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Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore Staycation : The Studio Suite!
Having enjoyed an awesome staycation at Grand Mercure Roxy back in 2013, we’re ecstatic to be back to check out the Studio Suite at the …
Tian Zi Fang (田子坊) : An Arts enclave in French Concession Shanghai!
Tian Zi Fang (田子坊) was an area that we visited while we were in Shanghai. Kate had planned for a visit to Tian Zi Fang …
Singapore Once Again Named World’s Best Airport!
For the third year in a row, Skytrax has crowned Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) the world’s best airport, with contenders for the number one spot including airports in Incheon and Munich.
Like Singapore, airports all over the world have been upping their ante to accommodate the ever-evolving standards for the comfort of travelers and anyone involved in the tourism industry. The number of cycling commuters in London have attributed to the addition of cycle centers for staff and bicycle parking at the world renowned Heathrow Airport. In addition, the demand for sustainability in Kuala Lumpur has its international airport building environmentally friendly amenities in support of its ‘Airport in a Forest, Forest in an Airport’ concept. But out of all the airports, it’s Singapore that continues to impress on all fronts.
From the moment you step foot in the airport to the minute your flight takes off, Changi International Airport exceeds expectations across the board. The array of dining options takes passengers on a gastronomic adventure around the globe, and its 350 retail stores makes it a retail paradise. The airport’s transit hub is exceptional and unparalleled with amenities like the butterfly garden, movie theaters, hotels, spas and the rooftop pool. Those with connecting flights also have the opportunity to participate in either the city of lights tour or the heritage tour, both of which are free of charge.
Possibly the best part of the transit area is the wild, four-story corkscrew slide that attracts both children and kids at heart. Standing at 40 feet tall, passengers who would like to go on a thrilling ride down The Slide @ T3 are required to make a minimum purchase of 10 Singaporean dollars.
Notoriously known for causing travel anxiety, airports aim to please travelers in areas such as service, security and entertainment. The general rule of thumb in earning this prestigious award is to keep passengers as happy as possible, and Singapore has successfully got us ironically wishing for flight delays and long layovers.
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
When you think about Siem Reap in Cambodia, what do you think of? Temples, temples and more temples? To help you avoid the “Temple Fatigue”, here are the top 7 things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia!
Top 7 Things to do and Attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia
1. Tuk Tuk Ride
When visiting Siem Reap, remember to try the Tuk Tuk rides! That’s when you can really feel the wind in your hair and the people in the streets! A ride costs approximately USD$5 for a return trip from your hotel to the city and USD$15-$20 for a full day (especially needed for your visit to the Ankor Temple Complex).
2. Ankor Complex
Ankor Wat Temple
Bayon Temple
Ankor Thom Temple (aka Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie Temple)
To help you avoid “Temple Fatigue” at the Angkor Complex, you can limit your visit to only
i. Angkor Wat. Because it is the most beautiful temple structure within the complex.
ii. Bayon. Because of the many smiling faces and photo opportunity with actors in traditional costumes.
iii. Angkor Thom. Because Angelina Jolie shot Tomb Raider there.
After a while, all other temples will look more or less the same. Remember to hire a tuk tuk for a day to ease your transfers from temple to temple. Please do not attempt to walk…
3. Pub Street Siem Reap
After a day out at the Ankor Complex, Pub Street is a great venue to chill out. If you’re having your dinner there, many restaurants offer beers on tap for a mere USD$1! There are also many venues with live music, performances and clubs till the wee hours of the morning.
4. Siem Reap Old Market
Siem Reap Old Market offers tourists an opportunity to shop for souvenirs such as t-shirts, magnets and display items – much akin to Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City and Bogyoke Market in Yangon. Of course, it is also very much a market for the locals. You can buy shoes, textiles, get a manicure/pedicure, visit the hair salon and buy fruits and vegetables from the wet market before going back. North Face jackets go for 70USD here (20USD cheaper than that at pub street)!
5. Angkor Night Market
The Angkor Night Market is a cleaner (night) version of the Old Market. Because of its al fresco concept, the air quality is also better than that at the Old Market. Definitely a nice place to shop, chill and spend the evening at.
Tip: Prices are the cheapest at the Temple Complex, followed by the Night Market, followed by Pub Street. Hence, try not to do your souvenir shopping at Pub Street.
6. Movies @ Angkor Cinema
Drop in ANYTIME at Angkor Cinema and you can catch your favourite movie at just 5USD per person. This is because, the concept of the cinema is like that of a KTV in Singapore. You’ll enter a private room (complete with large sofa chairs and surround sound) and they’ll play the movie you’ve selected. As simple as that. Payment is made before you enter.
7. Dining in Siem Reap
There are many dining options in Siem Reap which we’ll show you in our next post!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the 7 top things to do and attractions in Siem Reap Cambodia. Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
Swissotel Merchant Court Executive Room Staycation : Right in the heart of Clarke Quay!
During our recent staycation, we visited the Swissotel Merchant Court at Clarke Quay and upgraded ourselves to the Executive Room! Initially, we booked a classic room through Agoda for $205 (without breakfast) and wanted to find our own meals around the vicinity. However, at the reception, we were offered an upgrade to the Executive Room for $100++ which included
– Upgrade from Classic to Executive Room with views over the Clarke Quay area
– Breakfast for 2
– Access to Swiss Executive Club with cocktail hours from 6pm to 8pm
– Complimentary Wifi
We could not resist this offer and took the upgrade at the reception!
Swissotel Merchant Court Executive Room
Video tour of Swissotel Merchant Court Executive Room
What we enjoyed about the Executive Room was its awesome views over Clarke Quay and Singapore River. In the day, we could see the beautiful Singapore skyline and in the evening, the life of the party at Clarke Quay. Even at 2am in the morning, there were still many people enjoying themselves and hanging out at Read Bridge (Malacca Bridge). Not to worry, the windows are sound proof so we were not disturbed by the crowds at all 😉
Having stayed at bathrooms with exceptionally huge bath tubs (see De Sarann Villa), we were not really used to the small in-room bath tub. Nonetheless, our room was at level 11 of the Swissotel Merchant Court which gives us easy access to the Swiss Executive Club!
Swissotel Merchant Court Swiss Executive Club
The Swiss Executive Club is located at level 11 (same floor as our room, yay!) of the Swissotel Merchant Court. We enjoyed the views that the executive club offers over Clarke Quay and the CBD area. Although the selection of food during cocktail hours was lacking in variety, the quality was not too bad. Satay, sushi and prawns were foods that made us come back for seconds. As for the drinks, both red and white wines tasted better than most house wines offered during cocktail hours. Worth the upgrade? A resounding YES!
Swissotel Merchant Court Facilities and Services
Swissotel Merchant Court offers the full suite of services expected of a 5 stars hotel. The swimming pool of Swissotel Merchant Court has slides for the kids, wading pool and also a jacuzzi pool. Surrounded by luscious greenery, the pool area is a sanctuary right in the heart of the city. At the same level, you can also access the gym. At the cardio station, you can have views over Clarke Quay as you work out the sweat – in preparation for the feasting at night! :O
The Ellenborough Market Cafe is also a famous joint for foodies, particularly for the nonya cuisine. We visited Ellenborough Market Cafe when it was having the crab buffet promotion and we also enjoyed its signature durian pengat during that visit. Yum!
Swissotel Merchant Court also offers full spa services at the Spa and Sports. Check out the menu above to see the prices and services that the Spa and Sports offers!
In and Around Swissotel Merchant Court Clarke Quay
Swissotel Merchant Court is located at 20 Merchant Road Singapore 058281 – right in the heart of the city. You can have easy access to the clubbing scene and night life at Clarke Quay and also feel the vibe of Chinatown, minutes away by foot. Shopping opportunities abound at Liang Court and Central Shopping Mall.
For a more relaxing time, Fort Canning Hill is just a stone’s throw away, offering you a perfect spot for picnics or that morning stroll with your loved ones. Don’t forget to hop on the swing swing like we did!
Breakfast at Swissotel Merchant Court Ellenborough Market Cafe
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Swissotel Merchant Court and our stay at the Executive Room with access to the Swiss Executive Club!
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Check out some of the other Singapore Staycations that we’ve done!
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Rendezvous Hotel Singapore : Staycation In The Heart Of The Art District!
Raffles Hotel Staycation Singapore : Relax & Rejuvenate!
Orchard Road
Mandarin Orchard Singapore Staycation Review: Best Views From “Top Of The M” Meritus Club Lounge!
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel Staycation: A Post-COVID Review
Novotel Singapore On Stevens Staycation: An Urban Oasis
A Letter To Jen (Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Staycation)…
Quincy Hotel Qool Weekend Staycation : Singapore’s ALL-IN Staycation!
National Day Staycation At The Regent Singapore – A Four Seasons Hotel!
Chinatown
The Clan Hotel Staycation Review: Sky Gym and Sky Pool Views That Mesmerise!
AMOY Hotel Singapore : Why You Should Stay Here During Your Next Visit
Marina Bay
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore Staycation: The Complete Review
Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel Harbour Studio Staycation!
Ritz Carlton Singapore Staycation: Simply Shiok!
Clarke Quay
Swissotel Merchant Court Executive Room Staycation : Right In The Heart Of Clarke Quay!
Bugis
Mercure Singapore Bugis Staycation: Executive Loft Room Review!
Novena
Oasia Hotel Staycation Review!
Katong
Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore Staycation : The Studio Suite!
Uniquely Singapore Staycation At Village Hotel Katong!
Downtown East
D’Resort @ Downtown East : A Perfect Staycation For The Entire Family!
Changi
Village Hotel Changi Staycation : Rediscover The Gems Of Singapore!
Sentosa
The Ultimate Family Staycation At Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa!
Amara Sanctuary Resort Staycation Singapore Sentosa 2 Bedroom (BR) Villa With Plunge (Private) Pool
17 Top Attractions and Things to do in Turkey!
There are so many things to do and attractions in Turkey and we finally got to visit this land of Anatolia during our Chan Brothers …
Lounge Istanbul Ataturk Airport : One of the Top Airport Lounges in the World!
Lounge Istanbul, located at the departure terminal of Ataturk Aiport in Turkey, is the largest airport lounge that we’ve ever been to. Having been to the SATS, Dnata, KrisFlyer Gold Lounge and China Airlines Dyanasty Lounge, Lounge Istanbul is certainly an eye-opener for us. Let’s find out what makes Lounge Istanbul one of the top airport lounges in the world!
About Lounge Istanbul at Ataturk Airport Turkey
Spanning almost 6000m2 (WHAT?!), Lounge Istanbul boasts of several amenities that we have not seen before, including a self-service baggage storage area, a pool table, a golf simulator, a miniature virtual car rally and many drinks and food points all around the lounge! It is also able to accommodate 1000 guests at any point in time!
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What we enjoyed about Lounge Istanbul at Ataturk Airport Turkey
When we first entered Lounge Istanbul, we were very impressed by its decorations. We then found out that it is one of the largest airport lounges in the world. Here are some of the things we enjoyed about the lounge.
