Showing posts with label Istanbul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Istanbul. Show all posts

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Turkish Bath Experience 土 耳 其 浴


Pic from theage.com.au

I was reading a magazine earlier and found this interesting article that I thought I should share with you. It's just so funny! Me and hubby felt exactly the same as how she described her Turkish bath experience. It was unforgettable for sure. We did feel good after the bath but not the massage part. It was disappointing. She really did it for a few minutes and then that was it. She even cleaned my face with the scrubbing mitt. It felt like being licked by a cat's tongue. Unbelievable! Anyway, it was such a unique experience! :)


我 一 躺 上 按 摩 台 , 肥 嬸 的 汗 水 已 一 滴 一 滴 的 跌 落 在 我 臉 上 , 她 不 諳 英 語 , 靠 手 勢 告訴 我 由 早 上 八 時 開 始 工 作 , 已 經 好 累 。 我 險 些 想 叫 她 躺 下 , 由 我 替 她 按 摩 算 了 。 我像 展 覽 品 般 躺 在 擠 逼 的 按 摩 台 上 , 頭 不 時 被 前 面 那 個 客 人 的 腳 踏 。 根 本 不 是 享 受 , 只 想 快 些 完 事 。
幾分 鐘 的 按 摩 像 雷 霆 掃 穴 般 發 生 了 , 我 又 被 示 意 坐 在 剛 才 的 位 置 再 等 。 原 來 大 嬸 將 本來 先 按 摩 、 後 磨 砂 去 死 皮 、 最 後 徹 底 沐 浴 的 三 個 過 程 , 演 變 成 工 廠 式 生 產 , 我 們 五 個 來 自 不 同 國 家 的 女 人 一 字 排 開 , 方 便 讓 她 替 我 們 磨 砂 。 我 覺 得 自 己 像 肉 檔架 上 的 豬 肉 。 肥 嬸 帶 上 特 製 磨 砂 手 套 Kese 逐 一 在 我 們 身 體 亂 搓 一 通 , 前 、 後 、 左、 右 … … 突 然 一 盆 冷 水 照 頭 淋 , 驚 魂 未 定 , 再 一 盆 已 經 不 知 幾 多 人 用 過 的 肥 皂 泡 ,搓 到 我 的 頭 髮 與 身 體 上 , 又 再 淋 一 盆 冷 水 , 肥 嬸 拍 拍 手 掌 , 示 意 整 個 過 程 大 功 告 成。

一 大 肥 皂 泡 從 我 的 頭 髮 流 到 右 眼 , 我 們 幾 個 互 不 相 識 的 女 人 不 禁 相 視 苦 笑 。 把 自 己 徹 底 洗 淨 後 , 在 浴 場 的 咖 啡 室 內 回 氣 , 聽 遊 客 們 手 舞 足 蹈 地 形 容 自 己 的 經 歷 時 , 便 發 現 《 New York Times 》 說 得 對 , 土 耳其 浴 是 死 前 必 做 的 一 件 事 。 就 算 再 糟 糕 , 都 是 一 場 經 歷 , 進 去 看 傳 統 浴 場 的 建 築 ,古 時 蘇 丹 王 族 的 生 活 彷 彿 活 現 眼 前 , 這 幾 百 元 還 是 值 得 花 的 。 何 況 能 讓 人 揮 之 不 去的 回 憶 , 總 是 令 你 最 痛 苦 的 一 次 。
info from nextmedia

Monday, September 17, 2007

Hubby likes this pic! :)


Because he took it! hahahaha
It was taken in Istanbul. :)

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Nice bowl


Very nice? :)


We put chocolate in there. Take one if you like! hehe

Monday, July 09, 2007

Got some postcards from Istanbul trip

Monday, July 02, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 7 (last day) 27 May 2007 Part 2


Can you see Roger? :) hehe


What a nice car!


Turkish Delight - our fav is pistachio flavour! mmmm

End of Day 7

Friday, June 29, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 7 (last day) 27 May 2007 Part 1


We went to the Basilica Cistern to escape the heat. It was cool and quiet inside.
This underground cistern was built in 532, so it's over 1500 years old! Despite this fact, it's still standing and in pretty good condition. Roman engineering is amazing (ho king ah)!


Medusa head base




Hagia Sophia - Amazing! Isn't it?


The interior is impressive. This photo doesn't really do it justice. You have to see it yourself!




