TrAvelS with Tas

hamsi

hoca — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:05:15 +0000

akçakoca

hoca — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:03:12 +0000

my new hometown

hoca — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 21:58:11 +0000

And I was doing so well…

hoca — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:17:45 +0000

Ah well. This is what happens when friends come to visit.

So Jen arrived on the 10th and I managed to be pretty consistent with about a week of blog posts! go me! But since she got here my priorities kind of fell to the wayside and instead of studying for exams and writing papers I showed her and Caitlin Bradley (who arrived on the 11) around Prague and went out. I still got my work done, still studied, and am now finished with exams!!! Tegan arrives today, Jen leaves tomorrow, and Malia is coming tomorrow evening. I’m hoping for a few days of sunshine and relaxation–then off to Croatia! I love having my best friends with me in Prague.

This Photo: I was bored with my sunset photos on the beach. I took this on the Palm in Dubai outside the Atlantis hotel. Also I am filled with love for my friends and my family I will see soon!

My new favorite animal that I only just discovered existed. The Leafy Sea Dragon!

hoca — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:40:27 +0000

This Picture: I took this at the aquarium in the Dubai Mall. It was such an awesome aquarium that I’ll probs be posting a lot more pics of it.

From Wikipedia: The leafy sea dragon is found only in the waters of Australia from Kangaroo Island on the Southern shoreline to Jurien Bay on the Western shoreline. A biennial Leafy Sea Dragon Festival is held by the District Council of Yankalilla, South Australia.

This is Emirates Mall

hoca — Mon, 10 May 2010 04:43:34 +0000

This Picture: mall

You can:

Ski Here
Pray Here
Bowl Here
Play Here
Watch Movies Here
Eat Here
Make Eyes at Cute Football Players Here
Get Free Makeovers Here
Spend all your money shopping here

Have Rando Men try to buy you Lunch Here

There are parts of Dubai that feel like India

hoca — Sat, 08 May 2010 10:00:19 +0000

This city is ostentatious and opulent and absolute flash, but there are thousands upon thousands of Indians living here that aren’t a part of it. Most of them work as second-class citizens in the service industry. It’s disgusting actually, the kind of racism that is created here. Just like everywhere else in the world, the darker your skin is the more inferior you are. At the mall they don’t sell bronzer, they sell whitening cream.

But this is true in most countries out of the US and Europe.

Yesterday I went with my Dad and his friends to the Gold Souk (gold market), and all around it were stalls and people and food that belonged to India. The Gold Souk was ridiculous. Apparently all the gold in Dubai is super, super tacky because it’s 22 karat (as opposed to the 14 karat in the States, and 18 karat in India). This means it’s all gross and overly shiny. I’m not really attracted to gold like that. I thought this market was going to be an open-air type thing with gold spilling off of wooden carts and glinting in the oppressive Dubai sun. But, it was just a bunch of jewelry stores with gold stuff in the windows. Kind of pretty, but mostly tacky.

This photo: That’s me behind a bunch of necklaces. GOLD

I’m not actually here, in Old Town Prague. I’m in Dubai.

hoca — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:50:12 +0000

This picture: Old Town Square in Prague. Basically the first place you probably go if you are visiting Prague for a weekend. That statue is Jan Hus, this famous guy that has pigeons all over him. On the left is a church where the only interesting I know is that the bigger tower is called Adam and the smaller is Eve.

Right now I’m in Dubai. I just got a makeover in the Emirates mall, (the one with the ski slope). My dad lives right in front of it. Yesterday I went to the beach and the marina, and roamed around this hot place. And God is it hot. And flashy. More lataaaaa. Maybe tomorrow I’ll put up a picture!

I collect keys

hoca — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:59:33 +0000

or, that is, I meant to. Out of the 5 or 6 different countries I’ve been to this semester, I’ve only managed to get one key. Whoops.

This picture: These are keys at the Beer Museum, U Fleků. It’s a small museum we went to for Czech class, with some worldCzech-famous beer that they brew in-house. It’s a brewery and restaurant in real-life, with really old stuff in it. It’s supposed to be some historic thing from like 1499. The beer is pretty expensive, though, and no one in our group tried any. You’d think they give out free samples or something after having to pay an entry fee. Lame. But hey, college makes you cheap.

And being Indian.

Ahhh, an 8 am beer. Only in the Czech Republic.

hoca — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:22:43 +0000

Ahhh, an 8 am beer. Only in the Czech Republic.
I’m currently sitting at the airport in Prague, on my way to Dubai, and the man next to me has a cold can of Czechland’s famous beer, Pilsner Urquell. I have a quick stop in Vienna, (where I was originally planning on going this weekend, haha). I should be boarding my flight any second now…

This picture: Czech tourists shops sell ridiculous things. What am I saying, all tourist shops sell ridiculous things. But, like a lot of things in the Czech Republic (music, jeans, hair…), much of the stuff sold in these stores is seriously outdated.These shirts always crack me up a little though. There are worse though, trust me.

Who still wears message tees?