I'M GOING TO HONG KONG!

Hi Everybody!

If you've read all about me on this blog you will know that since I am eurasian and I have lived in 2 countries I have 4 homes in total, and one of those homes is Hong Kong. I was born there and I lived there for seven years. For Chinese New Year my family is going back there for three or four days and I'm going to Disney Land and Ocean Park (because I'm finally brave enough to try and ride the mine train!) So I'm very excited to see my friends again and just revisit the places that I loved when I was little.

However, we are also going back to Taiwan (which is where I am half from) and we're visiting Sun Moon Lake, which is a beautiful place I have to admit but is not my thing. I am more of a city person and will always be, but my parents are not, so since I get to go to Hong Kong and do city girl things, I agreed that I would go with my mum to Sun Moon Lake for three days, so I guess it's fair in it's own way. 

In chinese customs you're supposed to have new clothes, hair, shoes and new everything for Chinese New Year, so we're also getting haircuts in Taiwan, because it's the only place where my mum is satisfied with her cut! I'm thinking on maybe getting highlights. Wondering if I should get lighter (blondey-brown) colours in my hair because I've got dark brown hair with a slight purple-y tint, I was also thinking of getting auburn highlights as I think they look very pretty, and also because I'm a huge fan of the Mortal Instruments (go Clary!) 

Hope you all have an amazing Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, whatever you celebrate. See you soon. And sorry about posting 2 times in one day, I just had to :)

Image Credits:

www.parkviewholdings.com

www.cntraveller.com

www.chinahighlights.com

Istanbul MUST EATS

Okay, so a couple of my friends have already been to Istanbul and I heard so many good things about it, but the sentence I heard the most definitely was: "The food is SO GOOD!!"

Which, I found out, is very very true. If you are like me, and not very interested in historical sights then you can just sit at a local restaurant or café and just have a snack, my mum really loved a café called Simit Sarayi so I think you should definitely check that out.
So here goes...

My Top 5 Istanbul MUST EATS!

1. Baklava - This dessert is simply delicious. Thin phyllo pastry pieces layered carefully with soft syrup and classic walnuts. This is my all time favourite turkish dessert. It's just so delicious, but you have to be careful, as it gets very addictive! 
2. Apple Tea (Elma Çay) - Apple Tea is basically like warm apple juice. I know I probably let you down after the Baklava, but really, it's amazing. I liked the sugar cubes (or lumps whatever you want to call them) that came with the tea, as I just watched Catching Fire 2 months ago and always reminds me of Finnick (thumbs up to all the HG fans :D). 

Apple Tea

3. Andana Kebab
I only ate one kebab on the trip, but when I did, it was REALLY good. I am usually opposed to eating lamb as I don't believe in slaughtering baby animals, or any animals (yet I still eat meat....) really. But when I tried the kebab my mum ordered it was really really good.  Highly recommended. The best place we found with kebabs was the Buhara '93 just off the Hippodrome.

4. Turkish Thin-Crusted Pizza
In Buhara '93 the nice waiter forgot to bring dad's soup, so he brought over a dish that looked sort of like a pizza, but it wasn't baked and it had such a thin crust it was unbelievable. Nevertheless, it was delicious, so we decided to share it with you :)

5. Simit
As I mentioned above, my mum absolutely loved Simits while we were in Istanbul, we were constantly stopping at Simit Sarayi to buy more. Just go over to the café and order a                                                                    simit with yellow cheese. We recommend it :)

So that's it! Hope you enjoyed it! Opening up a new beauty section on the blog soon for people who aren't into travelling and food (but how could you not be ??) so stay posted for that!

Istanbul Sights

We were in Istanbul for four days, and during that period of time we visited the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Suliman the Great Mosque, The Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, The Basilica Cistern, a Whirling Dervish performance, many local restaurants and a 2 hour cruise along the Bosphorus.
But I'm only going to mention the sights that you really will want to see, if you don't want to waste any time in Istanbul.
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1. Hagia Sophia

 The Hagia Sophia is probably the biggest, most historical and prestigious sight in Istanbul. Inside the museum you will find grand pillars and stone walls and floors that caving inwards, with murals and frescoes everywhere.
Chandeliers dangle from the dome that has the illusion that it is "floating" along the windows.
The Hagia Sophia is an interesting sight for those who are interested in history as it was built as a church and then converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire.
I also recommend people who like photography to visit the museum.
But if you aren't too interested in either of those things why not go just because you don't want to miss out on Turkey's most famous sight, or just give it a miss if you like, I bet your children will be very happy, unless they enjoy history themselves.




2. Basilica Cistern

This was the most beautiful sight, for me.
The cistern is located just off the road next to the Hagia Sophia, and only takes about 20-30 minutes, so feel free to wander over after visiting the museum.
Once you get underground you will find a dark room with dozens and dozens of pillars all lined up neatly in rows with lights to illuminate them, a small pool of water stretched across the cistern and koi fish swimming around, waiting to be fed.
If you wander to the back, you will see two big pillars with Medusa's head beneath them. One is sideways and the other upside down, me being a huge lover of the Greek Gods and tales I was really excited to see the heads as I thought they were real until I realised they were stone (does that mean she turned herself to stone ?).
NOT A MISS in Istanbul. Beautiful, and you come out with amazing photos.
Go visit it!


3. The Topkapi Palace

We visited the Topkapi Palace on one of the most pleasant days we had in Istanbul.
I think that the palace is like the Hagia Sophia, it's very much like a museum, and is more for people who like history, but if you are interested in photography, then visit the Harem, as it is a small building off the side of the main palace that is very quaint yet grand at the same time.
It is great for photography, especially when it's a good day!

The main palace however is basically just text and displays that showcase things like robes, jewellery, weapons and all the royal luxuries that the Sultans had.
Visit if you love history!






4.  Mosques - Suliman the Great and the Blue Mosque

All three of us found that even though all the mosques in Istanbul are beautiful, they are all the same.
After visiting two or three you will see what I am talking about.
The mosques (again) are very good for photography, with the chandeliers, domes, carpeted floors and frescoes.
As we visited in winter, dressing modestly was not a problem as everyone was in coats, long warm pants and boots. But in the summer it's probably ten times harder (and hotter) to wear long pants and a headscarf.









Will be posting about the FOOD (the real business!) soon!

Istanbul (Pre-Post)

Hello :)
So it's Christmas break now in international schools, and so our family is going to Istanbul, Turkey for 6 days, and then we're off to the UK to visit family for Christmas.
Apparently this is a unusually cold Christmas in Istanbul, which is just great for me, but Mum doesn't like it so much. Currently, it is 3°C in Istanbul, and there is SNOW. Living in a tropical country it's amazing to be able to get away once in a while to the cold. It makes you so grateful that you live in such a hot country!
In Istanbul we will be visiting the Grand Bazaar and will be sampling many foods for all of you guys to try... Our friends recommended the kebabs and baklava. The baklava we have here in Singapore, you can buy them from Turkish restaurants on Arab streets, where we go sometimes to have delicious Lavash and dips.
We will try to update every couple of days, and maybe we will have a couple of vlogs (exciting!) if Mum lets me. Ha ha.

Merry Christmas!

Natalie xx