TravelStream™ news feed for member big8little on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/big8little en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:24:36 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1215708060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1215708060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1215708060/tpod.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:24:36 -0400 Back in Vietnam (Hanoi and first visit to Sa Pa Highlands)

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Sapa, Vietnam

Great weekend getaway but prepared to catch up on sleep when you get back into Hanoi if taking the train and you can't sleep!

We left Friday night. Sze was great in handling all the logistics, we got our tickets (you're given vouchers first) through an agent which were then exchanged for real tickets at the train station through meeting up with the tour agent's representative. Finding the guy was an exercise on its own with lots of people milling around as with any good old Asian train station you can imagine. It's a complicated system - highly recommended that you purchase your tickets through a reputable agent and don't just go for the cheapest tickets unless you have lots of time (to be de-prioritized and returning on later trains than anticipated).

We got the soft sleeper overnight into Lao Cai - the last stop for the train (any further you'll be crossing into China). Each cabin sleeps 4 and they usually try to place the foreigners together. We shared with an American-Filipino girl who was volunteering for Oxfam Quebec (which deals in human trafficking) this summer in Hanoi. All nice and uneventful for us.

We arrived around 5:30am into Lao Cai and found our van who would shuttle us to the guesthouse in Sa Pa which would take over an hour. It was nice and cool - what a difference from the heat in Hanoi already!

Arrived at Cat Cat guesthouse/hotel (there are 3 of them! oldest, older, newest). We stayed at the newest one which was quite nice. Great balconies that looks out into the valley and the mountain range including the highest peak in IndoChina (mt Phang Xi Phan or as Bernie says it...Fancypant!)

The hotel was great as they are used to dealing with guests that arrive early due to the train schedule. Our rooms were ready as soon as the guests could check out and they hadn't....so in the meantime, Bernie and I had quite a few cups of coffee between us in 2 hours plus breakfast and enjoyed the cool and clean(!) mountain air. We were going nowhere anyway and just needed to chill after the symposium had ended just 3 days ago.

Rooms ready and we got settled in for a quick nap and nice hot shower to remove the zombified feeling a little. Explored the local market and town. Not too bad although it's quite touristy. A few nice shops including Indigo and a little art gallery tucked away past the main streets.

Armed with camera this time, I learned that the Hmongs, especially the tradition minded, actually take offence at being photographed as their belief is that this is robbing them a little of their soul/spirit each time that happens. Not sure how this balances out against the women who aggressively try to peddle their wares to the tourists/interact with tourists constantly.

On Sunday, we hired a jeep and a driver for half a day excursion around the highlands. I was expecting an SUV/van bu what we got was literally a jeep...100% Russian made...very tough...bounced our way around the highland roads! Great fun especially for 3 year old Jade :) Our driver was really nice but spoke minimal English which was just as well that Bernie and Sze could speak some Vietnamese!

There are plenty of side trips available and options for hiking etc. Ideally, I wish I had about a week at least in order to be able to reach the less touristy places to visit traditional indigenous tribal villages of the Hmong, the Dou (pronounced Zou) and other groups. And to trek up to the peak of Mt Phang Xi Phan (which can be done as an overnight hike including a night camping). Less touristy and traditional weekend markets are farther away where at least up to 8 tribes meet to exchange/barter are closer to the Chinese border. Not to digress but if you have plenty of time, another area to explore would be the highlands in Yunnan, China as there are also lots of indigenous tribes living in those remote areas and are only accessed by few travellers. The best way to do it is via a hiking holiday. I haven't been there yet myself but would love to visit one day.

It was a fun day trip - we started around 8:30am and finished around 2:30pm including some time for lunch back in Sa pa. Details in photos....We'd kept one room for freshening up before our train sleep back to Hanoi, leaving Sa Pa around 4:30pm back into Lao Cai.

On the way down, we could feel it getting warmer, sadly turning into sauna-like conditions of the summer by the time we reached Lao Cai and no air-conditioning...ick! As we journeyed down, we also noticed a lot more rice terraces being carved into the slopes (with greater than 45 degree gradients) and a lot of exposed soil (orange clayey). The result of which soil run offs were turning what used to be clear rivers into orange as the government is trying to transition the tribespeople from slash and burn methods up in the mountains into farming rice as a more stable form of agriculture. All this happening real time.

