Hot Wontons

The biggest detour of my life (so far)

2012-02-15T23:21:00.001-08:00

I'm now living and working in Beijing. WTF? How did this happen? Let me start at the beginning:

After 7 years in NYC, I was getting the 7-year-itch. I made plans to move to Los Angeles starting February 1st, but also decided to spend the holidays in China with my family. I was getting antsy doing nothing so within 2 weeks of being Beijing, I started casually looking for freelance work in the entertainment industry. I was also curious what it would be like to work as an on-air talent in China.

I guess sometimes life serves you interesting options - options you find hard to say no to. I was hired on the spot during an interview at an independent TV station called Blue Ocean Network. They offered me a full time position to host my own show based around inflation in China as compared to the US. Everything's in English as it's for the US audience. I've always fantasized about having a Mary Tyler Moore-esque life and here was my chance. I figured, why the hell not.

So here I am, on my 4th day at work and due to confidentiality reasons, I can't write much more about my job or my new company. But I can tell you that not hopping on that flight back to the US was one of the toughest but also liberating decisions I've ever made. Imagine how my friends reacted when I posted the FB message: "I've decided to stay in Beijing and will not be returning to the US anytime soon."

I would've never been ready for this opportunity a year ago, or even 6 months ago. But look at me now, living out of one suitcase and battling the rush hour subway traffic everyday like a Chinese native.

Oh BTW, this would be my first full time job in almost 6 years. That in itself takes a while getting used to.

Cheapest thing in China: Human labor

2012-01-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

The prices of goods in China are terribly inflated, quickly surpassing prices in the U.S.; however, one thing remains abundant and cheap: human labor.

Today I went for a little stroll with my mom and ran into several "beauty stations" where you could get your nails and makeup done. You could even get your makeup tattooed, but I would't dare to do something so permanent at one of these temporary set-ups. But get this, my mom and I both got our eyebrows done for roughly $0.80 each. 80 cents!

Then before headed out to dinner, we decided to get our hair blown out. This is kind of a ritual for NYC women, a ritual I never understood or participated in. However, it was roughly $1.50! Yes one dollar and fifty cents. How could you say no? And the best part, the stylist was super skilled and efficient. He did all my curls with just the tip of his fingers. No curling iron and no round brushes. I was in and out in 15 minutes.

Now, let's compare these prices with some other stuff:

Eyebrow shaping: $0.80

Hair blowout: $1.50

Live-in nanny: $400/month

Mid-grade cell phone: $700

Cappuccino: $4.00

Move ticket: $10-$20

Rent for a one bedroom in a big city: $700/month

Average income for college grads: $500/month

So to put it in perspective, as a working college grad, you won't be able to afford rent or a cell phone, but you sure can have a live-in nanny and still have money left over to get your hair blown out 66 times/month.

Lost in translation: Lady parts

2012-01-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

West Lake, Hangzhou

2011-12-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

My mom and I decided to take a quick trip out to West Lake (Xihu), Hangzhou. We took the bullet train and it was about a 2 hour trip. I didn't know what to expect except for a big lake (obvi), but upon arrival, Xihu is one of the most beautiful, scenic places I've ever witnessed.

The lake it self is encompassed by willow trees. The water is abundant and calm with reflections of faraway mountains. It is not surprise that this is a place of "poetic inspiration."

Tee city of Hangzhou also houses many Buddhist temples and landmarks. The climate is moderate which allows for everything to stay so lush and green!

I would describe this city as serene, inspiring, creative, and romantic. A perfect vacation for a 2nd honeymoon or anniversary.

"Excuse me, pretty woman." The evolution of how women are viewed in China

2011-12-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

I took a very attractive picture at lunch today. That's me, with a giant fish eye in my mouth. Hot, I know.

As I was walking to the gym tonight, this woman stopped me and said, "Excuse me, pretty woman, where is Bai Cao Yuan." I was 1) impressed that I knew where to direct her and 2) thrilled that she called me a "pretty woman."

Turns out, I could've had one eye and missing teeth and she still wouldn't called me "pretty woman." Here's an evolution of how strangers address each other in China. I find it quite profound.

During the Cultural Revolution and even years after, everyone was addressed as "comrade [tong zhi]," no matter male or female. Very telling of such a time of Communism and everyone seen as an equal.

In modern years, as in the years I grew in China, women were addressed as "miss [xiao jie]." It was polite to say, "Excuse miss, can you tell me..." Pretty normal, right? And I would say pretty much on par with the rest of the world.

Well, in recent years, it's now a trend to address women as "pretty woman [mei nu]" and men as "handsome brother [shuai ge er]." It's a flattering way to address anyone, but it is extremely reflective of Chinese society today: vanity. Chinese citizens now have money, status and freedom, so they spend a lot of energy on improving themselves. Makeup. Clothes. Gym. Plastic surgery. Personal consumption in general is at a peak. For years, the Chinese people did not pamper themselves like Westerners do, and now they are quickly making up for those unselfish years.

I think this trend is also very relevant to what's going on in Beijing right now, since I can only speak with enough knowledge about that city. There's simply a shortage of women my age. And what's my age? The marrying age. I think this is definitely because of the former one child policy and traditional male favoritism that led to a lot of suspected female abortions. But that's another topic all together. Now, because there's more men than women, men have to have EXTREME favorable conditions to attract any female. That means owning an apartment, a car, having a good job, and knowing how to pamper the wife by handling domestic duties! So, I predict that my generation may churn out offsprings consisting of spoiled females. What a major flip flop in Chinese culture and traditions. I am excited to watch my predictions come true. Holla!

One of my favorite moments in China: public dancing

2011-12-27T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I love to dance. What I love even more is dancing in public. Surrounded by old people.

One of my favorite moments would have to be witnessing and participating in public dancing. Trust me, flashmobs have been around in China for YEARS. I was reminded of this favorite moment when mom and I walked back from the gym and were greeted with blaring synthesized ballroom music at the front gate of the apartment village. All of a sudden, everyone (the young, the old, the pretty, the ugly) becomes professional ballroom dancers, gingerly galloping around an imaginary stage. Some are couples, some are same-sex friends, and some are just alone dancing with thin air. It's in this moment that nobody gives a shit what others think of them.

Public dancing can be found pretty much anywhere throughout China and it's usually organically organized by the apartment village. I believe the apartment association even funds the sound system and music. ME LIKEY!

And that would be the dentist...right behind the butcher shop

2011-12-27T06:03:00.000-08:00

I would like a leg of lamb and a root canal please.

MANHOOD

2011-12-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

I joined a gym in Changzhou because I'm going to be here for a while and there's not much to do around here. The gym is the only one available in the area, and it's called, I shit you not, Manhood. The Chinese name for it loosely translates to "a place for fitness," but Manhood? Not sure where that came from.

The gym is quite small but has all the necessary equipment. They offer some fun (and funny) classes at night including yoga, belly dance, step, aerobics, and my favorite, "traditional Chinese dance" where we literally fanned out our fingers for a good 10 minutes.

The people are the gym are pretty interesting, too. They're all young professionals. The guys swarm the weights section and the women are on treadmills...in turtleneck sweaters. I'm not sure if they're trying to pass out from heat exhaustion.

And the price? Pricier than a regular 24 Hour Fitness or Crunch. I'm not sure how they're able to get away with it considering every class I've been to has been no more than 5 people.

What I do love about the place is that the room for group classes is extremely ideal for dancing. I've already talked them into letting me use it during the day for my own stuff. I've been working on some choreography that I plan on teaching either here or back in the U.S., so I'm excited to have the space to do that!

