Driving a Tacoma around the world

Another great post, thank you!

 

Another amazing entry and area conquered. Your dash is interesting too. Temp of 104 in Fahrenheit, Odometer of 206474 in Kilometers and the check engine light is on. Interesting mix. Any thoughts on the check engine light?

 

For sure. The check engine light is the result of a miscommunication in Morocco where they put gazoil in the fuel tank. I quickly realized it was diesel. So one bank of O2 sensors are plugged. I've run multiple O2 sensor cleaners through the system with no lock. I guess I should just buy new O2 sensors

 

What an epic trip!!!

 

Sri Lanka

Pilgrims dressed in white coming to visit an ancient Buddhist stupa (building to house an important religious relic) at Anuradhapura

A small island nation of the southern coast of India, Sri Lanka held a mystique for us and we were eager to visit. It was cost prohibitive to try to ship the truck there but flights from Mumbai were relatively cheap and since we thought we would never again be so conveniently positioned to visit the country, we should go.

We did our research on the highlights (mostly reading Lonely Planet and Googling), and chose an eleven day route to take them all in. As we starting to look into rental cars, we discovered it was actually cheaper to hire a car and driver than drive yourself. No problem, Andy was ready for a break after a month driving in India. We booked a driver through an online agency called Digital Tourism and hired a driver for $60 a day which included gas and his accommodations and food.


Our eleven day, 1300km route through Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is developing its tourism infrastructure and is a comfortable and easy place to visit. Hotels and food are reasonably priced and there is a range of choices from budget to high end. We chose the mid range route and the hotels were lovely. We pre-booked all our hotels on Booking.com and the average was about $50 a night for the two of us, including a hearty breakfast. Our total cost for an eleven day trip for the two of us was $2400 (not including airfare). The highest cost was our driver followed by hotels at $500 and then tours and cultural site fees for about $500. There is definitely a tiered system with cultural sites charging a premium for foreigners as are hotels and restaurants designed for tourists. A savvy budget traveler could definitely spend a lot less.


Roof top view over Colombo

For a small country, Sri Lanka has an incredible range of experiences to offer tourists. With ancient Buddhist temples, including eight Unesco World Heritage sites, jungle, mountains, beautiful sandy beaches, and national parks with a range of wildlife it has something for everyone. It is the only country other than Botswana that we have had the thrill of running into wild elephants walking down the road.

We landed in the capital Colombo, and the next morning set off with our driver Dhammika. With decades of experience in the tourism industry, he was knowledgeable, gently making suggestions for improving our experience, informative about local customs and culture and really enjoyable to be with 6-8 hours a day.


Andy with our driver and guide, Dhammika

Day One - Colombo to Anaradhapura, 200 km and 4.5 hrs


Roadside monkey

Our first cultural site to visit was Anaradhapura, the center of the early rulers of the country for 1000’s of years beginning in 360 BC. The ruins sprawl over acres with temples, stupas, and statues of Buddha. Buddhism started in Sri Lanka in about 250 BC in Anaradhapura and today Buddhism is the official religion of the country. Sri Lanka is the oldest continuously Buddhist nation in the world and you could see and feel people’s faith in the culture..


Ancient stupa at Anuradhapura


Wandering the streets of Anaradhapura, ruins interspersed with villages


Statue of Buddha, in the first version of this photo Dawn was standing with her back to the statue but then we found out it is considered disrespectful in Sri Lanka to stand with your back to a statue of Buddha


Buddhist stupa


Stopping by a roadside Hindu temple


Statue of Ganesh, Hindu god of wisdom and new beginnings

Today Sri Lanka is peaceful and the predominantly Buddhist Sinhalese people live harmoniously alongside the Hindu Tamil people. But the civil war following independence from the British was not that long ago. In what is becoming a sadly familiar story, colonization caused rifts between the island ethnic groups and war ensued after independence. The majority Sinhalese came into power following independence and the renaming of the country from Ceylon to Sri Lanka. Under British rule, the Tamil people had become strong English speakers and were overrepresented in universities and public sector jobs which caused resentment with the Sinhalese. There was also fear that the Tamil ties to India (many traced their heritage back to South India) could lead to being culturally overtaken by their large neighbor.

