, especially from Europe where you can find return tickets for as low as 650 USD. A great site to search for cheap flights is Skyscanner.

Getting from the airport to the city is easy and cheap if you take the bus (130 Rs or 1 USD). Taxis charge ridiculous rates (2500 Rs or 20 USD). Arguably the worst option is the tuk-tuk, which is expensive (1500 Rs or 12 USD) and horribly uncomfortable for long distances. Be aware that the taxi and tuk-tuk drivers will do their best to take advantage of tired travelers who just arrived after long flights. If you want to take the bus turn left after walking out the terminal building. Keep walking until you reach a fence, ignoring the taxi drivers telling you there are no buses and wait just outside the fence for the bus to show up. Previously you had to take a shuttle to the nearby bus station but nowadays the bus goes straight from the airport terminal to the Central Bus Stand (CBS) in Colombo. CBS is close to Colombo Fort railway station and a convenient, albeit slightly chaotic point to travel further into Colombo.

Getting Around

Transportation in Sri Lanka can be very cheap. We mainly used trains and buses for longer distances and tuk-tuks to get around towns. Many tourists hire a car with a driver. We didn’t bother thinking about doing this because it is expensive and — more importantly — you miss out on some great opportunities to actually experience the country.

By Train

There is a fairly extensive railway network in Sri Lanka. We used trains as much as possible because they tend to be more comfortable than buses and you get to see more of the country. Most trains have first, second and third class coaches. We traveled in second and third class. For most trains you can reserve seats which is nice as the unreserved coaches can be crowded, especially in third class. Reserved seats are more expensive than normal seats, but even then it's still cheap. An example: an unreserved second class ticket for the six hour journey between Ella to Kandy costs 240 Rs (1.85 USD) and a reserved second class seat for the same train costs 600 Rs (4.62 USD). The reserved seats do sell out on popular routes so if possible try to get your tickets the day before. Unreserved tickets go on sale only half an hour before departure at some stations. Visit the Government Information Center for the official train schedule and go to Seat 61 for more information about train travel in Sri Lanka.

By Bus

Buses are also cheap, easy and ubiquitous. As there are no 'tourist' buses and most locals rely on buses to get around they can be claustrophobically crowded. If you find yourself jam-packed in a bus thinking there is surely no more room for more passengers, you will most likely be proven wrong. When traveling with large luggage buses can be annoying, especially if you have to stand.

If you want to take a bus you just get on and sit down (if possible); tickets are sold on the bus. A ride of more than an hour from Kilinochchi to Jaffna in the North costs 100 Rs (0.77 USD). For the bus from Kandy to Peradeniya (for botanical gardens) we were charged 17 Rs (0.13 USD).

By Tuk-Tuk

Tri-shaw, three-wheeler, rickshaw, tuk-tuk, tricycle: so many names for a motorcycle somehow capable of transporting mind-blowing numbers of people and goods. The ones in Sri Lanka are usually referred to as tuk-tuks and they are identical to the ones used in India. Many tuk-tuks use a meter and the fare should be 50 Rs (0.39 USD) per kilometer.

Budget

My spreadsheet tells me that I spent an average of 23.50 USD per day. I was traveling with a friend so we were able to split many costs.

Where to go?

A note beforehand: we skipped many of the most visited sights because of the exuberant entrance fees charged to foreigners. The result is that we managed to go to some less visited areas and see some parts of Sri Lanka where few tourists go.

Our trip started in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. We arrived at our hostel, Clock Inn Colombo, early in the evening. This hostel is a good place to spend a night because it is clean, has good hot showers and is easy to get to. However it is not so good for social activities and meeting people. Tip: booking directly through the hostel's website is cheaper than other sites. The area around the hostel is not very exciting, with the exception of the Green Cabin bakery and restaurant located only one block away. We had dinner at the Green Cabin on both the first and the last evening of our trip. The traditional Sri Lankan food tastes really good and the waiter took his time to explain the different dishes on the menu.