1. Decorations with different themes. As you can see from the pictures above, there are many different themes in and around the lounge. You can choose to chill at the classy and elegant area of the lounge, enjoy some coffee and desserts at the cafe themed area or lounge at many of the comfortable seats across the Istanbul Lounge!
2. Many different and unique amenities. Unlike the usual lounges that only offers food, publications and internet, Lounge Istanbul offers many firsts for us including
– A Golf Simimulator
– Miniature race rally course
– Pool Table
– Cinema
– Library
– Suites
– Massages
– Children’s Playroom
3. Sheer Size. As Kate mentioned, the Istanbul Lounge is so huge that it’s better to first find a seat before heading to check out the amenities. Otherwise, you’ll have trouble finding each other within the lounge!
True story.
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If you have also visited Lounge Istanbul at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul Turkey, do let us know what you think in the comments section below!
China Airlines Dynasty Lounge @ Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
China Airlines Dynasty Lounge was one of the lounges we’ve visited during our Taiwan Trip in 2014. With the ANZ Travel Credit Card, we were able to have complimentary (aka FREE!) entry into the China Airlines Dynasty Lounge located at Terminal 1 and 2 of the Taoyuan International Airport.
China Airlines Dynasty Lounge Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
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What we enjoyed at China Airlines Dynasty Lounge Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
1. Separating dining and lounge area. The cool thing about this lounge is that there is an automated door that separates the lounge area from the dining area. This ensures that the smells of the food keeps contained within the dining area as far as possible. Nice touch by China Airlines.
2. Noodle Bar. To make the dining experience more enjoyable, there is a noodle bar that serves up Taiwanese noodles including beef noodles, noodles with pork broth, noodles with minced meat in sweet bean paste sauce and rice noodles with pork in soup. If you happen to miss any of these yummy local delicacies during your trip to Taiwan, this would be an excellent opportunity to “catch up” on these noodles!
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If you have experienced the China Airlines Dynasty Lounge at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, do let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai (东方明珠塔) : Is it worth a visit?
Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai (东方明珠塔) is a radio and TV tower in the city of Shanghai. Towering at 468 metres, the Oriental Pearl Tower offers splendid views over the entire city of Shanghai. The only shortfall was a cloud of haze affecting the views when we visited. Nonetheless, this post will tell you all the things to see and expect at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai!
Views from the Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai
Entry tickets to the Oriental Pearl Tower costs between 120RMB to 220RMB (approximately $24 to $44), inclusive of entry into the Shanghai History Museum. While we were there, we noticed that there were ALOT of people. It was actually quite noisy when we reached the observation deck, due to the chatter and conversations that took place within. In addition, the hazy skyline also dwindled the experience somewhat. Nonetheless, views over the city, the Bund as well as the Huang Pu River was still quite amazing.
At the transparent observation deck, you may have to “jostle” for prime spot. The best spots are already taken by the official photographers. However, if you ask politely, they may offer you the spot and even take a quick shot for you 😉
After the visit to the observation deck, we returned downstairs to visit the Shanghai History Museum which was a great addition to the tour at the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai. Here are the highlights from the visit…
Shanghai History Museum at Oriental Pearl Tower
The Shanghai History Museum tells of how life was like in the golden era of Shanghai in the 1930s. There were many interesting exhibits which really showcased how the rich and famous enjoyed life then in China. What really caught our eye though, was the wedding sedan shown in the picture above. For the bride to sit within the sedan, the decorative structure has to be taken apart piece by piece. After the bride sat within, it would then be placed back piece by piece again! What a piece of art!
The address of Oriental Pearl Tower is located at 1 Century Ave, Pudong, Shanghai, China.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the Oriental Pearl Tower and the Shanghai History Museum! Do let us (and other readers) know if you have other interesting information, in our comments section below!
Mydin Mall Meru Raya Day Out : Of missed buses at Amanjaya Terminal Ipoh
Mydin Mall was the place we hanged out at when we missed our bus at the nearby Amanjaya Terminal during our Ipoh trip. If you have read our post on the “Top 10 things to eat in Ipoh Malaysia“, you would have read that we actually booked for a bus that did not appear on the day of departure!
Hence, we decided to wait for 8 hours at Mydin Mall before the next departure to Singapore in the evening. So this post covers the things to do in Mydin Mall or more specifically the Mydin Wholesale Hypermart (Pasar Raya Besar) @ Meru Raya (PT 229142, Jalan Meru Bestari B2, Bandar Meru Raya, 30020 Jelapang, Ipoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan)
Things to do at Mydin Wholesale Hypermart Meru Raya Ipoh
After reaching the mall, we started with bowling where Tom won the first game with a score of 122 to 57! Yay!
Ole Ole Superbowl Bowling Alley
Good Time Arcade
Also available is the Good Time arcade if you’d like to enjoy a couple of video games and such.
My Kara Family Karaoke
In fact, it was quite worth it in Singapore standards to sing at My Kara as it was only 46RM for 2 hours, inclusive of drinks. That translates to only $10 per person. Plus, the system was really up to date and state of the art. It was relatively easy to find the songs that we wanted to sing.
What we ate at Mydin Wholesale Hypermart Meru Raya Ipoh
There’s a food court named Rasa Village where we had the following
We also visited Mr Cendol with its appealing entrance…
What we really loved about the Soya Special was that the ice was shaved soya ice! Coupled with the ice cream and gula melaka, the cendol was rich, sweet and delicious!
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So if you also happen to miss a bus some time in Amanjaya Bus Terminal in Ipoh, why not check out the options at Mydin Mall Meru Raya?
Top 4 Things to do and Attractions in Pattaya, Thailand!
Having done our cruise to Laem Chabang on Mariner of the Seas, we took the opportunity to stay over at Pattaya, Thailand. This post will cover all the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand! Enjoy!
Where to stay in Pattaya Thailand
1. Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya
Thanks to the good folks of Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya, we were hosted to a stay at the Mini Suite Plus of the hotel. Situated in the Gulf of Thailand, Royal Cliff Hotel offers magnificent views of the sunset over Ko Khrok Island DAILY! Whether its a romantic or beach bum getaway, you’ll be sure to find a suitable room (and affordable price) at the Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya!
Sea View Plus Suite Royal Cliff Beach Hotel
Jacuzzi inside the Presidential Platinum Suite of Royal Wing Suites and Spa
Royal Cliff’s Private Beach next to Royal Cliff Beach Terrace
Infini Pool (aka Infinity Pool) of Royal Cliff Hotels
Sunset by the Infinity Pool of the Royal Cliff Hotels
Pattaya Thailand Attractions and Things to do
2. Pattaya Walking Street
Walking Street Pattaya
Walking Street Pattaya Pubs, Restaurants, Massage parlours
Pattaya Walking Street is one of the main tourist attractions in Pattaya. There are loads of entertainment options along this stretch of street ranging from F&B to pubs, shows, massages and more. As you walk from the walking street towards the beach area, you’ll be able to find great (clean) massages for less than $10 an hour! :O
3. Pattaya Beach
Beach Activities – Island Hopping at Pattaya
Soaking up the sun in Pattaya
Frankly speaking, the beach at Pattaya? One word. Disappointing. This stretch of sand is really what you get (yes, the “width” of the beach is maybe 10 steps wide, maybe 5 for Tom). The only saving grace is that there are 2 things that you can do from Pattaya Beach. Island hopping is one of the main things that you can do from Pattaya Beach and you can visit neighbouring islands such as Koh Larn, Koh Si Chang or Coral island. That’s really where you can enjoy the clear blue waters and wide sandy beaches. Not at Pattaya Beach though.
You can also get to do some water activities at Pattaya Beach. The usual suspects of para-sailing and jet-skiing are available from your friendly touters at the beach 🙂
4. Shopping!!!
There are a few shopping options along Pattaya Beach which includes
Shopping at Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya – Right in Front of the Beach!
Central Festival right next to Hilton Pattaya
Best mango sticky rice at only 80 baht! Look inside the supermarket of Central Festival downstairs
Don’t forget to try the mango sticky rice inside the supermarket of Central Festival. YOU WON’T REGRET IT! Good for 2 to share!
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We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in Pattaya, Thailand. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to Pattaya Thailand!
Qibao Old Town (七宝老街) : A feel of historic Shanghai!
Qibao Old Town (or old street; known as 七宝老街 in chinese) is a historic area of Shanghai and is easy accessible via the Shanghai Metro by alighting at the Qibao Station. At Qibao Old Street, you’ll be able to not only enjoy a variety of street foods but also experience the old architecture, especially along the Puhui River.
What to do at Qibao Old Town Shanghai
There are many things to do and attractions in Qibao Old Town in Shanghai. Instead of explaining all that we saw, we’ll show all the amazing and beautiful pictures we took at this scenic and picturesque old town!
As you can see from the pictures above, one of the most beautiful shots can be taken from the bridge with views of the old town. Besides scenic shots of the old town and its intricate architectural structures, the other highlight of visit Qibao is the FOOD!
Things to eat at Qibao Old Town Shanghai
Check out the live demonstration on the making of the Dragon’s Beard Candy!
What we enjoyed about the food at Qibao Old Town is that it is similar to the night markets of Taiwan. Walk and eat, eat and walk!
But if there’s one thing you should try here, it’s the Shanghai ‘soup’ dumpling aka 上海小笼包! Do let us know if you have any other food recommendations at Qibao Old Town in the comments section below!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of Qibao Old Town in Shanghai! Remember to take more shots of the old town and of the beautiful bridges! Happy Travels Everyone!
Singapore Art Museum SAM
Singapore Art Museum (also known as SAM) is located in the heart of the Singapore Art District. During our stay at the Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, we visited the Singapore Art Museum, which by the way, is free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (yay!)
Singapore Art Museum SAM
Singapore Art Museum SAM Exhibitions
Unearthed Exhibition at Singapore Art Museum
Medium at Large SAM
While we were at SAM, there were 2 main exhibitions going on, including the Unearthed and Medium at Large Exhibitions!
Unearthed Exhibition Singapore Art Museum
Unearthed “Tree” – What do you want to see unearthed?
Happenings along the Singapore River
Bukit Brown Cemetery
A Day Without A Tree
Paint melting away under the intense heat of the sun
The Unearthed series is about our relationship with planet earth and the various facets of it starts with the “tree” where visitors put up notes on its branches to share about what do they want to “unearth”. At the Singapore River, various memories (fictitious or real) are written on its banks. There is also a segment that features the recent reclamation of the Bukit Brown Cemetery to make way for the construction of a road that will link the Adam Flyover and the MacRitchie Viaduct.
But in the “Unearthed” exhibition, we appreciated the “A Day Without A Tree” feature whereby roman looking pillars start to melt on the left. So you can use the pillar on the right as a basis of comparison. The interesting thing was that there’s another empty room next to it and you’d think that its a place “under construction”. But if you observe carefully, you’ll realise that the floor is white. White from the paint that melted from the pillars!
Medium At Large – Singapore Art Museum
Various mediums at work in this exhibition
Of the many exhibitions here, there are a couple which we thought were really cool…
Pepe and Marcial Bonifacio Portraits
Description of Pepe and Marcial Bonifacio Portraits
The portraits were actually “executed” via M16 bullets etched unto sand paper. The cool part is that the whole bullet was eventually used , ALL OF IT, to become the portraits that we see. WOW!
