I sat bolt upright, blinked and tried to look around the pitch black room. What time was it? How long had I been asleep? Had I slept too long? Suddenly, a voice pierced the darkness, loud and melodic (in a mournful kind of way), followed by a second, and another and another. It was the voices of the mullahs of the nearby mosques doing the call to prayer. I turned on my light and looked at my alarm clock-- 4:37 a.m. Are you kidding me? I was so tired but the call to prayer continued on. I started wondering if he was doing some kind of a sermon (I don't think the call to prayers in Dubai are this long! Really!) but he kept 'singing' so I knew it couldn't be a sermon. Funny how the call to prayer sounds so different in different countries. In Dubai, I'm assuming because of the environmental noise (construction, planes, etc.), I never hear the morning call to prayer unless I happen to be awake and laying in bed; then I'll hear 1 mullah after another start their calls-- it's actually kind of neat to hear the faint voices call out over the quiet-- it signifies the start of the day (at least to me)-- a kind of 'wake up and get going' call for me. In Bahrain, I don't remember hearing anything and in Jordan they were loud enough to partially wake up but it still seemed to be in the distance somewhere. This was like the speakers were right in my room. Of course, the Blue Mosque was directly behind my hotel so that probably made it seem even louder.
I managed to fall back asleep and work up at 7:30-- 10 hours of sleep-- fabulous! I don't remember the last time I slept that long. I went to breakfast on the hotel's rooftop restaurant- what a breath takingview! I could see the massive structures of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya looming over the old homes in Sultanahmet. As I looked at the Blue Mosque, I noticed the Egyptian obelisk in front of the Blue Mosque. This is when I realized I was in the heart of the action (historically speaking).
After breakfast, I grabbed my gear and went to see what used to be the Hippodrome. Major events are no longer held there as there's nothing left, but it's still a popular are having been turned in to a park. I started by visiting the obelisk; it's a massive structure and has a base that's made out of marble and has Egyptian reliefs carved in it. It is believed to have been made in 1500 BC and the base was believed to have been made in the 4th centure AD. It was wild to see this almost perfectly preserved Egyptian marker in the heart of old Constantinople. Next to the obelisk was the Serpentine Column or what was left of it as the serpents' heads were lost some time ago. This particular column dates back to 479 BC. The last column at this particular end of the Hippodrome area was the Column of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, a column that was restored in the 10th century AD.
From there, I walked back across to the north end of the square (close to Aya Sofya) and saw the covered fountain which was built to commemorate Kaiser Wilhem II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. I then crossed the street, bought a cheap scarf and headed to the Blue Mosque.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Istanbul- Day 1
Never, never, never again will I take a flight at 4:30 a.m. It is sheer madness! I managed to haul myself to the airport for my flight, but I was so exhausted that after I checked in and sat down near my gate, I simply threw my leg over my carry on and fell right asleep. Fortunately, I managed to wake up when they called the flight. I hauled my sad body on to the plane, fell in to a seat and promptly fell asleep again. Truthfully, I'm kind of impressed by my ability to sleep anywhere. :) I woke up a short while later when the flight attendants began paging a "Mr. Lee" to board the plane. Mr. Lee never showed up so we were late leaving as they had to take his bags off the plane before we could leave.
I arrived in Istanbul bright and early (7:30 a.m.) and got off the plane and lined up to pay a princely sum of 45 Euros for the priviledge of entering the country. I'm not sure why, but Canadians pay the highest rate for visas by far. Anyone know?? I grabbed my bags and hopped into a cab and drove smack dab into rush hour traffic Istanbul style. While we sat in the car, I looked around and enjoyed the view. The road ran parallel to the Bosphorus Sea. The Sea was choked up with tankers as far as the eye could see-- it's obviously a major port/ oil transport area. We drove in to the Sultanahmet area and I was immediately captivated by its charm-- narrow, steep, winding cobbelstone roads; skinny, tall houses in shades of red, pink, etc. lined the road as we drove up. All in all, it reminded me a lot of Old Quebec.
The cab dropped me off at the hotel but it turned out to be the wrong one (there are 2 hotels in the same district with the same name), so I had to get another cab driver to take me to the right hotel. The cab pulls up, opens up the trunk and throws my luggage in the wrong way so that it's sticking out of the trunk. He doesn't put the trunk lid down or secure the luggage in any way, but simply hops in the cab and takes off. These roads are amazingly steep and wind around corner after corner and I must admit that my heart was in my throat as we drove up the hill. I kept looking out the back window every time we went around a corner or hit a bump, half expecting to see my luggage tumbling down the road in the opposite direction to the one in which I was traveling and having the car behind us drive over my luggage (Please, not the bag with my expensive camera in it!). Thankfully we made it to the hotel with my luggage still in the trunk and still (relatively) in one piece.
