London - off the beaten track

London is weird and wonderful and a place I love exploring each time I visit.

One of those more-weird-than-wonderful things to see in London is ears. Yes, ears! 😆 If you happen to wander over to Floral Street in Covent Garden, keep an eye out for ears! This post is already going downhill 👀

The traffic light tree near Billingsgate Market might not be something the average tourist would chance upon or one you might miss altogether if you don't know it's there but it's worth a look.

More on traffic lights - there are ones near Trafalgar Square, I think on Duncannon Street, which display LGBT+ images. So cool!

Then there's the grave in the graveyard of St Pancras Old Church that's rumoured to have inspired the telephone box.

This graveyard is also home to the equally quirky Hardy Tree. This is an ash tree with hundreds of gravestones around its base, which were placed there by novelist Thomas Hardy.

Did you know Britain's smallest police station is in London? I challenge you to find it!

And there's a rhino hanging about. A sculpture of one to be precise.
At the time I accepted it as just one of London's many obscure works of art. A bit of research now tells me it's called Rhino Sospeso by sculptor Stephano Bombardieri and the person whose property it is displayed in front of calls it 'a thought provoking sculpture designed to encourage reflection on the link between man and nature'.


Food to die for

Anything from the Cheese Bar, Camden Town

Peas, mange tout and quinoa salad from Harrods.
Yes, it's green.
Yes, it's a salad.
Yes, it's amazing.

Chips from HipChips. You can have these funky chips with sweet or savoury dips.

Jellied eels from Goddards at Greenwich. This is best eaten with vinegar and pepper. Makes it far more palatable as I found out the hard way.

Things to do

Take a tour of the Royal Opera House - My sister is a classical singer and my playlists are full of an array of music ranging from hip hop to EDM and rap to Latin music but we could both appreciate what goes into a performance here.

Walk through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel - I forget how far beneath the water this is but it's well worth the walk just knowing you're under a large body of water.

Visit the Fan Museum - It doesn't take long to go through the collection but it is surprisingly interesting and the highlight was seeing that they even have a Sri Lankan sesatha on display.

Dine in the dark - Yep, that is exactly what you do. You will not see what you eat, you won't even see your dining partners but you will get some pretty good food served to you by vision impaired waiters and the chance to experience food with one less sense at your disposal.

What rhymes with Mauritius?

There's more to Mauritius than its incredible beaches and surrounding sea but once you've seen these, there's a good chance you won't care about anything else!

I certainly could have spent the entire time doing nothing but reading or snoozing by the sea!

Can you blame me? 😍

People here speak English and French (among others) and communicating was not difficult at all. As a large part of the population is of Indian origin, hearing and seeing South Asians speak French was rather strange at first!

The people of Mauritius are some of the friendliest I've ever encountered. While curiously eyeing some street food, I was pleasantly surprised when a nearby stallholder offered me what she had just purchased for herself. There was another time when a street vendor, seeing that we were tourists, generously handed out samples of all his wares to help us select what to buy. He wasn't even trying to force a sale!

Seafood is abundant but the penchant for drowning everything in turmeric was difficult to handle. My favourite by far was not seafood at all but mazavaroo, which is something like a sauce or dip made of red or green chillies.

Mazavaroo (the green stuff) is served with everything

Any accommodation with beach access and a view of the ocean tends to be on the expensive side. As a beach is never too far away, you could opt to stay further inland and take a walk to get your daily vitamin sea.

Getting about on foot is easy in most parts of the island. You could also take public transport or taxis but I found it easier to do a bit of walking and to hire a car for a day at a time to visit several sites that were further afield in one go.

There's some interesting wildlife to be seen - including adorable tortoises - so a visit to a place like Ìle aux Aigrettes is worth your while.

A highlight for me was a glass-bottomed boat trip over a coral reef in Blue Bay. With the sea being crystal clear and a knowledgeable and responsible guide at the helm, the excursion was amazing! The group of Mauritian youngsters who shared the boat were friendly and pleasant company though they spoke little to no English!

The Rault biscuit factory is something I would have given a miss. At the risk of offending an entire nation I must confess that slightly sweetened sawdust is not my idea of a biscuit.

This is ironic really because Mauritius produces darn good sugar!

Eureka House and Seven-coloured Earth were both places I didn't expect to be particularly impressed by but I was and would recommend visiting if you tire of lounging by the sea.

Maison Eureka

Chamarel seven coloured earth

I would happily go back to any island nation I've visited and this one is definitely one of those.

Quirky Qatar

How do I begin to describe Qatar ... For starters, there seem to be very few Qataris in Qatar!

In fact, the tour guide who showed me around one day was not a local but instead hailed from the Philippines!

This was a first time in all my travels as any guides I enlisted in other countries had been from the very place they operated in.

The upshot of this is, I didn't get to learn about Qatari society, local traditions etc.

Uber was my travel pal once more and I was also fortunate to have a dear friend residing in Doha who drove me around as well.

Public transport is available but as I had foolishly caught a cold upon arrival, the thought of spending any time roasting outside was unbearable.

