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My turkey trip: Part one

It's only been a few days since I landed in Istanbul, but it's already been the trip of a lifetime. Initially I was just so excited to finally explore culture overseas, but now I'm just blown away by everything this town has to offer. From the people, to the food, to the history, the stunning views, and then some..it's amazing.Not to mention I've got the two best hosts in the business. Both B's have made this trip so much fun, showing me around their town, getting me immersed in their lifestyle, and just treating me like a guest of honor. They're the sweetest, Im so lucky to be able to take this trip with them! On my first few days I've already seen and done so much. After my nine hour flight to Germany and another two to Istanbul, I was fine being mellow on day one. We decided to just do a welcome dinner that night and it was more than I imagined. It was a perfect initiation to the culture. The servers mostly spoke turkish, but luckily Brook knows a lot. (I now know my numbers 1-5, to...

Readers’ writing competition 2011: accommodation review

In Seoul. We were broke and grubby: the offer of a stay at a public bathhouse for next to nothing was too good to refuse.

Bathhouses were popularised in Korea last century by the country’s Japanese occupiers, but lost favour when showers became a standard feature in Korean homes. Many evolved into recreation centres, of which Siloam Fire Pot Sauna was a typical example. An imposing six-floor shrine to personal wellbeing, Siloam houses a gender-segregated naked bathing area and a variety of therapeutic hot rooms. Additional facilities ranged from the beautifully practical (barber and shoe repairer) to the intriguingly wacky (a jagged-gem toe massage walk and an indoor horse riding machine).

Whatever your complaint, Siloam will offer a remedy. The yellow soil fomentation room speeds up metabolism, the wormwood bath restores vitality, the jade-fire sweat bath provides relief for back pain, and the greenstone sauna eases arthritis. We opted for a trolley-dash dip in every bath and sauna available, which left us red-faced and smelling of a strange combination of charcoal, chlorine and soap.