Lost in translation: I love my seafood fashionable

2011-12-27T05:38:00.000-08:00

Kim Jong Il; Chairman Mao

2011-12-27T01:49:00.000-08:00

A friend on Facebook posted the above video of North Koreans crying hysterically over the death of their leader, Kim Jong Il. Watching the video reminded me of stories my parents told me about the death of Chariman Mao. I had to ask them again; they vividly remembered that day as everyone weeped uncontrollably when they found out about Mao's death. My mom described it as if a family member had passed away. She said one of the sayings they repeated in school was, "There's your mom's love, there's dad's love, but no love compares to Chariman Mao's love." Talk about a dictatorship!

In light of today's technology and social media, I find it much easier to influence the masses because as a public figure (i.e. celebrity), you can choose to be deeply woven into everyone's lives even if you don't know them, through Twitter, Facebook, etc. People develop connections with figures who they can relate to or who have changed their life in some way (I'm thinking of Steve Jobs here). However, in the era of Chairman Mao, there was no such thing as social media, or advanced technology. There were fear tactics, concealing the truth...but how was he able to create actual feelings? Somehow, Chinese citizens welcomed him as a beloved family member. Dictatorship aside, I still find what he accomplished pretty damn impressive.

[Disclaimer: I am not a Communist.]

Lost in translation: That's why I love the taste of this tea

2011-12-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

What happens to a fish fugitive?

2011-12-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's the first to be slaughtered, duh.

[NOT PETA-FRIENDLY]

The great thing about being in Changzhou is the plethora of fresh seafood. We can literally buy live fish right downstairs from the apartment building.

Name that fruit!

2011-12-25T22:02:00.001-08:00

Lost in translation: Where does the bad go?

2011-12-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Lost in translation: Pretty sure that's not espresso

2011-12-25T21:57:00.001-08:00

Lost in translation: Frozen bugs?

2011-12-25T21:56:00.000-08:00

Chinese eating traditions and customs = EXHAUSTING

2011-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I love and hate about my Chinese culture is the traditions/customs. I love it because it's fed from a rich history that stems back thousands of years. I hate it because I find it irrelevant to modern society and at times very stressful.

As someone who did not grow up as an adult in China, you can probably understand my frustration of leaving this country as a child and being expected to behave like a child and coming back now as an adult and being expected to behave like a Chinese adult.

Case in point: we go out to dinner with some of my dad's colleagues. Now, American culture is very...for a lack of a better word...selfish. You order your own food, you sit wherever you want, you talk about whatever's on your mind, and then you pay for yourself (most of the time). In Chinese culture, going out to dinner with non-family members is like putting on a full production:

- GIFTING: You never show up empty handed, especially if you go over to someone's house. Usually, fruit and high-end tea are the norm, but as a family coming back from the US, American gifts are expected, such as nuts (I'm not sure why), dried fruit, and a recent popular phenomenon, Coach purses.

- REVERSE GIFTING: Because the "hosts" know the invitees will bring gifts, there's a tradition of reverse-gifting, where they'll also gift the guests. These gifts usually consist of something for the women or the children of the family - toys or silk scarves seem to be the norm.

- REPEAT GIFTING: As if that wasn't enough, you have to keep track of what you gift to each person because you never want to repeat the same type of gift. I swear my mom has an excel spreadsheet in her head to keep track because she'll know like clockwork, "can't give them nuts, we gave them that last time. Dired fruit it is."

- SEATING: Now that we finally have the gifts in order, how about we sit down? Oh no, you can't just sit anywhere you want. The "guest of honor" or the eldest guest sits at the head of the table. If the head of the table is not exactly clear, then the most desirable seat is the seat that is farthest away from door, clear of all traffic. The seat is not the most complicated part, the most complicated part is who should sit there. There's usually a "fight" for who should sit there because everyone's too "humble" to take the spot.

- TOASTING & POURING: This is where I tend to screw up the most. The youngest at the table is suppose to pour for everyone else at the table, whether it be tea or wine. The youngest adult is also suppose to toast the guests - saying pretty things like, "To a healthy and young forever." I don't know how to say those things in Chinese, so I always just end up saying, "Happy Holidays" even when it's not the holidays.

- OVER ORDERING: This is the fun part. This is where you try to make everyone as fat and bloated as possible. As the person who is designated to order (usually the host), his/her job is to over order so that everyone ends up with Diabetes. You have to follow a formula of ordering a little bit of everything: fish, meat, cold dishes, hot dishes, a soup, noodles, and fruit. Everything is served family-style and most likely, not vegetarian-friendly. There's not usually a habit of ordering a dessert at the end, but trust me you wouldn't have room for dessert anyway.

- FIGHTING TO PAY: I wish I could create a musical for the way Chinese people fight for the tab. The fact is, everyone genuinely wants to pay. There's no such thing as the "fake reach." So at the end of the meal, while everyone's already stressed and bloated, the tension builds as the check comes and everyone tackles it like a football. There's usually some polite tugging and pleas of why they should pay ("I'm paying because you're my guest." "You can't pay, you're my boss." "Let me pay, I picked this restaurant"). Oy vey. Someone does always prevail and everyone breathes a sign of relief.

Let me tell you, this is just half of it. There's other things like, how the head of the fish has to face the eldest person. There's a specific order in which the tea should be poured. Etc etc, the list goes on and on. And frankly, it's so irrelevant today but still expected to some degree. I love to eat, but not when we raise the red lantern and revert back to the Tang Dynasty.

My new favorite snack: Caplico Green Tea Wafers

2011-12-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this yummy little snack while perusing the local grocery store. It literally tastes like green tea ice cream, but it's not frozen. Perfect winter snack. Now who wants to help me smuggle an obscene supply of this to the US?

Christmas in China

2011-12-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first to admit that it's sometimes depressing to celebrate the holidays with just the 3 of us. My mom and I are currently in Changzhou, China where my dad is for business purposes. Our extended family is in Beijing, which is still a 10 hour drive away. I've often envied people with big families on Christmas Eve - crying babies, affectionate aunts and perverted uncles. A big, dysfunctional family is a lot better than no family!

But, to make up for the lack of "noise" this Christmas, we had a delicious Christmas dinner, complete with chicken feet and Santa Claus.

In recent years, Chinese people have really gotten into the whole Christmas tradition, for non-religious reasons. Many participate in decorating a tree and gift-exchanging. When we went out for the dinner, the restaurant was completely full of people celebrating the spirit of Christmas. All the waitstaff wore Santa hats and there were Christmas lights throughout the restaurant. Although I doubt any of them could tell you about the history of Christmas, they sure enjoy the festivities!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Lost in translation: Let the funny Engrish begin!

2011-12-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts about being back in China is catching all the funny English translations in public places. I found all these gems all in one day here in Changzhou, China!

Going to Asia for the holidays!

2011-12-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

This year, I decided to do an extended stay in Asia and hit all the major holidays: Christmas, New Year's and most importantly, Chinese New Year's. As much as I was excited to have an "exotic" holiday season, I was a little bummed to not spend New Year's in NYC in I think 5 years! To make up for it, I had to pull an all nighter with my dance crew before taking off on my 6:40am flight. A flight that involved a stop in Chicago, LA, and then Shanghai. Yikes!

General thoughts on Israel: My need for an ACT V

2011-12-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

My mind is racing so I'm just going to list out my thoughts:

- I think the Dead Sea made my hair extra curly! Why won't anybody believe me?
- I could've skipped Tel Aviv and went straight to Jerusalem. I love places that are very "different" and Jerusalem was just what the doctor ordered.
- Overall, I preferred Israel over Turkey. I found the people to be more pleasant (with the exception of our lovely friend Dogan in Istanbul).
- I would highly recommend studying up on Israeli history before going. I regret not doing that and just felt like a dumb dumb in most of the places I went to. I did all of my studying afterwards, but now am itching to revisit the places with my new found knowledge.
- Why don't other countries offer Birthright trips like the Israelis do. Especially seeing how many immigrants there are in America, it would be nice for these kids (including myself) to go back to their respective countries and be educated about the cultural, political and social aspects of their roots. So jealous of my Jewish friends!
- When I mentioned I was going to Turkey and Israel to my friends, many of them questioned why I chose Israel. Honestly, I had never thought about visiting Israel as it was never top of my list. But now having been, I am so glad that I did. Israel had everything that satiated my different travel needs: scenery, history, culture, food, and most importantly, an Act V.

