Posts tagged travelling

Letters from Sri Lanka: All the Secrets of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

Dear my travelers and lovers of extraordinary journeys welcome to the new post on Mr.M blog! Today we continue our adventure in magical Sri Lanka and discover some interesting facts about the The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy. Before I start today’s post I would like to thank the Sri Lankan Tourism Board for this amazing experience and for having the opportunity to continue my adventure on my favorite dream island!

If by any chance you missed any of my previous posts, take the opportunity to visit some of the previous stories at the following links:

  1. The Story about Colombo (Travelogue): LINK
  2. Unforgettable Fashion Safari in Sri Lanka: LINK
  3. My Safari Experience in Sri Lanka (Travelogue): LINK
  4. Sigiriya: The Magic of the Lost Kingdom (Travelogue): LINK

Travel is one of the best non-formal ways of education. When you travel, you have the opportunity to come into direct touch with new cultures and religions, so you have the opportunity to expand your knowledge and interests. Travels are memories that no one can take away from you, every trip is unique and each of us should fill our passport pages with destinations that would ennoble the soul because the interests of each individual are different, and therefore the destinations we choose.

Before heading to a new and unusual destination, we must keep in mind that we should not build prejudices and that it is best to go and enjoy the beauty of diversity without thinking too much. Every culture brings with it some special rituals and customs, every nation has its own beliefs that each of us should respect.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, better known as the Glorious Tooth Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Kandy in Sri Lanka. It is located in the complex of the royal palace of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the Buddha’s tooth. From time immemorial, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic runs the state. The relic has historically been held by Sinhalese kings. The Temple of the Tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly because of the temple and the relic.

The monks from two special chapters, the chapter of Malwathu and the chapter of Asgiri, perform daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times a day: at dawn, at noon and in the evening. On Wednesday, the relics are symbolically bathed with a herbal preparation of fragrant water and fragrant flowers called Nanumura Mangallaya, it is believed that this holy water contains healing powers and is distributed to those present.

There is an interesting legend, in which way a relic like the Buddha’s tooth came to Sri Lanka. After the Maha parinirvana of Gautama Buddha, according to legend, the relic of the tooth was preserved in Kalinga and smuggled to the island by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha, on the instructions of her father, King Guhasiva. Hemamali hid the relic in her hair on the way to the island. They landed on the island of Lankapatana during the reign of Sirimeghavana of Anuradhapura and handed over the relic of the tooth.

The king preserved it in Meghagiri Vihara (present-day Isurumuniya) in Anuradhapura. Keeping the relics has been the responsibility of the monarch ever since, so over the years keeping the relics has become a symbol of the right to rule the island. Therefore, the ruling monarchs built temples of relics of teeth quite close to their royal residences, as was the case in the time of the Kingdom of Anuradhapura, the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa and the Kingdom of Dambadeniya. During the era of the Kingdom of Gampola, the relic was placed in Niyamgampaja Vihari.

Poems about messengers such as Hamsa, Gira and Selalihini state that the temple of the relics of the tooth was located in the city of Sri Jayavardenpura Kota when the Kingdom of Kota was established there. During the reign of Darmapala of Kote, the relic was moved and hidden in Delgamuwa Vihara, Ratnapura, in a grinding stone.

It was brought to Kandy by Hirpitiye Diyawadana Rala and Devanagala Rathanalankara Thera. King Vimaladharmasuriya I built a two-story building to deposit the relics of the tooth and the building is now gone. Later, at the beginning of the 17th century, when the Portuguese kingdom invaded Kandy, it was taken to Meda Mahanuwara in Dumbara.

The Buddha’s Tooth was found during the time of Rajasinha II and there are historical records that the relic was returned to the original building or it is unconfirmed that a new temple was built. Today’s temple of the Buddha’s Tooth was built by Vira Narendra Sinha.

The octagonal Paththirippuva and the moat were added during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The royal architect Devendra Moolacharia is credited with building Paththiripuva. Originally, the king used it for recreational activities, and later it was assigned to the relic of teeth, and now it houses the temple library.

The description of the architecture of this Buddhist temple is also interesting. The brick wall that stretches along the moat and Lake Bogambara is known as the wall of water waves. The holes in this wall are made to light coconut oil lamps. The main entrance gate above the moat is called Mahavahalkada. At the foot of the Mahavahalkada steps is the sandakada pahana (moonstone) which is carved in the Kandian architectural style.

Mahavahalkada was completely destroyed in a bomb blast in 1998 and rebuilt along with Sandakada Pahan with other stone carvings. Elephants are depicted in stone on both sides of the entrance. Makara Torana and two stone guards were placed at the top of the stairs. The chamber of the drummer Hevisi is located in front of the main shrine. The two floors of the main shrine are known as “Palle malaia” (lower floor) and “Udu malaia” (upper floor) or “Veda hitina maligava”. The door of the Veda Hitana Maligawa is ivory carvings. The real chamber where the relic of the tooth is kept is known as “Handun kunama”.

The golden canopy over the main shrine and the golden fence surrounding the temple complex were built in 1987 by then-Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadas. The relic of the tooth is wrapped in seven golden coffins engraved with precious stones. The relic of the Buddha’s Tooth is forbidden to paint, but it is a divine sight when you see the way in which such a shrine is kept.

Within this complex there is also the Royal Palace, an open hall for the audience. Vimaladharmasuriia I from Kandy built the Royal Palace in Kandy. The Royal Palace is located north of the temple. The Royal Palace is also known as “Maligawa”. There were three Vahalkadas and a wall almost 2.5 m high which was used as the main entrance. The part of the palace facing Natha Devale is the oldest.

During the beginning of the British period, it was used by government agent Sir John D’Oyley, the 1st Baronet from Kandy. D’Oili’s heirs continued to use it as their official residence. Today it is preserved as an archeological museum. Ulpen Ge and Queens Palace are connected palace buildings.

The audience hall or magul maduva is the place where the kings of Kandy kept their court. It was completed during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The carvings of the wooden pillars that support the wooden roof are an example of wood carving from the Kandy period. Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha from Kandy built this hall in 1783. The hall was renovated to receive Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1872.

The audience hall was the place where the Candian Convention was drawn up, where the convention was read to the people and where the conference on the convention was held on March 2, 1815. That space was later used to raise Kandy Kachcheri and Kandy Supreme Court. Today it is used for state ceremonies and is kept within the Department of Archeology.

