Ranveli Beach Resort-Mount Lavinia, Colombo-Sri Lanka

If you are wondering where did i put up during my stay in Colombo, it was in this small and cosy, bed and breakfast style resort, Ranveli Beach Resort, situated at Mount Lavinia beach. Take note that Mount Lavinia is an outskirt area off Colombo, but can be said "still within reach" from the city centre.

Though this property may not provide you all the lavishness and amenities of 5 stars accommodation, however it still gives you the sense of privacy as rooms are located in segregated areas and the reception and the dining area is the only open area in the property whereby you may see people hanging around and be seen in return.

In addition to the wonderful rate that we got, we booked ourselves in the biggest family room, for the rate of around RM 150 only per night, this hotel is located just a train track away from the scenic Mount Lavinia beach. Did i say a "train track away"? Yes i did and indeed there's a rail line next to the vicinity of this hotel but dont bother as the trains would passed by so rapidly that it wont cause you unnecessary disturbances or sleepless nights.

The owner of this hotel frequently greeted the hotel guests, asking how are they doing, whether the guests need any assistance, especially on travel tips in and around Colombo. You may also consult the staffs for any tour guides/driver which may take you for day tours around Colombo or to other places such as Kandy or Galle.The staffs are also the friendliest lot that you may find, making your stay here an uneventful one.

As this is a no-frill accommodation, the breakfast offerings were simple of toasts, coffee, teas and eggs which will be prepared at your desire, whether you want it scrambled, half-boiled or omelete. I do notice that Sri Lankan people consume little amount of meat from my observation of the dishes served here.

If you are looking for an affordable, comfortable stay in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which offers you wonderful sea view, do have Ranveli Beach Resort as one of your option. Cheers-Kay 2012

http://www.ranvelibeachmountlavinia.com/

reviews on Ranveli Beach in Trip Advisor

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g499079-d1770367-Reviews-Ranveli_Beach_Resort-Dehiwala_Mount_Lavinia_Colombo_District_Western_Province.html

Halal Foods in Colombo-Sri Lanka

I had just returned from a short holiday in the wonderful island of Sri Lanka last week. It was a truly beautiful country, similar weather with Malaysia and has lots to offer to tourist around the world though it has just recovered from the long prevalent civil war which marred its reputation as a safe place to be visited. Most importantly the people of Sri Lanka are friendly and the country itself, though still not fully developed, is clean.

Before detailing on my sight seeing of Sri Lanka, i will write first about its foods, and its halal foods in particular that ive chanced to taste during my stay there. May this be an insightful guide to fellow Muslims who plan to travel to Colombo, Sri Lanka.

1) Elite Indian Restaurant

This restaurant is located around 5 minutes from central Colombo, and from Mount Lavinia, where we stayed, will be 30 minutes.

It serves Indian (as per its name) local and also fusion foods of local, Chinese and Malay dishes.

The restaurant can be located easily by its tall signboard

the external view, its a fully air-conditioned restaurant.

dining area......

the menu......

i ordered the Chicken Bryani......with crispy chicken leg, one hard-boiled egg and eaten with condiments.....delicious...

my friends ordered the Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala..........the Chicken Tikka was quite salty....

2) Loon Tao Chinese Seafood Restaurant

This restaurant is located at Mount Lavinia beach, around 12 km from central Colombo. This restaurant has nicely set up dining areas where all diners may get the view of the beautiful beach. The setting is also romantic for couples.

the menu..........

i ordered Ginger Beer, they serve large bottle here..very nice...

We ordered Seafood Fried Rice....the portion is big here so best to be shared......

 Crispy Noodle with Seafood...

and Sizzling Fish Fillet......

From my observation it's not hard to find halal eateries around Colombo as there are significant Muslims communities here. For fast food lovers, even KFC here is certified as Halal...as displayed on its door below...

So if you are in Colombo do visit all the eateries above without hesitation.Cheers-Kay2012

Khaokeow Open Zoo-Chonburi-Thailand

 I took a one week off from the office before the new year and what a wonderful time i had throughout those times getting free from all the paperworks and related issues...more importantly i got to spend lovely times with my love T which now has reached its 2nd year..and getting better....

What i love about him is that he shares the same passion to travel places and see many interesting attractions similar to mine and he took great pleasure in taking pictures of sceneries and also serious in ensuring he captured them perfectly. Thus, modeling for him would require me to take stand in few positions or be in the same positions with the same background for few times until he is satisfied that the picture taken is perfect.

during the recent holiday, we visited another interesting place outside of Bangkok, located in Chonburi province which was the Khaokeow Open Zoo.

It wont be a problem if you are driving or hiring a guide to travel to this place but if you are taking public transport, i believe you may need to take multiple rides to reach this place. Once you have reached Chonburi, you may need to travel further using inner country roads which lead to this zoo.

Travelling from Bangkok took us about one-hour to reach Chonburi...

from here follow the road sign leading to the zoo....

later you'll be greeted with wonderful scenery of the countryside..i told T this scenery reminds me of Perth in summer....

and finally reached the main entrance to the zoo...we got to pay the Thai entrance fee due to T...if i recall it was around 70baht for locals and higher for outsiders. You also need to pay entrance fees of 50baht if you drive your own car.

you may also rent a buggy car at a price and limited for 2 hours to explore the zoo...walking on foot is not recommended as the area is vast and wide and further segmented to different types of attractions.

map of the zoo

Colourful iguana...i hate reptiles...but T loves them... ;)

then we entered into another compound full of deer lazying around and free to be touched and fed...you may buy veggie to feed the deer at 20baht....

more deer..this type is different from the ones left to roam free, and these are captive in enclosure....

 

for hippo lovers..you'll not be dissappointed...

next we made our way to the aviary with many exotic and colourful birds roam freely therein....

a wonderful thing about this aviary is that the walkway leads to the top of the canopy so that you'll have a "bird's eye view" of the enclosure and the birds living in the same...

T admiring the bird....

we moved further up and arrived at an open spaced area where all the animals such as giraffe, zebra, ostriches and wildebeest are kept....

T was mesmerized by these animals and captured them in actions....

rhinoceros enclosure called the Rhino Club...however i do feel quite alarmed that they only have minimal separation between the visitors area and the rhino whereby all these rhinos have their sharp horns still intact....

other animals in the zoo...

we really had a wonderful time at the open zoo. This place is suitable for families with young children as they will surely be mesmerized with their close encounters with these animals. They also have a night safari here which runs from 7pm. If you have sufficient time in your holiday to Bangkok, do make sometime for an excursion outside of Bangkok and visit this open zoo as im sure you'll have a similar wonderful experience as mine-Kay2012