We spent our first morning in Sri Lanka buying train tickets and visiting the National Art Gallery and the adjacent park. Entrance to the art gallery is free and it is no more than a big hall with a confusing collection of paintings in miserable condition. There is no guide, no labels and no explanation whatsoever.

There is a nice cafe in the park across the road. Looking up in the park you will see — and hear — hundreds of huge fruit bats hanging out in trees and circling above your head. After eating a vegetable roti we headed back to our hostel to catch the train to our next destination: Anuradhapura.

Go North!

Our train to Anuradhapura departed from Colombo Fort railway station at 13:40 (scheduled departure time was 13:15). Anuradhapura is believed to have been the site of the capital city of an ancient Sri Lankan civilization. We arrived in Anuradhapura at 18:30 where we were picked up the owner of our guesthouse, Lake Wave Guesthouse. Read more about our time in Anuradhapura in our article on Sri Lanka's Ancient Capital Anuradhapura.

After two nights in Anuradhapura we traveled further North, to Jaffna. This city, on the Northern tip of Sri Lanka, was badly damaged during the war. We explored the city and went on a day trip to remote Delft Island (Neduntheevu). There is not much to see on the island but the real adventure lies in the journey to get there. It starts off with a beautiful bus ride to a jetty from where a ‘ferry’ runs a couple times a day.

In and around Jaffna itself you'll — of course — find a huge Portuguese-Dutch-British fort and many interesting shops and markets. We stayed at Yal's Town Inn (3500 Rs/27 USD), a new hotel with really nice rooms and a huge generator that was used a couple times a day as black outs are very frequent.

Tea Lover's Heaven

An exhaustive travel day ends in Kandy, where we stayed at Kandy City Hostel. Kandy is a city in central Sri Lanka and the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relice. We skipped the temple. Kandy is also the gateway to the surrounding ‘hill country‘ where most of the world's tea is grown.

The Royal Botanical Gardens in nearby Peradeniya are worth a visit, although we've seen better botanical gardens. Entrance to the gardens is 1100 Rs (8.47 USD) for foreigners and the bus from Kandy costs 17 Rs (0.13 USD). Ask around to find out which bus you should take, we took one in front of the public market.

From Kandy we took the train further into hill country, which is described in more detail in Tea Country. We liked the hill country so much that we spend the remainder of our time in Sri Lanka hopping from station to station and looking around in villages, cities and tea plantations. Our first stop was Nuwara Eliya where we enjoyed the colonial atmosphere, then we continued on to Haputale where we visited Lipton's Seat. After Haputale we ended up in Ella, which we did not like at all. We only spend one night here and took the train to Talawakelle the next day. Here we ran into the manager of one of the tea plantations who arranged for us to meet the teapickers at work. We also stopped in Hatton and Nawalapitiya before heading back to Colombo before flying back to Kuala Lumpur.

Final Verdict

Sri Lanka is an awesome travel destination. It is colourful, diverse and beautiful and the size of the country makes getting around relatively easy. The people are in general very friendly and most of them speak English. The food is delicious and perfectly spicy. We never got bored of eating rice-and-curry every day, all day. I would consider going back for the food alone.

A sunny morning in Yokohama, Japan captured with an iPhone. I randomly included Yokohama as a stop in my one-week Japan Rail Pass adventure.

For the rainy afternoon I brought out my Fujifilm X100s but I did not have much time lef before I had to catch another train to Nagano...

Remember the image of this boat? On December 26, 2004 an earthquake, followed by a powerful tsunami killed an estimated 170,000 people in Aceh province on the Indonesian island Sumatra. The capital city, Banda Aceh was almost completely swept away by the tsunami. This fishing boat saved the lives of 59 people who managed to stay on it while the city around them was swallowed by the sea.

Almost ten years after the tsunami I am visiting Sumatra, giving me the opportunity to see for myself how Banda Aceh is doing. I also got to see the boat pictured above and other sights on a ‘tsunami tour’. Want to refresh your memory first before looking at my photos? Check The Big Picture on boston.com for some of the most famous photos of the tsunami.