Dinner in Lao Cai and back on the train again. This time we were not so lucky with our cabin 4th person. This man showed up long past after the train had started moving....suspect there was a scam in double selling these berths (as there was a Vietnamese woman who kept peering into our window constantly to check if anyone else had shown up). So after an hour into the journey and all lights were off, a Vietnamese man snuck in and slept in the fourth cabin....completely woke me up as he smelled so bad and snored so loudly...!!! I definitely could not sleep after that which annoyed me no end given all three, the smell, the snoring and the fact that it was annoying me that I couldn't get to sleep and had to go to work when I got back! Still, a great sampler to the IndoChina highlands experience. Hope to be back for more.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1213789500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1213789500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1213789500/tpod.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:04:20 -0400 Back in Vietnam (Hanoi and first visit to Sa Pa Highlands)

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Hanoi, Vietnam

I spent a month in the city - volunteering for Conservation International for the Asian Wetlands Symposium. Well worth it and totally educational for me on how important these places area but sadly, the report card also indicates these areas are on a declining trend in terms of ecological health.

So here are some key re-calls about life in Vietnam:

Summers are hot and humid here and temps. maxed out at around 40C in one week when the symposium was held! Discovered a new favourite drink: cafe sua chua (yoghurt coffee) and they taste great!

I stayed with my friends Bernie and Sze, and their 3 year old - Jade. Being a kiasu parent and friend, Bernie and I decided to register an email account already for Jade...on gmail of course!!! haha

Got used to riding around on the back of a motorbike until my last few days, I gave in and took the taxis instead for the air conditioning! I even sat side saddle and got used to that.

Lunch with the Vietnamese is a ritual as with the French. Meal times are sacred....not to be had in a car like in the US on the run! Siesta follows and I can see why as it's the hottest time of the day. Not that I got to indulge in this ritual! But I had time for lunch; we always went out to eat which was a huge difference for me and it was a lot of fun getting to know more about Vietnam that way.

Checked out a Bia Hoi at least once....they're not quite beer gardens. But fresh beer on tap, with lots of delicious Vietnamese food available too. Great for hot summers and a very local activity!

Volunteering was fun but it was not without some startling reminders of working in an emerging market environment where photocopying is not necessarily done and sorted with a big Xerox machine. Logistics still require lots and lots of effort to compile huge stacks of materials! I'll spare you guys the details, grin.

Shopping in Hanoi is still very good value for money - go soon before prices go up! My favourite area is the Church Street area in the old quarters of course! Lots of great little shops to wander around in. Ipanema is still growing from strength to strength. Due to rampant piracy, the designer has chosen to focus on making more designs with leather materials vs her early designs with fabrics, beads and sequins etc. Found a couple great bargains in Song as the collection just went on sale (natural fabrics woven locally in Vietnam cotton, silk, linen). Lots of other little shops though with some great items/souvenirs - mostly still handmade but you have to watch out for the "fakes"/machine made. Vietnamese are going through the curve where "machine made" items especially traditional tribal textiles are gaining popularity. On the downside, inflation is running almost at 25% - it is hard for the Vietnamese to make ends meet these days. So just be aware. Still, the Vietnamese are a very tough people having endured years and years of war(s) and I'm sure will ride this out too.

HSBC ATMs in a quite a few places in Hanoi and I guess there will be more. The ground floor of the Hanoi Tower looked like little Hong Kong with CX, HSBC and SCB facilities available.

Lots and lots and lots of tropical fruits available and so cheap! You lose out if you don't have any - pineapples, pomelos, mangoes, mangosteens, lychees, longans, nectarines, dragon fruits, water melons. All, and I seriously mean all, very juicy and sweet. Buy and Eat!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1212837180/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1212837180/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/7/1212837180/tpod.html Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:15:43 -0400 Back in Vietnam (Hanoi and first visit to Sa Pa Highlands)

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Hanoi, Vietnam

Hi guys,

More a photo blog this time - Enjoy!

If you spend a certain amount of time in Hanoi, there are plenty of day trip excursions away from the city. Definitely worth exploring to see the countryside. From hat making, glass noodles, pottery, silk, textile weaving and lots more etc.

Fiona
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/singapore_2007/1183567920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/singapore_2007/1183567920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/singapore_2007/1183567920/tpod.html Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:46:06 -0400 People to visit and food to eat!

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Singapore, Singapore

Been hanging out in Chinatown more than I had planned as well as checking out a relative new dining area, it's all good though and it helps to have friends and family to enjoy it with.

Here's a quick summary of what I covered:

In Chinatown:
1. Hayden boutique on Club Street - Local Singapore designer specialising in special occasion cocktail dresses. Great scarf-like ones using silk satin and colours that are easy to travel with amongst other more formal ones.
2. Qi Mantra on Club Street - Massage! What else need I say?!!
3. Ember Restaurant (part of Hotel 1929) - Attempted twice to get there. Comes highly recommended and has been around for at least 5 years with strong staying power.
4. Down the street from Ember is a famous family owned and run coffee shop serving the fattest pieces of Char Siew (roast pork) I have ever seen but locals seem to like it enough to patiently wait their turns at being served. The few lean meat strips I had were delicious.

