Turkey haven Part I

the long-awaited trip to Asia-Europe!
As we touched down in Istanbul,
we could smell that exotic scent
and mystic air of this Asian muslim country already...

the gorgeous Blue Mosque
I'd never imagined its grandeur
to be that enticing..

Hagia Sofya

I'd always been charmed by exotic eastern ethnicity
the Mosque gave me an insight to an unknown world

we had to cover our heads with a scarf
n remove our shoes
no wonder it stinked in there...lol

bt the high ceilings, lamps that dangled full-length,
intricate carvings on the walls
all made it soo holy, grand and out-of-this-world..

Topkapi Palace
the grand Palace where the sultans used to reside
ancient, yet charming,
in a cosy way
pretty unlike the usual European palace style

Outside the Blue Mosque
we caught an interesting sight
of locals washing their feet with public taps
I'd read abt this peculiar custom in a guidebook
bt it felt weird to see it for myself.
Grown men removing their shoes
scrubbing btw their feet in public.
Muslims are the least discrete abt their various customs
To them, entering a Mosque is extremely sacred
they need to wash off all their filth
before steppin into holy grounds..



Roadside stalls
check out their costumes

greedy Alberto had to try some of his fav corn
it tasted awful thou
way different with wat we usually eat..


LUNCH time!
kebabs n Arabic tea did the trick

Chillin in a Teahouse
the interior of this teahouse was incredible
built into a cavelike structure
the upper-storey of the building had stoned walls
we sat overlooking the plaza of BlueMosque
sippin our soothing
Pomegranade and Orange tea..

Cheap kebab stall by the train station

Hopped onto an overnight train
it took us 15hrs to get to SouthEast Turkey
where a natural phenomenon has so attracted me..
I needed to see it despite the long distance..
the overnight train was fully equipped
we had 2 bunk beds in our cabin,
with a sink, fridge, table...woohoo

the wonderful view to Pamukkale

PAMUKKALE
One of the most gorgeous places i've ever been
White crystalline travertines perged on a hilltop
looking so pure n untouched..
it cascades down the hill, makng it seem so soft n gentle.
Intriguing nature has created such beauty
they'r actually formed from calcium carbonate
mixed with spring water from the mountains..

Pamukkale means 'Cotton castle' in turkish
it really seemed like walking in cotton
as i throdded along the pools of white crystals..

its beauty amazes me..

yeh i tiptoed into the travertines
n felt for myself the texture of these natural salts

woo i look like im in the clouds~


HIERAPOLIS
just behind the crystal travertines
was an ancient city created since the Roman Empire

yeh we obviously look tired n hot

woo! an amazing ancient pool!!
created since the Roman times,
it was used as a bath for the royalty
look, we cld still swim thru the roman ruins
how interesting ey...

at the base of the travertines..

A CAMEL!!
Had to snap a pic
bt the owner was too greedy to let this opportunity pass
good thing i didnt go on a ride
cos climbing up the tall camel freaked me out BIG TIME!!!

Dinner in the hostel
the host was soo nice, n tempted us with a homecook turkish dinner
we had to try it for ourselves!
salad, cooked veges (aubergine, capsicum stuffed w rice), stew meat
fuckin yummy...
enjoyed the sumpteous meal with a Belgium couple
n they cracked us up!
it was so fun to chat with them, know abt their country..
I tried the powerful Raki
a superstrong potent liquor
that gave me a throbbing headache without the high~
it's a colourless liquor, which turns white when mixed with water
tasted exactly like oso in Greece..

Breakfast was incredible too,
typical turkish dinner
of tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs (normally we've gt boiled eggs-weird)
n Turkish tea. ;)

VENÜS HOTEL
The best hotel/hostel we've stayed in
the service was excellent
run by an Aussie-turkish couple
they were fuckin helpful n frenly
it was such a great experience staying there
we laughed with them, n the belgium couple..
made this the most memorable part of the trip!

