Trip Report: Istanbul, A Mystical and Historic City

Hi folks, hope all of you had a great President’s Day weekend. My five-day getaway to Istanbul was definitely worth every penny that I had paid. The city was such a mix of Eastern and Western Civilization. It was not as inexpensive as I had thought however. For example, a can of Pepsi would cost about a dollar at the grocery store but would go up to about $2.50 at a restaurant and $4.00 at the cafeteria of a tourist trap, like the Topkapi Palace.

After going on a number of trips by myself in recent years, I think I am getting the hang of traveling by myself which frankly worries me a little. As those of you who have visited Istanbul would agree, this is such a picturesque city, rich with history and culture. There is nothing like being able to travel from Europe to Asia in ten minutes, or find a historic mosque with the dilapidated mural of Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ with his compatriots. During my brief stay in Istanbul, I visited all the must-see sites (Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia and Topkapi Palace), cruised up the Bosphorus (the throat shaped river separating Europe and Asia, hence the name in Turkish), shopped at The Grand Bazaar, ate at great century old restaurants serving Ottoman dishes and paid a visit to the main city on the Asian shore, Uskudar (which I find a tad more conservative than its European counterpart). I also did a fair amount of nightlife activities in the Taksim Square area (it’s expensive to club in Istanbul by the way!). Of course, an Istanbul experience would not be complete without visiting one of its century-old Hamams (bathhouses). However it is important to note that the messages and scrubs I got from these places were not equivalent to those offered at a full service spa. The strength applied by these big sized Turks (most of them exhibiting great sumo wrestling potentials) would make you scream for help (the trick is, never resist, always give in).

Like any major cities, Istanbul has its fair share of recent immigrants whose sole mission in life is to annoy and harass the tourists. Since I stayed at the tourist-heavy Sultanahmet area, I was approached by these persistent plebians every five minutes on the street, offering me anything from escort services to knock-off colognes. I swear if I had a dime for everytime when these people asked if I came from Japan or Korea (they are common Asian tourists there), this trip would be entirely paid for! Fortunately being the savvy solo traveler, I quickly came up with a few effective ways to fend off these people:

1. Wear your headphone and pretend not to hear them calling you (thank you, I-pod)

2. Pretend you speak no English. Answer them in one of your native languages or simply make one up.

3. Pretend you are mute and just smile at them

Believe me, all these tricks worked for me so you should give it a try if you happen to be in this situation next time.

Besides these aggravating street traders, Istanbul has its fair share of robbers and thieves as well. This Belgium guy that stayed at my hotel was robbed after he followed some young Turks home. Not a smart move, if you ask me (What was he thinking!?).

I find the Turks to be warm and generous people but given a choice, they would not want to have our current President at their dinner tables (who would blame them honestly?). I was pretty cautious with my safety when I was there so I decided to tell everybody I was from Malaysia (which was not a lie really). That was undoubtedly well received. I did tell this Australian that I met on the cruise that I was from New York. We got into this disagreement about which city was the most international of all. While I highly proclaimed it to be the Big Apple, she said it was Geneva, to which I promptly asked, "why, do they hold fashion weeks there?". I did not argue further in order not to perpetuate the negative stereotypes they already have on Americans.

Aside from the expensive soda/alcohol and the pesky people who harassed me on the streets, I had a really great time at this wonderful city which is a crossroad between Europe and Asia. I spent my last night in Istanbul at a local bar near my hotel. As I conversed with the locals and smoked my hookah, I thought to myself, "this is life, I have got to do this more often!"

Trip Report: Weep for Me, Argentina!

Weep for me Argentina, for this diva is leaving town!

I think I should be doing the crying actually. After my week-long trip to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, I really find it hard to leave these two wonderful places.

Buenos Aires reminds me of a European city like Paris or Madrid. Never mind the dog poops on the sidewalk, this Port City of Argentina is beautiful, energetic and seductive in every sense. From the cobbled streets to the old cafes, travelers will get to experience and appreciate the uniqueness of this city that the Portenos (a term used when referring to the locals, it means "People of the Port") take so much pride in. In fact, the Portenos look very European too, mainly due to their Italian and Spanish roots. These folks are mighty attractive.

I was really looking forward to Buenos Aires after having spent a few days in Santiago (honestly Santiago is nothing to write home about). Actually, to be fair to Santiago, Bush was there for the APEC meeting when I was there so naturally there were many anti-war protests. I did not enjoy the choas, road blocks and the closure of numerous important tourist attractions (just because Bush was dining in the vicinity). I left Santiago with slight disappointment and was hoping to have a much better time in Buenos Aires since it was Bush-free and all. Sure enough I did.

Where to start? First of all I did what a typical tourist would do. I checked out Casa Rosada, attended a performance at the Teatro Colon, visited the sunday market at San Telmo, saw Eva Peron's graveyard at the Recoleta Cemetery, went to Eva Peron's museum in the Polermo district (that woman had some outstanding outfits I have to say), enjoyed a traditional tango performance at the historical Cafe Tortoni and purchased a leather jacket from my favorite store Bensimon (www.bensimon.com).

The Portenos lead a Spaniard lifestyle. They don't have dinner until 10pm or so and they stay up until 2am-3am even on a week night. You will feel this late-night vibrancy if you stay in the Palermo Viejo area. There are many great boutique hotels and B&Bs here. One of my favorite is the Malabia House (www.malabiahouse.com.ar). Book early and it tends to fill up quickly. If you desire more elegance and tranquility, you should consider staying in the Recoleta district. The century old buildings here will no doubt remind you of the buildings in old European cities like Paris or Madrid.

As expected I partied a lot in Buenos Aires. I also ate a lot. Meals in Buenos Aires are very inexpensive. A nice meal consisting of grilled meats and a bottle of wine at a local restaurant would cost you USD8-10 or so. My most humble and memorable experience in Buenos Aires would be a dinner I had at a local steak/buffet house. Since I didn't speak any Spanish and the staff there didn't speak much English, I had problem ordering from the menu. The owner of the restaurant, an asian lady, came out and started conversing with me in Spanish. I gave it a shot and asked if she understood Mandarin. She did and we started conversing in Mandarin. She told me how she came to this country from China and started working as a cashier at a grocery store (and her experience during the riot in the city). She saved up enough money to open this restaurant. It may be a classic immigrant story, but for an Asian like me who does not exhibit any positive Asian stereotypes such as hardworking, smart and modest, I find this story awe-inspiring. Ha ha!

No trip to Buenos Aires is perfect without a side trip to Iguazu Falls. Stretching along the borders of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, this famous fall is often chosen by many as a side trip destination when visiting Buenos Aires. A modern circuit of footbridges and natural paths allow visitors to penetrate into the dense jungle, as well as to contemplate the fall of the water from inside the cascades. There are boat trips that will take you to the biggest waterfall (The Devil's Throat) that reaches a 80m height. You can also travel to the Brazilian side (you will need a visa) to enjoy the spectacular views of the fall. Believe me, Iguazu Falls put Niagara Falls to shame. The falls are located in Puerto Iguazu which is a 2 hour flight from Buenos Aires.

If you get a chance, please visit Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls soon. Enjoy the devaluation of the country's currency (Peso) before the country becomes a more expensive place to visit. I guarantee you will have a blast here. I sure did. In fact, I am planning on another trip down there soon. The clothes at Bensimon are calling me...