Rochester Park:
1. Colonial bungalows owned by the British (military quarters for officers?) and handed over to the Singapore Govt. and now converted into very nice locations for dining. Fabulous decors. Ate at Da Paolo - decent. Take a taxi there.

West Jurong:
1. Singapore style Indian rojak, a first for me. Very different to Malaysian style Indian rojak. You select your own mix, and the sauce (sweet and spicy) is served separately as a dip. Delicious.

Birkenstocks trivia:
Styles vary country by country. Asia: more patterns and colours. Europe: more classical styles and solid colours only. German HQ decides on pattern and stock distribution.
Tatami designs (Japanese range) highly valued by Singaporeans as collectors' items with regular limited edition styles. Wider selection of Tatami styles than in Hong Kong. Arch supports are designed to be higher for Tatami styles catering to Japanese (and Asian?) feet of which ~60% women have flat feet or a pronate stance. Since my feet pronate, these are fabulous for walking distances and standing long hours as evidenced by my 3 week trip to Turkey recently.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/kk_sabah_2007/1183874040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/kk_sabah_2007/1183874040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/kk_sabah_2007/1183874040/tpod.html Mon, 09 Jul 2007 01:23:33 -0400 In search of dugongs, orangutans and more of my country's animal kingdom treasures (leeches are excluded)

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Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Arrived in KK yesterday and checked into the Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort which is just minutes away from the airport. Met my friends Yogi and Pauline on arrival and checked in okay. Room is really nice with a view of the sea. Tested out the broadband, and am happy to report it's quite fast (definitely faster than my current home!) and back online again. Dad's land line and broadband was down, and Telekom Malaysia still had not responded (almost a week already) as to when they were going to fix it, typical.

All settled in, we had a fantastic traditional massage in the hotel. My masseuse was Kadazan, one of the major native tribes of Sabah and very skilled at what she did. Can't wait to book another 90 minute session before I leave!

Checked out all the various trip options including a possible dive this morning which I eventually skipped. Having only had a total of 9 hours sleep the past 2 days took its toll, so I slept in instead :) :) Pauline joined a 7 am yoga class, and Yogi went for a morning dive in contrast! Lunch and we were ready for our afternoon excursion, a "Wild River Cruise".

Meeting at the lobby at 2pm, we took a 1.5 hour drive to the Kuala Penyu wetlands sanctuary which is approximately 20 Kms inland from the South China Sea/Labuan Island vicinity. After a quick stop for tea and goreng pisang (banana fritters), we boarded the motor boat and started going up river. We lucked out with the weather as it was nice and relatively cool as the clouds had moved in for the rest of the day. It was very calm and serene most times but the idyllic moments were disturbed by other boat loads of tourists including some very noisy ones, including a very excitable Hong Kong lady who could not stop but give "everyone" around a running play by play commentary of what the monkeys were up to. icon: roll eyes!

We went up and down the river a fair bit, no crocodiles but very fortunately, a lot of proboscis monkeys which was really whom we came to see. These monkeys are a species that are native only to the island of Borneo and in particular, north Borneo in the states of Sabah and Sarawak, both of which are part of Malaysia. They are also different from other monkey species in that they don't eat fruit and nuts but feed on leaves (hopefully, not a threatened species like koalas and panda bears, all one plant species consumers). The proboscis monkey is recognisable with its distinctive feature, a large red bulbuous nose! We managed to sit and observe them for quite a while - given that the weather was so co-operative and we timed it right (late afternoon). They're usually in a group, one alpha male and his harem all perched on trees and looking very serene.

We were also lucky to spot a pair of greenish parrot-type birds with a pair of binoculars (species??) and a herd of water buffaloes enjoying an evening swim. We were told that a good healthy male buffalo can cost a small fortune here for local farmers (RM2000/~USD550). Back to the start point, we had a very nice dinner before wandering further back down the walkways to the river to see the fireflies. Not as prolific were the fireflies in Kuala Selangor (Peninsular Malaysia) which are now a threatened location due to pollution, they were still a pretty sight and good to know that we still have them around.