Dear travelers, we have come to the end of this special post about the most famous symbol of Sri Lanka – The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic which would not be possible without the selfless help of the Sri Lankan Tourism Board in cooperation with local partners to feel the spirit and beauty of the Sri Lankan culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried to share my impressions of this unusual experience in Sri Lanka.

Time always flies when a person has a good time! A man is rich at heart if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad to always be able to find partners for my projects that help me discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way during this global health crisis COVID-19.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with companies that are at the top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank them for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual island country in South Asia in a completely different way.

How did you like this story of mine about my experience in The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic? Have you maybe had the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka before? Share with me your experiences, I am would be glad to hear!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write to me below in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you in the same place in a couple of days, with a new story from Sri Lanka!

Warm greetings from Sri Lanka,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Sri Lankan Tourism Board. This post presents my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Cyprus and Malta: Two priceless Gems of the Mediterranean Sea…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travellers, welcome to my new post. Honestly, I hope you are doing well and that we all look forward to some better days that are characteristic of this period of the year after this lockdown. June is usually a month when people go to the sea or plan their summer vacation, but this year was an exception. Due to the new situation caused by the Coronavirus, people are prevented from planning summer vacations and maybe postponing their travels for the autumn season.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Can I change my travel dates for the Summer holidays, please?”

I was glad that many of you remembered my blog and a large number of readers have approached me via email and private messages on social media in the past few weeks asking for advice on where you could go on a “summer” vacation in the fall season.

What are the destinations that interested you the most? The people from Europe region were most suggested by the following destinations: Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Tunisia, Morocco and Malta.

The Central street city of Valletta, the capital of Republic of Malta
Central street in the heart of Valletta – the capital of Malta

MALTA

The Republic of Malta is a very small and densely populated island country made up of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean. The archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. This unusual island country is located south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, so geographically Malta belongs to North Africa, but from a political point of view, this country belongs to Europe and is a member of the European Union.

It was a great honor and pleasure for me to feel the charms of this island country in collaboration with the tourist organization of the Malta Tourism Authority. Before I start with the post I would like to inform you that MTA expressed satisfaction at the announcement of the reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights to and from Malta as from July 1st 2020.

Republic Square is located in the city center of capital of Malta - Valletta.
Wonderful Republic Square in Valletta

The first group of destinations that are being reopened for travel comprises: Germany, Austria, Sicily, Cyprus, Switzerland, Sardinia, Iceland, Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Israel, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg, and Czech Republic. More destinations will be announced in due course, once clearance from the health authorities is received. For more information about entry rules and reopening please visit the website of Malta Tourism Authority.

The capital of the Republic of Malta is Valletta. Due to its specific geographical location, Maltese culture is an unusual combination of many cultures that have been linked throughout history. These are mainly the nearby neighboring Mediterranean countries or the cultures of the countries that ruled Malta before gaining independence. The Maltese Islands are one big open-air museum, as 7,000 years of Maltese history, heavily influenced by the Phoenicians, Arabs, Romans, Knights of Malta and the British, can still be seen today.

The Tritons Fountain is a fountain located on the periphery of the City Gate of Valletta, Republic of Malta, Europe
Tritons’ Fountain in Valletta, Malta

Malta is an exceptional tourist destination, no matter what you expect from your vacation, whether you are a fan of active vacation or pure hedonistic relaxation, the possibilities of this island are countless. For lovers of culture and art, there are numerous museums and galleries.

On the other hand, for all gourmets, Malta is a real little paradise because you have the opportunity to enjoy the unusual specialties of this Mediterranean island.

Malta also has a large number of natural beauties such as numerous caves, coves and natural monuments. Don’t forget when you’re done touring the sights and enjoying the many delicacies, don’t forget to do your shopping or take a walk along the promenade in Sliema and Bugibba in the evening.

Mdina is a fortified town in the northern part of the island, which throughout history in the period from ancient times to the Middle Ages served as the capital of the island. The city is still fortified inside the walls and has a population of just under 300 people, but next to the neighboring town of Rabat, which is named after the Arabic word for suburbs. According to the latest data, the two cities together have just over 10,000 inhabitants.

Mdina, silence speaks more than words…

Mdina still remained the center of the Maltese nobility and religious institutions. Assets are still largely passed down from generation to generation. The city never managed to fully regain its significance that it had until 1530, which also led to the popular nickname “Quiet City” by natives and tourists. Mdina is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is currently one of the main tourist attractions in Malta.

Vilhena Palace also known as the Magisterial Palace and Palazzo Pretorio, is a French Baroque palace in Mdina, Republic of Malta.
Vilhena Palace is open to the public as Malta’s National Museum of Natural History.

Today, Mdina is one of the main tourist attractions of Malta, which annually hosts about a million tourists. You can experience the city as an interesting mix of Norman and Baroque architecture, including several palaces, most of which are privately owned. In the period from 2008 to 2016, a major restoration of the city walls was carried out.

Cathedral and Monastery of St. Peter in the heart of Mdina, Malta.

During my visit to Malta, I visited Valletta, Mdina, Rabat, Sliema, the small traditional fishing village of Marsaxlokk (Marsa-Shlok) and the island of Gozo. This interesting island country has left an impression on me and I sincerely hope to visit Malta soon.

Posts about Malta that you had the opportunity to read on the blog:

  1. Letters from Malta: The Mediterranean Love at First Sight…
  2. Letters from Malta: Mdina, Silence speaks more than Words…
  3. Letters from Malta: My glamorous Escape to Valletta
  4. Letters from Malta: Gozo, your new happy place!
  5. Letters from Malta: Stylish and Fashionable Summer on the streets of Valletta (fashion outfit post)
  6. Letters from Malta: My second day on Malta Fashion Week (outfit)
  7. Last Letter from Malta: Dear Diary, it was amazing! (outfit)
Marsaxlokk is a small traditional fishing village in Republic of Malta.
Marsaxlokk is a small traditional fishing village known for its colorful boats “Luzzus”

CYPRUS

The Republic of Cyprus is an island country located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its geographical position, Cyprus represented a crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa, and many traces of ancient civilizations are still present, such as Roman and Byzantine.

