Journey from Dubai to Sri Lanka and Thailand, photos

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. The trip lasted a total of 45 days, and Kyla and I returned home on May 1st.

Photos by Jonah and Kyla Janzen

Dubai

We walked downtown to enjoy the views of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Monstrous! This tower dwarfs our more locally known Calgary tower 4.35 times over.

What better to do in the land of luxury than lay witness to cars you may never see elsewhere? 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 - 100 kph in three seconds and your wife’s heart stop in one second flat! But who wants to cruise the streets? We opt to head into the desert where there are less prying eyes … besides the camels behind Kyla.

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. 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.

What better way to spend the day than with elephants at a sanctuary? Kyla caresses the magnificent creature as it stretches to its maximum ability to snatch food from the young kid who seemed a little timid during feeding time.

The island of Koh Samui is so relaxing!

Metal sculpture in Thailand.

My guide’s 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.

Sri Lanka

Here you see where Lions Rock, Sigriya gets its name, showcasing large clawed feet at the base.

Welcome to the beautiful village of Ella. I booked a room knowing we would have some type of view, but no one mentioned we would have a huge waterfall to look at from our balcony!

Still used to this day, this old Dutch train bridge is called 9 Arches and draws a good crowd. Surrounding us are fields of tea, Sri Lanka’s biggest industry.

Train tracks in Sri Lanka have walking trails either beside them, and the trains don’t move very fast.

Sri Lanka’s currency.