Journey from Dubai to Sri Lanka and Thailand
By Jonah Janzen
Welcome to our journey around the world. From the deserts of Dubai, across the lush lands of Sri Lanka and ending in tropical islands of Thailand. A trip lasting a total of 45 days.
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Dubai
What better to do in the land of luxury then lay witness to cars you may never see else where? The dealerships here act as museums to tourists and draw enthusiasts from around the globe.
Our ride for the day - a 2023 McLaren 720S! You may not be a car person, but 720 HP to the wheels makes this thing go from 0-100kph in 3 seconds, a man’s sad face into a smile in 2 seconds and your wife's heart stop in 1 second flat. My first full acceleration while going 100kph down the freeway has us thrust into our seats, the rear end kicking out as the tires lose traction and Kyla hanging on for dear life! Intense!
But who wants to cruse the streets? We opt to head into the desert where there are less prying eyes... besides the camels behind Kyla.
Winding up a day full of twin turbo fuelled adrenalin, we walk downtown to enjoy the views of the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Monstrous! Standing at .828 Km tall, this tower dwarfs our more locally know Calgary tower 4.35 times over.
Sri Lanka
Like many ruins around the world, they accredit these to a younger ancient civilisation. Here you can see where the place gets its name, showcasing large clawed feet at the base.
I booked a room knowing we would have some type of view but no one mentioned we would have a huge water fall to look at from our balcony! The view here is what people in BC pay millions for, but for $50 a night with breakfast, it’s all ours for the next 4 nights. Welcome to the beautiful village of Ella.
The currency in Sri Lanka
Train tracks have walking trails either beside them or they just get used by locals. The trains don't move very fast here.
Still used to this day, this old dutch train bridge is called 9 arches and draws a good crowd. Surrounding us is fields of tea, Sri Lanka's biggest industry.
Thailand
Unplanned, we arrive in Thailand on the New Years holiday and the entire country is up in arms, with water guns, buckets and hoses. Everyone is soaked and no one is permitted to escape. We barely get to our rooms without having our luggage soaked. Changing into our swimsuits, we head to the streets and get absolutely soaked. Imagine going out for lunch and dinner drenched to the bone and not even having to explain to the staff. Was a very interesting welcoming to Thailand.
We are good and dry the following day and what better way to spend the day than with elephants at a sanctuary? Kyla caresses the magnificent creature as it stretches to it max ability to snatch food from the young kid who seemed a little timid during feeding time.
Say hello to the island of Koh Samui. So relaxing.
My guides name is Steven and we have 12 dives together. We came across large schools of fish. If you can be very calm the fish will almost accept you as one of their own and swarm around you, mere inches from your face.
Metal scrappers sculpture in Thailand.