One interesting fact that I learned from the representatives of the National Cyprus Tourism Office is that Cyprus is actually the warmest island in the Mediterranean. It is also called Aphrodite’s Island, because, according to one of the many legends, the Greek goddess Aphrodite was born here from sea foam. The most visited summer resort in Cyprus is Limassol, a city famous for its unrealistically beautiful beaches.

TRAVELING AFTER COVID-19: Cyprus is now ready to welcome travelers from several countries. Having successfully dealt with the Covid-19 epidemic, that you can explore this beautiful island once again. For further info regarding traveling please visit the official portal of Cyprus tourism.

Aphrodite's Rock, a landmark located near Paphos. Republic of Cyprus, Europe
Aphrodite’s Rock, a landmark located near Paphos.

Nicosia is the right place for fans of the combination of modern and traditional. The capital of Cyprus has adorned the old part of the city since the 12th century with an unusual promenade and cobblestone cafes. A place where history intertwines with the modern world.

The Liberty Monument in Nicosia

Larnaca is a few kilometers away from the largest international airport in Cyprus. The city is located on the southeast coast and is the oldest city on the island. In addition to Limassol, Larnaca is one of the most luxurious resorts whose port is visited by visitors from various parts of Europe and the world with new models of yachts.

The building of the administration of the Larnaca region, which is located in the center - Europe Square near the main Promenade. Larnaca, the Republic of Cyprus
The building of the administration of the Larnaca region, which is located in the center – Europe Square near the main Promenade.

Larnaca has modern equipped sandy beaches rated with high marks, which contributes to the development of tourism. The city is known for its landscaped promenade, which is located along the coast, along which there are rows of palm trees. One of the most famous sights near the promenade is the church of St. Lazarus.

Posts about Cyprus that I shared with you on the blog:

  1. Letters from Cyprus: Everyone needs a little Vitamin Sea
  2. Letters from Cyprus: Nicosia, City of History and Freedom
  3. Letters from Cyprus: Everything you need to know about Limassol and Paphos
  4. One Little Red Postcard from Cyprus (fashion outfit post)
Church of St. Lazarus in Larnaca

My dear travellers, we have reached the end of this special post where I briefly tried to compare the beauties of these two unusual island countries in Europe. This is just the beginning of this special series of posts where I will try to describe some of my other observations that I forgot to share with you while I was writing previous posts about those destinations and of course you will have the opportunity to remind yourself some of my previous posts and all together “renew” the material.

Have you maybe had the opportunity to visit some of these gems of the Mediterranean? What are your experiences? Did you like Malta or Cyprus more and I would like to hear your reasons. I would really like to hear some of your experiences and I would be happy to read your impressions in the comments.

Harbour in Larnaca

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page. See you soon with another interesting story about Belgrade!

Best,
Mr.M

Morning in Limassol

This post is my gift to all my loyal readers who wants to learn something new about tourist destinations. The post is for informational purposes only and is not sponsored.

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Letters from Laos: Luang Prabang, a magical fairy tale about the land of 1000 elephants…

Adventure Travel 2 Comments

My dear travellers, Happy New Year! I wish you much health, happiness, love and of course plenty of new adventures to remember! Life is one album that we ourselves fill with images that marked our existence. Today I am happy because this is my first post in the New Year and we continue our adventure in Laos, the smallest country in Southeast Asia.

In previous blog posts, you have had the opportunity to get to know the capital of Laos – Vientiane and to learn more about the largest Buddhist religious holiday, That Luang Festival.

Today I will take you to Luang Prabang, which many people call as the “land of 1000 elephants”. It is a city located in the mountainous north of Laos, which is also the capital of the Luang Prabang province.

If you are planning to visit Luang Prabang, it is best to use plane, in which case you will have a shorter flight of less than an hour from Vientiane. This trip was amazing and exciting, and it would not have been possible without the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of Lao which I thank on this occasion for the kind invitation.

As I am a big animal lover, I have always had the desire to touch an elephant and see it live in its natural habitat. That is my wish which I shared with the team from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of Lao.

They have made every effort to fulfill my wish, and for that I am truly grateful to them for fulfilling one great wish for one child trapped in an adult’s body!

After a short drive, we came to Chateau Orientale a small family-run hotel-resort that has its own little paradise – a “Elephant Shelter” that currently houses two elephants. I didn’t know that until the lunch. They mentioned some tour where we will visit the local waterfalls. Just like that after the luch, I got ready. I wasn’t alone, one iconic tourism legend also went with us – Mr. Klaus Gengenbach, the man who connected the Middle East with Germany 40 years ago when he introduced the first flights to Dubai.

I had heard about his work in Germany after working with many local tourism organizations, so his name was featured in their brochures, but I didn’t get a chance to get to know him personally.

I have to be honest so at first I didn’t know who I was having the privilege of talking to because I was a little tired so my observation skills for details and facts was quite low that afternoon… The only thing I noticed was that a person from the Ministry in talking to Mr. Gengenbach mentioned a a strange word repeatedly – Sang (which in Lao means elephant).

At first I thought it was the name of one of the local waterfalls, until the moment when we were joined by a younger guy who introduced himself as a local guide who had some unusual whistle with him.

Suddenly, we stopped in one field and the “local guide” started calling someone, since that didn’t work, he used his whistle. Not a minute passed, I heard a familiar sound. A representative from the ministry noticed that I had become incredibly excited and he just said, “Sang is coming now!”

Then I finally figured out the meaning of the word Sang! The elephants living in this park as part of the Chateau Orientale resort have been rescued and now this is their new home. They are taken care of by two trainers and these elephants are not used to transport tourists. They are protected and you can enjoy with them, feed and have an interesting bath time with them, after which they return to their paradise, which is the only acceptable solution.

Elephants are indeed noble and highly intelligent and sentient animals that humans unfortunately exterminate because of ivory (tusks) and are used in captivity as a fun item, which is not at all commendable.

Elephants are the largest terrestrial mammals in the world. At birth, the cub can weigh up to 100 kg. The gestation period for an elephant female is between 20 and 22 months, which is also the longest gestation period for all mammals on the planet. Elephants can live for more than 70 years.

