Around the World

For globe trotters from India there are places you can visit without the hassle of trying to get a visa on time before you take off. There are lots of countries which offer Visa on Arrival (known as VOA) for Indian citizens. These are mainly available at the airport where you land and a nominal fee is charged. If the country has more than one airport, you need to find out at which airport you can get the VOA. In some countries the fee is waived & you get the VOA free on arrival. However, you do need to confirm if there are any specific requirements, such as having a valid passport for a required number of months.

The US Embassy has launched a new visa processing system to enable quicker processing. Both the visa fees payment & the appointment schedules have been simplified. 

There are quite a few nice memories associated with cuckoo clocks. The very first time I saw an actual bird-clock was when visiting the Salar Jung museum in Hyderabad . It wasn't a cuckoo which popped out though, but a hooting owl to declare the hours.

What's the next best thing to meeting global icons in reality? Posing with their real-life mannequins at Madam Tussauds museum in London! The museum itself is located on the main road and at first glance you won’t even realize that the entrance of the museum is located there.  The queues outside the museum are really long and you could be waiting for a good amount of time to get in. It is best to book the museum entry tickets in advance online or if part of a tour group let the tour operator do it for you. You can also buy a special Priority Access ticket to avoid the queues, which are especially long during peak tourist seasons.

A rock formation at Sigiriya Rocks Sigiriya Rocks, also known as Lion’s Rock, is a complex of rock formations housing an ancient palace & a fortress, with high walls surrounding it & dotted with small water bodies here and there. 

DeLorme Earthmate When you are constantly travelling here, there & everywhere, wouldn't you just LOVE to save on sending messages? There is a great travel gadget just for people like you. For those who haven't yet heard about it: it is the DeLorme Earthmate. It is basically a handheld GPS which is waterproof and encased in a rubberized casing. There are various models from which you can select.

Staying & eating out in Sri Lanka is on the slightly expensive side. Hence, it is a sensible idea to try to save some of your Sri Lankan rupees by finding a good serviced apartment for accommodation during your trip.  There are a good number of such apartments where you feel right at home, with all the requisite modern facilities available, including a useful kitchenette.  One such apartment is the N S Apartments at Mount Lavinia, which is reviewed below.