Kirpi - Wind's Melody

Thank you........we have touched 500 !!

I do not know if 500 is a big number but I am sooo happy today that we have touched 500 readers from the first time this Blog was published. For that...I am giving a bonus......to you.....a music video....with beautiful scenery of Istanbul and some other parts of Turkey.

Its a beautiful 'melancholy' song that will definitely touched the hearts of many out there. As it has touched mine.

I never thought that its possible.....but I DO miss Istanbul. However, I'm not complaining while I savor more delicious, strange and explicit cuisines from this mystical land of Indonesia! Wish you people were here....!! Its okay.....go on... you can hate me....I don't mind! Yum Yum !!!!

Enjoy the lovely music and scenery and muah...... muah..THANK YOU for following me and my journey.....!!!!!

Out Of Istanbul..Dolmabahce, Out Of This World !

While I'm out of Istanbul, I want to leave you with this beautiful presentation on the Dolmabahce Palace. This is one beautiful building...palace...monument....that sits majestically by the Bosphouros and you'll be awed and amazed by its beauty even if you have passed it for a thousand time. Its simply breathtaking and you'll never get tired or bored with its splendid architecture and a sense of romance surrounding it. I've always wanted to show its grand beauty but I thought that my photographs are too plain and do not do it justice until I was given a copy of this wonderful slide presentations. I would like to thank the authors (as per the presentations) and to congratulate them for these masterpiece which I hope to share with all of you readers out there.

breathtaking, isn't she ?? the Dolmabahce viewed from a Bospohorus cruise...

a picture paint a thousand words....!!

more views from the Bosphorus....watch the video to see more of these majestic and magnificient palace.....from all angles

if you think this is magical....watch the video and see the interiors....email me for a better close-up view of the interiors. i could not upload it here..due to various reasons....

Dolmabahce literally mean....Filled garden. Just as midye dolma means 'stuffed mussel'. What does it mean? Well...in an engineering term, its 'reclaimed garden'. That means, sands or (any) filling materials have been dumped onto the existing garden to maybe make the level higher or bigger. Its probably both. You can read the description in the slide presentation. 

Dolmabahce is now open to the public and you pay a small fee to enter the main palace and another fee to enter the Harem (living quarters...in case you men out there are beginning to get excited!) If you are a student, then you only need to pay TL1 (as I did). Thank you God! But silly me  forgot to buy the additional ticket to enter the Harem so I had to wait outside while my friends went in. There I was...sitting forlornly outside the harem, cursing myself for being so careless...when the guard suddenly beckoned to me and asked me to go in. Gee...thank you God, again! I must have looked sooo pitiful out there..... 

This is just one of the many instances to prove to you how friendly and nice the Turks are. They had on numerous occasions, waved away a bus fare, a change and even just gave away something they sell as hediye (present). Small gesture but meaningful, nonetheless. See...I did say that they are NICE people, didn't I?

Taking photograph in the palace is not allowed but many will try to 'steal' a shot. It is sooo beautiful that you just can't help it. But aha...I'm quite disciplined and I didnt take any shot, really!

Once you have completed your tour, don't forget to visit the "Clock museum" which is to your left as you approached the small roundabout after coming out from the harem. And....just when you thought your tour has ended....you'll be mesmerised by the wonderful collections of antiques and rare (mechanical) clocks. If you think that you've seen them all ( I mean the clocks), be prepared to be "stunned" by the collections. I was really mesmerised by the astrological clock that could even foretell when an eclipse was going to happen centuries later. The clocks will tick but some hearts might stop ticking.....it IS really awesome!!! I had to be dragged out of the tiny museum. And if the guard likes you, he'll signal to you to see the most 'special' clock of them all...ohhh..I have no photo to show but please....take my words for it and go see the CLOCKS!!! And then, tell me if I have misrepresented to with lies!

My postings would be a bit irregular for the next couple of weeks as I enjoy my tropical paradise.......he he...are you hating me already??? Its the sun, sea...and glorious food....Yee.....Ha.......!!!!