As my hotel room only had a coffee machine and no kettle, I wondered what I should do for water because I'd usually make myself a cup or two of tea in addition to coffee and drink the remaining boiled water once any complimentary bottled water ran out. I was warned however to stick entirely to bottled water as the tap water is questionable, boiled or otherwise.

My quest for local food took me to Souq Waqif because it turns out Qatari fare is rare with just the one restaurant known to offer local cuisine! I had no luck here either because it was siesta time.

This did give me the opportunity to observe incredible discipline and trust. Shops in the souq are left open and unattended for a couple of hours. An unusual sight for someone hailing from a country where anything that isn't nailed down runs the risk of changing ownership rapidly!

Goods both inside and outside unmanned shops in Souq Waqif

More than 90% of the population resides in Doha, which was apparent as I ventured out of the city. Pretty much dessert and nothing else out there apart from a few settlements.

Al Zubarah Fort

The mosque in Al Jumail, a 19th century pearling and fishing village abandoned before Qatar's economic boom

The opulence in parts of Qatar - for example in Pearl-Qatar - was therefore quite fascinating in comparison.

There is no lack of malls to escape into to beat the heat but apart from shopping and a bit of sightseeing, with nothing much else to do, this is another destination that can be covered in a week.

Oh Oman!

The vastness of Oman struck me as soon as I landed and my travels within the country later went on to cement this impression.

It also appeared less affluent than its neighbours, which meant that goods were cheaper.

Uber has no foothold here and taxi drivers are quick to fleece unwary travellers. Therefore, I opted for the local equivalent app OTaxi, which proved to be extremely reliable.

I was not impressed by the brazen offers of lifts and such from leery strangers in Muscat but elsewhere I was not bothered by anyone.

In spite of the above, my personal observation as I shamelessly cast an appreciative eye over the Omani people is that they are some of Mother Nature's best work 🤷🏽‍♀️

I couldn't say what exactly constitutes Omani cuisine and I suspect that it's really a mix of a range of regional influences, but what I can say is that there is plenty of interesting stuff to try.

The variety in terrain was astonishing. From rugged hills to pebbly beaches to scorching deserts, they have it all.

The highlights for me were:

- The incredible White Beach, Fins - the pebbles don't make walking easy but that's a small price to pay

- The views of Al Nakr Canyon, Jebel Shams

- Trekking through Wadi al Shab

- Turtle watching in Raz al Jinz turtle reserve - I saw around six mama turtles' journey from hauling themselves on to a beach to digging, laying, covering and waddling along right back in to the sea

- Relaxing under a rocky outcrop in Wadi Bani Khalid with my feet dangling in the water while fish nibbled my toes

- Sleeping in a tent in Wahiba Sands - I will not forget the sound of the unrelenting wind at night anytime soon

These places and experiences were so incredible that I'm inclined to agree that "beauty has an address and it's Oman!"

Ours. Yours. Bahrain

Bahrain is a small country (third-smallest in fact) and can be covered in a week. I would be hard pressed to find things to see or do for longer than that unless staying at a resort purely to relax.

People are perfectly civil but won't engage with you out of the blue. A solo female traveller could easily go about undisturbed.

I didn't relish the prospect of dealing with difficult taxi drivers as per travel forums; therefore, I opted to use Uber or walked around.

There is no public transport.

There are hardly any pedestrian crossings either! As someone who likes exploring places on foot, I very nearly became roadkill!

There are lots of malls and restaurants to get away from the heat in but everything comes to a standstill for a couple of hours in the afternoon, which takes a bit of getting used to.


The process of obtaining a visa was a new experience for me ... If you don't have a long-lost-and-willing relative/friend to sponsor a visa on your behalf, go along the route I opted for, which was to find a hotel that does it for you.

This list helped me select a hotel to get this done. My criteria for selection was based 100% on responses to my queries ... of which I received a grand total of one! 🤷🏽‍♀️

The Elite Group of Hotels saw to everything on the condition that I stay with them for the duration of my visit. Convenience comes with a price tag.

Couldn't complain about the view from my room

I learned about the Dilmun civilization of Bahrain (technically this civilization covered Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and eastern parts of Saudi Arabia) and about current Bahraini society from a tour guide I spent a day with.

It was an interesting day, which included a visit to the first oil well of the Middle East, a 400-year-old tree, a fort and royal camels.

Inside Bahrain Fort

I must say this island nation is an interesting mix of scorching desserts dotted with burial mounds and a deliciously cold sea lapping sandy beaches. I may not revisit but this visit was certainly worthwhile.

Philippines - First impressions

OMG the traffic! I have never spent so much time on the road in all my travels as I did in Manila. I was thankful that I had made arrangements for a private vehicle for the duration of my visit or I would have spent a small fortune on taxis. Uber or Grab (the Uber of the Philippines) is a safer option as you have an idea of how much your trip will cost as you book it but you will still spend a considerable amount of time on the road going nowhere fast. If I hadn't had people to meet in Manila, I would have skipped it entirely. Traffic wasn't as bad outside Manila except in Cebu.

