Turkey Nov 16: Istanbul

DAY 3 - DAY 9: NOV 2016 IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Day 3. We're now on our way to european Istanbul after spending the day at Uludag Mountain area and the traditional village Cumalikizik. 

Day 4: Eyyup, Fatih. Visited the grave of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari and the Mosque. The place was crowded and I lingered long to remember what I had read about him. 

The tombs of the sahabah. The wall of the Constantinapole. The birth of the Ottoman Empire. The Cinar trees.
Then we walked towards Balat and Fener but stopped by the bank of the Golden Horse to enjoy the view across it.
Day 5: At the touristic area of sultanmehmet. Killing the time till zuhr to pray at the Blue Mosque. Thought of going to Aya Sofia again but the fee deterred us. So we visited the Cistern and I left with a few unanswered questions. Then we walked to the grand bazaar and spice market and whatever in between but not so tempted to buy as i did back in 2012. Designs changed. Shops closed. Prices increased. Just regretted that we didnt put more time in Bursa where things are cheaper. One spice vendor laughed at us for the costlier spices we had bought earlier. A 100% difference..of course, i knew its expensive and I just bought a little amount to dissuade him after all the persuasive marketing strategies he used. Lastly, beware of the pick pockets 

Day 6 was more fast pace compared to the day before. Yesterday spent mainly surveying and viewing at the grand bazaar and the surrounding shops outside it. 

We went to the Fatih weekly market (which has been continually done since the conquer) and visiting the first and largest mosque complex built by the the Conquerer himself, but later rebuilt in 1771 by Sultan Mustafa after the 3rd earthquake.
The Fatih area is a great place to shop for dried products and much cheaper than at the spice and grand baazar.

We discovered so much just by walking the long distance, the difference of prices from the Fatih area to the Grand Bazaar area, from the back alleys to the front along the major transportation line.
So when you are in Istanbul, walk, walk and walk.. The pictures are all in order from noon to dusk ðŸ™‚ no captions yet for the pics becoz needed to rush for the next discovery at Uskudar.


Day 7 saw us just filling our stomachs. Nothing needed to buy in Uskudar and Kadikoy except food. We did visit the old mosques just located near the port. Instead of using ferries, we took the train as now they have underground rails too. Faster than the ferry ride.
The main purpose of going to Uskudar (asian side of Istanbul) was to accept the invitation of our turkish friend to dinner at her home. Her family is very warm and friendly and we talked about a lot of things, politics, religion, cultures, families..
We stayed for 3 hours...and alhamdulillah, they drove us back to Pazatekke instead of us taking the bus, train and tram again..

Day 8 at the other side of the golden horn, Karakoy and Taksim. We walked all the way up the hill from karakoy to taksim, and it reminded me the same tiredness as climbing up Kinabalu at the high altitude. Yeah m getting old and weak ðŸ˜¬
Aiyyo, we told ourselves, next time, do ask how much it is before you 'ngap'..Never thought we would pay that lot for an icecream with not cruncy cone. 3 sets and I could buy a kilo of ottoman spice. It was fated, subhanallah. 
Last night, we found the cheapest mix spice (which I'll be tasked to experiment it when we get back home) and nuts. When you are here to buy things you must have time to survey and compare prices so that you dont feel like, "alaa..nyesal beli banyak tadi..ni lagi murah huhu".
Yeah, we came across several street beggars and I was wondering whether they are the refugees..a few speak arabic.


Day 9 is our last day in Istanbul. Packing was done early in the morning at 4 am and then spent a few hours at the bazaar.
We were driven to the airport by a malaysian student who does it part time. It took one and a half hour and luckily no traffic jam.
Weather in Istanbul was cold and dry although we anticipated some showers (as we had 4 yrs ago)
Mission accomplished. الحمد لله


I have not load up the pictures yet because it was so slow to upload them. Later when I have the time to wait.


Thank you for reading and visit me again.

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