Author Archives: The Traveller
Istanbul
First arrival in Istanbul got me so excited to see such a beautiful place. The Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Museum and Basilica Cistern are just within minutes of walk from the hotel I was staying. The Tram station is also nearby. Actually I walk most of the time instead of taking the tram.
There is a fire burning in my heart,
I have to cool it before I could start.
There is an excitement growing within me,
I have to stop it before I am not me.
Pamukkale
From Canakkale I took a bus to Pamukkale for S$38. This was a long and tiring 8 hours ride and the bus stopped in Denizli instead. At the bus terminal, I approached a policeman to ask for direction and finally I landed up in a small and cosy hotel for S$31 a room with buffet breakfast. The next morning I took the mini bus (S$1.58) to Pamukkale. When I got off the bus, someone from a nearby travel agency approached me asking whether I would like to join a day tour of Pamukkale for S$54. I told him I would consider about that.
Canakkale and Troy
From Istanbul I took a 46 seater air-con coach to Canakkale for S$27. This is an interesting 6 hours trip where we were served a few rounds of drinks and biscuits in the coach by a uniform attendant pushing a small foldable trolley. It’s like the service in the plane. Very impressive!
Upon reaching the habour, the coach just drove into a ferry without us getting down. In fact there were 3 coaches and other vehicles in the ferry. It took about 30 minutes to cross the sea. I heard that they are going to build a bridge so that the coach could drive across to Canakkale. This might take some years.
I stayed 3 days and 2 nights in Canakkale. From the city, I took the mini bus to the ancient city of Troy. The bus fare is S$2.70 and the entrance fee to Troy is S$11.25. This is a must visit place in Turkey but there is physically nothing much to see except the wooden horse and stones. Spending an hour is more than enough. I will suggest that you watch the movie Troy and read something about the place so you will appreciate the visit more.
Turkey 土耳其
Share with all on some of the pictures I have taken during my trip to Turkey. Turkey is a big country and you can spend more than a month travelling around but I only stayed there for 12 days. From Istanbul I took the coach to Canakkale, Pamukkale, Cappadocia, Ankara and back to Istanbul. The weather was very hot when I was there in August. The days were long and I was almost “burnt to death”. This made me wrote something about the sun.
太阳在天空呼唤, 欢迎到这里游玩.
我正在路边迷茫,谁愿成我的旅伴.
太阳可是在加班, 阳光照耀在路上.
从六至晚七时半, 向外来游客诉玩.
太阳你真是麻烦, 快召月亮来接档.
星星你也快出来, 有你路已足够亮.
我要向太阳告狀, 这几天你可好狂.
把我晒成了肉干, 这可没什么好玩.
我请水神来帮忙,下点雨给我清凉.
等候海风快到来, 为我指出一方向.
这几天我在路上, 从白天走到傍晚.
初到这神秘地方, 也不能说太冤枉.
然而这是土耳其, 拥有神奇的力量.
心中充满了希望, 感觉到人间天堂.
这次土耳其之行的经历也太丰富了!
Ancient City
Attractions in Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh 胡志明市
Ho Chi Minh City is rather small. The tourist attractions are very close to each other and within 2 days you could have seen all of them. I was in Vietnam during the Christmas and New Year seasons. Though there are celebrations in the city but I did not join in; I just had an early sleep in the backpacker. When I arrived in Ho Chi Mihn I stayed in a wonderful capsule hotel. I also witnessed a graduation in the Independence Palace.
Crossing the road in Ho Chi Minh is a real challenge. You will require great effort and determination as the vehicles could come from any directions. According to the tour guide, out of 2 people in Ho Chi Minh there is one of them riding motorbike. I have done a search from the Internet and found that Ho Chi Minh City has a population of about 7 million and there about 4 million motorbikes on the road each day.
Yunnan Ethnic Village 云南民族村