The Grand Mosque was one of the few buildings not destroyed by the tsunami. Visiting the grounds around the Grand Mosque is possible for non-muslims but we did have to wear these classy grey robes.

Stray boats can be found in random neighborhoods. They're not ‘official’ tourist attractions, these boats are just... There.

Our guide showed us this police helicopter, or what is left of it after the tsunami was finished with it.

After the earthquake chaos ensued and staff at Meuraxa public hospital tried its best to treat the injured who kept streaming in. It would not matter as within an hour the tsunami arrived, destroying the hospital and killing most people inside. Today, the former hospital grounds are a mass grave where almost 15,000 people are buried.

Several monuments in the city remind of the tsunami. This particular one is called “Aceh Thanks to the World”.

After the ‘tour’ we walked to the Aceh Tsunami museum, an impressive building that also serves as an emergency shelter if a tsunami hits again. The – free – museum is well laid-out and definitely worth a visit.

Ask around in Banda Aceh if you would like to do a similar tour. It is not an official tour with glossy flyers but there are plenty of people willing to show you around for a couple bucks. We (3 people) paid 150,000 IDR (13 USD) for three hours. The sights are rather bizarre, and are a testimony to the enormous power behind the tsunami waves. It is encouraging to see that the city has recovered so fast, but it is also clear that this disaster will not soon be forgotten. The city has been rebuild in the same spot and while driving around you can easily see that the waves had no natural obstacles in their way for many kilometers... Let's hope the next tsunami will not capture the city by surprise again.

In a small alley in southern Busan lies a hidden gem well worth a visit: Bosu-dong Book Street. You probably won't be spending a full day here but it's a welcome change from all the fish and food at nearby Jagalchi and Bupyeong markets.

It all started in 1950 after the Korean war when a couple, who fled from North Korea, started selling second-hand American books and magazines here. Today a couple dozen bookstores have a combined collection of thousands of books stacked high up to the ceilings. How someone would ever know where to start looking for a specific book in this jungle of paper is beyond me but just browsing through the shops is an interesting experience.

There is also a small museum (site in Korean only) on one of the corners which shows the history of the book street. See the map at the bottom of this article. Admission is free.

A set of steep staircases in the alley lead up a hill from where you can have a nice view over this part of Busan.

Getting there

Go to Busan in South Korea (duh). Take exit 3 at Jagalchi subway station. Take the first left and follow the road for about 10 minutes. You'll walk through the Bupyeong market, after you get out of the market cross the street Daecheong-ro at the traffic lights and you'll find the Bosu book street in the alley in front of you.

Tea. I'm not a fan — nor am I a fan of coffee for that matter. Still, it's impressive to see how a single plant brought by the British in the 19th century has shaped Sri Lanka. Hundreds of tea plantations have transformed the landscape in a green ocean of tea bushes. Today Sri Lanka is the biggest tea exporting country in the world. We spent many days hopping from stop to stop on the hill country train line between Kandy and Badulla. One of our goals was to find the women who pluck the tea and try to take some photos around the tea plantations.

After Kandy we first stopped in Nuwara Eliya (train to Nanu Oya, 160 Rs or 1.23 USD), also known as ‘Little England’. The influence of the former colonizer is still very much visible in this little town. Besides the British weather — it rained when we arrived — many buildings are in British colonial style, there is a Queen Victoria park and the biggest horse race course outside England. In Nuwara Eliya we stayed at New Tour Inn (double room for 2,500 Rs, 19.23 USD) which is right next to Queen Victoria Park and close to the city center. The staff is... Interesting, but the room and the location are good.

In Nuwara Eliya we visited our first tea factory, at Pedro Tea Estate. This tea factory is close to town and easily reached by bus (one way 40 Rs, 0.31 USD). A short tour through the tea factory — including a cup of tea — costs 200 Rs per person (1.54 USD). After the tour we walked around the plantation for a bit, searching for the women who pluck the tea, but they were nowhere to be seen.