With 2 Lindas and a Madi, when they came to visit in spring. The simit was our breakfast for the day !! Yeah i know, I’m a terrible host,we were out of ‘gas’ and could not cook...what clever tricks, eh??

CLICK HERE - Dolmabahce Palace - With narration

CLICK HERE for more photos of Dolmabahce Palace

CLICK HERE - More on Dolmabahce Palace

( Email me for a close-up views of the interiors - in slide presentation)

Acknowledgement :

Thank you to Mr.Ting Men Choon, a fellow civil engineer and comrade for all his valuable and tireless  inputs and feedback on how to improve this blog and also for forwarding me this slides. Ting remain my true mentor and sifu which started when he taught me 'mind-mapping' a few years ago. The  "Coffee-Bean" cafe in Subang Jaya became our classroom. While he normally presented at a paid conference to others, I learned for free! Lucky me, eh? So, when I had the opportunity to do a mass-lecture at a local university, I too, did not hesitate to teach the students the 'mind-map' that Ting once taught me. In life, what goes around comes around and we must always pay forward, and hope that it will make a difference to someone.


Sorry Ting...can't do the Blog by 'mind-mapping'.....!!

Little Sara and the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul

If you have toured to other part of Turkey, you would notice that every city and county would have their own Kapalicarsi or covered bazaar but only Istanbul's Capalicarsi is called The Grand Bazaar. Like the Supremo, the Grande, the mostest! (More on The Grand Bazaar)

The Grand Bazaar dated back to 1461, meaning that trading has been going on in this stoned walled, covered bazaar for the last 550 years!! It has 22 Doors/Gates which are numbered and labelled accordingly. At the last count, there are 5000 shops (stalls) inside it alone. And if you ventured out of the Gate by mistake, you'll be met with more rows of shops and stalls outside the grand bazaar. your shopping experience would never end, whether you are inside or outside of the grand bazaar. and to be honest with you, i'm yet to familliarize myself with the continous and never-ending alleys in the bazaar and still could not remember how to get from one shop to the next.

Getting lost in the bazaar is a norm...don't fear it, just embrace it! if you got lost, just ask the ever so friendly and helpful shopkeepers to direct you to the tramway or whatever Gate you came from. there have never been an incidence where people got lost or kidnapped here, and I don't think it will happen soon in the near future.So...husbands...keep your cool, your wives are not lost or kidnapped...rather, she's lost in the world of her own and go find your own world while she indulges herself. Don't bother trying to text or call her mobile phone because she'll just pretend not to hear them. Just pray that her new shoes (bought in Istanbul) will bite deeper and she can't take the pain anymore. Relax..after all...you are in Istanbul....the beautiful and magical city that some could only dream of coming.

this was taken at Edirne's Kapalicarsi, 2.5 hr ride from Istanbul. its smaller than the Grand Bazaar but will also be congested with tourists and local people. notice the arch doorway with sign "Cami Girisi"? that will lead you to the magnificient Selimeye Camii (Selimiye Mosque) which is attached to the Bazaar. when the call for prayers (azan) is heard, shopkeepers and shoppers will just go to the the mosque to pray and then return back to business in a short while. business and faith goes hand in hand and should complement each other...these have been thought of 100s of years ago! 

apart from leading to the Selimiye Camii, these steps will also take you to the museum . Selimiye Camii was built by the great Armenian (architect) Mimbar Sinan. He had created over 400 magnificent buildings, bridges, cami and monuments and not one of them are similar. He also built the (other) grand and magnificent Sulaimaniye Camii in Istanbul.  I hope to write more about him in later posting. 

almost as crowded as the Grand Bazaar and just as enticing as the Grand Bazaar....Edirne was the 'gateway' to Europe during the Ottoman era. It was here that Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror left from  to conquer and take control of Constantinople (now Istanbul). Edirne was also the 'headquarters' for the Ottoman soldiers before they set to the Eastern Europe and spread the Ottoman empire up till Vienna. 

