Istanbul: City of Spice and Flavor

Istanbul has always been a vital trading center, a crossroads between East and West, and thus is known for its great array of spices, which are of the highest quality in the world. While on an eating tour of Turkey, freelance writer Erin Phelan explored Istanbul's outstanding cuisine, culminating with a day at the Spice Market. The spices of the city add strong flavor accents to a cuisine which is focused on pure and simple flavors, created using only the freshest ingredients.
Enjoy a snippet of her story below:

It is hard not to get swept away in the Spice Market, a feast for the senses. The Spice Road was one of the most important factors in culinary history, under control of the Sultan who deemed only the best ingredients could be traded. This remains true today: Heaping mounds of apricots, dates, nut and barrels of Turkish Delight in all flavors and colors line the corridors along with spices in every color: bright yellows, blunt ambers.

Every five feet salesmen offer samples of their Turkish delight including the Viagra Turkish Delight (scientists have yet to determine its medicinal effects!).

As we shop we are given the customary tulip-glass of strong Turkish tea, with a cube or two of sugar it give me the caffeine kick so lacking in a country that believes coffee should be muddy and thick, or Nescafe. But we’re not done: Omer wants to have us taste and takes us to try “the best Turkish Delight in the county.”

We walk to Koska on Istilklal Caddesi (just up street from the Blue Mosque) and share nightingale nests, a variation of baklava dripping in honey, crunchy on the tongue, and buy the freshest Turkish delight I’ve ever eaten. Though others have argued that Haci Bekir, another Istanbul shop, owns bragging rights my stout belief is: Always trust the local.

The Sea Gypsies of Pulau Bumbun

Travel writer Alice Driver and her husband spent a month living with the family of Haji Sualdong, leader of the tiny village of Looksisara, on Pulau Bumbun island off Malaysia's Borneo. The town sits on boardwalks over the sea, and is a close-knit community where bathrooms, bedrooms, and dining places are all public entities. In addition to Pulau Bumbun's natural beauty, Driver experienced warm people, fresh food, and fun adventures, such as the one below, excerpted from her GoNomad.com article:

One Saturday we piled into a traditional Lepa boat with Haji Sualdong and five other family members to go collect mollusks. We motored off into the ocean, navigating our way through rows of seaweed gardens tended by Pilipino workers and occasionally passing by a boat of dynamite fisherman.

After an hour we stopped at a sandbar surrounded by pristine turquoise waters. The sea unfurled before me – cobalt, turquoise, aquamarine – infinite in its palate of blues.

We hopped out with Tikah, Haji Suladong’s daughter, and she started collecting edible mollusks. The shallow water was populated by giant red and black sea stars which looked menacing in such profusion. Tikah gathered sea snails, sea urchins and sea cucumbers and threw them into a sack.

Haji Suladong was out in the water with a large floating bowl tied to his wrist. He filled it with sea urchins and then dumped the prickly creatures on the boat.

We were out there for hours, returning the boat for lunch.

On board I found the two women cracking open sea urchins, pouring the brackish water from inside the urchins overboard and scraping the orange roe into a bowl.

As soon as I got in the boat they offered me the bowl of roe mixed with rice. To my surprise it tasted like a bite of the sea – salty and fresh. Sea cucumber was pulled out of the water, cut up and added to my bowl as I ate.

Exploring the remote Little Corn Island of Nicaragua

Little Corn Island is a remote island 40 miles off the coast of Nicaragua that is accessible only by ferry from the near by Big Corn Island. It has no roads or vehicles, and is only 2 miles in size. In a recent article from GoNomad.com, Karina Zobolotny tells of her experience staying in the Island's Ensueños Resort, which provides eco-friendly jungle cabanas and casitas for travelers wishing to fully emerse themselves in the island's beautiful landscape.
Below is an excerpt from her article.

A Savory Experience

A private beach with white sand, clear ocean water and beautifully earthy cabins aren’t Ensueño’s only draw. Perhaps the best part is the food that is equally natural and artistic. The meals are created by a French cook, a lithe and eccentric man who spends hours in the kitchen whipping up culinary delights.

During my stay, I had a dinner consisting of fresh corn chips with guacamole, coconut infused rice and shrimp with mango chutney sauce, and a breakfast of fresh eggs (chickens also run around the property) with homemade bread and pineapple jam. The restaurant is in an enclave which resembles a hobbit’s house, but is filled with the warm light of candles and touches of art.

Chilling Out Caribbean Style

After spending one lazy morning lounging in the hammock with a view on my porch, I set off to the beach to snorkel and explore the water world. I had brought my own gear, but there are two dive shops on the other side of the island that have rentals, as well as offering snorkel and scuba excursions.

