The tour organised by Reliance Travel was called "Marvellous Turkey".. and they were right. It was really a marvellous holiday! They wouldn't got it wrong though if they renamed it to "Enchanting" or "Awesome" or "Breathtaking" Turkey... I'm sure you got my drift ;p
There were so many wonderful places that I love in this trip. The crowning glory was of course Cappadocia or Kapadokya to the locals. A region of exceptional natural wonders with fairy chimneys and unique historical and cultural heritage. We were lucky that on our scheduled date to take the hot-air balloon ride, the weather was excellent. The sun was shinning which enabled me to take many wonderful shots. Not too windy that the maneuvering of the balloon became almost impossible. It was truly a magical experience :)
Pamukkale Cotton Castle was also a unique experience. If you close your eyes.. maybe you can imagine that behind you stand an ice castle ;p Hemm... maybe not because the water was actually quite warm!
We went to not one but three ancient cities during this trip! Well... four if you count the ruins of Hierapolis at Pamukkale ;) The lost city of Troy, Acropolis and the famous Ephesus. I thought after visting Egypt I've had enough of ruins.. but the weather was so pleasant and the Library of Celsus was so awesome that I changed my mind :)
For a Malaysian Muslim traveller, if you only have enough money to visit one other country (after visiting Saudi Arabia - Mecca and Madinah), I would recommend Turkey. They have almost everything that a Muslim tourist wish for. Top of the list are an excellent halal food, plenty of mosques and great shopping bargains ;p
They also have great history and culture which translate to wonderful historical buildings and ruins. Temperate climate with distinct four seasons which means depending on which season you go you get to experience tulips wonder or skiing wonderland or autumn foliage. Another thing worth mentioning is because this is a secular country, foreign women will feel much safer than if they were to walk alone in Iran or Saudi Arabia for instance.
I think I better stop now.. I don't want to sound like unappointed Turkey Tourism Minister! I will let my photos do the talking.. ;) Having said that, Turkey is arguably the best country to visit in the world :)
The trip was from 24-31 October 2009. The tour price was RM4.6k per person excluding the hot air balloon ride of US$220 (RM755). There were only 15 of us with a handsome local guide who speaks excellent English.. what could go wrong right?
We parted with our group and extended our stay in Istanbul for another week. Pictures of my personal exploration of Istanbul will be in my next post.
I've uploaded 345 photos for your viewing pleasure. You can access them at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mkhasha.n.travels/. Go to the photo albums.
Njoy!!
