Thursday, October 31, 2013

Sinhala better known as Colombo

Getting to our next destination was not as easy as we expected. At the airport in Doha they did not really know the correct way of the visa rules for Sri Lanka. So we had several discussions at the airport and at the end they believed in my informations and let us fly.
At the plane we met a guy running a hotel in the south of Sri Lanka, who invited us to stay there for some days and offered us a discount. Also he gave us a lot of informations about his country. Also we shared a taxi bringing us to our hostel in Colombo, what was much better then taking the bus after a night without sleep.
The way the guy was driving the taxi was kind of crazy, Bernd was yelling out a lot and closed his eyes, too scared to see what's coming next.
We only stayed a few minutes at the hostel, starting exploring Colombo. First we went to the coast to see the sea and have a break from the driving, especially Bernd needed one.
Next to the beach goes the train, several trains passed by and it always looked like the people would fall out of the train, so for sure not take the train for our travels in Sri Lanka.
From the beach we headed back into town, the water was not inviting us to go swimming, also we planned to go to the south the next day, so there was no need jumping into it right now. In town we saw the first religious building, St Paul's church. We were more expecting to see a temple, must be from the times Sri Lanka had been a colony.
Along the road then we found a more expected temple. The temple Papaya Kadiresan, before getting to the temple we got told that we should take of our shoes, what wasn't a big problem. To make sure that we do not offend anyone or disturb the people during their prayers we asked the guy about the rules we got to follow and if it would be OK to take pictures.

After seeing this beautiful Buddhist temple we followed the road to the north to get to some lakes in the centre of the town.  On our way to get there we met a friendly guy giving us some delicious fruits for free and also some information's about the surrounding, also he told us that we are on the right way for the temple place we headed to. At the temple we got to see a very different holy place, the main building was looking like a huge concrete bell on the floor, it's called a pagoda. And also a small building with Buddha for the prayers.

To get to the lake was not as easy as expected, we left the temple through the correct door and wanted to walk along a small alley, but there were some soldiers telling us that we are not allowed to pass through. They were securing a building at the side of the alley, don't know why we were not allowed to go there, it's not along all the way and behind it was again the public street. Anyway we got to a lake, got to see there some of this strange, but nice looking trees.
On a platform at the lake they build a small temple, when we got closer we saw a small relic, where the believers leaf some coins. Felt kind of strange, because it would be very easy to take the coins away. We were not thinking of doing it, it only shows how the people belief in Buddha and that they won't steel from him.

We left the lake and walked along the road heading to the harbour area, on the way to get there we got to tell thousands of Tuktuk drivers that we are not interested in taking a ride and prefer walking. Especially we were not sure were we want to go to. Fortune lead us along a small street where we got to see a temple of the third big religion here. A big Hindu temple, called Temple of Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Koviwe. We knew that in Colombo also is a mosque but we did not find it. The doors of the temple were closed so we could not get in, but at least the entrance looked very interesting.
A few metres away from the temple I saw a guy with a small basket and a flute sitting at the street, I knew what he was doing here and showed Bernd the charmer. Bernd was not happy to be that close to a snake charmer and his cobra, within a second he disappeared and left me alone with the charmer. I stayed there for a while before searching for Bernd and keep on walking after finding him.
The next thing we got to see was the world trade centre. We already knew that in several towns are buildings called world trade centre. At the first one in Dubai some people were making horrible jokes telling that the one in New York was smashed down to rebuild it there.
From the world trade centre we again had to take some detours, soldiers told us that we are not allowed to go there. So we made a bigger round and ended up at Isipathanaramaya a Buddhist temple. Bernd did not want to go in there because he saw some elephant tooth in the temple and was not willing to disturb the spirits of the elephants. Felt kind of stupid, but I did not manage to make him join me.
It was a very interesting place and a mix of a temple, museum and a shop. Only felt like there is also a shop, there were no prices and salesmen.


Seems that I stayed too long at the temple or maybe exact the right time. After leaving the temple it was already sunset when we arrived at the bay, so we did not miss it and had not to wait for it.
After enjoying the sunset we went back to the hostel to get some sleep, the trip with the bus to the south to Galle and further to the coast would take long and we really needed some sleep. Before going to bed we spent some time with the guys we shared our room with and had some good conversations.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Doha another desert city