Snorkeling in the coral reef offered a new perspective to the ocean I had been admiring from my hammock. Throughout the water, vast species of fish swam about the rocks and coral; most impressive were the royal blue and yellow angel fish that darted away from me as I passed.

Here civilization is easily forgotten, “island time” prevails, letting hours slip into days. After three days I had to escape the peaceful isolation of Ensueños and venture back to reality.

The journey took me back through the trails of the tropical forest, on to the ocean ferry and into the tiny plane complete with crates of crowing roosters. Landing in the concrete jungle of Managua, I was left only with the visions of the real jungle and dreams of Ensueños.

Kicking and Tumbling through Capoeira class in Brazil

While studying abroad last spring on Semester at Sea, GoNomad.com editorial assistant Izzy Dunne traveled to Salvador, Brazil during the final, wild day of Carnaval. She got to join the 2 million people that flood the streets of Salvador for the biggest party of the year, and learned about local traditions as well. Izzy was able to get a beginner's lesson in Capoeira, a form of martial art and dance that is unique to Salvador that is fun and very exhausting. She even go to enter the ring with a true Capoeira student!
Below is part of her story.

Mestre Bamba

I love getting to know a city by its native art forms and for a dancer like me, a trip to Salvador would not have been complete without a Capoeira class. Capoeira is a part of the Afro-Brazilian tradition that is so strong in Salvador, because it was at one time the South American center for slave trade.

It is the city with the highest percentage of African Brazilians in all of Brazil at over 80%, making Salvador the center of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Capoeira is a form of martial art, but it is also a lot like dancing. It was created by African slaves in Salvador as a way to maintain their defensive abilities and strength, though the slave owners forbade actual fights.

There were Capoeira demonstrations throughout the squares of the old city, but I really wanted to take a genuine class rather than just watching from the sidelines. So early on the morning of my last in Salvador I walked through Pelourinho with a few friends to find ourselves a beginner’s class.

We found a small school called the Associação de Capoeira, which was on the top floor of a storefront building, and consisted of an open studio and a tiny reception office. We paid the 15 reals (about 6 USD) and got an amazing hour-long intro class.

Our instructor’s Capoeira nickname was Mestre Bamba, and he was amazing. He spoke very little English but was a great teacher; he was able to communicate brilliantly and didn’t let us half-ass it -- we were working hard the entire time.

I thought I’d be fine because of my ballet training, but the class was intense! We did lots of squatting and kicking, cartwheels and tumbles.

The way Capoeira works is that one learns a repertoire of both defensive and offensive moves, and then during demonstrations and in-class exercises, you match up against another, enter the ring, and free-style fight using the moves you both know.

My friends and I got to experience this first hand at the end of the class; the last exercise of class paired each of us against an advanced Brazilian Capoeira student, and we took turns entering the ring and free-style fighting.

All us newbie Americans were really nervous, but it was so fun. The Brazilians were as nice as can be, and helped us out by going for a duck first, so we could kick, and then they would reciprocate.

It was such a great local experience, something that is so unique to Salvador. It made for a beautiful last day in Salvador, which became calm, charming, and laid-back after the Carnaval party-goers left. I was ridiculously sore for weeks, no wonder Mestre Bamba is in such good shape!

They Let the Music Move them in the Desert of Iran

GoNOMAD's editor joined a group of about 120 travel industry representatives and traveled to Iran recently. It was an eye-opening journey, mostly because the people were so friendly in contrast with what we hear from the government. He had the most fun when he took a trip into the vast central desert called Dasht-E-Kavir, where people can finally feel free. Below is part of his story.

Rolling Down the Dunes

But Iran’s biggest desert had more gifts for us, as we found when we stopped next to high dunes. It was getting toward sunset, the light was sharp and perfect to frame the beautiful faces of Iran’s lovely people.

Scrambling up the steep sandy face of the hilly dunes, some of us folded hands on our chests and rolled all the way down. Others set out to walk far out to the tops of the highest dune peaks. The light was perfect, that soft glow of a late fall afternoon, and we were glad we had brought along jackets to ward off the chill after sundown.
After a break for tea and cakes, we made our way back to the town square of Aran, where in the shadow of a giant mosque, lit up in bright lime green, we switched back to the comfortable modern coach. After we set out, the red curtains were drawn, and our guides selected the funkiest Iranian dance beats on the coach’s stereo.

On the way home, we closed the curtains and danced to Iranian rock music on the bus.
To the blasting beat, one by one men and woman got up to dance, swaying seductively and smiling, defying the rules against such ungodly pleasures. No one could stop us as we rolled along in the desert, no one could see what fun we were having as we let the music move us.