During the 1970’s the Sinhalese political leaders passed laws favoring Sinhalese for admission to universities and government jobs and the ethnic civil war was born. The Tamil Tigers were formed - advocating for an independent Tamil state. By 1983 things had escalated and the Tigers ambushed and killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers which was followed by a reprisal resulting in the death of almost 3000 Tamil people. The civil war lasted a total of 25 years and claimed 100,000 lives, finally ending in 2009.

We had memories of hearing about the war on our local news sources and had a vague idea of the countries troubles. We had a sense that in the past Sri Lanka had been a “dangerous place.” But we appreciated learning more about what actually happened and the root causes. In fact the country felt extraordinarily safe, people were hard working and welcoming.


Our favorite Sri Lankan breakfast, hoppers (bowl shaped crepes, sometimes with an egg), coconut sambu and lentil dal

Day 2 - Anuradhapura to Sigiriya, 75km and 1.5hrs


Village ox cart

Along the way Dhammika asked if we would like to visit a local village and be shown how traditional food is prepared. We agreed, thinking it sounded like fun.


So we were loaded in an ox cart


Taken through the rice paddies


Then on a boat across a lake


Then to our hostess’s home where she showed us how she cooks


Pounding rice to make rice flour


Sifting out the hulls


Weaving palm fronds for the roof


It was a lovely visit


Young man giving his elephant a bath


Dawn visited an artist to buy a local mask

The village of Sigiriya was tucked into the jungle with the highlight being Sigiriya rock - an important cultural and spiritual place for the Sri Lankan people.


Sigiriya or Lion Rock towering over the village

It was a relatively warm and muggy afternoon so we decided to climb the smaller, Pidurangola Rock that day and save the bigger Sigiriya rock for the cooler early morning. It was a steep climb up Pidurangola Rock but worth it for the statues along the way and the amazing views across the valley to Sigiriya Rock.


Giant sleeping Buddha statue along the trail


View across to Sigiriya Rock from Pidurangola Rock


Green valley below

Early the next morning we made our way up Sigiriya Rock (also known as Lion Rock). The trail was well traveled and actually less steep than the Pidurangola trail of the night before.


Ancient ruins at the base of Sigiriya Rock


Steep staircase up the rock face, carved lion’s paws at the base


Fortress ruins on top of the rock dating back to the late 5th century


Appreciating the beautiful lion’s paw


Spiral staircase up to gorgeous frescoes, no pictures allowed but worth the journey


Back down through the garden below

Day Three - Sigiriya to Polonnaruwa - roundtrip 50 km and 1 hr each way (layover night in Sigiriya)


Roadside elephant sighting! The first time we had seen wild elephants alongside the road since being in Botswana.

Polonnnaruwa was the second ancient capital, established when Anuradhapura was abandoned after repeated raids by the South Indians. In general, we appreciated the sites at Polonnaruwa more, probably because they were newer they were more intact and impressive. The city was the center of the Sinhalese Kingdom from 1017 to 1232.


Carved statue believed to be of King Parakramabahu who oversaw the expansion of the new Sinhalese capital, Polonnnaruwa in the 12th century








Ruins of the royal palace








Dawn is always entranced by statues of Buddha











We figured out no turning our back on Buddha but this time unfortunately Dawn is accidentally sitting on the offering table. Eventually we will get it right.