In any Shakespearean play, the last act, aka Act V, provides the "surprise" element after the good guys have already won. I feel like every country I've been to has gone through the first 4 acts: conflict, suspense, bad guys take over, good guys win. And I find that in most of these countries, their story rests at Act IV. The country is "complacent" where they are now that the "good" guys won. Cambodia is a prime example. The country has been through years of turmoil and poverty and now that it's a rising tourist attraction (could it have anything to do with Angelina Jolie and Tomb Raider??), the country rests still. Without much conflict.

Maybe I'm a sadist, but I enjoy going to countries with conflict. I feel that Israel is a country that does not have a clear "good guy" or "bad guy" and operates on a daily basis with opposing religions, cultures, and ideologies co-existing in a country the size of New Jersey! Epic battles have been fought but what has been won? It's fascinating to watch a country that is evolving, molding, and shifting every day.

That concludes my adventures to Turkey and Israel. Next up? Asia for a month. Countries TBD.

Discovering Islamic television and my endless questions

2011-12-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

On our light back to the states, I grabbed a copy of The Jerusalem Post. I've always been complacently aware of the violent animosity between the Islamic and Jewish communities but did not fully realize how the it is a daily struggle for all Israelis. In one of the articles, the author mentioned something about Hamas Children's television brainwashing kids to take on the same level of hatred for the other people who share their country, namely the Jews.

I don't want to get too much into this as I don't feel educated enough to share any info or opinions. I do, however, am perplexed at how these two opposing religious groups are able to live in such close proximity to each other all these years. I mean, just look at the Old City. Muslims and Jews literally live NEXT to each other. How? Why?

Anyway, I thought I'd at least share some of the aforementioned videos I found on Youtube. They use a Mickey Mouse-like character, Farfour, as the hero, and at the end of the series, he is seen beaten to death.

Takin' it easy in Tel Aviv; last day in Israel

2011-12-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

We headed back to Tel Aviv after Mount of Olives and took it easy that night and the next day. We...
1) Gorged on delicious falafel sandwiches
2) Went grocery shopping
3) Tasted fried sushi for the first time (it was good, but the fish flavor was definitely lost)
4) Went shopping for colored pants w/ skinny belt (all the Israeli women were wearing it!)
5) Watched 2 "street performers" make out and still wondering what it was all about
6) Indulged in confusion about the abundance of seemingly abandoned buildings in Tel Aviv
7) Chuckled at a Hebrew-speaking GPS
8) Treated ourselves to a nice Italian dinner at Radio Roscoe, might have been the best truffled pizza I've ever had
9) Stood in awe of the amount of rainfall this time of the year
10) Watched my dad try on a yamulke (no pic posted because he would kill me)

With that said, Israel, you've been mesmerizing, enticing, aggravating, and intense. Next time I come back, I hope to visit Eilat and (maybe) give the Dead Sea a second chance. Maybe.

Israel Shekels confuse me

2011-12-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

In the pic below, you will find 50 agorots (like cents), 10 shekels (like dollars), and 10 agorots, in that order. Head scratcher for sure.

Our driver goes bananas

2011-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

I can't say enough nice things about our driver. He showed up in the morning with water and Israeli snacks, and stopped between Jericho and Mount of Olives to buy us 2 bags full of bananas and apples local to Jericho. Such a nice, nice man. If he wasn't adamant about not taking on a 2nd wife, I might have put my name in the running.

J/K.

Not really.

No seriously.

Jericho and Mt. of Olives

2011-12-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

We made a quick drive through of Jericho, the alleged oldest inhabited city in the world. Not much to do or see there other than the sign that everyone hovered around. After a hot second there, we hopped back into the van and made our way to the Mt. of Olives, a must-see destination for all tourists because it gives you a great unobstructed view of Jerusalem. Absolutely gorgeous, although seeing the prominently placed Dome of the Rock still reminded me of not being able to go inside of it. What a
bummer.

Getting abused by the Dead Sea

2011-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Dead Sea. Ouch. We were given 2 options by our driver: 1) pay 50 shekels pp to go to a private beach or 2) go to the public beach for free. My mom and I really envisioned ourselves floating in Dead Sea for 2 minutes just to say we did it, so we opted for the free public beach. What a mistake.

Let me just paint you a picture from my POV:
1) One of the windiest days of the year. Even the usually "calm" Dead Sea was in an uproar.
2) No sand. The only way to get into the water was to tip toe on sharp-edged rocks and salt formations.
3) No people. There were maybe 5 people floating in the water. For a good reason, I later realized.
4) I get in and start floating (cool!), but the violent waves are crashing me into the sharp salt formations.
5) My mom just started taking swim lessons and is scared shitless of water. She gets in and starts panicking immediately. Her reaction? Hang on to me tightly.
6) So here I am, with my mom around my left shoulder, violent waves crashing at my back, and extreme salt water content splashing into my eye causing me to be temporarily blind.

Needless to say, we get the F out. Next time? Cough up the 50 shekels and go to a private beach in order to avoid injuries. And by injuries, I mean mom and I were covered in blood from head-to-toe. Hilarious in hindsight, though.

Masada: ancient fortress and symbol of unity (in my mind)

2011-12-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

The #1 place I wanted to visit was Masada, because 1) I wanted to do some hiking after all the hummus I've been eating and 2) it was highly recommended for its view of the Dead Sea.

So, Masada is about 1300 ft high and you can either take a 2 minute cable car up (lazy asses), or do a 45-minute hike up the Snake Path like they did back in the day. Of course, mom and I opted to hike up. Our tour guide (as well as others) kept saying it was a difficult hike and that my mom would have a hard time with it. In my mind, I was like, "Bitch please, we're from Colorado." And not surprisingly, it turned out to be a pretty easy hike with perfectly manicured trails and stairs. With stops in between, we reached the top in 40 minutes. So, if anyone ever tells you it's so difficult, don't believe them. Many hikers were climbing in flip flops and long dresses. No kidding.

The view from the top was priceless. I first wanted to do the popular sunrise hike, but was told that due to overcast, it wasn't going to be worth it. If you do go on a clear day, I bet that would be a pretty awesome view.

Masada is such an interesting place because of its historical significance (like everything else in Israel). It's the site of first Jewish-Roman war, where it was overtaken by the Roman Empire troops. Instead of surrendering as slaves, the Jews who occupied Masada committed mass suicide. To me, a true symbol of unity.

Here's a great re-enactment of the last stand.

Private tour and Bedouins

2011-12-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

In the same vein as our trip in Cappadocia, we hired a private driver/tour guide in the interest of time. I, selfishly, really wanted to climb Masada and most tour groups didn't offer that, so this way, we were able to customize our itinerary. We got this awesome driver who has 6 kids and voluntarily chose not to take on a second wife. In his own words, "I was able to have 4 wives, but I thought 1 was more than enough." Born and raised in Jerusalem, he spoke Arabic, Hebrew and English.

In the beginning of our drive, he stopped and pointed out Bedouins. It was the first time I had ever heard of them: desert-dwelling Arabs living semi-nomadic lifestyles herding in the Middle East. How fascinating, right? Apparently Bedouins don't formally belong to any nationality with no government-issued identification. The Israeli government considers them a problem and have tried for years to dissipate the Bedouin tribes. But I've read that their tribes are so close knit with very strong honor systems, they're not anywhere near being extinct.

