We went on a game safari known for Asian elephants. Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants and are more commonly tuskless. They also have a more prominent frontal bone and tuftlike hair on their heads. There are around 6000 wild elephants in Sri Lanka. We saw a few Asian water buffalo, which look much … More Minneriya National Park, Sri Lanka
We visited four of the eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka while on this tour. One of these sites is Sigiriya, which means “lion.” At the top, there are two lion paws that mark the entrance to the final ascent. There used to be a lion mouth that you climbed through, but that … More Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
We took a train one morning from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya. Although Sri Lanka is famous for the iconic blue train, our train route took us through virtually the same scenery: the tea plantations and highlands of Sri Lanka. While sipping masala chai, we took in the magnificent surroundings. Tea was first introduced in the … More Sri Lankan Highlands
Sri Lanka is a small island only 29 kilometers from India’s eastern coast. It is 77% Buddhist and the national language is Sinhalese. Sri Lanka was colonized by the Portuguese, then later the Dutch, and finally the British until independence in 1948. The British called the country Ceylon, which is why the famous tea from … More Kandy, Sri Lanka
Dubai is the most populated city of the United Arab Emirates with around 4 million people. The economy relies on trading, aviation, tourism, real estate, and oil although oil only makes up about 5%. Dubai was originally a fishing village and formed after tribal feuding, when members of the tribe seceded from Abu Dhabi. Dubai … More Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Arabian Peninsula was settled by the Bedouin people in various tribes across the region. The region became a British protectorate until 1968 and the United Arab Emirates was later formed in 1971. The UAE is composed of seven emirates. Initially, Qatar and Bahrain were also asked to join the union but both countries declined. … More Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Oman is located on the Arabian Peninsula at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. There are nearly 5 million people in Oman, most of which are in Muscat. The Portuguese occupied Oman for 143 years, from 1507 to 1650. At the peak of its influence, Oman controlled land in modern day Iran, Pakistan, and as … More Muscat, Oman
We spent some time recovering from Africa in Mauritius. We stayed in the same hotel and didn’t do much of anything for four days. We caught up on work, slept a lot, and hopped from restaurant to restaurant. We checked out the Grand Baie Public Beach, as well as Pereybere Beach. Per usual, Whitney tried … More Mauritius
Cape Town, oh Cape Town. We had been looking forward to the Mother City for so long. The hip cafes, beautiful architecture, and reliable WiFi were much needed. We had a very busy day exploring the tourist sites around town. We hit up the Table Mountain Cable Car first. The cable car has been around … More Cape Town, South Africa
While in Klawer, we had a beautiful wine tasting at our camp. We tried one white, two reds, one rose, one sparkling wine, and the flagship: African Ruby. African Ruby is a delicious port that we opted to get a glass of for ourselves after the wine tasting. It was our last night with the … More Klawer, South Africa