The last week of October was welcoming, since it brought with it the EID Holiday - where able bodied Muslims make the trek to Mecca , in Saudi Arabia. After much deliberation I decided to head to Sri Lanka, since I was able to get my hands on some cheap airline tickets. It was my first trip travelling solo and I decided to wing it without any planning, or Lonely Planet guide. I was fortunate to have a 22hr layover in Bahrain, en route to Sri Lanka, which I used to hire a driver for the day and explore the dessert.

Bahrain Highlights

- The National museum was closed on the holy day of Friday, so I hired a cab driver to be my tour guide for the day. After an hours drive, we made it to the first oil well on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf (circa 1931!) . It was interesting to see where it all started and view the industrial mess of an oil field.

- The 'tree of life' was by far the most interesting stop. In the middle of the barren dessert rises a large planet Pandora style 'home tree'. After seeing only low lying grubs and burnt grass in the dessert, the tree was out of place. It is said to be over a 1000years old - it's survival and longevity a testament to the power of nature.

The next morning it was off to the airport to make the trip to Sri Lanka. The flight was the most enjoyable one yet, since a drinking party started at the back of the plane with a group of Westerners. The complimentary drinks kept coming, until the beers, vodka, wine and whisky ran dry. I was invited to join an American and Syrian working out of Qatar on their Sri Lankan tour. They had a private driver, fully booked accommodation and a backpackers thirst to see the 'whole island' during the short 6day stay. All I had to do was show up with my Visa card! After covering over 1500kms (at an average speed of roughly 40km/h) it was the most packed vacation imaginable.

Sri Lanka Highlights

- Sigiriya Rock (UNESCO World Heritage Site) was impressive. It's basically a downsized version of Ayers rock in Australia. On the top of the rock and surrounding it lies the ruins of an ancient kingdom. The most interesting part of its history is that King Kashyapa lived on the top of the rock with his 500 mistresses. During the day he would be carried down from his rock, where he would bathe with his women in one of the many artificial swimming pools. It was basically an early day Playboy mansion, with a moat, drawbridge and fortified rock, to protect the Kings bunnies.

- The Temple of the Tooth in Kandi was worth seeing. It can be described as the Vatican of the Buddhist religion, since it houses the only remaining piece of the Buddha (his tooth!). The tooth was tucked away behind locked doors, so we never got the chance to see it.

- Adams Peak proved to be the most illusive attraction. It took over 5 hours to get to the base of the mountain from Kandi. The mountainous roads we took to get there were extremely poor. To complicate matters, we drove through the tail end of a hurricane, with fallen trees, blocked roads and tangled high tension wires. We planned on climbing to the peak during the night (starting at 2am) and we even purchased gear for the 5000+ step climb. The tropical storm raged all night and we had to abandon the climb. It was unfortunate, but will give me a reason to return to Sri Lanka one day to finish the climb.

- Prices! The civil war in Sri Lanka (Tamil Tigers VS Government forces) only ended in 2009. As a result, the tourism industry is still recoverning. Accommodation, food and transportation costs are quite reasonable - even cheaper than Thailand.

- You can go a full day in the backcountry without seeing other tourists. Even the capital of Colombo has a low numbers of foreigners. Visit while you can - Lonely Planet just ranked Sri Lanka as the #1 travel destination of 2013. The floodgates are about to open and wash much of the authenticity away.

Overall, Sri Lanka was an excellent country to visit and I would highly recommend it to others. Most locals know basic English and run their lives on 'island time'. The country has a rich history stretching back 1000's of years and it is even said to have been the location of the 'Garden of Eden'. It's Buddhist roots and mountainous topography make it a uniquely spiritual land.

A Month in Thailand

Elephant Riding East of Bangkok

After my final marks were submitted it was off to the Nanning Airport to greet my father. We decided to spend a few days in Nanning, before moving on to greener (and sunnier) pastures in Thailand on January 14th. This is my fathers first year as a retired teacher and it was a pleasure to show him around my stomping grounds. The first few days in China are always the biggest eye openers, as you have to adjust to chopsticks, the lack of traffic laws and curious stares. One of the benefits of working in China is that during Chinese New Year or ‘Spring Festival’, the country basically shuts down. Most Chinese have about seven days off from work, while students and teachers have a full month. Many Chinese cities turn into Baghdad during the festival, as fireworks are shot off to scare away the evil spirits. Most of these fireworks wouldn’t make it past customs in the West due to amount of powder they pack. After a farewell party with coworkers, it was off to Bangkok. Instead of declaring my love for Thailand in a 3000 word essay, I will list 10 reasons why the country is a must-see travel destination!