I had a great time and felt privileged to see and enjoy what we as Malaysians take for granted or worse, ignore. At the same time, I also felt a little sad looking at the current state of some aspects of the operations (and many boats run by other tours) and its impact on this place. Responsible tourism awareness needs to increase dramatically as we should be finding alternatives to ferry tourists into the wetlands without using noisy and polluting outboard engines and building zero impact rest stations, particularly in a gazetted protected location. Mindsets are slowly changing though but there's still a huge gap in attitudes and behaviour that will help us save, preserve and maintain our huge tracts of natural treasures for the future generations if we don't destroy them first through greed, corruption and ignorance. It's still hard to be positive when a coal-fired energy plant is going to be built close enough to one of the world's oldest virgin tropical forest reserve in the Danum Valley (in Sabah) renowned for tropical diversity and research to cause huge concerns as to its impact as raised by local environmental groups and anyone with a brain between their ears. Okay, enough ranting but as you can see, still huge challenges and pressures to what we have left and seems to always be so when it comes to $$$$ in the name of "development" and the environment.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1182202320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1182202320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1182202320/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:26:18 -0400 Discovering Barcelona, the Scottish Highlands, Turkey and Paris with a dash of Hong Kong and London thrown in!

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Paris, France

I have had an amazing chill out time in Paris. Enough time to contemplate, reflect and wind down from 5 weeks of fabulous travelling and discoveries. And yet, I have also had plenty of time to enjoy Paris with lots of double espressos sitting out at cafes people watching especially in the left bank or just walking.

Explored the areas in the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondisements which are all extremely walkable. It helped that it hasn't been too hot either which meant overcast skies especially towards the end of my stay. Saw the usual high end branded shops, also some French clothing stores but mostly the same as what you can find in the big French department stores which to me was too high street or chain-like. Still, it was nice to walk around the St. Sulpice area, Rue de Grenelle (starting from St. Germain neighbourhood), Rue du Bac, St. Placide and around Bon Marche, Rue Varenne and Rue St. Dominique towards Rue Cler.

On Saturday during my last weekend, we finally hit the shops in the Marais (THE best place for French designed clothes and costumer jewellery or semi-precious jewellery shopping) and I loved it. Didn't have time cover it all so it's one place I would definitely like to return to but I think my credit card was experiencing meltdown by the time we were done with half a day's worth of shopping! Good thing I was able to claim tax refunds on all of them too!! Rue de Rosiers was my favourite street for shops so far....fab, fab, fab, couldn't get enough. It was nice to try on clothes that flatter and are so well cut for my body shape at least rather than trying and hoping for the best when clothes shopping in Asia. Anne Fontaine (brilliant white shirts and blouses for women that are so French and classic), Creo, Cotelac plus nice little one store boutiques. I'm glad there are still shops like these as I was quite disappointed with the earlier shopping forays elsewhere.

Okay, Trish and I didn't just shop but also had time to have a nice lunch, coffee and dessert in between the shopping and tour some of the historic sites in the Marais. The narrow streets and buildings reminded me of the Gothic quarters in Barcelona - lovely for exploring. We did come across Place Vosges - I think is the oldest square in Paris and were just in time to listen to a mini-chamber orchestra playing Vivaldi or Bach. And there were still parts of the old Jewish district where Jews had lived for centuries sadly interrupted by WW2 (Jews were gathered here before being sent off to the camps) but managed to continue thereafter until the present day. We also came across the cloisters that contains a monastery in another part of the Marais.

Apart from shopping and exploring the left bank, I got to visit with some friends of Trish's as well on Friday and Sunday and had an opportunity to get a glimpse of other Parisian homes including a home in a village only 20 minutes from Paris. Chantelle is a French artist and sculptor whom we had dinner with on Friday. She sculpts and also draws primarily in pastels (oil and chalk) and is inspired by the human female form. Her sculptures are beautiful and also of women which are cast in bronze although she is currently working with clay and original glazing. It was great to have a private showing of her works thanks to Trish and I was a proud owner of one of her drawings: quintessentially French art in style but a very contemporary nude using one of my favourite colours, red.

On Sunday, we had brunch over in the 16th arrondissement and met a mixed group of colleagues and friends. They had a beautiful apartment on the 5th floor with windows all around as it was located in the corner of the building. The interiors still have old 19th century-style plaster work and the bathrooms were huge! Each bedroom was spacious but there were also not a lot of built in wardrobe space. The kitchen had a stunning photo of Santorini, a place the owners had holidayed in the year before and came highly recommended. As Jamila and her fiance were still settling into the place, we had simple but generous portions of paix au chocolat or raisins, croissants, scrambled eggs, french toast with myriad jams, cheese and baguettes, apricot and pear tarts, fresh fruit salad and nice freshly made coffee! We kept eating well into the afternoon and having pots of coffee or tea and just being continually stuffed to the brim.

The political elections continued both Sundays I was there and it was good to get some insights into France and the challenges posed by the country and how they could be met by electing a pro-business leader with Sarkozy. It was also funny to see the video of Sarkozy on youtube being circulated where he was attending a Q & A after his lunch(?) meeting with Putin and his responses as well as entire body language came across as having enjoyed one too many glasses of fine French wine. This was never shown on French prime time news. Although that (his inebriation) has now been denied by his press office, it still doesn't sound nor look very convincing watching the video! Plenty of soldiers about in the neighbourhood on Sunday as well as more TV news vans than I've seen parked outside on Rue St. Dominique.