Enjoying the majestic carvings


The whole site is covered with fascinating carvings and statues

After a day of cultural enlightenment we returned to Sigiriya for a second night. This was our only layover night. For most people planning a trip to Sri Lanka we would recommend extending the time and doing more layovers. As usual, we were working toward a tight timeline (this time to cross Tibet with a group of fellow overlanders) so we shortened our trip. We were also feeling a little conflicted, on the one hand being driven every day, completely cared for, staying and nice hotels and eating every meal in a restaurant was amazingly relaxing. On the other hand, it felt counter to the way we had committed ourselves to traveling the world, doing it on our own, making our own way, sleeping in our own vehicle and cooking our own food. But we managed to get over the conflict and enjoy the sheer luxury of the experience for eleven days.


Relaxing dinner and card games in a village restaurant


Garden view from our hotel breakfast area

Day Four - Sigiriya to Kandy, 136 km and 3.5hrs


Another roadside elephant!


Along the way we stopped at the amazing Buddhist rock temple at Dambulla


The largest cave temple complex in Sri Lanka


Dating back to the 5th century BC


Over 150 statues of Buddha





Also along the way, with Dhammika’s help we stopped off to take a free spice and herbal medicine tour. It was fascinating and informative - also free (tip based).


Free spice tour - Sri Lanka is known for spices and tea

Kandy was a beautiful town, built alongside a forested lake. The main attraction is the Temple of the Tooth - the palace where Sri Lanka’s most holy relic is housed - Buddha’s tooth.


Views across Kandy lake, lined with colonial buildings and Buddhist temples


Palace of the Tooth - where the most important relic in Sri Lanka, one of Buddha’s teeth is housed

Dawn also talked Andy into attending a cultural performance featuring the traditional music and dance of Sri Lanka. The variety of dances, music, costumes and masks made for an entertaining hour.


Dawn managed to talk Andy into going to a traditional song and dance performance


Traditional mask dance








Day Five - Kandy to Sri Pada (or Adam’s Peak) 67km and 2 hours

Andy was on a mission to buy some ebony from a licensed source for his woodworking artist friend Oliver. So first thing in the morning, Dhammika helped us track down a woodshop which was able to sell us some. Then we were on our way to the town at the base of Sri Pada (translates to Sacred Footprint) also known as Adam’s Peak in the Christian world. We planned to climb the peak the next morning.


Visiting a village woodworking shop


Artist at work


Village at the base of Sri Pada, view of the peak from our hotel balcony


Afternoon walk in a tea plantation


Evening view of Sri Pada

Day Six - Sri Pada to Horton’s Plain, 60km and 3 hours (slow road)

The pilgrims’ tradition is to set off at about 3am to reach the top of the sacred mountain for sunrise. But we are just not that hardy so we left at about 6am. One of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka, the peak is well set up for a lot of traffic. Most of the climb is on steep concrete steps (5500 of them) and the way is lined with tea and snack shops.


The peak gets larger as we get closer


Entrance gate to official trail


And the steps began . . .


And continued - 5500 total to the top


Shrine at the top encasing the golden footprint of, depending on your religious beliefs, Adam’s footprint where he first landed after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, or Buddha’s footprint, or Shiva’s

It was exhausting and hard on the knees but we felt a huge sense of accomplishment, returning to our hotel by midday to continue our journey.

Day Seven - Horton’s Plain to Ella, 45 km in 2.5 hours

Our next stop was the highland Horton’s Plain National Park. It was very a very different landscape from what we had seen so far in Sri Lanka - wide sweeping views. Once again we set out early in the morning for our hike.


View across Horton’s Plains National Park


Our goal was to hike the World’s End loop - a nice easy mostly flat 9km loop trail. A welcome break after our 11,000 step climb the day before.


Setting off on the hike to World’s End





Detour to a waterfall


Made it to World’s End, sheer cliff with a 4,000 foot drop off


View across the valley

We were happy to have done the hike, it was a great way to stretch our sore muscles and a beautiful new landscape to explore.


