I had always wanted to visit Turkey but had reservations before because of its secular state. I do try to keep an open mind especially since I met a lot of Turks in the Holy Land. Surely not everyone is that secular? Besides, Malaysia is equally secular. But I’m glad I went when I did (I had thought that I was meant to go to the other destination I had planned from signs that I received but it was not meant to be yet and as it turned out, God wanted me to visit Turkey first).
What I discovered:
- Warm and friendly people
- A very clean country. Very clean. Too clean. You can go to the countryside or some pump station in the middle of nowhere (to use the washroom) and you’d be hard pressed to find litter anywhere. Why can’t Malaysia be like that?
- You can find squat toilets in addition to sit-down toilets in some areas. Most sit-down toilets have an integrated bidet. I wish we have more of these toilets with integrated bidet in Malaysia. It will definitely mean fewer wet bathrooms around
- A lot of cities/towns have some factory outlets in the outskirts. Not surprising as Turkey is a major clothing producer and exporter. Most are local brands though we did see some outlets of Marks & Spencer and Docker’s
- Patient people. You can be stuck in a crawl for miles and no one even used the horn
- Many, many furry cute cats everywhere. Not just at restaurants or fish markets but also at ruins and historical places. Most are black and white but we did find some calico cats
- The love of sweet stuff. I cannot even finish half of a baclava but they can do that and more!
- Turkish tea (cay) and coffee. They are served at most shops that we visit
- ‘New’ stuff like apple tea, pomegranate tea, rose jam and cherry jam
- The same food at almost every meal (even breakfast at some hotels): salad (red cabbage, shredded carrot, lettuce), bread, the occasional yoghurt. And lentil soup. Nice but not good for me (windy!). I don’t know how they can eat the same stuff over and over again without trying to vary the menu
- Many different kinds of cheese for us to sample
- They serve pork openly at some hotels’ breakfast buffet
- Don’t expect to find any halal sign at restaurants. Take it as a given. Though the same establishments may serve alcohol too. What did I say about it being a secular country?
Will I visit again? Probably another trip to Istanbul or other towns with Roman remains. And in spring time please. It will be my pleasure to tell you when that happens.
What I discovered:
- Warm and friendly people
- A very clean country. Very clean. Too clean. You can go to the countryside or some pump station in the middle of nowhere (to use the washroom) and you’d be hard pressed to find litter anywhere. Why can’t Malaysia be like that?
- You can find squat toilets in addition to sit-down toilets in some areas. Most sit-down toilets have an integrated bidet. I wish we have more of these toilets with integrated bidet in Malaysia. It will definitely mean fewer wet bathrooms around
- A lot of cities/towns have some factory outlets in the outskirts. Not surprising as Turkey is a major clothing producer and exporter. Most are local brands though we did see some outlets of Marks & Spencer and Docker’s
- Patient people. You can be stuck in a crawl for miles and no one even used the horn
- Many, many furry cute cats everywhere. Not just at restaurants or fish markets but also at ruins and historical places. Most are black and white but we did find some calico cats
- The love of sweet stuff. I cannot even finish half of a baclava but they can do that and more!
- Turkish tea (cay) and coffee. They are served at most shops that we visit
- ‘New’ stuff like apple tea, pomegranate tea, rose jam and cherry jam
- The same food at almost every meal (even breakfast at some hotels): salad (red cabbage, shredded carrot, lettuce), bread, the occasional yoghurt. And lentil soup. Nice but not good for me (windy!). I don’t know how they can eat the same stuff over and over again without trying to vary the menu
- Many different kinds of cheese for us to sample
- They serve pork openly at some hotels’ breakfast buffet
- Don’t expect to find any halal sign at restaurants. Take it as a given. Though the same establishments may serve alcohol too. What did I say about it being a secular country?
Will I visit again? Probably another trip to Istanbul or other towns with Roman remains. And in spring time please. It will be my pleasure to tell you when that happens.
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