For those with the inclination to brave it, there's plenty of public transport and I'm told it's cheap too.

The population, specially in cities, is high so everywhere is quite crowded. The villages thankfully are not. Therefore, time spent outside cities is more relaxing.

I was warned against pickpockets and other petty thieves and advised to keep an eye on my property at all times in malls and crowded areas. The contrast between evident poverty and glitzy malls was more obvious to me here than in my own country. That isn't to say Sri Lankans are better off. Perhaps because we have a smaller population, it doesn't show as much.

People are less friendly than I was used to. I could not put my finger on why.

There is food everywhere. From street food to international fast food chains to fine dining.

Though Manila traumatised me, the rest of the country did quite the opposite. There are amazing beaches with white sands and clear waters to wade in. The hill country is equally beautiful with amazing formations to view like the Chocolate Hills of Bohol and manmade ones like the rice terraces of Banaue.

Goods are cheaper here than in my own country. And you can find pretty much everything you could need.

Everybody I encountered spoke and understood English. I had no difficulty getting about when I did use Uber or Grab nor when I made any purchases.

There is much to admire and learn about the Philippines but at tourist sites I found that maybe one guide at most was passionate about their task or had put any effort into presenting interesting/noteworthy information to a visitor such as myself.

Cousin, Curieuse and St Pierre

Cousin island is a nature reserve protected by the government of Seychelles. It is home to several endangered bird species and a few tortoises that you'll find wandering around as you explore. Apart from the danger of being splattered with bird poo, the island is a treat to visit as you'll get to see nesting birds at close quarters.

A Fairy Tern watching passing visitors on Cousin Island

Because we went to Curieuse island to have lunch and rest, we didn't explore the marine national park, which is what the island and its surrounding waters are known for. The tortoises wandering around here are very interested in any snacks you have to offer but you have to be careful not to lose a finger in the process of feeding them.

The tortoises on Curieuse Island might be fashion critics (or really shortsighted)

The local boat tours do not take you onto St Pierre as it is uninhabited for the most part except for a small hotel I believe. We didn't know this so we expected to be able to land on a beach, which is why we didn't try snorkeling. The snorkeling experience in the waters around the island must be amazing because from the surface alone we saw tons of fish.

Cote D'Or, Praslin

Praslin is again smaller than Mahé but larger than La Digue. It felt far more like a resort island than the other two.

In addition to beaches, the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve is on Praslin. This is where you will find the Coco de Mer palm, which has the largest seed in the world. Coming from an island nation ourselves, having banana plants, mango trees and jackfruit pointed out to us wasn't terribly exciting but seeing the Coco de Mer palm certainly was.

We visited Anse Lazio and Cote D'Or beaches, which were both utterly gorgeous. The former is considered the best one in Praslin so it is rather crowded but not enough to stop you sunbathing or taking a dip in the ocean. But you have to watch out for the tide because it can be a bit unpredictable.

Anse Lazio

Cote D'Or

La Passe, La Digue

La Digue is a fair bit smaller than Mahé. If you were so inclined, you could walk all the way around it within a day.

The island has some 18 beaches of which Anse Source d'Argent is probably the best-known one while Grand Anse is cited as the most beautiful.

We went to Anse Severe on a quiet morning. It was about a kilometer from where we stayed. Said hello to the resident tortoise and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Veuve Nature Reserve is located on La Digue, which is home to the rare and endemic Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher. We weren't lucky enough to spot one sadly.

I must mention our accommodation as I was more excited about it than the entire journey to the Seychelles. We stayed at The Blue House for Dog Lovers. You HAVE TO be a dog lover to stay here. All the dogs are friendly and can be boisterous, which non-dog lovers may not tolerate but for those who do, it's a lovely experience. The house is a lovely wooden open and airy space with seating overlooking the large garden where you can watch and listen to birds in the trees.

Beau Vallon, Mahé

I had initially planned to stay in resorts but the reviews about staff and at times cleanliness were so off-putting that I did a second round of research. I'm glad I did because the places we selected were clean, comfortable and quirky.

Unless you're a sun worshipper, a resort is not ideal.

I felt this most on Mahé because it's a big island and when we took individual tours and a tour bus would drop or pick up people, the vast distances between big hotels and the rest of civilization became apparent.

Yes, resorts tend to be near the best beaches but this does not necessarily mean that they are near anything else. So, you're stuck unless you hire a vehicle or are picked up for tours.

Staying at a small hotel/guest house means you can observe local life, attend a weekend market, pop into a local 'supermarket', eat at different restaurants and wander around.

Beau Vallon seemed residential. Families were constantly at the beach. Children playing in the water while adults sat watching the waves, chatting and sipping beers.

A market fair (possibly a weekend market) was on when we were there. All stalls held food of some kind. From coconuts and fruit to grilled fish and meat.

Most foreigners gather at the Boat House bar for a drink and socialising towards evening.