We also climbed Single Tree Hill, a short but steep hike from town. After a cup of tea at the Tea Bush hotel, where the gardener insisted on showing us around in his vegetable garden, we were pointed to the 'path' leading to the top of the hill: straight up through the tea plantation. There might be a more official path somewhere but this was undoubtedly the most direct way of climbing the hill. The view on Nuwara Eliya from the top of the hill is pretty cool.

After another amazingly scenic train ride we arrived in Haputale (train 40 Rs, 0.31 USD), A small town propped on a mountain ridge. Here we stayed at Awinco Rest (double room 3,500 Rs/27 USD with amazing view, cheaper less fancy rooms available). We walked around the tea plantations in Haputale searching for tea pluckers but still no luck.

From Haputale we arranged a tuk-tuk to take us to Lipton's Seat (800 Rs/6.15 USD one way to top) to watch the sunrise. It is said that Sir Thomas Lipton himself came here often to enjoy the view. Unfortunately the sky was not very clear when we reached the top but the view was still stunning. After having breakfast on top we walked the 7 kilometers down to the Dambatenne Tea Factory, built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton. We had a tour at this factory as well (250 Rs, 1.92 USD) which was more interesting than the one at Pedro in Nuwara Eliya. This factory is also much bigger.

Next stop after Haputale was Ella which — according to the internet — should be a far more interesting place to visit than Nuwara Eliya. After arriving we quickly disagreed. Ella itself is nothing more than a road with many overpriced guesthouses and expensive tourist restaurants with mediocre food. Pleasant exception was Nanda Stores, a small shop/restaurant/guesthouse on the corner of the main road and the road to the train station. The woman running this place cooked a delicious rice and curry meal for us. We ended up paying 250 Rs per person (1.92 USD) including drinks and dessert. The guesthouse we stayed at was really nice too (Aurora Bungalows, double room 3,500 Rs/27 USD). We had planned to stay in Ella for at least two nights but an hour after arriving we decided to leave the next day.

We did not know where we wanted to go so we simply reserved a train ticket all the way back to Kandy (600 Rs/4.62 USD) with the intention to get off if we would see a stop that looked interesting. After almost four hours on the train we decided to stop in Talawakele, a town in a valley surrounded by tea plantations. The town has only one hotel, View Rest, where we got a room for 1500 Rs (11.54 USD) per night.

After asking the staff if they happened to know where we might find tea pluckers at work they introduced us to the superintendent of nearby St. Clair tea estate. He invited us to visit the estate to see the tea pluckers at work. The next morning we meet his assistant at the tea factory and he takes us to the fields where we wait for the tea pluckers to come back from their tea break. The assistant introduced us as the “foreigners who want to take pictures”. After an attempt at some smalltalk with the assitant acting as translator he asks them to pluck tea in front of our camera. The whole situation was a bit surreal, both for us and the tea pluckers but it's awesome that they did this and allowed us to take pictures.

After an epic morning at St. Clair's we rushed to the train station and traveled to Hatton (30 Rs, 0.23 USD). Hatton is mostly known as the easiest station to access nearby Adam's Peak. We did not come here to climb this famous mountain but instead wanted to see more of the tea plantations in the hill country. At the station we meet Mr. Sanoon who runs a homestay in nearby Dick-Oya, right in the middle of a tea plantation. He was kind enough to drive us to the city with his blue tuk-tuk. We had an amazing time at his homestay and an epic curry meal cooked by his wife and mother-in-law. Mr. Sanoon showed us around his house and we met more tea pluckers here. We paid 3000 Rs (23 USD) for our stay including a big breakfast and the aforementioned delicious curry dinner.

