Exploring Thailand with family!

Itinerary: Koh samui - Phuket - Bangkok


Koh Samui

Day 1:
Staying at a lovely hotel muang samui in the bophut area.. Greeted by a lot of swadikas and refreshing welcome drinks and the most rejuvenating cool green tea wet towels.. The hotel Made in a very classic Thai manner is very interesting and the rooms are just marvellous.. We ve been upgraded to the pool suites that are just amazing.. Huge, open and breezy.. The pool is super although quite small but it's a lot o fun getting in the pool for some splashing and games at any time of night.. December although mosquito free but it gets a little nippy at night so the water takes a while getting used to.. We freshen up and then take the kids out for a ride..

Tip: If you want to stay in the hub of activity, book a hotel in tourist central, Chaweng.. For those who want a slightly more relaxed environment and a not so crowded beach stay in Bhoput. Samui is so small everything is accessible.

Tip: Rent a car if you want to be on the go constantly.. Although samui is a small island and everything is close by.. But renting a car is inexpensive and makes life easier..

We head to chaweng which is a very happening and lively touristy place.. Shopping and food both options available.. Seafood, Thai, steaks, Italian, Mediterranean, all kinds of food options available.. Some really good Thai and seafood at Copa Cabana Chaweng.. It's very close to burger king and mcdonalds.. So sth for everyone.. We feed our nieces nephews at Burger King and then head to Copa cabana.. Good service, some of the staff understood English well so it was easy to order.. Another good thing is that there are pharmacies and super stores every where.. We eat, buy some sunblock and head back to the hotel.. After resting for a few hours, we eat at ciccio at the hotel, pizza and pasta.. Wednesday night there's a floating market at the muang samui and we go there.. Walk around the stalls.. Some very good souvenirs and shirts and hats etc..

Tip: invest in a good hat and sunblock..

We head back later and take a quick dip in our room pool and sit out on our terrace for a while and then call it a night..

Day 2:

We wake up by 9 and then go for breakfast in the hotel, which is nice, fresh and the eggs are quite good.. Our agenda for our trip is to relax and take it easy and spend time with siblings and nieces and nephews.. We spend the day alternating between the pool and the choengmon beach which the hotel pool overlooks.. This is a very clean, less crowded beach which is great for swimming and taking along a book to read.. So I read and swim for abt three hours.. The accidental husband quite an interesting read.. We then go shower, change and head out for a late lunch at an Italian restaurant between our hotel and chaweng.. Prego.. Outdoor seating also an option which is perfect for the cloudy weather. Very chic restaurant and the menu quite interesting.. We order 3 kinds of pizza and some pasta.. Food turned out to be average and pricey. For dessert we decide to indulge in a fondue at haagendazs, followed by some street shopping on Chaweng. Plz remember to haggle and expect upto 50% discounts but some will insist on fixed prices and not budge, so good luck. Then went for a drive exploring the island, drove to the fishermans village, planning on visiting the Friday night fishermans walking street tomorrow. And finally ended up at the W retreat for coffee, after dropping some of the kids at the hotel who wanted to sleep, small island so detour took about 10 minutes. The W which is in the maenam area and quite far from all the activity and the city center. Head there for some coffee, which is not so pricey,  and the view, which is priceless! Hotel and off to bed for the night. Sweet dreams and don't forget to switch on the mosquito repellent.

On to Cappadocia - Fairy Chimneys and homes in caves!

This city is so fascinating, it blew me away! It's like being back in time... In caves made of stone and rock... Mountains and valleys and beautiful fairy chimneys.. Cappadocia, I miss you!

Another book by a Turkish author that I started reading right before I left for Cappadocia - Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul... Beautifully written, it gives a very personal account of a lovely city. Highly recommended. More on Cappadocia coming soon in January 2014!

Right now heading to Thailand - Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok! Here we come! Traveling with family and kids! Will hopefully find time to write a daily blog! See you all from Thailand tomorrow!

Books with me on this trip: The Accidental Husband by Jane Green, and Comfort & Joy by one of my favourite authors Kristin Hannah! Reviews soon! Cheers y'all!

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The carnival by the Bosphorus and more!