Some kittens outside Hagia Sophia


Playing with this little one :)


Meow Meow... don't run away! hehe

Istanbul Trip Day 6 - Part 3 After Dinner



Afternoon call to prayer, Istanbul



When that happened, we were around Blue Mosque. We stopped and listened to it. It was pretty loud!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

伊斯坦堡 Trip Day 6 (26 May 2007) Part 2 Kadikoy


花花


舊肉超


長髮美女


Wanna smoke? :D


Colourful earrings! I should have got some! :p


Can you see the ginger cat? :)


Our afternoon tea :)


Back to Eminonu. There are many seafood restaurants.


My fish sandwich


Turkish beer - very nice!


Dinner at Rumeli Cafe


mmm... yum

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 6 (26 May 2007) Part 1 Dolmabahce Palace & Asian Side of Istanbul

We visited the Dolmabahçe Palace in the morning and spent the afternoon on the Asian side of Istanbul. We took many photos in the palace as there were lots of picturesque photo opportunities, especially the magnificent garden. If you want to take photos in the palace, you need to pay extra 5 YTL.

The palace is massive, with 285 rooms, 43 halls and 6 Turkish baths. There are more than five hundreds of paintings and lots of stunning Hereke carpets and chandeliers.


We bought the tickets to see both Selamlik & Harem. This is the entrance gate.


When they see Asian people, the Turkish kids will say Konnichiwa! Some of them even took my photos and shook hands. It was very funny. They made me feel very popular.


Dolmabahçe Palace was the first European-style palace in Istanbul and was constructed between 1842-1853 by one of the Ottoman Sultans, Sultan Abdulmecid.


One of the rooms


Protect the carpet from getting dirty


Stairs


Crystal chandelier


The palace garden







Monday, June 25, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 5 (25 May 2007) Part 2 Dinner at Ali Baba


Nice pic! hehehe Beautiful sky! :D I like it.


Some meze & bread


Adana! Very tasty!


We loved the food very much but they overcharged us. :p

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 5 (25 May 2007) Buyukada Part 1


Hotel Erboy, the entrance


Calling you! :D


Hubby's new car. hehe dreaming haha


On the way to the pier


We got there! yeah! Büyükada is the largest of the nine islands consisting the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.


We went to Buyukada for a day trip. Once we arrived there, we were starving. We went to a cafe for lunch. The food was OK but it didn't look so good. It made me feel there wasn't much food. lol Anyway, Some old man from another table came and talked to Hubby when I was in the bathroom. I came out and saw them talking. He asked me in Turkish whether Roger was my boyfriend. I knew what he was asking. So, I showed him my wedding ring and then he smiled, nodded and walked away. The same thing happened to me a few times. In other countries, you don't get people asking you that kind of question. It's just weird.


Even though the lunch wasn't very good, our dessert was wicked. :D We had the famous ice cream called Mado. It has kind of a chewy texture. Very yummy!


Hubby & Wifey


The little one is their kid :D


Lots of holiday homes on the island


I want one like this!


Pretty!




la la la


We walked around the island for an hour and then had a ride on the horse-drawn carriage. It was very cool and romantic. :D We even took a video of it.


We left the island around 5ish. Got on the ferry back to Kebatas and headed up to Besiktas for dinner.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 4 (24 May 2007) Part 2 :)


İstiklal Avenue is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, it's always busy. There are loads of pubs, cafes, night clubs, restaurants, bookstores, cinemas and art galleries.


Oh Hubby's working there! :D haha so funny


The ice cream guy


Turkish coffee at Gloria Jean's - tasted so-so


This thing is for massaging your fingers. :) hahaha No, only joking.
Actually, it's an "Akbil" electronic transit pass, a rechargeable ticket. Something like our Octopus card in Hong Kong.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 4 (24 May 2007) Part 1



The weather was great today. We decided to visit Topkapi Palace. Going there was easy, as it was very close to our hotel. We just walked there. It only took us about 10 mins.









We checked out the gardens first, then the Palace, and lastly the Harem. We spent over 4 hours there. It was very interesting but a bit expensive to see everything in there. We didn't see the Treasury Section.



We went to Konyali for a long lunch. It was fantastic! The stuffed lamb was just gorgeous and the Turkish coffee was really good. We also had borek and salad. Everything was wonderful. Shame about we didn't have room for dessert! :p


Since 1897! Amazing!


Waiting for food! :D


Borek


Season Salad


Stuffed Lamb (the best)


Enjoy your meal, Sir!


The white drink is Ayran (yoghurt drink). It tasted alright.


