Singapore & Sri Lanka

September - October 2023

Tracing Duran Duran’s Video Sites + My 13th Layover in Tokyo Read more

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Traveler Singapore & Sri Lanka
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- Oct 9, 2023, 9:40am
- ☀️ 27 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- United States Hawaii Honolulu County Mokumoa Island (historical)Honolulu International Airport 21.331446, -157.91809121°19’53” N 157°55’5” W
Day 18
Home!
October 9, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
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- Oct 9, 2023, 9:00pm
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- Japan Kanagawa Kawasaki Kojimachō Haneda Kūkō Kokusaisen Building Eki 35.545967, 139.76931835°32’45” N 139°46’10” E
Day 18
Tokyo Haneda to Honolulu
October 9, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Japan Airlines JL74 | HND/HNL
Premium Economy Class
Boeing 787-9 | JA876J
ATD/2128 | ATA/0935
Lounge: Sakura First Class Lounge

We had a long wait in the lounge after we gave up on sightseeing due to the weather. We snacked a fair bit before boarding JL74 for the last leg of our journey home. The rain did not let up at all while we were in the lounge.Read more
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- Oct 9, 2023, 11:00am
- 🌧 15 °C
- Altitude: 4 m
- Japan Tokyo Chiyoda Nihombashi-Edobashi Tokyo Station 35.680088, 139.76800535°40’48” N 139°46’5” E
Day 18
Layover in Tokyo
October 9, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
I had planned to explore Yokohama during our layover, but those plans were shelved when we landed at a cold and rainy Haneda Airport. I didn’t have a Plan B, so on the fly I decided to go to Ramen Street in the basement of Tokyo Station as the entire journey would be under shelter.

Tokyo Station was far more crowded than I expected, and it seemed as if the entire city went underground to avoid the rain. We later learned it was a long weekend, which explained the crowds and all the children around on a Monday.

We had a tasty lunch at Ramen Street, which is a collection of eight award winning ramen stalls. After lunch, we wandered the malls around Tokyo Station before we decided to give up on sightseeing and return to Haneda. When we got to Haneda, we explored the recently opened Haneda Sky Garden Mall adjacent to Terminal 3 before we resigned ourselves to a long wait in the lounge.

In hindsight, I should have had a Plan B for rainy weather. In future, I will spend my layovers at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi if it is rainy.Read more
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- Oct 9, 2023, 1:50am
- ⛅ 28 °C
- Altitude: 29 m
- Singapore Kampong Ayer Gemuruh Singapore Changi Airport 1.362188, 103.991311°21’44” N 103°59’29” E
Day 18
Singapore to Tokyo Haneda
October 9, 2023 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Japan Airlines JL38 | SIN/HND
Economy Class
Boeing 767-300ER | JA616J
ATD/0147 | ATA/0947
Lounge : Qantas First Class Lounge & Marhaba Lounge T1

Due to the delay of our inbound flight, we decided not clear immigration and go for a wander around Changi Airport Jewel because I wanted to visit the Qantas First Class Lounge for a bowl of their signature crayfish laksa before they closed 10.45pm. We had a lovely 90 minutes in the lounge, which is by far my favorite lounge in Changi Airport. Jeff was taken by surprise by the personalized service because he hadn’t been in a lounge with waitstaff in the dining area and attendants who come to you for your drink orders. I really do think this is the best lounge in the OneWorld network; one of the staff members proactively brought me peppermint tea with honey and lemon when he heard me coughing!

After the Qantas Lounge closed, we headed to the Marhaba Lounge next door to wait our flight. The Marhaba Lounge is a nice enough lounge, but it was a bit of a step down from the Qantas First Class Lounge.Read more
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- Oct 8, 2023, 1:30pm
- ☁️ 31 °C
- Altitude: 7 m
- Sri Lanka Western Province Katunayaka Bandaranaike International Airport 7.175953, 79.8854147°10’33” N 79°53’7” E
Day 17
Colombo to Singapore
October 8, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C
Sri Lankan Airlines UL308 | CMB/SIN
Business Class
Airbus A330-300 | 4R-ALP City of Hasthi Shilapura
ATD/1405 | ATA/2035
Lounge: Serendib Lounge

Two days before our flight, at the invitation of Sri Lankan Airlines, I put in the minimum possible bid for a paid upgrade to Business Class. To my surprise, my bid was accepted.

We left Kandy at 7.00am on yet another Uber. This time around, the driver did not ask us to pay him in cash. The two hour journey started off on a winding journey along surface streets before joining the expressway. There was a small degree of anxiety when the car stalled at the expressway exit about 30km from Bandaranaike International Airport in an area that isn’t known for easy availability of Uber pickups. Fortunately, we secured a ride without too much trouble, and we got to the airport in good time.

Check-in at the airport was not impressive, with just one counter to service Business Class passengers and OneWorld elites for all Sri Lankan Airlines flights. We waited in line over 20 mins before we were checked in. As with the outbound flight, there was no mention of a flight delay until we got to the Serendib Lounge and checked the monitors there. Our delay was just under two hours due to late arrival of inbound aircraft. It seems as if Sri Lankan has difficulty maintaining on time operations with its small fleet.

