I wanted to go to Istanbul, Turkey as my Dad had hitchhiked there as a student. So it was lovely for me to have the opportunity to travel to the same place.
Istanbul is split up into the Old Town and the New Town. The New Town centres around the main shopping street, Iztiklal, which stretches from Taksim Square right down to the river. Continue reading
Let me start by saying I did not take to Dubai. It is what I imagine you would get if you had zillions of pounds and decided to buy everything imaginable and plonk it in a desert. It was very hedonistic – you can stuff your face with ice cream all day, eat pizza, shop til you drop, and even do skiing or ice skating in a mall. If you have money to spend, there are a plethora of places to spend it.
Everything is the Biggest and the Best. We saw the Biggest gold ring in the world and then we went to the Biggest Mall in the world, which is next to the Biggest building in the world. Inside the Biggest Mall in the world is the Biggest single screen aquarium in the world. I was a bit sick of it by the end and longed for mediocrity – why can’t a mall be “average” or “OK”?! I guess I’m not coming from the right mindset, coming from a country where there is a book series called “Crap Towns” (and “Crap Towns 2”, because there were too many to fit in the first book!) Continue reading
Big Fat Tourist 