With only two nights left in Sri Lanka it was time to leave the hill country and travel back to Colombo. We made one more stop in Nawalapitiya (train from Hatton 80 Rs/0.62 USD) where we stayed at the Grand Jayabima Hotel located behind the train station for 3000 Rs (23 USD). Nawalapitya was the least friendly place and the hardest to find accommodation. From Nawalapitiya we took a train to Colombo, in a reserved 3rd class carriage (400 Rs, 3 USD). Here we stayed one more night before we going to the airport and flying back to Kuala Lumpur.

All in all we had a great time stopping at random towns and cities along the hill country train line. We might have missed out on many beautiful waterfalls, dark caves and strenuous hikes but we had an awesome alternative experience focused on tea.

Colliding tectonic plates have contributed to the stunning scenery along Taiwan's East coast. This is where steep mountains meet the bright blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and where rivers have crafted deep gorges over the course of millions of years. The most famous of all is Taroko Gorge, where vertical walls of marble reach heights of more than a kilometer.

It's easy to visit Taroko, especially from Hualien, the nearest big city. In my opinion the only way to truly enjoy the magnificent scenery is by renting a scooter and drive through the gorge yourself. Many people go by bus or taxi but the view from a small window does not do justice to the greatness of the gorge. Even on this gray and rainy day I can't stop smiling while I enjoy the 360 degree views I have from my scooter. Another advantage of having your own transportation is that you can stop anywhere you want, whereas the bus will drop you at the most famous spots which are not necessarily the most interesting ones.

From Taipei there are many daily trains that stop in Hualien. I booked my ticket online and found a discounted ticket for only NT$ 200 (6.60 USD). Regular price is NT$ 440 (14.50 USD) for express trains and NT$ 340 (11.25 USD) for slower trains. In Hualien I stayed at FBO Hualien hostel, a recently opened eco-friendly hostel with great staff and really cool dorm rooms. It is also very conveniently located near the train station.

To get to Taroko Gorge I needed a scooter but not all places are keen on renting to foreigners. With help from the hostel's staff I found a 125cc scooter for NT$ 450 (15 USD) for the day, quite expensive but it was worth it. This was also the first time someone asked me for an international driving permit — a translated version of your driver's license.

From Hualien it is a 20 kilometer drive to the start of Taroko Gorge. The national park's headquarter is located here where you can find exhibitions, free maps and a restaurant with acceptable food. The road in the gorge is narrow and goes through many tunnels. Traffic on this Saturday is light and other than I've read at some places buses don't drive like maniacs. It's an awesome ride up with many opportunities to stop for the amazing views left and right.

It was raining the day I visited but armed with a raincoat and cute helmet with visor I was pretty comfortable. The clouds moving through the gorge and hanging against the mountains actually made some of the surprising views even more stunning. Some of the places where I stopped that I think are worth mentioning:

• The trail to the Cave of Water Curtain. Bring a flashlight and raincoat when you go here. This is an easy two kilometer walk (one way) along a trail with several tunnels. At the end of the trail you'll be rewarded with views on beautiful waterfalls and a shower in the water curtain cave.
• Walk along the road where the marble walls of Jhuilu Cliff go straight up in the air for more than a kilometer.
• View of the Eternal Spring Shrine. This shrine is built against a mountain and it has a river flowing through it. A spectacular sight, even from afar.

On my way down I ended up in the middle of the Taiwanese Harley Davidson club. The sound of their engines in the tunnels were impressive. I felt pretty humble with my simple scooter.

There are many hiking trails in Taroko Gorge, for some of them a (free) permit is required. I did not have the equipment nor the energy to go up one of these trails but from what I could see there are some very impressive hikes to be done here. The park is well maintained but it does suffer from the typhoons which land at Taiwan's East coast every year. Some roads and trails are inaccessible due to rock fall and landslides.

Searching for things to do in and around Taipei I stumbled upon the Pingxi Line. I like to travel by train and when I read that one of the stops is also known as ‘cat village’ I knew I had to go there. Trains and cats are both awesome, so these two combined must be good.

It turned out to be a really great day, helped by the weather and the slow-travel by train in the beautiful scenery of Taiwan's North.

