April 2019 - Soul Full of Detours.

Turkey was a bucket list country for me. Having always wanting to visit, I jumped on the cheapest deal I could find to Istanbul. The $60 USD for the visa did hurt my Canadian bank account a little but I would say worth it as it gives you 3 months in the country. During my 10 day visit to the country, I visited Istanbul and Cappadocia, and both of them didn’t disappoint.

Istanbul – Gem of Europe and Asia!

If you are visiting Turkey, you can’t miss this city. The infamous city of Turkey is a must see for everyone. I truly enjoyed being here as there is a lot to do, see and eat. A highly walkable city, you will always discover something new every day. I stayed in Istanbul for almost 2 weeks and I still don’t think I have done justice to the city.

Being a poor backpacker, I focused mostly on the food especially the sweets. Having born in the middle east (UAE), I have a special love for Arabic food, and Turkish food is similar to it; do not call the Turks, Arabs – I accidentally put them in the same sentence once and this Turkish girl wasn’t impressed – OOPS! Back to food, you go anywhere in Istanbul, you will come across many food vendors offering similar food in varying price tags. Some expensive, some cheap, but I assure you, you will find the best food that fits your budget.

What to do in Istanbul:

I honestly can’t summarize what to do in Istanbul, so I am just going to touch on the basics to-dos:

Key Attractions

Since there are so many attractions in Turkey, here are the key touristy ones to visit:

Hagia Sophia – One of the most well-known attractions in Istanbul, it is worth the visit just to look at it from the outside. I, unfortunately, couldn’t go inside because I was impatient to wait in the line for the tickets, and the line after that to get in. The tickets are around 35 lira I believe. However, try to go on a weekday as the museum gets busy. I was there during the off-season and it was still busy.

Blue Mosque – Equally as beautiful as the Hagia Sophia, the blue mosque is one of the most iconic structures in Istanbul. Free to enter, you just have to respect the prayer times; non-muslim tourists have a separate entrance. I can’t describe much about the inside as I skipped it, due to the same reason as Hagia Sophia – BIG LINE! But from what I have heard, it is magnificent.

Grand Bazaar – Shop your heart away in this colorful marketplace. Anything you want, you can get it here. From Turkish delights to spices and carpets and then some, you want it, you got it. It is quite touristy (duh) and the market place can be intense with literally no room to walk during busy days. Most items are fairly priced, but you can most likely get everything in the bazaar cheaper, outside of it.

Taksim Square – If you thought New York never slept, just visit Taksim square! From sweets, food and all your other shopping needs, Taksim Square got you cover. Taksim Square is also one of the main neighborhood of Istanbul.

Istanbul (Asia) – If you didn’t know this already, Istanbul is a city with its feet in both Asia and Europe. Much of the tourist attractions are on the European side but the Asian side is still worth the visit. To be honest, I didn’t do much here, because I didn’t spend as much time on this side.

Bridge Connecting Istanbul Europe & Istanbul Asia – Photo by Burak Karaduman from Pexels

Lot more to do and see, but if I were to list them, this blog is going to turn into a novel haha. If you are in Istanbul, especially for a short visit, these are the must-dos in my opinion. You can also walk around the city and I can 100% guarantee you will run into some kind of beautiful architecture, museum or scenic views.

EAT!

I would say this is (one) of the best thing you can do in Istanbul. With food starting at around 4 Lira ($1Cad), you can eat your heart out. Here is some food you should try:

Doner – The obvious choice and go-to cheap food for locals and tourist alike (4 – 20 lira)

Shawarma – I am still uncertain whether this is an Arabic food or Turkish food, but both ethnicities offer them, and they are equally good (and cheap) (10 – 25 lira)

Borek – Pastry with stuffed cheese, meat or spinach. You can get them anywhere along the Mediterranean and Balkan countries but so far I would say Turkey has the best Borek (8 – 10 lira)

Turkish Breakfast – A trip to Turkey is not complete without having a Turkish breakfast at least once. Bread, olives, Eggs, honey and cream spreading (Mhmm) and much more and some Cay (Chai) to wash them down (17 – 30 lira).

Kumpier – Baked potato with cheese, stuffed whatever you like (veggies, meat, etc) (20lira).

Turkish Delights – You can’t go to Turkey and not try some. Depending upon how much you get and from where it can be pricey especially the special ones (35 – 90 lira/ KG). Luckily a lot of the shops have free samples. I recommend walking around the Grand Bazaar and going into the different shops to “try before you buy;” my favorite thing to do 😀 #brokepeopleproblems.

Baklava – Again I have always thought these as Arabic sweets but the Turkish specializes in them as well. Baklava being my favorite sweets, you best believe I ate as much as possible (both samples and paid). In fact after doners, I spend the most money on Baklava. Again prices depends upon where you shop (70 – 100 lira).

Dondurma – The infamous sticky ice-cream, is your trip to Turkey even complete without trying one? I can range from 3 -15 Lira depending upon where you buy them. If you want to skip the fun antics by the ice-cream vendor, you can get it cheap. However, part of the charm is with the antics.

*I have limited pictures of the food because I was never patient enough to take a picture of the food before I consumed it!

Needless to say, I have barely scratched the surface of this city and I can assure you, I will be back! Istanbul is one of those cities that kind of pulls you back.

One of my favorite country up to date and I have barely explored this beautiful country. Delicious food, beautiful cities and friendly people – What more do you want? I recommend visiting this country at least once in your life. The Ottoman Empire doesn’t disappoint.