Tina Fey in Hebrew and badass cab driver

2011-12-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

I loved watching American television in Hebrew, especially 30 Rock.
Also, we met an awesome cab driver who spoke perfect English but born and raised in Jerusalem. He gave us some great nuggets of info and was a fantastic tour guide on our ride from Mahane Yehuda back to our hotel. If you're ever in Jerusalem, call him up to take you around.

New City Jerusalem and Mahane Yehuda Market

2011-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

With so much depth and history of the Old City, I was ready to explore the New City (which really just means anywhere in Jerusalem but Old City). My mom and I enjoyed the spacious sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly shopping areas. Our favorite part was exploring Mahane Yehuda Market that not only offered colorful produce, but colorful personalities as well!

The Western Wall

2011-12-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

One of the most sacred sites for Jews is The Western Wall, is the remaining wall since the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple. "The Second Temple was the Temple rebuilt by Jews returning from the Babylon Exile in 517 BCE. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The site of the ancient Jewish Temple is now occupied, in part, by the golden-domed "Dome of the Rock" Mosque."

Again, without much personal religious history, I still found this site to be extremely moving. The wall is divided up into 2 sections: male and female. Men have to wear yarmulkes (which are provided) and women need to cover their shoulders. Although there were a lot of tourists at the wall, there were also religious folks who were performing very animated prayers towards the wall (or hands on the wall), swaying back and forth and some even crying. The cracks of the wall were filled with little pieces of paper of prayer. Quite a moving site to see, like the historical significance of the wall totally possessed my body and mind. It made me think of everything and everyone that meant so much to me that it moved me to tears.

After being at the wall, I recalled my friend Shari telling me to walk backwards and "never turn your back to the wall." And that's exactly what we did.

Afterwards we tried going into the Dome of the Rock, which unfortunately was closed. If you go, definitely double check when it's open, because it's only open to the public for select hours during the day.

I love Old City Jerusalem

2011-12-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you, my favorite part of the trip was The Old City in Jerusalem. Or actually, Jerusalem in general. There's so much history, richness, and emotions that you can feel throughout the city; you can't help but be mesmerized by this historical city. I think Wikipedia put it best, "You do not need to be Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, or even be overly concerned with religion, to be overwhelmed. Anyone with a sense of history, spirituality or the human species should be absorbed by the tremendous weight of human civilization that cloaks nearly every part of the city."

We first entered The Old City through Herod's gate and quickly found ourselves in the Muslim Quarter (the other quarters are Jewish, Christian and Armenian). The city itself reminds me of The Forbidden City, being encompassed by walls, containing over 3000 years of history, all I could imagine was how different life must've been outside of these walls. What impressed me the most of The Old City was that, unlike The Forbidden City, people still live there! There were all these streets that branched up from the main streets that were named "____ Ascending" (is that a religious reference, I wonder?). I noticed children coming in and out of doors so I followed one of them, and noticed that each door opened to a large courtyard with what looked like an apartment building or house. I didn't go in, well because it would've been rude, but also, I didn't want to be stoned to death.

What I did not like about The Old City was the borderline rudeness of the kids. While taking a picture, a group of Muslim school girls came over and pulled my hair. And we overheard another group of kids mocking this male tourist to his face. I think there's a difference between curiosity and rudeness. In China, the kids will stop and take pictures with a tall white man and think he's the coolest ever. They would never pull his hair and mock the way he speaks.

I guess it would make sense why most people enter through Jaffa Gate, which is in the Christian quarter. I'm not implying any religion bias since I am not religious, but it is definitely a less hostile religious culture.

Off to Jerusalem!

2011-12-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

Getting from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is probably the easiest thing in the world. There are buses that run every 15 minutes and it only costs around $6 USD each way. It's a short 1 hour ride on a comfortable bus.
As soon as we arrived in Jerusalem, we hopped in a cab to our hotel: Addar. For a very reasonable $100 rate, we were given a nice one bedroom suite with a kitchenette. I would highly recommend this hotel if you go to Jerusalem, it is close to the Muslim section of the city and a quick 10 minute walk to the Old City. The front desk guy could use a little humor in his life, but I think that may just be the Israeli way.

By the time we settled in, we were famished, so stopped in the Shualeh Restaurant purely based on the number of locals inside. We ordered shawarma with hummus and it was DELICIOUS. I eat hummus almost every week in NY, but I have never had hummus like this. It was creamy, fresh without the sour aftertaste. We devoured the entire thing by soaking up the extra hummus with extra pita bread. Just thinking about this meal is making me drool right now.

Circumcision: first topic after blogging hiatus

2011-12-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

After revisiting my photos from Istanbul, I realized I totally forgot to blog about Circumcision Room at Topkapi Palace. So I'm going to jump back to Turkey for a hot second and just point out how crazy it is that that there was an actual room DEDICATED to circumcisions. It's a special room covered in rare Ottoman tiles.

I mean, check out the plush red couches. I'm cringing and I don't even have the goods.

Must close eyes. Resume soon.

2011-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty exhausted the last 2 days from all the traveling and being roughed up by the Dead Sea (you'll see what I mean). Will resume all posts tomorrow!

Damn I hate aging.

Out and about in Tel Aviv; ending in rainstorm

2011-11-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

Tel Aviv is beautiful and reminds me of a mix of Miami and LA. Posh, laid back, a little pretentious, and a lot man made. It's a great relaxing vacation spot, also quite romantic. Saw lots of young lovers makin' out on the sidewalks. Quite opposite of Istanbul.

Most people speak English, which I guess adds to the convenience of the city, but not the exoticism. Transportation through public buses is pretty well-run and I especially admire their rent-a-bike program spread through out the city.

The Hacarmel Market was my favorite part, with fresh produce, lively vendors, and an abundance of rugelach. Mmm mmm.

Our day ended in getting caught in a major rainstorm. There was some minor flooding and we were both soaked! It didn't matter, because we were in Tel Aviv and had an extra stash of rugelach with us, so we found the nearest covered corner and enjoyed the view.

Dr. Shashuka: Which came first, the Chinese or the Israeli version?

2011-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Apparently you can't come to Tel Aviv and not eat at the legendary Dr. Shashuka, a popular restaurant by the Jaffa flea market that services simple Tripoli food. Shashuka is a spicy tomato sauce and egg dish traditionally eaten at breakfast. Dr. Shashuka offers a variety of shashuka add-ons, like the spicy hot dog we ordered.

Funny enough, after our first bite, my mom and I both turned to each other and said, "Egg fried tomato!" It is traditional Chinese breakfast dish that we used to eat in China, very similar to shashuka. Egg and tomato is a delicious combo, but I have to ask, which came first: the Chinese or Israeli dish?

P.S.: we also ordered the lamb patties which were juicy and flavorful. All the dishes come with a couscous appetizer and a basketful of bread. Carb heaven.

P.S.: they call Middle Eastern food "Oriental" here in Israel. Odd.

Old City Jaffa (and a quiz for my gamers)

2011-11-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

Jaffa is believed to be one of the oldest port cities in the world and the main tourist attraction of Tel Aviv. It's very quaint with narrow winding roads and great views of the ocean. The clocktower is how you know you're in Jaffa Old City, but the non-developed parts are very run down. My mom and I checked out the famous flea market*. As mentioned in all tour books, it was filled with 90% junk and 10% invaluable historical treasures, such as the game controller I found. What system is it from??? Anybody?

*The flea market is worth walking through just for the people watching. We witnessed 2 women having a physical fight! The bigger woman was throwing chairs and calling the other all kinds of names, especially a word that sounded just like "prostitute." I really wanted some popcorn.

Tel Aviv FROYO!

