Back in Istanbul
Trip Start
Apr 25, 2007
1
25
31
Trip End
Jun 20, 2007
Istanbul,
Turkey
Friday, June 1, 2007
It was already dawn as light was creeping over one end of the horizon as we found our bus already on the ferry that was going to cross the Dardanelles once more. It was still too early to hole up in the bus so we decided to head on up to the passenger deck and get some chai. On the way up, we got a pleasant surprise to see a full moon setting over the horizon over the waters. Tried to take some photos but it was too far away.
Got settled on the bus and try to get comfortable to catch some more sleep but not before we witnessed a beautiful orange-red sky and big red ball rise over the waters flowing between the 2 stretches of land. As we travelled up the Peninsular alongside the calm waters of the straits, the environment looked extremely peaceful with mostly rural farmlands dotted about. Hopefully, it will remain that way instead of being gobbled up by urban development as land always seems to be.
Arriving back in Istanbul via bus meant that we were on the periphery of the city as long-distance buses were contained outside. Free mini-bus or van services would drop you off into the city and if they were nice, to your hotel. We were lucky enough as the van dropped us off in Sultanahmet about a 5 min walk away from the hotel. Thanks to Alex persuading the guys as sometimes, the vans may not be operating.
Refreshed and re-grouped, us 4 women decided to head on over to grab some lunch and to Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir's shop to purchase some Turkish Delights as gifts. This shop is famous and dates all the way back to their forefathers (it's still a family run business) who successfully created the first candy in response to the Sultan's desire for an alternative to hard candy.
Aya Sofya Mosque
They were yummy as we tried some of the different flavours (they will let you taste!). Unfortunately, there were not too many flavours to try out when we arrived as they had run out of some of the others...yes, I'm being piggy here..more, more! Oh yes, lunch was a good tavuk durum (again!) washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice on the roadside...fab! Jo and I decided to head for the Grand Bazaar to souvenir shop and wander around. I'm glad we did as it really wasn't too crowded inside at all. It's actually worth going and prices are quite competitive with negotiations of course. There are lots and lots of stalls, some with similar items and occasionally, you will find a few shops that sell unique stuff. We found out that the more intricate and elaborate backgammon boards are actually made in Syria, and the simpler and sometimes more elegant ones are made in Turkey. Beautiful Turkish lamps in myriads of colours and designs, carpet shops, leather shops, etc. The bigger items can be shipped. And in the centre of the oldest part of the bazaar, we found a great place to chill out and have Turkish coffee or chai and observe passersby. As with anywhere else for the privilege to observe pedestrian traffic in a big city (aka Champs Elysees), the price of a can of coke was definitely higher 4.5TYL (AUD4.50). Stick to chai. Next to it was a fabulous Turkish natural material bath/linen shop. Eyed a handspun and handloomed linen table cloth, soft as cotton. Best yet, it wasn't Harrods or Liberty pricing but I decided to hold off in case I found something better and as I had an extra day and a half in the city.
Shopping done, we decided to head for the Cemberlitas Baths for our second and last hamam. Jo and I both got a "complete" : hamam and massage and so, the second time was okay but definitely not as good an experience as the first one.
For 2X the price of what we paid vs the hamam at Antalya, we only got the complete (minus the use of a sauna nor a free facial nor a really nice place to chill out between the hamam and the massage as in Antalya). On top of that, we both felt like we were on a conveyor belt of bodies as there were obviously so many tourists coming in for the same experience. I did get a pretty good massage though even if it was for 30 minutes only. All I can say is, try and find one where the locals go to like we did in Antalya. The best Hamam experience apparently is in Bodrum by the way which we never got to visit in this itinerary.
It was time for dinner and everyone agreed that we wanted to have a nice meal to end our trip with in a different location. Alex suggested we meet up at the top of the Tunel over the Galata Bridge in Karakoy. Dinner would be along the main pedestrian road heading to Taksim Square which is the business district in Istanbul. We had a nice 15 - 20 minute walk over to catch the funiculaire up the hill (designed by a Frenchman in the early 20th century).
It was interesting to see a more local side of Istanbul on a Friday night. We picked a huge restaurant with good food and wine, but more interestingly, it was a place where upper middle class Turks were coming out in droves and having a good time. The restaurant had a good mix of young and old and alternative lifestyle couples (shims too!). We could hear live musicians entertaining a private party upstairs as the guests were dancing, a blind traditional guitarist downstairs singing old Turkish songs going from table to table filled with appreciative young crowds. It was really cool to see this. And I'm still wondering how the Turkish women can shake and shimmy like they were born into it...must obviously be in their DNA as I swear Chinese women were born to dance like we were all auditioning for the Peking Opera.
Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. We were too stuffed to have dessert even though we had been eyeing an ice-cream place on the way over and decided to call it a night. Walked back downhill instead and passed another old byzantine tower lit up at night and a neighbourhood that was undergoing gentrification but still quite bohemian as we headed back out to the Galata Bridge and back to hour hotel. Not before we took a few more photos of Sultanahmet's prized features for a night scene as we were on the bridge..
The "new" mosque