As I checked in to the hotel, the manager mentioned to me that Grayline offered day long city tours and that there was one leaving in 10 mins. Since my room wasn't going to be ready for a couple of hours, it seemed worthwhile to hop on the bus and get an overview of the city. I left my bags with the concierge and hopped on the bus. There were about 15 others on the bus all from different countries and hotels. Our first stop was to the Egyptian, or Spice, Bazaar. As I wandered through the souk, I sampled more Turkish delight that I could hold, bought some apple tea for a teacher friend and at stall #20, had my first taste of apple tea. I'm addicted!
From there, we crossed the Galata Bridge to the Beyoglu/Taksim side of Istanbul. We drove past the military museum, a summer palace on the edge of the Bosphorus built for a daughter of the Sultan and Dolmabahce Palace. Shortly after passing by Dolmabahce Palace, our bus pulled over and we disembarked and headed to a boat for a private cruise of the Bosphorus. We cruised down the European side of Istanbul/the Bosphorus to the Bosphorus Bridge, the crossed over and cruised up the Asian side of the city. There were many beautiful Ottoman houses that lined the shore of the Bosphorus and it was easy to imagine the Sultans and their family, inner circle, summering on the Bosphorus. It was also easy to see that Istanbul was built up from the Sea as the older buildings are typically on the shore of the Bosphorus and the newere buildings are further up the mountain/hill away from the Bosphorus. The cruise itself was a bit rough as the waters were very rough on this day- the guide said it was partially caused by opposing currents from the Bosphorus and the Black Seas-- apparently they meet up on the section of the Bosphorus where we were cruising. Whatever the reason, we definitely bounced around a bit! While cruising around, we were able to see Rumele Fortress-- it was quite impressive.
All that cruising got us hungry, so we headed off for a traditional Turkish lunch at one of the local restaurants (stuffed peppers-- rice and currants I believe, plus some kind of a curried chicken dish), then it was off to Domabahce Palace. The palace was built in 1865 by Sultan Abdul Mecit. I was floored with how much crystal was in this place-- apparently the world's largest crystal chandelier hangs at this palace. The palace also contains the 3rd largest carpet in the world and even has a crystal staircase! (well, the spindles on the railing are crystal at any rate!). Apparently the Sultan took out a loan to finance the building of this palace-- I can see why! He even had an entry way built and reserved especially for him and another one built especially for his harem (there were at one point 1 000 concubines in the harem!). The Grand Hall is beyond description and as you look around, you can notice windows with what looks like carved 'grills' in front of them. It was behind these windows that the harem and other palace women could watch the goings on, formal gatherings, etc. that took place in the Grand Hall as the only women allowed in the Grand Hall was the Sultan's mother and perhaps his wife. This palace was so over the top that we were all made to wear pink plastic covers over our shoes lest we dirty anything. Oh how I suffer to get a peek at history!
Once we were done gaping over Dolmabahce Palace, we climbed back in our bus and headed for the Bosphorus Bridge. We literally left Europe behind and as we crossed the bridge, we crossed over to the Asian continent. Part way across was a sign saying, "Welcome to Asia". 2 yrs later and I'm back in Asia again! We headed for Camlica Hill which is a hill from which you can get great views of Istanbul. Unfortunately the temperature had dropped dramatically and a fog bank had started to roll in, making it impossible to stand outside for any length of time due to the cold weather and impossible to see much of anything due to the fog. I went in to the coffee house and had some Turkish coffee in an effort to thaw out and while waiting for the bus to come and get us.
I was dropped off at my hotel at 6 and went out to the main drag, found a nice restaurant, had dinner and drank some more of that yummy apple tea. I managed to stagger back to bed and collapsed on to the bed and fell sound, sound asleep.
Check out photos from my first day by clicking on this impossibly long link:
I arrived in Istanbul bright and early (7:30 a.m.) and got off the plane and lined up to pay a princely sum of 45 Euros for the priviledge of entering the country. I'm not sure why, but Canadians pay the highest rate for visas by far. Anyone know?? I grabbed my bags and hopped into a cab and drove smack dab into rush hour traffic Istanbul style. While we sat in the car, I looked around and enjoyed the view. The road ran parallel to the Bosphorus Sea. The Sea was choked up with tankers as far as the eye could see-- it's obviously a major port/ oil transport area. We drove in to the Sultanahmet area and I was immediately captivated by its charm-- narrow, steep, winding cobbelstone roads; skinny, tall houses in shades of red, pink, etc. lined the road as we drove up. All in all, it reminded me a lot of Old Quebec.