The flight itself was fine. Catering was good, and service was friendly. I had a good but short sleep. Upon landing at Changi, we checked in for our onward flight at Transfer Counter C and then we made our way to the Qantas First Lounge.Read more
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- Oct 7, 2023, 5:00pm
- 🌧 25 °C
- Altitude: 527 m
- Sri Lanka Central Province Kandy 7.291863, 80.6429067°17’31” N 80°38’34” E
Day 16
Kandyan Dance
October 7, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
After leaving Helga's Folly, we once again walked around the lake. When we arrived back in town, we booked tickets to the evening's dance performance. The ticket seller even walked us into the performance hall so that we could reserve seats by writing our names on a placard and placing them on our chosen seats.

In the late afternoon, we headed out in the rain to the venue of the dance performance. The performance featured percussion - and no other musical instruments - throughout the various dances. The dances by the men featured a lot of acrobatics. The womens' dances, while graceful, weren't particularly enthralling.

After the dances, the audience moved aside while the chairs were rearranged around the sides of the hall. We were then treated to a firewalking demonstration in the middle.Read more
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- Oct 7, 2023, 2:00pm
- 🌧 26 °C
- Altitude: 582 m
- Sri Lanka Central Province Buwelikada Kandian Forest 7.285213, 80.6459057°17’7” N 80°38’45” E
Day 16
Helga’s Folly
October 7, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 26 °C
I learned about Helga's Folly Anti-Hotel Residence from Atlas Obscura. This anti-hotel is a labor of love by the eccentric Helga de Silva Blow Perera. The building is decked out in whimsical art, some of which Helga herself painted. Her favorite themes appear to be Alice in Wonderland, skeletons, frogs, and insects.

One can stay in this hotel for $100 per night or dine there for $20, but I imagine the sensory overload would not make for a relaxing experience. While we were there, we did not observe any evidence of guests in residence.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/helga-s-follyRead more
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- Oct 7, 2023, 10:00am
- ☁️ 27 °C
- Altitude: 525 m
- Sri Lanka Central Province Kandy Temple of the Tooth 7.293629, 80.6412967°17’37” N 80°38’29” E
Day 16
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
October 7, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the most holy site for Sri Lanka Buddhists. In it is housed a canine tooth reportedly taken from Buddha's funeral pyre. We visited this site and enjoyed watching the devotees. There were also a couple of museums on site; one covers world Buddhism, and the other one tells the story of the tooth. Apparently, it moved locations many times. It is believed that whoever had possession of the tooth also had the divine right to rule Sri Lanka. The British even had possession of the tooth at one point in time.

I first learned about this temple over three decades ago at a Cultural Geography case study which examined how the British deliberately built colonial buildings around the temple, and slightly taller ones at that, to signify who ruled Ceylon. It was nice to see this case study come to life, and to see the actual structures in real life.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/temple-of-t…Read more
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- Oct 6, 2023, 3:00pm
- 🌧 25 °C
- Altitude: 516 m
- Sri Lanka Central Province Kandy 7.291794, 80.6400227°17’30” N 80°38’24” E
Day 15
Kandy
October 6, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
After taking our leave from Roy's Villa, once again lucked out when we snagged a Uber ride to get us to Kandy. I groaned when the driver asked me to cancel the ride and pay him in cash, but I did so because I wasn't sure if we would find another ride. Our driver was from Colombo and he was heading home. The ride to Kandy took about two hours.

After checking in at the Viyana Boutique Hotel by Kandy Lake, we sought out the Lonely Planet recommended Empire Cafe for lunch. There, we enjoyed lunch on the verandah, which was next to the entrance to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth.

After lunch, we circumnavigated Kandy Lake. We especially enjoyed observing the ducks and the monitor lizards at the lake.

In the evening, we walked a short distance to the Slightly Chilled Restaurant and Bar for food and drinks with Becky and Chris, whom we met at Roy's Villa, and their friends - a brother and sister duo named Charlie and Tracy - who were also traveling through Sri Lanka. We had an enjoyable time chatting and eating at the rooftop bar. There. we were treated to a fireworks display in the distance.Read more
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- Oct 5, 2023, 5:00pm
- ☁️ 27 °C
- Altitude: 174 m
- Sri Lanka Central Province Bellanoya Rangirigama Wewa 7.927447, 80.7213297°55’39” N 80°43’17” E
Day 14
Roy's Villa
October 5, 2023 in Sri Lanka ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
I can't say enough good things about Roy's Villa. We had an enjoyable time here. Roy himself was a great host, and with the help of his brothers and various other childhood friends who run the facility with him, they made it easy for us to sightsee and engage in other fun activities. As the hostel was in a remote area, they had a captive audience for meals, but the meals were prepared with love. We had good food, good company, and the atmosphere was great too. The only drawback was they did not accept credit cards. Fortunately, we were able to pay them in USD.Read more
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