Turkey's Best Kept Secrets

First and foremost, lets pray and keep a minute silence for all the people of Van province who were injured or killed in the 7.2 Richter scale earthquake on last sunday. My heart goes to all the families, friends and people of Van and its always heart wrenching to hear of more bodies being dug-out of the collapsed buildings. It is really a tragedy of its worst kind. As I shivered in my sheltered and heated home, or bundled in my warm clothing...I wonder how it is for them to sleep in a tent, with no proper warm clothing in this sonbahar (last spring or autumn) weather. We are so blessed...and most of the time, we didn't even realised it. 

Van is situated in the eastern part of Turkey, nearing the border to Iran and Armenia. And there is a beautiful Lake Van which attracts lots of tourists to the site, though I have not been there myself. 

Image copied from Google. Can you spot where Van is located at? Its in the Eastern part of Turkey

When this tragedy struck Van, I am also concerned about what is going to happen to the famous National Breed Van Cats !!

The Turks would know it..but most outsiders would not know about the beautiful Van cats. Yes..the furry lovely 4 legged friend who purred when you stroke her or him. Yeah..i know..blondes do that too ..but that's a different story altogether! Now, focus!

Can you spot the most prominent feature of this lovely cats? No ?? Look carefully....

                      photo copied from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2ikbXeAWYnjBuPm4_YcDNLI3fj54dQDHzno6x9rrUPA5x_jEbDvzn3NyY83NUGrbE_ycV6mRI3UjcXskNoLXjiV3pvi0ATQ6XYmo5nwgfYWkSMleitA4X3o407m7RxdizbokhlV8L7A/s1600/Van4images.jpg 

So..what is sooo special about Van cats? Look at these photos and you tell me what is the special feature of these lovelies. Still didn't get it? My....you sure are NOT observant enough. Maybe that explains why you are not in the CIA ha ha....just kidding! Big brother up there might be listening......

see what a beauty she is.........photo from Google Images

Van cats are very domesticated and usually stay indoor or out swimming. they are very jealous of other cats and rightly soooo....since they are so rare, they are seldom neutered..photo from Google Images

its very interesting to look at the fox-like tail...photo from Google Images

 

they love to swim....being closed to Lake Van.

                                                                       photo copied from  http://www.swimmingcats.com/faqs.html

Well....for those of you who are 'quick'....yes....the beauty  is in the eyes, literally speaking! Look at the eyes....don't you find it odd that the eyes are in different color? and i can assure you, she is not wearing contact lenses. That my dear fellow readers...are the trademarks of Van cats. 

They originated from Van and is almost always white in color. And being closed to Lake Van, it is reported that they love to swim in water. And another distinct feature of Van cats are their "fox-like" tails. So..you combine the dual-eye color feature with the fox-tail effect..what do you get? An exotic prized cats! So exotic are they that most Van cats are always behind locked doors or cages for fear of being kidnapped or stolen. They are very expensive to buy ( if you can find them in the shop) and are extremely rare..even in Turkey. When the owner of a Van cat admit to having them, they'll speak with hushed voice and with extreme care not to be overhead by others! Its a prized possession and no matter how much I'd loved to get them and bring them back with me...I can't. It is against the law and you can be charged and/or jailed heftily if caught trying to take the cats out of the country. Just as you would be charged heavily if caught trying to take out antiques or antiquities of more than 100 years old. So..don't try to feign innocence when it comes to this....you have been warned!

Another prized  secrets that the Turks are proud of is their Kangal dogs. Kangal dogs are Turkish special national breed that is also protected and is not allowed to be taken out of the country except to Turkish Nasionals..Now...while Van cats are adorable...Kangal dogs is also adorable but they could also be eadly.  Kangal dogs are the only dogs that can kill wolves!! You have to see them to understand that they can be friends and killer monster at the same time. Kangal dogs are huge...most times, they would be as high as your waist, on their 4 legs. And they are normally used by the army, or as guard dogs. As with Van cats, they are also well shielded from public eyes due to its scarcity. But at homes, they are so adorable and would be a very important part of any families. They are very lovable and are trusted to guard the family and are always a good companions to the family, especially children.  They originated from Kangal in Sivas, hence its name.

Kangal dog....as big as the man....this is about the only dog in the world that can kill a wolf.....special breed from Turkey...and Turkish National pride!

 

do not be fooled by its size...it can be as lovable as a poodle and will stay at home to watch over the children as well. a truly men's best friend

how lucky for this kid....with a friend like that..you'll never be bullied at school !! perhaps you can understand now why and how Kangal dogs would be loved by the family. it takes care of the family, the children, the livestock....your guardian for life!

       (All kangal dogs photos copied from http://kashifbt.blogspot.com/2010/05/turkest-kangal-dog-pictures.html)

I know that I would change my lane (or path) if I saw a Kangal dog coming towards my direction. You see..sometimes you have to follow the rule of the jungle...size does matter! Hey..they weigh at least 50kilos....that's more than my weight! I don't argue with Kangal dogs. In fact, i don't argue with dogs, period! Although the stray dogs in Turkey are well taken care of and are even tagged by the council. There are many strays but they are not ferocious as they are well fed by people on the street. It is a common sight here to see someone stopping by the roadside...open the side door..and give packets of meat or chickens to the stray dogs. And of course, these strays always get their feeds from the bakery with the  good  old turkish bread.... So, in Turkey, the stray dogs co-exist with the environment and the people nicely !!! 