Today, there are only three other types of elephants species in the world:

     – African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
     – African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)
     – Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

I’m sure that you maybe wonder why these trainers are here? Their role is to help the elephant to adapt to their new environment and help them live in harmony with their natural environment. Due to the previous experiences of this couple, they are accustomed to living with people and they are not able to live with their herd in nature.

There is a great possibility of rejecting from the herd as it was necessary to find the ideal solution for these two elephants.

During my visit to this unusual elephant shelter, I had the opportunity to learn some new facts about these extraordinary beings. By their nature, they are very headstrong, can be dangerous to humans, but in wildlife they never attack the first, only in self-defense.

When a baby elephant is born or taken captive, they lose that wilderness call over time, and some individuals will never be able to return to the wild, especially if they were raised in captivity because they did not have an adequate model to model their wildlife.

Because they are dependent on the goodwill of people, so many orphanages have been opened in many places in the world for elephants, their only hope of survival. At this shelter, a small paradise within the Chateau Oriental Resort, trainers strive every day to allow this pair of elephants to live beautifully and comfortably.

Have you ever wondered how much this mammal can eat daily? Elephants eat about 150 kg of grass, twigs, tree bark, carrots and fruits EVERY DAY. In order to eat so much food, he has to spend three quarters of his time eating. Now imagine that you live in a place where there are no abundant fruits every day, that means someone has to come and give you a hand of help.

Because it is vital to keep this couple in a resort, they strive to provide 70 to 100 kg of fruit each day with the help of local farmers who, at extremely low prices and food donations, help this resort survive.

That’s really nice on their part, and the more commendable thing is that the whole local community is working hard to maintain this little paradise by collecting donations for daily living and if ever needed healing for these lovely creatures.

The male was more open for communication, while the female needed some time to be free and socialize with us. They are an extremely caring couple and each of them has a difficult story and they just met at this shelter and loved it. It is the female who takes the lead, she can attack the male and leave, but after a few minutes she looks for him in the park.

On one occasion, when they quarreled, they moved the male to a nearby village for two days, the female tried to find the male in park, after she came to the hotel to show concern for her partner and wait literally 24 hours as a kind of quiet protest to return her partner. The owners and people working at the resort couldn’t believe how the female reacted when she spotted the male and they went across the river to their home…

I spent the most beautiful 3 hours with these animals and our time was so much fun, because the two of them were just in the mood for socializing. Someone had to take a break too! Of course, this is a joke, the truth is that the female wanted to dry because she was extremely angry with the male who seemed to be overdoing the refreshment in the river.

When you do not want to give all the bananas one at a time you get a scoop on your head which can be shown in the picture above. Elephants are fascinating animals and very intelligent just like humans have their virtues and disadvantages, and even those moments when they make some funny situations like this in the photo above. 😉

I am delighted to have the opportunity to meet people like the owners of Chateau Orientale Resort, their employees and the people who help them run the hotel smoothly.

Somehow I found the strength to say goodbye to the elephants, so it was the time to really see some local waterfalls. In Laos, nature is divine and for me this was a totally new lifetime experience.

With the help of the Chateau Orientale hotel-resort, which in addition to the accommodation service, as a tour operator, successfully organizes numerous half-day and full-day tours where you can discover the charms of Luang Prabang area and enjoy the beauty of nature.

They have succeeded in an unusual and unique way of proving to me that their motto is really true, which is: “Time (here) does not exist!”. Indeed in Luang Prabang you feel like time has stopped and everything is dedicated to nature.

Man is here as a observer who came to enjoy the beauty and to use the modern technologies to record and share it with his family, friends and the rest of the world, of course, if he uses social networks.

During my half-day tour, I had the opportunity to feel the peace and serenity next to the Tad Sae Waterfalls located along the tributary of the Nam Khan River in Luang Prabang Province. They are located about 18 kilometers southeast of Luang Prabang and about 2 kilometers from Bak En village.

The day was fulfilling and it was time for Mr.M to return to the hotel to rest and sum up his impressions. I have to admit, that day was my most exciting day in 2019 because I had the opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream. It may seem ridiculous and childish to some, but when your childhood dream is fulfilled you have the impression that the whole world is yours!

I used my last atoms of strength to get a little refreshment and nap, I tried to fall asleep, but it didn’t work, so I decided it was better to edit the photos. I’m one of those people who thinks that the sooner you start working, the sooner you finish, and the more time you will have for rest and fun.

The next morning, I woke up because of the strange sounds of “parrot fight” that were in the resort of the main mascots. Looks like someone ate more mangoes and papayas than followed, it was an interesting brawl…

Like every morning, you have to get up and get yourself resfreshed, but this view is definitely different from the one I have the opportunity to see in Belgrade and Berlin… There are no tall buildings and office skyscrapers, just pure nature and wild life.

Before breakfast, I decided to visit the resort and share with you what a distant paradise on earth looks like in Southeast Asia. I think that after these photos you will want to come to Luang Prabang and feel the untouched nature of Asia and visit the elephants.

Welcome to Chateau Orientale, a natural temple where you can rest your body, soul and all your senses. In the picturesque setting beside the exquisite riverfront locations, you can see in the ancient oriental oasis in the heart of the Lao Jungle.

Take the journey of our ancestors to the Middle and Far East, enjoying a unique experience. Allow your senses to flow in the pleasure that makes the atmosphere this tropical paradise special. Chateau Orientale is a place where time does’t exist…

Chateau Orientale is a mini-resort with only 4 accommodation units and uses this fact to provide the best possible personalized service to make every stay in this quaint paradise an unforgettable lifetime experience that you will remember.

My dear travellers, once again we have come to the end post from special series of post from my Lao adventure. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Ministry of Information, Culture, Tourism of Lao DPR and Qatar Airways for this incredible adventure and Chateau Orientale family run hotel-resort for their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home. Also I would like to say huge thank you for this great adventure.

How do you like this story about Luang Prabang, the land of 1000 Elephants? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Laos? I would like to share with me your experience! See you next week with another interesting story from Laos and we will continue our adventure in Luang Prabang and we will see what beautiful places are hidden in this wonderful part of Laos.

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of PDR Lao and Qatar Airways airline company. I would like to say thank you to Chateau Orientale hotel-resort for having me. This trip was an extraordinary experience for me!