Selimiye here refers to Sultan Selim.

noticed how patriotic the Turks are? these photos were taken a few days before the general election but generally Turks are very patriotic (with their flags) and Turkish flags are seen everywhere...even when there is no election. you will see bigger flags when you are in the city, especially Istanbul.

You'll be greeted with the "hello..where are you from... turkmenistan.. russia...kazakhstan...? arigato.. ni hao.. bonjour...apa khabar...$%$&@...!!! And if no response from you....Kurdishtan? of course, all these will vary according to how your appearances are. this will continue as you moved along the shops..all of them will greet you!! and all of them will want to show you something. and most of them will offer you cay (tea). and if you stopped at their shop, they will always want to bring you inside the shop. and normally, once inside their shop, all your guard will be down, you will almost always...end up buying something. it could be the beautiful products, it could be the convincing salesman or it could be both. Thats why they wanted you inside..away from other salesmen pitch and they are able to sweet-talk you into buying whatever it is that caught your eyes in the first place. Never ever buy at the price that they asked for. Try to knock off at least 50% of what they asked for. That way, you'd end up with at least a 40% discount on top of what he asked for...win-win situation.

After a while, you'll notice that their sales pitch are almost similar. That they have their own factory, craftmen, workshop or they did the products themselves. That they have a brother, uncle, nephew, friend who owns a leather, carpet, silk, caviar, jewelry shops (also) in the bazaar and they can take you to them. And because you have bought from him, he'll ask his brother, uncle, friends to give you a special price. Frankly, i'm a bit apprehensive about this as I suspected that he'll be given a commission on any products that you'll be buying arising out of his recommendation. Guess who has to pay for this commission? The special price that you'll be paying, of course! So, maybe it's better to stay clear of any recommendations and explore on your own. After all, there are so many similar shops that you can actually compare the prices and decide. Keep a poker face and don't show any emotion even though you really liked the item. If the price that you asked for is reasonable to him, he'll call you back. Yeah..its a battle of the wits.

But why are they so aggressive? Well....first and foremost, for such a small shop, they have to pay monthly rental of US$10,000. Thats TL16,000 per month. So..that mean, you need to sell at least TL32,000 a month to be comfortable. Or TL1000 per day on average. Unless you are selling jewelry or carpets (which command higher profits), you would be howling "hello,  where are you from..." till you're hoarse, right? On average, between 250,000 to 400,000 people throng the Grand Bazaar daily. Go do the maths!

this cruise ship is sooo huge and its here every week. i was told that it holds 3000 pax. sometimes there'll be two of them berth together...its occupants will almost always head for the Grand Bazaar first...photo taken on a Bosphorous cruise.

the Norwegian cruise liner at its glory (in Istanbul) .....someday..someday....i too will be  inside.... looking out....

this was the day 4 cruise ships landed and OMG...it was soooo crowded in the Bazaar but nobody's complaining, except that the shopkeepers call them 'empty shoppers' as most would just browse and not buy stuffs but for some small trinkets. But it really is mind-boggling looking at all those 'would-be customers'...i wish i had a shop there ha ha..

see the tourist? yeap...they're always with the miss-match outfits but from the shopkeepers perspective, its their wallets that are of interest to them....they know that when you shop with friends or colleagues, the chances of you buying something is higher as compared to when you shop alone. Now..perhaps that's why they left me alone now, i normally shop alone....    

The Equinox was here too.....she is sooo huge...i almost had a heart attack when I first saw her in between the buildings..its as if the Alien has landed !! Its a few high-storey buildings put together !!(photo copied from the website)
http://www.celebritycruises.com/plancruise/ships/ship.do?shipCode=EQ

Having said all that, you'll quickly discover that the trading rely very heavily on relationship. They seek to create a relationship with you for in a long run, its your loyalty that they are after. And because eventually you'll find out that the Turks are in fact friendly, honest and honorable people. Most customers always went back to the same shops and traders because of the these very friendship, honesty and trust. It will shock you to find out that you can rely on their proposal and explanation. Look...these people have been trading for 100s of years...long before we even heard of the word "commerce and marketing". Its in their blood and thats what they do best...so just trust them...and you'll enjoy your stay in Istanbul better. They seldom let you down...they'll go all out to please the customers. Why..they even have special tuvalet (toilet) just for the  customers! and the tuvalet for customers are really the better tuvalet, that goes to show the great length at where they are willing to go to please the customers.