Special tribute :

In loving memory of " Tiger "   who died couple of years back after a Vet said that she couldn't live beyond few months due to kidney problem...and wanted to use her as an lab experiment! well.....she lived for more than seven years !

 

 

 

 

in fond memory of "   Coco "   whom we had leave behind with a wonderful man who raised and care for 39 cats. so...bless him....my 2 cats made it 41 ! we shall take them back when we go home ....

the other cat with Coco and the 41-cat-man. " Snowball "   is such a gentle cat, being of a Birman breed. she is so gentle that her breed could even be trusted with small babies. 

Snowball simple came to house and refused to go home. i suspected that she was ' poached ' and she didn't know how to go home. maybe she liked the environment of my house and decided to stay permanently. one thing for sure...she is so scared of strangers that ...at the sound of my door bell, she'll bolt out and hide...must be from her painful previous experience. Truly miss them !!

 

Van Cat - Read More Here 

Kangal Dogs - Read More Here 


Acknowledgement :


Thank you for all the wishes and concern for me and family during the earthquake scare. We are okay and are touched by your kind wishes and prayers.

Big Font ; Driving In Istanbul - Being Streetwise in Istanbul Part 2

Istanbul has one of the highest fatality accidents in the world. What a shocker to start today's Post! Since majority of them are muslims, most will put the fatalities as "Qada' and Qadr"....meaning things happened because it is already fated. Of course..it's much easier to blame God for everything.

Turkish drivers grow horns, fangs and long nails when they start the ignition. The cars would instantly become an extension of themselves and their hands would be glued permanently on the horn! Once they are in this mood, you'd be wise to stay clear from them or not be in their route.Its supremacy of the automobile and you...mere mortals on the road, or trying to cross the road...are a nuisance and deserve no respect or right whatsoever....period! So...take it that you have been warned. You walk at your own risk, you cross the road (even at the zebra crossing) at your own risk and the sidewalk pavement is for them to test the hardiness of the car. .. or buses. And to make it more challenging....the roads are mostly narrow, it was originally meant for ponies or donkeys (remember the Play "Mama Mia?"). And since Istanbul sits on 7 mountains, the roads are inclined at an angle that no road engineers would certify safe or road worthy....ha ha what do engineers know, eh? So..they simply don't drive when it snows..nothing to it!!

Its a pity that the Turks can't be more courteous when they are behind the wheels like the people in Dubai,say. In Dubai, the cars literally stopped in the middle of the road when they see that you were trying to cross the road. That actually happened to me when I was there couple of years ago. And if they see a lady driver, they would be even more courteous...how nice and pleasant it was to walk on the street of Dubai back then. Of course, the fact that "you are always guilty if you were foreigners" also help them to be extra careful when in Dubai!

So...maybe you'll be better off taking a taxi to go to your destination. Taxis in Istanbul are plentiful and easily accessible and are reliable. You can hail one from wherever you are or you can call for one. Every taxi will use a meter. Well...almost every taxis except those at some famous tourist spot. Taksim square is a hot spot for tourist and taxi drivers know it,too. Be mindful if you took a taxi at Taksim Square as most would pretend that the meter is not working and would ask for a fixed rate.

Good news for ladies....there are now taxis with female drivers. While that might provide additional security to ladies traveling alone, I'm not sure if the style of driving will differ very much. The lady drivers here are just as "gung ho" as the men! In fact, I noticed that, almost everybody WILL drive in a similar manner once they're used to driving here...even ladies. I've seen my lady friend driving.... and OMG....she drives like a Turk. Or ..could it be... because she's Italian...hmmm...I wonder!!!

The taxis and other public transports are super efficient that you don't really need to drive here. I decided not to buy a car for myself and instead put all my faith in the public transport and so far...they have not failed me. Whats the point of letting the traffic and other drivers age you faster than you should, right? Besides..do you think I could be happier if I bought that Bugatti Veyron? Please note that I used the word "if" and not "when" for its obvious reason...ha ha. On second thought...maybe I should go and get Mr  RatanTata to be my son in law, after all ....he's not married and TATA now owns Jaguar and Land Rover. Uhhh....have you seen  Jaguar's new C-X16 concept? It'll hit the road in late 2012 and I think I can save up enough to pay the GBP50 k!! Nice ! Nice ! Nice ! But...I'm digressing....again....! SEE MORE of Jaguar C-X16

All buses are "pay on entry" basis at TL1.75 irrespective of your journey. That mean, you pay the same, whether  you sit in the bus for an hour or 5 minutes. That standard rate helps in the schedule of the buses as there is no interruption to the drivers and even Yabanci (foreigners) need not confuse the drivers with many foreign languages. The METRO underground used to be of the same TL1.75 too but recently, it was increased to TL2. Still relatively cheap...and don't forget....school children, students and senior citizens are given discounts. As with the buses, the METRO underground is also a "pay per entry" regardless of the distance traveled. I regard Istanbul's public transport highly and it is just as good as the British public transportation system when I was there as a student. Tourist to Istanbul should not be worried about public transport in Istanbul....just enjoy your stay here!!

