Turkish Vibes for a Black Girl

Hey everyone,

I know I've spoken quite a lot about Turkey but I feel I need to say this too, because its playing on my mind.

General Vibes:
March is not peak season so the hotel and 'excursion type' things were relatively quiet, which was cool as I really needed the head space. Everyone who I came across was so polite and helpful, there wasn't any problem with language at all. From what I noticed the majority of the tourist were English and or German, which would be perfect expect I know any Dutch whatsoever. Not that it mattered, everyone was very inclusive so you feel really looked after.

There are a few things you should look out for; the hard sale. As a tourist in any county I guess this is to be expected. But occasionally I felt it was a bit full on, so best to have your wits about you. Being black, every now and then especially in the Town centre locals would just stare or ask to take a picture with you. They seem to be genuinely surprise that you (a black person) are there and address you as 'Chocolate'. Even walking along the street people who beep their horn to get your attention. I love flattery as much as the next girl, but this much more then that.

London is quite 'multicultural' so I have never really had this before, or knew what to feel about it. The comments and looks were not done in a malicious way (most of the time it was polite), so I'm not offended as such... just... puzzled, I guess. There was not any other black people that I noticed so perhaps there isn't much exposure to black people and their culture in those parts, as to why the people reacted like that? I am by no means labelling Turkey as racist, as I did have good time and I would absolutely go back.

 I'd be interested to know, has anyone else had a similar experience or opinion on the matter?

Until next time x

Places to visit in Turkey

Hey everyone,

Hope all is well. This will be part two of my Turkey trip, here I will be talking and showing you cool places to go and see.

Things to see:
I wanted to explore the city and discover cool places. One of which was the Duden waterfall. Standing on a cliff looking at the waterfall that goes directly into the Mediterranean Sea, was really beautiful and a great place to take pictures. I imagine pictures at sunset would have been amazing... 

That being said I say a standard seflie works well too :)

Shopping:
As you may or may not know I am a scrimper, whenever and where ever I can save money I'm there. So I absolutely had to visit the markets of Turkey, as there are renowned for being a haggler's paradise. So I headed to the Lara Market which is also referred to as the Saturday Bazaar (Sirinyali Bazaar), which is really popular with locals. The Market was packed with stalls selling things like shoes and sunglasses to fresh food and spices and yes, you can buy your souvenirs there as well. You can get things at a reasonable price but watch out for fakes; the 'omg its giving me a rash' type fakes.

Look at the those colourful spices, the foodie in me was frothing at the mouth

Like with all markets the best bargains are always to be had towards the end of the day, so definitely worth sticking around if you can.

Gozleme

Side note - Where possible its always good to sample the street food ~Yum! 

Then we went to the old town of Kaleici which winds up from the harbour. There are a lot of historic buildings of note around the town and plenty of treasures to find, so lets go exploring.

Hadrian's Gate

It was so enjoyable walking through the allies with beautiful restaurants and cafés with colourful accents of flowers and textures everywhere. 

There is just so much to see and everything is so beautiful but you have to keep it moving or you'll miss stuff. I do not think this is necessary the best place to find bargains, but you will find beautify designed fabrics, nick-nacks and food.

As you reach the end there is a wonderful view Mediterranean sea. Everyone is super friendly and helpful so if you get lost they will point you in the right direction.

Up the top of hill, toward the town centre you'll find the Clock Tower and Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque, if you spin around to your left is the statue of the King Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamon and the founder of modern-day Antalya.

Last picture of the town and scenery (and me) then we will move on. 

Touristy things to do: 
I know ruins are not everyone's cup of tea but I love it and enjoy hearing stories of what once was. Perge was once a bustling Roman port and the first stop for St. Paul on his missionary journeys. These ruin where once home to a marketplace, fountains and an impressive bathhouse.

Aspendos is home to one of the world best preserved Roman theatres, so well preserved it is still used for concerts and operas today! How amazing is that? This place was so beautiful I wish I could of hear the acoustics of amazing song for myself. Although our tour guide give us a song as a teaser.