Also had plenty of opportunities to experience the bad Parisian
attitudes displayed esp. if you're a foreigner (yep, I so easily
qualify on that score) usually by women this time, and even to locals who live
there like Trish ("it's Paris" she shrugs and proceeds to tell them off
in fluent Parisian French!) Unfortunately, it was probably a notch
worse too as I had a very rude encounter with a "you can never be too
skinny or too rich or have manners at all" French bag of a woman in a
supermarket in the 7th. And obviously because I was a foreigner. In
another life, I had lived in New York City for 2 years and never
experienced anything like that, cow! C'est la vie - Turkey had loaded
me up too much with their warm and generous hospitality! If I'd just
flown in from HK or China (ha!), it would've been a different ending
altogether!

Still, Paris is a great city; eating, drinking and shopping is always a pleasure. Here's to hoping the French and Paris do get to move forward in the best of all ways.

PS. The best macaroons and tarts are at Pierre Hermes - he has a store on both the left and right banks. Freshest lemon tarts and fabulous chocolate cakes and other super yummy sweets. He also sells chocolates (still think Royce chocolates from Japan are the best!) but I didn't get a chance to try those. Go now!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1181511360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1181511360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1181511360/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:16:06 -0400 Discovering Barcelona, the Scottish Highlands, Turkey and Paris with a dash of Hong Kong and London thrown in!

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Honfleur and Deauville, France

Trish and I lucked out with the weather!!! It turned out to be a great day for a drive to the beach as we headed north to the region/towns dubbed as the northern French riviera. Paris was cloudy and grey as we set out around 10 in the morning but the weather changed beautifully one hour out of the city. I'd forgotten how pretty Normandy is in the warmer weather as it's been at least close to 10 years since I was last here in June. We passed by lots of agricultural and industrial land as well as forest tracts. There were a lot of old houses that you can immediately spot that dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries and would be pretty to live in in the summer but I kept wondering how warm it would be in the cold North sea wind winters if it wasn't properly insulated. It was my first time riding in a Lexus hybrid SUV that was equipped with all the modern gadgets you can think of to design into a car for a fab driving experience. I felt like a car technology Luddite having been so used to HK taxis for the past 7 years and coming from a country where the average citizen (including me) can only afford the national car offerings in a protectionist market, this was a nice treat!

It took us 2 hours and a bit to arrive at Trueville in time for the weekend market (half day on Sunday morning). I always love the markets in France (and now Spain and Turkey) and wandering about looking at all the fresh produce and being amazed in particular at how delicious and fresh and cheap (!) the fruits are compared with what we'd have to pay in Asia. I guess it's the same when the Europeans visit and sample our even greater range of tropical fruits available back in the tropics :) Nevertheless, juicy strawberries, cherries, and raspberries were in season - over the 2 weeks in France, I ate more than enough! We picked up home made jams (raspberry, cherry with mint), a little jar of foie gras etc.

Deauville/Truville has a nice long beach and the light on the water was amazing. A lot of artists are in resident here in the summer over the past 100+ years to paint and try to capture the light and still do. We stood to admire and enjoy the views for a bit before we had some ice-cream and headed on over to Honfleur. Oh yes, this place also has a casino to attract visitors.

Honfleur was bigger and seemed to have more visitors in contrast. It also had tons of art galleries for you to explore. We came across a small vintage car show in one of the parking lots and also shops selling local cidre. Things were looking promising for wandering in and out of little shops. In any case, it was lunch first and Trish and I found a great place in the little harbour. French oysters (saltier but fresh!), moules mariniere with a glass of wine and fresh bread finished off with a double expresso - yum again! I don't think there is a day that I have not eaten well in Europe :) :) After a nice relaxing lunch, we started exploring the town.

Window shopping was great as well as popping in and out of art galleries looking primarily at oils and acrylic paint works. Trish was also looking for the gallery that showed her friend's Chantelle's works (sculptures and drawings) but we never located it - it was okay though as we were going to have dinner at her house later in the week. The highlight of my shopping foray was a pair of handmade authentic French clogs called sabot with a nice black and white pattern. Trivia re the French clogs: it is said the word sabotage originated from here as disgruntled French workers threw their clogs into the factory machinery and destroyed them. The shoes are pretty comfortable to wear although it takes getting used to initially and probably more comfortable in cooler weather and with socks. I still managed to wear them around Paris a few times though later on! Picked up some cider and fruit cider to try as this region is also quite famed for it. Trish picked up more jams/chutney in the same shop. Headed home after another "lounge" for a beer back into Paris weekend traffic hitting the periphery which wasn't too bad after all. We both had a great day and it was nice to get out of Paris for a day over the weekend as a Parisian might do! Bon soir!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180806840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180806840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180806840/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:04:28 -0400 Discovering Barcelona, the Scottish Highlands, Turkey and Paris with a dash of Hong Kong and London thrown in!

