Beautiful Istanbul Finale

Lets khatam this Istanbul episode... Taknak cerita panjang2 tgk gambar jelah ye.

Day 6 (14122008)

At the park next to Topkapi Palace (just like Hyde Park adjacent to Buckingham Palace) ... strolling and enjoying the breathtaking view.

The children nak naik horse carriage so.... daddies joined them (infront of Haghia Sophia). Mommies jaga babies.

Mamas shopping time!

By 3.00 after lunch at the Mac Donald sent the children to the hotel, rest and take a short nap coz malam mamas and daddies nak dating berempat jer. We went to the Sufi Music Concert and Whirling Dervishes Ceremony Dances at the Sirkeci Old Railway Station, performed by the Sufi Group of Istanbul Galata Mevlevi Lodge . Later pergi makan2 n lepak at one of the restaurants at SultanAhmet.

Nite : Sufi /Whirling Dances. Ermmm meremang bulu roma dgn the enchanted choir (like gospel) enchanting Kalimah Allah - the nasyid like melody.

Day 7 (15122008)
Aud Lang Syne.

Time to say Good Bye. Morning Mamas n babah sempat lagi gi Grand Bazaar (10mins walk), last minutes shopping, balik hotel finalized everything and checked out. The man in blue shirt is our humble hotel owner, Prof. Dr Dogen Sumangen. Really impressed with the hospitality and his high level of patience dealing with our little munchkins (Riri described them as a little circus), macam2 ragam. Really!!! ADA hotel is highly recommended for so many reasons. In short, PERFECT and PUAS ATI!

Bayar!bayar! Bayar Time!

Checked out and Suad took us for City Tour (Gallata Tower, Pierre Lotti Hill) killing the time, our flight was scheduled at 11.50 at nite. Badan dah penat, just ingat rumah jer , missed Dubai already.

Gallata Tower, it was so windy and darnnnn COLD

Pieere Lotti Top Hill View and in the restaurant sipping apple tea, with Suad, our driver. Irdina with Mama Riri enjoying Apple coated with sugar glaze , sweet yummy... The fantastic views of the Golden Horn are best admired from the hilltop of Pierre Lotti Cafe.

All exhausted, Ali and Iman has started to catch fever.

Bye-Bye Istanbul. Alhamdulillah.

Beautiful Istanbul pt III

Still on Istanbul... jangan jemu ye, just wanna share and for atuk2 n nenek2 depa kat KL n Perlis nak tgk cucu depa pi jln2.

The nite before, waktu malam tu bawak budak2 naik tram ke Thaksim n then ke satu shopping mall. Nothing much diff, macam Dubai jer so budak2 just excited dapat naik tram jer.

Day 5

Spice Bazaar/Bosphorus Cruise/Dolmabahche Palace

The few days we were in Istanbul was terrific, cuaca tho sejuk tapi terang and very sunny. For sure gambar amik cantek-cantek. Really hoping for another sunny day as nak cruising along the Bosphorus and click2 crazy... but langit nampak cloudy, u see the real winter looked cold and mundane. But since dah planned and we took a travel agent to arrange the trip. They took us from hotel and first we headed to the Spice Bazaar.

Spice Bazaar - another bazaar yg lebih kurang sama macam Grand Bazaar and sell souvenirs and Istanbul stuff yg serupa but cheaper. Sebelum masuk Spice Bazaar, there is a mosque and budak2 excited nampak pigeons. there are 4-5 booths jual dedak app 0.50YTL satu pinggan. Anak2 ni dah makcik tu hulur satu satu pingan, masing2 amik macam ingat nenek tu sedekah. Sedar tak sedar dia kumpul pinggan tu bukan main tinggi lagi. Pastu senyum jer mintak duit... kenyang pigeons tu makan 10 lira babahnye kena bayar. Sabor jelah makcik tu! Takpelah niat sedekah jelah.

Then the driver took us to the dock amik boat for cruising, tak ramai sangat... the day was so cold dengan angin dr atas deck lagi. MasyaAllah. Baby Dina was dozing comfortably and soundly and dok senyap2 dlm stroller siap bungkus lagi. The children were excited sekejap tapi bila dah sejuk sangat masing2 turun bawah order apple tea.

