♥IMAGINE

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Turkey (:

Ah, Turkey was awesome. Just awesome.

I got so attached to the place. And i miss Turkey.

Flying with SIA was pretty awesome. The entertainment system definitely made the long plane ride (about 11-12 hours) rather pleasant. I watched awesome movies like the sisterhood of the travelling pants 2, crash and love actually. I likeeee!

The transit stop at Dubai helps too. I heart duty-free!

I love the purple-blue theme of the seats, blankets and pillows. Good choice of colours, SIA!

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First stop: Istanbul

At an area near the Blue Mosque.

The Blue Mosque. Also known as 'SultanAhmet Camii'. 'Camii' is mosque in Turkish language.

The beautiful interior of the Blue Mosque.

No matter where i was standing and which angle i was looking at, the mosque is absolutely stunning.

Hagia Sofia Museum

There were autumn and winter trees almost everywhere.

It felt really magical, with the yellowish leaves and whitish bark.

The outside of the Topkapi Palace, a museum that showcases porcelains and treasuries.

I like how it seemed that the buildings are layered, due to slopes and hills.

And i like how it's easy to spot a mosque from far due to its distinctive features. Istanbul itself has over 2,000 mosques.

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2nd stop: Ankara (capital of Turkey)

HUGE red roses outside the Ataturk Mausoleum.

And equally-HUGE white roses too!

At the Mausoleum.

It wasn't very cold in Istanbul when we first touched down. The temperature was about 14 degree Celsius. But as we travelled to the inner areas of Turkey, the temperature began to drop. Ankara was rather cold.

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3rd stop: Cappadocia

The temperature was lowest at Cappadocia, i think. It was 2 degree Celsius at one point. But the tour guide mentioned that it could go below zero when it's windy.

We rode the hot air balloon!!

I remembered in one of my NIE class, we were asked to share of one thing that we would like to do. Mine was to ride the hot air balloon in Europe.

Some may argue that Turkey is not exactly Europe, especially since Cappadocia is at the Asian part of Turkey. But hey, it's close enough. So another wish, fulfilled!

We had to leave the hotel early in the morning at 6 to the balloon place.

And it was worth every cent. Worth, it.

Breath-taking view, please.

There are many hot air balloon companies. So we got to see different-colored balloons flew at different places.

Hello, beautiful.

The gorgeous features and landscape God created.

I was mesmerised.

I've always have a fascination for clouds.

To be above the clouds, was just amazing.

That's how our balloon looked like.

The greens and the browns and the whites.

I took over 100 pictures during the balloon ride, no kidding.

I was that happy.

Next, we went to the 'Goreme Open-Air Museum'.

People used to live in this place. So we got to see the living areas and kitchens.

And we had Turkish ice cream! Yes, we ate ice cream when it was 2 degree Celsius outside. But the ice cream tasted soooo good.

We went to a pottery place where this man showed us how he made those beautiful Turkish pots and plates. He doesn't speak much english so our tour guide translated what he said, to us. But i really really like the sound of Turkish language, even when no words made sense to me.

And there's something about Turkish men which i find rather endearing. I think it's their confidence, charm and delightful sense of humor. There doesn't seem to be anything lame about their jokes. It's just always honestly funny.

The eating places we were brought to were awesome!

Here's one of the places. It is situated underneath a sort-of-mountain.

With a really cool setting.

I'm not a picky eater. So i find the food pretty good. We were really well-fed.

With soup and bread as starters, followed by salad, main course and dessert.

I LOVE their dessert. It's really really sweet. Maybe that's why i like it.

Chocolate pudding, yum.

These are known as 'fairy chimneys', which are formed by continual erosion by rain, snow and wind.

Then, it snowed!

It was beautiful.

Although i was practically shivering from the cold, it was lovely.

I am grateful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to experience hot air balloon and snow all in one day. I was an overjoyed SFQ that day.

Us with 2 ladies from the tour group.

I was soooo jakun when it first snowed. And told anybody who would listen, that it's my first real snow experience.

I looked up to the sky and allowed the snow to fall gently on my face. It felt good.

And i threw some snowballs too!

It was nice to see things covered with snow.

It's the prettiest shade of white I've seen.

Shoeprints were never this pretty too.

It snowed from 12ish pm till late night.

By the time morning came, it was no longer snowing.

But there was still snow-deposits on buildings and the ground. It was a lovely sight.

And look at the gorgeous sky, a mixture of blue, pink and orange.

It's amazing how the snowflakes really look like those depicted in books and such.

It makes me really appreciate tiny details.

The aftermath of snow.

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4th stop: Konya

Mevlana Museum.

Another eating place, called the 'caravanserai'.

