20 hours in Istanbul

I booked my flight ticket back home from London to Malaysia with Turkish Airlines. The very main reason for me to fly with Turkish Airlines is because I will get a free tour, under the scheme Touristanbul that includes entrance fees to the few most notable historical sights of the city, transport and food. I have always wanted to go to Turkey (having watched so many travel documentations about The Grand Bazaar, The Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia etc...), hence when I saw the cheap air ticket (about £550 for return flight to Kuala Lumpur) I got the ticket straightaway. Who can resist cheap air ticket and free tour of the city that you have always wanted to go?

To be eligible for the scheme, the passengers must fly with Turkish Airlines for both flights to and fro Istanbul and the time between the two flights should be longer than 7 hours for Business Class passengers and 10 hours for Economy class passengers. More information about the tour can be found here. 

Sights
1) Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii)
After having breakfast included in the tour, we walked from the restaurant to the Blue Mosque. There was no queue when we went in (or maybe because being part of the tour allowed us to skip the queue). All women had to make sure that their heads and knees were covered. I brought my thin pink scarf there to cover my hair.

The Blue Mosque, gains its name from the mainly blue tile-work decorating its interior, and it is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world.

Apparently when this building was being commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I, the splendour of the plans provoked great hostility at that time because a mosque with six minarets was considered a disrespectful attempt to rival the architecture of Mecca itself (Source: Eyewitness Travel: Istanbul)

The tour guide was not quite helpful. Expecting a relatively comprehensive guide (since it is called a "tour"), we were pretty much left on our own to wander around the place. We were just told to meet at the exit 20 minutes later once we entered the attraction... I also noticed many visitors were just sitting in the mosque, which made the mosque a little bit congested. It was quite puzzling because it was just 10am and how could they get tired since the day had just started? (It wasn't the fasting month either...) Maybe they just wanted to appreciate the beauty of the holy building...

One of my tour mates went on to wash his feet with the taps outside the mosque... which is pretty cool :D

2) Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is within walking distance from the Blue Mosque. With the tour, we managed to skip the long queues too.

Hagia Sophia has been around for more than 1400 years and it was built over two earlier churches in 537. Then in the 15th century the Ottomans converted it into a mosque. Currently, it is a museum.

Designed as an earthly mirror of the heavens, the interior of Hagia Sophia had a celestial feel. It could be even more impressive after the refurbishment in the building.

3) Basilica Cistern

Photo source: Tour Istanbul official website 

Basilica Cistern is a very unusual tourist attraction in the city. It is a vast underground water cistern to supply water to the Great Palace and Hippodrome. From my guide book, it says that the Ottomans did not know of its existence for a century after the conquest. It was rediscovered after people were found to be collecting water and even fish just by lowering buckets through holes in their basements. And indeed, there were many fish when I visited and they were HUGE! I wonder if the people actually feed the fish or something...

It is also interesting to see the Heads of Medusa being used as the columns to hold up the roof. I didn't take any picture in the place itself because it was really dark and slippery...

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/sep/14/10-best-sights-istanbul-city-guide

4) Spice Bazaar
Stalls in the bazaar stock spices, herbs and other food like nuts and sweets. 

I bought some Turkish Delight and pistachio for my family. The sellers constantly tried stopping me to sample the food and being totally on my own, I was very cautious. One man even said "I love you" to me seconds after saying "Ni hao"... 

More pictures of the stalls in Spice Bazaar...

5) The Bosphorus trip
Walking out from The Spice Bazaar, we went on to take a trip up the Bosphorus, the straits separating Europe and Asia. This is not part of the tour provided by Turkish Airlines. I saw quite a few Turkish people (probably locals) on the boat tour as well, probably because the cool breezes provide welcome relief from the heat of the city.

The boat trip costed 10 liras and lasted for 2 hours.

