Category: trip report
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Hotel Crashing: 4 Other Places We Stayed in Sri Lanka
Because I really cannot top our stay (and odd massage experience) at the Signature Amaya Kandalama, I’m condensing (ha!) the rest of our hotel accommodations in Sri Lanka into this one little (ok, NOT little) post. Most of them were one-nighters anyway, with the exception of the beach house in Unwatana. But they each had…
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Hotel Crashing: Signature Amaya Kandalama, Sri Lanka
So here’s a basic outline of our first day (2 days) getting to/and/around Sri Lanka. A 14-hour flight from D.C. to Seoul on Korean Air First Class. A 6-hour layover at the Seoul Airport. An 8-hour flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Land at 3:15 a.m. and meet our driver, Tillie. Drive about 3.5 hours in…
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Trip Tip: Bring Beer and Patience for Your Sri Lanka Train Adventure
I know I talked a little bit about the traffic and road conditions in Sri Lanka, but there actually is another more peaceful, maybe even more scenic way to see the country. Sri Lanka Railway. A little background: the Sri Lanka Railway was originally known as the Ceylon Government Railways when it opened in 1858,…
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The Most Dangerous Job in Sri Lanka
Hey. Let’s talk about driving. Specifically, driving in Sri Lanka. Or as it should more accurately be called, defying death every single breath. I live just a short metro ride away from downtown D.C. in a very lovely, historic neighborhood with all the restaurants and shopping my little heart desires located just blocks from my…
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An Overview of Sri Lanka, Privileged Tourism and Getting in My Own Head
On paper, Sri Lanka was a no brainer for us—our logical next vacation destination. It has a lot of the things we gravitate towards as travelers—we like South/Southeast Asia (admittedly, one of us a bit more than the other). We love the spicy food in this area of the world, with the focus on fresh…
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How to Have an Amazing Birthday
My 45th birthday was a couple of months ago, so I’ve had some time to really think about this. Be born. Done, easy, check. (OK, this one is going to take a while.) Find a life partner as fabulous as XFE. Took me about, ummmm, 34 years and a couple of failed attempts. Agree to…
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Where to Safari? Tanzania or South Africa
It’s the question that everyone asks when they hear about our recent African safari. No, not what I packed for essentially three weeks of travel (although, that would be my first question and the answer is: not that much). It’s not even whether we ever got bored of seeing many of the same animals day…
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The Hottest Spot in the Serengeti
There are no plush velvet banquettes. No artisanal craft cocktails. No happy hour specials or hipster DJ pushing play on an iPod. But the bathroom at the airstrip in Kogatende is hands down the most happening. most popular spot in the entire Serengeti. Now listen: I’m from Texas. Clearly I have no issue with peeing…
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Hotel Crashing, Bushtops Serengeti, Tanzania
Back when I was a nubile young woman–aka: my broke-as-hell-and-unable-to-afford-any-sort-of-vacation period–my friends and I would often retreat for into the verdant hills of Central Texas and go camping for a couple of days. And believe me, I do mean camping. Not glamping. There wasn’t anything glamorous about it. We’d load up our respective cars and…