One of the many small mosques we saw.
I like how we could hear the azan loud and clear during prayer times.

One of my fave shots, definitely. The stunning sky and its colours.

It was about 530pm, at one of the toilet stops we had.

In Turkey, dawn was around 520-545am, which is pretty much like Singapore's. But the sun sets early. By 6pm, it'd be really really dark.

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5th stop: Pamukkale

The 'Cotton Castle', known as Pamukkale. It's "created by deposits of white limestone from thermal springs".

We saw some ruins while walking towards the top area of the cotton castle.

Liza said this picture is advertisement-ish.

So i made one, for fun. (:

The beautiful features of the cotton castle.

This pretty purple flower stole the limelight for a while.

One of my fave shots, surely.

--------------------------------------------------------------

6th stop: Selcuk

I got fascinated with this tree, and its nice-looking fruits and leaves.

At Ephesus!

Which is said to be "one of the world's most outstanding archaeological sites"

It really IS outstanding.

Complete with a great-looking sky.

The 'Library of Celsius' in Ephesus.

With Christina and her mum. Lovely people and awesome company.

At 530ish pm, the moon smiled.

----------------------------------------------------------

7th stop: Bursa

Street shops.
I love how different shops have different coloured walls. Bright colours too.

In Singapore, the buildings tend to blend with one another. It's rare to spot shops or places with bright colours.

In Turkey, they are all so colourful, but somehow the colours doesn't clash. In fact, they fit pretty nicely.

Outside of the Green Mosque.

We went to a local village. I just love walking around the village.

And meeting the ever-friendly locals.

I just have to take a picture with this purplish-blue wall. I'll paint the walls of my house in bright colours, i will. Someday, hopefully.

----------------------------------------------------

8th stop: Back to Istanbul

We took a ferry from Bursa to Istanbul.

These seagulls flew next to the ferry because the locals threw pieces of bread out, for the seagulls to catch and eat. It was quite a sight.

We went for a ride around the Bosphorus River too, where we could see both the European and Asian part of Istanbul.

A castle. They still exist!

It really is a super huge castle.

Luxury houses.

The bridge that binds the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side.

Our bus drove on it (:

It feels good to know that I crossed Europe to Asia within minutes.

An area near the spice bazaar/ Egyptian Market.

Besiktas Stadium!

We drove past a few football stadiums throughout this Turkey trip. I was thrilled.

My sister and I were considering catching a football match there but we concluded that it wouldn't be very wise because from what we see, the fans going in to the stadium are all men. Furthermore, it was not time-permitting. Maybe next time (:

I'd love to watch a Fenerbahce match, please. There's Emre!

Taksim Square. It felt like Orchard Road, but with more crowd. Still, it was a really nice experience, shopping there.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Now, meet the people who made this trip extra special and memorable.

1) My sister

Minus the few squabbles we had, i thought we made quite a good travelling-pair, especially the shopping bit. More trips, yes? =D

2) The tour group mates

The group was awesome. Jenny (in green) really looked after us, especially at Taksim Square.

Christina and mum are fun to be around with. And the 3 young ladies were good company.

3) The tour manager

Mark must be the bestest tour manager, ever.

He was organised, funny and really easy to be around with.

And he helped us carry our many many many shopping bags back to our hotel room.

4) The tour guide

Bestest tour guide, too. He fed us with detailed information of the Turkish culture and history. And he has that charm and delightful sense of humor too. His jokes are honestly funny. Honest.

5) The tour bus driver

Yes, the bestest driver, no doubt. It's puzzling how he can squeeze through a narrow passageway with cars parked at both sides. And how he drove so smoothly. I felt really safe. Even when he was driving on slippery snow-cemented roads. Up the hills, and down the hills.

Many would say that they would like to drive like Fernando Alonso or perhaps Lewis Hamilton.

But you know, i would love to be able to drive like Mr. Farouk some day. Fearless and confident.

6) The Turkish people

A shopkeeper at the Grand Bazaar, with his son.

Oh my, the Turkish people are such friendly people.

It was nice conversing with a few of them.

I didn't manage to spot Ilhan Mansiz or his look-alikes. But i did saw a few Emre and Hakan Sukur look-alikes. =D

With a girl from the local Village in Bursa. She has pretty features and was very friendly.

During transit in Dubai, i saw this handsome boy and (shamelessly) asked his mum's permission for me to take a picture with him. It's a pity that the picture turned our blur-ish. But it's ok. His mum was really nice and the little boy was simply adorable.

I took over 600 photos in total. I've uploaded them in my multiply, if you would like to view them: http://purplechelc.multiply.com/photos

InsyaAllah, I would like to visit Turkey the 2nd time. Let's go, anyone?


