Short posts

    A few shots from Gardens by the Bay in Singapore -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Night scenes from Singapore -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    โ€œThis is my last day for these clothes.โ€

    • what you say when youโ€™re on a very long trip. -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    When your beer comes withโ€ฆice and a straw?? ๐Ÿง๐Ÿคจ

    (it is an excellent cherry/raspberry/apricot smoothie sour from a Latvian brewery) -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    A random Singaporean street scene -S ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Sunset over Singapore, from our hotelโ€™s rooftop pool. -S ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Other random shots from Singaporeโ€™s Chinatown. -J ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Street art scenes in Singaporeโ€™s Chinatown -S ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Random shots from our walk around Singapore. We specifically visited Merlion Park, home of Singaporeโ€™s iconic half-lion, half-fish statue/fountain. -J ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Hit an Irish Pub in our 19th country today -Singapore! (19/32) -J ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    A bit more history on this place, the first Irish pub to open in Singapore (back in 1995):

    A quintessential Irish pub Molly Maloneโ€™s was the first Irish pub to open in Singapore, way back in 1995. More than a quarter-century on, she still maintains that unrivalled jovial atmosphere intrinsic to any classic Irish Pub.

    Molly Maloneโ€™s Irish Pub was actually born in Ireland and transported piece by piece to Singapore, where she was reconstructed in 1995 on the corner of Circular Road and Canton Street. There she remained for just over 9 years, before packing up house and moving across the street to the helm of Circular Road on Christmas Eve of 2004.

    Colombo National Museum and Independence Square

    Sri Lanka has a National Museum that was built and opened in 1877. It focuses on the various Sri Lankan Kingdoms that existed before the Dutch took over in 1658, and the subsequent British rule (1796-1948). Interestingly, the museum now holds 6 artifacts that the Dutch took in approximately 1765, that were only returned to Sri Lanka in 2023. -J ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Wow-look at those feet!

    We also visited Independence Square, dedicated to the independence gained from the British in 1948 (the museum there was closed when we went).

    We havenโ€™t seen much of Singapore yet, but I can confirm that the airport kicks ass. You see that instantly upon arriving at immigration, which took 20 whole seconds. Baggage claim ainโ€™t too shabby either. And of course, the Jewel waterfall is pretty damn cool. Thereโ€™s so much more too! -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Weโ€™ve been hunkered down in Singapore since Monday, after we both started to feel sick the night before our flight to the Maldives. We pulled an audible, deciding that it was better to skip our Maldives visit entirely and head directly to Singapore, where weโ€™d have an entire week to get better. -S๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ

    Itโ€™s always interesting seeing what American fast food companies sell overseas. -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    The highlight of Yala Natl Parkโ€”perhaps the top wildlife experience of our whole tripโ€”was seeing a Sri Lankan leopard! We followed it for a long time, tracking it thru four areas of dense vegetation.

    But this last portion was the best: we watched it (unsuccessfully) go after a spotted deer! -S๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Monkeys just never follow the rules. -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Today was all about Sri Lankan history and culture. Over the course of a 16-hour private day tour, we visited 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites: the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the Dambulla Cave Temple, and Sigiriya (the Lion Rock Fortress). More photos of each coming this weekend -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Speaking of elephants, we saw several along the road as we drove thru Minneriya National Parkโ€”our first in Asia. -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Donโ€™t be a douchenozzle and pay to ride an elephant. Just donโ€™t. -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    Iโ€™ve noticed some of these โ€œforeigners onlyโ€ toilet facilities here in Sri Lanka.

    They seem to be around touristy areas, where foreigners pay a higher fee. The (controversial) idea is that Western visitors might have higher expectations of hygiene than what is often found in public toilets. -S ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

    A men's restroom entrance is shown with a sign indicating it is for foreigners only and a donation box nearby.
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