AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

Or, what to be aware of when travelling in different seasons and temperaments! Tropical For clothes, stick to thin, breathable fabrics like cotton Spring Wear light clothes but also carry light jacket, raincoat/umbrella. May get chilly sometimes. To avoid pollen allergies it may be good to carry a mask or a light scarf if outside. Don't forget asthma meds. Summer See tropical climate Autumn Wear waterproof jacket and shoes. An umbrella may be useful, unless it's windy. Might get chilly when it's dark (especially when nearing winter) so be sure to carry a thick-ish scarf. Winter Instead of wearing thick clothes, wear a few layers so that you can take them off when you feel like it.

Tokyo was one of the very few cities in the world that I've always felt a strong need to visit, most likely due to my fond childhood/adolescent days of being surrounded by the dreamyness, thoughtfulness, and/or weirdness of Japanese comics, music, and TV shows. I was so excited+anxious about the thought of being in Tokyo that I started mapping out all the places I wanted to go to in in the Tokyo first (before all the other places we were supposed to visit in the country), even though it was actually our last city, haha. We were in Tokyo for only a few days, so I knew even before we got to Tokyo that I wouldn't be able to cover all the spots I wanted to visit, but it was enough to pique my interest to come back! Imperial Gardens in Tokyo

Nara is about  an hour's drive from Kyoto . Located in the Kansai region, it is home to many beautiful temples and shrines,  and, like Kyoto, cultural/historical sites. If you're curious to see the more (agri)cultural side of Japan, Nara is a wonderful choice.

Kyoto was once upon a time Japan's capital, before Tokyo. It is a charming historical city well-known for its temples, shrines, and eyegasmic landscapes. My family and I went to Kyoto on the same day we went to Nara . Our tour group spent (only!) the morning here though, which is obviously not enough. The trip was a nice teaser for another trip to Kyoto, I suppose.

Osaka is the first city in Japan I set foot in, which is good, because unlike metropolitan Tokyo ( which I went to a few days after ), Osaka felt suburban and rather laidback. Located in the Kansai province, it's famous for being a place where you can find good food and funny people. It's a lovely start to experiencing Japan.

Catania, Sicily’s second largest city, lies on the Ionian Sea and around Mt. Etna (“A Muntagna” as the locals call it), a massive mountain which has shaped the history and the actual existence of the city. This beauty and fertile grounds of Catnia has attracted travellers, artists, poets, and philosophers for centuries. In 2014, I was very lucky to visit this city with ISH Travel Club,  and we managed to see the main Sicily town as well as venture further out in Taormina and its vicinities. View from Castelmola, a quaint hilltop village atop Taormina

During autumn of 2011, I visited New York with my family and some family friends for about a week. Although this was a few years after 9/11, and the number of stories I hear about  Islamophobia  has decreased by then, I was pretty anxious; were there really fewer cases?, did prejudice/discrimination against Muslims still persist but merely change form?, were there just fewer reports? It didn't help that getting the tourist visa to enter USA itself was a daunting experience, so I was expecting a rollercoaster ride before, during, and after the trip.

Although I grew up consuming mostly media from the US, and I had a few friends (irl as well as online) from the country, it's hard to pin down what/how I feel about it. USA is usually portrayed as being loud, proud, and crowded. This may not paint an accurate picture of its citizens in all the states, but tbh I did feel equally intrigued and intimidated by the people there.