Happy Independence Day, Sri Lanka! 4 February 1948 marked the day they were freed from British rule.
I never thought of going to Sri Lanka until a friend suggested it. Visa application was easy, I applied through this website (yes, it’s legit) and paid USD$20 for a couple days stay. I would like to have paid nothing at all, but it’s not surprising you have to.
My friend and I just stayed in Hikkaduwa, on the south coast of Sri Lanka. Going to Colombo International airport was a challenge, as we took a flight with a layover at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with AirAsia. It took about 8 hours from Singapore to Sri Lanka, whew!
We treated this holiday break as a relaxing one: spent the time mostly at the resort lounging about and of course, eating. Seafood was great, but there’s this breakfast dish/dessert/snack which was a staple every day 🙂 Now here are the 3 things come to mind when I think of my Sri Lanka trip.
1. Curd and Treacle
At first, it was very strange for us to see treacle at the breakfast table, we’ve never tried it before. It’s made from the sap of the kithul palm tree. So we tried it with curd (usually made with buffalo milk), and it was yummy! So for the rest of the days, we would eat curd with treacle for breakfast, an afternoon snack, and something to top off a meal!
On our way to eat lunch, we saw a railway track which we weren’t sure if it was still working or not. A few minutes passed by, and yup! The train still works. It wasn’t as packed as I expected it to be.
When I have the chance to go back to Sri Lanka, I will definitely go to a town and more forest, some light walking and more sightseeing. This time though, it’s just to get away for a quick break, and just… chill.
February which was an off peak season because the waves were WILD. It was too strong that I could only stay in the water for a while, and don’t even dare to submerge myself totally. From the back of Amaya Resort, where we stayed, there was a small flight of stairs to go down the beach. The shore was short, and when it was high tide, it could submerge the steps. In the water, I didn’t feel safe but then, the view was amazing. The sound of the waves helped with our goal to get some relaxation. I hope you enjoy the photos below.
Braunschweig. Known as Brunswick in English, it was founded and developed by Henry the Lion, as well as the cities of Munich, Lübeck, Kassel, Lüneburg, and so on. He made this his capital during his reign.
We passed through the town to drop off a friend there, didn’t have time to stroll around nor to see the landmarks. But to share with you how another city in Germany looks like (part of the state: Lower Saxony or “Niedersachsen” in German).
I have spent every New Year in the Philippines for more than 30 years except for 2 instances:
2012 in California, USA — photos from my visit here,
and this year in Germany.
I’ll miss the food, the parties, the people, and the fireworks this year, and to make up for that, here are 3 photos from the Philippines to brighten up our day! 🙂
#1 — A Church
This is an indoor shot of San Agustin Church, in Intramuros (aka The Walled City), Metro Manila. Declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. The church, which has a museum inside and features paintings, statues, galleon replicas, and other historical items, is a must-visit. I’ll be sure to share with you photos of the museum next time, I promise! 🙂
For now, I hope this photo will make you visit the church one day.
Sorry for the blurriness, but this photo makes me smile with the colourful bird houses for sale on the road. Taken while in the car (obviously) on the way to Tagaytay City, from Metro Manila.
And of course, when talking about the Philippines, here’s a photo of a beach. We attended a wedding in November 2013 and this beautiful stretch was taken by Fort Ilocandia Hotel, in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsAnd to celebrate new year, here are firework photos from Manila. In some cultures (specifically in Germany), they say it’s bad luck to greet before the special day comes (birthdays, new year, etc.) but not in the Philippines! So, ADVANCED HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!!
3 years ago, I spent Christmas holidays in Los Angeles, California, USA. Some of the things I saw back in 2012 were a space shuttle, flowered floats, and of course, Disneyland.
A carousel in Disneyland, California.
#1 California Science Center
Address: 700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037, United States
The California Science Center opened its doors to present the space shuttle Endeavour the end of October 2012, after being driven in the streets of Los Angeles to its permanent resting place. The exhibit showed a video footage of that day, which I was able to take a photo of. Imagine,a space shuttle going through your neighbourhood!
I wasn’t super excited to go to the exhibit as compared to the other ongoing Cleopatra one, and I figured out it was because I didn’t know what to expect.
As usual, as I knew more about the Endeavour, the space shuttle launches timeline, as well as reading more of space shuttle launches, I appreciated the exhibit more, once I absorbed that in front of me was an actual space shuttle that was IN OUTER SPACE.
The video from McLean Fahnestock’s Vimeo account. I get goosebumps watching it, do you? On the 2nd Row, Column 10, you could see the sad explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Read more at the History Channel’s website.
Address: 2925 E Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107, United States
I was able to catch the showcase of 2013 Rose Parade floats on the 2nd of January 2013 in Pasadena. It was the 124th Tournament! The weather was still cool at that time, yet very sunny. Very proper to be looking at the floats which must be decorated with natural materials, from plants – living or dead. It doesn’t do the floats justice as looking at them in real life, but I hope you’ll get an idea!
Also know as the Tournament of Roses, the list of winners can be seen here. There’s no entrance fee, just drive down to Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena.
We saw some food stalls and got some American fair food. I looove Kettle Corn!
Hey, it’s the Cat in the Hat!The City of Burbank’s float.Can you believe these are decorated with seeds, and other natural matter?!Global landmarks from Brazil to Singapore!Indonesia’s float featured the Borobudur Temple stupas, which I featured here.
For more awesome photos and commentaries on the floats, visit Mary’s blog at The World is a Book!
