Majestic Istanbul

For so long I have wanted to come to Istanbul. I remember as a young adult reading about the great history, the beautiful, majestic mosques and the many ruins doting the city. And now I am here, finally.

H and I have been here for 4 days and tomorrow is our last day and honestly I don't want to leave. I wish we had more time to travel around Turkey, but unfortunately we need to move on to the third leg of our trip, Syria (yes I know- are we crazy with everything that is happening there atm?). 

So four days here and hours of walking all day (and night), we have managed to cover most parts of Istanbul- old, new and Asia which included the historical sites, mosques, churches, fountains, palaces, ruins and museums.

And what a beautiful, splendid and majestic city. There is so much appreciation for culture, art and history here. It is breathtaking- every aspect of it.

While you can spend weeks here in Istanbul, we found 4 days to be perfect. Our itinerary included:

Day 1: The Sultanahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque), the Turkish Islamic and Arts Museum, The Turkish Science Museum, the New Mosque and the Spice Bazaar.

Enough of my rambling- let's let the photos speak for Istanbul. Mind you, I took over 1500 photos, so this is only a snapshot of this breathtaking place.

Despite a very cold, wet morning there are still many eager visitors tot the Blue Mosque, including us

Absolutely in awe of everything, like the intricate arches in the courtyard of the mosque

We managed to perfom most of our prayers at the Blue Mosque. It was only a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

The view from the park in the afternoon, with the sun struggling to come through after a very wet day.



A glimpse at the Blue Dome inside the Mosque



The dilemma for me was that the mosque is so absolutely beautiful that I did not know where to start...

A bit of Andaluscian influence can be seen throughout the Blue Mosque

 Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, near the Blue Mosque



The garden courtyard of the Museum



Halim with his "book cover"

The Red City- Malacca

In the 4.5 years we lived in Malaysia and the countless times we have been back, we had never been to Malacca. So this trip around and to check out possibile places for H to take his students next year, we drove the 2.5 hours from KL. After getting lost a few times, we finally got there. If you are driving there by yourself folks, make sure you have a GPS, or better yet, bring along a Malaysia friend who knows their way around.

Malacca is a very significant historical city in Malaysia and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008. Malacca was a Malay sultanate until 1511 when it was conquered by the Portugese. Thereafter the Dutch took over in 1641 and finally it was colonised by the British in 1824. There was a brief occupation by the Japanese during World War 2 in 1942.  Soon after it became part of the Malaya Union, which later became Malaysia.

Walking around Malacca, you can see the remants of this myraid history of colonisation. Walls have been added to the fort by successive occupiers and building architecture represents the cultures of the people at that time. Church roofs dot the skyline, along with mosque domes and minarets. And the faces of quite a number of Malaccans display the mixed race history.

So what is there to do in Malacca? Well, if you are a history and/or an architectural buff this is the place for you. There are the historical red shops and buildings lining the streets of Bandar Hilir. There are very old churches, such as the Christ Church in the middle of the square, temples and mosques. There are the really good museums; we went to the Malacca Sultanate one, which showcased, old Malaccan relics, scenes related to 'typical' Malaysia life, traditional Malaysia costumes, houses and even wedding celebrations among many other things.

If you fancy a cruise on the Malacca river, there are many boat operators around- I am told that the night cruise is breathtaking. If you prefer land, then there are many colourful trishaws around, waiting to take you around the city for a very reasonable price.

The popular way to enjoy Malacca- on the very colourful boats

The Christ Church and the Tan Bang Swee Clocktower

I am taking it all in at Portguese Square

A view of the square from the upstairs museum window

One of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed buildings

One of the museums we spent hours in, absorbing all Malaccan and Malaysia history and culture

The infamous Malaccan trishaw- a great way to get around and see the city

We were told shopping is also great in Malacca, but due to the very hot weather that day, we decided to give it a miss and head back to KL. But before we did that, we did get to enjoy great Malaccan food. Would I go to Malacca again? Yes, but this time with a guide. Though we managed alright on our own, it wuold have been more informative and significant if someone was able to show us exactly where to do and the significance of the places.

The beauty of Malaysia

Last month I was blogging from Vietnam; this month I greet you all from Malaysia. Actually from the KLIA (airport).

As some of you know I lived here in Malaysia for 4.5 years while I was doing my undergraduate degree from 1994-1999. My husband and I have been back countless times since then and each time we notice change. Honestly Malaysia never seems to rest in terms of progress. Every direction you turn, you will notice huge skyscrapers, more shopping centers, more restaurants, more everything.

But that is the beauty of Malaysia. You still have the old, traditional buildings interspersed with the stainless steel, glassed skyscrapers. And as paradoxical as it may seem, the juxtaposition works beautifully.

For some of you who have never been to Malaysia, let me give you a glimpse..

You cannot come to Malaysia without staying in its capital city, Kaula Lumpur. And at the heart of Kuala Lumpur is the famous Petronas Twin Towers.

The surrounding areas of the twin towers are modern tropical gardens with a majestic water fountain, cooling those who sit around it.

Notice the huge skyscrapers and the crane on top of another building.

The Convention Centre across from the Twin Towers
Malaysia is more than the twin towers of course; there are traditional wet and dry markets, many food stalls and hawkers everywhere, but unfortunately hubby and I did not venture too far from the Bukit Bintang and KLCC area. But we did manage to go to Melaka, a historic town we had never been to in all our times in Malaysia. I will save that for another blog as it is now time to board the plane once again- this time to Istanbul...

Good night folks.