When you are in Istanbul, you'll notice very quickly that the men are doing everything. The men cook and serve in the bufe (cafe) and lokanta (restaurants), the men do the shaving, grooming, cutting and fashioning hair in the kuafor (hair salon), the men will yell the 'hello' in the Grand Bazaar, the men will serve you inside the shops, the men sell simit (sesame bread) in the shop and on the street....literally the men do everything everywhere. And the ladies? Well....you'll see more of them working at the modern shopping centres but most times, you'll see them shopping prettily. I was informed by some local friends that the men also cook at home. Infact, I've been told that they're the better cook in the household. Wow...that is one culture I would love to introduce to my country!

So, I was intrigued when I met with Sara, probably a sole lady who runs a jewelry shop in the Grand Bazaar. Does she has to be 'tough' to compete with all the men? Does she has to be super aggressive in order to sustain her business? The answer is a shocking 'NO'! She's as gentle as any lady could be but as stable as a rock. Its a family business, she said, and that she had been working in the shop ever since she was young but still got lost in the Grand Bazaar till today ha ha. So I'm not so blur after all. Her brother Agus, is a certified Gemologist.

Sara's jewelry shop in Grand Bazaar.....her collections are contemporary, classic and the prices are reasonable...you can tell from the number of repeat customers that went to her shop. they'll normally return to her shop after checking for prices at other shops. Although she accepts credit cards, she herself never owned a credit card in her entire life. She said that her father told her "if you can't afford it, don't just buy it or use credit card to buy it" ...hmm...anybody out there who agree to this? 

Sara said that her brother would always go for Trade exhibition in the Far East but she couldn't follow him. So, the big-mouthed me asked her why not? Ohh..she said that she has a medical situation that restricts her flight journey to under five hours. And still the nosey parker (of me) asked her why? Ohh...she had a very serious accident when she was young and she almost lost her arm if not for her father. And that there is an implant in her arm that make it uncomfortable for her to travel long distance. When she was involved in the accident in Istanbul, the medics wanted to amputate her arm for it was badly damaged and can't be saved. Her father refused to listen or agree with the medics and had her flown over to Switzerland for treatment. After being there for a few weeks, the Swiss doctor also said the same thing and that the arm had to be amputated. Again, the father refused to accept the 'verdict' from the Swiss doctor and had her flown to Germany. The rest..they say... is history. After a few months in Germany, the German doctor fixed it up and Sara got to keep her arm. If you looked at her in the photo, you could not tell the difference,could you? I was with her for few hours and didnt noticed it until she told me about it. I really must salute those German doctors...Germans are still way ahead in technology.

that's the arm that the Turkish and Swiss doctor wanted to amputate until the German doctor 'saved' it...it was a miraculous and wonderful work as you could hardly notice any difference to it.  Doctors are great but at times, it pays to ask and get a second opinion ..... always ! Sara is wearing an 'evil eye' bracelet to ward off any evil thoughts and things. And.....she's getting married in Sept., Congratulation Sara....

sensational and courageous Sara....we became friends as we admire her products...jewelries designed and produced by her own company. The pieces are mostly designed by her brother who can turn an "I'm allergic to diamond!" man into a fan in a few minutes..ha ha

So...why am I telling this story here? Well....for one, I'm fascinated by Sara's father's determination and courage to say 'No' when it matters and for having faith when everybody else has given up hope. He could have stopped at the Swiss doctor but he soldiered on. How many of us would have stopped at the Turkish doctor? Yeah..I think I might, too. Shame on us. Most times, we tend to give up and give in too easily. Its difficult to think and act 'out of the box'. If life gives us lemon, make lemonade out of it!!!

