Sri Lanka Chinese New Years

The second part of our trip was to none other than Sri Lanka! Drew and I had asked to go to somewhere we hadn't been before in Asia, which was a bigger challenge than you'd think. I had never been more excited than when we finally figured out where we were going. We have wonderful friends, the Samaratunges, that are from Sri Lanka, so we had heard alot about it from them, so we were dying to experience it. We couldn't have asked for a better place to spend a week with our best friends! Not only was it stunning, but it was incredibly untouched. 

These two pictures are from the living room of our villa that we rented with Airbnb. That's right! This was our view every day! A wonderful pool with the ocean waves rolling in behind, it was paradise. 

The house was really lovely too. The outer wall that faced the sea was covered in large panels that, when opened, essentially removed the back wall of the house, connecting inside to the outside, the house to the sea. It was stunning. 

We had fun walking around the nearby point which lead to the closest little town Mirissa Beach, with about 3 bars and restaurants. The scenery though was unbeatable. 

One of the really wonderful things about Sri Lanka was that it didn't seem overworked, like much of other places in SE Asia do, Phuket for instance. As we walked along the beach, we'd see all kinds of sea life living in the tidal pools, such as schools of minnows, crabs the size of your fist, etc. There would be fisherman out every morning using spear guns to fish. Maybe that's why. Net fishing doesn't really give the ecosystem a chance. Drew and I also went surfing one day, and we saw about 5 turtles swimming around us! Stunning!

The sand was so great. Some was pure white and soft as butter, while other patches were black, volcanic, and slightly gritty. Great contrasts to experience on one's beach stroll.

The third day into the trip, we took a 30 min tuk-tuk ride to the town of Galle, which was originally built by the Portuguese in 1588, but then became a Dutch stronghold in the 1700's. 

The area is now a Unesco World Heritage Site, and for good reason. The fort seems very much intact, its low thick walls probably designed to withstand cannon balls. Inside of the walls was an entire town, filled with gorgeous colonial architecture. Reminded alot of Hoi An, but less touristy. 

Alot of the buildings still utilized old-style construction, with round poles in the roof instead of flat sheathing. Not exactly the most insulated, but we are talking about Sri Lanka here.

Of course, it couldn't be Sri Lanka without someone practicing cricket somewhere. These were boys practicing after school. The cricket World Cup was also going on; it was all anyone could talk about.

We also walked through the original Dutch church, which had tons of tombstones, both inside and out. Always interesting and sobering at the same time.

This is the main street of our little town by our villa. It feels very much like a lot of the other developing countries we've visited, like the Philippines, but all of the buildings and infrastructure seemed much more substantial. Our theory is that because Sri Lanka is just one island, getting materials and resources from one place to the other is very doable. That is not so doable of a task in the Philippines, which consists of hundreds of islands. 

One of our best memories of Sri Lanka will undoubtably be all of the amazing food. We had two ladies cook for us everyday, so we really never ate out at a restaurant while we were there. There was no reason to! I don't think we could have found better cooks if we tried! Dahl, which is essentially cooked down lentils with coconut milk and turmeric was a staple for every meal, as well as all sorts of spiced meats and veggies. Curried okra anyone? I think we all put on 10 pounds by the time this trip was over. But it was so worth it. 

This lady was the sous chef and cleaner of the house. She had the most beautiful light brown eyes and was so friendly. It was her wish to take this photo. 

The lady in the middle is a mother of 5 and the main cook. The guy next to her was the house helper, and would get groceries or drive the tuk-tuk. I think they didn't want their picture taken, because normally they are super smily. These three Sri Lankans were the personal staff of the family who owns the house we were staying at.

Andrew and Tiffany, you two are the best friends we could ever ask for. Thank you so much for planning such an amazing, beautiful trip to the lovely land of Sri Lanka. This was a vacation we will never forget!

Singapore Chinese New Years

When Andrew and Tiffany heard that we were leaving Hong Kong and heading back to the US, they decided to take matters into their own hands and plan a vacation for the four of us, one last Hurrah. They also decided to keep it a complete surprise from us, so Drew and I spent weeks daydreaming about where we were off to. Even on the first flight out, we were flying on an airline that 1) had techno colored cabin lighting, which was awesome, and 2) was named Scoot Airlines, which we had never heard of before, so that provided no help. 

                      

They did tell us that the trip would have two parts, the first being more big city. As it turned out, we were having a long lay-over in Singapore, which was amazing. Singapore was actually the first place that Drew and I visited when we first moved to Hong Kong, so it was really cool to come back here again as one of our last destinations, two years later to complete the circle. Since we were traveling over Chinese New Years, Chinatown was an obvious choice, as it was decked out. It was also a neighborhood that Drew and I skipped the first time, so it was perfect. And, as is always the case in Singapore, it was HOT. 

Just next to Chinatown, we also found a cool little area called Duxton Hill, which had really cool architecture, restaurants, bars, and charm. We actually returned to this area again on our layover back to Hong Kong for an evening of dinner and fun, which included Korean snacks and frozen beer. 

Staying true to Drew and my way of traveling, we were sure to stop by a hawker complex for lunch, and second lunch, and a pre-dinner snack. We tried lots of new dishes though, like popiah, which Andrew introduced us to. 

We also went out to dinner at the Clarks Quay, where, after a delicious Spanish tapas meal, we participated in the Singaporean tradition of relaxing in public areas to avoid hefty beverage taxes. Drew and I saw people doing this the last time we were here, so it was fun to partake this time. 

Singapore does have some amazing architecture. Everything seems very new and shiny, a bit of a contrast to certain parts of Hong Kong. 

On our way back to Hong Kong, we stopped by the Chinese New Years Festival, which was all decked out.

Thanks so much guys for planning this trip for us. We couldn't ask for better friends than you! And now, on to part 2 of the trip!