Heading 'home' by torchlight listening to waves crashing against rocks and music blaring from the occasional passing vehicle, you knew this was 'island life'.

Air Seychelles

The flight with Air Seychelles deserves a blog post.

I travelled from Praslin to Mahé. It wasn't the first domestic flight I'd taken in another country but it was by far the only one worth remarking on.

We were met by an Air Seychelles representative immediately after clearing the first security entrance. She took us to the check-in counter and then led us to the departure lounge.

I don't know whether all patrons get this kind of personal treatment but it was certainly pleasant.

The airport itself is small as is the departure lounge. Again another first for me. Nowhere else was this small and at no point on my travels have I been on such a small aircraft - a 19-seater DHC-6-400 Viking to be exact.

Seychelles - First impressions

The sea is a lovely blue and sands are a lovely white but the heat radiating off this lovely white sand is like hell fire

The ocean around the islands is far saltier than any other I've encountered

The tides change in a strange way - I'm used to low tide during the day and high tide in the evening but here the tide would rise and fall a few times within an hour

Things are expensive - or at least they seem to be for this South Asian traveller. I don't recall paying LKR12,500 for a meal anywhere else 😲

There don't seem to be a lot of people in the country - never encountered crowds on any of the islands

Public transportation and taxis are few and far between

Everyone is totally relaxed - so much so that driving along with a good song blasting over the radio and a beer in hand is not an uncommon sight

Street lights haven't made their way to many parts but walking around by torchlight isn't too scary

Food is tasty and portions are generous but there isn't much variety for a tropical island

Wow is definitely a colour!

I don't know what deals were drawn among the islands of the Indian Ocean but clearly Seychelles went the way of the Maldives and got themselves these awesome blue waters and white sandy beaches 😍

Research

A few things I've learned along the way ...

☼ Check several travel sites because listings, reviews and prices differ

☼ This also makes it a bit time-consuming

☼ Everything is covered; from accommodation to transport, itineraries to travel guides/agencies.

☼ Whether it's cheaper to book directly with a hotel or guide than using a site depends on several factors so you really need to do your research

☼ If you're taking the direct route, you should probably elect to pay in person if that's allowed. If not, using an established site is safer as payments then are through them.

☼ Booking - flights - Booking early tends to be cheaper and allows you the luxury of selecting your seat most often but if you don't have to worry about visas or putting down deposits for accommodation, you could get a good deal at the last minute

☼ Booking - accommodation - If you're a risk-taker, the non-refundable bookings tend to be the cheapest. But if you're not a gambler, go for deals with free cancellation allowed close to the time of your visit. That way you can keep an eye out for flash sales either for the same accommodation or others at the same location. Then just cancel your existing booking and re-book!

Why do any research at all? Why not get a travel agent to book things for ya?

Well, I've saved €50 by booking flights just three months in advance and there's a €1,000 difference between what my Seychelloise travel agent quoted for accommodation and what I booked on my own after some research.

Research has its rewards!

Be prepared

Sites I refer to when planning a holiday:

Skyscanner - I love that it shows you the cheapest month to fly to a destination

TripAdvisor - Not only are a range of things reviewed here (accommodation and attractions), you can ask for help from other travellers

Agoda - In general I find that they have lower prices and quote prices in a more direct way

Booking.com - They have additional listings

Airbnb - It's not my go-to for accommodation but I've come across some amazing listings so I always have a peek at it too

Lonely Planet - Helps you get the lie of the land, what attractions sound interesting, what unique restaurants should be visited etc. Don't rely on the maps in the books though - unless things have improved lately ... the number of times they misled me and my sister in Europe!!

Where next?

I have a terrible habit of spending the last hours of the return journey from a holiday thinking about where to go next. It doesn't diminish the happy glow gained from the new sites and sounds I've just experienced but it might be borderline obsessive methinks.

So, I've been thinking about where to go next.

Having experienced the unbridled joy of visa free travel during my brief visit to the Maldives, I want to try another destination that doesn't involve suppressing the urge to throw people/things across embassy counters.

Seychelles offers visa on arrival.

It is considered part of Africa, where I've never ventured.

And several solo journeys later, my sister is finally free to travel with me. Yay!

Abu Dhabi

For the longest time I thought both Dubai and Abu Dhabi were cities in the UAE, not the individual Emirates they actually are.

Visiting only Dubai wasn't enough so off I went to Abu Dhabi as well.

There I visited Masdar City, a fairly new, planned city meant to be entirely green and clean. I didn't get the opportunity to ride in one of their driverless cars because my own car complete with driver was on a tight schedule but I did walk around and take a look at the buildings and cooling tower in its courtyard.

In spite of being in the middle of the desert, thanks to this wind tower, the courtyard and surrounding streets are kept some 15-20 °C cooler. Neat!

I only popped in to the mall in Yas Island for a bit as I'd had enough of shopping malls and only wanted a bite to eat.

The Emirates Palace is a grand place worth a visit. I enjoyed wandering around there. I was labouring under the misconception that it was once a palace but has in fact always been a luxury hotel.