The cab dropped me off at the hotel but it turned out to be the wrong one (there are 2 hotels in the same district with the same name), so I had to get another cab driver to take me to the right hotel. The cab pulls up, opens up the trunk and throws my luggage in the wrong way so that it's sticking out of the trunk. He doesn't put the trunk lid down or secure the luggage in any way, but simply hops in the cab and takes off. These roads are amazingly steep and wind around corner after corner and I must admit that my heart was in my throat as we drove up the hill. I kept looking out the back window every time we went around a corner or hit a bump, half expecting to see my luggage tumbling down the road in the opposite direction to the one in which I was traveling and having the car behind us drive over my luggage (Please, not the bag with my expensive camera in it!). Thankfully we made it to the hotel with my luggage still in the trunk and still (relatively) in one piece.
As I checked in to the hotel, the manager mentioned to me that Grayline offered day long city tours and that there was one leaving in 10 mins. Since my room wasn't going to be ready for a couple of hours, it seemed worthwhile to hop on the bus and get an overview of the city. I left my bags with the concierge and hopped on the bus. There were about 15 others on the bus all from different countries and hotels. Our first stop was to the Egyptian, or Spice, Bazaar. As I wandered through the souk, I sampled more Turkish delight that I could hold, bought some apple tea for a teacher friend and at stall #20, had my first taste of apple tea. I'm addicted!
From there, we crossed the Galata Bridge to the Beyoglu/Taksim side of Istanbul. We drove past the military museum, a summer palace on the edge of the Bosphorus built for a daughter of the Sultan and Dolmabahce Palace. Shortly after passing by Dolmabahce Palace, our bus pulled over and we disembarked and headed to a boat for a private cruise of the Bosphorus. We cruised down the European side of Istanbul/the Bosphorus to the Bosphorus Bridge, the crossed over and cruised up the Asian side of the city. There were many beautiful Ottoman houses that lined the shore of the Bosphorus and it was easy to imagine the Sultans and their family, inner circle, summering on the Bosphorus. It was also easy to see that Istanbul was built up from the Sea as the older buildings are typically on the shore of the Bosphorus and the newere buildings are further up the mountain/hill away from the Bosphorus. The cruise itself was a bit rough as the waters were very rough on this day- the guide said it was partially caused by opposing currents from the Bosphorus and the Black Seas-- apparently they meet up on the section of the Bosphorus where we were cruising. Whatever the reason, we definitely bounced around a bit! While cruising around, we were able to see Rumele Fortress-- it was quite impressive.
All that cruising got us hungry, so we headed off for a traditional Turkish lunch at one of the local restaurants (stuffed peppers-- rice and currants I believe, plus some kind of a curried chicken dish), then it was off to Domabahce Palace. The palace was built in 1865 by Sultan Abdul Mecit. I was floored with how much crystal was in this place-- apparently the world's largest crystal chandelier hangs at this palace. The palace also contains the 3rd largest carpet in the world and even has a crystal staircase! (well, the spindles on the railing are crystal at any rate!). Apparently the Sultan took out a loan to finance the building of this palace-- I can see why! He even had an entry way built and reserved especially for him and another one built especially for his harem (there were at one point 1 000 concubines in the harem!). The Grand Hall is beyond description and as you look around, you can notice windows with what looks like carved 'grills' in front of them. It was behind these windows that the harem and other palace women could watch the goings on, formal gatherings, etc. that took place in the Grand Hall as the only women allowed in the Grand Hall was the Sultan's mother and perhaps his wife. This palace was so over the top that we were all made to wear pink plastic covers over our shoes lest we dirty anything. Oh how I suffer to get a peek at history!
Once we were done gaping over Dolmabahce Palace, we climbed back in our bus and headed for the Bosphorus Bridge. We literally left Europe behind and as we crossed the bridge, we crossed over to the Asian continent. Part way across was a sign saying, "Welcome to Asia". 2 yrs later and I'm back in Asia again! We headed for Camlica Hill which is a hill from which you can get great views of Istanbul. Unfortunately the temperature had dropped dramatically and a fog bank had started to roll in, making it impossible to stand outside for any length of time due to the cold weather and impossible to see much of anything due to the fog. I went in to the coffee house and had some Turkish coffee in an effort to thaw out and while waiting for the bus to come and get us.
