Friday, 30 December 2011
Erkan had mentioned that we would leave slightly later today at 8 am after the previous night’s debauchery but of course we only left at 0815. We drove towards Ankara, stopping en route at Tuz Gölü (or Lake Tuz) meaning Salty Lake. İ had seen the lake miles before our stop and no wonder, it is after all, the second biggest lake in Turkey. There was a small shop selling products based on the salt from the lake. We walked to the shore of the lake as Ekran explained about it.
We continued on to Ankara, the capital of Turkey since 1923 for its geographical location and lack of association with the Ottomans. We rolled in at around noon, just perfect and in time for lunch. Lunch was had at Traihi Gar Restaurant at Ankara Garı (Ankara Train Station). There were many photos on the wall of the restaurant and most had Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in it.
After lunch, we headed to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, on top of Rasattepe Hill. This enemy of Islam died in Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul and his body was brought to Ankara to rest, initially at the Ethnography Museum before being transferred 15 years later to this mausoleum which overlooks Ankara. We spent about forty five minutes at the War of Independence Museum and the tomb before leaving Ankara.
We drove on to Bolu, a town roughly half-way between Ankara and Istanbul. Murat had driven a lot of miles today and apparently, there is a daily limit on the number of miles that a driver can legally drive. We spent the night at Yurdaer Hotel.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
We left at 0715 today and drove to Istanbul, passing Izmit en route. During the ride, we all agreed to go on the optional Bosphorus cruise. The cruise usually costs $60 for adults and $30 for children below 12 and Ekran managed to negotiate the rates down so that the cost could be offset by the refund from the hot air balloon ride that Ekran had managed to get for us.
We took the 1115 cruise and I was very glad that we went on it for it provided wonderful views of the buildings overlooking the strait. It wasn’t a very clear mid-morning but it cleared up briefly.
The cruise lasted slightly more than an hour. We got down and made for the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar). It had started to drizzle by then and we were glad of the shelter. The bazaar derived its name from the many spices imported from Egypt during the Ottoman period. We were only given half an hour to shop (boo hoo) and unsurprisingly, were late for our rendezvous with Ekran and the rest in front of the New Mosque (Yeni Camii).
Next up was lunch at Tamara Restaurant in the Old City. After lunch, we headed to Topkapı Palace, the primary residence of the Ottaman Sultans during their reign. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world including the Prophet Muhammad’s cloak and sword and large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armour and displays of Ottoman treasures and jewellery including a gigantic piece of diamond. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers but only the most important are accessible to the public today. We spent two hours at the Palace.
After the grandeur of the Palace, we went to the Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) to experience the splendour of the covered bazaar and the delights on offer. To be honest, I much prefer the Spice Bazaar as the sellers are friendlier and more willing to entertain you. At the Grand Bazaar, even if you’re interested, the seller may not care to entertain you, nor will they care to call you back if you walk away to another stall. Even if you stand there and the seller decides he doesn’t care to sell to you, you won’t find yourself being served. Well, at least that was what happened to me.
We spent more than an hour there before heading to the car park area to meet up with the rest. It was time for dinner and this time, we went to Grup Restaurant in Sultanahmet area (near Hippodrome). After dinner, we requested that Murat take the route passing Taksim Square. As it was only 8.30 pm, the New Year revellers were not there yet. We passed the square twice before heading to our hotel (the hotel we stayed at on our first night in the city).
Erkan had mentioned that we would leave slightly later today at 8 am after the previous night’s debauchery but of course we only left at 0815. We drove towards Ankara, stopping en route at Tuz Gölü (or Lake Tuz) meaning Salty Lake. İ had seen the lake miles before our stop and no wonder, it is after all, the second biggest lake in Turkey. There was a small shop selling products based on the salt from the lake. We walked to the shore of the lake as Ekran explained about it.
We continued on to Ankara, the capital of Turkey since 1923 for its geographical location and lack of association with the Ottomans. We rolled in at around noon, just perfect and in time for lunch. Lunch was had at Traihi Gar Restaurant at Ankara Garı (Ankara Train Station). There were many photos on the wall of the restaurant and most had Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in it.
After lunch, we headed to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, on top of Rasattepe Hill. This enemy of Islam died in Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul and his body was brought to Ankara to rest, initially at the Ethnography Museum before being transferred 15 years later to this mausoleum which overlooks Ankara. We spent about forty five minutes at the War of Independence Museum and the tomb before leaving Ankara.
We drove on to Bolu, a town roughly half-way between Ankara and Istanbul. Murat had driven a lot of miles today and apparently, there is a daily limit on the number of miles that a driver can legally drive. We spent the night at Yurdaer Hotel.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
We left at 0715 today and drove to Istanbul, passing Izmit en route. During the ride, we all agreed to go on the optional Bosphorus cruise. The cruise usually costs $60 for adults and $30 for children below 12 and Ekran managed to negotiate the rates down so that the cost could be offset by the refund from the hot air balloon ride that Ekran had managed to get for us.
We took the 1115 cruise and I was very glad that we went on it for it provided wonderful views of the buildings overlooking the strait. It wasn’t a very clear mid-morning but it cleared up briefly.
The cruise lasted slightly more than an hour. We got down and made for the Spice Bazaar (Egyptian Bazaar). It had started to drizzle by then and we were glad of the shelter. The bazaar derived its name from the many spices imported from Egypt during the Ottoman period. We were only given half an hour to shop (boo hoo) and unsurprisingly, were late for our rendezvous with Ekran and the rest in front of the New Mosque (Yeni Camii).