It's a rather odd setup because there are tourists wandering around as well as guests. I'm not sure I'd like to stay at a hotel with people floating around the whole time but I figure they don't always allow visitors because my guide said we'd have to try our luck and only after I'd been subjected to a long hard look were we allowed inside.

The jewel in Abu Dhabi's crown is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It's beautiful by both day and night.

Though I'd worn a long-sleeved top and full length trousers, because my wrists and ankles were still visible I had to don an abaya to enter the mosque. For the uninitiated, this is very warm attire. But the interior of the mosque is very pretty and beautifully decorated and for the opportunity to see its beauty, I didn't mind steaming gently.

Unforgettable

I was doing some reminiscing as a new year dawned ...

There have been a few moments during my travels that have been so extraordinary that they have stuck with me far longer than the overall experience.

The first I've mentioned before ... It was in Vietnam while swimming in Halong Bay. I watched the sun set over the bay while I was paddling about in the water. This was a magnificent sight in itself and then it became even more amazing when flying fish chose to launch out of the water and sail past!

When I visited Ireland - The Republic of, to be specific - the tour bus was making its way down a highway. I looked over to my left and saw one of the many 'round towers' in that area ... its top was crumbling and black birds were circling above it. It was a surreal sight like something out of LOTR. My overactive imagination almost heard their raven-like calls 😋 

Then there was that time after visiting the glowworm caves in Te Anau. Visiting the caves was an amazing experience to start with - sitting in silence in a boat in almost complete darkness with thousands of glowworm bums shining above and around you. As the water taxi made its way back to the mainland, I remember looking out through a rain-splattered window at row upon row of mountains in the distance and simply feeling happy to be alive.

Out and about in Dubai

Walking around in Dubai had its drawbacks. It was always hot and as some of the areas I wandered into were filled almost entirely with males, being a lone female foreigner, I was (perhaps unduly) ill at ease.

I did not however face any difficulty with people or with getting about anywhere.

My first foray was to the Al Fahidi historical area. For this I took an Uber. Not only did it take a long time to pick me up, the driver had never heard of the Coffee Museum I was looking for. To be fair to the chap, I do tend to look for obscure things because no one else I knew in Dubai knew that a coffee museum existed!

After paying a silly amount to go to a place that was closed by the time I got there, I decided to walk in future.

I have a dear dear friend whom I tease often for his dependence on Google Maps while in our hometown but when abroad, I recommend it highly. I saved money by finding my way back on my own and I was able to visit other places en route.

However, trekking about in the blazing sun for long distances is a recipe for disaster. For such journeys I relied on the Metro or Uber. There are buses and taxis as well.

People at places I dined at or made purchases from were friendly and spoke enough English to get by. I was inordinately pleased to be greeted with a subha udasanak ('Good morning' in Sinhala, my mother tongue) at the Arabic Tea House Cafe on my second visit by the waiter who had asked me where I was from on my first visit. The fact that my visits had been two days apart made his effort impressive.

On the streets though, people are not friendly. Being stared at and studied doesn't bother me but it is noticeable.

There are places to eat everywhere. There were fast food outlets like KFC and dozens of Indian food outlets and Lebanese and Pakistani ones. I enjoyed trying a few things though they tasted familiar as similar food is readily available in Sri Lanka.

I did love that insane amounts of hummus are dished out with practically everything you buy along with a garlicky dip that I quite fancied as well.

Dubai Mall

I don't like shopping very much but it being a much talked-about place, off I went to take a look around Dubai Mall.

There are well-known brands from around the world, souvenir shops and little stalls with knick-knacks down the centres of each wing. I don't worship at any designer temples so I didn't do any shopping per se, only looked around and got a few gifts for friends. I was impressed with the mall in spite of my lack of enthusiasm in general.

Then I got lost.

Well, not lost exactly. I had wandered around and when it was time to get the train back to my hotel, locating the exit to the Metro from the mall was a chore. This is reputedly the largest mall in the world after all!

Also, the walk from mall to Metro was reminiscent of a trek I went on recently with friends because by this time my feet were sore 😩
In reality it's only a 10-15 minute walk even for unfit me as I found out the next time I went.

Other than shopping, there's also plenty of food to try on each floor from main meals and snacks to desserts and drinks. As I wasn't hungry, I only tried some 'spaghetti' ice cream from Morelli's - very nice.

There's also The Waterfall. It runs down the entire height of the mall. I had hit saturation point by the time I chanced upon it so I was not particularly impressed but in hindsight it isn't a piffling creation at all. Something to take a look at if you're ever in Dubai Mall.

The famed Dubai Fountain is right outside the mall. I stepped out and stepped right back in again because there were so many people crowded around it, I couldn't even see where it was! 😆

I did go back again a few days later and enjoyed the show.

Travel quirks

These are my preferences or travel tips to myself.

Let's get this one out of the way: When to buy airline tickets or which sites to book accommodation through - a whole lot of luck and research are involved. I don't seek out low prices to the point of gambling on last minute deals so my input on this isn't noteworthy 😀

I have however found it best to compare the cost of airfares on a price comparison site against the airlines' own site. Weirdly, it can be cheaper through the latter quite often.

