They like to juice it, juice it

Pomegranate juice stalls can be found in almost every corner in Istanbul ! Highly regarded in this region, you don't have to hunt high and low, if you're looking for a quick antioxidant fix.

Hodjapasha Dance Theater - Whirling Dervishes

When I enquired about the performance at the hotel desk , I realised that here,they refer to it as " Sufi " performance and not Dervish Dance . Booking confirmation number in hand , I went upstairs to this counter where the cute little dervish dolls and Dervish hats are.  

Although most were foreigners, you could sense the urgency in the air. Most wanted a front seat and I too thought that by being one of the first few in line , I could get myself in front, but no , your seat number has already been reserved for you beforehand, the instant you asked your hotel desk, to do it.

Second row, sigh..

Woman against the machine - Istanbul

If you believe what's being said on the net, then you'll never believe what I saw just outside the Dolhambace Palace.

The lady driver in the grey sedan and the truck driver, are both coming down from the hill. They take the corner and wham, small scratch I think, nothing serious.

She comes to a complete stop.

 

Mavera Cafe & Restaurant - Camlica Hill

This was one of the times where I really wanted to kick myself for not bringing along a better camera, still, I'm gonna go ahead and post my dark, blurry pics up because I ended up really impressed with both the food and service . The restaurant is on Camlica Hill, in Uskudar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Many restaurants dot the area, this one seems a little more 'up' than others, judging from the make of cars parked outside the premises.

Besides the stunning view of the Bosphorus Bridge, highly visible from the dining room, personally, I just love dining here. If there were such a place in Penang, I'd probably be a regular.There are hill top restaurants in Penang , but the food, um...well, you know,no need to elaborate.

Fish sandwich with Turkish tea on the banks of Karakoy

These are the famous floating golden fish sandwich boats , found in Eminonu. But I wanna try what the locals are having so I'm going across the Galata Bridge over to Karakoy.

Short walk later, I come face to face with a small wet market. Check out the variety of fishes on display.

24/7 anglers on the Galata Bridge

This is the Galata Bridge. The Kabatas or tram plies both ways but the main attraction,besides the stunning view, is really the anglers themselves .

My Istanbulkart tuition teacher

 

 

Here's another example of how I got help,on how to use this travel card, from a carpet dealer and card trader, whom others will tell you, never to trust.

Bollywood movie shoot outside the Blue Mosque

 

 

As we made our way towards Sultanahmet, I secretly wished that I could see a Bollywood film being filmed in the area. Oh my gawd, would you believe the sky has ears, that so " ngam ngam " ( coincidentally ) once I turned the corner, my heart stopped when I saw this crew before my very eyes ....

 

 

A lesson learnt in Istanbul

When I landed in Istanbul, because of my prejudice formed from reading material posted by travellers on the web, I spent the first 2 days behaving like a typical moron of a tourist, so cocooned in my own safety net, just afraid to engage and make eye contact, and ending up letting these nice people down. 
Self preservation. Or so I thought.

Until I somehow got caught up in small talk with a young trader.

My first Turkish breakfast

Ever wondered what a Turkish breakfast looks like?

Well for one, it's got succulent zucchinis and lotsa juicy ripe tomatoes on the menu. Together with cheeses, jams,hams and yogurts.

 They consume a lot of olives, around ten pieces per person hence the 3 varieties in the corner. There's grilled bittergourds (delicious!) brinjals and even chillies , devilled eggs, shredded carrots, beets, cucumber with yogurt.

Those white bowls in the background are homemade jams like Rose Petal jam, Cherry etc

Qatar Airways - KL / Doha / Istanbul

This time , we flew with Qatar because the fare was so incredible.

 Thing is, when the fare is low or when you get a sponsored ticket, most times, it involves a transit. And now it seems, there's a new colour coded system in Doha , hence you should receive the transit ticket with a coloured jacket

Travel myths about Istanbul

 

 

Well, I'm back after a wonderful week where the weather was kind ( it only rained one day ). And I have to admit that I was at first influenced by travellers entries on the web about the city being not safe, full of scammers and pick pockets, carpet men that'll chase you down the street or human traffickers out to spike your drink and sell you into the sex trade ....omg, lemme tell you , it's all rubbish !

Especially if you see that there was no way my Oriental looks could help camouflage my existence as a tourist and help me blend in with the locals. I just stuck out like a sore thumb with my slitty eyes and all .