Riding the Colombo Rails
It’s a slow Sunday afternoon in Colombo, and I’m wandering through side streets and back alleys, enjoying the different styles of life visible over walls and around corners. Then I hear it, the “hoot” of a train horn, and off I am, in a mad dash to the train station.
That “hoot” signals the arrival of a train, a local commuter train and I am gonna jump on for a ride. See, as much as I fly, I really don’t like traveling that way. What, with the dry air, cramped space, and checked baggage intrigue, airplanes have none of my love.
Read MoreGood Times @ Galle Face
What a beautiful Sunday in Ceylon. The ocean breeze keeping everything cool, the skies a deep blue, a perfect time to enjoy the ocean. While others may ride the beachside rails, many in Colombo head down to the waterfront boardwalk at Galle Face Green.
With an open park on one side and the ocean on the other, the boardwalk becomes a whole attraction in itself if just for the people watching. I quickly grabbed a chair at one of the plentiful street food vendors, ordered a whole seafood meal, and checked out the view.
Read MoreCareening Around Colombo
Did you have a tricycle when you were young? Maybe a red one you were excited to pedal around the neighbourhood? Welcome to its adult cousin, the motor-tricycle or autorickshaw, Sri Lanka’s premier transportation vehicle.
Okay, so maybe its not the premier vehicle, Mercedes still has that title, but the autorickshaw, sometimes called a Bajaj is definitely the most fun. With a tiny engine, even smaller back compartment for two, and no safety features what so ever, it’s a thrill to ride.
Read MoreNever Check Your Bags
I don’t know how many miles I’ve flown, how many flights I’ve taken, how many times I’ve been asked, but never, ever, when checking in, do I check my bags.
Why, might you wonder, do I not? First off, you cannot make last minute changes to your trip, grabbing an earlier connection or getting bumped for a free flight coupon. Next, if you flight is late, and you sprint for you next connection, your checked bags will never make it. Late they will be, missing they could be.
Read MoreThe Mall of Asia? Yawn.
It’s a slow Thursday afternoon in Manila. You wanna do something exciting and cool. What may that be? How about you go local and do what everyone in Manila said they’d do – go to the mall.
The mall, like your typical suburban mall. Not the National Mall, or even the Mall of America, we’re talking the Mall of Asia.
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