Istanbul Diary

Not a great start

It’s a short international flight from Athens to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. Turkish airlines managed to damage my new suitcase in this short duration, forcing me to spend some time at the airport. The damage report was filed and I was sent to the main office. Discussions were done; claim amount was negotiated and agreed upon. I was asked to sign the receipt but as I had received no money, I refused. I was told that money will be sent to me in 15 days time after it was received from insurance.
Now, back in India, Turkish airlines has denied agreeing on any claim and has so far refused to pay me the money .My emails to them go unanswered.

Istanbul can get very hot. It was a hot day when we arrived there. The taxi driver refused to put on the AC. In the next few days I learnt that this was a common thing as none of the Taxi drivers agreed to put on the AC in the 3 days we traveled by cabs in the city. The drive from airport would have been a pleasant experience had it been during cool weather as most of the drive is parallel to the Bosporus River. The gardens at the waterfront are well maintained and clean and we saw great number of picnickers enjoying the summer heat. The traffic was chaotic and we heard the blare of horns after several days. Each thing so far was reminding us of back home. Not a good sign when you are on a holiday. Thankfully, the weather changed from the next day onwards and along with the weather improved our impression about Istanbul.

Sultanahmet area is the main touristy area of Istanbul. It is the old city comprising of the blue mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar and the Topkapi palace. It has narrow roads and lots of crowds. This, I was told was the place to stay in Istanbul. Acra Hotel, where we had our bookings was somewhere there. The taxi driver decided to throw us out just as we entered Sultanahmet area citing traffic congestion. The prospect of hunting for a hotel with suitcases and kids in the heat was not a bright one. We refused to get off the cab. It was the most sensible decision we made during our Turkish visit.

Shopping in Istanbul

Taksim square is the main square from where originates the Istiklal street. As it happens in most European cities, the main square is the hub of activities. It is a place you can spend a great deal of time doing nothing. There is always some road show or music concert happening in these squares. At other time people just sit on benches and watch other people. The Istiklal street is a long street and has all the modern shops like Mango, M&S, H&M, Zara etc. It’s a pedestrian street so one feels good walking, shopping and dining here.


It is however ‘The Grand bazaar’ which fascinates the tourists. Totally indoors and air conditioned it has almost 4000 vendors selling all kind of wares. It’s a colourful maze where losing your way is an easy thing. Carpets, lights, chess sets, bowls, leather goods, spices, jewellery, clothes……….the list is endless. The place was humming and full of crowds. We bought a few lights, a chess set and some rugs. Devicka felt that these things were better and cheaper in Jaipur. Now I will have to start thing of visiting Jaipur soon.
Similar was the Spice Bazaar. This Bazaar was also air conditioned, colourful and indoors. It is located at a place called Eminonu for which we took a tram from near the hotel. Lanes after lanes sold dry fruits, spices and a special sweet called Turkish delight. I also saw many shops selling caviar and something called the ‘Turkish Viagra.’


Bosporous is the main river of Istanbul. It is the lifeline of Istanbul.Also known as Istanbul strait, it is the dividing line between Asia and Europe. Istanbul is fascinating as half the population lives in Asia and the other half in Europe. The Bosporous connects the Marmara Sea with the Black sea. A cruise on Bosporous is mandatory for a tourist. The colour of water changes from dark blue to black as we enter the black sea. The cruise gives you a good idea about the european side and the asian side.The affluent houses on the waterfront on the Asian side, each with a few speed boats and a swimming pool shows the wealth of the residents. The strategic importance of Bosporous remains high and many a wars in modern history have been fought over it. From the boat, the glory of Istanbul is in full view. You see the elegant mosques; modern bridges; ancient palaces; and the golden horn harbour – a natural harbour which has gone a long way into making Istanbul a centre of trade in this region.


The Turkish Bath



I was asked to strip, get into a towel and was led into a warm and very humid big room full of basins on the side and a few elevated platforms in the middle of the room. I was asked to lie down on my stomach on one of the platforms. Unfortunately I was the only customer so started getting panicky when no one appeared for 20 minutes. I got shit scared. Have I come to at he right place ? They all looked like homos ouside !I had just walked into a Hamam while walking on the streets of Sultanahmet. The place appeared even more eerie as the time passed. Then a very fat man came in asked me to lie down on another platform. The fat man gave me a hard massage. Then, with soft muslin cloth and soap he rubbed me all over the body, making rich lather.I was soon covered with soft lather. Then he wore scrubs in the hand and gave me a good scrub. He took me to the basins, asked me to sit down with head down and gave me cold and hot bath alternatively pouring mugs and mugs of water over me. Once again I was asked to lie down on my stomach for 15 minutes!! By that time a couple of more customers came in so I relaxed. What did I think of the experience? Well, for most part it was like a scrub & bath my grandmother used to give me when I was small!

The Sultanahmet Area



Hagia Sophiya was at first a Basilica (church); then it was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks once they conquered Istanbul It remained for 500 years the principal mosque of Istanbul. It is now a museum and the building has features of mosque as well as a basilica. Being such an old building it attracts a lot of attention.
Facing Hagia Sophia is the famous Blue Mosque. Its interiors are decorated with blue Byzantine tiles. The mosque has six minarets instead of normal four. The interiors are beautiful and the mosque is an impressive and majestic structure. A lot of locals and tourists gather in the park facing the mosque at sunset to hear the call for prayers. At sundown, the mosque is beautifully illuminated.





Behind Hagia Sophiya is Topkapi palace. It is a palace built by Ottoman emperors and will remind you of our palaces. It was a city within a city. It has an imperial gate; residential accommodation for 4000 people; courtyards; harems; gardens; hospitals; bazaars ; and as was a fetish with our Mughal emperors, it was built on the banks of the river. It now has a museum and is a world heritage site.
The rooms of our hotel had the view of Bosporous on one side and the majestic Blue mosque on the other side. The whole day Sultanahmet area was throbbing with activity and there were tourists everywhere. Café after café would fill up in the evenings to watch the world cup soccer. The area has religious monuments and is Muslim dominated, but there is no restriction on serving of any kind of food or liquor in the street cafes which are spread all over on the pavements.

I had a heady thought while I roamed around the historic area of Sultanahmet. The thought was of taking a relaxed stroll on the pedestrian only cobbled street of colourful and vibrant chandni chowk ;crossing Jama Masjid and the awesome structure of Red Fort ; proceeding towards the banks of a fresh water and clean Yamuna river; sitting in the gardens at the waterfront with a view of illuminated Lal quila; ordering kababs and chilled beer from Karims. I do know for sure, that if someday this thought becomes a reality, our very own Purani Dilli will give Sultanahment area a run for its money.

Turkey & Europe

For several years Turkey is striving to be part of European Union (EU). Non admission into this club is a sore point with them. The Indian tourist should take advantage and visit Turkey as it is another European country in the making. There is a direct flight; the visas are easy to get; the city is very pretty and has a European feel to it; the shopping is decent having modern stores as well as traditional arty things; Mediterranean and Aegean seas are next doors; several Mediterranean cruises can be undertaken from Istanbul itself; the historic cities of Izmir and Euphases are just a short flight away and on the banks on Aegean sea. The kabas go well with Indian tastes ; and last but not the least, it is much cheaper than Europe.
I know the EU has a list of objections which are an impediment to Turkey joining the EU. They should add the behaviour of their airline and attitude of their taxi drivers to this list.