Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Istanbul, Turkey Day 1-2

I spent my first 2 days in Istanbul sleeping in the hostel.
Which works well for me 'cos I really am completely shattered from all the travelling in the past weeks. I basically spent the day munching on cookies and bananas and finishing Michael Crichton's State of Play, which presents a really interesting perspective on the environmentalism and global warming.

Although my impression of Istanbul is based merely on a 1h drive from the airport (and the limited stroll around my hostel) but I still find this place really interesting- it seems to be a city of contrast. Western and Islamic culture meets and also, it seems to be conservative (almost communist like with the Turkish flag everywhere) and yet, it embraces democracy and I believe its one of the first cities in the world where women are allowed to vote.
The food too is interesting (although I havent really had it considering I have barely stepped out of the hostel) cos its like pitta (western bread) plus meat (grilled and roasted, which is pretty asian to me).

Im really looking forward to touring the city tmr. Hopefully the weather would be good, food good and people friendly!

Good night world (:

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter 2011.

I know Im going to get slapped for whining that I have to go on holidays (ie. travelling). But i have to admit I am truly getting some sorts of travel fatigue. Firstly, I know something must be seriously wrong when I all I wish I could do now is to hole up at home (preferably Singapore home, but London will do fine), read a book and occasionally study (yes, I mean it).
But that aside, I really did enjoy myself in the past 3 weeks in Italy (Rome and Naples), Croatia (Dubrovnik, Brela, Split, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar) and Paris, France. I will be off in to Istanbul, Turkey in less than 12h time, with the same backpack, and barely anything unpacked from the Paris trip.

Italy was great, cos I got to see a side of my mum I never knew. Someone so childlike, so sweet and who likes to laugh so much. To me, she seems to be reliving her youth again, afterall she did devote her prime years to us. And, Im glad that now I have reached a stage of my life whereby my mum becomes one of my best friends and I listen to her because I respect and value her advice, more than because Im terrified of her. Im also glad that when I give her feedback or tell her I dont agree with her actions or ideas, she takes it in and we talk about it instead of me being dismissed as a naughty kid who 顶嘴s. Its really refreshing because its been a long time since I had the luxury to spend this much time with my mum.

This aside, Rome was beautiful. I love the Italians- the men were dropdead gorgeous and really friendly, even when we dont speak their language. They would go out of the way to help you and show you directions or offer tips. The streets of Rome were clean and despite many warnings about thieves and conmen etc, we didnt meet any. The food was good- I loved the pastas (squid ink pasta omg yums), pizzas, italian starters, coffee, biscottis, gelatos and the list continues. I basically had too much food there. The weather was slightly too warm for my liking, but that is of course better than having it chilly. The typical tourist sites- Trevi fountain, Colosseum, Vatican City etc were majestic but too crowded for my liking. And because it was just after exams for me, I was getting slightly saturated after a couple. But that also means that I have another excuse to go back there again (:

Although Naples was a more chaotic city (definitely more unsafe with rowdy teens and drunks in the noon), Pompeii is definitely worth a visit. Im not sure if its cos I was able to identify with it more since I studied it for history last time or that it is actually just really amazing that an entire city can be so well preserved. It also really struck me how good engineers, scientists and artists the Romans are. Many of the technology that we see today appears to have had some of its roots from their times- saunas, ovens etc. Naples is also the birthplace of pizza, and indeed, it did not disappoint. I definitely had the best pizza I have ever tasted at a small family run place near my hotel. The staff was extremely friendly- the cook even came out to have a chat with us, the food was fantastic (portions a little too generous) and prices good. In fact, all the best meals I have in Italy seemed to be in Naples. It was also really interesting for me to contrast Rome, a tourist hotspot, and Naples, what I would imagine to be a less well- to- do italian town.

I will update soon about Croatia, whereby some of my mates joined us and Paris- who is truly beautiful in Spring (and when you have a local to bring you around). Meanwhile, I need to catch some sleep before I head off to Istanbul, Turkey for yet another week long trip.

Ciao!

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

End of Paeds!

Exams are finally over! ((((:
It was definitely difficult, but all I can do now is to just wait for the verdict to be out this coming thursday.
And I still find it amazing that I have managed to cram Paeds, Derm AND GP in 2 days. (Yes we literally end school on Friday and have the weekend to cram it). And somehow we manage it.

Heading off to Italy (Rome and Naples) and Croatia. Hence, will be on yet another hiatus.
Plans after that will include Paris, Turkey, Sardinia, Edinburg and Berlin. What a mouthful. WHOOPS.