Adventures in Serendipity

Dubai

Katy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:14:01 +0000

On my way back from Turkey, I made a quick stop in Dubai. It was my first time there and it was the perfect cap to my Turkey vacation. I stayed in a great hotel–Traders–they’re customer service is amazing, and then was able to shop to my hearts content at the Dubai Mall. Sadly, there was no time for a movie or a trip to the aquarium, but I’ll save those for next time.

Dubai was as modern as I thought it would be, but there were areas that were older and didn’t fit the image I had in my mind. To make the most of my time, I decided to take an organized tour, which was a fast way to see the city, but I’m not sure it was necessary. I guess I wouldn’t have seen the Gold or Spice Markets, but these aren’t that impressive compared to the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul or the Weekend Market in Bangkok.

I hope I can make it to a desert safari next time. It was way too hot on this trip.

Sunset and Oil Fields over the Middle East

Modern Dubai (from the bus)

Old Dubai

Pamukkale, Kusadasi, and Ephesus, Turkey

Katy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:26:59 +0000

For our final Turkey installment, we landed in Kusadasi, with day trips to Pamukkale and Ephesus. Cappadocia was much more my speed, probably in part because it was so HOT in the Kusadasi area. We also had a terrible, terrible guide for our day trip to Pamukkale. He was rude and our bus was so overcrowded on the way back that someone had to sit on the floor! Not good. But, Pamukkale is a cool site. It looks like snow in the middle of the summer.

Pamukkale's Travertine Terraces

Kusadasi is such a beach town, which is normally not my favorite. But Sarah made me appreciate beach towns in a new light. There’s something about them that signifies summer and all of the awesomeness that comes with summer.

Kusadasi at Night

I had actually been to Ephesus in high school on a whirlwind European tour that included a brief stopover at the ancient ruins. The library was one of the only things I remembered clearly.

Library at Ephesus

Cappadocia, Turkey

Katy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:13:52 +0000

After Istanbul, we went to Cappadocia. After a minor mishap (missing our first flight!), we made it without any problems. It’s a beautiful area with lots of ruins and famous for hot air balloon rides. Plus, we stayed in a cave hotel–awesome!

Fairy Chimneys

Hand-painted Ceramic Plates. So expensive!

Watermelons

Cappadocian Cave House

Cappadocian Mosque

Istanbul: II

Katy — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:02:37 +0000

I did find Istanbul overwhelming. You’d think I’d learn my lesson traveling to big cities–Bangkok, New York, London. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great cities, but I find them too big to manage, at least initially. The more I visit a bigger city, the more I like it. I guess it just takes getting used to for me.

Spice Bazaar

Even though Topkapi Palace was my favorite of Istanbul’s sites, the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are still impressive.

View of Blue Mosque from Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia was a church and then a mosque and now a museum. It’s so interesting to see the design of a church with the high ceilings and the vaulted domes, with elements of a mosque, like the round discs with Arabic on them and the angels whose wings have been rubbed out.

Hagia Sophia

The Basilica Cistern was cool. If my memory is right, according to our Rick Steve’s Istanbul Guide Book (which I would highly recommend), the cistern was forgotten about for a long time until people started noticing water seeping into the ground. How do you forget about an awesome place like this?!

Basilica Cistern

My absolute favorite “must do” in Istanbul was the ferry cruise we took on our last day there. It was a relaxing change of pace compared to hectic Istanbul. Taking a leisurely ferry cruise to see the Bosphorus was an excellent way to see more sites without too much effort.

Bosphorus

Istanbul: I

Katy — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:22:19 +0000

Back in July, I took a trip to Turkey with my friend Sarah. It was a great trip and I enjoyed being in the European-esque city of Istanbul and exploring other parts of the country.

Istanbul Mosque at Dusk. Beautiful and magical.

My favorite site of the trip to Istanbul was probably Topkapi Palace. We got there just as it opened, which was awesome since we beat all of the cruise ship crowd and other tourist crowd.