Bosphorus suspension bridge connecting the continents of Europe and Asia

Old man and the sea

Transcontinental flight

6) Galata Tower

Galata Tower is the most recognisable feature on the Golden Horn (where I boarded the ferry for Bosphorus tour). Its origins date from the 6th century when it was used to monitor shipping. Then it was turned into a prison and naval depot by the Ottomans. Subsequently it was used as a fire watchtower.

The entrance fee is 13 liras for adults. The view was breathtaking especially just before sunset.

It was already 8pm after visiting Galata Tower. I then took a cab with my tour-mate to the airport and ended our 20 hour transit in Istanbul.

Turkey, I will be back again to visit Cappadocia and Pamukkale. :)

5 Top Places to go in Vancouver!

Vancouver is such a fascinating city, while I like London more, the feeling of going to Vancouver has always been great, before my flight to Vancouver, I am always excited because it is always such:

• a refreshing change from the old, historical, full-of-tourists London
• a much needed break after the crazy spring term in Imperial (in second year for Spring term, I had 2 Mastery Tests which needed 80% to pass, and a formal final exam for Programming, given that I had only 1.5 weeks to prepare for that since I had already planned my holiday earlier, in addition to the exam madness, I had 5 other subjects which came with coursework submission almost every week)
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, to see my boyfriend (in case you didn't know, we started of just 3 months before we parted for studies in different countries)

If you are fortunate enough to visit this amazing city, do take an effort to visit the following places:

1. Stanley Park

If you have really limited time in Vancouver, a visit to Stanley Park is definitely a must, especially during Spring or Summer. I visited Vancouver during Spring, where I got to witness cherry blossom, and they were absolutely breath-taking. I've even heard of someone saying that the cherry blossoms in Vancouver might be comparable to what you would get in Japan! That is really interesting. So, if you do not have the chance to visit Japan during the sakura season, Vancouver might be a good alternative (if you happen to be in North America or something...)

Myself trying to take a picture with the pretty white Sakura

Stanley Park is massive, it's one of the biggest parks in North America, and walking around the park would take you hours. The best thing would be to rent a bike else where or near the park, and take your time to cycle through the park. Signs are everywhere so you don't have to worry about getting lost (yes it is THAT huge). Being very adventurous, I sort of dragged my boyfriend to try a cycling path that looked very dodgy, which seemed to lead us into a forest or something... Half an hour later we finally managed to get ourselves out of the cycling trail, and realised that it was one of the hardest cycling trails in the park. AND YES, we CONQUERED IT--- by lugging the bikes with us, instead of riding them. 

Me lugging my bicycle up the hill. It might not look steep here, but it really is.

And yes, I am usually walking ahead of him, probably because I am too impatient, or I can't trust his sense of direction, or he is just being a very caring boyfriend who wants to protect me by watching my back...

Even after our two visits to Stanley Park, I am not quite sure if we have covered the whole park. Maybe, it is always good to leave something uncompleted behind, and that would be your reason to be back. ;)

Just one of the very pretty sights of Stanley Park

Picture says it better: I was definitely enchanted by how beautiful cherry blossoms can be

Along the eastern side of Stanley Park

2. University of British Columbia

My boyfriend used to study in UBC, and I am sure that during summer time, the Rose Garden would be absolutely stunning. As I visited him only during Spring, I only have some pictures of the cherry blossoms in the campus itself. Coming from a university right in the city of London, I do not have a university with such a large campus, with greenery around. Even the libraries are really beautiful, unlike the library at my university... Most importantly, they don't try checking your student pass, which in other words, it would be much nicer for people to visit instead of having to apply for some sort of Visit Pass or something from the university.

Our favourite favourite picture!!! All credits to the awesome photographer, who painstakingly took so many pictures for us. Taken at Place Vanier in UBC

You could also visit Wreck Beach in UBC, apparently a popular clothing-optional beach in the campus of UBC and watch sunset there.

There is also Japanese Garden in UBC, which I clearly enjoyed the place. 

Remember to drop by Irving Library to have a glimpse of the pretty library. I don't mind spending whole day studying there lol!

3. Queen Elizabeth Park

I find QEP much manageable compared to Stanley Park. I think they both are pretty, it's just that QE Park is smaller and slightly more walkable than Stanley Park.

