things to do in pula, croatia

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Croatia is beautiful.  That being said, Pula - which is in the northern part of the country in a region called Istria and very close to Italy - is not as pretty as other Croatian towns.  But, it is still worth a visit. I promise.

Arena in Pula.

View of Rovinj from the marina.

Due to its past as a part of the Venetian and Roman Empires, many of those influences remain in the architecture and the food (and you know, I'm going to talk about the food).  These are my top five things to do in Pula:

1.  See the sights.

Arena

          Arena.  Apparently, this is the sixth largest surviving Roman amphitheater in the world. Like the Colosseum in Rome, the Arena also has a subterranean area that houses a small exhibit.  We actually rented an apartment thisclose to the Arena and it was such a pretty sight whenever I looked out my window and saw the colors of the setting sun reflected on those old stones.

The triumphal arch.

          Triumphal Arch - Roman Gates - Gate of Hercules.  If you walk along the walls of the old town, you'll see these gates. For me the one that stood out the most was the Triumphal Arch, which led into the old town, because not only did it still have a lot of the details from when it was built but also because someone erected a sculpture of a sitting James Joyce, the author, looking at the entrance. Either way, walk along the walls and let us know what you discover. 

review: what was business class on alitalia like?

I had never flown on Alitalia before.  And I’ve never paid for business class seats on my own dime before (ouch).  Unfortunately we didn’t have sufficient miles or points for the tickets.  However, since this was for our honeymoon, my husband and I agreed to splurge.

Was it worth the hefty price tag?

my experience using t-mobile's unlimited data coverage in italy

Me with my trusty map app.

I had been planning my honeymoon in Italy (June - July 2014) since the fall of 2013.  I was pleased when T-mobile announced that it would be offering unlimited data coverage globally starting in October 2013 (* note you have to check if the country you are visiting is included in their global list).  I have an iphone 5s and I knew it would be very convenient if I could use it in Italy - especially my map, currency converter and translation apps - without incurring exorbitant roaming charges.

I called T-mobile to confirm that I could use my phone without roaming charges in Italy.  The T-mobile representative told me there would be no roaming and I would get free unlimited texting and that international calls would be 20 cents per minute (plus taxes and fees).  For more information click here.

It all sounded cool in theory.  So what was my actual experience like in Italy?

travel zen on tuesday - hong kong @ nite

sazy rock's top 10 best street food dishes (to date) around the world

For me, there is nothing more satisfying than traveling to a new place and falling in love with the food. Let's face it, the way to this gal's heart is through her tummy (and sometimes, liver). When I look back on my travels, I often drool when I remember all the food I ate.

Last week, I listed my top 10 restaurant dishes.  This week, I'm sharing my top 10 favorite street food dishes I've encountered while traveling.  I'm not sharing those found in the United States because that's where I live (although, I particularly like this taco truck in Los Angeles called, Mariscos Jaliscos, that serves the most delicious shrimp taco I have ever tasted).

So far, these are my top street food dishes I've encountered while traveling listed in no particular order.

1.  Taiwanese sausage in Taipei, Taiwan.

I found all sorts of tasty food in the Taipei night markets. But, the simple Taiwanese sausage caught my eye, nose, and taste buds. My first bite snapped the casing and immediately released slightly sweet juices of the cooked ground pork. While I liked eating the sausage by itself, dipping it in garlic sauce added another layer of flavor.

Taiwanese sausage.

eating and shopping in morocco

Morocco is a shopper's paradise. Their artistry is superb and geometric and abstract tribal designs work very well with modern aesthetics. Although you can buy many Moroccan items in the States, nothing beats the rush you will get when getting a deal on a purchase and as a bonus it will serve as a wonderful reminder of your time in Morocco. And their food isn't half bad either.

Shopping

• Leather slippers aka babouches. Still commonly worn by locals, these unique and portable items make excellent souvenirs.  They come in a variety of colors and are super soft- especially when made from goat or camel skin. Sazy Rock and I had a wonderful mini-adventure with a cobbler in Marrakesh who insisted we come up to his attic workshop - not advisable for a solo traveler!- while he custom-made several pairs of infant slippers while we watched. 60-200MAD.
• Blue ceramics. Decorative plates or tiles; be sure to have the fragile goods properly wrapped for transport back home. 
  

what is the international terminal of lax like now?

It has been a long while since I've flown out of the International Terminal (Tom Bradley) at LAX.  I knew it had been renovated so I was curious to see what it was like now.  (Mainly I wanted to see what restaurants/bars where available, since the original terminal was pretty abysmal.)

So, what is there now?

travel tip: bathroom etiquette when you are sharing a bathroom

I used to travel a lot with my girlfriends and we usually had to share bathrooms.  I won't discuss the obvious when sharing a bathroom - which is obviously to be clean, considerate and not hog up the counter space.

What this post is about is how to minimize the embarrassment of going "number 2" while sharing a bathroom with someone.  The two main things to mitigate - sound and smell.

For sound - unless you are staying at some fancy place with the latest japanese toto toilets that will play music or sounds of rushed air to insulate any unpleasant sounds, you will likely have to resort to turning on the tv or music in the room or running the faucet or flushing the toilet.  The latter two options are a waste of water so I wouldn't recommend doing either unless you are very embarrassed or you are with a new paramour and are still trying to maintain the illusion that you don't have normal bodily functions.

For smell - there is a simple trick.  After you are done doing your business, light a match and wave it above the toilet bowl for a little while and voila! the smell will be gone (or at least replaced by the faint lingering smell of smoke).  All of my friends utilize this trick because it's easy and cheap.  You can always grab free boxes of matches from bars and restaurants.  You just have to remember to pack them with you when you travel in a sealed bag (e.g., makeup or toiletries bag).

There are actually specific products that are targeted for this particular problem (e.g., trap-a-crap spray from poopourri.com) but why spend the extra money when you can just use matches that are basically free?

my experience taking uberBLACK to lax

I'm a fan of uber.  After years of terribly inconsistent and unreliable service from taxis in the Los Angeles area, it is refreshing to be able to get a car easily and reliably at a push of a button.  It's also nice to have the payment (and tip) handled behind the scenes so you don't have to fumble with cash at the end of your ride.

When I'm in town, I will usually use uberX which is cheaper than the more premium versions of uber (i.e., uberBLACK and uberSUV).  uberX is essentially a rideshare service where the drivers are not professional drivers (but do go through some sort of background check by uber).   However because they are not professional drivers, they are not technically allowed to drive customers to and from the airport (or at least that is what I understand from articles I've read on the subject matter).  Therefore, in order to utilize uber for airport transportation, one must utilize uberBLACK or uberSUV - which have flat rates for airport transportation.

shopping (aka bargaining) in istanbul

(Istanbul, Turkey).  I was only able to spend about 2 days in Istanbul during a Mediterranean Cruise, but I absolutely loved it!  The food, the gorgeous colors, the sights, the shopping!  I definitely have to return and spend some quality time exploring this vibrant city.

Gorgeous display at the Grand Bazaar.

Today, I’m focusing on my experience shopping in Istanbul.  Most people will immediately think of the Grand Bazaar which is an impressively large market filled with arts and crafts, jewelry, carpets, textiles … anything your little heart could desire!  It is so huge and hectic that it can be a bit overwhelming.  Most people only have a couple of hours to spend here, so unless you have specific items you are hunting for, you may as well just go with the flow and enjoy (but note where you should exit, because you do not want to get lost in there).