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Istanbul, Turkey

Got up for breakfast to say goodbye first to Jo. As we all met up over the breakfast table, everyone agreed that we had a fantastic 3 weeks and there was no place we did not regret visiting. There were certain favourites ie the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, Nemrut Dagi region, Kas, Selcuk and Sirince, Pammukale and even Fethiye/Karakoy/Oludeniz. Whilst we felt we had covered a fair amount of a larger than we thought it was country, there was also a lot more we didn't get to cover on this trip. All the more reason for us to come back again in the future sometime. Turkey has a lot to offer the traveller on all fronts and I would love to be able to return sooner vs later. I'm also glad I did this particular trip itin. with Intrepid as well to get to know a completely new country - 3 weeks is not a long time after all especially when "touring" is as open and flexible as this vs a typical guided tour.

Sherrin left later to join her daughter as we said the second farewell. Paul would leave later tonight back to Israel whilst I would leave tomorrow to be followed by Fiona who would stay on until Tuesday.

Paul and I decided to meet up to check out the air show that we saw being advertised and walked over to the Galata bridge and hung out for an hour and a half. Not a lot of planes during that time as I guess they were just getting started? I decided to head for the Spice Bazaar and then the Grand Bazaar to go purchase the linen tablecloth I had been eyeing since yesterday. Tried some local chestnuts on the way and they were yum.

Purchases done, I decided to go and check out another street that seemed to have some more contemporary wares. Lucked out as I came across a newly opened shop called Design Zone selling art and items designed and crafted by contemporary Turkish artists and designers. If you are interested in seeing contemporary Turkish works that draw a lot from their Ottoman heritage amongst others, you should definitely drop by this place. Apart from jewellery and some fabulous ceramics, there were some beautiful pieces of paper machier objets printed with arabic calligraphy as a design motif, modern lamp pieces designed by a up and coming Turkish architect amongst others (see photos of shop). It is very near the Cemberlitas Baths on Alibaba Turbe Souk (Street of the Tomb of Ali Baba) Feyzullah Ishani No:21/4, Nuruosmaniye 34120 Istanbul.

Design Zone is owned by Ozlem Tuna, a jewellery designer, who this season has a wonderful collection centred around the tulip, which is the symbol of Istanbul. I was extremely lucky that day as she was manning the shop and as it wasn't busy yet, we were able to sit down and have a nice long chat to pass the afternoon. It was a great opportunity to get to know Istanbul a little more through the eyes of a local artist and we found out we certainly had some things in common as women despite our different cultures, especially with city living and dealing with the opposite sex. I hope to meet her again.

Dinner was back in Sultanahmet with Erkut, Fiona and Alex. Alex of course was meeting her new tour group and I ended up chatting to another couple from Australia but were both originally from Malaysia and Seoul respectively. Paul popped in to say goodbye mid-way through dinner which was really sweet of him to do so. We had dessert at the Purple Onion this time on the rooftop and it was fabulous to get a glimpse of the Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofya and Topkapi Palace at night for the last time. It was finally time to bid farewell to Alex, Erkut and Fiona and wished Alex and Erkut well as they start their married life together.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180872540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180872540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180872540/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:57:33 -0400 Discovering Barcelona, the Scottish Highlands, Turkey and Paris with a dash of Hong Kong and London thrown in!

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Istanbul, Turkey

By now we were used to getting up early to catch a bus but this was a record...up at 4:15am to catch the 5am bus back to Istanbul! This would get us into the city before 11am. If we were to arrive in the afternoon, chances were high that it would take us longer to transfer from the main bus terminal (which is located outside the city centre) and back to the hotel in Sultanahmet. As we found out later, there was also another benefit to getting up so early... to catch the sunrise after all the numerous sunsets we've been privileged to enjoy in the past 3 weeks.

It was already dawn as light was creeping over one end of the horizon as we found our bus already on the ferry that was going to cross the Dardanelles once more. It was still too early to hole up in the bus so we decided to head on up to the passenger deck and get some chai. On the way up, we got a pleasant surprise to see a full moon setting over the horizon over the waters. Tried to take some photos but it was too far away.

Got settled on the bus and try to get comfortable to catch some more sleep but not before we witnessed a beautiful orange-red sky and big red ball rise over the waters flowing between the 2 stretches of land. As we travelled up the Peninsular alongside the calm waters of the straits, the environment looked extremely peaceful with mostly rural farmlands dotted about. Hopefully, it will remain that way instead of being gobbled up by urban development as land always seems to be.