Frankly speaking, view aritu tu tak berapa cantik; not as we expected ... langit quite cloudy and it was drizzling. As masa nampak Marmara Sea dari Topkapi on the previous day, the view was beautiful... laut and langit membiru. Tgk picture jelah ye!

Then they took us for lunch for Turkish cuisine in one of the restaurants dekat dgn Hagia Sophia. Nampak very cozy and the starter was already served on the table. Ermmmm... initially tgk makanan tu mmg rasa tak leh pi. Ada scramble eggs plus soggy kus-kus and savoury brinjals (mcm terung belado). Terung tu je yg akak boleh makan. Tgk Riri pun camtu gak... anak2 pun bising takleh habiskan. Then dia antar main course, chicken grilled with fries and macam nasik but rasanyer baked barleys. OKlah boleh tahanlah. Dessert dia... very sweet and pun ramai yg takleh abiskan. Rasanyer, chef and towkeh restaurant tu kecik ati ngan kami... the fact is mmg tekak Malaysia ni tak sekufu ngan Turkish cuisine.

Tgk mama Riri sambil makan tumpang dagu, macam kena paksa makan. hehehe

Habis lunch we went to Dolmacache Sarayi (Palace)

The palace is beautiful. Bebudak tu excited nak amik gambar depan soldier yg dok keras depan palace tu. Macam kat depan Istana Buckingham or Istana Negara. Click2 gambar... masuk dlm met Petronas staff from Sudan with family. Kawan Noris gak. Masuk dlm waited for the English group tour. Everyone has to cover the shoes with plastic cover (slipper) provided and advised remain silence. Alahai... bolehke anak2 kami ni quiet (esp Ilham and Andri), the two babies behaved quite well but the 1 1/2 hr tour rasa mcm panjang sgt sebab dok kepung budak 2 org tu n nak reduce 'hiruk pikuk depa'. Alhamdulillah... bila abis, babah dia tobat suruh mamas gi masuk Harem sendirik, the daddies took care of the children.

This is only 5-10% of the whole view of the interior.

Back to the tour story... one has to observe and experience urselves on the grandeur of this palace. Tiang tangga dia ajer pakai crystal and most of the ceiling are coated with gold lining... pendek kata memang grand... The best part was at the grand hall, cantik sangat2. the chandelier especially, so exquisite.

The Harem again actually tpt concubines tinggal but later The last president... Kamal Atartuk stayed there and died there. Most of the clock strucked 9.05 (time of his death). Siapa Kamal Atartuk????.... if u don't know start googling ya.

Finally, thought it was already over but they took us to the on of the hill but tak ingat nama dia.... to observe aerial view of Istanbul. When we reached this place dah tak larat sebenarnyer and it was so cold + windy. Tak larat nak jln so tgh sibuk2 tgk Pengantin Turkey; something happened. MasyaAllah, Haris was almost hit by a car (actually dah kena gak but fortunately Mahadi sempat peluk dia. The was a 'bang', rasanyer the car hit tangan Mahadi. Rasa macam gugur jantung sebab both dah terduduk kat atas jalan. The driver pucat kluar kreta and checked, ramai attended even some policemen. Tapi kita org Malaysia ni tak suka kecoh2 just cut it short and ask the driver to leave. Someone siap bawak air putih bagi anak tu minum to ease the panic. Mama Riri pun tak tercakap apa... terkejut. Memang ada guardian Angel lah jaga anak sorang tu. Syukur Alhamdulillah dia selamat.

OK then till next entry, the finale.

Beautiful Istanbul Pt II

Day 4 (12122008)
We came back late from Bursa pukul 12.00midnite baru sampai, punyalah letih n terpaksa heret anak2 naik hotel. So on the fourth day the children were exhausted and tak nak ikut pergi mana2. And it was our intention to leave them since mommies nak pergi explore Haghia Sophia... We took our best munckins along, Riri bawak Andry and mama took Ilham for kalau anak2 dua orang ni with us... life kat hotel tu tak kecoh sangat. Irdina tinggal dgn Kak Sutik yang amat sanggup nak jaga Dak Dina Debot. The facts is ARYAN n DINA were the BEST supporting tourists we took to Istanbul

On the way to Hagia Sophia we detoured to Basillica Underground Cistern. It is actually a reservoir/water storage plant built by Byzantine Emperor. Turun ke underground tu MasyaAllah the place is beautiful under the dim lite, undescribable. It is well restored by the government and the visitors melt into disappearance when they are in the cistern to see the Medusa head accompany with the soothing music.