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Letters from Egypt: Hurghada, heaven Saphir of Red Sea…

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear travellers, how are you today? I’m sure these cold last days of November didn’t spoil your mood. Slowly but surely we are entering the festive month and starting to count down the last days of 2019. It is strange that at the beginning of each year, those 365 days seem too long, but as we can see time is flying so fast.

Today is the time to write my last post, the last letter from Egypt. We will end this special series of posts from Egypt at an Egyptian resort that is well known to all of us – Hurghada. Yes, it is one of the destinations that you can always find in the offers of almost all travel agencies, because a lot of people from Europe, especially from Germany are flying to the beaches of the Red Sea in Hurghada.

When the team of the Egyptian Tourism Authority organized our trip and the whole program was done literally today for the next day, I received an e-mail, do I want to go to the Valley of the Kings or do I want to go on a mini vacation in Hurghada? After a brief “constructive talk” with my photographer, we decided that perhaps because of the variety of content, I would also visit a well-known resort not to be a full educational trip.

When I told my mom that I was traveling to Hurghada, she said that I was a real Serb, because every Serb in his life had to visit Hurghada at least once… Mom is always ready for a joke, even if it is especially inspired by me.

The Egyptian Tourism Authority made sure that my mini vacation was organized in the best possible way, so my photographer and I had the opportunity to spend some time relaxing at one of the most beautiful hotels in Hurghada – Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel.

This hotel is a true “haven” of sophisticated luxury located in the center of the new part of Hurghada on the shores of the Red Sea. A hedonistic paradise that will satisfy the demands of even the most demanding visitors pervades this one, located on the azure blue shore of the Red Sea. My mind finally rested a bit in the greenery of landscaped gardens, the Red Sea Aqua Marine and the red coral reefs. This award-winning hotel combines high-end luxury with superior service.

Within the Steigenberger hotel chain in addition to the ALDAU Beach Hotel, there are three other hotels in the immediate vicinity, namely Steigenberger Aqua Magic, Steigenberger Pure Lifestyle and Steigenberger Makadi hotels.

The Aldau Beach Hotel where I stayed, Aqua Magic and Pure Lifestyle hotels are reserved for all water sports enthusiasts, while Makadi is a golf hotel. My vacation was filled with many adventures and as a person who has traveled half the world I can say that the Steigenberger Aldau hotel has fulfilled all my expectations. Although I was not demanding, neither did the person who requested anything on the trips, the staff at the hotel did some additional things that I really did not expect.

Upon arrival, we were hungry, so my photographer and I went out for lunch and when we came to the room we had something to see. All the clothes were refreshed, ironed, the shoes polished and everything was in place… Even the suitcases were taken care of, I think my poor suitcase finally got polished and looked even better than when I took it out of the store. An hour before dinner ends, we get a call that dinner time is ending and we can dine in the room or choose from a couple of restaurants located within the resort, depending on the cuisine we like.

I have to admit that I got lost in the list of the mentioned international cuisines and that, as boisterous as it was, I chose the first restaurant I saw from the terrace, since my brain could not understand all the above options in an hour…

The hotel staff will make you feel at home, honestly at home I have to iron and to take care of myself so that I would easily move to Hurghada to live in this resort because each of us would love to be so beautifully pampered and attentive and not to worry about the little things that otherwise preoccupy our daily lives.

When you are finished resting from your leisure time ie. reluctant or what some would say from a vacation getaway you can enjoy some interesting activities within the hotel such as scuba diving, water scooter rides, fitness, or you can take a stroll through the Promenade which houses countless souvenir shops, supermarkets, pharmacies and other shops that can make your holiday easier.

Since I am a devilish person, I used to stroll at the time of day when all normal people are on the beach or having an afternoon break, I earned a sunstroke so almost all the time I was partly in a wobbly mood somewhere between a female PMS time and a period cold, so because I managed to cut out the best holiday scenarios for myself but i managed to relieve it for a while because i was taking pain pills purely so that i don’t miss such a nice vacation.

I am one of those people who do not know how to act on vacation because I sleep with the camera and constantly have the need to take pictures and write and record audios so that I have a reminder of what to write afterwards.

How to manage in Hurghada? You have two options: crazy and normal one. The crazy option is to walk to the center 10 to 15 kilometers away or to be guided by reason and to choose the normal option and take a taxi to the center. You must always do your best to develop the bargaining skill and bargain, otherwise taxi drivers will, as in other countries, will sweep you of your feet. The first and basic rule is to first make the deal about the price of the ride and then to accept the ride. I say this as a note because many tourists just say the destination without first being informed about the price of the trip…

I tested my physical limits, so in the evening I walked about 4-5 kilometers and back to the hotel and was a regular visitor to the Promenade because I found new companions – Camels that their owners brought to the Promenade for tourists (they charge for making photos with them, no camel riding). Some would say that pure exploitation of living beings in this case are the camels, but this is a little different. Camels are clean and healthy, beautifully nourished, well-groomed and are used only for making photos and do not use them as a transportation. In a way this is kind of in my opinion a symbiosis and everyone has some benefit so it is a mutual pleasure.

My dear adventurers, once again we have come to the end of our fourth special post and at the same time last post from series of post from my Egyptian adventure. Time just flies so fast when you are having a good time! At the end of this post, I would like to thank my friends from Egyptian Tourism Authority for this incredible adventure and Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel their huge efforts to make our stay unforgettable and I felt like at home.

How do you like this story about Hurghada? Have you maybe had a chance to visit Egypt? I would like to share with me your experience! See you soon on some other interesting destination!

If you have a question, comment, suggestion or message for me, you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as always you can contact me via mail or social media, which you can find on the CONTACT page.

Best,
Mr.M

This post was sponsored by Egyptian Tourism Authority. I would like to say thank you to Steigenberger ALDAU Beach Hotel for having us. The flights were like on the magic carpet thanks to Austrian Airlines and EgyptAir. I also thank my friends from Sony who made it possible to enjoy in these beautiful photos made with the Sony Alpha 7r Mark II camera with Sony FE 24-70 mm lense from special G Master series of professional lenses.
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Postcard from Sri Lanka: Signs are everywhere…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

Hi everyone, how are you today? I hope you are well and you are spending this sunny Sunday in nature with your family and friends. Sunday is reserved for some good time,  a nice rest with people who you love and for that famous psychic preparation for the next working week. Do you have any special rituals? I’d love to share with me some of your tricks!

