Tag: markets

Balkans Part 3 – Dubrovnik Croatia

Old City Dubrovnik, crowded but lovely and charming…a collection of history, beautiful architecture, tour groups and proof of every day living in an ancient place.

Taking the bus from Kotor in Montenegro to Dubrovnik in Croatia seems to be the only option if you don’t have a car. It’s a beautiful trip, cheap, but not necessarily punctual, but eventually it gets you there and the border crossing is easy. (By not punctual I mean a 2.5 hour delay in leaving Kotor Bus Station with no information of reason or eta.)

In Dubrovnik, city traffic is bustling, there are loads of cruise ships and bus loads of tourists, all descending on Dubrovnik even this late in the season. In addition, regular flights from all over and ferry boats from other countries arrive constantly making for a very touristy place. Getting around is easy on public transportation and uber is efficient and much cheaper than taxis.

The reason so many people start here is that Dubrovnik is a stunning city — full of history, coastal beauty, and culture. There are so many things to do, depending on your interests and how long you’re staying. It also serves as a gateway to the rest of Croatia with great roadways and ease of driving.

We arrived a few days before our booked driving tour and stayed right in the thrum of things in the Old City behind the ancient walls. Such a wonderful example of how a place can absorb and reflect culture over a thousand years or so. This UNESCO heritage site deserves its designation just for the City Walls.

Walking the City Walls is apparently a must-do in Dubrovnik! The full circuit takes about 1.5–2 hours, offering incredible views over the old town, terracotta roofs, and the Adriatic Sea.

Outside the Walls

But, I chose to spend my time wandering the Old Town (Stari Grad). Strolling the marble streets of this UNESCO World Heritage site you will come upon the Stradun (main street), leading to the Rector’s Palace, Sponza Palace, a Franciscan Monastery (with Europe’s oldest pharmacy). Not to be left out, the Dubrovnik Cathedral & Treasury all Beautiful Baroque architecture. You can also get a different perspective with a short climb outside the city walls, offering panoramic views and fewer crowds.

St. Blaise’s Church
Sponza Palace
Stradum (Main Street) – Franciscan Church & Monastery
Dubrovnik Cathedral
Onofrio Fountain – Pile Gate
Old City – Popular Wedding Photo Spot

Food and drink, claiming local heritage is everywhere in the old city. One place that came highly recommended was Pipi’s and there’s a photo that follows that will enlighten you as to the origin of the name. Eating out was expensive, so to cut costs, we had breakfast in our room and shared dishes that would have been too much food for one.

Cafe’s, Pubs & Restaurant Abound – Fewer Tourists at Night
Pipi’s – Restaurant with Acclaimed Views
Nights are Chilly in October

Part of the fun of wandering the Old City is visiting the trinket, souvenir and candy shops. During the daytime the streets and shops are so packed with tourists that if you’re a solo traveler you will welcome the night time when the Old City streets empty to some degree and wandering about becomes much more enjoyable.

Love the Colour and Displays
Colourful Candy Shops
Trinket Shops on Every Corner

Game of Thrones

Dubrovnik was King’s Landing in the series that I’m sure most of you have knowledge of. Visit filming sites like Pile Gate, Jesuit Staircase (Cersei’s “walk of shame”), Fort Lovrijenac, and taking a dedicated tour of settings is something many folks enjoy about the Old City.

Jesuit Staircase – Daytime Crowds

In spite of its touristy function, the Old City is home to some brave souls who abide not only the crowds but the long treks up to their homes.

Stairway to Residences – Very Steep & Long
Street for Living

Enjoying the back lanes and the artistic touches of the merchants and residents was much more relaxing than navigating the crowds at the established tourist sites. So many quirky and delightful scenarios if you stand still a minute and let your eye wander.

Local Pub
Playful
Puppets
Che is Everywhere
Old Postcards on a Cork Board
Of Course – A Frida Sighting

Sri Lanka – Part 5 Last Days in Kandy & Negumbo

Kandy is an interesting mix of old and new…

Kandy was a pleasant surprise. At first it looked like just another polluted city but having a few days there we were able to discover some hidden treasures well worth the effort.

We discovered that our hotel was a short walk to the main shopping district and we easily made our way there on foot. A busy place with a beehive of stalls selling everything you could imagine, the fruit and vegetable stalls blaze with enticing colour. Of course there was stall after stall of spices and teas mixed in with an abundance of trinkets and souvenirs. A fun place to be as long as you can tolerate the touts and the hard sell. The pushy salesmen we encountered were older men and we heard the same spiel from several of them with the classic “hello mam you remember me we met yesterday at the hotel.” I imagine they were fast tracking a personal connection to encourage your cooperation.

Market Stall
Brilliant Display of Betel
Mangosteen

Time was short and so on day two we hired a Tuk Tuk for the whole day in order to accomplish our list of must sees. and were whisked about town to see the highlights of the city. Our first stop was the Bahirawakanda Buddhist Temple high on a hill above the city where we had a birds eye view of Kandy.

Kandy Views

From the centre of Kandy our Tuk Tuk driver took us out into a suburb to visit a tea factory where after a tour we tasted a variety of teas and bought a few bags to take with us. We learned something here. We thought we were buying tea in a certain packaging for gifts but didn’t inspect the bag when we left the factory. Later we discovered that the tea was not in the gift bags we had selected so we went back the next day and had it rectified.

