Delightful Turkey Trip 12th - 21st April 2008 Part 7

19th April 2008 (Saturday)

We reached Istanbul around 12pm+ as there was a bit of traffic jam. However, we were just in time for lunch at a Chinese Restaurant. Sometimes I really admire the Chinese! They can survive anywhere just by operating a food business!

Immediately after lunch, we visited Hagia Sofia Museum. The building is very majestic! Taner told us the dome in the middle has collapsed 5 times!!! Wow!!! Thank God there's some construction works within the Hagia Sofia to support the big dome so that it won't collapse again! Surrounding the domes are some more semi-circular domes as well.

The Hagia Sofia is a very unique building as it has both Christian & Muslim influences within it.

Was mobbed again outside Hagia Sofia! OMG!! We are really becoming "superstars" in Turkey!

After that, we walked across to visit the Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque shared some similarities in the form of architecture - just that the dome is more sturdy and smaller than the one in Hagia Sofia. The Blue Mosque got its name because of the blue tiles inside the mosque. (what an uninnovative way to name mosques!)

Following that, we went to visit the Spice Market. Wow! It sure is crowded and it reminds me of the bazaars in Egypt... but the things they sold were very fragmented - it ranges from food products, spices, flowers, and even livestocks!!!! There were a lot of pigeons outside the Spice Market. We were very afraid that we may be 'bombarded by bird shit' anytime!

After visiting the Spice Market, we made our way to the Grand Bazaar. I met a lot of harrassments from the stall owners and couldn't really shop in peace... I gave up buying souvenirs for the rest of my family in the end as most of them were talking to me and trying to ask me out to 'have fun' with them. Yawnzzzzzzzzzzzzz... Only managed to buy a hand-painted dish and a magnet for Yanshan.

As our Turkish Lira is depleting soon, we withdrew $60 Turkish Lira from the ATM Machine... I thought I would have difficulties getting the money out from the ATM as I don't understand Turkish... phew! Luckily there's English by the sides. But I thought the screen was 'touch screen activated' and was touching the screens. It turned out that I had to press the buttons by the side to make my options. Haha.... So blur!

The hotel we stayed for the night is Hotel Villa Suite Rm 1112. OMG!!! This place is really NOISY!!!!!!! Plus the room is hot and stuffy due to the centralised heating system! ARGH!

The hotel is located in Taksim Square - a happening place equivalent to the Orchard Road in Singapore. The lift is super duper small, and we need to push the lift door to open it!!! Wah! Damn old school lor!!!!!

Dinner will be at this place called "Gar Muzik Bar". There's even a website www.garmusichall.com! There's performances and dinner (with 2 free drinks). I ordered the beef and deeply regretted my choice as the beef is very tough... I had to spend a lot of time chewing it till my jaws ached..

Ah Hao was being called up onto the stage to show off his bellydancing skills again!! hahaha.... He was also being pulled up to the stage to help in a more dangerous stunt - flying daggers!!! WOW!!!!

Tomorrow is our last day in Turkey. We've signed up for the Full Day Tour (optional and at an additional US$90) and this would include the Dolmabache Palace (So EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!) and the Bosphorus Cruise.