Stopping at another roadside Hindu temple

Day Eight - Ella to Uda Walawe National Park, 124km in 3 hours


Huge breakfast provided by our hotel in Ella - breakfast was almost always included in the hotel price

Ella was a sweet mountain town, lots of cafes and shops and well set up for tourists. Dhammika had the suggestion that we visit 9 Arch Bridge, an iconic bridge for the local train so we drove and then walked up a steep mountain track to check it out.


It was Sunday so many of the people in the local village joined the tourists


Infront of the iconic Nine Arch Bridge


Then the train comes! Lots of cheering and waving


Visiting the giant Buddha carvings at Buduruwagala, dating back to the 10th century





Along the way Dhammika asked us if we wanted to try local food, he took us to a village kitchen with women serving up tasty plates of curry and vegetables - $2 for three people - so much better than the tourist fare


And we sampled delicious lentil dumplings


This may look like a touron moment but this roadside wild elephant was actually behind some electric wire strung up to prevent them from wandering into the road

Day Nine - Uda Walawe to Mirissa, 104 km 2.5 hrs

The next morning we woke early to go on a safari in Uda Walawe National Park - known for elephants. Another benefit of traveling with a driver is that he was easily able to book these experiences in advance for us - we have never had it so easy.


The elephants did not disappoint!


They were plentiful and fascinating





Even spotted a wild boar


Visiting the Elephant Transit Center where orphaned and injured young elephants are raised, rehabilitated then released into the wild

Our next stop was the beachside town of Mirissa. The beaches were gorgeous - white sand with crystal blue water. But we were a little dismayed by the number of tourists on the beach. Dawn managed to find a solo beach walk away from the bars and restaurants - but it was not a long one.


Dawn found a remote beach walk


Main area of Mirissa Beach, beautiful white sand but tons of tourists!


We took advantage of the amenities and had our first beachside cocktail in four years

Day 10 - Mirissa to Colombo, 60km and 1.5 hrs


We stopped off at beautiful Galle Fort which looked like a fun place to explore but the heavens opened up and dumped on us and we were soaking wet in 20 mins so ran back to the warmth of Dhammika’s car


Wandering the streets of the capital, Colombo


Beautiful mosque in the old town

Day 11 - Fly back to Mumbai

That was our time in Sri Lanka. Many thanks to Dhammika who made the trip so much better than if we had done it on our own. If anyone is interested in contacting him as a driver his number on WhatsApp is +94 77 329 0722 It was a different travel experience, a bit of a splurge for us but worth it. Soon we will get back to more overlanding stories, Nepal and Tibet are coming up. Thank you for reading!

 

Wow.

 

I know, right. This is incredible!

 

Hey just wanted to let everybody know that we've edited our Sri Lanka post. It now has captions for the photos, somehow they disappeared

 

Bhutan


View across the valley to Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang)

Bhutan is a country that was shrouded in mystery for us. A remote kingdom nestled in the Himalayas, it only opened to tourism in the 1970’s. Very aware of their position surrounded by India and China, two huge and powerful neighbors, the people of Bhutan are fiercely protective of their strong cultural traditions. Outside media was not allowed in the country until 1999. With less than 800,000 people, the kingdom relies on selling hydro-electric power to fuel its economy. They forbid climbing the Himalayan range between themselves and China preferring to keep a strong geographic and mental barrier between themselves and the giant in the north who has encroached on their borders in the recent past.

As it is a Buddhist nation, visiting and understanding Bhutan required a deep dive into religious history, visiting ancient temples and learning how the faith is built into the fabric of Bhutanese culture.


Straight of the plane, meeting up with our guide Karma and visiting our first Buddhist monastery


Everywhere in Bhutan we saw these small clay stupas, called tsatsas. Made with the ashes of deceased loved ones mixed in the clay, they are created as a form of remembrance and to generate merit for the deceased's better rebirth. They are usually placed in larger stupas or at sacred sites.

