My name is Rose and I'm addicted to spicy ramen.

So many of my blog entries have been about trips and travels. I thought I'd mix things up a little by sharing one of my favorite things in this whole world: Shin ramyun.

Photo from asianfoodgrocer.com

Ramyun (sometimes 'ramyeon') is the Korean spelling for the Japanese word 'ramen' - a word that usually inspires images of dehydrated peas floating in Cup Noodles and memories of being a broke-ass college student. But Shin ramyun belongs in a different league. For one, its broth game is on point. The salty, spicy concoction is addicting and ultra satisfying to slurp down. For another, Shin doesn't use any MSG, which makes it a bit better for you than its competitors. And finally, it carries a top-shelf price relative to other ramen. You can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores for around $2 a pack, and once you've seen the light, you can buy it cheaper in bulk.

Shin ramyun is so easy to cook - even the most domestically-challenged caveman could do it. All one has to do is boil a pot of water and plop in the contents of the package: one spice packet, another of dehydrated veggies, and of course, the noodles themselves. A common mistake is boil too much water, which dilutes the goodness of the spice mix. For every packet of noodles I recommend using about two and a half cups of water.

Photo from Serious Eats

It's definitely not an every day kind of food. Shin ramyun is like a double cheeseburger: so blatantly terrible for you that it's not even worth trying to justify it as a proper meal with you know, actual nutrients and stuff. One packet contains 440 calories, 88% of one's daily recommended sodium intake, and 40% of the same for saturated fat. In fact, the recommended serving size is only half a packet...which, let's be real, nobody on God's green earth would be able to fill up on.

Aware of its possible shortening effect on my lifespan, I treat myself to Shin ramyun only once in a while. I like to eat mine with a fried egg and keep things cool with a tall glass of milk. Each time it is so, so good. I can't get enough of the flavor - a perfect blend of spicy and seafood goodness that warms the soul and leaves the tongue in a 'hurts-so-good' state of blissful torture. Then there are the noodles - thick and chewy, a perfect vessel for the rich flavors of the broth. For me, it's the ultra comfort-food, so much so that the twenty packets I brought from the US have long ran out and the ten I stuffed into my suitcase during a trip to London have also disappeared, as both the boy and our roommate in Istanbul have become hooked - hence why I used pictures from elsewhere on the internet instead of taking my own.

If you haven't had Shin ramyun, you're most definitely missing out. Run out and try it for yourself this holiday season. Don't be tempted by the convenience of the ones in a cup - go for the packet instead as the latter is much, much better.

Rumor (aka Amazon search suggest) has it that there exists such a thing as Shin ramyun Black, a variant that promises a richer broth and dehydrated beef in addition to the usual mixings, but that sadly lacks the spiciness of the regular ramyun. I haven't tried the black version yet; every time I venture out to buy a packet, I end up caving and reverting back to my spicy ways.

In conclusion: Shin ramyun is my god and I am its prophet.

Bring on the Balkans (Part I)

Fact: Montenegro is gorgeous.

I admit I knew almost nothing about the country other than that some of Casino Royale was filmed there. I simply visited one weekend on a whim with some adventure-thirsty friends. 

As our plane made its descent into Podgorica airport, I peeked out the window and glimpsed a windy green coastline, a vast blue sea, and rugged snow-capped mountains looming all around. That's when I said to myself, hot damn, this is going to be amazing.

We piled into the rental and sped off towards Budva. Along the way, we stopped to stretch and admire the natural beauty around us...and to take a group selfie, of course.

Getting to Budva took about two hours. We immediately made a beeline for the beach.

Rocks were skipped. Fun was had.

For dinner, we chose a restaurant right next to the water and along the boardwalk, which ended up being the perfect people watching spot. It was the off season so we were the only tourists around. The locals seemed happy and relaxed - walking their dogs, chatting in groups, drinking wine. I was grateful to get a glimpse into life in Budva when it wasn't swarming with foreigners on vacation as it is in the summer months.

Following my Italian colleague's lead, I ordered fish soup for a starter. And oh boy, I sure am glad I did. The soup was ladled out of a steaming pot and aroma filled the air with tomato-ey, fishy goodness. Though we had only ordered two portions, there was enough for everyone to try some. The verdict: fish soup is delicious.

My entree was fish, cooked very simply to enhance the fish's freshness and natural flavor. A few cats wandered by our table for scraps. Among them was a tiny tortoiseshell kitten who was blind in one eye...talk about a heartstring tugger. I tossed him pieces of my leftover fish until he had eaten his fill.

After dinner, we drove to the town of Kotor and settled into our airbnb, which was conveniently located right in the middle of the medieval Old Town. Old Town by night was absolutely beautiful (I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures) and wonderfully preserved. No wonder it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

We explored the narrow streets, oohed and aahed at the lit-up churches, and had a run-in with a frog (or was it a toad?) that we encountered along the way. After a few hours of wandering about, we eventually ducked into a bar and nursed a few nightcaps before heading to bed.

The next morning was an early start, for there was a mountain to be climbed and a fortress to explore!

