By Wajiha Farooq

Imagine a tiny island surrounded by a big, blue ocean!
Known as the jewel in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is a land of ancient history, vibrant culture and breathtaking landscape, creating an unforgettable experience for visitors. From mist-shrouded mountains and beaches to the astonishing scenic beauty, this island nation is a delight for travelers.

Nature in Sri Lanka comes as a breath of fresh air. With wild animals such as elephants and leopards running around forests and jungles, the Wilpattu Reserve stands out in the list. Elephants are abundant in the country and Colombo even has an elephant orphanage, which tourists love to visit. If you like plants and trees, Kandy’s Royal Botanical Garden is the place to be in with the largest tree spread on both sides and its branches supported by thick sticks. Nuwara Eliya on a height has lush green hills covered in tea bushes. And not to forget, the waterfall known as Hunas Falls is like giant showers from the sky. For a first-time visitor, it was indeed a treat to visit this island.

Not only did we see scenic beauty, we also had the opportunity to step back in time as we explored the traces of ancient civilizations that have left their mark on the island. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sigiriya, with its towering rock fortress, is a testament to the originality of Sri Lanka’s ancestors. Wandering through the ruins of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, once bustling capitals of mighty kingdoms, we marvelled at the intricately-carved temples and stupas that dot the landscape.

No visit to Sri Lanka is complete without a journey through lush green tea gardens. The scenic train ride through the rolling hills of Nuwara Eliya, where emerald-green tea plantations stretch as far as the eye can see, it is a treat to see a tea factory, witness the time-honoured process of tea production and savour a freshly brewed cup of Ceylon tea while soaking in breathtaking scenery.

Our next stopover was the pristine coastline; Sri Lanka boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. From the tranquil shores of Mirissa to the surf break of Arugam Bay, there’s a beach for every taste. Diving into the crystal-clear water of Hikkaduwa to explore vibrant coral reefs and unwinding on the soft sands of Trincomalee, the trip turned out to be a pure delight.

The country’s diverse religious landscape, reflected in its festivals and rituals, is another aspect that might catch your attention. We were lucky to witness the annual Esala Perahera in Kandy, which is a spectacular procession honouring the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, featuring colourful parades, traditional music and elaborated costumes. Another one was the Tamil Thai Pongal Festival, where farmers celebrate the harvest season with prayers and feast, showcasing the importance of agriculture in Sri Lankan culture.

 

The most interesting part of the visit was the warmth and hospitality of the Sri Lankan people. From the bustling market of Colombo to the remote villages of the hill country, we were greeted with smiles and open arms, whether sharing meals with the local family or participating in a traditional ceremony. We were also enchanted by their leather goods, wood items and crockery and everyone in our group went on a buying spree.

Despite its rich cultural heritage and traditions, Sri Lanka has faced its recent share of challenges, including a decade long civil war that started in 1983 and ended in 2009, and natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami. However, the resilience and spirit of its people have enabled the country to overcome adversity and emerge as a great tourist destination.

By Shanaz Ramzi

When my husband and I were planning a trip to the US, we roped in some of our friends to agree to meet up at a destination unexplored by any of us.

The destination we chose was the Smoky Mountains, located in Tennessee. My husband and I chose to drive there, stopping en route at Charlotte in North Carolina, four hours away, for the night. Determined not to miss the opportunity to see a new city, we checked into our hotel, Ballantine, and soon after made our way uptown. We had heard there were some amazing museums in Charlotte, but unfortunately by the time we reached their vicinity and finally found parking, most of the museums had closed. However, luckily, Mint Museum which was also on our to-see list was open, and we eagerly explored its galleries. Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution of international art and design, boasting permanent collections of contemporary art, craft, ceramics and more.

Happy that we managed to get at least some time at the museum before it too shut down, we took a stroll in the uptown area, taking note of the many interesting museums this small city had to offer, and stopping to eat their famous Golden Cow Creamery ice cream, which was a bit disappointing, unfortunately.

We set off for the Smoky Mountains next morning. A scenic drive brought us to the cabin that had been booked atop the mountains by one of our friends, and being the first to arrive, from our group of seven we spent our time unpacking and exploring the amazing three-floor facility. We spent a relaxing night chatting till late and devouring the scrumptious food that the two couples had brought that could feed an army for a month!