Interior view of Topkapi Palace

Baklava!

I might have gone a bit crazy eating baklava multiple times a day. Yum.

Mosque at Sunset

Trincomalee

Katy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:28:52 +0000

My trips to Trinco and Batti in August were quick so I was only able to snap some pictures, not really enjoy my time there. The beaches in Trinco are beautiful, and the city also has a special charm about it. I’ll be glad to go back to explore more. Similar to Jaffna, Trinco was also heavily impacted by the war, but is in the midst of making a recovery, in large part thanks to all of the tourists coming its way.

Koneswaram Hindu Temple

Nilaveli Beach at Dusk

Trincomalee Bay

Batticaloa

Katy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 03:52:10 +0000

Batticaloa is not yet a tourist hotspot in Sri Lanka, but it’s probably only a matter of time. Batticaloa was heavily impacted by Sri Lanka’s civil war and when my colleagues and I briefly stopped for a work trip in August, they were impressed with the improvements they saw around the city and the district. Let’s hope it continues.

Batticaloa Gate

Kallady Bridge

Pasikuda Beach

Monitor Lizard

Point Pedro Beach

Katy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:53:28 +0000

We also visited Point Pedro Beach, which is pristine and beautiful. Frankly, I’m surprised it hasn’t been taken over by the tourism industry yet, but it’s likely because the land is owned by the government, given the civil war and the tsunami. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before it becomes yet another tourist hot spot.

There was no one on the beach, literally. Even the fishermen weren't around.

We were there mid-afternoon. Long shadows.

So ends my recent Jaffna adventure. I’m looking forward to going back and exploring more. Even though it sounds strange, it’s one of my most favorite areas in Sri Lanka, perhaps because it holds such promise for the future.

And as a plug, there is really only one place to stay in Jaffna: Expo Pavilion II on Kandy Road. It’s delightfully Sri Lankan and while it’s nothing fancy, it’s clean and the breakfast is awesome. Be sure to have the sweet and salty lime juice, nature’s Gatorade.

Point Pedro

Katy — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:36:00 +0000

Point Pedro is the northernmost point in Sri Lanka. It’s about 30 km from Jaffna town and takes about an hour to an hour and a half to get there. It may take you close to two hours to get back if you take the long, really roundabout way, but hey, that’s what adventures are for, right?

Like most areas in the North, Point Pedro was impacted by Sri Lanka’s civil war and 2004′s tsunami. The tsunami affected much of Sri Lanka’s south, but recovering from the tsunami has been a slower process in the North. This is very much evident in Point Pedro.

Methodist Church across from Hartley College: Started in 1887 and finshed in 1889.

Original Stained Glass?

Hanging out by the water on a Sunday afternoon.

Anpusthanam's House--damaged by tsunami or war?

Another home destroyed by the tsunami or the war. It's difficult to say which.

Sting Rays becoming dried fish.

Jaffna Everyday Life

Katy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:08:06 +0000

By far the best part of exploring Northern Sri Lanka is happening upon everyday life. Rural life vs. Urban life is different in any country, but I think it’s more pronounced when you’re recovering from a war and are in a less developed country.

Music and Bikes

Bicycles are the primary form of transportation in Jaffna and I would bet most of the North. All the bike riding makes me wish we’d ride our bikes more in cities, but I’m so sure that’s how people in the North would view it. It’s HOT in the North, hence the umbrella bike riding.

Bus and Bike

Mosquito nets hanging out to dry.

Jaffna House built in 1933. You need the mosquito nets since so many houses have open air spaces to allow things to cool off during the day and night.

And saving the best for last, ice cream! Jaffna is known for it’s awesome ice cream and Rio is the arguably the most popular spot. Check out these photos for proof. Over the course of an hour long stop there on a Sunday night we probably saw a hundred or so people walk in and out. It’s a VERY popular place and it has a prime location right next to the Nallur Kovil. As an ice cream aficionado, I’d say it’s pretty tasty. Yum.

I love my ice cream!