The highlight of the trip: Pammukale

This as know as the cotton castle, I really love this place it was truly beautiful. On top of the mountain sits this beautiful wonder of the world with a beautiful view of mountains and town below. A collection of white pockets of mineral enriched spring waters, looks like a fairy tale. This is quite big so its difficult to get a picture that capture all the beauty of these pockets from ground level, so do google it if your curious.

Warm water hot springs please work a miracle on my feet hehe

It's a series of mountains terraces where natural springs have solidified into snowy-white stalactites and cliffs. Its not cold to walk on, but if you do go into the pools be careful as it can be slippery!

I didn't know what to expect when I went, I thought it was just the water pockets but there was a whole city that sit around it. 

The city is Hierapolis which is now an assortment of Roman ruins, one of which is the the great Roman Theatre. I wish I knew about the city and how it come to be but unfortunately due to a mix up my tor guide could only speak German. But from what I can tell it was a spectacular city. The attention to detail was mind blowing!

Amazing!

I hope you all enjoyed this post, if you have any questions or suggestions please let me know I'd love to hear from you.

Be sure to come back in a few days for more about my trip, hair updates, tips and reviews!

Hope your having a great day, take care x

My Travel Diary - Turkey

Hey everyone,

About 2 weeks I decided to get away and have a short break. My criteria was minimal; simply cheap, varied and warm-ish. Don't get me wrong I would love those 30c temperature but its March and to find that I would have to spend a little bit more then I was willing too. So I decided to go to Turkey! 

This country has everything from high mountains you can ski (yep I said ski, I didn't believe it either but its true), to thousands of kilometres long beaches you can enjoy. Not to mention the rich culture and historic gems dotted around the country. The area I stayed in was Antalya.

Money Matters: Turkey is not a part of the EU any more, however there is a heavy preference to pay for things in Euros as its stronger. However I found bartering prices with locals easier with Turkish Lira. There are plenty of bargains to be had there so best t keep your eyes peeled.

 Accommodation: I really didn't know what to exact in terms of accommodation, I've seen so many horror stories from people online, all I could do was cross my fingers and hope for the best. I stayed at the Paloma Renaissance Antalya Beach Resort & SPA. 

The hotel was lovely I would definitely recommend it. The staff where very helpful and friendly and what I really like was that remembered my name. I know it's only a small thing but it really is the small things that raises the bar. The food was great with a healthy selection of everything, even the most fussy eaters would be happy. Its completely up to you how you spend your time, whether it be at the bar, messing around in the multi-media room or chilling on the private beach. As it was off peak season there were some sections of the hotel that were closed, even still it was a fabulous place to stay. 

The room was so spacious and the bed lovely a large

For some reason the bedroom area didn't have a door, so if you having a bath use plenty of bubbles hehe :-) (Behind the bath tub was the shower).

The pools were relaxing and quiet, with plenty of chairs and loungers to chill on. 

I also discovered they had a animal pen full of bunnies and ducks, which was so cute. Until one of the baby bunnies slipped through the fence! So operation 'catch and rescue bunny' was on. 'Baby Bun-bun' was perfectly safe and returned home. They are so cute though 

You know the saying 'when in Rome (or Turkey in this case), do as the Romans do', so i absolutely had to have a Turkish bath. I didn't want to go to the one in the hotel, I wanted one that the locals would use. A authentic Turkish Bath... not sure if I hit the nail on the head here but I went to the Golden Rose - Turkish Bath and Spa Center.

This is actually a picture of the bath the hotel, I couldn't take pictures in the Golden Rose

Good first impression and welcomed pleasantly by staff. After a quick change its off to the sauna choice of wet or dry. Then the actual Turkish bath which is a huge wet room. First is splash of water. Once wet, a scrub down with an exfoliating glove all over your body (back and front) along with some cheeky slaps to you backside but not sure if that's custom. (P.S if your shy with guys rubbing you up, undoing and pulling down your bikini - prepare yourself!) Then a foam message. This feels so nice and silky again this is all over. Raise off and your cleansing is done.

