Sri Lanka

It's been a while since I have updated this blog and I am long overdue for an update. Between my last trip that I posted on here and now, I have been to Georgia (the country), Azerbaijan and Armenia. Those were great trips but life happened and I just never got around to posting about them. Actually there are several trips that I haven't posted on here, but hey! I'm here now. I am making up for that by posting about my AMAZING trip to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had been on my radar for a while and the first time I wanted to visit, they were going through political turmoil so I put it in the back burner, waiting for things to calm down. Things eventually did calm down and I finally got to visit during my birthday in March.

Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia with a majority Buddhist population, it is commonly referred to as the jewel or pearl of the Indian ocean because of its rich cultural history, biodiversity and diverse landscape. It is beautiful and has something for everyone. if you are into cultural activities they have that, if you are into wildlife they have that, if you are into hiking mountains they have that, if you are into beaches and coastal towns, they have that...........I could go on but you get my drift. I centered my interest in checking out a little bit of everything and this pretty much gave me a taste of what the country has to offer. It was a jam packed trip but I loved it!

I got to check out what is referred to as the cultural triangle where I learned about the early civilization of the island, we are talking civilizations that date back to thousands of years, I visited the geographic center of the country where I got to learn about the great biodiversity of Sri Lanka, I visited tea plantations and learned about the variety of tea that they produce, I also visited spice shops and learned about all the spices that the country has (they are many!), I visited beautiful temples and learned about the country's Buddhist origins, I visited coastal cities and took a popular scenic train ride that took me through some of the most beautiful and breathtaking lush landscapes.................yes, I did A LOT! and without further ado, let me bombard you with some of the beautiful photos that I took. 

That's it folks! Sri Lanka was quite the treat and I am so happy I got to check it out, I wouldn't mind going back again. I am actually reaching a point where I have a list of countries that I would like to go back to so I can experience them at a slower pace. Sri Lanka is definitely on that list! below you can see all the places I visited circled in red, that gives you an idea of how jam packed this trip was. One thing I would to point out is, it helps a great deal if you get a private driver to navigate the country, especially if you don't have plenty of time on your hands. Since I was there for only 2 weeks, I needed to maximize my stay so I found my amazing driver Upul online via his company Sri Lanka Dream Tour I highly recommend him.

Cool Neighborhoods in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul is an exciting city with so much to see and do, I doubt you can ever get bored here.  One of the many fun things to do is check out the city's wide array of diverse neighborhoods, each offering something to cater to different interests. These are some of the neighborhoods that we explored:

Myeongdong - great for shopping and here is where you will find all the beauty products you can think of. We got an amazing facial here then proceeded to stock up on a bunch of skincare products since Korea is well known for it's beauty products, we really were spoilt for choice with the variety of products.

Itaewon - great for clubbing, bar hopping and sampling some local and international restaurants.

Dongdaemun - great for shopping as well and it's home to Dongdaemun Design Plaza designed by Zaha Hadid who was a world renowned architect. The Plaza houses museums and galleries (can't believe I didn't take a photo of it). We actually stayed at this neighborhood during our trip and really liked it, we stayed in a traditional house (hanok) and we were surrounded by locals who were nice to us. By the end of our trip even the next door neighbor said good bye to us.

Insadong- great for local souvenirs found in the many shops that sell a variety of Korean goodies.

Gangnam - great for a taste of high-end malls, restaurants and cafes. The COEX Mall is also found here, it's the largest underground shopping center in Asia.

Hongdae - great for the young college crowd as it's near several universities. Here you can find live street performances, cute cafes, street art and a vibrant club scene.

Samcheong dong - great for checking out traditional Korean houses called Hanoks and learn more about Korean traditional culture.

Jamsil - great for sports lovers especially baseball, which you can check out at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium. This neighborhood is also home to Lotte World Tower which is the 6th tallest building in the world, Lotte World where you can find an amusement park, ice rink, stores, restaurants etc.

Seongsu Dong - trendy neighborhood that includes local brand stores, cute themed cafes and restaurants.

That's it folks! we enjoyed exploring these neighborhoods and seeing what each has to offer. Totally random but years ago I was planning to move to South Korea but unfortunately, my plans didn't work out as I wanted and I was really disappointed. What this trip gave me was a glimpse into what could have been and honestly, I think I really would have loved living in South Korea..........Ooh! well, life still took me on an interesting path so I can't complain.