I tried airbnb once (Maldives) and it worked out well but the second time (UAE) I wasn't so happy with the options and booked a hotel instead. Therefore, I'd best try it a few more times before coming to a conclusion.

Agoda appears to be more transparent and offer better deals than Booking.com in my experience.

When I travel alone I prefer an aisle seat on the plane because I can get in and out to stretch my legs or to go to the loo without bothering strangers. This does mean everyone else bothers you when they need to get out. And you may also run the risk of being attacked by the refreshments trolley but I find it far better than the window seat.

On the other hand, if your flight is during the day and you're a photographer, a window seat does afford a great view. Mind you if you get a seat near the wings you might as well nap unless you fancy some pics of white metal 😆

Travel light. Regardless of where you're going, who you're going with or your means of travel, always, always, pack light. You can do laundry. You can buy supplies.

After 21 countries I can say that no matter how little I pack, there is always be one item of clothing that isn't worn. I'm yet to figure out the optimum number at some point.

Carry your phone charger - USB cable and plug-in type. Nowadays this means a single item with the cable being detachable from the plug. Many airports, airplanes and trains have either plugs or USB ports at hand as do coffee shops.

Check the plug type in the country you're visiting because you sometimes may not need to lug a bulky converter with you if your electronic items already have the same plug type.

Carry US dollars. USD is accepted everywhere. It's loved almost everywhere.

Be willing to walk. Be sensible about it obviously. If you can explore a new place on foot without putting yourself in danger, do it. It's cheaper, you see how the locals live and you get your bearings.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

When it comes to aquariums and zoos I'm torn between wanting animals to be able to wander free and the knowledge that without these establishments I can never hope to see most of these creatures up close.

Fortunately the zoos I've visited in adulthood have had spacious enclosures and a clean track record to my knowledge.

The Dubai Aquarium is mostly a 10 million litre tank. I say 'mostly' because there are also other tanks with an octopus, nautilus, rays, jellyfish and some fascinating transparent fish whose species I cannot recall.

The tank is amazing. There are sharks and rays flitting about in gloomy silence and what feels like a million other fish I didn't recognise.

The tank can be seen from Dubai Mall inside which the aquarium is located. So there are lots of people around looking at the tank and taking photographs. You enter by walking through a glass tunnel, which affords you a very close look at the fish. On a different floor you can also stand above the tank, which was very cool!

The underwater zoo doesn't house anyone wildly exotic apart from a rather large crocodile and his missus. Not that the night creatures of the UAE weren't interesting. I did find the desert hedgehog a bit worrying though because he kept doing a loop round and round his little garden/enclosure while his mate/roommate did far less scurrying than that.

Burj Khalifa

I don't know what to say about Burj Khalifa. Of course it's impressive. Just knowing you're inside the tallest building in the world is enough. There it stands. Towering above everything and rising up into the clouds like Jack's beanstalk.

The light shows at night are amazing. I got to see it from all angles during the day and at night while going by metro or by car. It's a sight to behold!

I went up to the 124th and 125th floors. The lifts to go up are quite cool with an electronic display and timer.

The lift takes you from floor 1 to 124 in one minute to the accompaniment of a good soundtrack.

Inside you can walk out to an outdoor viewing platform-like structure from which you can take photographs. Dubai stretches out before you for miles. A mix of stretches of sandy desert and high rise buildings and to one side the sea shore. You can also walk around the floor inside the building and up to the 125th floor.

There's a gift shop on both floors and some really annoying camera crews who try to rope you into taking photographs. I didn't stay to find out whether an arm and leg would be required on top of the AED185 entry ticket.

The 125th floor has a postbox from which I sent postcards to my sister and to my best friend. At 456m above sea level, it was definitely the highest postbox I've ever used 😎

Burj Al Arab

I've been fascinated with this place since 1999/2000 when I first heard about the unusual hotel being built on an artificial island in Dubai. I read up on it. I took the virtual tour when it opened. I made plans.

And there I was having breakfast at Bab Al Yam, a restaurant within Burj Al Arab!

🎉😊🎊😆💥👸

The food: They serve an international buffet with the usual cereals and breads as well as salads, cold meats and freshly prepared eggs and meat. The food was very nice. I have a soft spot for hummus and was rewarded with the best hummus I have ever tasted! I must confess I had it with everything! 😁 I was also rather surprised to find the toast exceptionally good. They really must pay attention to every little thing.

The service: Excellent. I'm going to assume that all guests receive this treatment – The lady who greeted me at the entrance to the restaurant then took me around while running through what was on offer. After I had been seated, a pile of magazines was brought over for me to select from should I feel like reading something during my meal. Toast and coffee (whatever type you request) were brought over later. They pay you the right amount of attention without being too intrusive or neglectful.

I did however overhear the couple at the next table getting quite shirty about their coffee being late. Whether this was because they hadn't had their coffee yet or whether there was a significant delay, I don't know.