Today, I decided to continue with a series of posts from Sri Lanka, so my best therapy right now is the writing of this post. When I’m writing posts I’m so calm down and I feel some peace. Honestly, I’d love to find some new hobby! ?

 

 

In the previous post, you read how I arrived in Sri Lanka and how our first blogging days looked like there. Sri Lanka is an exceptional island. I felt the freedom to give it the nickname – The Island of Dreams, this epithet simply best describes an island like Sri Lanka. On Sri Lanka everything is possible! ?

 

 

These days I got a lot of questions about how I manage to travel and spend time on nice and exotic destinations? I decided, as always, to sincerely discuss with you about this. I’m sure that you have ever heard of Press Trips – Media Trips so far. What are those trips? Traveling for the media is a special type of travel where representatives of various media outlets (printed media or online media) are invited to visit the particular destination.

 

 

This time I received a kind invitation from the Tourism Board of Sri Lanka to visit their country. This was an exceptional honor for me, because since now I only had only the opportunity to hear the wonderful experiences of my friends and acquaintances about this  wonderful island. Without thinking, I accepted the invitation and I started to pack my bags for this journey.

 

 

Press trips are very interesting and educational, when you have chance to meet with some new religion and to learn something new about culture and their customs. On the other hand, press trips can be very hard and literally to kick you off your feet. I admit, I am a person who is not perfect shape, but adrenaline and the desire to discover new things are stronger and I’m just push myself to go further.

 

 

At the end, everything comes around to you again! Just imagine the fact that you are traveling a long distance and that you have to change the hotel almost every day, maybe it’s fun to do it, but think again… 11 days, 10 nights, 8 different hotels. Little Marko needs to unpack, iron the nice things you will wear that day, pack them again. Do not think about those lizards on the wall that you first thought were those are nice toys on the wall.

 

 

My first contact with the Resort type of hotel in Sri Lanka was fun, crazy and unforgettable. At a first sight, I was surprised and delighted by the details, real lizards on the wall, I thought that they are a nice decoration on the wall until they started to move their tails and they were making some strange robotic sounds, which made me really think their batteries were out and my first thought was: “Oh, my God is how I will sleep tonight!”. Believe me sometimes I have a problem when I’m traveling, maybe first two or three days I sometimes don’t sleep at all and you can guess that feeling of tiredness is always uninvited guest on the trip…

 

 

With smile on my face, I get out of my hotel room and I went to see what is waiting for me for the dinner. There was live music, instruments that I haven’t had the opportunity to see before. Instruments that attract attention with their interesting shape, but believe me with the magical sound that I you imagine that you are in heaven… Good mood, nice food and hanging out a little with my colleagues. We had some conversation about some of our experiences from previous press trips.

Everything was just perfect until I just heard a sentence that I did not want to admit that it was true: “Marko, those are geckos, they are not toys, they are real lizards! “. I am a huge animal lover, there is no animal that I didn’t have as a pet, the list is long… I’ll just say that I had a wonderful pair of Canadian squirrels, then you can understand how much I really love animals … It’s all nice, but reptiles and insects are not exactly my favorite animals, I really love when I meet them for a few minutes outdoors and everyone after goes their own way.

 

 

The time has come to go back to the room… Now I knew that my childish statement that in my room are the simple lizard’s toy wasn’t true, so I could only pray to God that they went outside somewhere, it’s night for God sake, they also have some interesting night life. I entered the room and I felt so happy because there were not lizards in the room, you do not know what relief was in that moment. Don’t worry it was not the end, I had a crazy night with lizards, I didn’t sleep that night at all, but I realized the next evening that he was just a passing guest, just like me!

I would like to share today with you the photos that I have made in the hotels. Very interesting landscapes, who would say that a man can do so well photos in a hotel, I learned a lot of wise advices in one of the hotels… Because of that, this post was given the title: Signs are everywhere. So let’s start!

 

 

The first hotel that I’m about to write today is a true paradise for all our senses. Beach, melody of waves, a coconut… I walked almost a mile by the beach and I didn’t have the chance to meet anyone. You can just sit on that perfect beige sand and watch how the Indian Ocean waves showing you their beauty. Hotel Jetwing Surf is the first surf luxury resort hotel of this type in Sri Lanka. It was opened in December 2017, it’s still a pretty new, but because of the staff you would never notice it, you would think that this hotel has been there for a long time.

Why is this hotel special? It is special because of its position and in less than 2 minutes you have the opportunity to enjoy the charms of the Indian Ocean. The hotel consists of 20 charming villas, very interesting design. I saw the first time a squirrel on the coconut tree. It was so funny!

 

 

I was impressed because of special faucets whose was made of special shells, very unusual and original! The bathroom of every villa is located outside and is a very unusual concept, showering under the coconut tree is an unforgettable experience… Don’t worry until then I got used to the lizards and other animals. The hotel is very interesting and anyone who is planning to visit Sri Lanka and you want to explore to the east  coast should visit this amazing hotel.

 

 

 

New morning, new challenges! It was time for little Marko to pack up again, to check all his stuff and just try hard not to forget the chargers for his “toys” (cameras)! We said bye to the wonderful staff from the hotel and continue our journey in our famous white blogger van.

The trip to the next hotel was very long almost 7 hours drive, and if we count on a break for lunch, then it’s a trip of some 8 to 8 and half hours…

 

 

For the first 2 to 3 hours I have to admit that I was a hero, but the tiredness finally defeated me. My colleagues somehow successfully tried to wake me up when we reached this beautiful waterfall. The smell of water, the sound of the water that cross the rocks, and you make sure you do not splash your camera… It was a real adventure! As soon as I returned to the van, I decided to continue with my beauty sleep for the rest of the trip. 😀

 

 

Destiny wanted from me to wake up a few minutes before coming to the next hotel. It was so quiet in the van because youtubers have slept… I managed somehow to catch the Internet because it was possible only in the cities because of the provider network. The phone started to act so crazy, I thought it would explode of vibrations because my mom’s 275 messages: “Where are you ?, Markooo where are you?” And other famous messages that you all know well when your mother is looking for you. I just started to eat that cold lunch because I slept that most important part – LUNCH!