APHRODISIAS
The ancient city consisting of a magnificent temple
dedicated to the infamous ancient goddess Aphrodite.
she represented fertility, n sex.

it was lil town on our way to Bodrum
so we popped by to witness yet another
impressive ancient roman ruin..

the amphitheatre
makes u wonder how they managed to build all that
in the ancient times
with no technology watsoever..

ancient coffin..

LUNCH TIME!
various turkish delights
cooked beans, meatballs, spicy chicken, yogurt with cucumber..

Ah! my all-time fav sweeet Turkish desert
BACLAVA!
Crispy pastry baked with nuts inside
n pistachio flakes sprinkled on top
glazed with sweet syrup
giving it a perfect savour.

P.S. Finally uploaded all our pics
Turkey trip has been wayy more colourful than I'd imagined.
It was a long road-trip
we drove alot, saw alot n travelled alot.
It has been so fulfilling, adventure-filled
full of laughter n experiences..
one of the best, i say!
we'll be back, i know. ;)

P.S. Alberto was mistaken for a turkish many a times
most of them just approach him n speak in turkish
he's pissed! lol
it's like how pple mistake me for a Filipino..argh..

Turkish Haven Part II

BODRUM
2.5hrs of driving, we hit the coast!
Yes we were lookin for some sun, sand n sea
along Turkey's famous coast
known to be overcrowded by Brits.
Surprisesurprise, it was still a lil chilly
so the beach was pretty empty.
Good for us, no odd Brit accents ard us ;)

on the rooftop of our resort
(we only paid 11euros for 2 of us -nice n cheap resort)
check out the white architecture all ard Bodrum..

lol chillin at a bar..
Alberto taking a pic with his mobile infronta mirror..hee..

us smoking Sheesha!!!
ok the Turks call it 'Nargile'
(pronounced as 'Naar-gee-lay')

Beautiful nightlights along the seafront
we said goodbye to the beachtown
we have too much to explore!!

EPHESUS
After 2hrs of driving, we arrived in Ephesus...
The famous Ancient City
Turkey has the most number of ancient ruins in the world
Ephesus is one of the most preserved ancient city
it tells the tales of how the ancient Romans lived n conquered
truly amazing, the amphitheatre,
the Library of Celsius, the stadium...

the very talked-about Library of Celcius
impressively maginificent!
Its soo well-preserved,
it's hard to imagine they built it 1000yrs ago

the long marble walk
u could just imagine urself walking thru the heart of the city
1000yrs back...

Temple of Artemis
One of 7 Ancient Wonders of the World
Hard to imagine the grandeur it used to have
only 1 column left
from the grand forum
7 other columns stolen by the Brits
placed in the British museum nw,
tsktsk..

Castle, n Mosque of Selçuk

Rural streets of Asian Turkey
are filled with cows, horses and donkeys
It makes me feel so back-to-basics
n i loved to see livestock roaming the streets freely..

Us enjoying some Turkish tea
and Gözleme (pancake)
in an Authentic Turkish teahouse
right in the midst of wilderness.
we were lucky to bump into it
one of the highlights of our experience here..



DENIZLI
Drove back to Denizli for our train to Istanbul
Denzili's a lil town, completely resembles Malaysia
not too developed, bt yet bustling with activities
The streets, people and food aroused my interest
in their authentically Muslim lil town..

Lunch in a simple cafeteria
superb Lamb kebab
Chunks of grilled lamb meat, accompanied by pita bread
served with coriander leaves, tomatoes n onions.
Loved it.

Dessert in a pastry shop
A range of pistachio pastries..

my all-time fav - Baclava

An interesting way of serving tea.
This guy amused us by posing for a photo
while bending down n pouring tea
from a huge container he carried his back.
he asked for 15euros,
to hell with that.
we gave him 5 n left..
sometimes tourism really reveals the ugly side of people..