“Travel is more than the seeing of sites; it is a change that goes on deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

Travel has always been something that I have loved since I was a child and that is the way, I recharge myself, put things in perspective when I begin to feel overwhelmed with work or something else in life. I enjoy exploring places, meeting people and learning new things when I do travel.

Since my Arctic adventure in 2001, I usually write up my travelogue or travel notes by the end of each travel I undertake. However, I rarely share it on my blog until a few years pass by. I think it is because it helps me re-read and enjoy remembering the travel experience, while having a clearer mind for editing. Therefore, the travelogues that you read on my blog are reminiscences of travels past.

I had initially run a separate blog for my travel within Sri Lanka and I only shared travels outside of Sri Lanka here on Perspectives Quilt. However, I do not have the time and energy to maintain separate travel blogs as I also run a quite active food blog. Therefore, I decided to merge my travel blogs by transferring my favourite posts on Sri Lankan travel here.

Hope you enjoy reading about my travel explorations!

Tales from Sri Lanka:

1. Western province:
   • Meditating above water (Colombo)
   • Exploring Pettah (Colombo)
   • A short tour of No 11 Residence (Colombo)
   • Special Six: Highlights of National Museum (Colombo)
   • Special Six: Colombo Cafes (Colombo)
   • Garden tour at Lunuganga (Bentota)
   • The Galle Face walking tour (Colombo)
2. Southern province:
   • Galle Fort and the Literary festival (Galle)
   • Whale watching off the coast of Mirissa (Matara)
   • Kirinde and its local legends (Hambantota)
3. Northern province:
   • A sense of connection with my birthplace (Jaffna)
4. Uva province:
   • Place of Convergence (Monaragala)
5. Central province:
   • Helga’s Folly (Kandy)
   • A photo tour of Sigiriya (Matale)
6. Eastern province:
   • Land of the Singing Fish
7. North Central province:
   • Exploring the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa
8. North western province:
9. Sabaragamuwa province

Exploring the world outside of Sri Lanka:

Africa:

1. Botswana: the lion country
2. South Africa: A sojourn in Cape Town
3. Kenya: Special Six: First Glimpse of Nairobi
4. Egypt: Memphis, Special Six: Tastes of Egypt, Aswan, Coptic Cairo, Luxor

Asia:

1. Exploring India:
   • Kerala: Reconnecting in Kerala and Taste of Cochin , Special Six: Highlights of Fort Kochi
   • Delhi: Special Six: First Memories of Delhi, Delhi revisited
   • Puducherry: Auroville: a brief glimpse, Special Six: A first glimpse of Puducherry
   • Uttar Pradesh: En-route to Agra, Highlights of Agra, A morning in Fatehpur Sikri,
   • Rajasthan: Exploring Jaipur, An overnight stay in Jodhpur, En-route to Udaipur and the City Palace,
   • Karnataka: Special Six: Highlights of Mysore, Taste of Karnataka, Highlights of Bangalore
2. Malaysia: Road trip across Malaysia
3. Vietnam: Visiting Hanoi, Overnight at Ha Long Bay, Special Six – A day in Ho Chi Minh city
4. Maldives: Special Six – Weekend in Malé
5. Cambodia: Siem Reap – Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Special Six – Temples at Angkor, Tonle Sap – a photo tour, Special Six – Evenings in Siem Reap
6. China: Beijing (Discover Beijing, Great Wall hike, Forbidden City, Special Six – Beijing experiences) and Yunnan (Special Six – Shangri-La Experiences, Kunming Highlights, Tastes of Lijiang, Lugu Hu, Stories from Yongning, Stories from Yongning cont’d…, More stories from Yongning)
7. Indonesia: Jakarta – revisiting my childhood places,   Special Six – Taste of Indonesia,  Highlights of Bali, Flavours of Bali
8. Laos: Rice Noodles at an Organic Farm , Tamarind Cooking School, Special Six: Spotlight on Luang Prabang, Eating out in Luang Prabang, Coffee in Luang Prabang
9. Thailand: Special Six: Highlights of Bangkok
10. Myanmar: Special Six: First Taste of Yangon
11.  Nepal: Special Six: Highlights of Kathmandu

Europe:

1. Scandinavian experience: Arctic Lessons, Swedish food I miss, Special Six – Stockholm Art, Taste of Stockholm, Stockholm Highlights
2. My Italian Holiday: Glimpses of Torino, Exploring Venezia, Visiting Firenze, Siena and San Gimignano, A few hours in Vatican city and Amazing Roma – an open air museum
3. UK:
   • England
     • Central/ Midlands –  Birmingham City Centre Highlights, A morning walk around Oxford city, Special Six: Weekend at Blenheim palace, A day trip to Stratford upon Avon
     • East: Treasure hunt in Cambridge
     • North east – A walk around Durham,
     • South east – London (Special Six series – London Theatres, London Cafes, London Surprises), A weekend at Cumberland Lodge, Special Six – Highlights of Brighton, Day trip to Chawton village
     • South west – Bath Experiences (A visit to Bath Christmas market, Roman Baths and a Sally Lunn dinner, Visiting No 1 Royal Crescent, Skyline bus tour and Green Rocket juice, In the neighbourhood of the Circus, A morning at Jane Austen Centre), Special Six – Taunton museum highlights, Wandering along Maunsel Lock, Lacock Abbey and Grounds, Walking around Lacock village, A couple of hours in Castle Combe, Morning at Wells cathedral, Highlights of Wells Bishop’s Palace, Special Six: Glastonbury Abbey
   • Scotland (A morning walk in Edinburgh, Special Six: My Memories of Inverness, Weekend in Isle of Skye),
   • Wales (Loving Welsh Food Tour, Special Six – Cardiff Experiences, Cardiff Bay Highlights)
4. France: Special Six – Paris Highlights
5. Netherlands: A canal cruise in Amsterdam, A day trip out of Rotterdam
6. Belgium: Visiting Grote Markt
7. Switzerland: A cruise over Lake Geneva
8. Poland: Weekend in Gdansk

Oceania:

1. Australia – Transit in Sydney
2. New Zealand – Skydiving over the Bay of Islands, a meetup in Hokianga,   Special Six: Bay of Islands tour , Milford Sound with Southern Discoveries, Stewart Island, Lake Tekapo, Lake Ohau, Queenstown

North America:

1. USA – Special Six – Manhattan highlights, Weekend in Maui, Special Six: East West Centre Experiences, Special Six: Highlights of Oahu, Thanksgiving on the Big Island, Christmas in Washington D.C.