Mission Istanbul

IP Singh of Chandigarh-based Beyond Computers went on a family vacation with

his wife Sunny and son Sidak to Istanbul, the world's third largest city. The

Singh family enjoyed this city of hamaams and came back with memories to last

them a lifetime

skyline studded with domes and minarets-such is the beauty of Istanbul-which

means 'to explore'. The city is the cultural heart of Turkey and is known for

its hamaams (bathing place), where one can get a spa experience with spicy

flavored special soaps.

The Blue Mosque

The taxi driver charged us double the amount from the airport to our hotel

(he put the meter on night mode), but we still paid him, because I believe we

should not fight with taxi drivers in a new country on the very first day.

Actually I had taken the information from the Internet, which said the taxi

drivers are honest in Istanbul, so I trusted him.

At a typical Istanbul cafe with traditional low seating	Emperor's Chamber at Topkapi Palace

Taking a shuttle from the airport is a better idea (there is a counter at the

airport), which charges you per person. They don't charge for minors generally.

The metro is bad and crowded, but most of the places are within walking distance

from the center of Istanbul (our hotel Yashmak Sultan was located at a central

place).

Sunny and Sidak at St Sophia	Delicate calligraphic swirls inked at Grand Bazaar

Blue Mosque is a not-to-miss monument and also the most beautiful mosque in

the world. It has quiet a history. The mosque had to donate two pillars to the

mosque in Mecca. The mosque gets its name from the thousands of blue tiles that

adorn the inside.

The Singh family posing with Hekim, a Turk (second from right)	Delicate calligraphic swirls inked at Grand Bazaar

We also went to see St Sophia (which was earlier a church, and later

converted to a mosque, and is now a museum). From there, we got a calligraphy

souvenir with our names written on a ceramic plate.

Topkapi Palace Museum is another good place to see. It is a palace in

Istanbul, which was the official and primary residence in the city of the

Ottoman Sultans. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal

entertainments, and is a major tourist attraction today.

If you want to do some shopping or spend some leisure time, go to Taksim

Square, which is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants,

shops, hotels, nightlife, belly dance, etc. We missed the belly dance, but you

should not-it is supposed to be good.

This colorful market is one of the largest covered markets in the world,

where you can buy genuine leather products. Many of the stalls in the bazaar are

grouped by various type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold

jewelry, pottery, spice, carpet shops, and the like. Shopping at Grand Bazaar is

fun and at the same time it is an art, as you have to bargain a lot. In fact, if

you buy something without bargaining, the shopkeeper gets slightly disappointed.

I had learnt some Turkish words to impress people there that really worked.

For example, 'teh-sheh-qure-ler' means 'thank you'.

On our way, we met an interesting Turkish man named Hekim at Grand Bazaar

(ask for him when you go there). He can converse with you in almost flawless

Hindi that he has learnt from watching Hindi movies (he claims to have watched

almost all of them). We also took a group photo with him.

Get yourself some good Turkish glasses in a typical shape (they serve tea in

those glasses everywhere). Must buy a set of six for your home.

Enjoy apple tea and the normal plain black tea at Istanbul-we enjoyed it

everyday. We had food and chai (even they call it chai-in the menu, they write

it as 'cay') at various cafes with their typical low seating. We really enjoyed

the food at Café Dervish, with very sufiayana atmosphere (just outside the Blue

Mosque). Bargaining happens at cafes and restaurants as well (not at the branded

stores and restaurants though). The black Turkish coffee must be tried when you

are there.