Steam Rice Man Singapore Art Museum
Description of Steam Rice Man
Video of Steam Rice Man
If you have read the description, both rice and coal powder are essential part of the Vietnamese yet at the same time has contrasts of soft & hard, sticky & dusty, white & black. There’s also a video that depicts the entire process the artist goes through. Right opposite Steam Rice Man is a video of a lady dancing on butter. Through her expression, it shows the helplessness as she falls and tries to regain her dance again. It sort of depicts her struggles moving from an asian country where rice is a staple, to America where bread and butter became the staple – resulting in her weight gains. Hence, the butter dance. Cool.
Status @ Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
Description of Status
For us, this was one of the art pieces that lets you imagine what the artist is trying to say. Is there something trying to escape? Or is the medium tired of being encased that it forms its own frame? Or just, too much paint used on the original painting? It’s really up to you to decide and that’s the fun part of it!
To end off, we’d like to introduce you to this interactive art piece…
Honey Sticks Singapore Art Museum
Description of Honey Sticks
There are 6425 honey sticks in this exhibit to signify the number of REGISTERED births in Singapore in 1941, the year the parents of the artist were born. Visitors are encouraged to take a honey stick to enjoy from the various flavours of grape, watermelon, green apple and honey (among others). As the number of honey sticks reduces, it sort of signifies the life and death of people through life.
How to get to the Singapore Art Museum SAM
Map of Singapore Art Museum
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Top 10 Things to do and Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia!
There are many things to do and attractions in Ipoh and in this post, we’ll show you the attractions, things to do and what to eat (especially in this food paradise) in Ipoh!
Things to do in Ipoh Malaysia
As Ipoh was one of the administrative centers during the colonial rule, you’ll realise that many of these historic buildings still remain today.
1. Birch Memorial Clocktower
2. Ipoh Railway Station
3. Ipoh City Hall
4. Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank
5. Ipoh High Court
6. Ipoh Town Bridge
On Sunday mornings, Memory Lane (along Jalan Lim Bo Seng) turns into a flea market, mainly for the sale of 2nd hand goods.
7. Memory Lane
Attractions in Ipoh Malaysia
8. Lost World Hot Springs and Spa
Alternatively, you can opt for one of the spa packages at Crystal Spa (within Lost World Hot Springs and Spa) and gain entry for free.
What to eat in Ipoh Malaysia
In our list of Top 10 things to eat in Ipoh Malaysia, we mentioned what you should try when you’re there. But if we were to narrow the list down for you, there’s really 2 foods that you MUST try in Ipoh…
9. Snow Beer
10. Ipoh Hor Fun
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We hope you have enjoyed this list of the top 10 things to do and attractions in Ipoh, Malaysia! Tell us more if there are other things to do and attractions in Ipoh, in our comments section below!
You can also compare the prices of hotels in Ipoh before you visit!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) was where we spent our last day of our Turkey Trip. In fact, we were given the option of taking the Bosphorus Cruise, visiting a huge shopping mall and spice market for $100USD per person. We gave that option a miss because we wanted to really “take things down a notch” and relax before heading back to Singapore. That decision also saved us $200USD 😉 But there’s another reason why we decided to skip the tour, and that’s because our hotel, Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe (formerly known as Wyndham Istanbul Petek) is located close to the LARGEST shopping mall in Istanbul – Mall of Istanbul (MOI!).
With that, we decided to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, take a dip in the indoor pool of Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe, before we headed out to Mall of Istanbul – a mere 10 minutes by taxi (about 20TL)
Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe to Mall of Istanbul
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The breakfast buffet spread at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe was the only international buffet spread during our Turkey trip this time round. There’s the usual breads, cereals and egg station that is more familiar to the Singaporean taste. But what really surprised us was a HUGE SLAB of honeycomb at breakfast! Yummy (and supposedly healthy)!
After the hearty breakfast, we headed to the 24 hours fitness centre. There, you can enjoy the swimming pool (with nice views), gym (overlooking the swimming pool), Turkish bath as well as full spa services.
The only catch about using the swimming pool is that you’ll have to pay 5USD for a swimming cap – compulsory for both men and women. To us, it was more like an entry fee. Looking past that small little issue, you’ll soon be glad that you made the decision to stay and enjoy. Afterall, Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe is an international 5 star hotel.
After an enjoyable swim (with no one else at the pool), Kate and I went for our baths separately and we have 2 amazing experiences to share…
Tom : Next to the swimming pool, there are separate Turkish baths for both ladies and men. What I enjoyed about the Turkish Bath is that the design is classy yet traditional with soothing music in the background. The temperature of the water have been adjusted and filled up to nice warm temperature, ready for your bath. Remember to take some soap from the shower area into the Turkish bath.
At the centre of the Turkish bath is an octagonal bathing slab. It is warm. The most enjoyable part of the bath is to lie on the heated slab and soothe your mind and body after 7 days of travelling. Ah…definitely a must try!
Kate : While Tom enjoyed the Turkish bath, I enjoyed the shower facilities of the hotel. Turns out that there are jets surrounding you as you take your shower. Much akin to an automated car wash :p. Definitely recommend taking the shower after the Turkish bath. Cool!
All about Mall of Istanbul (MOI)
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Mall of Istanbul is the largest shopping mall in Istanbul that has more than 350 stores for the most avid shopping enthusiasts. There’s also a food court (Gourmet Center) at the top level and even an indoor amusement theme park (the largest in Turkey) by the name of Moipark – all 15,000m2 of it!
Even for Singaporean standards, the Mall of Istanbul is huge. We took about 6 hours to cover the entire mall (which of course includes shopping, resting, chilling and marketing). But our biggest find has got to be the Aldar restaurant which can be prominently seen at the entrance of Mall of Istanbul.
When you enter into the restaurant area (there’s also a cafe area), you would think that you have entered into a fine dining restaurant. Chandeliers, tall windows overlooking the streets and posh decorations within. Having not seen the menu before we entered, we really prayed hard that the price was acceptable. Next, our waiter, who by the way spoke excellent English, came to attend to us. The head waiter (WHAT?!) then came by to say hello to us and asked if everything was fine. We certainly hope so…(referring to the menu)
The waiter then came back with a tablet (electronic menu!) and showed us how to navigate through the menu. As we browsed through, we heaved a sigh of relief. Even with the description above, the meal would cost the same as an average priced meal in a Singapore restaurant ($20 per person). So we went ahead and ordered the mushroom pasta and Turkish chicken kebab. Both of which tasted AWESOME!
The portion of the mushroom pasta was HUGE. Good for two to share (and more). The flavours of the mushrooms were evident and the sauce was thick and creamy, just the way we like it. At 19TL ($10SGD), it was a steal! The highlight of the evening was the chicken kebab. First of all, it was tender and juicy! This made the dish stand out from all other dry and hard chicken kebabs that we have tasted before. The smoky and slightly charred texture also brought out the overall taste of the chicken and its spices. Shiok!
We ordered a lemon tea for 5TL and the total bill came up to…44TL! No additional taxes! (WHAT??!?!!?!) Hence, if you’re ever visiting the Mall of Istanbul, be sure to pop by Aldar’s, you won’t regret it. It was easily the best meal of our entire trip!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 8: Mall of Istanbul and Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
0700 : Breakfast buffet at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
0800 : Swimming and relaxing at the Turkish baths and showers
1000 : Depart for Mall of Istanbul
1900 : Arrival back at Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe
2000 : Complimentary airport transfer
2200 : Meet up with rest of tour group
0040 : Depart from Istanbul Ataturk Airport back to Singapore
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Additional snippets of information
– Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe is located at Mimar Sinan Cadessi No: 80-82 Gunesli, Istanbul, 34212. They can be reached at +90 21 24640000
– Mall of Istanbul is located at Süleyman Demirel Bulvarı, Mahmutbey, Başakşehir, 34306 Istanbul, Turkey
– Mall of Istanbul is about 10 minutes away from Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe. Taxi ride costs about 20TL per trip.
– There is complimentary airport transfer every hour from Wyndham Grand Istanbul Europe to the airport. You will have to make reservations with the concierge.
– There is also complimentary transfers to the city. Departing at 10am in the morning and returning at 4pm in the afternoon.
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of our 10D7N Turkish travels with Chan Brothers during the winter months (27th December to 5th January). Let us know what you think in our comments section below!
Turkey Travels Day 7 : Istanbul’s Camlica Hill, Grand Bazaar, Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street!
As we wind down towards the end of our Turkey travels, we headed back from Bolu to Istanbul on Day 7 of our travels. But before we left Bolu’s Koru Hotel, we took the opportunity to capture many snow covered scenes around the hotel!
Koru Hotel Bolu to Istanbul Turkey Travel Day 7
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When we arrived at the Koru Hotel Bolu the previous night, though we could see some of the snow, it was already too dark to take any good shots. So we woke up early this morning and warmed ourselves up with a hearty breakfast before heading out to take these photos.
The awesome thing about Koru Hotel is that its vicinity is covered with pine trees. This means that as the snow covered the pine trees, a beautiful snowy scene is presented before you…Ahh…
Then it was a 3 hours drive back to Istanbul where our first stop was Camlica Hill.
Top Attractions in Istanbul Turkey Travel Day 7
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Turkey is the only country in the world that borders between continental Europe and continental Asia. From Camlica hill, you can see views over the Asia part of Turkey as well as the Bosphorus Strait. The Bosphorus strait connects 2 bodies of water; Sea of Marmara to the south and Black Sea to the north. Views over Bosphorus strait is simply breath-taking…
Tip: At Camlica Hill, there’s actually a free toilet next to the atas (high class) restaurant.
Next, we headed to one of Istanbul’s biggest attraction – The Grand Bazaar! You will first be taken to the Nuruosmaniye Gate or gate number 1 (of the 21 gates in Grand Bazaar). If you’re lost, simply ask for the direction back to Nuruosmaniye Gate and some the friendly stall owners will give you the general direction.
Tip : While shopping at the Grand Bazaar, you should always ALWAYS ALWAYS bargain. Secondly, you should also compare prices because there will always be more than 1 shop selling the product that you want to buy. As a reference, we bought our small Turkish lamp with a lamp stand (bulb not included) at 30TL (about $16.50SGD).
We were given 2.5 hours which we initially thought was too long. But with all the bargaining and endless shopping options (scarves, lamps, turkish delights, souvenirs etc), the 2.5 hours flew past really quickly. We also left with a box of Turkish Delights (and a packet of walnuts) for 42TL after bargaining (yes, you can even bargain for Turkish delights after they weighed and calculated the price). Expensive but the Turkish Delights were full of ingredients. Best Turkish Delights we’ve tasted. Sample more to make your $$’s worth! 😉
We then gathered back at Nuruosmaniye Gate before heading to Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street!