Warning: many photos in this post contain one or more cats. If you are more of a dog person you might find this slightly annoying.

The Pingxi railway branch is an easy day trip from Taipei and — although touristy — gives an interesting glimpse of the old days when this line was used mainly for coal transport. The days of coal mining are over but the villages along the line have reinvented themselves as tourist destinations. A 52 NT$ (1.70 USD) day pass gives you unlimited rides on the trains traveling the thirteen kilometers between Ruifang and Jingtong. The day pass can be purchased in Ruifang station upon arrival.

From Taipei many northbound trains make a stop in Ruifang, the city where most Pingxi Line trains start from. A one way ticket on an express train from Taipei Main station cost me 76 NT$ (2.50 USD). These express trains take between 35 and 40 minutes to reach Ruifang. A useful timetable for trains can be found on the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) website. I left early and got a seat on the 9:00 AM train (#212). I had no problem to obtain a reserved seat ticket right before departure, this might be different during weekends.

With my daypass in one hand and a picture of the Pingxi line timetable onmy iPhone in the other I board the 10:22 AM train on platform 1. There is a train at each station approximately every hour, so keep this in mind when planning your stops.

Houtong ‘Cat Village’

Only six minutes later, at 10:28 AM, we arrive in Houtong where I get off to have a look around. Not really sure what to expect I am happy to see that it is a good balance between a tourist attraction and an unassuming village. Why do people visit this old mining village? A hundred-something cute furry felines have taken over this place and somehow persuaded the humans to provide them with food and housing. Clever cats.

The cats are playing around and happy to pose in front of the cameras of the human visitors.

The guy in the following photo was taking down his old house brick-by-brick to build new cat-sized homes.

No?

End of the Line

After Houtong I boarded another train to travel to the end of the Pingxi Line, Jingtong station. The 80-year old wooden station is one of the main sights here. After walking around for a while and snapping some pictures I took the same train back to travel back towards Ruifang.

Famous Sausages

I got off again in Pingxi and, being hungry, tried a sausage with wasabi from a woman who has been selling these sausages at this spot for a long time. It is a famous place among locals so expect a long queue. After the sausage I also had some squid balls with wasabi. Delicious snacks!

Sky Lanterns in Shifen

In Shifen, another stop along the line, the main thing to do is to decorate a sky lantern with your wishes and send it on its way. The train track goes straight through the village and people have to run from the train as it passes.

By now it was already 3:30 PM and I was getting tired of the walking around and sitting/standing on the train so I decided to skip the Shifen Waterfall which is a thirty minute walk from town. From what I've heard this is one of the best waterfalls in Taiwan, so if you have the time and you are into waterfalls it is probably worth a visit.

Taipei felt very laid-back compared to the chaotic beehive Hong Kong where I was just hours before. I ended up staying in Taipei for four nights, giving me plenty of time to have a look around. As usual I was woefully unprepared when I came to Taiwan, so the following itinerary grew organically. I think I've managed to fit the right things in a couple days to give me a good overview of Taipei.

Day 1: Taipei by Night

My flight from Hong Kong to Taiwan arrived at Taipei's Taoyuan international airport (TPE) in the afternoon. From the airport I took a bus to Taipei Main station, only a couple blocks from the hostel I had booked the day before: Lamb Tour House. After checking in I was ready to start my exploration of the city.

It was already dark by the time I left the hostel and my first mission was to find food. Hostel staff recommended me to take the MRT (Taipei's metro system) to CKS Memorial Hall station. I had a good rice meal in a vegetarian restaurant on Nanchang Road. After this meal I walked to the CKS Memorial Hall, a huge white building on a large square built in memory of the former president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chiang Kay-shek. Also on this square are the National Concert Hall and National Theater, two impressive buildings in traditional Chinese palace style. Local youth had taken over the entrance of the National Theater to practice their dancing, cheerleading and skateboarding skills.

