We all miss travelling, but we can always reminisce the good old days when we could holiday and partake in adventurous activities without a worry. We’d love to hear what made your trips so special. Your story – experiences, tips, advice – should be 700 to 800 words long in Word or Text format. Please attach some photos (1MB, captioned) in a separate email. There is no payment for submissions, and we reserve the right to edit all submissions. Email star2travel@thestar.com.my with the subject “Readers Share”.
I have travelled to many countries for holidays and for work, and each place has its own charm. But one that really captured my heart was Turkey. The history, culture, landscape, and exotic attractions were a real treat for us tourists.
Turkey straddles both Asia and Europe, and has always been the crossroads of major trade routes, as well as the site of major events in history. It is no wonder then that there are tons of impressive historical sites here.
Our first stop was the exotic city of Istanbul. Formerly known as Constantinople (after King Constantine), it was the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Most of the historical sites, some of which date back 2,000 years ago, have remained.
As the tour guide described each site, memories of what we had read in our school history texts returned to mind.
Attractions in Istanbul included the amazing Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapi Palace. The remains of the Hippodrome of Constantinople, where chariot races took place in the ancient past, were wonderful to see too.
The next day, we were in the ancient city of Ephesus, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and a superbly preserved archaeological place. The original site dates back to the 10th century BC, and was built by the Greeks.
Later, it came under the rule of the Roman empire.
At Pamukkale we visited more historical sites at the extensive ruins of the Hierapolis, another Unesco Heritage site, dating to the 2nd century BC.
We were also at the astounding geographical feature, Cotton Castle. These are strange white lime cascades formed by the minerals of hot springs, over millions of years.
We stopped at the ancient Tepesidelikhan Caravanserai – a 700-year-old “hotel” where ancient traders and travellers on the Silk Road stopped to rest and stock their supplies. The place had been beautifully restored, and made to look authentic.
The landscape en-route was replete with gorgeous landscapes, shaped by millions of years of weathering of rocks and mountains. This included the Goreme open-air museum where we could see unique frescoed rock churches and chapels, all carved out of the soft rock of the hills.
A major highlight of the tour was Cappadocia, which everyone had been looking forward to.
Cappadocia is a region created by the erosion of soft volcanic stone by the wind and rain for centuries, carrying a unique landscape. The hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia is a must-do activity, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We had to get up before dawn for our balloon ride, when it was still very cold. All wrapped up, we got to the balloon site by 6am. It was pitch dark and the balloons were still deflated, but we were told to climb into the basket.
As soon as the authorities gave the thumbs up, we were ready to take off. We floated slowly at first, but as we rose higher, we could see all the other balloons, and the gorgeous landscape... what an astounding sight.
We start snapping pictures non-stop, but after a while, we thought it was best to just enjoy the experience, and put our cameras away.
The sun began to peek over the horizon and slowly, the place started to light up. It was such a breathtaking view.
After that, we went to the capital city of Ankara to visit the Ankara Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk, founder of Turkey.
The day we visited coincided with the Turkish National Day, and there were parades and events everywhere – the whole city had a joyful carnival atmosphere.
For our last leg of the tour, we were back in Istanbul. We stopped at the quaint 500-year-old Grand Bazaar, a maze of thousands of shops, selling carpets, leather goods, jewellery, ceramics, spices, coffee and other local products.
We then went on a charming cruise on the Bosphorus, the channel separating Europe and Asia, which also connects the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. It was a dinner cruise, and it came with some fancy entertainment – belly dancing and folk dance performances.
Turkey is a great place to visit as it is full of history, culture, beauty, and has friendly people to boot.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
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