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Our last attraction in Istanbul for the evening is Taksim Square and Istiklal Shopping Street. The Istiklal Shopping Street is located next to Taksim Square and is usually very crowded in the evenings. You’ll be given about an hour to shop and purchase some souvenirs. While you’re here, visit the Hafiz Mustafa Turkish Delight to bring home some beautifully packed delights for friends and relatives (prices are also cheaper here than at the Grand Bazaar). Kate and I also went to the top of Burger King and chilled there as we enjoyed the night views over Istiklal and Taksim Square. Of course, Kate got to do some shopping therapy at Mango and Zara first!
Finally, to end off the evening, we had dinner at Kumkapi Ege restaurant where there was live music. Dinner was “so so” but the atmosphere was great. The Kumkapi area can be somewhat compared to Clarke Quay in Singapore with lots of dining options to choose from.
After an eventful (and packed) day in Istanbul, we finally headed back to our hotel – Wyndham Hotel Petek Istanbul. This was the only international 5 star hotel (there were a couple of local 5 stars during the trip) during our visit to Turkey. We also found out from our travel companions that if you pay about $400 more per person, there’s another group that does the same itinerary, staying at international 5 stars every night. Well, that’s $800 bucks saved right? More Turkish Delights please!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 7: Istanbul Attractions of Camlica Hill, Grand Bazaar, Istiklal Shopping Street, Taksim Square and Kumkapi
0845 : Depart from Koru Hotel Bolu
1015 : Rest stop
1145 : Arrival at Camlica Hill Istanbul
1300 : Lunch at Great Wall Restaurant (worst meal of the trip therefore not mentioned at all)
1430 : Departure to Grand Bazaar Istanbul
1500 : Arrival at Grand Bazaar
1730 : Departure from Grand Bazaar to Taksim Square
1830 : Arrival at Taksim Square / Istiklal Shopping Street (1 hour)
2015 : Arrival at Kumkapi Ege Restaurant (1 hour)
2145 : Arrival at Wyndham Petek Hotel Istanbul
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the attractions and things to do in Istanbul during day 7 of our Turkey Trip. On the last day, its essentially free and easy for us because we wanted to have a good rest before we headed back to Singapore.
We’ll also tell you why its better (and cheaper) to do so in our last post – day 8 of our Turkey Trip! 😉
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia is arguably the hottest attraction and things to do in Turkey! On the second day of 2015, we managed finally fly over Cappadocia with Royal Balloon!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon!
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In general, Cappadocia refers to the amazing monolith formations (fairy chimneys) of Turkey. However, more specifically, Cappadocia actually refers to a region that is enclosed by 3 towns, namely Uchisar, Urgup and Avanos.
We initially wanted to fly on the first of January. However, due to bad weather conditions, we were unable to fly. According to our guide Enis, if there’s high wind speeds, no winds, rains or low visibility, the hot air balloons won’t fly. We were also pretty surprised when he said “no winds”. Turns out that hot air balloons can only alter its altitude and axis of spin. The altitude control allows the pilot to catch the wind or avoid it. The spin about its axis allows passengers to have different views during the flight.
This also means that the hot air balloon essentially have no control over the direction of travel. Wherever the wind takes, it will go!
During our day of flight, a van from Royal Balloon picked us up at our hotel lobby at 615 and we arrived for breakfast at the HQ of Royal Balloon at 630. Breakfast was buffet styled while we awaited for flight updates on the monitor screens. Yellow flags indicate “no flights” while Green flags indicate “Yay! Fly!”
You may also wonder how they can afford the buffet spread (before payment) if the day’s flight is not confirmed…one of the reasons why flying with Royal Balloon is more expensive at USD220 per person. Of course, it also boasts the best safety records and reputation 😛
While the first group flown, we were fortunate enough to see these beautiful scenes…
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Video of our Hot Air Balloon taking flight over Cappadocia
There were 4 compartments on the hot air balloon with each compartment taking up to 6 people. There were also handles inside the balloon for brace positions. As soon as we boarded the flight, our pilot taught us the brace position and to be ready for these positions during landing and take-off, when necessary. Fortunately, both landing and take off of the hot air balloon were very smooth – no need for us to take the brace positions at all 🙂
Our pilot was also very humourous. When we were about to take off, this conversation took place
Pilot : Is this your first time flying?
Unsuspecting passenger : Yes! (Excitedly)
Pilot : Mine as well!
Of course, during our flight, we were able to tell he was very experienced…take a look at this video as we barely cleared the top of this formation…
Barely clearing the top of a formation in Cappadocia!
The hot air balloon experience in Cappadocia was definitely one of the best experiences in our years of travel! You will really really really have to experience it to believe it! Nope, the following video also does not do justice to the views we’ve enjoyed…
Hot Air Balloon Flight over Cappadocia
Our top experiences during our hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia includes
– Majestic views of the fair chimneys, pigeon holes and monoliths of Cappadocia
– Flying amidst the clouds…heavenly…
– Flying deep in the valleys and getting really really close to the formations
– Experiencing all this with your loved ones (in this case – Kate my love! :P)
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The entire flight took about 45 minutes while we alternated between flying high with the clouds and low between the valleys during this time. Since the pilot was unable to control the direction of flight, there was a team of people on the ground that monitored the balloon throughout the flight. As soon as we flown over a good spot for landing, the pilot lowered the balloon while the “balloon chasers” ran and jumped to hold on to the ropes lowered by the pilot. They would then pull the balloon such that the basket landed squarely on the back of the truck. As the balloon deflated, we also started to (sadly) alight the flight…
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After a smooth and successful landing, the ground team even set up a table nearby with champagne and chocolates for “landing celebrations”. The pilot also presented every passenger with his or her medal from Royal Balloon as a memory and token for the completion of the hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. Of course, Kate took the opportunity to take photos with the handsome pilot as well 😉
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 6: Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia
0615 : Depart from Dinler Hotel Nevsehir to Royal Balloon HQ for Breakfast
0815 : Commencement of Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia
0900 : Hot air balloon lands / Landing Celebrations with Champagne and Chocolates
0935 : Arrival back at Dinler Hotel
1030 : Departure from Dinler Hotel to Ankara (Capital of Turkey)
1245 : Lunch
1345 : Departure from Lunch to Ankara
1515 : Arrival at Ataturk Museum in Ankara
1630 : Departure from Ataturk Museum to Hotel in Bolu
1845 : Arrival at Koru Hotel in Bolu
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If you opt not to take the hot air balloon flight, you will have more time to sleep in and have a leisurely morning at breakfast before the group returns from the hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. Subsequently, we headed towards Ankara for a stopover at the Ataturk Museum (the founder of modern Turkey) before ending our day at Bolu. The drive from Cappadocia to Ankara is approximately 400km. Enroute, we passed by Salt Lake, which produces 80% of salt production in Turkey (can you believe it?!).
Along the way, we made a stopover at the capital city of Turkey – Ankara. Here, we visited the Ataturk Mausoleum which commemorates the founder of modern Turkey – Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. We also saw the change of guards at the Ataturk Mausoleum…
Change of guards at Ataturk Mausoleum
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
The hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia is definitely the highlight of our Turkey trip! Find out more as we travel back to Istanbul on day 7 of our Chan Brothers Turkey Travel!
Turkey Trip Day 5 : Cappadocia, Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Turkish Night Celebrations!
It was the 1st of January 2015 as we began our 5th day of travels in Turkey. Initially, we thought we would be able to fly on the hot air balloon to welcome the new year. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t permit and we had to proceed with the rest of our programme in Cappadocia (pronounced as cap pa dok kia).
On day 5 of our Turkey travels in Cappadocia, we visited the Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and even had the opportunity to be entertained at “Turkish Nights” to welcome in the new year!
In general, Cappadocia refers to the amazing monolith formations of Turkey. However, more specifically, Cappadocia actually refers to a region that is enclosed by 3 towns, namely Uchisar, Urgup and Avanos.
Turkey Travel to Cappadocia : Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Belly Dancing!
Kaymakli Underground City
Our first stop of the day was Kaymakli Underground City. The underground city is actually made up of close to a hundred tunnels but no one really knows who built it. In fact, the underground city was more like a hiding area and was not used for permanent stays. Many different groups of people came to seek refuge in this area, used it, expanded it and left with all their barang barang (stuffs) after use. When the emergency was over, they would have no need to hide and they would pack things up (nice and slow) and leave. Which is why there aren’t many items left within the tunnel network.
Today, some of the tunnels are used as storage areas while only certain areas are open to tourists. During your visit, you would be able to see a huge stone that was used to cover the entrance to the underground city and also another that was used for grinding purposes in the kitchen. Yes, cooking was done within the network with ventilation. Nonetheless, cooking was only done at night – to not give away your position of course!
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Inside Kaymakli Underground City
Goreme Open Air Museum Cappadocia
The Goreme Open Air Museum is one of the main attractions (besides the hot air balloons!) of Cappadocia. The monoliths at the open air museum itself are a sight to behold. One of the best spots to take a shot would be right outside the kitchen area. Here, you’ll be able to see a great overview of the area and also visit an amazingly crafted dining table – completely crafted out of one stone!
There are also 3 churches (the size of a small chapel rather) that you should visit. These include the Apple Church (named after an apple tree right in front of it), the Serpent Church (a serpent is drawn within that represents sin) and the Sandals Church (partly because of the clear representation of sandals left behind in this church). Another interesting thing about the Church of Sandals is that the pictorial representations within depict nativity. The apostles are mostly without emotions but the animals are smiling because of the happy occasion.
If you’re really into the arts and history, you’d want to know that red colour is used during the pre-iconoclastic age (5th to 8th century) while the colours are only added from the 11th century onwards, during the post-iconoclastic age. As with most older civilisations, paintings are generally used due to the lack of education then.
Eventhough our guide, Enis had more stories to tell, as typical Singaporeans (and Malaysians), the group happily started to snap away at the beauty shown at Goreme Open Air Museum…
Before we left, we also got to try Turkish ice cream for 5TL. Remember to go for the lemon flavour! The vanilla (or original) flavour, sadly, had some gamey lamb smell (and taste). Well, at least that indicates some form of authenticity right?
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Sights and sounds of Goreme Open Air Museum
Dining at Uranos Sarikaya
Uranos Sarikaya was one of the best restaurants (in terms of decoration) that we visited during this trip. Internally, it seemed as if the restaurant was dug out of a cave and there’s even a live performance in the center of the restaurant that adds to the authentic Turkish atmosphere.
While the fish was not the best (beware of the bones!), we had a large serving of the spaghetti! You can ask for extra spaghetti (mixed with cheese) and tomato-based sauce. As we left the restaurant, we also witnessed a beautiful sight overlooking the river right outside Uranos Sarikaya.
Before the day ended, we stopped by an interesting stretch of formations (called Dream Valley) whereby, if you use a little bit of your imagination, you’ll be able to see a dancing couple, a camel, a bear and santa claus!
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Interesting monoliths of Cappadocia
Kayseri Carpet Factory and Showroom
Before night time descended, we managed to squeeze in some time to visit a carpet factory and showroom in the Kayseri area. Inside, we were shown how carpets are made by hand and how silk is extracted from the cocoons of silk worms. Of course, at the end of the tour, all the various types and size of carpets were hauled out in front of us in a showroom. Drinks, including red and white wines were served. Likely to incapacitate your ability to make sound decisions 😛
We were told that the ladies who work at the showroom have been monitored over a period of time and those who are deemed “talented” would be put to work on pure silk carpets. Turkish carpets have come to be known as carpets of great quality because of the Turkish double knots and various materials (including wool, cotton and silk) used.