The fortress of Saint Giovanni has certainly seen its fair share of history. It was forged as early as the 6th century and reconstructed again and again as different groups came in and left their mark in Kotor - the Byzantines, Ottomans, Bulgarians, Austrians, Italians, French, and even the Axis forces during the second world war. If that wasn't enough drama, the fortress has also gone through and been rebuilt from seven earthquakes dating as far back as to the 1500s. In spite of all the turmoil it has seen, the fortress still stands atop the city of Kotor and overlooks its bay. Seeing it in the off season was a treat. Not only did we not have to pay the usual fee that is charged to visitors, we had the whole fortress to ourselves.

On the way down, we encountered a pomegranate tree and reaped the rewards of our find.

We spent the last of our morning wandering around in Old Town, this time seeing it by day.

At one point, the boy bought a really, really large slice of pizza...

He devoured the whole thing. I was slightly alarmed but mostly impressed.

At last, it was time to leave and head onwards to the next adventure. As we left the country, we enjoyed stunning views of the coastline and mountains as we wound through the Bay of Kotor. Pure magic.

Montenegro was an absolutely underrated gem of a country. And Kotor was one of my favorite places that I've ever visited. All the thumbs way, way up.

Next up on the blog: adventures in Dubrovnik, Croatia! 

Captivating Cappadocia

The boy and I fulfilled a dream of mine when we paid a visit to Cappadocia last weekend. We were joined by a coworker, his partner and their cheeky two-year old tyke.

Cappadocia is located smack-dab in the middle of Turkey. To get there from Istanbul, we flew out of Sabiha Gökçen airport, got a rental car, and drove an hour and a half to the town of Goreme, where we had rooms booked at the Elysee Cave House. By the time we arrived in town it was already quite dark, so we tucked into a delicious meal at Topdeck Cave Restaurant before calling it a night.

The fellas & cool cave interiors of the restaurant!

The most tender lamb I've ever had. Mmm.

Morning came all too soon. Bleary-eyed and yawning, we loaded into the Turkiye Balloons van that pulled up to our hotel at 5 AM. The van wound through Goreme's narrow streets, slowly filling up with a collection of tourists (and equally impressive collection of DSLRs) from all over the world. After the last pickup, we stopped into a cafe for a light breakfast. Not everyone was a fan of our early start, though.

Nobody has seen the troubles he's seen.

Bellies placated by warm bread and coffee, we piled back into the van. In no time at all, we had left the small town as a red sun rose overhead. Then not ten minutes later, gasps and excitement ensued as we got our first glimpse of the enormous hot air balloons that were slowly inflating among the volcanic rock minarets.

Red sun rising

At this point I was so excited that my mouth had gone dry and I was clutching my camera in a death grip. We made our way over to our balloon and eagerly hopped into the basket.

I loved Turkiye Balloons' motto.

And then we were off!

As the colors of the sunrise gave way to a blue sky, our course took us through valleys of different rock formations, each stranger than the last.

The balloon ride lasted for about an hour and a half in total. At our peak, we ascended 980m into the sky. A few times I peered over the basket, saw how much air was between my feet and the ground, and may have had a small panic attack. But our pilot proved to be very experienced as he navigated us within a hair of rock formations with total ease. And it was difficult to stay worried with these views set to a cheesy-but-comforting soundtrack (Eye of the Tiger, My Heart Will Go On, The Final Countdown) and even cheesier jokes "This is my first time flying!", "This balloon is named the Titanic", etc. After we landed, we received our flight certificates and celebrated with flutes of champagne.

In true hobbit manner, we had second breakfast and then napped for a few hours. But pretty soon it was time to venture out again!

A asking a cowboy for directions.

He's ready for his close up.

We split ways for a few hours; the S family to see some old cave churches in town, while the boy and I ventured into Rose Valley (not a euphemism!!!) for an afternoon trek.

Rose valley selfie

The volcanic rock made for an interesting (and at times, slippery) trail.

Photo op from a small grotto

Whee!

Next up, a visit to the fairy chimney structures:

Our only group shot.

A beautiful family.

True love.

And to end a magical day, a viewing of the sun setting over the town.

Sunset selfie

Rocking my 'Javier-Bardem-from-No-Country-For-Old-Men' hairdo... aww yeah.

Some shenanigans with the little one ensued...

This was his attempt to imitate the boy and I after we had limbo'ed beneath the wooden railing.

Dinner that night was at Old Cappadocia restaurant. We started with hummus on vehicles of fresh, chewy, oven-baked bread.

For mains, we both ordered pottery kebabs - a dish that is baked in clay pots and broken at the table to reveal the stew-y meat-y goods within. The presentation was certainly up there, but the taste was just okay. I'm certain this wasn't anything close to the authentic version and reckon it's a bit of a tourist trap menu item - ah well, gotta take the good with the mediocre.

The next morning, we awoke at dawn and went up to the terrace of the hotel to watch the balloons take flight over Goreme.

Shy balloons inflating

Mother balloon and her babies.

All too soon, it was time to say gule gule to Cappadocia. Visiting there was an absolutely magical experience - one that is without a doubt something I'd recommend to anyone visiting Turkey.