Day 6: Started the day late after a tiring day the day before,  with lunch at a cool burger place on Bagdat Caddesi called Burger House. The most succulent burgers, excellent cheese sticks and the yummiest crispiest fries. After lunch, we have coffee and laze around at Starbucks, after which we drive to Ortakoy, a fun open air space by the Bosphorus on the European side. It has a carnival like atmosphere, dotted with small kiosks and stalls selling souveniers and jewellery and crafts etc., some lovely cafes, sheesha places, bars and live music. It has a lovely view of the Bosphorus and the Bosphorus bridge. It was late in the evening when we went, the sun starting to set so the weather was much cooler, quite nippy later at night. We sat at a cosy little sheesha place covered in the blankets that they provided (very clean - freshly laundered) called Destan and had sheesha and sipped some lovely hot tea. Also played some Balloon shooting games with balloons tied up some distance in the sea and we had to stand by the edge on the shore and shoot. So a lovely place, ridiculously quaint - A must see when in Istanbul!

Day 7: The Rumaili hisari fortress that was built by the order of Sultan Mehmat the Conquerer is on the European side on a hill by the Bosphorus. A visit to the Rumaili hisari museum is highly recommended. It is a huge, beautifully built fortress. You can visit the museum and walk the grounds around it, you can climb up to one of the gardens or take a book and just relax at the great open air theatre. From Kabatas you can take the bus to Rumeli hisari Museum.

Note: Take your camera but do not take any food because it is not allowed inside.

You can eat at the numerous restaurants next to the Rumaili Hisari, overlooking the Bosphorus. We ate at a sweet restaurant terrace two restaurants down from the museum.

We then drove to Nisantasi, a very posh district on the European side, one of the more popular shopping and residential areas in Istanbul. Walking along the narrow roads of Nisantasi, outlined by shops and buildings reminiscent of a very affluent Ottoman era, it is just breathtaking the beauty of this neighbourhood; so much character in these architectural wonders. The shopping on Nisantasi is very high end, Gucci, Armani, Cavalli and the likes, there's a Zara too. If you're hungry or tired from all the walking and the shopping, go take a break at the Armani Cafe. We walked to the back lanes and found the sweetest little roadside cafes serving all kinds of food and sheesha (ofcourse - I'm sure by now you realize how fond I am of sheesha). For similar small roadside cafes, serving good food and those that stay open till later at night than most, head to the lanes of Kadicoy, further down from the Iskelesi. Very happening place and very nice food. Both these places are mostly frequented by locals so its an excellent place to go to mingle with the Turkish.

Note: For more affordable shopping head to Istaklal on the European side or Bagdat Caddesi on the Asian side.

Words to know:
Pardo'n - Excuse me.
Tushukkular - Thank you.

Nisantasi

Ortakoy

Other must see places:

Miniaturk

Sulaymaniyah Mosque

The whirling dervishes are a must see - You go into a trance when the dervishes do their thing.. Arrange to see that.. Some dinner cruises have the whirling dervishes but check with your concierge for the best option.



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Shopping Spree on a magic flying carpet :)

Day 5: So today we decide to take it easy with the sightseeing and go shopping instead. I am most excited about seeing the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. You can, depending on where you're staying, take the tram or walk to the Grand Bazaar. For me, even more that the shopping, whats exciting is the way the Grand Bazaar is made. It's not your usual mall like bazaar, it seems to be from another era entirely. From the times of the Ottoman Empire, the almost 550 years old Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered marketplaces in the world, one of the oldest too. As soon as you enter, you're welcomed by a kaleidoscope of colours and for a second it's overwhelming and then you just get lost in all that activity and colour. Moving from lane to lane, stall to stall, you get to see and purchase all the real treasures of Turkey. The beautiful colourful; hand painted and hand blown lamps that Turkey is so popular for are found in all shapes, sizes, designs and prices. Leather goods are another of Turkey's specialities, shoes and handbags and are a must buy; Turkish bags are gorgeous and the leather is so light and supple, you can't resist buying atleast one. The same goes for leather shoes; so comfortable. Ladies, another must buy when you're in Turkey and at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is the gorgeous, most extraordinary jewellery; rings, bracelets, necklaces etc. And the multitude of evil eye ornaments and jewellery. Turkish jewellery is popular all over the world.  I remind you here to bargain to your heart's content! It is an essential if you want the best prices! Do not get aggressive but bargain.

The lovely handpainted crockery and plates and tiles of Turkey are also a must buy. Lovely to decorate your home with, or serve food to your guests in. The gorgeous apple tea glasses are available in a multitude of colours and designs, and they're lovely to take home as a present or for yourself. 

Note: Remember to pick up a few packets of the delicious Apple Tea so popular in Turkey (that is yum when you have it hot and oh so refreshing when you have it cold)!

