My Impression of Istanbul, Turkey

It has a been a dream of mine to visit the great Byzantine capital of Constantinople, because of my passion for Byzantine mosaics. I just finished a trip to Istanbul, and here are some of my impressions of where the East meets the West. 

Hagia Sophia is one the historical art sights which I've been dying to see. Unfortunately, of all the historical art sights which I've wanted to see and had visited, Hagia Sophia was probably the biggest letdown.  Due to numerous sackings, poor restoration, and lack of maintenance, the interior looked nothing like what I had expected or saw in photos and books. I was expecting to be overwhelmed by the grandeur of the opened interior space and to be in awe of the grand dome, which I was lead to believe resembles a glorious floating crown as light shines through its windows. But all I got was "What a shame...(it's not better taken care of)..."

Food in Turkey is quite delicious. There are tapas like dishes called meze, room temperature appetizers that are usually already prepared.  There are a lot of stuffed vegetables. And eggplant is referred to as aubergine.

 Shawarmas, stacked chicken or beef, are freshly prepared and grilled each morning!

People LOVE their tea. Instead of you buying them to go, the tea and pastry vendors come to you!

Turkish people are so warm, welcoming, and friendly, even the people who are trying to sell you stuff. They are always ready to social, chat, and offer you tea (for free!). They have a great attitude, EVEN IF YOU DON'T BUY ANYTHING!

That being said, that impression does't apply to the taxi drivers. First of all, traffic in Istanbul is really congested. I had met some honest and genuine taxi drivers. However, most taxi drivers are slick cheaters, even the locals don't like them. So, if you don't mind walking AND INTENSE BODY ODER, take the metro (which is pretty easy to navigate) to save your wallet.

Best Camera And Tripod For Traveling (And For Taking Selfie!)

I am not a avid photographer. I don't take photos of trees or random children playing. And I certainly don't carry a five pounds camera when I travel.

I do, however, take photos to document my travels and I love to share those photos with friends and family. What I look for in a good camera are:

1) Easy to use, because I am not the most tech savvy person

2) Quick on, off, and shutter speed. So I can take photos quickly before the moment passes.

3) Compact and light weight. When I travel, I am already carrying so much stuff in my purse, the last thing I need is camera that weighs like a rock. 

4) Easy to take selfie. I am not obsessed with taking selfies. But a lot of times I don't feel comfortable asking people to help me take a photo. So if I could see the screen when I am taking a photo of myself, I don't have to guess and take multiple pictures to get it right. 

I have two trusted gadgets that I've nailed down, which I take with me to wherever I go. It's a Samsung MV900V digital camera and a flexible mini tripod. 

The camera's screen could flip around, so I could see myself on the screen. To take a photo, I could either tap the screen, use a timer, or even just wave my hand! This is helpful not only for taking selfie, but taking group pictures as well. This way I could see if everyone is fit inside the screen!

The tripod could virtually grab onto any surface. It could grab onto a glass, which I did a lot at dinner tables in restaurants. A higher and further perspective allows me to include more background. 

It can grab onto a trash can.

Or the back of a chair or any railing. 

The official name of the tripod is Gorillapod. 

Here is a more in-depth review of the camera. I would say, to this day, it's one of the best digital investments I've ever made.

Best Travel Purses!

I refuse to use a real "travel purse". You know, the ones that claim to be anti-theft, with multiple pockets and secret compartments. They are so ugly and unfashionable, wearing one seems to scream "I am a tourist!"

Instead, I look for regular purses that are 1) lightweight 2) spacious 3) versatile to bring along for traveling.

Here are my favorite travel purses:

This bag is from GAP. I love that the material and color is neutral. I can wear it with any outfit. The gold hardwares add a little dressy element. I can wear the bag long. 

The strap is detachable. I can loop it around twice, and wear the bag short. 

 Or detach the strap all together, and use the bag as a clutch. 