Unfortunately weather in Vancouver during Spring could be really unpredictable, so it started raining heavily when we were at Queen Elizabeth Park. Quite a shame, but the park was still really beautiful, and it felt good to be the only few people in the park - you feel like you have got the whole park to yourself! So peaceful that you get all the positive energy from the beautiful surrounding!

4. Fairmont Hotel

You might even get more English here. Imagine having an afternoon tea without burning your pocket? A proper Afternoon Tea in London could easily cost you £40-50 per person. So when I saw the voucher of getting an Afternoon Tea in Fairmont Hotel at CAD $70 for two, we both grabbed the voucher!

The experience was amazing, and it was definitely one of the most posh afternoon tea that we would ever had!

I would love to be back again, anytime. The service and the food were impeccable. 

5. Richmond

Being an Asian at heart who genuinely loves oriental food, I just have this thing for Richmond. I really like coming to this place, to get a feel of hawker centres and shopping malls. Richmond is such a Chinese suburb that you even get signboards in Chinese only, no English.(seriously I saw many signboards while travelling on the tube/metro)

You get cheap food in huge portion.

For example...

Another of my favourite would be the beef noodle from Chef Hung:

The list doesn't just end here... Granville Island, Downtown Vancouver, Kitsilano Beach, Capilano Suspension Bridge and so on...

But those five places are definitely those places that I would strong recommend to anyone. :)

Little Act of Kindness in Singapore: Getting an umbrella when it rains?

A few years back in Singapore, I loved going for a stroll after dinner-- probably to give myself a break before starting my revision for A Level, and also to spend time with the person who had a special place in my heart at that period. (to boyfriend, if you are reading this, note that it is only AT THAT TIME)

So one day, we went out for a stroll after dinner as usual. And at that time before coming to UK, I didn't have the habit of checking out the weather forecast, or even looking at the sky to see how would the weather be... (can't be bothered at that age?)

Just 10 minutes after we left our hostel, it started pouring. It was literally POURING, the very heavy rain that you normally get in Southeast Asia and you get drenched very soon after the rain starts.

Very luckily, there was a bus stop nearby and we just ran towards the bus stop and waited there. We didn't know what to do... Maybe just hope that God would suddenly have mercy in us and stop the rain...

Suddenly, a lady came to us, and passed us two umbrellas. She GAVE the umbrellas to us, unconditionally. I could see that the van that she was on had a logo of a church, but she didn't try to preach to us-- she was just giving the umbrella to us, and other poor pedestrians who were caught in the rain as well.

I was really touched. I tried asking how could I return the umbrellas to her, and she just told me to pass on the umbrellas to other people in the future.

Thank you to the random lady for the umbrellas, for the unconditional help. I would always remember that. Umbrellas could be something symbolic, but I would always remember your kindness. I would pass on the kindness that I've received to helpless people else where. (But whenever I approached tourists who seemed really lost, they normally kindly rejected me T__T, because I look like a con-woman?)

After getting the umbrellas, we continued strolling around our hostel under the heavy rain...

On our way back, I saw my two best friends, each holding two umbrellas. 4 umbrellas in total. 2 for themselves, and the other two... were probably for us.

They told me that since it was raining, they were worried that we might be trapped outside. Hence, they were out searching for us to pass us the umbrellas.

To date, I am still in touch with the two girls who passed us the umbrellas. And I am thankful to have them two in my life.

Picture taken during A Level in Singapore.

A Little Act of Kindness in... Rome!

Whenever I heard people talking about Rome, they often complained about the prevalence of pickpockets at crowded and touristy areas. I even read from a travel book that a man almost lost his wallet as two Gypsy girls approached him and one of them lifted her shirt to show her bare breasts, but the man was conscious enough not to stare at the pair for too long and managed to keep his belonging intact. True story or not, I am not sure but I definitely read this from a book. The author might have exaggerated quite a bit (?)