It felt like we spent too much time in the Emirates, so we got to continue our travel, because it was not working to directly go to India, the country we were thinking next to visit we took a flight to Doha, the capital of Qatar.
We arrived at night at the airport and left the airport walking along the street to the bay and walking along Al Corniche. From there we got a great view on the skyscrapers in the centre of the city.
There we got to take a look at a museum, might have been the national museum, which is still under construction. The building was already looking interesting, despite most of it were only steel girders.
As typical for Arabian countries in the park along the bay there were a lot of people sitting and enjoying the evening, in the park was a small tower for decoration, would be to small for a lighthouse and not the right spot, also not for defence.
At the end of our trip along there bay we arrived at a small fish market. There was no official sign for it, but the fishermen were selling the fishes they caught the day out of boxes. Bernd did not like the smell so we had to pass by at this area very quick.
The we left the bay to find a taxi, before we found one we saw a huge oyster with a huge pearl in it. We got the idea to take the pearl out of it and sell it later, but we were not strong enough to lift it, so we left it were it was.
Then it got time to get to our hostel, especially we did not want to get there too late, because we did not make any bookings online. So it was more like trying our luck to get a bed for the night. We got a cap to get there and after getting lost and taking some detours the driver was able to find the hostel after making several phone calls. It was quite good hidden, making it not easier that the name was not the same shown on the web page. For sure they should change that.
At least they had a place to stay for us for the next nights, so it was a good idea getting there.
Next day we decided to take the bus getting back to the centre and exploring the city. It's told that the bus goes every twenty minutes, but you cannot trust that, we tried our luck and waited a few minutes at the bus stop, telling taxi drivers passing by that we're not willing to take a ride and prefer waiting for the bus. Did take less then twenty minutes, seemed that we got the right information.
From the central bus station we first went to a an old fashioned bazaar, with a lot of shops, selling carpets, spices, birds and a lot more stuff.

Again we got to Al Corniche and walked along the bay, this time we had sun and could also take a look at the Dhows, looking similar to the ones in the Emirates, but still everyone different to each other.
We spent a lot of time at Al Corniche and when sunset came closer we were thinking of taking a boat to get on the other side of the bay directly to the skyscrapers. The idea only stood in our minds after hearing the price they charge for a single trip, unbelievable high. And it is not that far away, so absolutely not worth wasting money for a small passage. We waited until the sunset began and kept on walking along the bay getting closer to the centre.

The skyscrapers looked even more interesting when we got closer to them. Especially the black one with the big eye in front of it. Bernd did not stay there for long, he thought it might be the eye of a beholder and he would do something nasty to him.


Most of the skyscrapers are used for business, so it was only a business district we entered, we were expecting some hotels, bars and restaurants. We walked along the street to find some more interesting places and finally ended up in a mall.
It was not as amazing as in Dubai, the only thing they also have here was an ice rink, this time Bernd did not have to find his fears, because right now it was not possible to skate there, on top of the ice rink was a stage and we got to see an ice age show, quite entertaining, especially seeing Scrat hunting his hazel nut.
To be sure that the gates of the hostel will still be open we did not leave to late to get back, also because we had to take two buses not knowing the times they go. For the first one outside the mall we did not have to wait too long, also for the bus at the central bus station. Again we had to tell some taxi drivers that we are not willing to go with them, well the last one offered a real good price but we declined. Bus stop is close to the hostel so not that hard to miss the stop.
And then on the ride with the bus something unexpected happened, he did take a different route and did not get to our street, very strange. The stop was on the list and we also were talking with the driver were we wanted to get off the bus. So we were in the middle of nowhere, not knowing in which direction our hostel might be. But travelers are lucky, so are we. The bus driver was so friendly to help us with the way and after giving him the phone number of our hostel he offered us to take us there for free. That was so nice.
In time we made it back to the hostel, we decided to sit outside for a while and enjoy the evening when another traveler showed up, with him I had some things in common. We both have been to Turkey during the last weeks, we took the same bus from the centre to the central bus station, but not the same to the hostel and he had the same first name.
Next day we decided to go to the Qatar weapon museum which was only around the corner from our hostel. In front of the museum we already saw some old cannons. But we did not see any entrance or informations, so we got back to the hostel and wanted to try our luck later, there we met again with Simon. He told us that he also got there earlier that day and asked a guy sitting in a small shed outside. From the guy he got to know that it is only a warehouse for old cannons and not a museum, strange that they call it museum. Are should check if it would be the same with the other museums in Doha.
Lack of time did not make it possible doing that, we got to get to the airport too early, but we got some time to walk around the central bus station and take a look at some interesting buildings before leaving. Well we got even lesser times, because this time was no bus showing up and we got to take a taxi.

Again we took the bus, this time showing up to get to the airport, before entering we asked the driver if it was the correct bus, we checked the plan before but we wanted to be sure. He told us that it's the correct bus and we got on it. So far so good. It did not take too long to get to the airport and we got of the bus at the bus terminal. The terminal was a real new building and a lot of people were working here, not the typical employees you expect to see at an airport, a lot of people dressed like construction workers. Something was totally wrong. We went to the departure area when some guys showed up and told us that this is the new airport terminal and it will not be open till December. How should we now get to the correct airport ? Why didn't the bus driver say anything ? Seemed like we won't get our flight. Bernd was grumbling around and got a very bad mood, I ignored him and talked with the guys, it was very entertaining for them meeting us here. Also they were surprised that the public bus is going here, maybe in future some other travelers will show up. But we were the first one, yes we got the honour to be the first ones seeing the new terminal.
At the end the guys offered us a ride to the correct airport and we were able to get our flight. So remember do not trust the public transport in Doha.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

