I just had a dream, a vivid one. It felt so real. About my late grandfather.

In that dream, our family gathered at our house. We talked about how Bak (my grandfather)’s health deteriorating. He showed some ‘changes’. At that time, we kind of ‘knew’ that his last days were approaching. We said our goodbyes when Bak was going back to his house. I saw my younger cousins started to cry. He left the house finally. I was about to grab my phone, to call him and talk. I had this tiny feeling inside saying that it might be my last time talking to him. But, that dream ended there!

I opened my eyes. It’s in the middle of the night, and I saw my husband sleeping beside me. The moment I realized it was just a dream, I cried hard.

The truth is, I (we) didn’t had the chance to say goodbye to him. By Allah’s will, he left us during a weekend when most of our family members were not home. After having chest discomfort, he drove himself to the hospital not far from home, at 4am. And he took his last breath at the emergency department, not long after that. The report says it was due to cardiogenic shock.

It’s 2 years after he left all of us (on Dec 26th, 2009). How fast time flies. But I barely talked about it (the lost). Whenever I miss him, I cried alone. Not even my husband realizes it. I was so close to arwah and love him dearly. I lived with him and my late grandmother since I was an infant until I went for boarding school in Form 1. Her favourite granddaughter, i was.

He was a schoolteacher. When I was 6 years old, I joined Standard One class at his school. Despite being a year younger than my peers, I managed to get first and second ranking in class during exams. I cried many times at that school, though: when I forgot to bring certain books, when a naughty boy teases me, when I want to fast during Ramadhan but all my friends went to canteen instead. Whenever I had that ‘problem’, I went to teacher’s room to find him.

I have interests in books since I was young. I inherited it from Pa, my father. While he encourages me to read since my early years, my grandfather also contributed in some ways. Thanks to Bak for endless trips to Pustaka Dayang (now Pustaka Seri Intan?), the big & famous bookstore in Kuala Trg. Books became my best friend, until now.

Bak had seen me grown up from a little girl, becoming a woman. Besides my parents, he was very much involved. I still remember him being so happy on my engagement day (5 months before he left us). Unfortunately, he was not there to share happiness during my wedding day.

I miss him, every now and then. Maybe this dream I had serves to remind me that we still can ‘communicate’ with him through Do’a & Yasin recitation. That’s the thing we can still do, to show our love for arwah. Al-Fatihah..

After visiting Blue Mosque, we walked to the nearby Hagia Sophia (pronounced as “Aya Sofia”), another historical establishment in Sultanahmet. The architecture is amazing! Too bad my camera ran out of battery when we were inside the museum. Here are the pictures we managed to snap. Some of them using iPhone4.

The whole day we spent in Sultanahmet is specially dedicated to my husband. He loves historical places so much. Not that I don’t appreciate history. All I can say is that he loves it MUCH MORE than I do.

Public transportation in Istanbul is very efficient. As usual, we utilized the Metro (subway) to bring us from Taksim to Kabatas. From Kabatas, we (conveniently) changed to tram line. We boarded the tram from Kabatas, and stopped at Sultanahmed station.

We walked not more than 100 meter from the station, and saw this magnificent view:

It was end of October. Day temperature was estimated at 10 degree Celcius. We can feel the coldness whenever wind blows. It was a good, sufficiently sunny day to go outdoor, unlike the first day we were in Istanbul when it rained continuously.

The Blue Mosque, which is also called as Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historical mosque in Istanbul. While still used as a mosque, the Blue Mosque is also a very popular tourist attraction. Visiting Blue Mosque while you are in Istanbul is comparable with going to Eiffel Tower while you are in Paris, in my opinion.

The mosque is opened to public 7 days a week. However, it will be closed for about half an hour during prayer times, 5 times a day. On Fridays, the mosque is closed for a longer time since the prayer is longer. You won’t be charged any entrance fee (it’s a functioning mosque, by the way). The visitors are allowed to enter from the north door, while the west door is reserved for Muslim worshippers.

Note: Shoes need to be removed when you walk inside the mosque. Before entering, you will be given a plastic bag for your shoes.

“The real thrill of visiting the Blue Mosque lies as you approach it. Entering it is an overwhelming experience. As you enter the compound, you see the six minarets towering in front of you. You look upwards to the domes and each dome rises higher than the other does until you reach the main dome. Here, as you look up, you seem to face the heavens above”.

You can read more info on Blue Mosque here.