2011-11-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

I love froyo. If I could marry it I would. So, it is no surprise that I had to try the froyo in Tel Aviv. So here's the verdict (and to be fair, I only tired one yogurt shop):

- Sweeter and not as tart as Red Mango or Pinkberry
- Firmer than Yogurtland and Sixteen Handles
- WAY MORE toppings. I had persimmon, kiwi, apples, and passion fruit sauce. There seemed to be about a million toppings available

Final word? A combo of Red Mango froyo with these toppings would equal absurd deliciousness. And speaking of absurd, how absurd was this post? Sorry for taking away the 2 minutes you'll never get back.

Celebrating dad's birthday in Tel Aviv

2011-11-16T12:52:00.000-08:00

It just so happens that my dad's birthday was a few days ago, so we decided to have a belated birthday dinner at a swanky seafood restaurant in Tel Aviv. We experienced many "firsts." First Israeli Chardonnay. First Sea Wolf. And first time not understanding half of what's on the menu, even if it was in English. Like...what exactly is "Sea Bream"?

I'm in Israel! (And did I mention how much I love Turkish Airlines?)

2011-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

A short 2 hour flight later and we have arrived in Tel Aviv. The security was tight getting into the gate for the Tel Aviv flight in Istanbul. We were questioned by several people about when, what, where, why.

Gotta love Turkish Airlines for providing us with fresh mozzarella and homemade pudding. A happy tummy always makes or a happier Yue.

The Tel Aviv airport was spectacular - simple and elegant. We exchanged for some Israeli Shekels and were then off to the train station to get to our hotel in North Tel Aviv. The best part? We were meeting up with my dad who's in town for a convention. He's the reason why we decided to make this entire trip!

Last impressions of Turkey

2011-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here are my last thoughts on Turkey before jetting off to Israel:

Istanbul:
- Great metropolitan city that is super convenient (subway, tram, cabs, buses)
- Very vibrant nightlife
- We hardly saw any homeless people
- Most people were able to understand some English
- Always ask the cab driver to turn on meter
- Never listen to people at the major touristy sites who claim the holy places are closed
- Don't ask street vendors for directions. They will direct you the wrong way if you don't buy from them
- TRY THE STREET FOOD
- Although I very much enjoyed Istanbul, I didn't find it that unique from any other cities. I thought 2 days there was plenty of time, unless if you really want to take the time to explore the nightlife.

Cappadocia:
- Completely different from any place I've ever been to
- Low season really means LOW SEASON. It was quite empty all around
- Fewer people spoke English
- Hard to find transportation during the low season. I'd recommend hiring a driver or renting a car
- A perfect adventure vacation spot. I'd definitely go back again and do more hiking around

Turkish men and their sweets

2011-11-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Just another quick observation about Turkish men (besides being affectionate with other men), is that they love their sweets! At midnight while sitting at the dessert cafe with my mom, a group of men were indulging in an array of sweets at the table behind me. There's a definite dessert and cafe culture in Istanbul that is not observed in the US.

OK, now on to Israel!

Back to Istanbul; last night in Turkey

2011-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

And we were off to Kayseri airport to catch an evening flight back to Istanbul. The Kayseri airport is super tiny and reminded me a lot of the Vieques airport when I visited Puerto Rico earlier this year. Security was pretty tight tho - they stopped me after seeing my curling iron on the x-ray machine. Asked me to take it out and questioned my use of it. After I motioned to my hair, the man snickered and shooed me away. What did he think? That it was a weapon or vibrator?

After arriving in Istanbul, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went back to Taksim. Remember? The fun area? It was around 11pm and the streets were PACKED! We stopped in for a lil' pudding dessert that had shredded chicken in it. I had to try it and disappointingly, it was not bizarre at all. Damn. We then noticed that all these vendors were selling mussels on the main Istiklal street. Of course we had to try it. So the guy we bought from (kinda sexy, I'm not gonna lie - that's for you Tina) opened up each mussel to reveal yellow rice mixed in with mussel chunks. He then fed it to us. Hot. And delicious.

The highlight of the night was getting to see my tango teacher Metin! I learned tango from Metin in NYC for over a month and his class was the reason why I fell in love with the dance. I was disappointed when he went on his teaching rotation in Istanbul but so psyched that we were able to catch up for a hot second. He came to my hotel dressed in his best tango gear, thinking he was going to show me the Turkish tango scene! I, on the other hand, could not stand the thought of my mom waiting up all night for me, worrying and possibly calling the Turkish police. So, I declined, but it was great to see him anyway.

Derinkuyu Underground City: Mystery in tight spaces

2011-11-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

The one place we HAD to go to was at least one of the hundreds of underground cities used as a place of refuge and protection for people facing religious invasions. These were first built in the Byzantine period.

We chose Derinkuyu because it is the largest underground city open to the public, reaching 8 stories down. As it may seem obvious, the entrance is very unnoticeable and without the signs, one would never guess there was an actual city underneath them. As soon as we went in, a tour guide spotted us and offered his services for around $20. Worth every penny as he went from room to room explaining what everything was. We started out the stables where horses, sheep, and human took shits together. I can't imagine doing my business next to a sheep staring at me, but I guess I'd get over it.

We then observed the kitchen, bedrooms, schools, churches, and my favorite: wineries! These cities also had secret tunnels that connected to other cities. Some rooms were also equipped with defense mechanisms like stone doors. I was especially fascinated by how small and claustrophobic the tunnels were. I'm only 5'5" and I had to bend down quite a bit (as seen in my pics), but I can't imagine being a large 6'5" man. Or maybe, the environment was not conducive to having tall and large people back then. But I also wonder if they have a height limit for tourists, 'cause seriously I don't know how Kobe Bryant could possibly fit into one of these tunnels.

I was also fascinated by the sophistication and complexity of the entire set up. Who envisioned the whole thing and how long did it take to build? There was an elaborate ventilation system and communication system. Similar to how I felt about the Colosseum in Rome, I wonder if manual labor would be able to recreate this today.

Overall, an impressive place if you're OK with being in small, dark places. I loved it!

Private tour of Cappadocia

2011-11-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

In the interest of time, we decided to hire a driver to hit all the major places in Cappadocia before heading back to Istanbul at night. I have to say, for around $140, it was a steal! We had a customized itinerary and a car with blasting heat. And it included a delicious buffet lunch. If anyone's not staying too long in Cappadocia, I would highly recommend going this route.

On our tour, we hit Derinkuyu Underground City (which I'll elaborate in another post), Pigeon Valley, Uchisar Castle, a family-run pottery making factory, and Zelve Valley (fairy chimneys topped with black basalt caps). Simply awesome and breathtaking.

There is just so much to explore in Cappadocia that I think it deserves more than 2 days. It's a hiker's paradise, with so much land and natural structures to explore. I've heard of people spending a week here, hiking a different part every day. There are also so many cave dwellings that one could easily discover "secret" passageways and fun hideouts. Cappadocia would be THE place to lose yourself.

Finally figured out the mysterious sirens

2011-11-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

The sirens that woke us up a few days ago (and scared the shit out of me and the other tourists) were to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the death of the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Mystery solved.

My mom; my hero

2011-11-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

I just want to dedicate a post to my mom because this woman is beyond amazing. She's turning 60 next month and still running up mountains, crawling through narrow spaces, and eating things that move. As a former geography teacher, she confessed to me that she never thought she would in a million years visit the places she studied and taught about. She is a travel junkie, always planning her next trip (which btw is Africa). Her passionate curiosity for the world is contagious and I am so lucky and fortunate to have the opportunity to explore the world with her.

My mom hates it when I talk about her publicly so let's keep this a secret from her. We came to the states together to be with my father who was studying in Michigan. Giving up her well-respected position as a college geography teacher, she started at the very bottom in America trying to make ends meet for our family. My mom has been everything from a hotel housekeeper, to waitress, to assembly line worker, and babysitter. She later got her degree in Computer Science and got a job at a major software company. Just a few years ago, she decided she wanted her Masters in Computer Science for the hell of it.