Thanks to my colleagues and drivers who were wonderful so they knew about what I was eating, they ordered for me and saved my lunch, but my mother, as always, knows to catch the right moment, she called me againg… Thanks God I managed through a whisper to explain to my mother that I was not kidnapped, I just slept a little and I’m just trying to eat something right now and just to explain to her that she was interrupting me while I was trying to eat something and I didn’t want to wake someone from the group they slept so tight.

 

On this trip the Sri Lanka Tourism Board managed to fulfill all my expectations, each hotel was better than the previous one. I will not even mention the food, I always had the feeling that I am in paradise when I see all those wonderful cakes! Thank you for this wonderful experience!

 

 

When we arrived at another hotel, we didn’t have the feeling that we are in Sri Lanka. This hotel with it’s elegance and formal looking at first glance there is no exotic note that is expected to be when you are in a place like Sri Lanka. Welcome to Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya!

This building was originally a  holiday residence of the famous governor Edward Barnes. Today, this beautiful huge villa, called by some in the joke, has nearly 160 rooms. Impressive, isn’t it?! Interestingly, the construction of this residence cost less than 10,000 British pounds. Of course, you must have in mind that the money at that time had a completely different value. ?

 

 

Hotel Nuwara Eliya is well known for its gardens. To remind you, in this post, I wrote about a hotel in which I learned some very wise things which changed my view of life. In gardens of these wonderful hotel you have wooden boards that show a certain periods in the life of one man with a little help of wise sentences. It depends on us which way we will choose in life, but signs along the way can be of great help in life.

 

 

Beautiful flowers, roses, magnolia trees… A true paradise for all our senses! If you are a huge fan of bright colors, this place is perfect for you! If you like nature, this is the right place for you! I had the opportunity to rest a little and enjoy in the beautiful sun rays in this charming garden.

 

The feeling is gorgeous, you just need to close your eyes and to listen the sounds of the birds and you will have some new moment to remember for the rest of your life.

 

 

Sometimes photos are very powerful, the real power of photography is incredible. A month ago, I was in this beautiful place today as I write this post for you, when I’m looking at these photos they reminds on that incredible journey, I even feel the scent of flowers in that garden. These are not hallucinations, they are just nice memories.

 

 

Guys, we have come to the end of this second post from this series of posts about my adventures from Sri Lanka. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed and I would love to hear your opinion. Have you been in Sri Lanka? Are you planning to visit this tropical paradise? We’ll see next week what Sri Lanka has to offer us and we continue this amazing adventure! ?

If you have any questions, comments, suggestion or message for me you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as you know, you can always contact me via mail or social media, and you can find it on the CONTACT page.

Best,

Mr.M

 

 

The post is sponsored by the Tourism Board of Sri Lanka, the hotel chain Jetwing and the Hotel Nuwara Eliya. For all those beautiful photos I used the Sony Alpha 7r camera.
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Sri Lanka: The Island Where Dreams Live…

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

Hello guys, I hope you’re good and this nice time helps you to get through this working week so easily. There is still a little time left to the weekend, so the countdown can start now slowly! I think this is a perfect time to start a new series of posts and to discover all the beauties of a little paradise island country. Let me introduce you to one of the  most beautiful island – Sri Lanka!

 

 

When I received a mail from Sri Lanka’s tourism board, I couldn’t have read it all because of the excitement which I felt in that moment! The only thing I read was a sentence that I repeated in my head for a few minutes until I have finally come to myself and realized that I have the chance to visit such an exotic country: “Mark, are you ready for an adventure? Sri Lanka is calling you!”.

 

 

For a moment, I thought it was some early brilliant prank for April Fools’ Day, because the start of the trip was planned on April 1st and I just didn’t give up some importance. Of course, as always I just can’t sit like that so I checked with my colleagues bloggers.  I realized that it was time for the little Marko to visit Sri Lanka! My happiness in that moment I just can’t describe with the right words, there were tears of joy, my mom wanted to go with me, and there was a real mini drama in the house for a couple of days… After few days my mother, who as you know is my photographer, she forgave that I wouldn’t take her with me on the Sri Lanka’s trip.

 

 

The days have passed, the time for the journey was getting closer and closer, and I was secretly hoping that it was not a prank and I would really go to one such trip like that…

Three days before the trip I got my flight tickets and of course again you can just imagine me how I’m running through the house and screaming with joy, because that was the sign which I was waiting for…

 

 

The first day of the April, the unusual morning crowd in the downtown of Belgrade I hardly managed to get out and with a couple minutes of delay I checked on my flight and finally I’ve started my new adventure. That day I will remember, that is for sure! I didn’t feel the tiredness of the previous trip or the cry of frightened babies. I just couldn’t have missed reading of “professional travel literature” – Guide: How to survive Sri Lanka and some old issue of Hello magazine…

 

 

Well, landing in Doha it didn’t get to be scary as I was in India recently, so I acted like a true “professional” traveler and I went straight to the boarding gate for the Colombo.

After 11 hours of reading some “interesting” literature, few naps and 2 movies, Little Marko arrived to Colombo. First Impression: “I will die, here it has almost 37 degrees outside and it’s 4 am… God what’s waiting for me all those days!” I must admit they have very interesting airport. You wouldn’t expected to find a nice house technique at the airport itself! My mom still can’t forgive me when I told her how cheap the washing machine is. She has almost a heart attack because of sadness why I didn’t buy her a new Candy washing machine… of course it’s a joke! She was very happy when she saw a new pair of earrings, like any other woman! ?

 

 

The flight from Doha to Colombo was very interesting, although it was early in the morning and there was a lot of light there, so there was no feeling of how much hours you really traveled…

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is a real pearl of the Indian Ocean. The next day was interesting, together with my colleagues instagrammers and youtubers  I had the opportunity to enjoy in the magic of the Colombo. Just imagine walk the coast of the Indian Ocean and the temperature 37-degree, believe me it’s a real adventure. I was pretending that I’m hero just for two hours. I must admit that walking was worth because I’ve got a nice tan. 🙂

 

 

Sigiriya… The city of kings, a city that intrigues visitors with its history. Whether you are a lover of history or art, Sigiriya is the perfect place for you. And even if you just want to see more on Sri Lanka, Sigiriya for sure will stay in your memory for a long time.