Before the trip, we had already wanted to bring home a Turkish carpet and we eventually decided on a mercerised cotton carpet at 1.5m x 0.9m. The starting price was approximately $3,700 usd but with group discounts (presumably with the tour), it was eventually reduced to $1,700. Mr Zeke, the guide who showed us around then came in and reduced the price to $1,400. We requested for a further discount and came away with $1,300, inclusive of air delivery right to our home in Singapore. What do you think of this price? Let us know in the comments section below!
The carpet arrived 1 week later and we found out that it flew by SQ! Now we know where all our money went…
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Turkish Nights and Belly Dancing
To end off our first night of 2015, we headed to a Turkish Night event. Turkish Night is usually held only on the 31st of December as a form of celebration. At Cappadocia however, it happens every night, for tourists like you and me! Yay!
At the Turkish Night event, there are free flow of drinks and many dance performances. These performances include the twirl dances, traditional dances and of course, belly dancing. Here’s a glimpse of the belly dancing performance during Turkish Night
Although there is free flow of drinks, do lower your expectations because the only highlight of the evening was the belly dancing. The drinks (including licorice liquor, beer and wines) were not that good and the traditional dances got repetitive after a while.
Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience and a great way to start off the new year!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 5: Cappadocia Day Tour covering Kaymakli Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum and Turkish Night
0815 : Depart from Dinler Hotel Nevsehir to Kaymakli Underground City
0845 : Arrival at Kaymakli Underground City
1000 : Departure from Kaymakli Underground City to Goreme Open Air Museum
1035 : Arrival at Goreme Open Air Museum
1215 : Lunch
1400 : Arrival at Dream Valley
1430 : Departure from Dream Valley to Carpet Showroom
1445 : Arrival at Carpet Showroom
1600 : Departure to Urchisa for a quick photo
1630 : Reach Urchisa and reach hotel at 1700
1830 : Dinner at hotel
1945 : Departure for Turkish Night
2230 : Arrival back at hotel
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 6 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll finally get to fly on a hot air balloon over Cappadocia!
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
One of the highlights of our Chan Brothers Turkey Trip came on the 4th day where we visited the Cotton Castle – Pamukkale! It was also the day where we covered the longest distance of the entire trip where we journeyed 650km to Cappadocia – home of the monoliths and hot air balloons!
Turkey Travel to Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Cappadocia
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Pamukkale literally translates to Cotton and Castle. The term Cotton Castle (or Pamukkale) was not derived from any legend or story. Simply, if you take a look at the picture below, it looks like a white and fluffy cotton castle from afar. Hence, the name.
The Cotton Castle of Pamukkale is famous for its travertines. As the hot spring flows over the sides of the hills, calcium carbonate are deposited overtime and they form these amazing structures that we see today. Due to conservation efforts, only a section of the Cotton Castle is open to the public. During summer, the travertine pools are filled up and travellers can soak themselves and enjoy the summer sun. However, during winter (the time that we visited Pamukkale), only the main channel has hot spring water flowing through it. Therefore, you can see many travellers sitting by the sides and enjoying themselves while soaking their feet.
Tip : If you intend to soak your feet during the winter season, remember that the main channel IS REALLY SLIPPERY! This is due to algae formation as the hot spring water flows through the channel. Kate also had a slip which resulted in wet pants! Also, if you intend to sit down and soak, do note that water does flow along intermittently. Meaning, even though it may seem that its dry, when you sit down, it WILL DEFINITELY be wet. So bring along a plastic bag to sit on. Lastly, bring a towel or some tissue to dry your feet when you return!
Again, as recommended by our guide, Enis, the best views of Pamukkale can be taken from the garden side of cotton castle. At the travertines itself, views over the city of Pamukkale is also amazing, as shown by Kate below 🙂
Enjoy the views of the travertines of Cotton Castle Turkey (Pamukkale)
Journey to Cappadocia and rest at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir
After our visit to Pamukkale, we embarked on our 10 hour long arduous journey from Pamukkale to Cappadocia (approximately 650km). Along the way, we had rest stops and lunch and of course, many stories from Enis, which we will share with you below…
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1. Visiting the doctor in the olden days. In the olden days, if you had a problem with your finger, you would first go and buy a bronze finger from the blacksmith and bring it to the priest of the “clinic”. Leg problem, bronze leg. In those days, the priest was the doctor and he would take the bronze finger, melt it and treat it as a form of payment. He would then give the patient a drug to cause hallucination. Based on what the patient says, the priest would then prescribe medicine for the illness because in those days, it was believed that the gods were speaking to the patients through the drug. Wonder how many people actually got cured (or killed) in this way. Scary…
2. About poppy production. During our rest stop, we were able to taste this dish of yoghurt mixed with honey, topped with poppy seeds! Don’t worry, these seeds won’t cause any form of hallucination and it tastes somewhat like the sesame seed. Legally (the key word here), Turkey is the 3rd largest in the world for opium poppy production. Dinar is the place where we stopped to taste this yummy (and healthy) dish.
3. “Make it Zero” and Week of Thieves. Enis shared that one of the government officals and his son were caught in a tele-conversation whereby the dad was asking where the son hid the cash. The son replied that he stashed it at their usual place. So the dad wanted the money to be transferred and the son asked whether to transfer all of it. The dad replied “make it zero”. Since then, the phrase has become a joke among the locals, even sparking the “Thieves Week” from 17-25 December each year. People would wear black bandit masks during this period, which can be quite hilarious according to Enis.
4. Sultan Nasreddin Hodja. There’s this famous character called Sultan Nasreddin Hodja and he’s usually depicted riding a donkey backwards. So the story goes that he always rides a donkey and waves to everyone he sees when he goes through the city. However, one day, one person complained that he did not acknowledge him. Of course, to Nasreddin Hodja, this was obviously not true as he always greets everyone. So to counter this, he rode the donkey backwards. He explained that he rode the donkey backwards because he would greet those he sees and the donkey greets those that he doesn’t see! What a humorous figure!
5. About good cherry harvests. Did you know that a long hard snowy winter equates to late cherry blossoms which means a good cherry harvest? Conversely, a “mild” winter equates to a bad harvest of tiny cherries.
Before arriving at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir, we visited the Sultanhani Caravanserai. It was built in the 13th century and served merchants plying the silk road. Along the silk road, travellers would build “motels” like the Sultanhani Caravanserai. These caravanserais would be a shelter for the travellers and they can only be put up for 3 days. Shelters like these are free to use and people would find rest for themselves and their animals before embarking on their next phase of travel. However, unlike hotels, no food was provided and you have to cook your own food and tend to your own stuff. Most importantly, leave on time!
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 4: Cotton Castle of Pamukkale and Journey to Cappadocia
0715 : Depart from Lycus River Hotel to Cotton Castle Pamukkale
0730 : Arrival at Pamukkale Cotton Castle
0900 : Departure from Cotton Castle to Cappadocia
1100 : Stopover for yoghurt with honey and poppy seeds
1300 : Lunch
1730 : Arrival at Sultanhani Caravanserai
1900 : Arrival at Dinler Hotel Nevsehir
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 5 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll visit the famous Cappadocia region of Turkey!
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
On day 3 of our Turkey travels with Chan Brothers, we visited a leather shop (complete with front row seats to a fashion show!), the Roman Ephesus of Turkey as well as the hot springs of Lycus River Hotel in Pamukkale!
Turkey Travel to Ephesus and Pamukkale (First Stop : Silvio Leather Fashion Show)
After a hearty breakfast, we went around Coastlight Hotel to take some shots before we headed to our first stop – Silvio Leather showroom!
At the showroom, we were given some apple tea before we were treated to a fashion show – front row seats no less! Of course, these were amateur models but we were rather impressed by this young male model who really strutted his stuff down the runway. During the fashion show, we were shown the latest and trendiest leather jackets. Some had amazing prints and most were reversible. Silvio Leather also claimed that they produce for international brands such as Burberry and Polo Ralph Lauren…
During the fashion show, members of the audience were also invited to take part and model some of the leather jackets. This brought much laughter to our tour group and we especially enjoyed the samba dance at the end of the show!
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After the fashion show, you’d be led to the second level where the expensive leather jackets are. These leather jackets produced by Silvio Leather averages about USD1000 (AFTER special discounts). We were quite taken back by the price as these were non-branded leather jackets. But for cheaper leather jackets, you can proceed to the first level where there are off-season leather jackets that averages about USD200. If you have not purchased anything by now, you’d be led to a small leather shop next door that sells leather shoes and bags averaging about USD100. Yes, hold out and you’ll get better deals.
Tip : You have to be strong and resist the temptation of buying a leather jacket! Imagine the number of branded bags you can buy with USD1000 – 2!
House of Virgin Mary & Ruins of Roman Ephesus in Turkey
Leaving the Silvio Leather showroom, we headed to the House of Virgin Mary. As it was still drizzling, we only had a shortened visit here. At this attraction, there’s a baptism pool near the House of Virgin Mary, the house itself (where you can’t take any photos within), a fountain to draw water (so bring along an empty bottle) and of course the area where you could leave a wish to Virgin Mary herself!
Remember to bring your own note and mechanism to tie it if you want your wish to come true!
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Then came the highlight of the day, our visit to the Roman Ephesus of Turkey!
There are 2 stories related to Ephesus
Story 1 – An Oracle
In the first story, it was said that in the 7th century, a prince of Athens received an oracle where he would build a city if a fish, wild boar and fire appeared simultaneously. One day, he saw someone doing some grilled fish and a wild boar ran over that BBQ. He saw it as a sign and built the city of Ephesus.
Story 2 – Amazonian Women
In the Anatolian version of the story, Ephesus was simply built by the Amazon warrior women.
If you take a look at one of the pictures below (the one with Medusa), you would see these 2 stories depicted on the columns of that structure.
You may know that the world-renowned brand, Nike is named after the goddess of Victory Nike. But did you know that if you look closely at her skirt, you’ll be able to identify the most familiar logo world-wide, the swoosh.
Can you see it?
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Leaving the city centre of Ephesus, you’ll be on a main street that leads to the Library of Ephesus. Take a shot from here. Unfortunately, it was raining during this time 🙁
Enis (our guide for Chan Brother’s Turkey Trip), told us about this special stone that has a picture of a left foot, heart, face of a woman and rectangle carved on it. According to his analysis of this piece of stone, he was able to tell that there’s a brothel right next to it. How?
He said, “If you are having an empty heart and have a large left foot, you can find a pretty woman right ahead. Don’t forget to bring your credit card!” Haha!
Tip : Besides the library, the other prominent structure is the theatre of Ephesus. The best spot to take a panoramic view of the theatre (as shown above) is between the pine trees before you exit to the market and souvenir shops.
Facilities of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
To end off the evening, we arrived early at Lycus River Hotel of Pamukkale. Pamukkale refers to cotton castle, a formation of calcium carbonate that seems to form a “cotton castle” in the middle of a hill. Before we were to head to Pamukkale the next morning, we had a good rest at Lycus River Hotel!
