Last day in Sri Lanka ... not even a day come to think of it ... we caught an early flight out to Doha ... we stayed in Negambo at an interesting guest house ... can't remember the name, but the owner is Swiss and has some interesting ideas on decor. Staying in Negambo was a better option than staying in Colombo and fighting the morning traffic to get to the airport which is close to Negambo. So how has Sri Lanka changed? Many things for the better. The military check points in and around Colombo are gone, except for the area around Beira Lake at the start of duplication road. Since that is now the Army HQ, the check points there are understandable. Didn't head out to the East or North to check out the ... read more

There aren't enough superlatives to describe Sigiriya. So let's not try to repeat what every guide book has said at one time or another. It is a "must see" sight ... Because it a good hike up, has some breathtaking views from the top, has some interesting history, and new things are still being found out about Sigiriya. For example, the "Cobra Hood" entrance and cave was a recent "discovery" by some visiting archaeologists. People had walked by that "entrance" for eons, but didn't know it's significance till recently. The remaining frescoes that are thought to have adorned the inside and outside of the rock are in fairly good condition, and people are respecting the "no flash" and "no touching" rules. Same for the "mirror wall" where you can read 1500 year old graffiti. We climbed ... read more

Yes, it's a tourist trap. But, from the view point of a 11 year old, it's not everyday you get to stand next to an elephant herd, feed a plantains to a baby elephant, get to touch a baby elephant and it's mother and watch the herd go down to the river for their twice a day bath time. There is some valid criticism of the "orphanage" ... everything from, "they are allowing breeding to take place" to "there's too much contact with humans" ... Indeed, though many of those criticisms are valid, the elephants are well treated, and it is a good foreign exchange earner for the country. Locals get in for free, while foreigners pay a decent entrance fee. Discriminatory yes, but fair when you consider the income distribution between locals and foreigners. We ... read more

Dropped the rental car in Marrakech - it was relatively hassle free, after we found the car rental place hidden inside a petrol shop inside a back alley inside a hidden area of the new town ... but hey! That's what travel is about eh? We would never have found the place based on the map point given to us by the rental guy in Fez. We should have used a GPS ... but we used the higher tech method of asking knowledgeable locals. The trick is to find the one person with the right knowledge and ignore the 15 other very helpful locals who point you in the wrong direction because they don't want to offend you by saying they don't know what you're asking about! Not much different than a GPS that wants to ... read more

The road from the Atlantic coast inland to Marrakech goes through some spectacular scenery including passing near the snow capped Jebel Toubkal, the highest point in North Africa in the high Atlas. The road is a modern dual carriageway in excellent condition. So, driving was easy. At Marrakech we planned on returning the 4WD we rented in Fez and getting back to exploring the medina on foot.... read more