I was dropped off at my hotel at 6 and went out to the main drag, found a nice restaurant, had dinner and drank some more of that yummy apple tea. I managed to stagger back to bed and collapsed on to the bed and fell sound, sound asleep.
Check out photos from my first day by clicking on this impossibly long link:
 |
| Dolmabahce Palace |
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Abu Dhabi
I went to Abu Dhabi on Saturday for the first time since I moved to the UAE. It's very pretty and much greener than Dubai. It also seems quieter than Dubai. I really enjoyed driving along the water front as well as touring through town. I'd forgotten that it was Saturday and that a number of places (like the Women's Coop) would be closed. I guess I'll have to go back another day...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
On the road to Abu Dhabi
Today I went down the road to Abu Dhabi. I'm embarrassed to admit that though I've lived in the Middle East for 1.5 yrs, I've never been to Abu Dhabi. I was told that it was quieter than Dubai and that the royal family lives there. It definitely was different-- lots of greenery, low rise buildings (though you can see many cranes and high rise buildings are rising up out of the sand) and has a much different vibe from Dubai.
Anyhow, on the road to Abu Dhabi I ended up behind a Toyota pick up truck. It took me a couple of minutes to realize what was in the flat bed as my mind was wandering. When I finally took a look, I think I actually shook my head a couple of times because I wasn't sure I was really seeing the scene in front of me. Not sure if he was heading to/from the camel market or camel races, but he sure looks comfortable back there doesn't he?
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Dubai Orienteering Challenge
I've decided that signage in Dubai is a combination of comedy and a waste of time. Because of the constant construction very few signs are accurate, so you either have to know exactly where you're going or you try to make the best guess possible and hope you end up in the right lane or in the right place. Today for example, I was driving back from Al Mamzar and saw a sign that said "Bur Dubai" and a sign that said "Jumeirah". I live in Bur Dubai so I took the exit-- wrong! I ended up in the wrong part of Bur Dubai stuck in massive traffic. I should have taken the "Jumeirah" exit which, though it doesn't state it, would take me to the right area of Bur Dubai. See what I mean??
Now to the signage. I will be taking photos and posting them because you really have to see them to believe them. I'm not sure how to describe them. You're driving on the highway and suddenly you see this sign with 2 loop-de-loops and an arrow that's 180 from the direction in which you're traveling. It means you take an exit ramp, immediately take an off-ramp and go back up to the road on which you were traveling (but in the opposite direction), then head back the way you came. They're just the funniest things I've seen. There's one about a block from my apt and I'll go get a photo of it in the next day or so. It took me several months to completely understand these signs (or as best as I could) -- I really couldn't grasp that I was supposed to drive exactly the way it was sketched out on the sign. It really is funny.
Now to the signage. I will be taking photos and posting them because you really have to see them to believe them. I'm not sure how to describe them. You're driving on the highway and suddenly you see this sign with 2 loop-de-loops and an arrow that's 180 from the direction in which you're traveling. It means you take an exit ramp, immediately take an off-ramp and go back up to the road on which you were traveling (but in the opposite direction), then head back the way you came. They're just the funniest things I've seen. There's one about a block from my apt and I'll go get a photo of it in the next day or so. It took me several months to completely understand these signs (or as best as I could) -- I really couldn't grasp that I was supposed to drive exactly the way it was sketched out on the sign. It really is funny.
Dubai Mini-vacation
Today I decided to try a new beach. I really haven't done much beaching since I came to Dubai-- I'm just not a 'go lay on the beach and do nothing' kind of girl. However, I thought I'd give another kick at the can and see if I liked it. Dubai has so many beaches that it'd be a shame not to try some out.
Today I went to Al Mamzar Beach. It is actually in and around Al Mamzar Park. I zipped through the Shindagha Tunnel and headed to Al Mamzar. The drive out reminded me of Al Ain-- every few metres we had a roundabout to go around. I must have gone around 4 or 5 before I go to the turnoff to Al Mamzar Beach. Then I had another couple roundabouts to navigate before I got to the beach- how people around here don't get dizzy is beyond me! :)
After paying my 30 AED fee (cars are charged a flat fee; pedestrians are charged 5 AED), I drove through the park to the beach. I actually had 4 beaches to choose from. I decided to go as far back as I could and went to beach 3. When I walked through the little gate/pagoda to the beach area, my mouth dropped open. In front of me was white sand, azur water and the bluest sky you could ever imagine. There was also virtually no one on the beach, so I quickly nabbed a couple of shots.