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There are 2 main things that you should try at Lycus River Hotel in Pamukkale…
1. Thermal Pool (aka hot springs). There’s a hot spring that you must check out at Lycus River Hotel. Remember to bring your swim wear! The thermal pool also leads outdoors and it was especially enjoyable to be soaking in the thermal pool during the winter season. Just like what you see on Japan Hour – winter onsen!
2. Turkish Bath. Originally, we were discouraged from taking the Turkish bath due to poor reviews from previous groups. Nonetheless, we still gave it a go. How can you go Turkey and not try a Turkish Bath right? It costs us 85TL (or $50SGD) and it was the best $ spent during the trip! The Turkish lady would scrub you first (you’d be in your undies or swim trunks) and then lay the softest and warmest coat of foam blanket over you.
Pure Bliss…
To form the foam (some tongue twister for you), the lady would trap some bath foam on a towel and swing it from side to side. This motion catches air within the towel and forms the foam which she would later squeeze upon you.
This would be followed by some gentle massages around the whole body (front and back) before washing you clean. No contortion, man-handling type of bath as they say.
One word from Tom : SHIOK!
From Kate : Because my Turkish lady had GIGANTIC boobs, as she massaged my arms, her boobs would rub repeatedly over my face! I think the Turkish lady enjoyed the bath more than I did…Boo Hoo.
After the enjoyable and relaxing sessions at the thermal pool and Turkish bath, we went for the dinner buffet where there was also a live band playing traditional Turkish music. Some Turkish folks also went forward to dance during dinner. Our favourite for dinner was the beef patty as well as making wraps using fresh lettuce.
Together with some members of the group, we had post-dinner drinks at the beautiful lobby lounge and chat till we were tired before we turned in for the night.
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 3: Coastlight Hotel to House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus and to Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
0815 : Depart from Coastlight hotel to Silvio Leather showroom
0845 : Arrival at Silvio Leather showroom
1000 : Departure from Silvio Leather showroom to House of Virgin Mary
1015 : Arrival at House of Virgin Mary
1045 : Depart for Ephesus
1230 : Departure from Ephesus to Pamukkale
1500 : Break at Turkish delight stopover
1630 : Arrival at Lycus River Hotel @ Pamukkale
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 4 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey travel where we’ll visit the traventines of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle)!
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
On day 2 of our Turkey travels with Chan Brothers, we dived straight into one of the highlights of the trip – the Trojan Horse of Troy! After breakfast at Tusan Hotel, we headed straight to the ancient city of Troja (Troy), with loads of interesting mythical stories told to us by our guide Enis…
The Trojan Horse of Troy in Canakkale Turkey
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Troy (and Trojan Horse) is just a 15 minutes ride away from Tusan Hotel in Canakkale. During this short ride, we were given an introduction to the mythical world of Greek/Anatolian stories…
Story of the Trojan Horse
First and foremost, the Trojan Horse is a myth. Nonetheless, it is an exciting story that leads to the Trojan Horse that we would be visiting that morning.
And so the story goes, Homer (or Homeros) wrote 2 books (Odyssey and Iliad) concerning the last 23 days of war at Troy. In the mythical story, there was a wedding among the gods (Wedding of Peleus and Thetis) but Eris (the goddess of jealousy or discord) was not invited. To thwart the wedding, Eris came up with a plan and brought forth an apple (that says “to the most beautiful woman”) to Zeus, who was the chief of the guards. In order not to be involved in this would be “cat fight”, Zeus handed over this issue to Paris of Troy (so smart of Zeus!)
3 goddesses (Hera, Athena and Aphrodite) came to seek the apple, each offering a bribe to Paris. Hera offered to make him king and offered him a lasting family line while Athena offered him wisdom and skill in battle. But eventually, Paris chose Aphrodite because she was able to get him Helen of Sparta who is the most beautiful mortal (wife of the King of Sparta). As a result Athens unites with Sparta to get Helen back from troy, sparking the start of the Trojan War.
In comes Achilles, a demi god and strong warrior (played by Brad Pitt in the 2004 movie Troy). At first, Achilles did not want to be involved in the war. To increase the morale of the soldiers, Patroclus (the cousin of Achilles) dressed as Achilles and fought in the Trojan War. As a result, he was killed by Hector.
To revenge his cousin, Achilles was advised by Odyssey to build a huge horse with brave men inside to besiege Troy. You’ve guessed it, this horse was the Trojan Horse!
Phew…what a long story to explain the background to the Trojan Horse! All because of Helen!
About the Ancient City of Troy
There are 9 layers to the ancient city of Troy. Meaning each time the original Trojans left (due to weather or war), the new Trojans would return to rebuild the city again. Troy layer 6 is believed to be the time of the Trojan Horse while Troy layer 9 is known as the Roman ages.
Troy was rediscovered by a German businessman by the name of Heinrich Schliemann. He followed the stories of Homer and believed in the existence of Troy. He eventually found Troy in 1871 and started to remove its treasures using the guise of corrupt locals to smuggle the treasures out of the country.
What really amazed us was how people in the hundreds of years BC, built up civilisations such as Troy by carrying these huge bricks and carving intricate monuments. They also thought of buildings walls slanted so as to deter thieves and attackers as it would be easier to defend a slanted wall. They also thought of using pitos as “ancient refrigerators” where they would store excess grain and hide them underground for use during winter.
At the entrance of the city, the Trojans would build a slope where travellers or even attackers entering the city, would feel the “aura and presence” of the city as they ascend to its gates. Of course, the city was build atop a hill to have good views over its surroundings.
Tip : While taking photos with the Trojan Horse, remember to take it from the front view as how Tom took it in the picture above!
From Troy Canakkale to the Ancient City of Pergamon in Turkey
The ride from Troy to Pergamon took about 3 hours and we took a rest in between to have our lunch. Enroute, Enis told us about olives in Turkey…
There are essentially 2 main colours of olives – green and black. Green olives are the first fruits to be plucked in October and they change to black in the December/January period. From the olives, olive oil is extracted. Should the acid level of the olive oil be less than 1 percent, it is considered as the top grade. Top grade olive oil is usually made from the green (turning to black) olives. Extra virgin olive oil is produced by cold pressing the olives without breaking its seeds. As most chefs have already mentioned, olive oils cannot withstand heat hence when using it, it should be used over low heat or lightly tossed with your food of choice.
Did you know? Italy is the top producer of olive oil in the world but 65% of its olives comes from Turkey!
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The building of Pergamon (formerly known as Bergama in Turkish) was started by Philetaerus. He was entrusted with the treasury of Lysimachus who was a Roman Commander. When Lysimachus died, Philetaerus used the money to build up Pergamon and in 100AD, it was returned to Rome because of the money with which it was built. In this way, Rome had already extended its influence to Anatolia before they came.
Note : During the tour, Enis would often use the word “Anatolia”. Anatolia is actually bounded by Black Sea to the North, Aegean Sea to the West and the Mediterranean Sea to the South. The Sea of Marmara would connect to the Black Sea via the Bosphorus River. “These lands” as we know it, refers more commonly to Turkey today.
Pergamon sits atop of the hill and the most prominent portion of it is the Acropolis, a temple area where the Pergamons would come to worship their gods. The other prominent structure is the theatre which can sit up to 9000 people overlooking the city of Pergamon.
The tour bus would only be able to bring you to the foot of Pergamon. To reach Acropolis, you would have to be transferred via cable car. However, on this day, it was raining and the cable car was closed. Hence, we were transferred by local taxis through winding paths up to Acropolis. Do remind your guide to advise the taxi drivers to drive at a slower pace, else they might race up the hills (and down) as with what happened to us. Too exciting for our liking! Yikes!
The Acropolis of Pergamon
Awesome views over Bergama City and of the Theatre!
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Before we reached our last stop for the evening at CoastLight Hotel Kusadasi, we stopped over at Mozaik Lokum for some olives products. The store owner who is a humorous man and can also speak some Mandarin, introduced us to the products of his shop. Before we left, we bought 3 bottles of skin care product (buy 2 get 1 free) for 100 TL (Turkish Lira). This is approximately $60SGD or $20SGD per bottle.
Not sure of its effect though but it sure smells good!
Close to the olive shop, you can clearly see the Selcuk Castle. The Selcuks (or Seljuks) was one of the tribes of the Turks. Ottoman being the most famous of the tribes. At the top of the hills sits the “First Ephesus” and at the bottom of the hill, the “Second Ephesus”. The Ephesus that we would be visiting the next day is the “Third Ephesus” also known as the “Roman Ephesus”.
Itinerary of Turkey Travel Day 2: Troy Canakkale to Pergamon and Coastlight Hotel Kusadasi
0800 : Depart from Tusan Hotel to Troy
0815 : Arrival at Ancient Ruins of Troy
0930 : Departure from Troy
1300 : Lunch
1400 : Depart for Pergamon
1530 : Depart Pergamon
1900 : Arrival at Mozaik Lokum Olive Shop
2000 : Arrival at CoastLight Hotel Kusadasi
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Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Find out more about day 3 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey trip where we’ll visit the ancient ruins of Ephesus!
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey was our next country to “conquer” as we have not had the opportunity to visit this country (ahem @ GoTurkey.com :p) that spans between both Europe and Asia continent. As there is a language barrier and a vast distance to travel if we were to do a free-and-easy by ourselves, we decided to join the Chan Brother’s 10D7N Turkey travel for only $2100 per person. It is very affordable because $1000 would be the price of the air ticket while the remaining $1100 is used for meals, transportation, accommodation, attraction tickets, tour guide as well as taking out the hassle of planning all the routes around Turkey. It is especially worth it when you get to skip the MASSIVE queues outside the major attractions in Istanbul!
We chose to travel via the Turkish Airlines flight (instead of Singapore Airlines) because of the timing of both departure and arrival flights. We departed at 12:30am and arrived at 6:30am in Istanbul (both local times), having full days in Turkey on the departure and arrival days!
Upon arrival at the airport, we were greeted by our local guide Enis who brought us immediately to Istanbul to visit the Hippodrome of Constantinople, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.
Attractions in Istanbul Turkey
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If you take a look at the monuments at the Hippodrome, you’ll realise that they are formed up in a single line. During the Roman era, it was actually the central columns of a chariot race. Imagine the chariots going round the columns resembling an elongated oval shaped race track.
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Views from the Topkapi Palace
You may also like: Yogyakarta Travel Itinerary Day 1: Prambanan Temple, Parangtritis Beach Horse Ride and Massage no. 1!
As we moved from the Hippodrome to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia Museum and Topkapi Palace, we were told of stories at these various areas…
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque) : Have you ever wondered why there are 6 minarets (slender tower typically with a balcony) at the Blue Mosque? Legend has it that the order was to build altin (gold) towers around the mosque. However, the builder heard alti (six) instead. Hence, six minarets were built around the Blue Mosque. In fact, Blue Mosque is not blue in colour but it earned its name because of the 20,000 blue mosaic tiles used within the mosque. Hence, a touristic name of Blue Mosque was derived!