I often question our decision of coming to the States, having seen my parents go through hardships and discrimination. But today, I have to say that they are living proof of the American dream. As my mom claimed, she never dreamed she'd get to see half of the stuff she's seen.

I salute my parents, and I high five my mother. If I could be half the woman she is, I'd be happy.

Good morning Cappadocia!

2011-11-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

A nippy (34 degrees) but gorgeous morning in Cappadocia, followed by more cheese for breakfast. How do lactose intolerant people survive in Turkey?!

My own Turkish bath

2011-11-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

We didn't make it back in time for a touristy Turkish bath so I decided to do one of my own. Hey, I'm taking a bath...in Turkey. That's technically a Turkish bath.

I've also heard that it is not recommended to book one of those touristy Turkish baths, because they're not as authentic. Too bad I didn't have time to research any local places, but it's going to happen whether in Turkey or somewhere else.

I have a dirty mind and you like it

2011-11-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

Goreme Open Air Museum: Cave Churches

2011-11-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

The Goreme Open Air Museum was an easy 10 minute walk from our hotel and highly recommended as the first place to visit. It is a collection of painted cave churches that were first carved by Orthodox Christian monks (1000-1200 AD) and decorated with Byzantine frescoes. The first Christians escaped to Cappadocia from the persecution of the Roman Empire, so it's interesting to see elaborate frescoes being damaged by later settlers who were taught that the images were sinful.

And I have to say, it was so much fun crawling in and out of cave holes, and spotting the occasional bat!

Kebap and Yogurty Soup

2011-11-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

We finally got to sit down for a relaxing meal and enjoy some traditional local Goreme food (Goreme is a district of Nevshir province in Cappadocia). We decided on a chicken soup, tomato soup, and a tas kebap, which claimed to be a local specialty. Their kebaps are what we know as kebabs and in this particular dish, kebaps were cooked with tomatoes and vegetables in a clay pot. Great choices for such a chilly day. I'm not a big fan of mushy tomatoes, but I did enjoy my very condensed chicken soup with an obvious large amount of yogurt. Turks love themselves some yogurt!

It's also very apparent that meat is expensive here, because they try to put as little meat in their dishes as possible. For example, my chicken soup at no chicken. And the tas kebap had 5 pieces of beef. It was a nice game of "bopping for beef."

I love my meat so I will just say that so far, I prefer the Turkish food in NY.

Where are the aliens with huge penises?

2011-11-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

Cappadocia is a wondrous place with a landscape straight out of a sci-fi movie. Alien-phobic peeps should avoid this place because it's hard to imagine that parts of the earth can look like this naturally. Apparently the "fairy chimneys" are a result of volcanic eruptions combined with erosion and wind.

My mom, who used to be a geography teacher back in China, studied these magical formations and told me that in Chinese, the nickname for them is "boy parts." Very large boy parts, if I may say so myself.

Many of the hotels in Cappadocia are cave hotels and you get rooms that were dug inside these fairy chimneys. We stayed at the Spelunca Hotel. It was neat and the rooms were cool, but their heaters didn't work very well and none of their staff really speaks English.

Cappadocia is awesome sight to see and definitely worth a side trip if you ever visit Turkey. Just to warn you, November is off-season for a reason; it's freezing. It never went above 35 degrees the 2 days we were there and let me tell you, I put on EVERYTHING I brought in my suitcase and I was still doing a shiver dance. The positive side is that there's nobody around, no lines, no crowds. Nice and peaceful...and cold.

Kudos to Turkish Airlines

2011-11-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Less than an hour flight from Istanbul to Kayseri and they service a full on meal! Arrived at Kayseri with a happy belly ready to explore Cappadocia (about 40 minutes away).

Dervish Dancers Mesmerizing

2011-11-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

Our second night in Istanbul, we went to see the traditional whirling Dervish dancers at the Sirkeci train station. Kind of a quirky venue. The performance was totally not what I expected. These 4 men (one of them quite hot) spun for a good 40 minutes straight! They first spin with their arms around their shoulders and slowly raise up their arms in receiving position, to symbolize spiritual enlightenment. Their heads uniformly tilted to their right and all spin at a very similar speed without opening their eyes. They remain expressionless and "weightless" as they spin around the space in a possessed-like state. As a dancer myself, I know how hard it is to to turns and spins without spotting (keeping your gaze on one location as your head spins); however, these men spun with their eyes CLOSED. Not to mention that after they finish spinning, there's no noticeable change in their breathing pattern or facial expressions. They all just simultaneously stop and can stand still.

There are a ton of these ceremonies and I hear they're all pretty much the same. I would highly recommend going to one just because it's just mesmerizing to watch.

Of course, I had to try it out when I got back to my hotel. And of course, I felt like I had to vomit while running into bed corners. Not cute.

Spotty WiFi - be back tomorrow!

2011-11-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

Just arrived in Cappadocia and because we're living in a cave (literally!), the WiFi is very wonky. I will resume blogging when I return to Istanbul tomorrow night!

Yesterday sirens, today sex noises

2011-11-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

What beats sirens as a wake up call? How about some full on sex noises from the couple upstairs in my hotel. At about 4am, I woke up to loud moans and headboard banging against the wall. And it got progressively louder and more explicit. It was so bad (or good, however you wanna look at it), you could literally hear them changing positions and then running to the bathroom afterwards.

Oh, did I mention this is my first experience hearing other people getting it on? And of course, my mom is sleeping in the bed next to me. Not awkward at all.

Bazaar and bizarre

2011-11-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

All the guidebooks recommended a visit to the Grand Bazaar, a covered market with over 4000 shops selling carpet, jewelry, ceramics, and souvenirs. It was definitely a sight to see but nothing unique worth getting and lugging back to the states. I did love the vibrancy of the place and the sales tactics of the sly salesmen. "Hey China! You're the best. Come in and let me take your money." Slick.

This guy really wanted to sell us a scarf, claiming, "It's so nice, it makes even ME look pretty." Despite all the quirkiness of the Grand Bazaar, my favorite part was coming out of it at night into another market of sorts - a bizarre market. Older men manned their blankets full of used knicknacks ranging from cell phone chargers to cassette tapes to Christmas decorations. I can totally see my grandpa doing something like this. He loves picking up crap off the street and thinking it's worth money. Hey, you never know when you'll need a charger for a StarTAC again.

And let's talk about how awesome this book is:

Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)

2011-11-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Crossing off another touristy attraction is the Blue Mosque, where we had to remove out shoes and cover our head, shoulders and legs in order to enter. Despite the potent feet smell, it was a sight to see people pray inside and then wash their feet at one of the portals outside.

Haghia Sophia

2011-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Another must-see attraction, Haghia Sophia is a huge Byzanine church now turned into a museum. The lights really create a magical atmosphere.

Lost in translation: Girls?

2011-11-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

When I first went to the Turkish Embassy in NY for my visa, I kept seeing signs for "Girls Entrance." For months, I thought it odd that they had a special entrance for girls. I pondered if it was because of a special security scanner that would harm male genitals, or that it was a religious thing, not having both sexes touch the same entrance turnstile. It was until I reached Turkey when I finally realized that it's not "girls," it's "giris," meaning "entrance." Facepalm.

The sexy and forbidden (Harem)

2011-11-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

The highlight of Topkapi Palace was Harem, the forbidden quarter that housed all the sexy concubines. Well, maybe not all of them were sexy because the non-sexy ones were married off to staff members but the real sexy ones received better schooling and were chosen to have the Sultan's babies who would eventually become crowned royalty.

Walking through Harem was amusing for the pure sake of imagination. I just kept playing soap operas over and over in my head of beautiful girls running around, discovering their sexuality with the Sultan, and probably experimenting with each other and the other male staffers. I also imagined Telemundo-like scenarios with the Valide Sultan (prize woman) coming down with a rare illness while the others fought to be the next one chosen, or mysterious murders, or snickering of the Sultan's pee pee size, and lots of slapping. In slow-mo. C'mon, haven't you seen Raise the Red Lantern? I grew up in China watching all kinds of shows and movies about concubines!

