I have been sitting on this entry for a few days.
Having taken in so much in Istanbul and trying to pen it down is so diff because it was truly a wonderous, strange, beautiful and even sad place.
Rome and Paris landmarks left me awestruck but Istanbul left me breathless at times as i was engulfed with the sight, smell and sounds of the people. These are a people who rarely show a smile. Its a place where the people and culture take centre stage and i think back on it fondly ever so often.
One thing is for sure, visiting Istanbul has left me wanting to return to Asia even more.
I love Asia’s diversity. Europe is nothing but castles and churches and beer and beer..
Asia has grit, asia has personality, asia has food and drinks that taste so good.
Oh and one thing… A European fren went to Singapore and said that its so nice blah blah blah… and said that its just as how his frens said it was- Singapore is not like Asia at all. Its diff from Asia….( they jus cant believe we have more stuff than them- jus look at our shopping)
I take that as finally realising that Asia has too much to offer and shld never be looked down on… man i am sounding so patriotic!
Moving on
Istanbul in a nutshell is a city of sounds and smells. The sites are not that breathtaking if you compare it to the Roman works of arts but this city captures your heart with its rawness and simplicity.
Even as we lay in our hotel rooms, there would be turkish music coming from the restaurants till 3 or 4 in the morning…I just lay awake on our last night, taking in the sounds of people, the prayer calls, the music…
The day reverberated with the sound of prayer calls that seemed to dull away the heat of the day and drowned other sounds.
The streets were packed and as i people watched i couldnt quite grasp this unusual clash btw east and west. They have hair and mannerisms similar to the Indians and Malays but their faces look Europeanish. Most of the men have sunkissed burnt skin and look pretty gruffy. There were much fewer women on the streets in comparison. The women most certainly look better groomed.
I admit maybe i looked too hard at them but they looked at me and Mas like we were aliens too. Seeing Asians using their tram and walking their streets as we did must have been a bit of a weird sight for them too. The only other Asians we bumped into seemed to be the Japanese tour groups gathered around tourist hot spots (who love to travel with a tour bus, a guide and and in big big group)
SATURDAY
We are at the port of the Bhosphorous Boat Cruise. I wanted to take it but i dont want to stink of the sea and be sea sick after that! moreover it takes hours. We had only 2 days. The second pic is of the Imperial Mosque ( i think )


New Mosque
Not quite sure why its new. Its quite old but maybe in relative comparisons to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia…



Spice and Grand Bazaar
If u cant say no to pirated bags, carpets, jewellery or tea cup sets or cute souvenir shops than this place is a nightmare for you.
The business men here are well… like CON artists. They kissed my hand, served me tea… the works. All in the name of selling something! Not all the shop owners are cut throat or conmen but be prepared to spot one and run far far away. These conmen have a knack of making crap sound like gold. I have never been so cheated in my life as i have been burnt too many times and swore never again to be dupped! ARGHHH… Also, we didnt tour the entire place b4 buying our stuff and i think thats what happens when u are overwhelmed by 4000 shops!!! Hallo… we came back from Istanbul so poorr….
There happens to be this one stall behind that has an entourage of gigolo looking men who sell bags. Mas Got one from them and right after we left the shop, we were like ” DAMN GOOD LOOKING AH”… Shit i was looking all sweaty and disgusting…. but the head gigolo was trying to use his charms on me to get me to get Mas to cave in for a higher price. He brushed his hand gently on my arm and asked me to persuade my hubby. DUDE, i live in the street of GOOD LOOKING MEN, i am imune, you got the Wrong lady to pull ur charms off. hahaha… I didnt mind at all really…I wanted to take a photo of these muscular casanovaish guys but Mas lowered the price to the point where the head gigolo just wanting to kick us out.
Its easy to spot these eyecandies neveretheless as that they have a knack of calling out to WOMEN only!







At a cafe just around GB


Topaki palace Not my fav place at all.



Saturday Night was spent at a restaurant eating fresh sea food. My food taste better. I really dont like turkish food!

SUNDAY
Breakfast

Underground Cistern- My Favourite
Used to be a reservoir and now they covered it but it still leaks water from the top ! It was slippery but still a very interesting underground place!




See the medusa head below, Apparently its still a mystery as to why the heads lie in 2 funny angle- upside down and tilted to one side…My hypothesis is that when the workers had to move the rock, they got tired and just left it as it is. Makes sense cause if i had to move such a heavy slab of rock, lazy me would have done the same. Come on, its not for warding off bad luck as rumoured!
Okay,Historians frown now.


Blue Mosque
Not as spectularly blue as i hoped and saw on TV to be. Still beautifully scenic.


Archaeological Museum- Absolute Favourite
This is a little gem tucked right in a corner outside Topaki Palace. Its underated. Its a little Haven.
There are people who reviewed this idealic museum as the best stop for them and even their kids loved it.
If kids love it i would too…
Initally we couldnt find the entrance and there was like NO ONE…
Than i decided that if some European Council awarded the Museum of the Year award, it must be good. Dont be deceived by all the silly tourist heading for that boring Palace only….
Mummies, hieroglyphics, decryption, beautiful tombs, Statues of ancient gods
Simply amazing



Sitting amongst the Ruins in the outdoor museum campus….



Hagia Sophia









I couldnt quite grasp at how Islam and Christainity could live so closely side by side. Its almost as if both religions naturally exsited side by side for this capital. Hagia Sophia Embodies Islamic symbols and Christain mosiac tiled walls. I felt confused initially but it quickly sinks in and seems ” normal” in a peaceful sort of way.
Many Shops sold Christain and Islamic souvenoirs. Same design and gift but diff religious symbols painted on it…



Obviously, there are many many mosques in Istanbul and there’s where this most favourite shot of mine was taken at. Both mas and i spotted this little boy trying to copy his dad actions and he was so excited every time he managed to get a step right.
The smile on his face was priceless and beautiful. After his dad finished taking his ablution, he had no one to copy and he quickly moved himself next to another person to be his learning subject… haha… His dad soon came along and seeing how his son was being such a cute copy cat finally assisted him. His dad had the sweetest and most tender smile on his face.
The people take their ablution right outside the mosque with tons of ppl strolling by. They have nothing to hide and cleansing oneself is an open yet private affair. I never saw this in Singapore b4 so this was indeed an eye opener.
Travelling is no longer about just catching the sights and having had the best holiday ever. Its all about the country and the people.The people were all out in full force on Sundays (although the number of men strongly outnumbered the women) and they did not shop at the grand bazaar or spice market but in the more deserted alleyways surrounding it. It seemed to me that a country living on tourism did not necessarily profit the masses. It was sad for me to see young children who worked in shops, cleaning and scrubbing away or would make some money with a spontaneous stand selling scarfs in the night. The children are the future of a country and seeing how life can be hard even for young ones, it broke my heart.
I am not trying to make it seem like Istanbul is not a developing city or prosperous. What i am trying to say is more like it seems to me that living in this city is tough and tiring. Life struggles borne beautiful precious moments such as these …
I think it will be hard for me to forget this place because its just so unforgettable.
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My camera is mal functioning due to its intensive use and PC show according to my mom is starting today. Shit! What better timing!