Actually, there is a relevance to this story.What I am trying to show here is Turkish determination and perseverance. If you read the history, Turkey was always at war previously and life was hard for most people. So..these hardship made them more hardy and tolerable towards life. They are also innovative and seldom take 'No' as an answer. For them, everything has a solution. I remember reading a blog where someone complained that the Turks "always say 'yes' to everything" in a negative manner. She didn't understand that the Turks say "Yes' because they will solve the problem or issues in whatever manner is possible. They will persevere until a solution is found. Remember, I said that they're like the Chinese? So...are you inspired and impressed already? Don't worry..it took me months to figure it out, too !!

Next Week : What to look out for (scams and tricks) when in Istanbul and few pointers to make your stay in Istanbul a pleasant experience.

Wedding (nikah) ceremony in istanbul....cool !!!

Beautiful Turkish / Azerbaijan song (Click Open in New Tab and listen while you read the Post)

It is officially summer now and the schools are closed for summer break. I'd better get used to the sound of children playing in the pool and everywhere else in the city. I wonder what would the parents do to entertain them till they go back to school in mid-September. Mine has gone back 'home' and we'll follow suit in two weeks time.

As is common all over the world, this would be a good time to get married, if at all ha ha. Its sooo beautiful to see the summer brides in their white strapless, backless or cutout wedding gowns and in Istanbul......the designs are really breathtaking. Turkey is after all....a manufacturer of many things and wedding gowns are fantastic here. When Turkish do their wedding gown...grandeur and glamour will be the theme of the day. They will not settle for something less...a far cry from the classic and low-keyed design of Prince William's bride. Kate's design was timeless but......oh well, .......emm...! The grooms? Well...they're grooms...how much different can they be , right? Only..I was wondering how are they going to survive the 30+C sweltering heat! Poor grooms....they can't have strapless or backless tuxedo, can they? Now..perhaps you'll understand why men make awful comments about getting married, they started off with sheer torture on the very first day. Poor men !!

the table has been set....now waiting for the bride and groom to make their entrance....

right on cue...here they are, the bride has to handle the veil and 'train' herself. i guess it'll take months if not years for the groom to remember that he now has someone to 'look after'.....

the Mayor Rep. ( in red) conducting the nikah ceremony.... and you also get a vantage view of the videoman's ***
the four men to the left are witnesses. two each from the bride and groom side..

signing of the marriage contract and/or certificates......yes....marriage IS a contract !! 

...some prayers (grace) for the couple...

...all done...the groom had kissed the bride and they are officially husband and wife....congratulation !!!

some words of advice from the Rep. to the blushing bride....then..its all done, Bitti...and all in 15 mins !!!

a small photography session outside the hall...this is a small reception as the couple would normally have a bigger reception later. Our couple (host) are hosting a formal reception in Bursa the following week but we could not go as we are going 'home'.

couldn't resist taking photograph of this 'other' couple....they look so happy and gorgeous surrounded by their friends and relatives.....on average, two couples would be having their greetings and photography sessions simultaneously. 

if you got hungry during all these excitement, there's always a bufe (cafe) near you...and please pay for your own meal...the couple would not picking up any tab.....its their day today...

the handsome couple waiting to greet and thanks their guest.. 

note the big white ribbon on the bride's shoulder? that's for the guest to pin the gold coin as a gift to the couple...or you could just 'plonk' your coins into her white satin purse ....

..a guest pinning on a gold coin on the bride's ribbon....

guest waiting for their turns to collect the photo that they're buying....its almost instantaneous...

and they got it.... at TL7 a piece...mounted in a hard cover folder, courtesy of the town (city) council....

please help yourself to the souvenir (from the couple)....

a crystal potpourri cum fridge magnet 'evil eye'.........  

a photo booth for the other 'couple'.....

at the most...the whole event will take about 30 minutes before the couple speed off in their beautifully decorated car for more ceremonies at home or hotel.....its so efficient...its almost unbelievable.... 