At the Emirates

After all the stress with the flight from Istanbul we arrived in the morning in Sharjah and got invited by a beautiful sunrise. Too bad that it is forbidden to take pictures at the airport.
We got on a bus to get into the centre of the city, Bernd wanted to look out of the window and see the desert passing by, but he was so tired that he felt asleep. A few minutes before we had to leave the bus I woke him up and we left the bus on a random street. We still did not have a place to stay at and needed to make some online booking.
So first mission was to find a WiFi.
During our search for a place with a WiFi or an open WiFi we arrived at a small fort, looking like the old Arabic forts, it's located in the centre of city, so it felt kind of weird. We both wanted to get inside, but there were some construction works going on.
The next interesting place we saw, was the heart of Sharjah. An area built like the old Arabic style, also called the Sharjah heritage area. The buildings are very beautiful and we both liked it a lot, so we walked through the area and enjoyed seeing that ancient looking place. For sure we knew that it was not the original, only a reconstruction.


We left the area still in need of finding a place to stay at. There was no bar with WiFi or another open WiFi so we went into a travel agency and asked the guy working there if he might help us. And he did, lucky travelers. He gave us access to one of the computers and also gave us hints about the places we were looking at. And we found a good place, not far away and at a place we already knew, a hostel in the heritage area. A great place to stay at with a good location.

Now got a place to stay, everything great. Now start explorations, there is still a lot of time left. We went to the harbour area, took a look at the Sharjah court at the other side and were sure that it might take hours to get there unless we jump into the water and swim.
In the harbour were a lot of old ships, called Dhows. Every ship looked different and they are not only ships for fishing and transport, the owners also live on this ships. For us it felt interesting the way the people live here and could imagine living the same way.
Along the bay we got to a bazaar, with a lot closed shops, still the Islamic holidays making it big different then it was supposed to be. At least the place was not to crowded and we could walk around without being asked to buy something.
From there we walked to a skyscraper with blue windows letting it look like crystals, well and that was the big plan and also the name for this place, the Crystal Plaza. Inside the plaza it was rather cold after being outside during noon. Also inside Bernd found a new car he wanted to keep and make a trip with it.

After leaving the Crystal Plaza we went across the next bridge and walked along the busy street, it felt like every cap passing by wanted to offer us a ride to somewhere, but we were not interested, also there was no need. On the other side we arrived at flag island, the only thing there is a huge flag pole and the flag of the Emirates.
Every step from there brought us closer to the skyscrapers and also to the border between Sharjah and Dubai. It was already afternoon when we arrived there and sunset was not far away. Sunset is rather early down here.

We kept on walking along the skyscrapers and found a good place in a park to relax and enjoy seeing the sunset. It was a real great view we got.

On our way back to the hostel we passed by at a beautiful mosque, the lighting made it look even more beautiful. This time we did not plan to go into the mosque, especially because it was praying time and we did not want to disturb or offend anyone.
We were almost starving on our way back and it was not easy to find something to eat. Well we did not go into a restaurants, we were more interested in getting something in a small food place at the street. And most of them only served western food, but we found a small one not far away from our hostel serving tasty Shawarma, for both of us it was the first time we were eating it and we liked it a lot.
I think you know what happened when we got back to the hostel, Bernd got to bed and felt asleep, well we missed some sleep after having this overnight flight. Because I met some friendly travelers in the inner yard of the hostel I did not join him and had some good conversations, well also we decided to get into the area where the night life takes place and went to a bar, coming back late.

For the next day we had the good idea to get together with one of these guys to get on a desert safari, but the guys did not show up for the pickup and after calling them several times they told us that they already left for today, at least we did not pay anything. So we changed the plan, we decided to go to Dubai spending the day in the centre.
We were a small group going on this trip, a guy from Pakistan, a guy from New York, guy from Poland, Bernd and me. We never had a big group like that before. First Bernd did not like the idea and was very shy, but after a while he warmed up and had a lot of fun with us.
In Dubai we got to see inside the mall an ice rink and watched the people scaring, Bernd also wanted to try it but after coming closer to the ice he changed his mind, he was to afraid to fall on the cold surface.
Because the mall is not only used for shopping we got to see a lot more different things. Like a big aquarium with millions of fishes in it. It was also possible to walk through a tunnel and take a closer look, but for some strange ideas they charge a not realistic amount of money for a tunnel which is only about fifty metres long. And from outside the view was already great.
Another interesting thing was a waterfall inside the mall, with statues looking like the silver surfer on it. Or did only we get that idea ?
To not only spent the time in the mall we went outside to the Dubai fountain. The fountain is a big artificial lake, and every thirty minutes they make there a fountain show with great lighting and fitting music.
Also outside we got to see a very tiny building, the Burj Khalifa. It's currently the highest building in the world and Bernd got already high sick looking at it. I was only thinking how great the view from up there would be.
At the end it may have been better going to Dubai instead of getting into the desert, maybe we manage to get there later or on a different place.
 And we could see that the people here a so rich that they also cover their camels with gold.