Hello from Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, where I’m waiting to board my flight home after spending just over 20 hours in this city.
The airport, frustratingly enough, makes it really difficult to connect to WiFi, because it requires a code that can only be sent by SMS to a working mobile number. New Delhi’s airport had the same system, and it was a giant headache. I don’t know who comes up with these things, or why it doesn’t occur to them that, oh, say, foreigners might be in an international airport without locally-working phones? But no, they wouldn’t think of that, would they? So I’m typing this entry now, and I will likely upload it later once I land in Montreal. Note to airports around the world: stop using this silly system.
A rocky send-off from Kathmandu
I left Kathmandu yesterday morning in a not-so-great state. After successfully avoiding Delhi Belly in India, I was a little less successful at avoiding Kathmandu Belly in Nepal. My last night in Kathmandu was spent ill and doing gross things that I won’t spell out here. So I woke up weak, dizzy and dehydrated, and unsure of how I was going to fly.
Still, life on the road stops for no woman. With the help of some of my tourmates, two satchels of rehydration powder, a dose of Cipro, and some water and crackers, I was as good as I was gonna get. I loaded my bags into a taxi and headed to the airport. Bye, Nepal! Despite your rocky send-off, I quite enjoyed my time visiting you. I hope to be back one day!
Evening arrival in Turkey
I spent most of the uneventful 8-hour flight sleeping, and I arrived in Istanbul around 7pm local time. By then, most of the effects of the previous night’s illness had subsided, and other than feeling a bit tired and weak, I was doing more or less okay. The flight attendant even scrounged up a banana and some toast for me, which was really nice of her.
My backpack was checked through to Montreal, so I only had my hand luggage, which made it super easy to board the metro and tram to the Sultenahmat neighbourhood. I’m staying in a cute little boutique hotel that is literally right across the street from the Blue Mosque. Hey, I figured, once I’m here, I might as well try to see a few sights. I’ve never been to Istanbul and I don’t know when I’ll next have the opportunity to get back here, so why not make the most of it, right? Walking from the tram to the hotel, I got beautiful nighttime views of both Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Quite pretty.
Sultenhamat in one morning
I woke up before dawn, taking advantage of my jet lag to squeeze in some extra time in the city. Not much was open yet before sunrise, so I just strolled around a bit,
I went past the Blue Mosque, though it was still closed for early morning prayers. I walked up to the Hippodrome. The Roman-era structures date back to Byzantium, and this spot was the centre of Constantinople. I saw the German Fountain with its beautiful gold dome roof, the ancient Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius with its hieroglyphs, the remaining parts of the Serpentine Column, and the Constantine Obelisk. And I wandered back to the hotel past a number of tourist restaurants and carpet shops, mostly all still peacefully closed. It’s probably easiest to avoid the carpet salespeople when they aren’t awake yet.
After a lovely breakfast at the hotel looking out on sunrise over the Blue Mosque, it was time to go sightseeing for real.
I started off at the obvious spot, the Blue Mosque. Since it was right across the street, I was able to make a beeline there shortly after opening and there was no queue to get in. I took in the courtyards, and then dutifully removed my shoes and donned the loaner headscarf and entered the visitors’ area. It’s pretty inside, to be sure, with mosaic tiles and beautiful calligraphy. But it’s much more impressive from the outside, I gotta say.
Next, I crossed the park and headed up to the Basilica Cistern. This ancient roman cistern was uncovered centuries later, and houses the Medusa, a woman’s face on a column of unknown origin. The cavernous pools are strangely calming. On the way to the cistern, I passed the Millennium Marker, which was an ancient Roman marker showing the zero-spot where all the roads would lead. As in, all roads lead to Rome. Or, in this case, Constantinople.
Then it was onto the Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) museum. First a church, then a mosque, now a museum, this is one of the oldest, largest and most important religious buildings in history. I paid the entrance fee and dodged the Japanese tour groups to visit the main area and the galleries upstairs. When it was converted from a church to a mosque, the gold mosaics depicting Christian iconography were covered over. They’ve been uncovered and partially restored in the past decades, and what results is an interesting mishmash of cultures. The gallery upstairs was accessible by an old ramp, which felt like wandering through a medieval corridor. Pretty cool.
By that point, it was mid-morning and time was ticking away. I hopped on the tram and headed to Eminonu to see Galata Bridge, which crosses the water between the Sultenhamet area and the Golden Horn. Just for fun, I walked across the bridge and back again, taking in the views, as well as the multitudes of anglers fishing off the side of the bridge. The smell of fish was really, really strong. Back on this side, I then headed to the Spice Bazaar for a quick peek; it being Sunday, the Grand Bazaar was closed, but the Spice Bazaar was open and going strong. Lots of vendors selling Turkish Delight, dried fruit, tea, spices, scarves, ceramics, and so on. The salespeople are legendary here — lots of “hello my friend, where are you from?” and the usual attempts to lure you into a sales conversation. But if they think they’re going to get to me when I’ve just been to India? Hah. Amateurs.
I couldn’t leave Turkey without one more thing: eating a kebab. I headed back to Sultenahmet and picked a restaurant at random in “restaurant row” and ordered a vegetable kebab. The waiter was a young Kurdish guy who was keen to specify that he lives in Turkey but he’s really, really not Turkish. Politics here are, needless to say, a bit of a mess. I rushed to eat the kebab, and then it was time to head home.
So, I saw some of Istanbul in a few short hours. I visited some top sites. I didn’t buy a carpet. I figure that counts as an all-around success.
The last leg
I grabbed my bag from the hotel and hopped on the tram and metro to get back to the airport. Istanbul’s airport is still highly frustrating; in addition to the long passport control line, I had to pass four separate security checks (at the airport entrance, after passport control, and two different checks at the gate). Okay, I can understand the heightened security in light of recent events, but must everyone push and shove so much? It felt like being back in India. There are also two crying babies and a yapping dog that appear to be on our flight. I have a headache already. Eleven hours of this is gonna be fun.
But hey, I’m halfway home. See you in a few hours.