Assalamu'alaikum, Istanbul!

Hi again, readers!

I know I just posted something about Stockholm yesterday. Sometimes I could be so eager to write, write, and write. The other time, I could be extremely lazy that this blog is untouched for months. So now I'm writing some stuff I found interesting (or not) about Istanbul. I stayed there for only a week. Here are some random things I experienced while I was there. Happy reading! :)

• The tourism spots you can visit in Istanbul are plenty. Some of them are Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), Hagia Sophia, and Grand Bazaar. 
• Blue Mosque is the only mosque in Istanbul with 6 minarets, which is the maximum number you can have in a mosque. It's called Blue Mosque because of its blue interior (tiles and windows). 
• Hagia Sophia used to be a church for 916 years, then a mosque for 481 years. Now, it's a museum.
• Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world with 60 streets and 5000 shops. It's huge! If you go there, I would suggest you to take a picture of the gate you get into the market from, just in case you forget your way back (fyi, there are many gates). They have almost everything: clothes, tea sets, plates, carpets, jackets, sweets, pashmina, shisha, and many more. Here, you're allowed to negotiate the price, ask them to cut the price by 50%, don't be hesitate! If you love shopping, this place definitely suits you. ;) 







Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia

Grand Bazaar



• Most local people don't speak English. There were a few times when I had to use my body language to explain what I wanted to say. One day, I went to a small shop to buy a notebook. I looked around the shop and didn't find one. So, I decided to ask a man, who I assumed is the owner of the shop. At first, he thought I needed a tissue (I had no idea how he got that from my question). Then I took out a small booklet from my bag and acted like I was writing on it. He seemed to understand what I meant, but no, he gave me an envelope. :D I gave up, "That's OK sir, thank you."


• Regarding public transportation, there are buses, trams, funiculars, and boats. All of them require a special card, namely akbil card (or Istanbul card). You can buy the card at small shops around Istanbul that have the sign "akbil card". You pay 7 (Turkish lira) as deposit and then you can top it up using ticket machines. At first, I didn't know about this card. I still remember how I went back and forth asking different people at the train station in Taksim (the area where my hotel was). I was unlucky because all the people I asked don't speak English. They all pointed to the ticket machines, but the problem was I didn't have the card and wanted to know where to get one. I tried my best to explain it, but they didn't understand. After a while, one of the staff at the station allowed me to get into the funicular without ticket (I think he was a little bit frustrated dealing with me). So, I got into the funicular and there I met some people from the conference (I went to Istanbul for a conference). I found out about the card from them.


• The temperature in Istanbul was HOT! Just like in Jakarta. You will get sweaty (corn-size sweat!). If you touch your head, you can feel the heat. So, sunglasses is a must, although I forgot to bring mine. >_<


• To change currency, it's better to do it at a money exchange than a bank because the rate offered there is better.


• As far as I know, the dinner time in Turkey is pretty late, around 9pm. Even the gala dinner held by the organisers of the conference started at 9pm and finished around midnight.


• Talking about food, which is something we always want to know when we visit a country, they were all delicious! Tasty and spicy, yum! :9 Even the rice tasted good. I could eat the rice without anything else. That's how good it was. And they were all cheap! I suppose everything in Turkey is cheaper (compared to Dublin). And oh, I always got a free cup of tea everytime I had lunch or dinner at a restaurant or even take away. That might be common here.

  

  Turkish Foods



• The local people are nice and friendly. Let's just leave it that way. If you plan to go to Istanbul and want to know more about it, you can ask me in person.


• As you might know already, Istanbul is the only city in the world which is both in Europe and Asia geographically. The conference I attended was in Europe side of Istanbul. However, I got a chance to go to the Asia side (by boat). The difference between the two is pretty noticeable. The Asia side is more crowded and less organised in terms of the structure of the city while the Europe side is more artistic in terms of the architecture of the buildings. For Indonesian people, I have to say, the Asia side of Istanbul looks similar to terminal Blok M or Tanah Abang. XD However, I enjoyed the boat trip from Europe to Asia and return. :)

  

  The view from the boat heading to Asia side of Istanbul



• Did you know that the Turks (Turkish people) introduced coffee to Europe? They also gave the Dutch their famous tulips. 


• I found some words in Turkish that are the same in Indonesian. For example, "soap" in Turkish is "sabun"; "tower" is "menara", so is in Indonesian!
  
  

Those are a few stories I could share during my stay in Istanbul. Oh, I almost forgot, one place not to be missed is Topkapi Museum, especially at the Islamic relics section (I'm absolutely sure that muslims will find this section amazing!). It's full of history, mA!

ps: I didn't get a chance to go to Cappadocia. So, I might visit Turkey again some day. ^_^

Posted in: traveling