Bhutan had some of the most exquisite and unique architecture of anywhere we had been. Intricate wood work, with detailed and colorful painting adorned every building from simple homes and markets to magnificent temples and monasteries


Buddhist stupa - a building which houses an important religious relic. Stupas can be elaborate like this one or simple rock and brick structures. We learned the proper way to visit, walking three times clockwise around the building.


Entrance gate to the giant seated Buddha on the hill above the capital, Thimphu


Posing with the giant Buddha - in Bhutan they did not follow the same courtesy as in Sri Lanka - it was OK to pose with your back to Buddha. We are wearing our white scarves gifted to us upon arrival by our guide, Karma.

Our visit to Bhutan was short - a mere five days- mostly for financial reasons. Tourism is highly regulated and very expensive. On top of normal expenses there is a government fee of $100 USD per person per day. And you are required to travel with a guide. Likely we could have found a cheaper option with a larger tour group, but we signed up for a short private tour with a guide and driver. Our total cost was just under $3000 - $1000 in tourism tax, then $400 a day for guide, driver, accommodations, food and entrance fees. In the end we enjoyed our time with our guide and learned a lot more than we would have in our normal way of traveling on our own. It was a strange and luxurious experience being driven from place to place without having to think or navigate next steps.


Our five day mini-tour of Bhutan


Takin - the national animal of Bhutan and unique to its high mountain regions - we saw them visiting a national reserve for their preservation.


To us it looked like a cross between a buffalo and a yak, this was a small one, some of the males were fully as big as a full grown buffalo

A mountainous nation, Bhutan’s population primarily lives in a series of valleys. Each valley is typically protected by an ancient fort or dzong. These fortified buildings provided a dual purpose - a monastery for the region’s religious leaders and an administrative center for the government.

Bhutan is officially a kingdom and pictures, posters and billboards of their much revered family of monarchs are a common sight. King Jigme Khesar Namgyei Wangchuck and his wife have three young children. Our guide explained that he had great admiration for the king who dispersed payments from his personal accounts to unemployed people during COVID and is implementing a vision for the future of Bhutan which involves building infrastructure to encourage business development with its southern neighbors. There is also a prime minister appointed by the King. The prime minister leads the executive branch of the government and typically is the leader of the party who wins the most electoral votes in parliament.


One of the oldest dzongs on the hill above Thimphu - Druk Wangditse Lhakhang

One of the most common words seen throughout Bhutan - druk - means dragon. The Bhutanese name for the country - Druk Yul - translates as “land of the thunder dragon.” Stories about ogres, dragons and evil spirits being conquered by Buddhist heroes are woven into the national folklore.


Beautifully painted prayer wheels were a common site


Sunlight hitting the gorgeous painted woodwork


Watching the national sport - archery


Our driver and guide - dressed in the traditional clothing of Bhutan

Traditions felt strong in Bhutan. Even in the two big cities, Thimphu and Paro, most of the people were wearing the beautiful traditional clothing and fabrics of the country. At temples and stupas, worshippers circled the buildings with prayer beads and personal prayer wheels, chanting mantras. Families with young children and groups of teenagers prayed in the shrines.


More beautiful architecture - and always the mountains behind


Site of 108 stupas. The number 108 is important in Buddhism as it represents the number of earthly desires or passions that Buddhists strive to overcome on their path to enlightenment. These stupas were built to commemorate the lives of Bhutanese soldiers lost in fighting rebels from India in 2003.


Small caves built for contemplation


Traditional village home. Despite being a very modest country, it was common to see phallic symbols painted on walls - representing a desire for fertility.


Running into a snake on a trail across a rice paddy - we later figured out it was harmless


The decoration on the homes was just exquisite, even on the more recently constructed houses


Artist at work on traditional religious painting


More fertility painting


Dawn could not stop taking photos of the painted wood


Prayer wheels at the fertility temple Chimi Lhakhang (Andy is not hoping for more children). An important pilgrimage site, Buddhist families from all over the world come to pray for children. Our guide Karma, showed us the book of thank you notes from grateful parents.

