Intriguing Istanbul Part 2

 

Nak sambung on the Istanbul trip lagi..

One of the things I wanted to do in Istanbul is to ride on the hot air balloon. Tapi tak nak terlalu mengharap takut cuaca tak mengizinkan. And the best place to do this is in Capaddocia (or so I am told).  

We booked the balloon tour in Istanbul via Ali, the tour operator whose small office is next to our apartment complex. The flight to Capaddocia took about an hour (a bus ride takes 9!) The driver who waited for us that afternoon said there might not be any balloon ride the next day as the weather is windy and foggy as well. Isy, isy.. I didn't want to fly out to Capaddocia for nothing kan..

As it turned out, the weather got better and we rode the balloon the next morning. Yeay..

There were many, many balloons that flew that morning. I didn't expect so many to fly at the same time actually. Tapi MasyaAllah. Sangat banyak dan sangat cantik. It was cold in the air.

We were picked up at our hotel at 5am. Masih gelap. And taken to the field where there were many balloons being inflated. Seronok bukan main sebab ternyata we will fly that morning. Buns and coffee were served to ward off the cold.

There were 16 of us in the bakul and we flew for about 3kms for an hour or so. We landed after 3 attempts; on the side of the bakul! We flew so far out and seem like drebar balloon tu was determined to land on the third attempt. I wanted to land as well; it was quite cold up in the air and it looked like clouds were moving in. Alhamdulillah landing on the sides pun ok la. Hard landing kata dek mamat yang operate balloon tu (please note dalam gambar bakul tu kan terbalik.. we literally crawled out of the bakul haha).

We were served non-alcoholic fruit beverage dan dapat medal! Alhamdulillah naik jugak hot air balloon ni sebab masa pergi NZ dulu our balloon ride was cancelled because it rained. Taknak lah mengejar bucket list sepanjang hayat kan.

While in Capaddocia we stayed at a hotel that is built in the cave. Sejuk mak ai. Sampai kena mintak heater. Kat Capaddocia ni memang banyak history of man yang duduk dalam caves; in most cases adalah Kristian yang sembunyi dari ditangkap oleh paganites.

With out tour guide in Capaddocia, Fatima.

 

One of the must-dos in Istanbul is sailing on the Bosphorus. And we did. Tapi the morning was cloudy and windy. It was very, very cold on the deck. Jadi kami duduk di deck sekejap je lah. Cari feri di Eminonu. About TL20 from Sultanahmet.

It was scenic. I think I will do this again; nak cuba evening scenic cruise pulak..

One of the things I read about is the seafood in Istanbul. Saya memang mencari dan terjumpa fish sandwiches di Eminonu; where we take boats for the Bosphorus cruise..

Sandwich grilled fresh mackerel yang sangat sedap. Cuma tambah lemon juice dan garam. Oops, cili sos atau tomato sos tidak disediakan.. haha. Mussel tu pun sedap. Again, tambah lemon jus je.

We went to the Grand Bazaar for souvenirs dan jalan2 tengok bazar yang ada sampai 4,000 gerai. I like it because it is old dan sangat cantik.

And the boys met and tangkap gambar with this guy! Dan tidak pun memanggil saya yang berada di dalam kedai. Most unfortunate. They said tak teringat pun mama! Boleh? Anyways. kami sempat juga sampai ke Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar dan Arrasta Bazaar. Dua2 secara kebetulan. Alhamdulillah. But of course Grand Bazaar lagi best; but it is closed on Sundays.

One of the things I discovered that I like (And I didn't expect it) is the Turkish delights. Bukan yang plain and coated with powdered sugar tu. These are filled with pistachios or any other nuts and coated with more nuts or dried fruits and flavored with fruits - pomgranetas and oranges and strawberries etc. Sangat sedap. If you are in Istanbul you should get these. And their tea. I like the flavored ones, not plain and strong like those favored by the locals.

Sedap sebenarnye Turkish food nih.

I left Istanbul with a heavy heart. Macam tak cukup hari untuk buat macam2 lagi. But well..

Dengan our landlord Umar (with glasses) and Ali, our tour operator. They were most helpful and made sure our trip went according to plan.

We are looking fwd to visit Istanbul again some time (nak pergi beli Turkish rugs and tengok tudung2 puas2! And also I want to sail the Bosphorus again (in style sikit haha). Do the cable car, the Sulaimaniye Camii etc etc.. haha.. And take lot of amazing photos. This time I missed the Emirgan Park where the tulips and flowers are .. tapi tak sempat nak squeeze in jugak. Next time InsyaAllah.

InsyaAllah di permudahkan Allah.

Maka sebenarnya, nikmat Allah yang mana yang kita ingin dustakan?

~ xoxo