Hagia Sophia Museum : At the Hagia Sophia, there’s a hole in the wall with a long queue behind it. Everyone is actually queuing to place their thumb in the hole, make a circle with the palm of their hands and make a wish. Legend has it that an angel promised a boy to look after his equipment so that he could go back to take of his parents. The boy never returned and the angel is thought to be trapped within, granting wishes to people who came to visit.
Topkapi Palace : The first courtyard of the Topkapi palace extends from Imperial Gate to Salutation Gate while the second courtyard is from Salutation Gate to Felicity Gate. At the second courtyard, there is a Justice Tower where the Sultan would stand and witness executions taking place. However, the best part of the Topkapi Palace is actually the view of the Bosphorus River. Remember to take beautiful shots from the balconies overlooking Bosphorus. Other notable places to visit includes the treasury, religious relics (both Christian and Muslim) as well as the Royal Kitchen.
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You may also like: Top Things to do in Madrid – Spain Travels Day 1!
Itinerary of Day 1: Istanbul to Canakkale Turkey
0630 : Arrival at Istanbul Ataturk Airport
0830 : Visit to Hippodrome, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia Museum and Topkapi Palace
1230 : Lunch at Citadel Hotel Istanbul
1400 : Depart for Canakkale
1600 : Stopover for break
1830 : Ferry to Canakkale
2000 : Arrival at Tusan Hotel Canakkale
After our visit to all the attractions in Istanbul, we adjourned to Citadel Hotel Istanbul for lunch before commencing the approximate 6 hours drive to Canakkale. This includes a ferry ride in between where the whole car drives unto the ferry to be transferred across the straits to Canakkale.
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Remember to leave your comments for 2bearbear Singapore Travel Blog in our comments section below!
Related posts
This post is part of our 10 Days 7 Nights Turkey travel with Chan Brothers. Below, you can find other relevant posts covered during this trip.
Turkey Trip Day 1 : Singapore to Istanbul and Ferry to Canakkale
Turkey Travel Day 2 : Visiting the Trojan Horse of Troy and Ancient City of Pergamon
Turkey Travel Day 3 : Visit to Ephesus / Turkish Bath and Hot Springs of Lycus River Hotel Pamukkale
Turkey Trip Day 4 : Pamukkale Cotton Castle and Journey to Cappadocia!
Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia with Royal Balloon : Turkey Travel Day 6!
Mall of Istanbul (MOI) : Shopping Eating and Relaxing on Day 8 of Turkey Trip!
Basic Turkish Language You Should Know
Here are some simple Turkish phrases that you should know to make your Turkish trip that much more enjoyable. But for ease of pronunciation, we’ll not spell out the actual Turkish spelling but the way you should pronounce it!
Thank you – teh she kew air de room (6 syllabus to say thank you?!?!)
Hello – mehr ha ba
Goodbye – gule gule
Good morning – gew nei den (yes, we know. It does sounds like “good night”)
Good night – yeee yeee gu jay lash
I am fine – yeee yeee
No worries (not at all) – beer she dean
Yes – eh vet
No – ha year
Find out more about day 2 of our Chan Brother’s Turkey trip when we visit the legendary Trojan horse!
Adventure Cove Sentosa : Definitely Worth A Visit!
Adventure Cove Sentosa is one of the major attractions both at Sentosa and in Singapore. In addition to the Maritime Experiential Museum and SEA Aquarium, Adventure Cove was one of the attractions in Sentosa that we pretty much enjoyed. It is a adventure waterpark that offers something for everyone! Find out more about some secret tips that we found out at our last visit here!
Adventure Cove Sentosa Attractions
Tip 1 : Once you’re in, head straight to the area between Rainbow Reef and the Bay Restaurant. At the corner of this area, there is a great area for you and your friends to gather at. It was there where we set up our “base camp”!
Rainbow Reef
The other reason why you should head to Rainbow Reef first is because there will be a SUPER LONG queue as the day goes on. Heading there first will allow you to get a great spot and also be one of the first to be enjoy Rainbow Reef. Something that Tom did…
Rainbow Reef is one of the most enjoyable experience in Adventure Cove. It is actually snorkeling among schools of fish within a reef. You’ll be given instructions
1. Not to kick within the reef. This is because there is a light stream that brings you round like a circuit. You’ll just have to float along. Of course, the other reason is to prevent you from disturbing the marine life within.
2. No diving. Even though you may be tempted to swim among the schools of fish, you are not allowed to do so.
What we really enjoyed about this attraction was that during feed times, you’ll see a HUGE number of fish gather round the food and they all move in one swift, coordinated motion. So much so that there would be a mini wave or tremor that you may feel. Tom was actually shocked by this sudden movement when the feeding begun. But, what an awesome sight to behold! Enjoy!
The Bay Restaurant
The last reason why you should head to the Rainbow Reef area first is because of its proximity to the Bay Restaurant. Usually during meal times, the restaurant itself would be fully occupied. Nonetheless, you can bring out the food that you’ve ordered to the seating area outside, a place which you would have “choped” (Singlish for “Booked”) if you had followed our previous advice.
The fish and chips combo and fried chicken wings, though a little expensive, tasted quite alright. Here are the other attractions that we visited while we were at Adventure Cove Sentosa…
Seahorse Hideaway – A shallow wading pool for the toddlers
Dueling Racer – Grab a mat and race against your mate down the slide side by side
Riptide Rocket – The Waterpark equivalent of the roller coaster. Enjoy!
Pipeline Plunge & Tidal Twister – Twisting and turning at high speeds and plunges!
Bluwater Bay – Chill out or just ride on the giant waves!
Spiral Washout and Whirlpool Washout – Be prepared for a water ride unlike any other!
Tip 2 : We realised that the more exciting ride is always on the left side. Once in line for queues that head to 2 rides, remember to choose according to what you can handle. For us, it’s always the left ride!
Big Bucket Treehouse – A fun splash area for the kids
Splashworks – A water obstacle course
Adventure River – Adventure Cove Sentosa’s Lazy River
At Adventure Cove Sentosa, there are additional experiences – ultimate marine encounters (of course at an additional fee) that you can enjoy. These include Sea Trek Adventure, Shark Encounter, Ray Bay, Open Ocean Dive and the various Dolphin encounters seen above.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of Adventure Cove Sentosa, do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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**Photos courtesy of Adventure Cove Sentosa
6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang!
When you think of travelling to Penang? What do you think of? The UNESCO heritage site of Georgetown? The vibrant (and delicious) hawker food scene? Or simply chilling at Batu Ferringhi beach? In this post, we’ll show you 6 Amazing Travel Experiences in Penang that you won’t want to miss!
1. Exploring Batu Ferringhi Beach
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Most people discount the fact that Penang does have an excellent beach that faces the Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits. Batu Ferringhi is its name. Located at the northern tip of Penang, Batu Ferringhi offers beach goers all you’d expect at a reputable beach – fine pristine sand (especially at Hard Rock Hotel Penang), beach activities (including para-sailing, banana boat rides and jet skiing) and even horse back riding by the beach.
After all the fun you’ve had at the beach, head on out to one of the many excellent spas located along Batu Ferringhi beach – including the award winning Rock Spa @ Hard Rock Hotel and Chi Spa @ Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa.
As the evening winds down, check out the night markets along the roads next to the beaches. Many road side stalls open till late at night offering tourists the option of souvenir shopping (including sun glasses, hand bags and wallets) and late night supper at Batu Ferringhi.
2. Looking Out for Street Arts & Wall Murals
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Penang is littered with amazing street arts and wall murals. One of the most famous one is this mural of a trishaw uncle in the heart of Jalan Penang that almost covers the entire building facade. We also noticed several comical street art that brings across daily conversations in Penang through light-hearted colloquial jokes.
3. Wandering the Streets of Georgetown – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Since 2007, Penang’s Georgetown has been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the rich history of this precinct. You will be able to spot many colonial-styled buildings such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Birch House as well as the many traditional chinese architectures along the streets. Fort Cornwallis, one of the best preserved forts in Malaysia also bears testament to Penang’s colonial roots.
To round off this historic trip, check out Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (better known as the Blue Mansion). Within, you’ll be able to see how the ultra-rich pampered themselves in this 38 room mansion – luxurious even by today’s standards.
4. Trishaw Ride in Penang
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Another amazing experience in Penang that you should try is the trishaw ride. We took a trishaw ride from Komtar back to our hotel at Eastern & Oriental. The ride took about 10 minutes and cost 15RM. What we enjoyed about this ride was the “alfresco” style of the ride. As the sun shone while we rode past the historic lanes (with winds gently blowing against your face), that made the ride really worthwhile. Be ready for a bit of excitement while the trishaw weaves in and out of traffic!
5. Penang Hawker Food
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Penang is the home to Malaysian hawker food. Here you will be able to find famous Penang hawker fare such as Penang Char Koay Teow, Char Hor Fun, Penang Road Teochew Chendul and much much more. Check out our post on the “13 Penang Hawker Food and Nonya Restaurants that You MUST TRY” to find out more!
6. Penang Nonya Food
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Still on food (what else? :p), one must try Penang’s nonya food. The Little Nonya Cuisine (小娘惹) as well as Mama’s Nonya Cuisine offers some of the best nonya food in Penang at an affordable price.
Where to stay in Penang?
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Our top picks for hotels at the Batu Ferringhi area includes the Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa as well as the Hard Rock Hotel Penang. In Georgetown? The famous Eastern and Oriental Hotel Penang!
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Visondata SG : Helping you stay connected wherever you go!
Visondata SG (VDS) offers low cost pocket wifi services that spans more than 70 countries. With this small device, users are able to stay connected while on travels or business trips overseas! Thanks to the great folks at Visondata SG, we got to experience its convenience and simplicity during our recent trip to Turkey!
Staying connected with Visondata SG in Turkey
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Benefits of Pocket Wifi by Visondata SG
While we were using the pocket wifi offered by Visondata SG, we cannot help but marvel at how far technology has taken us. As you have seen in the above pictures, we were connected everywhere we went in Turkey. Here are some of the benefits we saw with the pocket wifi by Visondata SG
1. Easy to use. All we had to do was to press and hold the “power” button of the device. Within seconds (literally!), we were connected to a data network! As simple as press-and-use!
2. Speedy connection. We were able to upload photos to our various social media platforms while on the go and data speeds were no less than 3G.
3. Convenient. As Visondata SG puts it, it REALLY is a pocket wifi where you literally just place the device in your pocket or bag and you’re good to go! In addition, the company also provides courier service by delivering the device to your preferred location!
Considerations for using Visondata SG
1. Does Visondata SG cover your destination? If you take a look at the pricing plans at Visondata SG, you may realise that Turkey is not listed within this list. In fact, Visondata SG covers over 70 countries. This means that you’ll be able to stay connected while you travel to most places around the globe. If you’re still unsure, just drop a mail to Visondata SG (enquiry@visondata.com.sg ) and they will assist you to confirm if your destination is covered.
2. How it works. The pocket device actually uses the sim card technology. Because of Visondata’s collaboration with telcos world wide, they are able to utilise their services and bring this convenience to you! No longer do you have to worry about poor connection due to the various telcos covering a vicinity because Visondata will help to search for the strongest network for you within seconds.