Syafiqah 21 Chelsea FC fan since 2002 HUGS TOTAL! give SyaF more HUGS Get hugs of your own Aqilah Brenda Henny Jiaying Kak Dila Kalthoum Khadijah Lin Liza RR Rusydi Samantha Sherinah Zainul Designer: SPLASH! Base code: Bituwin	Saturday, December 20, 2008 Turkey (: Ah, Turkey was awesome. Just awesome. I got so attached to the place. And i miss Turkey. Flying with SIA was pretty awesome. The entertainment system definitely made the long plane ride (about 11-12 hours) rather pleasant. I watched awesome movies like the sisterhood of the travelling pants 2, crash and love actually. I likeeee! The transit stop at Dubai helps too. I heart duty-free! I love the purple-blue theme of the seats, blankets and pillows. Good choice of colours, SIA! ------------------------------------------------------------------- First stop: Istanbul At an area near the Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque. Also known as 'SultanAhmet Camii'. 'Camii' is mosque in Turkish language. The beautiful interior of the Blue Mosque. No matter where i was standing and which angle i was looking at, the mosque is absolutely stunning. Hagia Sofia Museum There were autumn and winter trees almost everywhere. It felt really magical, with the yellowish leaves and whitish bark. The outside of the Topkapi Palace, a museum that showcases porcelains and treasuries. I like how it seemed that the buildings are layered, due to slopes and hills. And i like how it's easy to spot a mosque from far due to its distinctive features. Istanbul itself has over 2,000 mosques. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd stop: Ankara (capital of Turkey) HUGE red roses outside the Ataturk Mausoleum. And equally-HUGE white roses too! At the Mausoleum. It wasn't very cold in Istanbul when we first touched down. The temperature was about 14 degree Celsius. But as we travelled to the inner areas of Turkey, the temperature began to drop. Ankara was rather cold. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd stop: Cappadocia The temperature was lowest at Cappadocia, i think. It was 2 degree Celsius at one point. But the tour guide mentioned that it could go below zero when it's windy. We rode the hot air balloon!! I remembered in one of my NIE class, we were asked to share of one thing that we would like to do. Mine was to ride the hot air balloon in Europe. Some may argue that Turkey is not exactly Europe, especially since Cappadocia is at the Asian part of Turkey. But hey, it's close enough. So another wish, fulfilled! We had to leave the hotel early in the morning at 6 to the balloon place. And it was worth every cent. Worth, it. Breath-taking view, please. There are many hot air balloon companies. So we got to see different-colored balloons flew at different places. Hello, beautiful. The gorgeous features and landscape God created. I was mesmerised. I've always have a fascination for clouds. To be above the clouds, was just amazing. That's how our balloon looked like. The greens and the browns and the whites. I took over 100 pictures during the balloon ride, no kidding. I was that happy. Next, we went to the 'Goreme Open-Air Museum'. People used to live in this place. So we got to see the living areas and kitchens. And we had Turkish ice cream! Yes, we ate ice cream when it was 2 degree Celsius outside. But the ice cream tasted soooo good. We went to a pottery place where this man showed us how he made those beautiful Turkish pots and plates. He doesn't speak much english so our tour guide translated what he said, to us. But i really really like the sound of Turkish language, even when no words made sense to me. And there's something about Turkish men which i find rather endearing. I think it's their confidence, charm and delightful sense of humor. There doesn't seem to be anything lame about their jokes. It's just always honestly funny. The eating places we were brought to were awesome! Here's one of the places. It is situated underneath a sort-of-mountain. With a really cool setting. I'm not a picky eater. So i find the food pretty good. We were really well-fed. With soup and bread as starters, followed by salad, main course and dessert. I LOVE their dessert. It's really really sweet. Maybe that's why i like it. Chocolate pudding, yum. These are known as 'fairy chimneys', which are formed by continual erosion by rain, snow and wind. Then, it snowed! It was beautiful. Although i was practically shivering from the cold, it was lovely. I am grateful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to experience hot air balloon and snow all in one day. I was an overjoyed SFQ that day. Us with 2 ladies from the tour group. I was soooo jakun when it first snowed. And told anybody who would listen, that it's my first real snow experience. I looked up to the sky and allowed the snow to fall gently on my face. It felt good. And i threw some snowballs too! It was nice to see things covered with snow. It's the prettiest shade of white I've seen. Shoeprints were never this pretty too. It snowed from 12ish pm till late night. By the time morning came, it was no longer snowing. But there was still snow-deposits on buildings and the ground. It was a lovely sight. And look at the gorgeous sky, a mixture of blue, pink and orange. It's amazing how the snowflakes really look like those depicted in books and such. It makes me really appreciate tiny details. The aftermath of snow. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 4th stop: Konya Mevlana Museum. Another eating place, called the 'caravanserai'. One of the many small mosques we saw. I like how we could hear the azan loud and clear during prayer times. One of my fave shots, definitely. The stunning sky and its colours. It was about 530pm, at one of the toilet stops we had. In Turkey, dawn was around 520-545am, which is pretty much like Singapore's. But the sun sets early. By 6pm, it'd be really really dark. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5th stop: Pamukkale The 'Cotton Castle', known as Pamukkale. It's "created by deposits of white limestone from thermal springs". We saw some ruins while walking towards the top area of the cotton castle. Liza said this picture is advertisement-ish. So i made one, for fun. (: The beautiful features of the cotton castle. This pretty purple flower stole the limelight for a while. One of my fave shots, surely. -------------------------------------------------------------- 6th stop: Selcuk I got fascinated with this tree, and its nice-looking fruits and leaves. At Ephesus! Which is said to be "one of the world's most outstanding archaeological sites" It really IS outstanding. Complete with a great-looking sky. The 'Library of Celsius' in Ephesus. With Christina and her mum. Lovely people and awesome company. At 530ish pm, the moon smiled. ---------------------------------------------------------- 7th stop: Bursa Street shops. I love how different shops have different coloured walls. Bright colours too. In Singapore, the buildings tend to blend with one another. It's rare to spot shops or places with bright colours. In Turkey, they are all so colourful, but somehow the colours doesn't clash. In fact, they fit pretty nicely. Outside of the Green Mosque. We went to a local village. I just love walking around the village. And meeting the ever-friendly locals. I just have to take a picture with this purplish-blue wall. I'll paint the walls of my house in bright colours, i will. Someday, hopefully. ---------------------------------------------------- 8th stop: Back to Istanbul We took a ferry from Bursa to Istanbul. These seagulls flew next to the ferry because the locals threw pieces of bread out, for the seagulls to catch and eat. It was quite a sight. We went for a ride around the Bosphorus River too, where we could see both the European and Asian part of Istanbul. A castle. They still exist! It really is a super huge castle. Luxury houses. The bridge that binds the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side. Our bus drove on it (: It feels good to know that I crossed Europe to Asia within minutes. An area near the spice bazaar/ Egyptian Market. Besiktas Stadium! We drove past a few football stadiums throughout this Turkey trip. I was thrilled. My sister and I were considering catching a football match there but we concluded that it wouldn't be very wise because from what we see, the fans going in to the stadium are all men. Furthermore, it was not time-permitting. Maybe next time (: I'd love to watch a Fenerbahce match, please. There's Emre! Taksim Square. It felt like Orchard Road, but with more crowd. Still, it was a really nice experience, shopping there. ------------------------------------------------------------- Now, meet the people who made this trip extra special and memorable. 1) My sister Minus the few squabbles we had, i thought we made quite a good travelling-pair, especially the shopping bit. More trips, yes? =D 2) The tour group mates The group was awesome. Jenny (in green) really looked after us, especially at Taksim Square. Christina and mum are fun to be around with. And the 3 young ladies were good company. 3) The tour manager Mark must be the bestest tour manager, ever. He was organised, funny and really easy to be around with. And he helped us carry our many many many shopping bags back to our hotel room. 4) The tour guide Bestest tour guide, too. He fed us with detailed information of the Turkish culture and history. And he has that charm and delightful sense of humor too. His jokes are honestly funny. Honest. 5) The tour bus driver Yes, the bestest driver, no doubt. It's puzzling how he can squeeze through a narrow passageway with cars parked at both sides. And how he drove so smoothly. I felt really safe. Even when he was driving on slippery snow-cemented roads. Up the hills, and down the hills. Many would say that they would like to drive like Fernando Alonso or perhaps Lewis Hamilton. But you know, i would love to be able to drive like Mr. Farouk some day. Fearless and confident. 6) The Turkish people A shopkeeper at the Grand Bazaar, with his son. Oh my, the Turkish people are such friendly people. It was nice conversing with a few of them. I didn't manage to spot Ilhan Mansiz or his look-alikes. But i did saw a few Emre and Hakan Sukur look-alikes. =D With a girl from the local Village in Bursa. She has pretty features and was very friendly. During transit in Dubai, i saw this handsome boy and (shamelessly) asked his mum's permission for me to take a picture with him. It's a pity that the picture turned our blur-ish. But it's ok. His mum was really nice and the little boy was simply adorable. I took over 600 photos in total. I've uploaded them in my multiply, if you would like to view them: http://purplechelc.multiply.com/photos InsyaAllah, I would like to visit Turkey the 2nd time. Let's go, anyone? SFQ 12:08 AM