After all the shopping you can rest a while at one of the many small cafes everywhere inside the Grand Bazaar - have some delicious shawarma or some light and yummy lamajoon (pizza like turkish dish) and such. Another interesting thing you'll find everywhere in the Grand Bazaar are the large marble water fountains that are as old as the bazaar itself and are found easily on almost every lane so that in case you get thirsty exploring the 61 lanes or so that make up the bazaar, and with all the haggling, you can stop for some cold water. ATMs can also be found in a few places inside the bazaar, in case you shop a little more than intended, which is known to happen quite often while shopping at the fascinating Grand Bazaar. Ask the shopkeepers and they'll direct you.

Head on to the Spice Bazaar once you're done with Grand Bazaar, they're in the same area - Faith, walking distance from each other, so you can go from one to the other. You might have to come back for the Spice Bazaar the next day if you're not short on time because the Grand Bazaar can be tiring. The Spice Bazaar is a must see however, even if you don't buy much. It is a very interesting experience. The Spice Bazaar is the second largest covered market in Istanbul, after the Grand Bazaar and was made in the 1660s and was called the Egyptian Market as it used to sell goods brought from Cairo. Now the Spice Bazaar, it sells heaps and heaps of the most exotic spices, dry fruits, condiments and a must buy is the very popular Turkish jelly like sweet called the Turkish delight that is great to take home as a present or for yourself.

Exhausted, we went back to my brothers place, ate at home and then late at night, walked to the beach and sat at a little cafe and had nargile/sheesha and some hot apple tea in the cool night.

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The magic of Istanbul continues!

Day 4: The weather is much cooler today, slightly chilly and cloudy. It seems great for sightseeing because walking in the Istanbul sun becomes a little much after a while. And today we have a lot of sightseeing on the agenda. But first some yummy yogurt from Pinkberry. Sated we continue on our journey :) Keep your cameras on the ready because you'll be taking a lot of pictures these next few hours. We hop on to the ferry and get to the European side and tram it to sultanahmet, grab a coffee from Starbucks and head on to the Blue Mosque, our first stop. Built in the early 16th century, the Blue Mosque also called the Sultanahmet Mosque is beautiful. Keep a watch out for the blue tiles inside that are said to have given the mosque its name. What really caught my eye were the lovely chandeliers inside the mosque, that gave the mosque this surreal beauty, bathing it in this subtle warm light. 

We then head to the Hagia Sophia; the museum that was initially a church and then a mosque during the Ottoman era and much later and currently a museum in secular Turkey. It now is this unbelievable piece of architecture that is reminiscent of two wonderfully rich eras - the byzantine and the Ottoman. You walk in and you see the same lovely chandeliers and the Islamic features from the time it was a mosque. You will want to take your time exploring the Hagia Sophia, walk up to the first floor and see below the the hustle bustle of tourists, you're above the chandeliers now (the chandeliers that I'm totally besotted with) so looking down through them is interesting. You can see the old flooring and notice the pattern on it, appreciate the painted walls, the huge calligraphic symbols up are beautiful. And then coming down you take the almost prehistoric cave like ramp that leads you back to the ground floor. There's a little cafe right outside where you can get a quick bite. Don't forget to pick up some souvenirs from the little souvenir shop close to the museum exit gate. 

The Hagia Sophia is also the inspiration of Dan Brown's 2013 published 'Inferno.' Here the famous Robert Langdon attempts to reveal the mysteries of the transcendent Hagia Sophia by traveling to Istanbul with Sienna Brooks, the female lead in the book. The book paints a very different picture of gorgeous Istanbul, but an interesting read none the less.  

On to the Basilica Cistern, also known as the sunken palace by the locals. This is an underground cistern built in Byzantine era that provided water filtration services to the Great Palace of Constantinople and then the Topkapi Palace eons ago. There used to be a huge Basilica here that burnt down during the 4th century and so this cistern is cathedral size, the largest cistern in Istanbul. It is a fascinating structure, water everywhere amidst which you see architecture that takes you back in time. You must see the two medusa head pillars that are extraordinary.  It is dark and slightly murky under there, but that actually adds to the ambiance and enhances your experience. As you enter there's a small booth to your left that allows you to play dress up with outfits from the Ottoman times and take pictures. Fun!

Getting out, we're tired but yearning for more so we cab it to the Dolmabahce Palace, only to find out that it closes at 4 pm, and it's past 5, so Dolmabahce tomorrow. Note: Timings for the Dolmabahce Palace are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, 7 days of the week.

More coming up soon!

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Living it up in Istanbul!