Driving in Istanbul

The Turks do not care if you flout any rules on the road, if you made that " it-seems-impossible " illegal turning on the road, if you crossed the double line to go to the other side, if you parked your "SMART" petite car perpendicular to the road, if you overtook them at a blind corner....as long as you get the h**l out of their way! As long as you are moving at the speed that they want you to.....they don't care what, how or why you did it. Simple enough rules, don't you think? Just GO...whatever you do...MOVE...never block their path...ever! Its when they can't move...that's when trouble will start. I have seen numerous fist fight on the road, one driver went out to kick another car because the other driver was hesitant at the roundabout, one driver chasing another after a minor collision, not forgetting the "shouting matches ".....etc....etc.....

would you rather be caught in this type of traffic jam on the Otogar (  highway ) .......on a daily basis.......

made worse on rainy days...as it is now.....turkey is raining almost everyday now.....dipping the thermometer lower than it usually would at this time of the year....

driving on the 'boring' middle road ( Buyukdere Caddessi) ....... on a 'good day' ...... meaning, you can drive at ease and with no traffic

Ahh . . .  you get a traffic like this.....it makes your day !!!!

The scene mentioned above are typical on the middle road, i.e the road going through the CBD of Istanbul. If you took the road along the Bosphorus, then you'll be enthralled with a different scenery. As I often said....the Bosphorus has a calming effect on people and you can see that drivers here are on a leisurely Sunday drive! Except that it's not Sunday and leisure is the last thing on your mind.  But you can't help catching the contagious "mood" and soon...you too will be driving at their leisurely pace. The view is just simply beautiful and exciting that reaching one's destination seems immaterial. There's  girls, boats, yatch and people to ogle and see  at all times.....watching the world goes by...oh, you'd get my drift !! 

Or...you can drive along the Bosphorus and......not be bothered by anything else..... and just enjoy the view

hey....who cares if they're storming the Walls Street.......who cares if they will be there for another four months....who cares indeed...those multi-millionaires created all the artificial wealth....hmmm..

Noticed the villas on the hill......or the 'James Bond's cruiser.....  now, that's a lovely sight ....as you drive along the Bosphorus..... perhaps you would now agree with me when I said that all your worries would just 'fly' away....problems ?? what problems ???

Rumeli Kale ( Rumeli Castle ) ........the old faithful guarded Constantinople ( later on Istanbul ) during the Ottoman era.....can you also see the road along the Bosphorus ?

care to dream that you are the owner of this Villa? what a wonderful way to LIVE.....!!! I am sooo envious!

the photo does no justice to this beautiful gulet, a tradisional turkish yatch....its blue in color and somehow...everytime i looked at it, it reminded me of the writer, Jane Austen and her romantic novels. Its always moored by the Bosphorus and would be one of the many 'distractions' that one would encounter while driving by....how could you concentrate,huh ??

again...sorry about the quality of the photo...it was bulutlu (cloudy) ......but when the sun comes out......you really would not be in a hurry to go anywhere....ahhh..this is the LIFE !!  soon you'll realise that....no problems is worth that worrying.....Life is tooo short.......enjoy it while you can !!

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF SHIPS OF YESTERYEAR MOORED IN ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL FASHION WEEK PHOTOS

Once....a driver in a convertible Merz (open-top, of course) stop in the middle of the road. We were left wondering...until we realised that he had actually stopped to talk to an on-coming car, who must be his friend. And how did we know that they're friends? Well...after a few mins., they stopped talking, shook hand, blew kisses in the air and drove off...right there in their respective cars..in the middle of the road! How I wished I had my SLR at that time! That's what I would call precious moment..ha ha.

One thing for sure...Turks are skillful drivers. How else could they drive and park their cars inches away from the other car! And you should see the way they parked, its a tight fit..like a glove. Sometimes..its parked so closed that they had to lift the car out of the parking lot to get out...I am NOT kidding !!!! Now. my question to you is...can you do that ?? If you can, then...you can certainly drive in Istanbul....good for you !!  

Sigh...this has become one l...o....n...g post....again! It's ok....take it easy, you don't have to finish the whole post in one go. This is not an exam, you know....just an escapade he he!

Footnote :

Remember Ibo (Ibrahim Tatlises) whom I mentioned in the posting  READ here ? Well...he has a happy ending after all. He got married last week! To his long time companion...a very lovely lady. ...READ MORE here

Of course...some might argue that...that in itself is a "life-sentence" ha ha....Congratulation to Ibo and his lovely bride! May you live happily ever after.

P/S.....maybe it's jinxed..but just as I wrote this, we were involved in a minor accident last weekend....will tell more  later......