South Asia
Book reviews
Books
Book review- Elephant Complex-Travels in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is a fascinating little gem of a country blessed with a seemingly perfect combination of ancient and colonial historical sites, diverse culture, wildlife, beautiful mountain scenery, and beaches. But the country also has its demons, having endured a savage 30-year civil war that ended in a mass massacre in 2011. John Gimlette […]
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Book reviews
Books
Book review- Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains
Nestled deep in the northeastern corner of India lies Arunanchal Pradesh, the “land of the dawn-lit mountains,” and one of the least explored parts of the country. As such, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent decided to go on a motorcycle journey into the state where she ventured into jungles and mountains, stayed with remote tribes and experienced some […]
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Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Sri Lanka’s hill town of Nuwara Eliya
The mountainous interior of Sri Lanka, Hill Country, is full of mountains, picturesque towns, and hillside plantations where the country’s famous tea is grown. Among the towns in the Hill Country is Nuwara Eliya, considered the centre of the country’s tea industry. As a former British colonial hill station, Nuwara Eliya was a favorite holiday […]
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Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Visiting Sri Lanka’s Dambulla Buddhist caves and Peradeniya Botanical Gardens
While Kandy by itself is not that remarkable other than its lively cultural shows and the temple of the Buddhist Tooth, there are several fascinating sites outside of the city. This includes the Dambulla Buddhist cave, an elephant sanctuary with dozens of elephants, and Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Dambulla is about two hours’ drive from Kandy, […]
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Cities
Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Visiting Sri Lanka’s cultural center of Kandy
The city of Kandy lies in the center of Sri Lanka and can literally and figuratively be considered the country’s heart. As a cultural hub, it is where the island’s most famous festival of Esala Perahera is held, and where the Temple of the Buddha’s Tooth is located. Surrounded by hills, Kandy also has a feisty […]
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Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Visiting Sri Lanka’s hilltop fortress Sigiriya
One of Sri Lanka’s most distinctive and fascinating landmarks is the ancient fortress of Sigiriya. Located atop a massive 200m-high column of rock that dominates a vast plain, Sigiriya was built between 477-495 CE (AD) by a king as a refuge during a war. Eventually the place became a Buddhist monastery before being abandoned in […]
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Cities
Sri Lanka travel
Travel
Exploring Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo
In a country as flush with great traveling destinations like Sri Lanka, the capital city Colombo hardly gets any mention. Now, if you’re flying in from elsewhere, chances are it will be to Colombo. From there, most people will go on to other places like Kandy or Galle or the beach towns along the west […]
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