Now time for some tea and face mask. Then it's time for a message. I don't get massages often but this was definitely the hardest one I've had and it was so good! I literally felt like a lump of dough - love it!

I would rate first experience of a Turkish Bath 7/10

This post is getting a little bit long so I'm going to take a break and continue in another post. But I really hope reading about my Turkish experience so far. 

 Be sure to come back in a few days for more about my trip, hair updates, tips and reviews!

Hope your having a great day, take care x

If I Could Teleport

Hi everyone,

The days are getting brighter and is slowly warming up... as warm as it get by UK standards anyway. Today I was daydreaming about travel and holidays. I have definitely got the urge to go away to see something new. 

So for a small chunk of November (I know ages ago, but I did say I was daydreaming) I was away on holiday to Kenya ~ yay! I was so excited about this trip as it was my first time in Africa and my first holiday abroad without any member of my family. I don't mean that in a bad way of course, I mean in terms of growing up and finding your own independence. Another reason way I was overly excited was because it was my best friends wedding!

But I just wanted to share pictures we you guys, because I really did have a wonderful and Kenya is a beautiful country.

This is Lake Victoria in Kisumu, often hippopotamuses swim in the lake and walk onshore to have a lay down - I know random.

The locals were really friendly, polite and welcoming. They go out of their way to help you and share anything they have. It makes you look at things in a different light, my problems seem to small I comparison yet I was surrounded by big happy smiles. But in a weird way I felt bad taking pictures with them; I didn't want it to seem like I was exploiting them, like they're some kind of sideshow. Because that is not how I feel at all.

After spending some time in Kisumu we moved to Mombasa which is the more coastal side of Kenya.

As pretty as it was there, it soon became clear there was few issues. Parts of it was treated like a dumping ground, it was truly a shame to see. 

.

These monkeys may look cute but they will try to steal your food, or in my case bite me! I'm not even joking I was actually bitten by a monkey.

Anyhoo its relax time at Leopard Beach Resort and Spa...book, music, chill ~ ahhhh perfect

Eating dinner watching the moon glisten in the sea. It all feels like dream thinking about it now, but reflecting back on Kenya has just made me more enthusiastic to travel. I have no idea where to go though, I've always wanted to go France and as its only around the corner why not? 

If you could teleport to anywhere in the world, where would you travel and why?

What I Learnt

Hey everyone,

I know I’m a bit late but as it’s a new year I feel I should talk about New Year’s resolutions and also reflect on what I learnt in the previous year. I feel it is important to reflect and learn or how can you really expect to make any progression.

So last year (click here for last year's post) I kept my resolutions quite simple, in fact I wouldn't even say they were resolutions but more goals. One of which was to Pray. Throughout 2012 this was key; without God I would be truly nowhere and I am so thankful and blessed. Last year was a difficult year for me, sometimes it felt like ‘what is the point?’ or ‘there is no hope’ but my faith kept me going. I still have a lot to learn and I’m not always going to get it right but I believe there is treasure in every trial. Through every dilemma, there is a lesson and a chance to become stronger.

I wanted to share this video with guys because it touched me and I don’t know what your circumstance might be but maybe it can help you too.

Praying is again a resolution for this year (and most likely every year) because I want to get into the habit of praying more throughout the day and when making decisions whether it be big or small.

Patience was on my list last year and was a big one for me and sadly it is still one that I need to work on. I have to accept that I can’t do everything myself, things take time and I have to trust others.

Although the above are ultimate goals for the year and for my personal growth, I also have a few achievements that I’d like to tick off along the way which are;

• Spend more time with Friends and Family
• Learn – always strive to learn more, only you can make this happen
• Work progression – if you learnt the skills move on up
• TRAVEL!

I feel quite positive about this year and so far I have quite a lot going on, so its just a case of getting organised. As usual I will keep you guys up to date where I can, but for the times I can't do check out my Twitter (follow button to the side *hint, hint*) oh and my new instagram. 

So what did you learn from last year and what are your goals for this year? 