The atmosphere/view: This restaurant is on the first floor looking out over the Arabian Sea. The view is great. At breakfast time there's no one in the adjacent pool so it's quite peaceful as well.

The interior of the hotel itself is quite ostentatious. It has to be I suppose to tout itself as the world's most luxurious hotel. I can't say I care much for such extravagance but it is certainly impressive.

The cars lined up in front of the hotel speak for its clientele. I'm no auto expert but I spied a Ferrari, a Bugatti, a Lamborghini, a Rolls Royce and more than one Mercedes Benz.

Dubai, UAE

I made it! Finally visiting the Middle East instead of only flying through.

This will be an altogether different experience because I'll be combining solo exploration with accompanying a friend who lives here.

On a side note – before I forget – Emirates is a pretty good airline. I have flown Emirates some years ago but I don't think I was paying too much attention back then.

Bucket list

I don't have much of a bucket list. I've even added some things to it after I've done them just so I can cut them off! 😁

My list

- Seeing a tiger in the wild > Made it to India. Made it to Rajasthan. Didn't get to a tiger reserve

- Seeing a snow leopard in the wild > I might have to strike this off because the chances of me making it to Siberia are slender than slim I reckon. I did see a snow leopard in the Geneva zoo. That should count for something right?

- Gazing upon a living fossil > Tuatara. New Zealand. Check.

- Stepping inside "the world's most luxurious hotel" Burj Al Arab

- Taking a dip in the infinity pool atop Marina Bay Sands

- Visiting the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium > There's a photograph of my father in front of this structure from the 80s, which stuck with me. Six years ago, I took my own.

- Seeing a glacier > Been to the site of a former glacier in Lucerne, Switzerland and to the Franz Josef glacier in New Zealand, so I think I may be allowed to cross this off

- Trying unusual dishes from different cultures > I do enjoy culinary adventures but not being a voracious meat eater, I don't go on too wild an adventure .. So, this is an entry with a personal twist.

The accidental additions are

- Taking a sleeper train > Travelled overnight by Livitrans Express from Hanoi to Sapa, Vietnam

- Going up in a hot air balloon > Did it right here in dear ol' Sri Lanka!

- Visiting some of the best chocolate producing nations > You'd think a chocoholic would have already had this on their list but noooo. Only after I'd been to a few of them did I think it best to put it on there

- Visiting Halong Bay > Watching the sun set over the bay while bobbing about in the water as flying fish sail past you has got to be one of the most amazing experiences in the world!

Where to stay, where to stay

Finding accommodation is the more enjoyable part of travel preparation for me. I like doing research and finding bargains.

In Europe, it's hostels all the way. Hostelling International has a great network.

People of all ages are welcome. Beds are comfortable and clean. Prices are reasonable. In most places, breakfast is provided. I've seen many backpackers grab a few extra slices of bread for the road and they weren't chased down that road by irate hostel staff so I'm guessing that's a pretty regular practice.

On the one hand, if you'll be out all day there's no sense in paying for a hotel room.

On the other hand, if you're staying in one place for several days, a hotel does make some sense because the alternative is to lug your possessions about with you or to find a locker to rent for the day.

In Asia, hotels, minimum three stars, are best in my experience.
The hotels I stayed at in India and the Maldives were really good. So were most in Malaysia, except the one in Kuala Lumpur with its leaky shower that drove the room's occupants a bit crazy over time.

What I got to experience in Vietnam was quite special. There were hotel stays, a night in a bunk bed on a train, a home stay in a remote village sleeping on mattresses on the ground and a night on an anchored boat.

I stayed with family in the USA so I can't comment on what to try or not over there.

In New Zealand, because the tour I took catered to a slightly older crowd, the hotels were a bit fancy. And I was lucky because as a solo traveller, even though I had agreed to share with another available traveller, I got my own room in every city. So, I stayed in near luxury! 😆

Budget vs luxury travel

As I'm planning my next holiday, I'm torn between cutting corners and treating myself.

Scrimping and saving for a low-budget holiday is an experience. Nomadic backpacking teaches you to pack light and survive on the bare minimum, be it clothing or nourishment. And you quickly learn a thing or two about a nation by their transport system, which you have to navigate on your own. Where to buy tickets, their validity, which bus/train goes where etc. On top of which you have to read up on the sights you see and their locations. You could splurge on audio guides everywhere you go, but that cost kinda piles up.

Taking a medium- to high-end tour once in awhile is great too I tell ya! Your luggage is picked up and delivered so you don't have to worry too much about how much you've packed. Your meals cover all food groups and don't need to be inhaled in three minutes before your transport leaves. And you are taken about in a large comfortable coach with a lovely guide regaling you with humourous stories and fascinating facts about whatever you see.

I find a mix of both extremes works best for me. Choosing a hostel over a hotel softens the blow of dining at a fancy restaurant. As does taking public transport to a star attraction where entrance costs the GDP of a small nation!

The first

I didn't start exploring Sri Lanka in earnest until I had been abroad a few times. I succumbed first to the lure of the greener grass that is foreign travel.

