Trip to Turkey

Our holiday in Turkey was 9 days 7 nights journey that took us more than 2000km across Turkey, from Istanbul to Bursa to Pamukkale, Konya, Cappadocia, Bolu and back to Istanbul.

We took a tour package and our flight was Etihad with a 3 hour transit at Abu Dhabi. 

Once we reached Ataturk airport, our tour guide, Elif was waiting for us. There were 30 of us in the group.

The first night is not in Istanbul; it’s in Bursa, about 3 hour journey from the airport. To reach Bursa, we cross the Marmara Sea using a ferry. From Istanbul to Yalova took about 1.5 hr, then the ferry ride took 1 hr to the Asian side of Istanbul then to Bursa. 

Trying Turkish food

People queuing to pay for cheese toast and tea/coffee

People enjoying the view

This is just like taking a ferry to go to Penang Island, only here the wind is colder and of course the scenery is different.

By the time we reached our hotel, Tiara Thermal, we were so tired, we just take a quick dinner at the hotel and prepare for bed. Our hotel was using thermal water which is hot, hard water. No wonder tak boleh control temperature of our shower..it was too hot, mandi pun lebih kurang hihihi..

view from our room, the hotel is situated on a hill

in front of our hotel

posing inside a roundabout, while waiting for others

inside the hotel

Our first stop of the day, a shop selling turkish delights, spices, saffron, all sorts of sweets and many others.

trying the pomegranate tea

This guy giving a briefing on olive oil 

saffron

turkish delight, anyone?

all sorts of spices

surveying the prices

beautiful!

bought some turkish delight and tea

We found out later the prices here are probably 3 time more expensive than spice bazaar, no doubt the items are of good quality, but doesn't really justify the price,  I did not buy any spices/ nuts because i know the prices in Malaysia, but for turkish delight we have no idea.

Bursa is a textile city. This is where most of the silk shawl came from, even if you go to other parts of Turkey to buy shawl, the labes will say, made in Bursa.

next stop- silk house

We just take a quick look inside to survey the prices and quickly went out to buy shawls and souvenirs from the shops outside. The prices are much cheaper outside.

next stop- the great mosque

our guide, Elif giving us a briefing

there will always be a fountain inside the mosque

beautiful big mosque

there was a turkish boy practicing english answering a questions here. 

this is just outside the great mosque, we took a group photo here...but of course some are missing, they were shopping along the way.

trying a simit, a local bagel coated with sesame..yummy for us, not so for the kids

Next stop, the green museum, ottoman mosque will have fountain inside the mosque,, during musyawarah, they will run the fountain and the running water sound will make the musyarawah unheard to those who wants to pray. Muezzin gave a briefing to us in turkish and our tur guide translate it..

admiring the fountain

the muezzin then invites us to the musyawarah room and gave us a tazkirah ended with a doa.

there was also another Yemeni family here.

We then walk to the Green mausoleum, Celebi sultan mehmed and children tomb - there were 9 tombs altogether, excluding his wife.

From Bursa we made our way to Pamukkale. we reached our hotel, Tripolis just before dinner.

view from our room, we actually got sort of an attic room here, but they have a sofa bed that can accommodate 2 for our triple sharing room- so everyone can sleep comfortabye here.

dinner was by the swimming pool, 

The next morning while waiting for the rest of the group.

in front of our hotel- luggage out by 6.30am today. at 7 am, everybody should be in the bus.

First stop in Pamukkale- cotton castles and Hierapolis ancient  roman city

at the entrance

our guide was giving a briefing at this time.. you can see the gym from here

the gymnasium - a large percentage of the city is buried underneath. Excavation works is still ongoing.

one of the best view in Pamukkale

from another section 

wonder whats' inside?

a swimming pool but with stones and pillars at the bottom

 This is a large area and with limited time we decided to go to the theater.

on our way up..

the boys will always be more adventurous- siap panjat nak amik gambar

excavation area

By this time Irfan was getting moody because he was tired. and the theater was actually quite a distance on top of a hill...tapi kena paksa and pujuk jugak jalan...sapa nak dokong woii.. but it was worth it.

view from the top

my favourite holiday pic in turkey

just to show you how big this 12,000 capacity theater is--we were at the top left hand corner or the photo.

On our way to next destination, Konya we stop by their R& R and tried this yoghurt with honey and poppy seed, specialty of this region. Sedap, if you like greek yoghurt.

we also tried Ayran, some sort of yoghurt drink with sour/salty taste at another r & r

In Konya, which is 400km from Pamukkale we visited Mevlana museum.

 the museum with many exhibit inside and outside

saidatina fatimah's robe, if I remember correctly

just look at how big the tasbih is

miniature al-quran

al-Quran in ottoman empire

one of the display

just to show you how big the roses are here

on our way back, ada orang jual apricot- at 3tl (RM5) a kilo, that's a steal

and cherries as well..5tl a kilo- apa lagi, beli la a kilo each, which i think I ate most of it.

Our last stop before reaching cappacodia - Sultahani kervansary- sort of R&R zaman dulu.

it was big with many rooms

too bad it was closed

just thinking in the olden days with their camels or horses stopping by here

amik gambar depan entrance je la