We're sorry, but we could not fulfill your request for / on this server. An invalid request was received from your browser. This may be caused by a malfunctioning proxy server or browser privacy software. Your technical support key is: 3697-abac-1756-6707 You can use this key to fix this problem yourself. and be sure to provide the technical support key shown above.In a country where people love their kebap as much as Turkey, finding vegetarian food was a delight in itself. Treating my taste buds was a welcome bonus. While I expected to be eating a lot of mezze and aubergine, I didn’t find any till the tail end of my trip, when I landed in a small village on the outskirts of Capadoccia. I did however, sample delicious Turkish vegetarian dishes in small towns and villages along the Black Sea coast in the north of the country, and I’ve found myself salivating as I reminisce about the indulgences! If you’re among the carnivores, we could bid adieu here (and you could take a virtual trip with me to my favorite town in northern Turkey, or explore the quirkiest things about Turkey)… or else you’re going to get very hungry 😉

A treat for my first Turkish vegetarian meal outside of Istanbul, in the quaint Ottoman town of Safranbolu. Peruhi: Vegetarian Turkish pasta, stuffed with a bit of cheese and mint, and cooked with yoghurt, milk and olive oil. Ayran: A traditional yoghurt drink in Turkey. Similar to the Indian chaach, and served with almost any kind of food in Turkey. Homemade dessert made from yoghurt, with a tinge of spice (can’t find the name among my notes, sigh). Tcryaotic backpackhe owner at the cafe made this for a family celebration later that evening, and offered it after hearing that I had come all the way from Hindistan! backpack masterwork pathfinder In the small seaside town of Cide, vegetarian “home food” at a lokanta, which refers to a small eatery in Turkish. agva backpack

Fasuliye: Whole Peas and legumes cooked together, served with rice and Ayran. In Amasra, a seaside town popular with Turkish holidayers, the famous Turkish (vegetarian) ! Vegetarian delights at rest stops on bus journeys. Gozleme Patate: The closest I could get to a steaming hot aloo parantha in Turkey! Gozlemes are the most commonly available food at rest stops made by public buses plying from one town to another. They are typically stuffed with peynir, which is Turkey’s version of cheese; tbackpack znaczenieo me, peynir tasted like raw paneer and seemed unpalatable after the first try! Itumi vice backpack for salef not available with patate (potato), I preferred a plain gozleme, which when made fresh, tastes savory and delicious. ful backpack hiatus

Vegetarian treats at cafes without menus, especially on northern countryside. Nohut / Kuru fasuliye: Chickpeas / kidney beans (typically canned) served with rice. Forgive my Indian taste buds to be reminded of rajma-chawal and chhole-chawal! It is important to specify that you want this minus the meat, since the Turkish people like to garnish all their food with meat out of habit. Cacik: (pronounced jejik), yoghurt churned with cucumber and mint, somewhat like the Indian raita. For the sweet tooth: Turkish delights: Too sweet even for my sweet tooth, but loved their colorful displays throughout Turkey. The tastiest hazelnut chocolates I’ve ever had, in the hazelnut chocolate factory in Ordu. The northern region is the hazelnut belt of the country. Special Turkish coffee, made by newfound friends in my favorite Turkish town, Ordu. Vegetarian delights I was too tempted to eat before they could be photographed (!): Menemen: Turkey’s version of scrambled eggs.

Aubergine, in all forms and shapes, common in Cappadocia and the south. Simit: Sesame-coated bagels served in carts on the streets of Istanbul. Borek: Savory Turkish quiche typically stuffed with cheese and spinach. What Turkish vegetarian dishes would you most like to try? Join The Shooting Star on Facebook and Twitter for more travel stories from the road. Share the wanderlust:Like this:Unlike our Indochina trip this August, our recent escape in Hong Kong & Macau on March 17-22 was decided on January when Cebu Pac had another seat sale. And even if it comes first before Indochina, I was more fired up to plan the latter. In my mind planning a 5-day trip to Hong Kong & Macau should be a breeze. I was also confident since the husband has a friend in Macau. We had tons of fun and some notable bloopers and fails. But overall it was a great trip. This was our first international trip as husband & wife, and it certainly goes beyond expectations. We’ve learned more about each other and appreciated our strengths and weaknesses more.

If you are planning your own trip to HK & Macau on your own, don’t fret. Hong Kong is very friendly to tourists. Before embarking on your own adventure, please note on the following list. These are our fails (or just mine since I am the researcher). Now that you have the reminders, let’s go to what you can see & do. The husband and I enjoy theme parks a lot so visiting Disneyland and Ocean Parks were must-dos in Hong Kong. Since his best friend is in Macau, going there is a must too. But we set our itinerary to be flexible. It’s good that it is because we have freedom to adjust accordingly. Tips: If you plan to visit Hong Kong & Macau, it might be best to do a multi-route flight to Cebu. Do everything that you can in Hong Kong and when you’re done, go to Macau and take a flight back home from there. You can save time and money. And since we are not able to do a city tour or shopping in Hong Kong, we might be back in the future. Money Matters If you want to visit Hong Kong & Macau, be prepared to shell out around Php25K/pax.