The next morning, we left for downtown Gatlinburg, a happening, quaint, and touristy area with restaurants, activities and shops. We took a cable car ride to Anakeesta, an adventure park located on the Smoky Mountain range, and despite the heat, enjoyed our trek there. It is a lovely place to bring children to for the whole day, culminating with Lumina Village which only comes alive at night. Back on ground level, we made a beeline for Mexican Grill, and didn’t regret our choice as the food was scrumptious and plentiful, as is normally the case anywhere in the US.

 While we were still eating, it began to pour and discovered the reason behind Smoky Mountain’s name. As it started to pour a thick fog developed over the mountains giving the impression that the mountains were smoking!

The next morning, we set off for Pigeon Forge, which is nothing short of Las Vegas for children and families. With some attraction at literally every block and each so eye-catching that we wanted to visit them all. Finally, we decided to visit Titanic, a fantastic recreation of the ill-fated ship on its maiden voyage to the US, it had all of us engrossed in its interactive offerings by treating us as one of the passengers or crew members who were actually on board the ship that fatal night, while simultaneously providing us with a wealth of information about the creation of the unique ship, its beleaguered passengers, and the calamity they faced.

Returning to the cabin for a light lunch, we relaxed for a bit and then got dressed for a dinner show we had booked for later that day. The choices were plentiful, but most were again geared toward kids. Hence, we selected the one that had the most appeal for adults, the Hayfield and McCoy dinner show, especially as the one we would have all preferred – the Dolly Parton show as this was her hometown after all – was not being offered then. A fun, action-packed, farcical musical depicting the famous feud between cousins Hayfields and McCoys, it keeps you entertained while serving you all-you-can-eat Southern homestyle food. It was another story that some of us had to satiate ourselves with salad, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, as the chicken was not halal.

We had kept the next day for exploring the Smoky Mountain National Park Drive as we felt we couldn’t possibly go back without at least hiking a bit in the mountains. So, we walked around the park, sat around the creek, and enjoyed the refreshing air before heading back home for lunch.

The night turned out to hold a triple treat for all of us. Not only did we spend a delightful time catching up with old friends, and eating delicious grilled fish, but the aroma from all the barbecuing on the balcony drew out a whole family of bears right under our cabin, in the forest below. As they looked up staring at us, we counted our blessings that we were at the height that we were, and took their videos. And then, to top it all, it was a blue moon night, so we saw the most amazing and rare sight from a vantage point. We couldn’t have asked for more!

The next morning, we packed up all our belongings – which seemed to be as much as when we had arrived despite consuming so much food – and made our way to the airport to drop off our friends and head back to our next destination.

Crossing the border from Poland to the Saxony State in Germany got reacquainted with a part of Europe that is somehow familiar to me. The familiarity of the sounds of the German language, the ubiquitous bakeries with all sorts of dark bread, rolls and pretzels, and an impeccable architecture that combines traditional design and modern day charm.

As I cycle through eastern Germany and stay with friends, I also perceive that despite the efforts to bring the two parts of the country in line to each other for nearly three decades since reunification in 1990, the East and West divide still remains. On the surface, economical differences have lessened, but deeply entrenched prejudices and psychological boundaries still persist today between Easterners and Westerners.

I roll from one friend to another visiting them in their home place. All of them I have met unexpectedly on the roads of Asia. The random encounters with other cyclist travelers who have been on the road for a few years and with whom communication is not a strenuous effort, bring a sort of freshness and joy into your day. It can even result in an instant of closeness and connectedness too. In a way, they mirror your own experience and can relate to what you are doing without the need to justify yourself.

When travelling through an unfamiliar country, it is not always easy to explain in a foreign language that a journey on a bicycle that extends over many years is not a vacation or a simple gap break. Something deeper, that I am myself not even able to articulate, must move you to endure all aspects of travelling, the joys and also the discomforts. The good and the least good often intertwine in the most mysterious ways and are all part of the one and the same experience.

So, here I am in Germany visiting some of these people who share a similar intimacy of travel. Back for years already or having returned just recently. I find them at different turns of their post-journey life. I am now in my last push to Spain to visit my family I have not seen in almost six years. I wonder how it would feel for them, being back after so many years on the road. How one could possibly readjust back home and at the same time keep the freedom of the road.

In Dresden, I meet with André. We met on the commercial street in Gilgit two years ago and later again in Almaty, Kazakhstan. André is back into working life with future plans of travel. Easy-going and relaxed, he seems to embrace his new job with the same energy and novelty as his life on the road.