I remember little of my first journey abroad other than that it was a KLM flight, my first and last time in Business class and that I was on the passenger list as Mrs!

Oh and having reached my destination, Holland, I accompanied my sister to a recital where I promptly fell asleep. I'm told my dulcet snores did nothing to improve the performance! 😄

This would be the time to mention that my first air travel was alone and took 25 hours 😋 I was knackered!

Where do they go?

Seriously, where do all the photographs I take for visa applications each year go? I couldn't find a single one. There must surely be dozens among which must be at least one where I look both human and current, but no, no such luck.

So I had to get a new batch done.

The studio that has stood at the top of my road since I was a wee girl seems to have picked up its skirts and disappeared overnight.

The sign on the shutter said something about Battaramulla. The number given was for a videographer who kindly gave directions to his establishment but had no idea where the studio had got to so I made a trip to Battaramulla. Of course the studio wasn't there. Life is never that simple for me.

So, much to the amusement of my taxi driver, we rode right back to where we started and discovered that the studio had in fact only moved a few metres away.

Oh well ... At least it only took five minutes to be handed a new glossy set of photographs.

Visa woes

I hate applying for visas! It's the one drawback to this goal I've set myself - to visit a new country every year of my life.

The passport I hold carries no weight in the global arena. I looked at the (short) list of countries that offered visa on arrival to those from Sri Lanka and almost wept with relief when I realised that the Maldives offered visa on arrival and wouldn't bankrupt me for a weekend's visit.

Walking through the airport, getting a visa stamped and going on my way was such a novel experience. A far cry from the usual visa circus months ahead of a journey. I loved it! And love the Maldives for it!

The number of times I've suppressed the desire to reach across a counter and shake an infuriating visa officer for giving me the runaround!

To go to the Republic of Ireland last year, for example, the daft website was not updated; therefore, I had to make two journeys to the visa office because when I went there the first time I was told they needed a copy of my entire passport, not just the page the website mentioned. And for me that's two passports, copied front and back. Sigh.

And the office was on the sixth floor.

And the lift was broken.

Making friends

This amiable fool spent 10 minutes today taking photographs of three ladies who wanted the right look for their holiday snaps.

Now I wish I'd taken one of them for myself. They were really quite sweet posing in a triangle fanning out their baggy, colourful trousers.

Later in the day as I stood in front of my hotel people-watching, a gentleman stopped in his tracks, retraced his steps and asked whether he may speak to me.

He proceeded to go from wanting to speak to a stranger "too pretty to ignore" (😂) to something else entirely but hey it was another new experience. Can't have enough of those! 😉

Centara Ras Fushi

The belligerent skies aren't a happy sight after forking out USD135 to spend the day on Ras Fushi.

This includes passage to and from your hotel to Centara Ras Fushi, a very good buffet lunch and all the beverages your heart desires. Yes, this means alcohol too.

It didn't rain too much at first fortunately so I got the chance to sit by the beach and read more of Desert Flower by Waris Dirie. Now I'm watching reruns of Friends under a tarp by the dining tent - the only reasonably dry spot I could find outdoors.

Thanks to this general air of dampness, I'm not enjoying this day out as much as I did Embudu but that isn't really to do with the resort I'd say.

There are loads of activities to try your hand at, many spots to sit and stare at the sea and a little souvenir shop to browse. Some of the products in the latter come from Sri Lanka. Working on the basis that something from any South Asian island will do the trick :D Tourists are notoriously gullible aren't they?

The streets. The food. The people.

I love exploring a new country. A new city.

A constant drizzle adds a certain twist to it I must admit.

The people of Male' are not exactly friendly as you bump into them on their narrow streets or perhaps they're not used to seeing a single, South Asia female wandering around but they aren't unfriendly either. I received friendly smiles and service in every shop I walked into and didn't feel particularly unsafe on my little forays into the warren of crazy little streets.

I love trying new things so, I had to try some local food. Various types of fish-based creations and sweets. I liked them all.

I couldn't tell you what any of them are called though =|

Embudu Village

Embudu is about 9km from Male' and is well worth a visit.

Apart from the glorious beach, the resort is quiet, the staff friendly and the food is pretty good.

Living on an island myself I expected rather more seafood than was available but I don't know how the seas and seasons impact these things.

Is Wow a colour?

I don't know how to describe the colour of the Indian Ocean that laps the shores of the Maldivian islands!

So blue. So clear. And the sand? Wow ...

Imprinting

Ducklings do it apparently ... And I think tourists need to too! 😆

Unless you've travelled or lived abroad, people of different races tend to look the same. I'm fairly certain one of my psych professor covered this. If not, I just made a terribly racist comment.

My er point was that if you have a tour leader, guide, driver, agent to return to or follow, you have to be able to pick them out from a crowd of locals.

Destination #20

I've been asked many times why I don't write about my travels. So here goes nothing 😊

Because spending quality time in an airport doesn't really count, this will be the 20th nation I set foot on.

The Maldives.