So in the pictures below, I map out some possible hiding places and escape plans for those who had enough of the concubine lifestyle!

Topkapi Palace: you kind of have to go

2011-11-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

Just like the Forbidden City in Beijing, you can't go to Istanbul without a visit to Topkapi Palace, which used to be the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans. I was impressed with the simply elegant architecture (no where near as showy as Chinese palaces) but not so impressed with the typo on their audio guide brochure. As the main attraction, you think they'd get their materials spell checked. And this is coming from a girl who was in ESL.

Not sure what this says about their business

2011-11-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Apartments, roaming animals and the bus. Just a sample of Istanbul living.

2011-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Affectionate Turkish men. Encore.

2011-11-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

I followed these two presumably straight guys for a solid 10 minutes as they walked arm-in-arm. Kinda cute but also kinda uncomfortable.

Cheesy breakfast

2011-11-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

I frikken love cheese but I'm not sure if I can eat too much cheese for breakfast. Check out this spread I had this morning. I would say 2/3 of it is comprised of cheese!

Dogan: our new friend!

2011-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

We got totally lost this morning walking to Topkapi Palace so we stopped to ask this man for directions. Dogan is his name ("g" is silent) and he was the nicest man ever! With very little English, Dogan personally escorted us to the bus station, BOUGHT US BUS TICKETS, put us onto the bus, and jumped off while saying, "Be safe!" Oh wait, that sounds kinda scary now I'm re-telling this story. Seriously, it was a very nice gesture and we were safe and sound.

During our awkward walk to the bus stop, Dogan told us that he's a painter, knows Russian, has today off from work, and used to work at the US Embassy in South Africa. He also showed us his driver's license for the correct spelling of his name so I can find him on Facebook. I have yet to find him on Facebook :(

Dogan's interesting career transformations reminded me of the people I met in Italy last year, specifically the guy who went from being a professor to a dentist (or was it the other way around?). I'm so fascinated by this because my tango teacher is Turkish and he wasn't always a tango teacher, or a dancer. I admire these European and European-influenced countries for constantly reinventing and transforming themselves; tapping into all their capabilities.

The funny part of the story is we left Dogan feeling a little saddened that we didn't get to know him better. After a 6 hour touristy visit, we found ourselves in between the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar squinting our eyes trying to find a street sign when all of a sudden, I get a tap on my shoulder with a "Hello? Hello!" It was Dogan! It was fate. We had a nice chat and a final picture.

It was a perfect moment in Istanbul that I will never forget. But if I do run into Dogan again...my mom might expect grand babies.

City alarm clock?

2011-11-10T00:43:00.000-08:00

We were awoken this morning by a siren that was very similar to one of those bomb scare sirens you often hear in movies. All the hotel patrons were panicking while the street sweepers just went on with their day, unaffected. A city-wide alarm clock, perhaps? Scary shit.

I was on the phone with Verizon last night trying to reconcile some of my roaming charges and FELL ASLEEP on the phone. I woke up to my mom nudging me while I was cuddling a pillow on the floor with one hand and my cell phone in the other. The saga still continues tonight but in the meantime, off to explore the touristy sites of Istanbul.

Turkish men are affectionate...with each other

2011-11-09T16:41:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know that I love observing dating, sex, relationships, and friendships. I've discovered that Turkish men are quite affectionate with each other. I don't see as many couples holding hands or canoodling, but I do see a lot of men with arms around each other and air kiss greeting each other. In a purely platonic way. The two men pictured below are linked arm-in-arm, and it's not an uncommon sight.

I'm all for some male-on-male action, but I am curious as to why the affections aren't as emphasized with coed relationships. I wonder if it has to do with the Islamic religion that dominates this country combined with the patriarchal society. I know there has been a lot of gender modernization in this country in that last century, but it does not go without noticed that approximately 30% of the women are still covered. Not something I'm used to seeing, but I do sense some gender changes similar to what went on (and has been going on) in China for the past decade.

In the meantime, it's nice to find bromance taken to a whole new level!

Taksim is where the party is at!

2011-11-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

We ventured out to the Taksim area after being recommended by our hotel. As we pulled up to a large open area, Taksim Square, full of young, trendy kids, our cab driver said, "Taksim. Disco. Dance." He then proceeded to do a little dance move similar to the "wheelchair." Nice.

Taksim is hip and lively and the main street of Iskilip (sp? I'm too jetlegged to double check) is full of shopping, food and entertainment. I was blown away at how many people were out on a school night - comparable to the foot traffic in Times Square.

Fashion observation: Turkish youth love fitted clothing. Sure, the women wear tight jeans with fitted sweaters and jackets, but the men as well! Everyone looks very...svelte. Their fashion is definitely influenced by the European side, NOT the Asian side. Guys are very metrosexual, with their faux hawks, shiny puffy jackets, skinny slacks, and polished sneakers not meant for any actual athletic activity.

I've also noticed that everyone is at a similar height. I would say most of the women are around 5'3", and the men around 5'6".

Scroll through the pics below of Taksim and you'll find this delicious beef dish we ordered for dinner (all the grease soaked up by the fresh pancake underneath the meat), and my mannequin boyfriend. I've just never seen a mannequin that was so fierce.

Our dinner:

So, I just want to point out the roaming cats all over the city. Apparently, some of them will even come up on your table at a restaurant and try to eat your food. I find cats creepy as it is, but now they're going to steal my meal, too?!

This graffiti is EVERYWHERE. The eyes and the fists. Any clue as to what it could symbolize? I'm going to do some research.

XOXO

Streets of Istanbul

2011-11-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

Istanbul is definitely clean mixed with a little fancy schmancy. Similar to Italy, I like how the old is intertwined in with the new. There's a lot of people roaming the streets today as it's the last day of their Holiday. There's also a definite divide between the Asia side and the Europe side of the city. Locals mostly live on the Asia side, where the streets are hopping and you get a definite city feel. The Europe side, where our hotel is, is very tourist-based, obviously suited for the business traveler. The streets are empty at night and restaurants have signs with "too much" English, if you know what I mean. I feel like whenever I see anything that says, "Best Turkish Food," it reminds me of the Sabarro's in NY that claim to have the "Best NY Pizza." In which case we all know, they should go F themselves.

Some superficial observations: the women are beautiful and the men are not as much. Although both sexes possess strong, dark features such as prominent eyebrows and piercing eyes, the women look much sexier. Maybe it's a product of their makeup and the way they dress, but I would say Turkish women are by far more attractive than Turkish men. I also find it amusing that all Turkish men have the same male pattern baldness including a noticeable receding hairline and a slight "withered lawn" look a the crown of the head. I tried taking some pics but was getting all kinds of dirty looks.

And speaking of looks, Turkish men like to stare and they can be very aggressive in their mannerisms. I was already forewarned about this so it was not a total shock when guys were literally staring at me and my mom, loudly proclaiming: "China! Japan! Singapore! Ching chong ching." It's ignorance and partially cultural, but it does irk me since this country claims to be part Asian.

P.S: can someone explain to me why the man in the pedestrian crossing sign is wearing a hat?

$600 data overage charges = less immediate blogging

2011-11-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Bad news bears guys. Verizon is being a douche and no longer offers unlimited global data plans. I was just informed that my data overage charge is at around $600. Um, no thanks. So I've turned off my internet on my phone and will be blogging hopefully every night after I get back to my hotel. Verizon: I hate you.

In other news, I am not near the earthquake that just hit today in Eastern Turkey. Thank you all for your concern. I can't believe they've been hit again just 2 weeks after the 7.2 earthquake. Now we're trying to decide whether to make our way to Eastern Turkey or not...yikes.

