Back from Turkey with an unintended tan! :( An unforgettable 17 days indeed! Realised local celebrity Joanne Peh was in Turkey at the exact same locations as I was, just 2 days apart. She even had a photo of the same food stall owner I took a picture with (if I'm not wrong)!
This guy is famous now!
Funny how differently I react to vacations from other holiday-makers. Usually, people prefer beach holidays with lots of sun, returning with the glory of their healthy, tan glows. For me, the opposite is true. I have been trying to whiten myself since forever (cos I think I suit the fair look more), & also, being a biologist per se, I'm super aware of the damages the sun can do to your skin (Skin-aging, sun burns, possible skin cancer, dark spots...). Of cos when you're in your youth, being tan is 'healthy', cool & all that cal; but in 10-20 years time, I hope you don't scream into the mirror when you see your once cute & character-defining freckles turn into melanin-laden pigmentation spots that would require hundreds or thousands of dollars lasering off. Thus, I was damn sad that the 10 months I took to un-tan kudos to my post summer-Europe backpacking trip was destroyed in less than 10 days under the Turkish sun! I should prolly plan a winter/autumn holiday next year where I can freeze my arse off & remain white. Not to say beach or summer holidays are not enjoyable, they are always too fun...but whilst frolicking around in that fancy bikini of yours, remember to load up on that sunscreen spf50+++++++!!! :D
During holidays, people tend to let themselves go, & of cos, one of the best things in life is eating. Food defines culture in many sense, thus, it is paramount that one should immerse themselves in a country's culture through eating. I have had the privilege of tasting great European cuisines last year, & this year I repeated my gastronomical quest in Turkey:
Sesame bagel commonly found on the streets of Turkey.
Having a hot-dog bun outside Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
Corn & roasted chestnuts: Common street food.
Having a super sinful waffle...loaded with strawberry + chocolate jam, fresh kiwis, strawberries, bananas, pistachios, almonds & doused with more chocolate sauce. Costs 8TYL (around 8sing dollars, similar conversion rate!)
Baked potato with lots of stuffing. Many of these potato shops litter the Ortakoy streets.
With choices like this, how does one choose?!
Dondurma; Turkish name for ice cream. Gluey texture due to the use of goat's instead of cow's milk. Does not melt as easily!
Various desserts such as Baklava & Turkish delights.
First seafood meal I had with my family. All these were grilled with olive oil & tasted scrumptious. I don't know how to describe, but their olive oil gave the food a smokey consistency & tasted so yummy!
One of the best calamari I've had, also grilled with olive oil. Their batter-fried version was also superb, I think they used a special ingredient as marinate. According to my Turkish friends, the taste came from their unique olive oil.
Like the grilled calamari, this dish also served as one of the hot appetizers in a typical 5-course seafood meal. It's a mix of spicy mashed eggplant with shrimp. Heavenly!
@ the seafood restaurant with my Turkish friends, who wanted to properly introduce me to a typical 5-course Turkey/Izmir seafood meal. & a feast was what we had :)
Mutated cherries. Cheeries, along with melons like honeydew & watermelon are in season during summer. Their fruits are very sweet naturally; no organic nonsense, no artificial ingredients. Thank god for their Mediterranean climate!
Ipek wanted me to experience how a Turkish breakfast/brunch was like...
Got to love Turkish tomatoes. They are all so sweet, regardless of size. According to Ipek, experts did a test once on the 10 best tomato varieties & 2 originated from Turkey! Impressive.
A disheveled me @ a cafe sipping their famous lemonade. This cafe was located within a chic area in Izmir where only the locals hang out. The place was much like Dempsy Hill in Singapore.
Highlights of this trip also included me managing to coerce my mum into giving me her company's new digital camera, a slick Panasonic Lumix (which I borrowed to take all of these wonderful pictures). Well, she didn't exactly end up giving me the camera, but agreed to sell it to me for 200 bucks!!! It's still a good deal considering how lost I was after my camera unceremoniously broke in a freak accident on my birthday last October. Besides, Mum bought it for $425 & it comes with an 8GB memory card. Hee hee *evil smirk*!
Oh...& how can I forget... I also managed to meet one of my favourite tattoo artist, Luba Goldina!!!
Luba & me, in her Izmir studio. She's a true artist, so talented & humble...showing me her art pieces & telling her story. I was so glad I got to meet her in person! I have my Turkish friends to thank, if not for them, I would not be able to track her down...only the locals know where to go! Teşekkür ederim Ipek, Gufem & Karaca!
Was also toying with the idea of soon setting up a travel blogsite with tips on getting-around, cuisines, hostel stays, attractions, must-dos etc & also share my travel experience, especially around Eu. At this point, I shall disclaim: I'm not an expert or anything, but I just want to share my thoughts so that if one were to visit similar places with my kind of broke-student cum backpacker kinda budget, they could apply some of these tips to hopefully aid them. But first, I must brush up on my photography skills. Today's blog is just a little trial practice. I still have much to learn. *Modest Mel face*
Ok, too much for 1 blog entry. Will leave you guys with one of my beloved photos from this trip! :D
My cute granny being snogged by an equally cute elderly Turkish gentleman. Seemed like not only young Asian chicks get hit on within foreign Western grounds!
Sorry bout' the poor picture quality, I was laughing so hard as I snapped this.
Sorry bout' the poor picture quality, I was laughing so hard as I snapped this.
Til, the next time!