Take Care x


*Quick update: From the last post I now have a phone which can use apps, I am no longer trapped in the world of the 3210 phone LOL

Art with a Splat!

Hey everyone,

Hope your all well and enjoying the last remains so summer, though I know for most its back to school/work and it feels like summer is over. Just yesterday a friend of mine invited me over to a free exhibition of Mr Brainwash (Thierry Guetta), to be honest I haven’t actually heard for this guy before so I was intrigued to check it out. I’m a big fan of art and creativity (don’t worry am not super hard core and arty farty) but I like to see new things just for the inspiration. Plus its free!

The location was quite impressive and atmospheric which I really like, as it kind of gave an eerie feel to the pieces, it was at the old sorting office on New Oxford Street.

As I mentioned before I’m new to this guy and I haven’t really done my research on him, I believe his a famous graffiti artist and  it shows throughout the exhibition. I quite like graffiti and that type of expression so I did have high hopes.

I quite like this one, I think its cheeky

There seems to be a British vibe going on here; it’s kind of remained me of the opening/closing ceremony of the Olympics you know with of the Union Jack Flags, the Queen, Black Cabs and popular British icons . For tourist  I suppose it’s fun, ‘English’  and edgy, for me however it doesn’t particular excite me because it just doesn’t feel new.

Dear Queeny, looking beautiful

  

‘Modern art’ or whatever you call this type thing is a bit of a grey area me, yeah I guess it’s cool and colourful but traditional artist within me is just screaming ‘This is freaking lazy!’. The actual content isn’t necessary original just how it has been arranged or layered.

 I’m type of person that really appreciates things that really showcase skill, time, originality and immense attention to detail, recycling what has already been done bar a small edit (including cheesy text and random replacement items) …errr…I don’t know… I guess that then starts to question ‘what is art?’ blah, blah, blah :P

How cool is this stereo, would be great if it actaully played

MJ <3

I’m not completely hating, seriously I’m not. As I said there is an element of coolness and show-off-ness about these pieces, and I did have a lot fun wondering around and taking pictures. And if I were more of a Pop Art fan i'd probably in my element.

Favourite piece is this big ass gorilla structure made from tyres. This piece I can appreciate just because I LOVE GORILLAS!  

Now this I want! :D

I think it’s still on for a few more days, so if you in area check it out it is worth a look plus at the end they give away a FREE poster and post cards! whether your into it or not Free is Free

Here’s a link for you >>> Mr Brainwash - Exhibition

UPDATE:EXHIBITION NOW CLOSED 

Clacton on Sea

Hey everyone,

How your summer been so far? The Olympics are well underway now, which is really cool because its bringing everyone together. For example the other day just to get a glimpse on the Men’s 100m (Mr. Bolt, under 10 seconds!) my cousin and I had to run into some random barbers. Which was only open at that time of night for everyone to watch their television lol. (Totally missed the 200m last night though *sigh*)

But that’s not what this post about. Due to the Olympics its quite difficult to take holiday, which is a bummer because its summer and I want to have fun! Anyways I thought it would to nice to visit the coast with the family, the lucky location was Clacton-on-Sea. I haven’t been there since I was a kid and nothing, nothing has changed, exactly the same as I remembered it. We caught it on a good day it wasn’t really busy so we had plenty on space top make as much noise as we wanted.

As always we totally over packed on food which meant we had to lug some food back. The sun was shining and the light sea breeze was blowing, all was good. Stresses and foolishness washed away in one brown wave, just being in a different setting makes everything feel better. Catching jokes with friends and family and just letting go. We messed around going on the most ‘uncomfortable rides ever’ and getting body art tattoos.



Me making the most of it in fat-ass sunnies haha



Seriously why is the water so brown, complete opposite to water in Dorset (check out my previous post for a look). Didn’t stop me from getting involved though, you know had to dip a toe lol.

Overall it was good finished off amazing fish’n’chips, don’t know why but they always taste better at the seaside *hmmmm*.But yeah this place has nothing on Durdle Door. The town part of it was a bit too sleepy and quiet for my liking – but maybe that’s the Londoner in me freaking out lol