Istanbul has some of the finest clubs and restaurants if you're looking to eat fancy food and party it up while you're in the city. A few that I highly recommend are given below. Be prepared to run into some major celebs so dress to kill and as my dad says, 'Put on your dancing shoes.' :)

Reina restaurant and club: One of the most exciting places in Istanbul is also one of the priciest. However, for those eating at the restaurant, the club entrance fee is waived. You can drive to Reina or go by boat to beat the traffic. It is one of the favourite haunts of some of my favourite celebs and has a ridiculously lovely view of the Bosphorus. :)  It also has food to die for. A restaurant that turns into a club at night, it is one of the most hip places in Istanbul. Don't forget to make reservations in advance.

Address: Muallim Naci Avenue 44, Ortakoy, 0090 212 259 5919

Ulus 29: Another lovely restaurant and club, the decor of which is so traditionally Turkish, it makes you feel like you've been transported to the Ottoman era. Along with this very colourful, vibrant decor Ulus 29 offers gorgeous views of the Bosphorus. In cooler weather, you must sit out on the open terrace. The food is excellent although quite expensive. Make reservations and leave your hotel early keeping in mind the Istanbul traffic.

Address: Ahmet Adnan Saygun Caddesi, Ulus Parki ici, Ulus, 0090 212 358 2929

360 Suada Club: Located on an island in the middle of the Bosphorus, you get to Suada by boat (which is free of cost). It offers a 360 view of the entire city, both Asian and European istanbul and an interesting menu; Fusion, Turkish with a very international twist. It's a lovely, very romantic restaurant. It was perfect to go to alone with my husband. The service although was not the best sadly. There are other restaurants on Suada island, but we couldn't find time to visit the others, but the view of the city around us gleaming in all its finery, lit up so beautifully, made up for the bad service. A true romantic, I fell in love. Please remember to make reservations. 

Address: Kurucesme Mah, Suada Muallim Naci Cad, 0090 212 263 6623

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Asya, Cafe Kundera and more on Istanbul!

So the rest of my vacation I admit to looking around hoping to see some little cafe tucked away in a corner of some street that may have inspired the creation of Cafe Kundera, that fascinating shabby hangout spot of Asya's in 'The Bastard of Istanbul.' And I guarantee you will too once you read the book and then visit Turkey. The book makes you want to see all the non-touristy places in Istanbul and go exploring, walking to discover the real city.

Day 3: Sightseeing!
Now for us it was a longer commute than most tourists since they live on the European side where all the sights are and we were living on the Asian side with my brother. But i adored our commutes since they involved taking a ferry across the lovely bosphorus. So we take the dolmuc (shared taxi) to kadicoy iskelesi (ferry station) and then the eminonu ferry to the old city. We get off the ferry and walk to the tram station underground, five minutes away, and take the tram to Sultanahmet. After getting off the tram, we walked to Topkapi Museum, which you need to dedicate quite a few hours to, so you might not be able to get too much other sightseeing done as places start to shut down by 5. Topkapi atleast last year lacked proper signage; no boards up, no maps etc. so getting around meant asking for directions constantly, but luckily the guards are very helpful. For history buffs, the museum is paradise with hundreds of ancient artifacts from the Ottoman empire and for Muslims sacred treasures like the Prophet Muhammad's swords, a footprint, the shirt he used to wear and such. The Museum is a must see for all visiting Istanbul. After the museum we were so tired from the endless walking that we decided to sit and relax at the nearest Starbucks and then headed home. At night we walked to Bagdat Caddesi (Bagdat street - which is the main shopping avenue on the Asian side and we were staying very close to it) and had nargile and food at a raodside cafe called Havelca. Good sheesha/nargile/hukkah and reasonable food at reasonable prices and very friendly waiters, one of whom had been to Pakistan a number of times. Turkey is one of the few places in the world where its lovely being from Pakistan - they love Pakistanis so lots of good discounts are to be had :)

Tip: Traveling from the European side to the Asian side just became a lot easier with the new Marmaray Tunnel, the world's first tunnel connecting two continents. It's a sub-sea railway tunnel under the Bosphorus strait. It helps you avoid the crazy congestion on the two bridges that the entire 16 million population of Istanbul uses to get to the other side. So if it's fully operational by the time you travel, hop on and enjoy!

More sightseeing tomorrow! Cheers!

