We haven’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 ain’t too shabby either. And of course, the Jewel waterfall is pretty damn cool. There’s so much more too! -S🇸🇬
We’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 we’d have an entire week to get better. -S🇸🇬
Cheers to country number 100 for Jen!!!! Sri Lanka was the lucky country and we ended up having the best leopard experience there. It has definitely been a journey to get here, and it hasn’t always been the easiest ride. But that is what travel is all about and I’m lucky enough to have a husband who loves it all just as much as I do ❤️ To honor the occasion, Scott and I found a bottle of Prosecco—which my dear friend Helen always loved.
It’s always interesting seeing what American fast food companies sell overseas. -S 🇱🇰
The highlight of Yala Natl Park—perhaps the top wildlife experience of our whole trip—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! -S🇱🇰
One of the first places we saw in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was the Gangaramaya Temple, one of the most important Buddhist temples in Colombo (completed in the late 19th Century). It had some interesting “guards” out front. It had many Buddhist figures and other interesting artifacts displayed through out the museum. But it also had a bunch of “stuff” (the best I can describe is stuff from your weird grandparents’ estate sale).
Monkeys just never follow the rules. -S 🇱🇰
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 🇱🇰
Speaking of elephants, we saw several along the road as we drove thru Minneriya National Park—our first in Asia. -S 🇱🇰
Don’t be a douchenozzle and pay to ride an elephant. Just don’t. -S 🇱🇰
I’ve noticed some of these “foreigners only” 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 🇱🇰
There was a live band at our hotel bar last night, which is always fun to enjoy while overseas. There are usually plenty of American songs being played, but the lyrics sometimes come out as sounds rather than actual words. I find it so endearing. This group did much better than most. -S 🇱🇰
Singapore will mark the end of our Indian Ocean part of this 100-day Adventure, so we have decided to host the last Zoom call of our adventure there on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025 at 6:00 pm Phoenix time (8:00 pm EST) (it will be 9 am on 2/1 for us!). So bring your favorite weekend happy hour-ish beverages and jump on and say hi. We are missing everyone and would love to see your faces and hear your voices 😁
Sri Lankan art? 🤷♀️ -J 🇱🇰
The view from our hotel window in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is of the Lotus Tower—South Asia’s tallest self-supported structure (1,168 feet). During the day the Lotus flower is purple. But at night, it changes color! -J 🇱🇰
We arrived in Sri Lanka today in the early morning hours following an overnight flight. After a refreshing nap, we headed to an Irish Pub (per our quest to visit one in 32 different countries) for our requisite Guinness and also to grab lunch. This is an Irish Pub in our 18th country! -J 🇱🇰
After a day of lounging at the (nice) hotel, we were ready to explore Mahe island. We booked a private day tour, which brought us around to a number of island attractions. Because we had recently visited tea plantations, spice farms, rum distilleries, and local craft & food markets, we cut out a number of “standard” stops. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the day, which we spent visiting a number of classic boulder-strewn beaches, scenic driving the island, touring Victoria (perhaps the world’s smallest capital city?
X marks the spot.
We spent much of yesterday relaxing in the pool, and despite several sunscreen applications throughout the day, we still managed to get burned. It’s been an especially rough day for Jen. -S 🇸🇨
We spent yesterday enjoying the pool and view from our hotel in the Seychelles. -J 🇸🇨
The apparent centerpiece of our room here in the Seychelles is the shower. As in, it’s literally in the middle of the room. 🤷♂️ (don’t ask about the weird window installed in the toilet room so you can make immediate direct eye contact with anyone who hears a plop). -S 🇸🇨