The insides of the temples and shrines were incredibly ornate but no photos were allowed. Common sights were gold statues of Buddhas and other historical figures - Ugyen Wangchuck, the man who united the tribes of Bhutan in the late 19th century and Guru Padmasambhava, the man who brought Buddhism from Tibet in the 8th century. Often there would be at least one or sometimes many monks chanting mantras and offering blessings. Our guide Karma explained that every temple contained three elements representing mind, body and speech. The mind was represented by statues of Buddha, the body was the temple building and the speech was the shelves of books with printed mantras and prayers.


Punakha Dzong - one of the largest fortresses, still actively housing both a monastery and government administrative offices, constructed in 1637.


Entrance with paintings depicting important Buddhist stories


Dawn still taking those pictures!





And Karma took one for us too


Going for a walk along what used to be the national highway connecting Thimphu and Paro. The paved highway was only completed in 1962.


As part of our tour package we requested budget accommodations. Even the budget levels hotel were lovely.

As part of our tour we visited the two biggest cities in Bhutan - Thimphu, the capital, and Paro where the international airport is. Both towns were pleasant to walk with lots of tourist shopping activities, featuring local arts and paintings, statues and carvings related to Buddhism. Thimphu was larger and more modern, Paro was smaller and felt more traditional. Both cities felt completely safe for tourists and had a relaxed atmosphere. Despite the rows of souvenir shops, there was no hard core sales tactics.


Kyichu Lhakhang one of the oldest temples in Bhutan, built in the 7th century - outside Paro


Prayer wheels outside Kyichu Lhakhang


Inner courtyard of the temple


Spinning the giant prayer wheel


Ringpung Dzong on the hill above Paro


Climbing the steps to the head religious and government administrative offices of the Paro region. Karma is wearing his white sash depicting him as a “common man” as opposed to a religious or government official.


Detailed painting of the Buddhist “wheel of life” depicting the six realms of beings in Buddhism - the bottom three, not so good, the top three something to strive for. Human beings and enlightened ones are in the top half, animals and evil spirits in the bottom.


Inner courtyard of Ringpung Dzong





Our final day in Bhutal we climbed the hill to Tiger’s Nest monastery, or Paro Taktsang. One of the most iconic sights and holiest religious centers in the country, it was worth the work to get there.


First views across the hill


Getting closer!

As was the custom, no photos were allowed inside but Karma pointed out the significance of the various shrines and temple rooms and told us the stories behind the creation of the monastery, bringing it to life. The story goes that Guru Padmasambhava brought Buddhism to Tibet here, flying on the back of a tigress and landing here to meditate and conquer the ogre terrorizing the valley


Also on our last day, we asked to go to a local restaurant instead of the tourist centered restaurants we had been going to. It was a unique experience but a little challenging for Andy who hates vegetables. Sometimes there is a reason tourist restaurants serve different food to tourists.


Beautiful door in Paro


Our last hotel in Paro

Well that was our second journey without the truck this month - rare for us. Bhutan makes it almost impossible to bring a foreign vehicle in (we know an Australian couple who managed it but they later found out they should not have been allowed) and the requirement for a guide made the decision to fly in and out easy. It was one of our most expensive countries, but in our brief visit we did feel like we got a good sense of the culture, geography and history of the country. Back to the truck now, planning some trekking in Nepal.

Thank you for reading!

 

So cool to visit there. On my first camping trip in Arkansas, we met a couple in the Ozarks that eventually got married and did their honeymoon trip in Bhutan. They talked about the guide requirement and did a similar trip.

For you and others following along, we just watched a movie set in Bhutan that hits on some of the culture and history while poking some fun at western/outside culture. Really good movie -- The Monk and the Gun.

 

Thanks for the heads up! We are going to watch the movie tonight.

 

It was a great movie! Thanks! Especially fun for us because there were so many little quirks in the movie that we recognized only because we had been there