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The city that stole my heart - Istanbul

My husband and I are not ones to waste time when we're traveling. We want to see as much as we can, imbibe as much of the beauty as we can, explore as much as we can when we're in a new place. Upon landing we headed straight to Taksim Square where my parents and siblings were waiting for us. Once at Taksim every where you look around you see sights reminiscent of the Ottoman empire - a tourist's delight. We walked from the main square to Istaklal Avenue; a pedestrian street with shops, boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, cinemas etc. running along both sides. The street has a very festive look about it, the lights especially pretty. A quaint old fashioned tram running down the center of the street all the way to Galata Tower. Don't forget to have the roasted chestnuts from one of the hawkers and the very popular dondurma - sticky ice cream which is sold amidst a lot of fanfare, a show put on by the seller where he interacts and presents the ice cream to attract and engage potential customers and onlookers. We ate at a restaurant on Istaklal called konak, which served local Turkish cuisine, mostly barbecue, lamb being very popular. Don't forget to check your bill. An entire day can be spent around the Taksim Square and Istaklal. Walk all the way to the Galata Tower.

Good place to eat at near Istaklal is a Sushi bar and Japanese restaurant called Tokyo. Good food and a very friendly place.

Tip: Don't forget to pack sneakers or good quality comfy walking shoes.

Day 2: A trip to the Princes' Islands off the coast of Istanbul, called Adalar Islands in Turkish. We took a ferry to the largest of the nine islands, called Buyukada. Ferry ride is shorter from the Asian side where we were staying since we were living at my brother's who chose to live far from all the tourist activity. However, the ferry ride is a treat in itself so a longer ferry ride from the European side is no trouble. First thing we do is buy big straw hats to keep off the sun and then get on horse drawn carriages that take us up one of the two peaks that make up the island. It has the most gorgeous views of the sea and the surrounding islands, some of the quaintest little houses - a photography enthusiast's dream. You can rent bicycles also to explore the island, they are easily available at hourly prices. There are hawkers every where you look; selling everything from melons to roasted chestnuts to iced almonds, evil eye bracelets and pendants to little flower tiaras, roasted corn to dondurma to buyukada souveniers to straw hats, everything under the sun, so indulge (but remember to haggle). At the islands, you can take a leisurely stroll along the marmara, finding the need to snap hundreds of pictures. Eat at one of the many restaurants; we ate at a sweet little sea food restaurant called Palka. When you feel you're too tired to walk anymore, head back to the ferry station and get back to istanbul. We spent the night sitting at a Nargile (sheesha) place by the sea, (numerous such restaurants) the weather much cooler so it was absolutely lovely.

More on Istanbul and lovely Zehila and rebellious Asya of The Bastard of Istanbul coming soon!

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Elif Shafak, Rumi, Zehila and wonderful Turkey!

It was while reading Elif Shafak's beautiful book 'The Forty rules of love' that I first fell in love with Turkey. The picture of beautiful poetic Turkey that the tale of Rumi and Shams wove in my mind, made me start planning a trip to Turkey. And in June 2012 we finally made the trip to see Turkey and visit my brother and his wife luckily living in Istanbul. Our itinerary included Istanbul, Cappadocia, Kusadasi from where we were to go see Ephesus and Pamukkale and then Bordrum. The more serene Oludeniz and Konya had to be foregone during that trip due to time limitations. I picked up another superbly written Elif Shafak novel, 'The Bastard of Istanbul' and commenced my journey with my hubby, starting with the lovely Istanbul.

Weather in Istanbul during June and July: Quite hot during the day but cool at night
Dress: Casual and light, big hat or umbrella essential. I personally feel hats are a much chicer choice :)
Other Essentials: A super camera to capture all the sights and sunblock
Stay: European Istanbul (Old Istanbul) is the place for tourists to be, with all the sight seeing. Stay close to or ideally at Sultanahmet so you're walking distance to all the sight seeing and the happening touristy areas. Book at Booking.com.
Food: All kinds of Turkish delicacies easily available around Sultanahmet and Taksim. Hawkers and roadside cafes are a dime a dozen.
Currency: Lira... (2.04 Turkish Lira to 1 US Dollar) Turkey is mostly an expensive place to visit if you don't read blogs like these before you visit :) Cabs may be steep in Istanbul. Tip: Take the dolmuc (the shared taxi) and within 2 liras get to most places you might want to go to.
Shopping: The Grand Bazaar is the place to shop at in Istanbul. Gorgeous marketplace that transports you back in time.

Lovely handcrafted crockery, beautiful lamps, leather shoes, bags, jewellery; all this you find in one place. Tip: Remember to bargain your heart out in Grand Bazaar, expecting upto over 50% reduction in prices. The best hagglers get the best prices.

More on Turkey coming up soon; a detailed account of my trip to the gorgeous land of the whirling dervishes.



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