It was so lovely-- I set up shop under a palm frond umbrella, read for a bit, then napped while listening to the thunder of the waves hitting the shore. The smell of the salt was in the air, and , except for the fact that it is warmer here, I could almost pretend that I was at Crystal Crescent Beach in NS. 'K, the water here is WAY warmer! After a while, more people came along and I was struck by the interesting mix of beach goers-- Russians in their bikinis and (gulp!) Speedos (we really need to ban those things!), other westerners in their bathing gear and local/ Gulf visitors including some women who went in to the ocean fully covered-- I actually wondered if they had gone in with their regular clothes on or if they had a bathing suit under their long cover. One lady was even bobbing and diving in the water while wearing her shayla. I was truly impressed that she was able to keep that on. Had it been me, I'd have lost it the first time the waves crashed over me. Perhaps she had a barrette or something to keep it in place. Other ladies were wearing long pants, 'coats' (they kind of looked like lab coats) & shaylas, but they didn't go in the water. Wednesdays is ladies' only days, so perhaps then they do not need to cover up when they go in the water? I was so taken with the differences I was seeing, yet no one batted an eye about it. I just think it's so neat and interesting to see the difference in cultures.
After 1.5 hrs, I decided to go as I had had a headache all morning that was now getting worse. I chose a good time to go b/c a group of elementary school boys from Al Ain showed up with their teachers just as I was going-- so much for a quiet beach at that point!
Driving back to Dubai, I was thinking that I felt like I'd been on vacation and was now heading back to town, yet the beach is only 15 mins from home. That is what I love about Dubai-- you never have to go far to feel like you've had a wonderful vacation and that your batteries are re-charged and you're ready to face another crazy week!
Today I went to Al Mamzar Beach. It is actually in and around Al Mamzar Park. I zipped through the Shindagha Tunnel and headed to Al Mamzar. The drive out reminded me of Al Ain-- every few metres we had a roundabout to go around. I must have gone around 4 or 5 before I go to the turnoff to Al Mamzar Beach. Then I had another couple roundabouts to navigate before I got to the beach- how people around here don't get dizzy is beyond me! :)
After paying my 30 AED fee (cars are charged a flat fee; pedestrians are charged 5 AED), I drove through the park to the beach. I actually had 4 beaches to choose from. I decided to go as far back as I could and went to beach 3. When I walked through the little gate/pagoda to the beach area, my mouth dropped open. In front of me was white sand, azur water and the bluest sky you could ever imagine. There was also virtually no one on the beach, so I quickly nabbed a couple of shots.
It was so lovely-- I set up shop under a palm frond umbrella, read for a bit, then napped while listening to the thunder of the waves hitting the shore. The smell of the salt was in the air, and , except for the fact that it is warmer here, I could almost pretend that I was at Crystal Crescent Beach in NS. 'K, the water here is WAY warmer! After a while, more people came along and I was struck by the interesting mix of beach goers-- Russians in their bikinis and (gulp!) Speedos (we really need to ban those things!), other westerners in their bathing gear and local/ Gulf visitors including some women who went in to the ocean fully covered-- I actually wondered if they had gone in with their regular clothes on or if they had a bathing suit under their long cover. One lady was even bobbing and diving in the water while wearing her shayla. I was truly impressed that she was able to keep that on. Had it been me, I'd have lost it the first time the waves crashed over me. Perhaps she had a barrette or something to keep it in place. Other ladies were wearing long pants, 'coats' (they kind of looked like lab coats) & shaylas, but they didn't go in the water. Wednesdays is ladies' only days, so perhaps then they do not need to cover up when they go in the water? I was so taken with the differences I was seeing, yet no one batted an eye about it. I just think it's so neat and interesting to see the difference in cultures.
After 1.5 hrs, I decided to go as I had had a headache all morning that was now getting worse. I chose a good time to go b/c a group of elementary school boys from Al Ain showed up with their teachers just as I was going-- so much for a quiet beach at that point!
Driving back to Dubai, I was thinking that I felt like I'd been on vacation and was now heading back to town, yet the beach is only 15 mins from home. That is what I love about Dubai-- you never have to go far to feel like you've had a wonderful vacation and that your batteries are re-charged and you're ready to face another crazy week!
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