Llength of cistern is 140m, width of it is 70m and it is a giant rectangular stracture. In the cistern where you can godownstairs yhrough 52 stone stairs, there are 336 columns of which height is 9m. these marbles compose of 12 rows, nemely 28 columns in each and there is 4.8m between each and every one of the marbles



On the way to Haghia Sophia, we met many Medical Students from Egypt. Ada dekat 20-25 students jugak on their holiday in Istanbul. Asked them how much they spent for the trip and surprisingly taklah mahal sangat about RM 2000.00 for one week (hotel in Thaksim) inclusive trip to Bursa. Pretty reasonable.

Haghia Sophia

Later we proceed to Haghia Sophia. alam 150meter from the Cistern. Entry fee dalam 20YTL per person. It was once a catholic church then converted to a mosque and later to a musuem.

The exterior of Haghia Sophia.

The Islamic elements are still restored

As well as the Christian virtues are well restored too.

Then off we walk to the Grand Bazaar. Apa lagi shopping time... but when u entered the place it is is so colourful, so were mesmerized and hypnotized. Finally, beli fridge magnet, Turkey tea sets and few small souvenirs. Mama and auntie Riri bought a porcelain plate and a porcelain bowland also a jug, hand made ... beautiful and after a hard bargain we got it for quite a reasonable price. Unfortunately, angry Andri ngamuk and baling mama dia punya barang and crack. So another mama thought dia punya selamat but similarly the staffof that Turkish air main baling that bags. so mama Zaida punya pun crack gak Cuma jug selamat because had carried!!!!! Sigh!. Takdak rezeki...

Colours of Istanbul!!!!!

Top right, the pinggan mangkuk kami yg hancusss.

Till next entry ...

08122008 (backdated)

Intan, Yasmeen and Harris' Birthdays.

Happy Birthdays to Yasmeen, Intan and Harris.

Alahai! punyalah mama excited tulis pasal Istanbul terlupa nak update pasal birthday anak dara sorang ni. On Eidul Adha (8.12.2008), Moi n Norris invited us for beraya with them. As the following Subuh kami nak berangkat ke Istanbul, mama tak prepare apa2 pun. Infact pagi raya tu Firdaus and family tetiba datang beraya. Ermmm adhoc plan nak serve apa ye?... hohoho dapat buat cekodok udang jelah (mintak mahap banyak2)

Birthday Yasmeen and Intan coincides the same date (the actual date is 10 December 2008). They are at the same age - 9 years. So kira buat sekalilah, senang and seems Harris pun tak celebrate his birthday on the 4th of Dec... semua mommies tapau sekali buat birthdays aritu. Besides there are many children to celebrate. Ala budak2 ni dapat tiup lilin cake, nyanyi2 birthday song, rasa puas hati dah. Birthday present babah dah bookkan tiket ke Istanbul... hahaha. So both children; A'an and Intan actually celebrated both birthdays in Dubai with mama n babah.

note ; Thank u ye Ibu Moi and Ayah Norris, readykan party siap food utk Intan.

Beautiful Istanbul

Salaam...

It has been quite awhile, Lama tak berblogging. We were away for a short break to Istanbul. A day after Aidul Adha we took the Turkish flight; 5 Adults with 9 children. Ramai kan????

Istanbul was once called Byzantium then Constinopale is one of the world great cities. Anyone could not deny on her very own beauty and unique history and the only place where Europe meets Asia.

Day 1. (09122008)

ADA Hotel SultanAhmet Street

Arrival - arrived at the Atarturk Airport at 10.45 local time and were fetch and chauffered driven to ADA Hotel at Sultahahmet Street. Greeted and welcomed personally by the owner of the hotel ; Prof. Dr Dogen Sumangen. ADA hotel is strategic and very economical, COZYis the right word to describe, so close (walking distance) to the attractions merely few hundred metres to Blue Mosque, Haghia Sphia and Topkapi, Grand Bazaar etc. Checked in and cleared the luggages and off we go to our first attraction; Blue Mosque.