Most importantly, on my train from Pisa to Rome, I even overheard some other locals (I presume) telling the tourists to be careful as Rome is a "City of Robbers". I was like..."what the hell?"... I then approached some other Italians in the same train cabin and they were smiling and telling me that it's not that bad. Oh well, that was quite assuring? x.X

After hearing such stories, I did what I could to make sure that my things won't get stolen. Placing a lock on my bag, putting my cash in the deepest pocket inside my bag, and distributing my cash at different places... (p/s: i didn't place my cash in my bra or in my socks, if you are desperate, you could do that. Or if you like having something touching your stomach as you move, you can get those traveller belt which I think is useless and uncomfortable)

Fast forward the story a little...

My boyfriend and I went to this famous Italian pizza place (can't remember the name, maybe is Buffeto?) and there was already a queue. As I joined the queue, I started talking to a guy in front of me. (My boyfriend went to have a look at the pizzeria. )

The conversation was something like this...:

Me: Hello, do you speak English? (Because quite a few of them don't!)

Italian guy: Yes...? (He wore a pair of glasses and he definitely looked very educated!)

Me: Oh great! Is it your first time here?

Italian guy: No.

Me: I see. Do you have any recommendation?

Italian guy: Probably the most basic pizza? Margarita?

Me: I often heard people saying about a type of pizza which has an egg within. Have you heard about it?

Italian guy: Huh? Probably it is best to have the most original one...

(And my boyfriend got back at this time, and they introduced themselves to each other)

... ...

Alright, so his name starts with M, and I would use "M" from now onward since to me it would be more respectful...

M then asked us about the life in Singapore since he considered doing an MBA in SMU, Singapore. And he told us that he had an interesting Italian friend who worked in China as someone who just has to be chauffeured to go to clubs and parties (show his face). And that is his JOB!!!!!

After some interesting talk, it was finally our turn to be seated! Eventually we had dinner together as it was always nice to talk to new people and I like the idea of talking to a local as he is definitely more familiar about the place than us! 

While we were having our delicious pizzas, we found out that his girlfriend is in US. Being in a long distance relationship is definitely something in common between us and M! We even recommended him to use FaceTime instead of Skype because Skype video calling is so crappy. :P

When the bill came, we wanted to pay the bill for all of us but he was quicker than us!!! He was really kind and bought us dinner, because he said that we are his guests. We wanted to get him some desserts or drinks after that but we just parted ways. Nevertheless, we added each other on Facebook and we are still in contact! He is coming to London with his girlfriend and I definitely look forward to seeing them both.

Thank you M, for being such a nice and friendly host. You definitely make our trip in Rome a very very memorable one. And... I shall look forward to seeing you guys soon in August!!

A little act of kindness in Hong Kong

When I just finished A Level, the mad rush for university application started.

-SAT exam (which I definitely screwed up)
-Application to over 5 Liberal Arts Colleges (I was out of my mind and probably wanted to throw myself out of my comfort zone--the exam-based UK education system that has nurtured me for the past 17 years)

-HKU, HKUST university application 

-many other scholarship applications

-Aussie uni applications 

.

.

.

I was so mad about studying in a Medical School at that time, and so when the invitation for a face-to-face interview came, I booked the Air Asia flight to Hong Kong in an hour (of course with the consent of my dad) and prepared to go to Hong Kong for the interview! On top of that, the whole week in April was very eventful,  I had a scholarship interview on the day right before my HKU interview, and after HKU interview, I had a trip planned to Laos to visit my friend. That was quite a bit of madness.

Everyone who has seen me would say that I have a babyface, i.e. I look younger (and gullible?).

Thinking about the time, I still don't understand where did I get all the courage and a slight hint of foolishness to go to HKU for the interview.

Why "foolishness": Because all medical interviews for HKU would require the interviewee to have knowledge of Cantonese, and I didn't know Cantonese at all ( I speak Mandarin at home and I don't watch HK dramas). I just genuinely hope that my passion to get a place would warrant me a place in HKU...which obviously, I failed.