Arriving back in Istanbul via bus meant that we were on the periphery of the city as long-distance buses were contained outside. Free mini-bus or van services would drop you off into the city and if they were nice, to your hotel. We were lucky enough as the van dropped us off in Sultanahmet about a 5 min walk away from the hotel. Thanks to Alex persuading the guys as sometimes, the vans may not be operating.

Refreshed and re-grouped, us 4 women decided to head on over to grab some lunch and to Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir's shop to purchase some Turkish Delights as gifts. This shop is famous and dates all the way back to their forefathers (it's still a family run business) who successfully created the first candy in response to the Sultan's desire for an alternative to hard candy. They were yummy as we tried some of the different flavours (they will let you taste!). Unfortunately, there were not too many flavours to try out when we arrived as they had run out of some of the others...yes, I'm being piggy here..more, more! Oh yes, lunch was a good tavuk durum (again!) washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice on the roadside...fab!

Jo and I decided to head for the Grand Bazaar to souvenir shop and wander around. I'm glad we did as it really wasn't too crowded inside at all. It's actually worth going and prices are quite competitive with negotiations of course. There are lots and lots of stalls, some with similar items and occasionally, you will find a few shops that sell unique stuff. We found out that the more intricate and elaborate backgammon boards are actually made in Syria, and the simpler and sometimes more elegant ones are made in Turkey. Beautiful Turkish lamps in myriads of colours and designs, carpet shops, leather shops, etc. The bigger items can be shipped. And in the centre of the oldest part of the bazaar, we found a great place to chill out and have Turkish coffee or chai and observe passersby. As with anywhere else for the privilege to observe pedestrian traffic in a big city (aka Champs Elysees), the price of a can of coke was definitely higher 4.5TYL (AUD4.50). Stick to chai. Next to it was a fabulous Turkish natural material bath/linen shop. Eyed a handspun and handloomed linen table cloth, soft as cotton. Best yet, it wasn't Harrods or Liberty pricing but I decided to hold off in case I found something better and as I had an extra day and a half in the city.

Shopping done, we decided to head for the Cemberlitas Baths for our second and last hamam. Jo and I both got a "complete" : hamam and massage and so, the second time was okay but definitely not as good an experience as the first one.

For 2X the price of what we paid vs the hamam at Antalya, we only got the complete (minus the use of a sauna nor a free facial nor a really nice place to chill out between the hamam and the massage as in Antalya). On top of that, we both felt like we were on a conveyor belt of bodies as there were obviously so many tourists coming in for the same experience. I did get a pretty good massage though even if it was for 30 minutes only. All I can say is, try and find one where the locals go to like we did in Antalya. The best Hamam experience apparently is in Bodrum by the way which we never got to visit in this itinerary.

It was time for dinner and everyone agreed that we wanted to have a nice meal to end our trip with in a different location. Alex suggested we meet up at the top of the Tunel over the Galata Bridge in Karakoy. Dinner would be along the main pedestrian road heading to Taksim Square which is the business district in Istanbul. We had a nice 15 - 20 minute walk over to catch the funiculaire up the hill (designed by a Frenchman in the early 20th century).

It was interesting to see a more local side of Istanbul on a Friday night. We picked a huge restaurant with good food and wine, but more interestingly, it was a place where upper middle class Turks were coming out in droves and having a good time. The restaurant had a good mix of young and old and alternative lifestyle couples (shims too!). We could hear live musicians entertaining a private party upstairs as the guests were dancing, a blind traditional guitarist downstairs singing old Turkish songs going from table to table filled with appreciative young crowds. It was really cool to see this. And I'm still wondering how the Turkish women can shake and shimmy like they were born into it...must obviously be in their DNA as I swear Chinese women were born to dance like we were all auditioning for the Peking Opera.

Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. We were too stuffed to have dessert even though we had been eyeing an ice-cream place on the way over and decided to call it a night. Walked back downhill instead and passed another old byzantine tower lit up at night and a neighbourhood that was undergoing gentrification but still quite bohemian as we headed back out to the Galata Bridge and back to hour hotel. Not before we took a few more photos of Sultanahmet's prized features for a night scene as we were on the bridge.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180613220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180613220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/big8little/europe_remix_07/1180613220/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:50:01 -0400 Discovering Barcelona, the Scottish Highlands, Turkey and Paris with a dash of Hong Kong and London thrown in!

