Cappadocia

Posted on November 15, 2017 by The Traveller

I was a cave man in Cappadocia because I stayed in a cave. Most of the hotels in Cappadocia are built in or near to caves. In fact, the whole city is surrounded by caves.

I got a bed in this Stay In Peace Cave Hotel for S$7.50 a night with breakfast and free wifi. There is no air-con in the cave but it was cooling. What a good experience! The owner, a young Turkish couple, are very friendly. They provide information about the place, arrange for tours and do whatever they could to assist the tourists. A good stay!

The whispers in the morning Woke me up

Of me sleeping light I helplessly sigh

Even though I have time I quickly walked up

Of seeing the hot air balloons On the mountain side

Sound of my heart beat Travelled thr morning light

Of me leading myself Finding for a good site

The sun unwillingly woke up And birds flying up high

Of hundreds balloons floating What a beautiful sight

Ankara

Posted on November 4, 2017 by The Traveller

I took the midnight bus from Cappadocia to Ankara. I though I could save the cost for a night hotel stay and sleep in the bus instead. However, I just couldn’t get a good sleep in the bus. When I reached Ankara at 7am, the hotel was kind enough to let me check-in. Till then I managed to sleep for a few hours.

Ankara is the Capital of Turkey but there aren’t many attractions. I only stayed there for a day and took the bus back to Istanbul the next afternoon.

Istanbul

Posted on October 22, 2017 by The Traveller

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

Posted on October 17, 2017 by The Traveller

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.

After about 10 minutes of walk, another man approached me asking me to join his tour for S$36, which is one third cheaper that the earlier approach.

His group had 2 Canadians, 2 Indians, one Korean and 2 Singaporeans. Without second thought, I joined in the tour.

Later I found out that the middle age Singaporean couple is a pilot and a teacher.

I also met 3 young Malay Singaporeans while waiting for the tour. I think we have the Singaporean identity as when we look at each other, we know that we are from Singapore.

Pamukkale means Cotton Castle in Turkish. It is a natural site for hot springs. This is a rather small place but it has some remarkable spots, such as the Roman Spa and Roman Theatre. Though the ancient Roman bath has collapsed but the structures are still there. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Canakkale and Troy

Posted on October 5, 2017 by The Traveller

Image Resized at http://www.shrinkpictures.com

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

Posted on October 3, 2017 by The Traveller

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.

Canakkale and Troy

Istanbul

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.

Cappadocia

Ankara

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.

Pamukkale

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!

Ho Chi Minh 胡志明市

Posted on January 28, 2017 by The Traveller

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.

Attractions in Ho Chi Minh

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.

Hanoi 河内

Posted on January 28, 2017 by The Traveller

Have you been to the street of Hanoi

With shops and restaurants all around

It’s busy and it’s crazy

You could eat and shop the whole day round

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At the old quarter of Hanoi

With the historic building around

Tourists sitting in the cafe having egg coffee

Seeing the world goes round

Come to the street of Hanoi

Bring your camera and belongings around

You could change your mind

After touring the city one round

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Khao San Road

Posted on July 23, 2016 by The Traveller

This the backpacker’s haven. It’s a short road but full of life in the evening. Even the surrounding area are getting busy. Another must visit place in Bangkok.

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Chatuchak Market

Posted on July 23, 2016 by The Traveller

This is a must visit for those who visit Bangkok for the first time. The weekend market sells almost everything, ranging from food, clothes, bags, souvenirs to flowers, worms and dogs and cats.

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