So I took a bus to KL from my hometown, then took another bus from KL Sentral to the airport, then boarded the morning flight to HK! 

Being an inexperienced newbie in travelling independently, I didn't do any research about HK (wasted time in such a happening country!!!)
I just prepared some notes for my interview, found out how to get to the place from the airport and that's it.

After the interview, I decided not to take a cab back to the city but a bus instead. All I remembered was the bus speeding as it got down on a hill. OMG that was scary, almost like a roller coaster ride without the seat belt on, and I was sitting at the very front row! The people around me were just grim-faced and couldn't be bothered. From then I had the impression that the people are cold and unwelcoming, and I felt really lonely as I was there.

I got off at Central, and found my way to the main street. I felt really lost at that point, seeing the huge crowds of people on the street. 

I did not know what to do...

Where can I get food? (I am not even concerned about how good is the food...)

How can I get back to the airport?

Where is the nearest MTR station?

I tried speaking to the locals in Mandarin, and they just didn't understand me. I felt really down.:(

At this point, a very kind lady reached out to me. She noticed me as we were crossing the road, and she knew that I was feeling lost.

She recommended me some places for food, and even told me how good the food would be.

She let me tried the most famous egg tart in HK

She even offered me a ride to the airport, which I rejected because I prefer to spend sometime exploring the place.

I was really, really touched.

After so many years, being a much seasoned traveller, I still could remember her very kind act. 

That reminds me to always reach out to tourists who seem lost as I walk in London.

That reminds me to always remain humble and help out the less fortunate ones.

That reminds me to do my research before going to a new place, i.e don't be so stupid and naive.

I felt the need to get back to her, but I am not sure whether she would get freaked out by me... Should I?

浪漫爱琴海-- Day 2

第二天早上的早餐

在Santorini我们一早就计划好要好好休息，为回到现实生活慢慢调试，这样回到我们各自的岗位的时候才不至于太过shocked，不能抽离在holiday的时光是多么的美好--这也叫post holiday blue吧。

我们就在Santorini的时候睡到自然醒，然后等酒店负责人带早餐到我们的房间。通常他们会在前一天给我们一张纸，我们要吃什么就在旁边打个勾，隔天他们就会在我们指定的时间带早餐来。早餐选择也很多，有Greek Omelette, Bacon and Egg, Western Omellette，还有很多种sides，有Greek Yogurt, Toasted Bread with Ham, Homemade Brownie...但对我们来说，吃的还不是很饱，但是看着那么漂亮的景色吃，还是很享受。忘了说，每天早上有Champagne，这其实也是这酒店的卖点之一，就是Champagne Breakfast at Your Private Balcony，虽然听起来有点奢侈，但我们在淡季的时候来，酒店其实也不是很贵！

黑沙滩附近的教堂

只可惜第二天天不作美，早上的时候一直都在下着雨。。。这让我联想到在Sipadan的时候第二天也是一直下雨T__T，没办法也只好默默地希望天气快点好转了。还好我们租了车，不然的话骑着摩托就得淋雨了

雨中的黑沙滩

 四月的Santorini还不是很温暖，我们也没带泳装来游泳，就走马看花了。

 陪我们绕岛的出租车--Smart Cambio。开始的时候就想租辆smart for 2，不需要smart cambio。那个时候还不是很清楚smart cambio除了开蓬还有什么，后来才知道只有smart cambio有power sterring，我的他第一次在另外一个方向驾车，就觉得就花多点钱租辆比较好一些的车吧。

一开始他驾的时候是觉得这辆车有点“没力”但后来他慢慢习惯了也觉得ok了。

天气不好没关系，回酒店休息吧

绕岛一圈后回Fira吃午饭

 淡季虽然人少了很多，但吃方面也少了很多选择，本来打算在黑沙滩附近吃午饭，但全都没开，最后之后回Fira找东西吃了。

我们在Lonely Planet上面看到Salt and Pepper的排名很高，就去吃了~

没事做拿食物玩~

 Salt and Pepper的老板娘好亲切，听说他们的面包也是每天早上自己做的，那时候我吃这面包的时候，还是温温的的哦，通常我觉得面包都很硬，但在这里的面包真的很好吃，吃完了可以再要多一些，也是免费的。