The solemnization (nikah) ceremony takes place at the local council hall and being Turks, things was done very efficiently and on the dot timing. Due to the many weddings taking place, every couple (and his entourage) are given 15 mins. for the nikah.

When its time for 'your' ceremony, you and entourage will go into a 'mini theater' and watch (or witness) the ceremony being conducted on stage. The bride, groom, 4 witnesses and a mayor representative will take their places at the table (on decorated stage) and the mayor rep. will conduct the ceremony. After the bride and groom agreed to the matrimony, the registration books are signed by the couple as well as the witnesses (who had earlier on testified to the nikah). Then a few words of advice from the Mayor rep. and the ceremony is officially over whereby the groom lifted the veil off the bride and kissed her on both cheeks. Then everybody on stage hug each other. The ceremony being officially over..you move out of the 'mini theater.

Outside..the couple would be ready...for greetings and  photography session with guests and well-wishers. Of course, you'll be queuing up to greet the couple and have your photograph taken. Every guests are photographed. There is a reason for this! You will then either clip real gold coin (with ribbon) on a large ribbon on the bride's shoulder or you drop it into her silk satin 'purse'. See..how practical the Turks are.The gold coins would be handy during 'difficult' time and can be converted into cash easily. Now..you can't convert the toasters and pressure cookers into cash that quickly, could you? Now...that's what I call being practical.

At the end of the line, you'll see a high table with notebooks and printers. What are these? Well....remember during the good old days when you attended a friend's or relatives wedding? Remember how much you were looking forward to it and some would even tailor made or buy a special dresses or suit so that you'll look your best at wedding? Hey..granted, the bride and groom should be the best looking person at weddings but never underestimate the 'power' or 'opportunities' that one can get out of a wedding. Remember how you posed with the couple and hoped that they'll give you copies of the photos? In reality...do you really think that in between the honeymoon, the celebrations, the first quarrel with the in-laws and the euphoria, the newly wed would have time to send the photos to hundreds (if not thousands, as in my country) of the guests? Nah....unless you bring your own camera, you'll never get to see them photos, period.

So, the Turks....being  practical people, came out with this brilliant idea. The camera that took the shot of you are linked to the computer on the high table. These shots are then instantly printed, mounted in a nice hard cover and given to you if you chose to buy them. All these within 10 or 15 minutes of you being photographed with the couple. Brilliant, don't you think ?? I thought it was...at least, I've never seen something like that...or have I been missing the invites to weddings recently??

After collecting the photos and souvenirs, in this case it was an 'evil eye' attached to a small potpourri which is also a fridge magnet. Why 'evil eye'? Its supposed to protect the couple from 'evil' things and also evil thoughts. So, the eye is not evil, rather..its a 3rd. eye to watch you over.

Now..I shall leave you with a "thought for the day". Something at the ceremony shocked me tremendously. If you looked at the photos of the ceremony, you'll notice that the person conducting the nikah is a lady ( and a beautiful one,too). She is wearing the official  cloak as how a Judge would wear the cloak at court session. I've been made to understand that she is also a Judge. And if you're wondering if there is anymore (religious) ceremony after this, I've been told that there is none. Even if someone wanted to have a religious ceremony, they will need to have 'this' certificate to carry it out.

Turkey is a secular country even though 98% of its populations are Muslim. As a point of comparison and a point to ponder, Saudi Arabia won't allow women to drive and there are no female Shariah judge in my country ( let alone conducting nikah ceremony). What a stark difference....and I wonder...........

Congratulation to Gokce and Kaan....may you have a wonderful life together and live happily ever after........amen !!

Footnote :

..the lovely couple and us....
noticed the sari (yellow) Manolo (Blahnik)?
got it at an Outlet Center in the Anatolian side (ladies, I'll tell you more later)...at 90% discount...
Carrie Bradshaw (Sex And The City) ..... eat your heart out !!!!!