Tea Tasting

Next stop was the Royal Botanical Garden. (Sorry but if there’s a garden I must visit). A pleasant but very hot way to spend a few hours. Our driver told us that it was unseasonably hot and normally would have been quite a bit cooler. The gardens had a good collection of over 4000 species of plants including orchids, medicinal plants, palms, ferns and woody trees and shrubs.

Flowering Shrubs
Palmyra Palm Avenue
Animal Topiary
Succulents
Bougainvillea Tree
Orchids

Our next stop was the Golden Buddha Temple on the shores of Lake Kandy. A most Holy place it contains the relic of a tooth that was said to be removed from Buddhas funeral pyre. The tooth is kept locked away but on special occasions it is opened for public viewing and as it happens that very evening was such an occasion and the President of Sri Lanka was to be in attendance.

Kandy Lake
Gold Buddha Statue at the Temple of the Tooth Relic

Our final stop was a Cultural Centre for a performance traditional dance and music. The performers were very skilled and brightly costumed. The show highlighted the distinctive history and culture of the Sri Lankan people.

Kandy is an interesting place. As in all of Sri Lanka, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus coexist in spite of the turbulent past that resulted in a protracted civil war. For the Buddhist majority, temples abound, but Muslim calls to prayer are broadcast throughout the day, colourful Hindu celebrations take place in the streets and Christian Church Bells ring.

Hindu Temple

Contrasted against the old style commercial centre, mushrooming out from ancient temples and other historic monuments, you can find trendy restaurants, art galleries and even a high end western style mall. The two restaurants below are examples of a growing middle class of well educated Sri Lankans who have the time and money to enjoy trendy eateries. Like in India, education is clearly highly valued and Sri Lanka has one of the highest levels of literacy in South Asia.

Leaving Kandy was a bit sad as it signalled the end of our circle tour of two weeks. Relying on our car hire specialist we made our way back to Negombo, where we began our Sri Lankan adventure. A night in a nice hotel on the beach with a lovely big pool never goes amiss. It gave us time to stare at the waves and watch the sunset behind the tall palms, contemplating the highlights of Sri Lanka before catching our flight back to Gatwick.

Last Tuk Tuk Ride Through Kandy

Solo Travel in Bagan Myanmar

Acres of pagodas….

Things happen where you might be tempted to panic but doing so isn’t going to help. I had decided on a private taxi tour of Bagan as the best way to see the most Buddhist structures in one day as they are spread over 67 sq kms and there are more than 2000.

But the best laid plans… and so I found myself at the arrival gate in Bagan searching fruitlessly for the handheld sign that would bear my name. Not to be, I was nevertheless hustled out the door and into an awaiting taxi who wanted 35usd for a days tour. A fair price given they last from early morning arrival until sunset. However I had already paid in Yangon and a few kms into the journey I realized that, contrary to what I had been led to believe, this was not my car or my driver and I instructed him to turn around and go back to the airport.  

Back inside the arrivals area I found a lovely helpful English speaking guide who called the number on my voucher and after a furious relay of other calls he assured me that although there had been a communication gap between Bagan and Yangon I would be picked up shortly. All in, I had 2 hours of waiting and my 8am tour started at 10am.

While I was getting in the right taxi the first taxi driver approached my pre-paid driver and demanded payment for the five minutes I was with him. My driver paid him and explained that he was paying him for taking me to the market, which he did not. No es mi pedo as my Mexican friends say.  

Bagan Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with good reason. Located on the banks of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar, and sprouting from the flat plains along the river is the largest collection of Buddhist temples, stupas and monasteries in the world. Time worn, reduced to rubble in some cases are stupas that show the bricks and mortar used to build them.Others are survivors, resplendently preserved and revered, covered in gold plate and gemstones they point the way to the heavens.

There are three settlements on the Bagan Temple plains; Old Bagan, New Bagan and Nyuang U Town. My tour started at the Nyuang market bustling with women sellers of fruits, vegetables, fabrics, jewellery, puppets, clothing, toys and many other goodies. Markets offer great photo opportunities, every stall is piled high with something of beauty, be it a food or a piece of clothing proudly displayed, I was told many times “made here, not China”. I bought several items including my own “longyi” for temple visits and a long legged skort as a further nod to modesty.

The temples and pagoda jut out of the plain in seemingly random patterns. Some are huddled close together and others are some distance apart. Each one is notable for different reasons, the gold, the Buddhas, the cool dark passageways, frescos, etc. In no way can one visit all 2000 in one day but I managed to pack in a few which to be honest became somewhat of a blur.

My driver spoke enough English to get me from A to B but not enough to fill in the mysteries of these ancient reminders of the 9th & 10th centuries. There is something haunting about the plains and what is poignantly missing is the human presence of the people that built them. To quote Borges, some places, “try to tell us something, or have said something we should not have missed, or are about to say something.”

The day ended with a short climb up a rare rise in the flat landscape to watch as the sun set behind the Temples of Bagan.

After a long day, especially considering my early start in Yangon, I was at last taken to the Bagan Wynn Hotel, one of the best hotels yet. Beautiful grounds and five star treatment at a very reasonable price through Hotels.com. My second day in Bagan was spent enjoying the pool and gardens of Bagan Wynn, catching my breath, working on my blog, answering friends emails and doing a little sink laundry. Tomorrow very early I am off to Mandalay, not by plane but by boat on the Irrawaddy River. Alarm set for 4:00 AM!