3. Pricing. Overseas data roam costs minimally $10 to $15 from local telcos. The great thing about Visondata is that they’re able to match the price PLUS their collaboration with many telcos world wide ensures the best connectivity. So you’ll get the best connection at a fixed price. For Turkey (and 47 other European countries), it costs $25 per day for unlimited data usage as compared to $30 per day from the local telcos.
Share and win $500 worth of travel vouchers with Visondata SG
There’s an ongoing contest on the Facebook page of Visondata SG. To stand a chance to win $500 travel vouchers, all you have to do is to follow these simple steps
1. Like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/visondatasg
2. Comment on the post by telling them which country you would like to visit the most and why!
3. Share your comment with your friends/families and get them to like it! The post with the highest number of likes will win.
Contest will end on the 6th February 2015 and the comment with the most number of likes wins. Winner will be notified via email on the 7th February 2015.
Alternatively, you can “like” our comments on Santorini Greece! 😛
Conclusion
We were skeptical at first about this device. Now we’re a convert.
We would recommend this device for travellers who want to stay connected wherever they are overseas. Check in with Visondata SG and discuss how you can stay connected during your next overseas trip!
Top 20 Travel Experiences 2014!
Again, we initially wanted share our top 10 travel experiences of 2014. But as we read through our posts, we realised that there’s so much …
Universal Studios Singapore : Snowy Christmas Celebration!
Universal Studios Singapore presents Singapore’s Biggest Snowy Christmas Celebration from 1st December 2014 to 4th January 2015! You can choose from either the 1. Universal …
Kranji War Memorial and Kranji War Cemetery : Remembrance Service on 9 November 2014
Kranji War Memorial and Singapore Memorial are dedicated to those who fought valiantly against invading Japanese forces during World War 2. The Kranji Memorial consists of the State Cemetery of Singapore (burial site of Singapore’s first and second presidents Yusof Ishak and Benjamin Henry Sheares), the War Cemetery, Singapore Memorial and the Commonwealth Military Cemetery.
Kranji War Memorial
Entrance to the Kranji War Memorial
Grave of Benjamin Henry Sheares
The first grave at the entrance of Kranji War Memorial
Singapore Memorial and War Cemetery
Inscription at the Singapore Memorial
The Singapore Memorial was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes who paid homage to the combined forces that defended Singapore. The 13 columns of the Singapore Memorial represents the Army – marching in columns. The roof of the Singapore Memorial represents the Air Force – the wing of an aeroplane. The mast at the top of the Singapore Memorial represents the Navy – the conning tower of a submarine.
Each year, a remembrance service will be held to remember those who have sacrificed themselves during World War 2. As the inscription of the Singapore Memorial reads : “They died for all free men”.
This year, the Remembrance Sunday service will be held on 9 November 2014.
How to get to Kranji War Memorial
Kranji War Memorial is located at 9 Woodlands Road, Singapore 738656. To get there, you can
1. Take the MRT and alight at the Kranji Station. From there, you can take a 15 minutes walk to the memorial. Directions are available at the MRT station (either the locality map or from the station control).
2. Take buses 160, 170, 178, 960, 961. You can alight directly next to the memorial and take a short walk in.
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Your Guide to Things to do in Yangon Myanmar!
There are actually many things to do in Yangon Myanmar. Many things to eat as well. In this post, we’ll reveal all you need to know as you visit this country (and city) that has recently opened up and invites the world to visit…
Things to do in Yangon Myanmar
Things to eat in Yangon Myanmar
1. Sharky’s Restaurant
(117 Dhamazedi Road, Kamaryut Township, Yangon)
According to the owner of Sharky’s, they started out with earnings of only $3,500 USD ten years ago (which is actually ALOT in Myanmar). Today, they earn that amount in half a day! Sharky’s serves up a western infused menu of pizzas, pastas, burgers and even foie gras. The cool thing about this restaurant is that the owner insists on using the freshest ingredients from Myanmar. Talk about supporting local products!
While you’re there, round off your meal with the pistachio cranberry ice cream. It was one of the best ice creams we’ve ever tasted! Perfect combination of the creamy rich taste of pistachio with the refreshing taste of cranberry…who would have thought?
Sharky’s prosciutto thin crust pizza – 8000 myanmar kyat ($10.50 sgd)
2. Feel Restaurant
(124, Pyihtaungsu Avenue Street, Dagon Tsp, Yangon)
For a taste of Myanmese food, you MUST visit Feel Restaurant. At the restaurant, all you have to do is find a seat and approach the food counter to pick your dishes. The food counter is where all the food are on display and you just pick what you would like to eat. These dishes are then served with fragrant myanmese rice and ngapi – a fermented fish or shrimp paste that goes well with the rice and dishes.
You’ll also realise that the dishes are usually a little on the oily side. This actually signifies wealth in the Burmese culture. Do try the braised pork belly! “Melts-in-your-mouth” good! The dishes were so good that we had 4 portions of rice. 4 portions! Did we also mention that the rice is “free-flow”? ;P
Feel Restaurant Yangon
3. Sakura Tower – The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro
(339 Bo Gyoke Rd, Dagon – Sakura Tower, 20th storey)
On the 20th floor of the the Sakura Tower in Yangon, you’ll find The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro. The best thing about eating at The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro is the amazing views it offers over the whole of Yangon city. These includes views of the Yangon River, Sule and Shwedagon Pagoda as well as the city itself.
Plus, there’s happy hours from 5pm to 7pm where drinks are one-for-one!
Tip: Be there at about 5pm to enjoy the drinks and views while the sun is still up. After the sky starts to darken (from 630pm onwards), there aren’t much views except for the Pagodas.
The Thiripyitsaya Sky Bistro – Sakura Tower
4. Monsoon Restaurant & Bar Yangon
(85-87 Thein Phyu Rd, Yangon)
Monsoon Restaurant serves up a wide variety of cuisine from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. In addition, you can also “large portions” for western food as well. Happy hours are from 5pm to 7pm!
5. Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House
(No.246,248, Anawrahta Road, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon / No.14-A, Minnandar Road, Dawbon Township, Yangon)
Shwe Pu Zun is definitely one of the “must-go” places for desserts in Yangon. It’s specialty includes cakes and desserts. The Fa Lu Da (a cross between vanilla ice cream, bandung and cendol) is a “must-try” at Shwe Pu Zun. Did we also mention hyper-speed wifi internet access here?
Shwe Pu Zun Cafeteria and Bakery House Yangon
6. Western Park Ruby Restaurant
(Near ThaKhinMya Park, in front of Myanmar Industrial Port, Strand Road, Ahlone Township, Yangon)
Craving for some Chinese fare? Head to Western Park Ruby Restaurant and try out the seafood as well as its famous Peking Duck! The “2-styled” fish which we tried was awesome as well. Braised and fried fish on a platter with intricate finish to touch!
“2-styled” fish at Western Park Ruby Restaurant Yangon
Attractions in Yangon Myanmar
There are many attractions in Yangon (the land of Pagodas) and here are our top picks…
1. Shwedagon and Sule Pagoda.
(Dagon, Yangon – So prominent that you cant miss it!)
Located in the city centre of Yangon, the Shwedagon (biggest Pagoda facility) and Sule Pagoda are the most prominent pagodas in Yangon.
2. Kyaiktiyo Pagoda aka Golden Rock
(Thaton District, Myanmar)
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a 4 hours ride from Yangon and is also one of the main attractions in Yangon. The interesting thing about this attractions is that the pagoda sits atop a rock which perches precariously over a hill at Mount Kyaiktiyo…
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) Myanmar
3. Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
(Bo Gyoke Rd, Yangon)
One of the major markets in Yangon, Bogyoke (pronounced as “Bo” “Joke”) Market is one of the biggest tourist attraction in Yangon. There are shops selling all kinds of products from souvenirs to gold and jade. The jade stalls here are known to fleece tourists. Hence, as a rule of thumb, take away 50% from the quoted price and you should be halfway there to a good price 😉
Bogyoke Market Yangon Myanmar
There are many other things to do in Yangon as well as many other great places to dine at as well. Other attractions include the Kandawgyi Lake, Taukkyan War Cemetery, Yangon Zoological Gardens, National Museum of Myanmar as well as the Bogyoke Aung San Museum.
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do in Yangon. Do let us (and our readers) know if you have other great places and eateries to recommend in our comments section below!
Parkland Green : What’s new at East Coast Park?
Parkland Green is the latest addition to vibrancy at East Coast Park. Opened in September 2014, there are several dining establishments, sports outlets, a laser tag arena as well as a 1 hectare field for endless activities! Find out more about what’s in store at Parkland Green…
Parkland Green East Coast Park
What’s at Parkland Green East Coast Park
1. 1-Hectare Open Lawn
1-hectare Open Lawn @ Parkland Green
The one hectare open lawn at Parkland Green offers a great venue for families to have picnics and gatherings. The flood lights also lit the lawn in the evenings and we caught some chaps enjoying themselves over frisbee. Definitely a great play area for the kids as well. Nearby, there are also BBQ pits along the coast.
2. Tag Team Inc
Tag Team Inc East Coast Park
Laser Tag Arena Parkland Green
At Tag Team Inc, there are laser tag and archery tag team games available. The great thing about the games here are that they’re safe for children as well as adults. The only down side that we see is that the arena seems a little small – may not be as exciting for thrill seekers.
3. Sports Retail Outlets
Sports Retail Outlets at Parkland Green East Coast Park
Hvper Sports Retail @ Parkland Green
The sports retail outlets at Parkland Green provides an option for park goers to purchase skate scooters, roller blades or bikes. Check it out and you might just be hit by the “active bug”…
4. Dining Establishments
Patro’s Sports Bar & Restaurant / Starbucks Coffee
Atmosphere Sports Bar East Coast
Sandbank Restaurant
Pickmeup Cafe Parkland Green
Bakery & Bar St. Marc East Coast Park
Parkland Green is set to be a great hang out venue with these new dining establishments. Sports bars that offers live soccer matches would definitely be drawing EPL fans in flocks. Do take note that free parking is only for the first year of operation (made known to us by restaurant operators there). So do take advantage and visit while it lasts!
We were actually craving for north indian cuisine this evening and Patro’s came to our rescue! Yay! Butter chicken!
Butter chicken, basmati rice, naan and fried vegetables
Sangria at Patro’s Parkland Green East Coast Park
Indoors and alfresco dining at Patro’s Parkland Green East Coast
First off, we must say that the food was really great. Creamy rich butter chicken with long grains of basmati rice. Shiok! Naan was slightly burnt but mixed with the butter chicken gave the meat a tinge of the tandoori taste. Last but not least, the sangria (at $40 a jug) is definitely a great complement to the meal. An enjoyable meal overall.
Oh, you may have also noticed that we moved from outdoors to indoors. Pretty much due to the mosquito and heat. Nonetheless, alfresco dining experience at Patro’s, watching park goers go (jog/cycle) by, is quite enjoyable as well!
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We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of Parkland Green @ East Coast Park. Tell us more about your experience at Parkland Green in our comments section below!