Trincomalee to Polonnaruwa: the impossible journey?

By: aliandsim
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So, you’ve just spent a few special days relaxing on the beaches of Uppuveli or Nilaveli and are readying yourself for taking in the sites of Polonnaruwa. Only one thing stands in your way: the journey there! This was a conundrum we faced and we’re afraid to say there is no easy way to get…

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Colombo: the beginning of our Asia adventure

By: aliandsim
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When we said goodbye to Sim’s family at the airport in Montreal we realised that, from this moment on, we were truly on our own undertaking a mammoth adventure. It was both an unnerving and exhilarating feeling; perhaps this is how one feels before leaping off a bungee jump platform? 24 hours later, and having…

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Quaint Quebec

By: aliandsim
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Day 7: part two After one of the most expensive train journeys we’ve ever been on, we arrived in Quebec City at dusk. Taking one quick look at the almost vertical hill that Google Maps advised we climb with our 23kg++ backpacks we decided to Uber it to our AirBnB for the next two nights…

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Montreal

By: aliandsim
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“Next time you kiss, do it in French” – Unfortunately we missed Mural Festival in Montreal this year – an urban art exhibition described by the organisers as a “love letter from Montreal to the world”. The output is thrilling, it’s electrifying, and it’s provocative. Fortunately, we had our very own local resident and Montreal aficionado,…

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Wedding bells in Ottawa

By: aliandsim
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Day 5 For those of you not in the know, most North Americans drive everywhere. A four-hour-long journey is considered short. As such, they tend not to take public transit (AKA: public transport) other than for commuting purposes. Ali was not, however, brave enough to drive this time. So, being as tough as nails –…

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Start of the adventure: Toronto

By: aliandsim
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Day 1: getting there Having conducted a long-distance love affair for an entire year based on the mercy of a blue and yellow automotive of the skies, we swore on a four-leaf clover that we’d never fly budget again. Well, never say never! We received a very “Marmite” (love it or hate it) review of…

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Photo credit: Phixed at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Glampacking with the Lords

By: aliandsim
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Earlier this week we visited Ottawa, the nation’s capital, to witness two of our good friends tie the knot. We decided to set aside our backpackers’ budget and take advantage of the special deal they secured for their wedding guests at the rather marvellously named Lord Elgin Hotel in the centre of town. How did…

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Toronto

By: aliandsim
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“C’est cool, mon chum” – Eagle-eyed Ali spotted a tiny little dot on the map marked ‘Grafitti Alley’, so we hopped onto a streetcar – super exciting in itself for newbie riders – from the quayside to explore. Given its name, we were expecting something a little edgy and un-sanitised. Instead we found some very…

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Paris

By: aliandsim
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 “Non, Je ne regrette rien” – On a rather decadent day trip to Paris (#whythehellnot #Brexshit #lasthurrah) we wanted to see something different, another side to Paris. So, after much research, we ended up in Belleville – once home to Edith Piaf.  It’s a charming neighbourhood with quaint little shops, and street art in abundance.…

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