Bipolar Turkey; must drink Turkish coffee

2011-11-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

Straight off our flight, my mom and I hop on a cruise down the Bosphorous, the strait that runs through Istanbul linking Europe and Asia (btw, how cool is it to have a country that is part Asian part European, which also makes it an interesting cultural and political crossroads as being labeled "Eurasian." My favorite history teacher - BL - how would you define Turkey? I'm curious to know).

As I can barely keep my eyes open, I head straight for the coffee stand to get some famous Turkish coffee. Guess what? I feel like I can fly. That ish is definitely working.

I've arrived in Istanbul!

2011-11-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

Gotta hand it to Turkish Airlines for providing a pretty comprehensive overnight bag complete with lip balm! With airlines providing practically nothing these days, this was the highlight of my 9 hour flight. Alright, time to explore...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Solar-powered trip

2011-11-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Got my solar-powered battery ready so I can blog often!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Headed to Istanbul!

2011-11-08T11:02:00.001-08:00

Come along for my journey to Turkey and Israel!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

I added some videos...

2010-11-07T14:32:00.001-08:00

...to several posts. Check them out! It's good to be back in the states but I sure miss Italy.

Great aerial view of Venice

2010-10-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

Arrivederci! Until next time!

Scooter suitcase

2010-10-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Found this in Europe's version of Sky Mall. I like how the model is using it wearing her Louboutins. Yeah.

Boobies send-off

2010-10-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I had seen enough beautiful things in Italy, I was greeted with these lovely cannolis at Venice's Marco Polo airport. Ciao ciao!

Arrivederci, Italia!

2010-10-27T05:04:00.000-07:00

Time for me to go back to New York. I had a lovely time in your country and hope to visit again soon.

Italian demonstrators

2010-10-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Just my luck, as I'm trying to rush back to my hotel, I am stuck in the middle of a demonstration. Didn't know what they were yelling but I cheered them on regardless! Can someone understand what they're yelling?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Cannoli crema

2010-10-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

I realized that I had been in Italy for 15 days and haven't even had a cannoli yet. So, on my way back to the hotel, I bought a cannoli crema from a side street bakery filled with locals. It was different than what I had had in the states. Not a typical tubed shell and the filling wasn't ricotta cheese. It was still very delicious. So delicious that I savored it and took pictures with it throughout my journey.

Glamorous way to collect garbage!

2010-10-27T03:23:00.000-07:00

The quintessential Venice

2010-10-27T03:21:00.000-07:00

Colorful buildings, sparkling canal, and a gondola.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

2010-10-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

The remains of this palace is not a popular tourist attraction as it is small and hard to find, buried in a small side street. However, I saw a picture of it in my tourbook and I just had to see it. "Bovolo" means "snail" and the facade of the spiral staircase is suppose to resemble a snail.
I was glad I found it and it was even prettier in person. I was bummed that it had not yet opened because the top of it is suppose to offer a great view of Vnice. Oh well, at least I succeeded in my scavenger hunt.
I also found an adorable bed and breakfast right next to it. It's in a quiet secluded courtyard. Good to know for future reference.

Finding my way back to San Marco Square

2010-10-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

When I first set foot in Venice 2 weeks ago, it seemed like a maze with winding narrow streets and bridges that led to nowhere. Equipped with a map and my GPS-enabled blackberry, I was ready for a difficult exploration this morning to Piazza San Marco. I had to see it again before my flight back to NY. To my pleasant surprise, Venice was a lot easier to navigate! For one, there were numerous signs pointing to San Marco. Also, you basically just walk in the direction you want to go and when you face a dead end, just find another road. I ditched my map midway through and was able to find everything I wanted to see!

The real merchants of Venice

2010-10-27T02:54:00.000-07:00

@ the famous Mercato di Rialto (Rialto Food Market)

Buon giorno, Venezia!

2010-10-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

Saved the best for last

2010-10-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

My parents were sweet enough to offer to book a super nice, 4-star hotel for me in Venice. The Amadeus Hotel, situated right by the main Santa Lucia train station not only had great service but also very Italiano rooms. Just look at the masterpiece above my bed! There's also this built-in TV controller in the wall. Pretty neatto! Thanks, mom and dad!

Good bye, panini

2010-10-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

My last authentic Italian panini. Sad.
But, 'inoteca in NYC offers very comparable paninis, so I'm not terribly bummed.

Venice at night

2010-10-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

I'm spending my last Italian night in Venice and after being away from here for almost 2 weeks, I had forgotten how beautiful it was! However, it is much colder here than Rome. Tonight was about 45 degrees. Soo brrrr that at the train station, a nice old Italian man and I bonded over saying "freddo" at the same time, meaning "cold."
At the end of my train ride, a young man started talking to me in Italian. He soon switched to English when he noticed my blank stare. Clemente spoke superb English. 30 years old, lives with his dad in Mestre (land area of Venice), and went to NYC once by himself because there was a huge airfare sale.
Clemente asked to show me around Venice. At first I hesitated at this stranger's gesture, then I took a leap of faith and went with it. I set off our journey by mentioning my made-up "husband.". He was intrigued and began asking many detailed questions ("How long have you been married?" "Where did you get married?" "When do you want kids?"). I have to say, I have a pretty solid made-up marriage!
Clemente showed me some of the cool areas, such as "Campo Santa Margarita" where the college kids flooded the streets on a Tuesday school night! Then we took the water bus around with some amazing night views of the city. During our ride, Clemente explained to me his impression of Romans vs. Venetians. His views were exactly as Aziz described: Venetians are hard-working and money-driven. Conservative in nature and culturally-protective. Romans are seen as wild, liberal, not money-driven but willing to spend money, welcoming of immigrants and generally "crazy." We ended our journey with a picture together and an invite to find him on Facebook. I politely nodded knowing that that would never happen. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable tour!

Not the fastest ciao ciao

2010-10-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

I am now on my way back to Venice and fly back to NYC tomorrow. I first took the Leonardo Express train from Rome to the airport, which took a brief 30 minutes with no stops. Pretty awesome for 15 euros. Then I breezily checked in at the EasyJet counter where the beautiful Italian EasyJet representative surprised me by speaking perfect Mandarin! Her vocab was limited but her pronunciation was amazing! She told me she learned Chinese through her job because she encounters a lot of Chinese people daily.
So while I thought it was going to be an easy trip to Venice, I am now waiting for a plane that is still now here, about an hour after the scheduled departure time. Oh well, it's still worth the mere 26 euro plane ticket.

Ciao ciao, bella Roma!

2010-10-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Covered motorbike

2010-10-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Look at its designated parking spot!

Lunch break at work. In Italy.

2010-10-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to be linked up with my friends Beth and Ruph's friend, Aziz. He works at FAO ( Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in Rome and was nice enough to treat me to lunch at FAO's fantastic cafeteria and chat about Rome.
I was particularly impressed with the grill section and opted to get a freshly cooked salmon with a side of caprese.
Aziz then showed me the beautiful view from the building's terrace that showcased the city in a 180 degree view.
Some interesting things we discussed:
- mostly everyone owns a car (even the poor ones)
- newcomers and young people like to live in the city, but people with families tend to live on the outskirts (just like Manhattan)
- Rome operates as a big city but somethings don't function like they should, such as public transportation and the post office
- there are so many side streets with statues and fountains that the best way to discover them is to get lost walking around. Aziz has been in Rome for 12 years and he's still discovering new streets!
- there's a distinct cultural difference between northern (Venetians) and southern (Romans) Italians. Romans view Venetians as conservative, formal, square, and close-minded. Somewhat "countryside." Northerners view Romans as crazy, aggressive, loud and liberal.
I'm going to have to take my new found knowledge with me when I return to Venice and see if it is true!