Please take the chance to visit other tourist attractions such as Hagia Sophia (museum) and Topkapi Palace while you are in Sultanahmed. Trip Advisor suggested that you spend 3-5 hours for visiting those three historical places. They are all within walking distances.

At first, I thought Baklava does not suit my taste. I knew that it is super-sweet. And I associated my thoughts of having baklava with taking spoonful of sugar! The assumption however changed when I tried the one in Istanbul. I fell in love with it instantly! It’s really tasty. Writing about it already makes me salivating.

Wikipedia described baklava as “a rich, sweet pastry, made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey”. It is very famous in Turkey.

We found many varieties of baklava throughout our stay in Istanbul; some filled with chopped nuts, pistachios, usually topped with honey, or even chocolate syrup. Oh my! Who invented this delicious pastry? We bought a few types of Baklava from Egyptian Bazaar a.k.a Spice Bazaar to bring home.

During our last day staying in Istanbul, we had an early breakfast at our hotel. We decided to take our final walk around the area near our hotel in Taksim. We did our final shopping there.

I could not resist myself when we passed by a coffee shop. The smell of fresh coffee on a cold, windy morning stopped me. I saw a wide array of Baklava through the shop glass window. Then, i grabbed my hubby’s hand and suggested for us to stop and have a cup of Turkish coffee.

There, we ate our last Baklava in Istanbul.

I still cannot forget the taste of this dish, even after 2 weeks we left Istanbul. The most luxurious dish we ate so far. As the name implies, it is an assortment of grilled meats; chicken, beef, lamb and also shish kebab (meat threaded on skewer & grilled). Vegetables were included; sliced carrot & cucumber, tomatoes & grilled chillies. We ordered this dish, for two person. The price was Turkish Lira (TL)30 x 2 = TL60 (~RM102).

We enjoyed this dish on our final night in Istanbul. After I finished with my presentation, we strolled along Istiklal Cadessi, arms in arms. I needed to savor the final smell of Istanbul, especially at my favorite shopping street. Nevertheless, the prominent smell we encountered was cigarette smokes, from hundreds or thousands of people enjoying their weeknight there.

We stopped at Hala Restaurant for dinner. I must thank my friend, KD for suggesting this place. It is a local favorite, the place was full with local people as well as tourists. The food was delicious, the price was reasonable.

Note: Go to eat where locals eat, to ensure fair pricing.

If you happen to stay in Beyoglu neighborhood, don’t miss it. Hala restaurant is located on the left side of Istiklal Cadessi (pedestrian street), when you face away from Taksim Square.

I’m quite excited. My husband & I will be going to Istanbul tonight (at midnight).

We’re doing our final checklist:

1. International Passport / Visa

Checked. Passport should valid for at least 6 months from travel date. In case of Turkey, we do not need visa to enter the country.



2. Credit cards

We already called our banks informing that we’re going overseas on certain dates. So they won’t be alarmed to suddenly see transactions at thousand miles from Malaysia!



3. Mobile roaming

My Maxis roaming service has been activated before. So, no prob to use my mobile there (with roaming charges). For smartphone users, please turn off your Data connection (3G, GPRS, etc) as the data roaming charges are damn expensive!!



4. Medications

It’s a good idea to carry your own meds from home country.. You don’t know how far pharmacy shops would be from your hotel there. Different countries use different brand names for a particular drug. So, they may not be familiar with the brands you are asking.



5. Food & Drinks

I always bring instant hot drinks (Milo, etc). It’s so much cheaper to make your own drink at hotel room than buying a cup of hot chocolate from a fancy cafeteria near/at your hotel.

Besides that, we are also bringing some other food (packed biscuits & buns) to carry around later.



6. Universal adaptor

We bring 1 universal adaptor & 1 wire extension (with 4 or 5 ports) to recharge our phones, iPads, camera battery & laptop.



7. Moisturizers

For lips: I love this Medicated Lip Balm and Tinted Lip Balm (in Pink Blossom) from Burt’s Bees.

For body: bringing Burt’s Bees. Hubby can also use this

8. Aircraft cabin LAG rules

LAG refers to liquid, aerosol & gels (including cosmetics) to be hand-carried into aircraft cabin. You have to put LAG into a clear container for easy inspection. Size for each item should not exceed 50g or 50ml.

9. Facial mist

I’m using Vichy Eau Thermale facial mist. It’s very useful to use during long flights, to freshen your face and avoid dehydration. Spray this to your face, and u’ll fell like u just stepped out of shower



10. Good walking shoes
U really need this!

And finally…

I’m excited!