:D very happy


We went to the Spice Market and saw the new mosque(Yeni Cami). We sat down on a bench and talked to strangers. It was funny! :)

We also went to Taksim in the evening. It was very busy and lively there. A totally different atmosphere to Sultanahmet.

Just noticed I've got too many photos to show you. hahaha So I'd better stop here. :)

Monday, June 18, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 3 (23 May 2007) Bosphorus tour

We got up a bit earlier today because we had to catch the Bosphorus tour ferry at 10:35am. When we arrived at Eminonu, there were already many people in the queue and some woman tried to jump the queue. But..I made her move. haha

Anyway, we bought the tickets at Bogaz Hatti Ferry Dock (No. 3) and managed to get ourselves good seats on the upper deck. It was full on the boat. The weather wasn't very good to start with. It was a bit hazy but it got better once we got off the boat at Anadolu Kavagi which was the last stop. There were loads of seafood restaurants. We didn't try any of them as we weren't feeling hungry then. The whole tour would take you 4.5 hours going there and back. It was quite a journey!

When we got to see the fortress, Hubby felt a bit disappointed because of the rubbish everywhere but It was cool to go up there. We enjoyed sitting down on the wall and taking in the view. It was actually quite nice. We spent about 2 hours there and then took the afternoon ferry back to Besiktas. :)

We found a little cafe in Besiktas which looked quite alright. We had a very good lunch there. :D Even though, we couldn't speak Turkish and they couldn't speak English but we used body language! It was very funny! haha.... Oh, and the food was excellent. We had lentil soup, freshly baked bread, salad, chicken, and lamb with rice. I still remember how to get there. I won't forget it!

Finally, We went for our first ever Turkish bath in the evening. It was good that we tried it. :P But not so sure if we would go there again! hahahaha















Istanbul Trip Day 2 (22 May 2007)


We slept well last night. Got up around 8, had a shower and went down to have breakfast. It was buffet style. The food was pretty good and there was a lot of choice. I ate a lot of cheese. haha Hubby really loved their bread and buns. He managed to eat 10 of them. lol Pretty scary! :) Actually they were tiny. :P


After we had breakfast, we went to the Sultanahmet area.


The weather was lovely today. We decided to sit down for a bit and enjoy the sunshine.


The German Fountain


Busy taking photos outside the mosque.


Inside Sultanahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque)
More info here


What are you doing there!


The baby is so cute!


:) Mummy & daughter


Beautiful mosque!


Looking for food!


We stumbled upon the Doy Doy restaurant whilst we were walking around.
We went in there for lunch. The food was yummy!!


Minced lamb Pide(Turkish pizza) & Eggplant Moussaka


A great view from the rooftop terrace, but you can't see it from this photo! haha:)


Open the box and you'll see the bill! :)
We enjoyed the meal a lot. It was lovely.

After lunch, we explored the city and did a lot of walking.
Somehow we got lost but we found our way back to the hotel. We had a rest and then went out for dinner.


Dinner at Rumeli Cafe! The best meat balls... Roger said! :)


Ottoman cuisine! mmmm yum yum


Cheese Borek! mmm mmm Roger loved these little things!


Romantic! haha ^^

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Istanbul Trip Day 1 (21 May 2007)


We arrived at the Erboy Hotel in the afternoon. We had free airport transfers!! It was great and hassle-free. When we sat down and waited for our room to be ready, they served us our first cup of Turkish apple tea. It tasted really good! We loved it! :D


We dropped off our suitcases and went out walking around the city and feel the place! The first impression of Istanbul was very lively and a bit strange as we've never seen anywhere like it before. It was totally different and amazing!

The next thing we had to do was change some local currency. The exchange rate was not bad. After we got the money, we felt a bit peckish and went to Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi for dinner. This restaurant has been around since 1920. Their famous dish is Turkish Meat balls (köfte). Many people go there just for that. :)


Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi


After we had the nice dinner. Roger wanted some dessert. haha So we went to Saray and had the super delicious pudding called sütlaç (Turkish rice pudding). mmm lovely!


We've also sampled the baklava. It was nice but a bit too sweet for our taste. :) Glad that we tried it though.


Lovely park and Hagia Sophia.


When we first saw the Blue Mosque, we were like WOW!! Very spectacular and impressive. Definitely have to go inside and check it out!


And here is street food, Grilled sweet corn.


Selling dried fruit... I think! haha not sure


Beautiful Turkish lamps. Wish we could bring one back!

I've done lots of research on the net before we started our trip.
http://www.letsgoistanbul.com/
http://turkeytravelplanner.com/
http://www.virtualtourist.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/

End of Day 1