Next I tried to walk to the Presidential Office but it was impossible to approach because whole blocks were fenced off with barbed wire. It looked like a warzone; later I learned this was because of protests after the Taiwanese government signed a trade deal with China. Tired from traveling and walking around I made my way back to the hostel through 228 Peace Park. This park is a memorial for the victims of the 228 Incident. Tens of thousands of people were massacred beginning on February 28, 1947 following anti-government protests.

Day 2: Ticking Off the Obvious

The day starts off good with fresh cabbage dumpling buns and hot soy milk: delicious, filling and only 46 NT$ (1.5 USD). After breakfast I make my way to the MRT to go to Longshan Temple station to visit — surprise, surprise — Longshan Temple. To be honest I only went here because it was easy to get to and I felt I had to show at least a little interest in local religious culture. After traveling a long time I do not get very excited anymore about temples, churches or mosques. I figured I would just go to this temple, take a quick photo and move on to more interesting places.

It turned out I was very wrong and this temple should definitely be on your itinerary if you visit Taipei. Why? I spent more than an hour observing people doing all kinds of rituals which seem to originate from every religion known to man. I saw people burning incense and candles, offering flowers, food and drinks, chanting, reading, praying, throwing moon blocks and this all happens at the same time in the same temple. The architecture of the Taiwanese temples is also quite unique compared to temples in other countries with very detailed, colourful decorations.

After strolling around on the market next to the temple for a while I got on the MRT to go back to Memorial Hall Square which I had already seen the day before after dark. Every hour there is a guard change at the CKS Memorial hall which is nice to watch if you happen to be there at the right time. The square is pretty impressive but with the burning sun I didn't stick around for too long.

After lunch I went back to the hostel to rest for a little while before heading out to my next stop: Taipei 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world. In fact, from 2004 Taipei 101 was the tallest building until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was finished in 2010.

To get to Taipei 101 take the MRT to Taipei 101/World Trade Center station. There is an observatory on the 89th floor which is accessible with world's fastest elevator: it only takes 37 seconds to go up 390 meters. Visiting the observatory is not free, a ticket for an adult will set you back 500 NT$ (17 USD).

Depending on the weather the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor is open from where you can take photos without dirty windows in the way. I went up to the observatory around 5 PM so I could take photos both with daylight and after sunset. In the observatory you can also see the main tuned mass damper, a 660 ton steel pendulum that helps keep the skyscraper stable during the frequent typhoons in Taiwan.

Day 3: Night Market

The morning of my third day in Taipei I spent researching Taiwan. I knew I had some twenty days in this country, but I had no plan on where to go yet. After a couple hours of reading and planning I came up with a rough outline so now I could go back to touristy things: climbing hills and visiting night markets. Yay!

This afternoon my first stop is the Xiangshan Hiking Trail to climb Elephant Mountain. ‘Mountain’ might be a bit to pretentious for this hill but it does offer a good view on Taipei 101 and the surrounding districts. The trail is easy to get to by MRT, just take the red line to Xiangshan terminal station. Take exit 2 and keep walking straight along the park and follow the signs for ’Xiangshan Hiking Trail’. The trail starts next to a temple and can the top can be reached in around 30 minutes. Don't forget to bring water.

Dark skies made me decide to not stay to long on the mountain but instead I made my way back to the MRT for another must-do in Taipei: night markets! Each district seems to have at least one night market, ranging from big tourist traps to smaller local markets. For my first Taiwanese night market I chose to go to Raohe Street Night Market near the Songshan TRA (railway) station. This is not the biggest one but it is one of the oldest and most famous night markets in Taipei.

Food that you should try are the pepper buns right at the beginning — or end, depending on what side you came from — of the market. If you see a long queue, you are in the right place. Also try the mango ice sold at several stalls.

Delft, also known as Neduntheevu, is a remote island in the Palk Strait in northern Sri Lanka. The island is named after the Dutch city of Delft and, as always, there is also a Dutch fort on the island. We visited the island when we were in Jaffna, the biggest city in northern Sri Lanka. Visiting Delft is more about the journey to get there than anything else as the island itself is not overly pretty or interesting.

