You&meTraveling2

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Brunei is a tiny sultanate of only half a million inhabitants on the northern coast of Borneo and very rich in oil. If you're expecting a kind of Dubai however, you will be either very disappointed or very surprised. Bandar Seri Begawan, short BSB, the capital and biggest (and actually only) city of Brunei, has a village-like feel to it and is probably even more relaxed than   Belize . Seriously. Apart from eating - the best pastime in Brunei, because the food is fantastic - there's not much to do. What's Going on in Brunei? Not much, to be honest. But every year, there are two big events in Brunei which everyone talks about: One is during Eid in the days after Ramadan when the palace is open to the public and people get a chance to shake hands with the Sultan or the Queen. The other big event is the Sultan's birthday on July 15. We missed both. So for us, it was eat, relax, and take a trip to Brunei's beautiful   Ulu Temburong National P...

Minneriya and Kumana National Parks, Sri Lanka Although Sri Lanka has one of the highest densities of elephants in Asia, these animals are threatened by habitat loss. Now they live only in quite small areas in the country's dry zones. Minneriya National Park One of the best places to spot elephants is in the national parks Minneriya and Kaudulla close to the small town of Habarana. The elephants migrate between the parks, depending on the season and the food available. The tour operators in Habarana know where the animals are at the moment. It's not possible to walk in those national parks, so the only option is to go on a jeep safari. This means that during high season the park's roads probably look like highways but once you've seen how an angry elephant charges after a jeep, you understand why it's not allowed to leave the vehicle. When we were there, the elephants were at Minneriya National Park. The safari was a great experience, we saw at least 50 elephants; b...

Enjoy the views and a good cup of tea in Ella Ella is a small highland village with at least as many tourists as locals. Practically every house has been turned into a guesthouse, a lot of new houses (read: guesthouses) are under construction and virtually all the restaurants and shops in town are solely aimed at tourists. Why? I'm not quite sure, to be honest. Ella is beautifully located in the hills of southern Sri Lanka's highlands; from almost everywhere you have gorgeous views, the climate is great (you can sit outside at any time of the day - it's never too hot) and there are a few nice hiking trails. But that's about it. Hiking In And Around Ella One of the hikes takes you (and many others) on top of Ella Rock. The first part is easy, the second part involves finding the right way up the hill, which can be tricky. Usually, a local guy will miraculously show up (maybe saying something like he's looking for a cow that has escaped into the tea plantation and tha...

Buses, trains and tuk-tuk There are several ways to get around in Sri Lanka. Buses, trains, and tuk-tuk are the most common means of transportation. Cars are good as well, of course, but too expensive. And you definitely need a driver who's familiar with the Sri Lankan way of driving. Tuk-Tuk Tuk-tuks are loud, uncomfortable, not particularly good-looking, and extremely bad for your hairstyle. But, apart from that, they're quite fun, really cheap (tuk-tuk drivers usually don't try to scam you), and can get you pretty much everywhere. They also   are   everywhere and unless you have a car and a driver there's no way you can avoid them. And you shouldn't, even if your doctor says they're too dangerous. True story; I got an information sheet from my doctor with a crossed-out image of a tuk-tuk on it - apparently it's the most dangerous vehicle in the world. Seriously. Another means of transportation if you don't want to get far and don't mind the heat. ...

Sri Lanka's East Coast Sri Lanka has beautiful beaches. The most well known are along the west coast and the south, but the east coast is well worth a visit too. Whiskey Point north of Arugam Bay Nilaveli There's tranquil Nilaveli for instance; a quiet (some would say boring) small village. More precisely, it's some houses along the road, a few guesthouses and hotels, and even fewer restaurants. The town has been badly hit by the tsunami in 2004 and the devastation is still visible. Close to the beach there are many empty lots with ruins of former houses, overgrown by bushes - there are no big trees at all. Most houses now stand further inland and people don't like to talk about the tragedy. Nilaveli has a big beach but there are barely any people at the beach apart from fishermen coming back in. If you stroll along the beach in the morning they will ask you to help them drag in the net with the night's catch. Other than that, you can go snorkeling or dolphin (or wh...

Sri Lanka Kandy: Drums & Buriani "Hello, my friend! Where are you from?", is how most conversations in Kandy started. That's how we met a guy who, after asking what we were looking for - tea in bags - lead us through Kandy and into back alleys probably no tourists ever venture into. Instead of just sending us to the supermarket, he went with us from shop to shop (and there are lots of tea shops around here!) until we finally found one that sold tea in bags. What we also found on this tea shopping tour was a restaurant that served the best (and probably the cheapest) buriani rice ever, at least in Kandy. The waiter was so delighted with having us there that he kept bringing more and more sides; we had to tell him to stop eventually. Kandy is famous for the Kandyan dancing and drumming, a performing art native to Kandy and famous in all of the country. Since the weather was not good for hiking or visiting a tea plantation, we decided to go see one of the shows that are ...

Cambodia Angkor is an archaeological site in Cambodia that stretches over some 400 km2. It was the capital - actually, several capital cities, each with a huge temple at its center - during the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th century. The remains, over 1000 temples and other structures, include the famous Angkor Wat (depicted on Cambodia's national flag), and Angkor Thom. Other structures have been reclaimed by nature or are now just piles of rubble in the rice fields and the jungle surrounding the site. The Site & How to Get Around Angkor is probably Southeast Asia's single most famous tourist attraction and draws over two million visitors a year. The entrance fee is quite high (USD20 for one day, USD40 for three days and USD60 for one week) but, contrary to   Bagan   in Myanmar, here the money does go into restoration and conservation of the pretty well maintained site. The whole compound is remarkably clean (and this in Cambodia) and vendors can't set up their ...