I visit Manu in Leipzig who had recently returned from her bicycle journey across Central Asia and Europe. We met in Kyrgyzstan the previous year, and she is now staying with her sister after many years in Asia. She is dedicating herself to job hunting so that she can move out soon in order not to abuse her sister and brother-in-law’s hospitality.

I am also hosted by Jochen in the countryside of south Germany. Four years have passed since we met in Yunnan, China, as we were cycling in opposite directions. He is living with his parents and has started his own project of growing organic food and searching alternative ways of being self-sufficient away from company job constraints.

There is also Tobias I had met more recently cycling across the mountainous Svaneti region in Georgia. We were cycling in opposite directions, but at the end of our cycling day, we shared campground, food and stories. Now that I am making my way to south Germany, I would meet him again in Lindau, a charming Bavarian little town stuck on the Austrian border.

Tobias is in his mid-thirties but his tall athletic figure and soft features make him look younger. He is originally from the nearby industrial city of Friedrichshafen, but lives now in Lindau. He is an engineer and commutes to work to the Austrian city of Bregenz, only a 10-minute drive. But Tobias has already decided. He is going to quit his job in a couple of months and set off on a long cycling journey across Europe and Asia

When Tobias talks about the orderly German society and the cookie-cutter lives, he sounds disenchanted with his own country. There are so many rules and regulations for everything, people seem always ready to scold and complain about futile misdemeanours of each other’s lives. I think of the many people I had met in Iran and other developing countries who also want to escape their own countries and fantasise about living and working in Germany precisely for the same reasons Tobias wants to escape: the rules and the order.

Tobias received me in Lindau with the same excitement I received Emily in Japan five years ago. Emily had arrived all the way from England by bicycle and had taken a ferry from South Korea to Japan where I lived at that time. She was at the end of her journey, and I was about to start mine.

This time I was the one at the end of the journey and Tobias at the beginning of his. It was like closing a circle.

Cradled on the eastern shore of Lac Constance fed by the Rhine river and in a backdrop of Alpine peaks, Lindau sits on a unique location and attracts sightseers and holidaymakers all year round. Offering water activities on the lake and plenty of hikers in the Alps, visitors come to Lindau for its great outdoors.

There are not many places in the world where you can visit four countries within a short ride distance. Within 90 kilometres you can visit Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. There are no border checkpoints between the countries and you can drive freely without being asked for your passport.

The day after I arrive it is Friday and Tobias comes back from work at midday. After a quick lunch, we drive to the small town of neighboring Bregenz in Austria and leave the car next to the Pfänderbahn station, a cable car that has been running since 1927. It is a short ride to the Pfänder mountain top but we prefer hiking. There is a well-developed network of short walks and trails and we follow the sign to the Pfänder departing behind the cable car station.

It is a radiant afternoon of November. The sunlight beams through the trees and shines on the forest path dressed in its autumn colors. We come to a large meadow and walk past small cottages dispersed on the slopes of the mountain and big farmsteads converted to holiday stays and inns.

Further up we come across a small chapel overlooking the valley and a 360-degree panoramic view opens up in front of us. It is a spectacular lookout over the Rhine flowing into the lake and over the hundred of Alpine peaks stretching across Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. The sun starts slowly to disappear behind the silhouette of the mountains. The big cotton candy cloud that had formed starts to blend with the velvet sky as it quickly turns into a rich spectrum of violets, reds, pinks, and oranges. Delayed by such an eye-catching spectacle of colors on our way down. It’s already dark when we reach the car.

The following day I say goodbye to Tobias and his girlfriend who has come to spend the weekend. Before cycling to the Austrian border, I want to visit the historical medieval old town of Lindau which is actually an island connected by a road bridge.

In the island, the short ride along the sea promenade takes me to the lighthouse and the statue of a lion, symbol for the region of Bavaria, presiding over the entrance of the harbour. The lakefront restaurants and quaint cafés are getting ready for lunchtime.

Through Maximilian Strasse, I stumble on the Altes Rathaus – the town hall – one of the most significant buildings in the Altstadt decorated with cherubs and a few streets away, the lively weekly is held in Markplatz, a square surrounded by historic buildings and dominated by the St. Stephen Church. Local producers sell organic frsh fruit and vegetables cheese and other specialities from the region.

It is my last day in Germany, I am only a few kilometres from Swtizerland, the country where I lived throughout my childhood and teenage years. Home in some ways. Ten years have already passed since my last visit.