1) ‘Sanuk’! This is Thai for ‘make fun’. Thais approach life with this attitude, including work. They don’t see the point of doing something if you can’t have a little fun. I have never seen so many smiles in my life. There is an obvious reason why the Thai smile is famous…they practice it constantly on a daily basis! 

Practicing the ‘Wai’ at Crystal Cave Temple

2) The party atmosphere in Thailand is something to behold. There is no other destination in the world that can hold a candle to ‘Walking Street’ in Pattaya. Picture one big bachelor party with 15,000 people packed into one street. The American soldiers were initially responsible for transforming Pattaya into the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah. During the Vietnam War they flocked to Thailand for some R&R and with them came the dollars that transformed the economy into one which is 'service' based.


3) A free 30 day travel VISA is provided upon arrival (by air). If you are travelling anywhere else (China, Vietnam, Cambodia), you need to get a VISA beforehand.

4) Thai food is excellent, especially the seafood. The price is also affordable averaging $5-10 for a meal (including alcoholic beverage). Because the country is so westernized, expect to find American style breakfasts and all of the fast food restaurants you would back home. 

5) The beaches in Thailand are some of the best in the world! After reading ‘The Beach’ by Alex Garland in high school and watching the movie, it was a dream come true to walk the sands of Maya Bay (which is situated on a deserted island, with National Park status). Unfortunately the popularity of both has meant that hordes of tourists (1000+), descend upon the small bay every day. However, the crowds can be avoided by signing up for a camping trip to the island. The trip reaches capacity at 20 and from 5PM – 9AM the island remains in splendid isolation.  

Scuba Diving in Ko Phi Phi

6) Thailand has some of the best scuba diving sites in the world. A full day of diving will only run you around $120. Visibility is absolutely amazing, ranging from 20-30 meters at times. Sea cucumbers are also ripe for the picking!

7) Because it is a backpacker’s paradise, expect to meet new and interesting people from around the world. The further you get off the ‘regular tourist path’, the better. Try renting a motorcycle ($5 a day) and take a back round. 

8) The National sport in Thailand is Muay Thai. The fights are a must see and are quick, lasting only 5 rounds. Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok seats 9,500 and they are one of the few places where gambling is permitted. It looks and sounds like you are on the floor of the New York stock exchange, just with the addition of beer and Van Damme tiger kicks. 

9) Roughly 95% of the Thai population is Buddhist. The ‘wai’ or Thai greeting is widespread and is deeply routed with the Buddhist faith. Visiting wats and temples in Thailand is both a spiritually enlightening and educational experience. Since all living things are welcome at these holy sites, expect to see all kinds of animals. Tiger Temple, east of Bangkok is probably the most famous, with around 100 tigers. Initially I was against seeing tigers chained up and seemingly drugged (which they aren’t), while tourists flooded in for photos. The reality is that their natural habitats have been destroyed and without sanctuaries like Tiger Temple, they wouldn’t be alive. For three hours a day the most people friendly tigers are chained up during their siestas and tourists are guided from tiger to tiger for photos. Most of the tigers have been handled by humans since they were cubs and actually enjoy getting a back rub during 3 of their 20 rest hours a day. Afterword’s if you pay an extra $15, you get put into a cage and get to watch the tigers snap out of their siesta and play fight. A chance to walk one of the tigers is also provided! As with most people I would rather see tigers in their natural state in the wild. It is good to see that admission costs are being used to care for the tigers and construct a larger sanctuary which will allow the animals to live an 'almost' natural environment. 

Ko Phi Phi Leh

10) I have to include shopping on this list. For $120 you can get a tailor-made suite, which would easily cost $800+ back home. The Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok is massive, with over 200,000 visitors a day. Khaosan Road also offers plenty of $3 tea shirts, $5 board shorts, Ray Band glasses, $30 Rolex watches and everything short of firearms for weaponry. Bargaining is a must as most foreigners are seen as a walking wallet. It is an exciting sport, the more emotion you can toss in the better! Treat everything as a 50% off Boxing Day sale. You should never feel bad when it comes to bargaining, as they wouldn’t sell it to you at a loss. If anything the shop keeper will respect you more for not devaluing the Thai currency and tossing it around like monopoly money.

I will never forget Thailand and the one month father/son trip across its lands. It was quite the change returning to overcast and rainy 10 degree weather. I heard from coworkers who stayed in Nanning that the sun had not shown itself since we left. Semester two has started at the University and its smooth sailing from now until July when I return to Canada.