Sigiriya or “Lion Rock” as a term or word is not widely known to people, but when someone shows the image of Sigiriya everything is changing. Almost everyone knows about the existence of this geological formation that the mighty Kings of Sri Lanka have turned into a fortress. Sigiriya is often called by people an eighth world miracle. Whether or not we will leave it to someone else to decide but it is certain that this natural formation and building is one of the main reasons for traveling to Sri Lanka. I would like to take the opportunity to say big thank you to Sigiriya Hotel for hospitality and kindness.  It’s a warm recommendation from the heart! On the picture below you can see that amazing Lion Rock from the Sigiriya hotel, isn’t it just wonderful?

 

 

The “Lion Rock” is a volcanic origin. It emerged as a hardened magma of long ago active volcano, which in the course of time has gained the shape that we now have the opportunity to see. Due to its position and natural shelters, the Lion Rock was inhabited since the prehistoric times. People who lived on and around, they left their stamp by building many caves and shelters. Since the end of the 20th century Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

 

 

Since Sigiriya has no epithet of a religious building, you do not have to worry about dressing. It is very important that you know that when you visit religious buildings on Sri Lanka, regardless of the temperature for men it is important that they have to wear long trousers, they are allowed to be made of linen or some other light material for summer. Women are allowed to wear skirts or trousers just below the knee.

 

 

Guys, my advice for you is to go as early as possible on an excursion, there is a possibility that you will stay out of the crowd for a long time and the temperatures can be very high. Also the information you should know before you go on a trip is that there are more than 1200 steps on the Lion Stone, so whoever plans to climb to the very top should be in very good condition. I’ve reached the top, I really don’t even know how I did it. I thought of myself as a Rambo with that famous music from the movie, but I think I looked like a fallen mountain hiker who got lucky to get to the top! I’m honest at least! 🙂

 

 

At almost all of our excursions we met a lot of pupils from elementary schools, there were even pre-school children who always greeted me with the smile and with the famous question: “Where are you from?”. Very kind and nice children, they were really cute, even they were in a better shape than me! Whatever I am proud of myself, I have managed to climb this tall rock! 🙂

 

 

 

 

The view from the top was unbelievable, but I was most delighted when we got back to our van! ? The Lion’s rock is a real challenge for alpinists and for people who just love hiking, this was a great success for me and as I’m writing this post now, I just feel the same muscle pain which I had during this adventure. The blogging crew continues their journey and the next destination was the Kaudulla National Park. It’s time for safari guys!

 

 

Safari in Kaudulla National Park is the best activity on Sri Lanka that you shouldn’t miss. This is a unique opportunity to see the wild Asian elephants in live. This is the only place in the world where you can come this close to these wonderful animals. You can see their daily activities like eating, drinking water and swimming. Believe me it’s very interesting place.

 

 

It is very exciting when you have the chance to see elephants in their natural environment and at least feel the wild life of nature for a moment. Elephants move freely, we had a chance to see their mating…

I think they wanted to have a public! I thought for a moment to watch some reality TV show! But here the main actors are animals! ?

 

 

Third day on Sri Lanka’s adventure was slowly approaching to the end, a blogger crew came back to the hotel. Some people from the crew still had more energy to spend so they made a party. But for little Marko this day was too much and he went to sleep a little… I know, sometimes I’m very boring person!

Rise and shine sunshine! New day is up, little Marko has filled the batteries, and he has also prepared the batteries of cameras, so everything is ready for the action! Or maybe not ?! Maybe I’ll just chill a little and take another nap!

 

 

Finally, it was time for the beach! The east coast on Sri Lanka was not explored so much and we were the first group of international online media, which was visited this part of Sri Lanka. That was a great honour for us and this way I would like to thank the Sri Lankan tourism board on this amazing journey.

This was a very exciting trip, very fun when you have a good company everything is different! I was in the crew with the famous youtuber! He is well known in Canada, America and the Philippines, and he has millions of subscribers because he has multiple channels on the You Tube. His name is Mikey Bustos.

He is a very positive person, even I became a fan of vlogging now (Vlog – is making the videos of daily activities that would be interesting to the audience, a lot of bloggers and youtubers are doing that).  You can see me in his vlogs. It was so fun to make videos with him and Raquel and RJ (Romeo). Raquel and I just found out on this trip that we are real soulmates, why? We both have many interesting thing in common and both of us love photography.

Mikey, Raquel and Romeo were my companion with whom I spent most of my time in Sri Lanka. I can’t wait to see them again! Maybe we will catch up on my trip to the Philippines. Beside us, there were also professional photographers from Turkey and I aslo learned a lot of useful tricks! Thanks guys! ?

 

 

The ocean, the sun, but there is no more time to rest. Our break on the beach are interrupted by our guides and they remind us that it’s time to go on tour of the Hindu temple dedicated to the God of Shiva.

 

 

This is also one of the largest Hindu temples in Sri Lanka. It is dedicated to the Shiva, a god whose role is to destroy the Universe at the end of the existence of the world. The symbol of the Shiva is a phallus, which is an indicator of the male role in fertility and birth. Shiva is also a god of good and evil at the same time. It is easy to calm him down and at the same time it is very dangerous and very easily reveals its wrath…

 

The temple is very interesting and on the walls of the temple you can see God Siva in various situations. It was not allowed to take the photos in the temple, but you have the opportunity to see the diversity of colors on the photo above. I hope I have shown you this beauty and the vividness that this temple has.

 

 

After visiting the temple, we had the free time to explore the area and after that we were tired, but very happy and we returned to the hotel to charge our batteries for the new day.

Guys, we have come to the end of this first post from this series of posts about my adventures from Sri Lanka. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed and I would love to hear your opinion. Have you been in Sri Lanka? Are you planning to visit this tropical paradise? We’ll see next week what Sri Lanka has to offer us and we continue this amazing adventure! ?

If you have any questions, comments, suggestion or message for me you can write me down in the comments. Of course, as you know, you can always contact me via mail or social media, and you can find it on the CONTACT page.

Best,

Mr.M

I would like to thank Sri Lanka Tourism Board for this amazing adventure, as well I would like to say big thank you to hotels: Movenpick, Sigiriya Hotel and Nilaveli Beach Hotel.

 

 

This post is sponsored by Sri Lanka Tourism Board and Sony. This photos are made with the little help of Sony Alpha 7r and Sony RX100 Mark V.

 

 



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