 This bag is from an unknown source. It's a faux leather backpack. 

 With detachable straps, I can convert it into a shoulder bag.

 This bag is from GAP as well. I love bags of nylon material because it's lightweight and durable! It has a wide comfortable strap and numerous compartments. It's very spacious, so it can double as a carry-on bag or a day-trip tote. I can wear it as a shoulder bag. 

 Or hold it on my arm as a tote.

 I received this bag a as a gift; it's from Baggallini. It's my favorite carry-on bag. It has the capacity of a carry-on luggage. Because it can expands three inches taller, it can even fit a standard size pillow! But it's super lightweight! 

 When traveling, I avoid bringing bags like this: statement color that doesn't go with many outfits, uncomfortable straps, small capacity, boxy structure that takes up a lot of space in the luggage. 

In regards to "anti-theft purses" or how to protect your belonging while traveling, my advice is just use your common sense and be aware of your belongings and surrounding. I have traveled to many places, even witness theft in action. Fortunately, I've never experienced theft personally. I am sure I look and act like a tourist. But I don't wear flashing things or put myself in dubious environment. So, be cautious and alert is more important than how "anti-theft" your gears are. 

How To Store Large Pieces Of Jewelry

Every now and then I re-organize my jewelry. I like to keep a rotation of jewelry that are easily accessible. Because if they are stored away and I don't see them, most likely I will forget about them and not wear them. 

This happens a lot especially with my larger pieces of jewelry that are stowed away. So I figure out a new way to store them.

Since I moved all of my makeup to my DIY vanity table, I deiced to utilize the empty makeup case to store some of my larger pieces of jewelry. 

This is how I clean the inside of the makeup case. Take a piece of tape, press it down to the surface, then pull it off. 

The spaciousness of the makeup case is suitable for storing large jewelry such as statement necklaces and bangles. 

The fact that the makeup case opens up to different tiers makes it really easy to see all the jewelry at once. Nothing is hidden from view, makes it easy to consider what to wear. 

This is what I use to clean my jewelry. I bought them at Target. 

How To Plan A Trip: How To Plan An Itinerary?

Sometimes, it may seems like a daunting task to figure out an itinerary. What do I want to see? How much time do I need? In other words, how do I plan an efficient trip so I would be able to see everything I want to see given the time frame I will have?

I usually figure out my tentative itinerary BEFORE I book my flight and hotel. This way, I know how many days I will need on the ground to visit the things I want to visit. THEN, I book my flight and hotel according to that duration.

Here is how I figure out my tentative itinerary:

1) Sometimes I Google the destination and look through the images, to visually familiarize myself with what the destination looks like and it's iconic images.

2) Go to Tripadvisor, research what there is to do at the destination and what interests me.

3) Type in the destination, and go to "Travel Guide" section. Here, I get a big picture of the destination. Under "Trip Ideas", there's a recommended 3-days itinerary, which sums up all the major not-to-miss sights/attractions at the destination. Also, under "Before You Go", I can learn everything I need to know about the place, such as history, culture, neighborhood, currency, transportation, etiquette, and more.

4) Under "Things To Do", I read about everything there is to do at the destination. From museums, shopping, daily tours, to cooking classes. After reading travelers' reviews and seeing their photos, I decided which ones I am interested in.

5) I Goggle the locations of the activities I am interested in. It's helpful to have a physical map. So I could just mark everything on the map.

6) After everything is located on the map, I group them by areas. For example, the city-center area where I want to visit a museum and a gallery, or the river-front area where I want to check out the scenery and a restaurant.

7) Depending on how time consuming each activity is, I determine approximately how many day(s) I will spend at each area.

8) I will also taken into account some time or some day when I just want to relax, recover, or simply get lost in the neighborhood.

9) Once everything is taken into consideration, as well as major holidays and business hours, I know how many days I will need at the destination to fully experience it the way I want to.

How much time I CAN have, well, that's another story... :)