Maiden’s Tower – Sunset From Istanbul Asia.

Okay, the title is not a fair assessment of this beautiful country. If you are going to Malaysia from Singapore, you will be able to stretch your wallet a little more. Furthermore, Malaysia offers a lot more to do and see compared to the smaller City/State of Singapore; and this is by no means disrespect to Singapore, who boasts a lot to do in that small country.

Kuala Lumpur

After taking a bus from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, I settled in a nice hostel to catch some Zs. The next day, I went on a walking tour of the city. KL is a great city to walk, but their transportation is one of the best in the world and cheap. Transportation is well-connected through the city, and they are planning to expand it further. If you are lazy to walk around KL, jump on their various trains or buses and you will get to your destination pretty quickly.

One Of The Art Work In KL – Kuala Lumpur

I had pinpointed certain points to cover before I began my journey. From Kuala Lumpur city gallery to the National Mosque. But one of the key things I want to do was… EAT! And eat I did. With good, cheap meals from $1-$3, there was no shortage of food in the city. Later that evening, I played some Congkak, a traditional Malaysian game and I let the local win ;). The game also introduced me to other travelers and I ended up competing in an all you can drink in the one-hour special; national pride was on the line, and I am happy to say that Canada beat the likes of UK and US 🙂

The next couple of days, recovering from the nice hangover, I explored the big buildings, had some cheap meals, had a nice chat with a fellow commonwealth traveler and went to Batu Caves before I got on a night train to get to Georgetown, Penang.

KL On A Budget

Okay, so as a budget traveler, I limit spending money and limit to visual tourism, unless of course if the excursions are free. Here is a list of things to do in KL that wouldn’t cost you a dime!

Petronas Twin Tower – The obvious one, the most significant building in Malaysia. The building is a thing of beauty and if you go in the evening, you can also see a water and light show. Cost-free to look from the outside 🙂
Menara Kuala Lumpur or KL Tower – Another significant building in KL and a pretty one to look at. It resembles the CN tower in Toronto, but with a Malaysian touch (I don’t know what that means). The tower is hard to miss no matter where you are in KL.
Batu Caves – I highly recommend taking the train to Gombak to get a glimpse of this colorful temple. With the rainbow stairs, a giant statue (Rama I think) and all the magnificent mini temples and sculptures inside the caves, this place is gorgeous. I did pay 7 Ringgits to go to the Ravana cave as well, where you can see beautiful images and statues depicting Ramayana (Hindu Holy Book).
National Mosque – Although I didn’t go inside, the structure is a beautiful monument to look at from the outside. If you want to go inside the mosque, I recommend looking at the prayer schedule and heading there outside of the time.
Masjid Jamek – A small cute mosque, another one I missed going inside due to prayer time, but still the charms are displayed from the outside.
Kuala Lumpur City Gallery – One of the free galleries to visit, I highly recommend visiting it as you will get a good glimpse of the entire city with 3D artworks and a light show giving you the highlight of the city and what the future holds for KL
China Town – I feel like a trip is not complete if you don’t visit a “China town” in any city that has one. And like any other China town, the KL version didn’t disappoint either. With delicious and cheap meals and cheap souvenirs, you can get whatever you want here.
Gardens – By the National Mosque, there are many gardens and parks where you can enjoy some nature. A botanical garden, butterfly park, bird park and many more. However, I didn’t go inside any of them because of the price tag attached next to them. I know I promised free excursions but I believe this could be of interest to nature lover with a thicker wallet.

I did see a lot more while I walked around this beautiful city, but these are what I thought were must sees/dos (from budget-friendly standpoint).

Georgetown, Penang – City of (not so hidden) art.

Lets Go For A Ride – Artwork, Georgetown, Penang.

While I was in KL, a lot of other travelers talked about Georgetown, a must visit city in Malaysia. Naturally, I took an overnight train to Georgetown, where I slept in the station for like 3 hours since the train arrived at 3 am and the ferry didn’t run until 6 am. But once I got to the city, oh God wow! Cheap food, a lot of artwork, multiple beaches and a mountain to hike.

What to do in Georgetown, Penang:

Street Art – Walk around this amazing city and you will find street art at every corner. Honestly, I would say this is the most important (and fun) thing to do in Georgetown. But good luck finding it all. I was able to discover a lot of them, both the well-known and the unknown ones. I eventually gave up as there was no end to it
Penang Hill – Lies! It’s a fricking mountain! Okay, maybe not that extreme but the elevation was pretty intense and I swear it took these two ladies and I forever to get to the top. But at the top, you will be welcomed with restaurants and a view that is worth the climb. If you don’t want to test your fitness, you can opt-In to take the cable car.
Cheap Noodles – 2 Ringgit NOODLES y’all! Literally, my diet consisted of noodles because of 1, I love noodles and 2, because they were 2 Ringgits!

As always there are more things to see and do, but these are what I considered were budget friendly highlights of the city.

Malaysian people are also amazingly friendly! Always smile on their face and was happy to help you. I was also lucky to talk to some locals as well, who were much more eager to indulge in conversion even with the language barriers.

Despite some issues and controversies (I mean which country doesn’t have one?), I recommend visiting this beautiful country at least once. I am planning to go back next year to explore a couple more cities in Malaysia, especially Borneo!

Month: April 2019

Turkey (Part 1) – Istanbul: Centre Of The Earth!