Unforgettable Turkey - Day 2:Bahrain-Istanbul-Bursa

off to istanbul - making new memories!

Day 2:
Early morning, after breakfast and a rigorous bout of photo snapping, we departed to Bahrain airport to fly off to Turkey. I was full of anticipation, excited to say the least. At the departure hall, we 'surveyed' the different duty free items on sale (to be realised on our flight back). So anxious was I that at the point of boarding, I misplaced my passport together with my boarding pass. Phew...that was a moment of panic, momentarily putting my excitement on halt.

Datin surveying gifts for her beloved grandchildren

Anyway, flight was as scheduled, around 10 am local time aboard the Gulf Air Flight GF43. Which took us about 3 hours. Alhamdulillah, it was an uneventful flight, and we finally landed at Istanbul at 1305 local time. My watch (with Malaysian timing) showed 1905 - meaning a 6 hour difference from Malaysia. I was to discover that a representative from Renk United was waiting for us, who would eventually be our tourist guide here in Turkiy. True enough, as we checked out of the airport, there was already a rep waiting for us, a young brown haired gentleman, holding the POTO sign upside down!. All 39 of us gathered around him, where he introduced himself as Enis. From then, all of us were herded into the coach and we were off! First destination: To Bursa where we would spend the night there.

arrival at istanbul airport

This time we were just passing through Istanbul (more on Istanbul on Day 7). The journey to Bursa involved a 90 min bus ride, followed by a 30 min ferry ride across European Istanbul to Asian Istanbul (later on this), across the Gemilik Bay, bus and all. It was actually not too far from the airport to the ferry port, but there was quite a traffic as we rushed through its fairly new motorways. One unique sight as we rode along the highway was the people selling bottled drinks, fruits and even bread on the middle of the highway itself! It made me realise that as beautiful as Istanbul is, life is difficult for some, anywhere on God's earth. My heart went out to the young men, braving the cold weather, and risking their lives on the busy motorway to earn a living - meagre one it must be.

glimpses of Istanbul, as we pass by the city

busy traffic on sunday afternoon in Istanbul

youngsters selling bread & bottled drinks on busy Istanbul highway

It was getting dark there by 4 pm, and the mild weather I first experienced upon landing at Istanbul airport became bitingly cold as the wind rushed through us on the moving ferry. Seemingly tame seagulls fly by the ferry, so at first many of us braved the wintry winds but finally it just got too strong for all our zeal and excitement. Certainly the trenchcoat I brought with me could not withstand the cold wintry winds. Thank Allah, there was a cafetaria on the first deck, where I could really, at that moment, appreciate a cup of hot turkish tea. It turned out that the Turkish people dont take their tea with milk, which I was not prepared to accustom myself with...the tea was too thick!

aboard ferry crossing over to Bursa

dusk at istanbul - viewed from ferry; with seagulls speckled skies

having tea aboard the ferry

nothing like hot cuppa tea to warm out the chill

Dato' in the ferry cafetaria

Getting off the ferry 30 mins later, we continued our journey for a further 90 mins to reach Bursa. Bursa is a an old city, known to be the last stop for the Silk Road traders. Henceforth it became the first capital of Turkiy, renowned till today as the major city for the fabric industry in Turkiy. Our journey for today ended at the Caravansaray Hotel, right in the heart of Bursa city. Tomorrow we shall visit places of interest, my personal interest, the mosques of Bursa, before we head off to our next destination. But before that, more pics at and around the hotel ...next post ok!

arrival at Bursa Hotel - the Caravansarai