#3 Disneyland
Address: 313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802, United States
Of course, USA means Disneyland! It’s been years since I last went and I wished I could’ve visited another theme park at that time but it was fun going with my siblings! Disneyland still gives off a magical feeling, and feels nostalgic to see familiar and classic faces (I’m talking about Beauty and the Beast, Mickey, Minnie, Darth Vader, etc. LOL).
The rest of the photos can be seen here at Flickr.
So 3 years ago, in 2012, I celebrated the holiday seasonin California, USA.
This year, by the Northern shores of Germany; let’s see what that brings! I’ll be sure to share photos.
Exactly 1 year ago, I received the approval from the German Embassy that my visa to move to Germany has been approved.
Once I moved to this huge country, naturally, I noticed several things I wasn’t used to or didn’t have to do before. Here are some of them, and perhaps when you visit Germany, you’ll notice them too 😉
This country is where “normal” bottled water sold is carbonated! I’m not a fan so I was a bit surprised how buying bottled water was a bit complicated at first. In Germany, when you see “Natural” on the bottled water, take note it’s the most carbonated kind. Usually the label/packaging is in blue. Also known as:
Carbonated water
Sparkling water
“Wasser mit Gas oder Kohlensäure” (Water with “gas” or carbonic acid/carbon dioxide)
“Medium” is less carbonated than the “Natural”. “Still” is “ohne Kohlensäure” which means without the bubbly. I associate “normal”, still water in red or green label/packaging, but some brands use these colours for their Medium water too.
Bottled water: natural (very fizzy), medium (semi-fizzy), and still.
Germany even has water in Tetra Pak containers, was surprised when I saw it!
German tap water is drinkable but I couldn’t get used to the hard water here in Berlin. It’s not bad for you but it tasted funny to me. After about 6 months of drinking bottled water, I now use our Brita pitcher again. These are the cheapest Classic Filters I could find on Amazon Germany:
After filtering tap water with the Brita, I’m not bothered with the taste anymore. Maybe I got used to it or the filter really works in improving the taste!
Don’t think you can ever do that in Germany. That sounds like a threat haha, sorry! But seriously, I keep coming back to my post here on coping with the cold, because weather is such a big factor to me. Digging through the Internet, I found there’s this idea they call “Zwiebel Systema” or “Onion Skin System” wherein you layer smartly:
Base layer / underclothes: cloth such as polyester or wool are better than cotton (which will absorb moisture and stay wet, making you feel colder)
Insulating / thermal layer: warming clothes such as fleece
Outer / weather protection layer: something which will protect you and which won’t absorb water in any form (rain, snow, even fog!)
Comparing the art of cloth layering to an onion, cute!The Zwiebel Systema or the Onion Skin Layer Method LOL
I try to use this thinking when it gets cold here and just like an onion, you can peel off a layer when you feel warmer! For example, when you go into a place with heating: a home, a restaurant, etc.
#3 Recycling
In Manila, Philippines, a regulation was passed that people must recycle. Different coloured trash bags are to be used for segregation. Information from the Greenpeace website: biodegradable (green), nonbiodegradable (black), hazardous (red), infectious/pathological (yellow), radioactive (orange), chemical waste (yellow with black band). Unfortunately, similar to other Asian countries, this isn’t imposed strictly in the whole city.
In Singapore, all waste and trash goes into the same container chute whether it be a banana peel, plastic bag, or a wine bottle. There are bins for segregation but as with Manila, it wasn’t practiced strictly before I left in early 2015. There are recycling containers in housing areas such as below, but combines all glass, paper, plastic, and metal in 1 container. Thanks to a friend there for taking these 2 photos!
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsIn Germany, it’s the opposite. It’s the law to segregate your trash: biodegradable, non-biodegradable, paper, glass. Unlike Singapore, where sometimes you just throw your trash in a garbage chute, I had to get used to sorting trash at home, and bringing them down to special areas near where you live such as below.
German home recycling centers for paper and biodegradables (aka gross stuff).
Oh and glass is even broken into 3 : white, brown, and green. To encourage people to recycle, most plastic and glass bottles are also returnable with a deposit! Called “Pfand” in German, each plastic bottle is 25 cents, a glass bottle only 8 cents. Cans are 25 cents each too, I think (I don’t buy canned drinks so much).
Now, plastic bottles are bulky but they’re easier to carry back to the supermarket, drinks shop, or any place where you can exchange them. Below is an example of the bins you can throw in your glass ,and “Pfand” / deposit machines* in supermarkets wherein you:
put all possible bottles in,
print the receipt,
present to the cashier upon exit, as good as cash.
*Not all supermarkets would have these machines, and not all machines accept all bottles. You just have to check..
Glass recycling containers for green, white, and brown glass.//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsDon’t they look like robots or an igloo stereotype? Obviously, this was taken while in transit! 🙂Pfand / Deposit machine
Ikea, supermarkets, “Drogeries” (like Watson’s stores in Asia) also offers bins for recycling items such as : empty spray aluminum cans (deodorants, etc) and used batteries. My favourite Drogerie is DM where you can buy toiletries, snacks, household items, etc. I love this place! I also get points for my Payback card which I can claim items and possibly exchange for cash payments. I’m a sucker for rewards and points cards 😉
I hope this gave you an idea how it is here in Germany, and how I’m experiencing it so far. For more photos and life here in Deutschland, please subscribe to my blog 🙂
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js
A Blog of Threes 