Next up was lunch at Tamara Restaurant in the Old City. After lunch, we headed to Topkapı Palace, the primary residence of the Ottaman Sultans during their reign. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a major tourist attraction and contains important holy relics of the Muslim world including the Prophet Muhammad’s cloak and sword and large collections of porcelain, robes, weapons, shields, armour and displays of Ottoman treasures and jewellery including a gigantic piece of diamond. The palace complex has hundreds of rooms and chambers but only the most important are accessible to the public today. We spent two hours at the Palace.
After the grandeur of the Palace, we went to the Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) to experience the splendour of the covered bazaar and the delights on offer. To be honest, I much prefer the Spice Bazaar as the sellers are friendlier and more willing to entertain you. At the Grand Bazaar, even if you’re interested, the seller may not care to entertain you, nor will they care to call you back if you walk away to another stall. Even if you stand there and the seller decides he doesn’t care to sell to you, you won’t find yourself being served. Well, at least that was what happened to me.
We spent more than an hour there before heading to the car park area to meet up with the rest. It was time for dinner and this time, we went to Grup Restaurant in Sultanahmet area (near Hippodrome). After dinner, we requested that Murat take the route passing Taksim Square. As it was only 8.30 pm, the New Year revellers were not there yet. We passed the square twice before heading to our hotel (the hotel we stayed at on our first night in the city).
I hardly ever celebrate New Year. I always sleep right through it
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Can you believe it, it was now time to say goodbye to Türkiye?! Well, like they say, time flies when you’re having fun. We went for breakfast later than normal, at 8.30 am. Then we went for a brief walk around the hotel before heading back to the hotel.
We left the hotel at 1145 and headed for the airport. We checked in immediately and went into the duty-free area. After performing prayers, we headed for our boarding gate for our flight to Bahrain where we would transit for more than six hours...
Monday, 2 January 2012
We boarded the flight back to KL at 0100 this morning and just as we were about to take off, el niño threw up. He vomited repeatedly throughout the flight and I must confess that I was getting panicked. I asked for anti-motion sickness pill from one of the air stewardess and while she told me it would not be effective as we had taken off, I still insisted on it. Poor boy.
We landed at KLIA at 1420. Our bags took so long to make their appearance (I had gone to perform prayers and back and still the bags were not out). They finally appeared at 1450 but alas, we were unable to catch the 1500 train.
So that was my 2011 year-end and 2012 start-of-year break. How was yours?
~~~~~~~~
I was very satisfied with the tour package. It was well-planned. We were very lucky to get Erkan as our tour guide as he was very patient and accommodating. He bent over backwards trying to make us feel comfortable. For instance, when we told him the hot air balloon didn’t even last half an hour, he called up the company to negotiate a discount. He even negotiated a discount for us for the Bosphorus cruise. He waited patiently for us and answered our queries patiently, never mind that he had explained the fact earlier. He helped keep us entertained in the long road trips with his DVD movies. I also like the fact that he had two maps in the vehicle – one of Turkey and another of Istanbul. He also brought along books when we visited Ephesus to help us visualise how the place looked like before. He helped make us understand and appreciate everything easier. Murat the driver was also a calm, nice and patient chap. He may just be a driver but he is the epitome of professionalism. He’s always neatly-dressed with a necktie to boot and not a single hair out of place.
And the best part? We paid RM1,200 less than another group of 14 from Penang and RM600-700 less than another group of 19 from KL. There were only seven of us in our group. What group discount? We hit jackpot alright. Alhamdulillah.
Can you believe it, it was now time to say goodbye to Türkiye?! Well, like they say, time flies when you’re having fun. We went for breakfast later than normal, at 8.30 am. Then we went for a brief walk around the hotel before heading back to the hotel.
We left the hotel at 1145 and headed for the airport. We checked in immediately and went into the duty-free area. After performing prayers, we headed for our boarding gate for our flight to Bahrain where we would transit for more than six hours...
Monday, 2 January 2012
We boarded the flight back to KL at 0100 this morning and just as we were about to take off, el niño threw up. He vomited repeatedly throughout the flight and I must confess that I was getting panicked. I asked for anti-motion sickness pill from one of the air stewardess and while she told me it would not be effective as we had taken off, I still insisted on it. Poor boy.
We landed at KLIA at 1420. Our bags took so long to make their appearance (I had gone to perform prayers and back and still the bags were not out). They finally appeared at 1450 but alas, we were unable to catch the 1500 train.
So that was my 2011 year-end and 2012 start-of-year break. How was yours?
~~~~~~~~
I was very satisfied with the tour package. It was well-planned. We were very lucky to get Erkan as our tour guide as he was very patient and accommodating. He bent over backwards trying to make us feel comfortable. For instance, when we told him the hot air balloon didn’t even last half an hour, he called up the company to negotiate a discount. He even negotiated a discount for us for the Bosphorus cruise. He waited patiently for us and answered our queries patiently, never mind that he had explained the fact earlier. He helped keep us entertained in the long road trips with his DVD movies. I also like the fact that he had two maps in the vehicle – one of Turkey and another of Istanbul. He also brought along books when we visited Ephesus to help us visualise how the place looked like before. He helped make us understand and appreciate everything easier. Murat the driver was also a calm, nice and patient chap. He may just be a driver but he is the epitome of professionalism. He’s always neatly-dressed with a necktie to boot and not a single hair out of place.
And the best part? We paid RM1,200 less than another group of 14 from Penang and RM600-700 less than another group of 19 from KL. There were only seven of us in our group. What group discount? We hit jackpot alright. Alhamdulillah.
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