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Canakkale, Turkey

The Dardanelles are a beautiful passage of water and still mostly rural farmland. We took the bus from Selcuk to Canakkale where we would stay for our last leg of our Turkey Unplugged tour before returning to Istanbul. Before we left Selcuk, I had bagged lunch which turned out to be the BEST Tavuk Durum I have ever tasted and it comes with the little green chilly peppers too. Right across from Jimmy's Place with the blue tablecloths, that's the place to go and order one or two or more! Yum! Between the pide restaurant and this durum place, and the occasional gozleme out near the Seven Sleepers Cave, I would be quite content to holiday in Selcuk for a while!

Canakkale is significant as from here, we cross over to the peninsular that is European Turkey. It is also here that we will spend tomorrow touring Troy and the war memorials from WWI's Battle of Gallipolli where half a million soldiers died fighting a battle that really in the end did not matter. On the way to the town, we could see the British memorial and we will be visiting the Australian, NZ and Turkish memorials tomorrow.

Fiona and I decided for the upgrade option to a proper hotel instead of staying at the ANZAC house (hostel). We were thrilled to be spending at least one night in a modern hotel room as we found out we had to move back to ANZAC house for the second night due to its full occupancy rate.

Dinner and then we watched the Battle of Gallipolli documentary which runs every evening at ANZAC house. It's almost 2 hours long but well worth watching. Sherrin decided she could not watch it nor tour Gallipolli as she felt really strongly about the war. I watched the documentary (which interviewed or read excerpts of letters from both sides of the war of Ottoman soldiers and ANZ and British soldiers) to get a better understanding of the conditions and environment they were fighting under. I did not stay for the Gallipolli movie after that (starring a very young Mel Gibson). Not to sound frivolous, instead I attempted to watch some Turkish soaps to get an idea of local current dramas and was surprised to see some of the customs I had heard about being reflected in the storylines. Core content are the same globally but less Santa Barbara-ish I think. Definitely less silicon and collagen for one!

Only Jo had opted to go for the Troy tour. The rest of us slept in or explored the town. I had my fill of ancient ruins with Ephesus being the highlight I think. Hellenistic and Byzantine overdose!

A nice leisurely breakfast at the hotel in the morning (which was included) and then it was time for the Gallipolli tour starting at noon. We met our tour guide at ANZAC house and walked over to the harbour to catch a boat across the dardanelles to the peninsular. Upon arrival, we had lunch which wasn't too bad even though they were catering for quite a mass of tourists.

Alex was surprised as later on, there were lots of tourists visiting unlike previous times and even though it was long past ANZAC Day (April 25). There were also a lot of Turks visiting the sites too as overall, more Ottoman soldiers had died here than the allies fighting this battle. It is now compulsory for Turkish schoolchildren to visit this site to remember.

Thinking about the numbers were staggering. Half a million soldiers died here in less than a year, 7 million died at Stalingrad during WW2 and millions more elsewhere...I wonder how many people will die in this war of terror that we are now caught up in? Brainwashed but deliberate suicides attacking civilians instead of soldiers vs. soldiers.

We boarded a large coach to take us to the various war memorials as well as some of the WWI trenches where the soldiers had fought to see how close they literally were to each other and how during the battles, they had gotten to know some of their "enemies" and displayed levels of humanity that seems to have gone completely out the window in today's wars. We covered the landing sites, memorials where soldiers who died had been buried, memorials for hordes of soldiers who died but bodies were never found. All I could think of was how peaceful and beautiful the place was in early summer with all the flowers blooming. The memorial sites are extremely well maintained by the Commonwealth Commission of the Armed Forces as well with the support of the Turkish government. Attaturk, founding father, displayed in this instance, great generosity by ensuring that all the dead no matter what nationality has a resting place.

On the bus, I sat next to a beautiful American nursing student (who's half Indian and half Italian!) from NYC who was on her summer vacation after spending one semester studying in Madrid with NYU. She had an amazing story to tell in how she met up with her Turkish friends after losing touch with them. Apparently, she spent some time in Turkey in another town doing some volunteer work and stayed with a Turkish host family. She kept in touch with them enough to know they were planning to move to Cannakale to open up a bar as that was their dream, and so that their daughter could attend college (Cannakale is a university town) but live at home. Well, she flew to Turkey and made it out to Cannakale without having a clue as how to contact them or find them. As she was sitting by a cafe on the harbour front in her first 3 hours and on the verge of giving up, her former hosts' daughter passed by and recognized her almost immediately! How cool is that?! And I visited the bar too which is right around the corner from ANZAC House. They had a live local band playing pretty good Turkish rock music!

Early night unfortunately as we had to be up by 4:15am to catch the 5am bus back to Istanbul. It being a Friday, we did not want to get caught in the infamous Istanbul traffic nightmare. Sherrin's starting to get a little blue as it's nearing the end of a fab holiday...
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