Getting There

Getting to Jaffna is easy and it will be even easier once the railway track is reopened all the way to Jaffna. The train only went as far as Kilinochchi when we traveled here. From Kilinochchi there are frequent buses to Jaffna, which take around an hour.

To go to Delft Island you have to plan carefully as the transportation options are limited. We took a bus (#776) from Jaffna to the ‘KKD jetty’ (Kurikadduwan). To make sure you don't miss the ferry it is wise to take the first bus, which leaves from Jaffna's central bus stand at 6:40 AM. The bus ride takes around an hour and a half and terminates at the KKD jetty. The bus ride itself is very scenic, driving over narrow causeways connecting tiny islands in the shallow sea.

When you arrive at the jetty you'll have to wait for the ferry. The first (and only?) ferry to Delft Island leaves at 9:00 AM. The last ferry back to the jetty leaves Delft at 2:30 PM (!). Ask around about the ferry but don't put to much trust in the information from the locals; we almost missed the ferry because people kept saying it was not there yet. Even one of the navy officers in charge of the jetty would happily continue talking to us about everything and nothing even though we had told him we wanted to take the ferry to Delft, which was about to leave right behind him. Only when I interrupted him and asked if the boat with all the people behind him was the ferry to Delft he said “Yes, yes, ferry to Delft” and continued talking to us. At this point the boat was already starting to leave so we jumped aboard as the boat took off...

The ferry is... Interesting. It takes a lonely place on top of the boat-rides-I-hope-to-survive list. This is how I imagine people try to cross from Africa to Europe in overloaded boats with an engine that cuts out multiple times during the trip. We were lucky the sea was calm this morning. The sun, however, was already scorching hot and with no shade it was not very pleasant. Suddenly the ugly red Ray-Ban bandana a friend of mine almost threw away a couple months ago that I'd been saving in my camera bag made perfect sense in this situation.

Upon arrival on the island a nervous police officer asks for my passport and a tuk-tuk driver approaches us and offers to tour us around the island. The police officer seems to get more and more confused as he looks at my passport and flips through the pages. I am pretty sure he has no clue what he is looking at. Discussions ensue between the officer, the tuk-tuk driver and some navy personnel. Eventually the officer takes a pocket agenda and tries to write down my passport number and my name. He is apparently not familiar with the latin alphabet as I see him scribble down some badly copied characters. “Do you want the other passport as well?” He shakes his head and returns my passport. This whole procedure was also... Interesting.

We agree on a price of 1,500 LKR (11.54 USD) with the tuk-tuk driver and he takes us to the sights on the island: a tree, a stone, a footstep, ruins of a prison, ruins of a horse stable and a Dutch fort. He also showed us wild horses. When asked about the marks on the backs of the horses: “It's the owner's mark”. So much for the ‘wild’ horses. The sights in itself are not very interesting, but combined with the remoteness of the island definitely worth a visit.

This tower was used as a pigeon hotel by the Dutch. Pigeons were used to send messages to and from Jaffna.

After the ‘tour’ the tuk-tuk driver dropped us off at the harbour again. It was only 1:30 PM so we were expecting to wait for another hour before we would have to catch the frightening ferry ride back to the mainland. But then a navy officer comes running towards us: “Come! Ferry! Come!”. We are confused but follow the officer and end up on a different boat this time. No-one else is there, except three crates of fish. The entire ride back I tried to figure out what the purpose of this boat could be, but I couldn't figure it out. In the end I was very happy that we could take this boat, which seemed a bit more seaworthy than the one in the morning, as the sea was much rougher this time. I even suspect they put us on this boat on purpose because they didn't want us to end up in the ocean if we took the other boat...

So, Delft Island. It is an adventure and a fun and at times bizarre trip. If you are in northern Sri Lanka and want to do something different, go here.