好多天没吃鱼了就叫一个Grilled Fish

他的Grilled Squid

 在这吃东西要等一段时间，他们所谓的slow food。你坐着的时候还能看到老板在煮东西，就有点像我们吃日本拉面的时候总会看到师傅们在煮面那样。

天气转晴！

吃完饭后天气突然变好了，最后我们决定再绕岛一次，反正都租了吃就好好利用，不要一直窝在酒店里面~

我们房间的balcony

Pyrgos, Santorini

绕了一圈又回到酒店，好好休息，在房间享受在fira的日落。

浪漫的爱琴海:Day 1

一直以来都很向往这座岛屿，蔚蓝的大海，还有依山而建的白色的洞穴屋，是我自小以来就从电视上看过，只是不知道名字的岛屿。

后来到了英国读书，才知道这个地方叫Santorini。当他要来找我的时候，我们就决定一定要去Santorini了。我们俩都爱大海，一起去过不少的岛屿，这个地方算是最特别的一个了。

爱琴海总会让人觉得消费很高，但其实不一定。我们俩去了一趟Sipadan，算起来在那的住宿还比Santorini还高一些，虽然是包吃但在Santorini也一样可以找到平民价钱的东西，经济又美味。

之前在欧洲住的酒店通常都选二或三星的酒店，就觉得两个人还年轻不需要太奢侈，但我的他对酒店还是会有一定的要求，希望有自己的厕所，不用和别人共用。但这一次，我们破例定了一家超出我们预算的酒店，就希望能宠宠自己，好好享受，既然难得来到那么一个浪漫的地方，就花点钱住间较好的酒店。

看了许许多多的reviews，我们最后选择了Asteras Villa。两个怕输的我们在十一月的时候就定了四月的酒店，还真是佩服自己。那个时候也是觉得既然都订了机票就干脆定酒店了。

时间一转眼就过了，我的两学期也就这样过去，去完了意大利的主要城市和雅典就到了我们最后一个目的地---Santorini。

到了机场，一出门口就看到有人拿着我的名子的牌。那就是我事先定的Smart Cambrio，付了钱，拿了车，我们就驾车去酒店啦~

我事先用了google map找去酒店的方向，结果谁知道google map的路是竟然是后巷，唉害我们在斜坡上要reverse冷汗直流（santorini依山而建，fira不是很平坦），还真感谢我的他，在我hysterical screams之下还能保持冷静，没撞到别的车，更没撞到人（当时有个小孩在我们差点驾进那后巷的时候还跑出来在我们的车前面玩耍，真是感谢这小孩对我们的信心，对了他妈妈好像也在那，但也没阻止他。。。)

最后，我的他下车去问了个陌生人要怎么去我们的酒店，那个人没听过我们的酒店，还替我们打了个电话到酒店去问方向，真的是很感激。。。（虽然那个时候我被锁在车上完全不知道为什么我的他这么慢）

转回大路后，再经过一连串的迷路还有问路，我们终于到我们的酒店了。话说当地人还真的很愿意帮助人，我问了一个老伯伯哪里有parking space他还亲自走路带我们的车到附近的家乐福，还用走的为我们找了个泊车的位子（我们一直都在车上）。那个时候我迷路的快疯了，没好好的向他道谢，也是太不好意思了。

终于终于，我们到了我们梦寐以求的酒店啦~到的时候，酒店负责人还给了我们free upgrade，让我怒气减了不少，再看到房间美丽的景色，什么怒气都没啦~

我们private balcony的景色

那么漂亮，怒气全都没啦

第一天就在附近走走，去家乐福买了水果还有当地的葡萄酒，准备看夕阳的时候，在我们的private balcony一边喝葡萄酒和吃晚餐，啊真的是太爽了~好像现在就回去呢~