ADA Hotel, just arrived.... from LensaRiri

Blue Mosque. - Sultan Ahmet 1's great mosque ; one of the world's most famous religious building ' "blue" on account to the delicately patterned Iznik tiles which adorn the interior. Beautiful architecture!!! Tourists could enjoy the tour in the mosque for FREE.

Exterior - Ilham Made friend with Bosnian girl.

The interior design in Blue Mosque - from LensaRiri

This is Haghia Sophia, next to Blue Mosque. It was already evening and cold plus hungry. The children dah bising lapar so just took pictures. Note the orange color of Haghia Sophia. That is the real effect reflections of the sunset. Cantik kan!

Day 2 (10122008)

Topkapi Sarayi (Palace).

We spent half of the day at the garden area. Strolling leisurely in the compound, the garden is enourmous and beautiful.It resembles the Forbidden City in Beijing. The etrance fee is 20YTL/per person (60dirham) but it worth the money spent. The palace is located on top of the hill by the seaside, overlooking the Marmara Sea and Bosphoros. The view is amazing and so breathtaking. Apa taknyer! u were in Europe but u could see the other Asian continent on the other side. So near and not that far. Besides the day was beautiful bright sunny chilling cold day. Perfectttt!!!!

We managed to cover most of the places as the children boleh lari2 dlm garden tu and mommies masuk dadies tolong jaga anak2. Depa memang sporting.

Day 3. (11122008)

Bursa - Uludag Ski Resort

We planned on our own and asked Suad to take us there. The journeys is approximately 2 1/2 hours plus ferry ride to the other side of Eorope - The Asia. The scenery alongway to Bursa was splendid and so panoramic. Boleh nampak kebun olive and the reason to Bursa is the children nak main snow.

On the ferry on the way to Bursa

Ermmm cuak jugak for along the way tak nampak salji langsung and exhausted for the children kept on asking 'Salji tak/where is the snow, 'tak nampak punnnn', etc etc. Then finally sampai kat Uludag, it was a long queue for the teleferry ride (cablecar aka gondolas) but the dadies sanggup beratur. Thank u babah and Ayah!!!!

In the teleferry (cable car-climbing up to 1164m from sea level)

Sampai dekat first stage we sawthe hills were all white and the frost was quite thick, phewwww!!!! lega - what a relief!. We can see the children were elated. Alhamdulillah.

Dak Dina Debot and Kak Iman enjoying snow But one thing the unforgettable moment was when we dine in the one of the restaurants there. The restaurant was so inviting, cozy and unique. U just chooese the marinated beef, lambs or whatever u desires, weight them and u cook on your own as u desired. The food were delicious and very reasonable price and the best dinner we had in Istanbul except for all the Mac donald's stuff Pizzas etcAyah Madi memang great chef... babah Imran too!! magnificent!



To be continued...

Salam Eidul Adha

Labbaik Allah humma labbaik, Labbaik la sharika laka labbaik,Innal hamdaWan-ni'mata, Laka walmulkLaa sharika lak.
O my Lord, here I am at Your service, here I am.There is no partner with You,here I am.Truly the praiseand the provisions are Yours,and so is the dominion and sovereignty.There is no partner with You.

Bismillah al rahman al rahim...
"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate".

May we, take this opportunity to wish Mak, Ayah, Mak Dah, and Abah, you, your family, friends in Dubai and Malaysia, and who knew us personally A Happy, Blessed and Peaceful Eid-ul Adha. Wishing everyone a very Happy Eid Mubarak.

May Almighty Allah SWT showers His choicest blessing on us all.

May Allah SWT accept our supplications, and grant us Tawfiq and Hidayah to serve Him and to forgive us for our shortcomings. Ameen

May the blessings of Allah always be with us you and your family Ameen

Our du'a for all muslims around the world and

For friends and families performing Hajj, we pray for your Mabrur Hajj. Ameen

JazakAllah hu Khairan.

Imran, Zaida, Iman, Ilham, Irdina

Jommm Sukan

2nd December 2008

UAE 37th National Day.

Selamat Hari Merdeka Untuk semua Emiratis

Self-explanatory report on the biggest community event jointly organized by SMG and MyUAE . It is a sport event(football and captain ball for ladies) joined/played by expats from asean countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philipines and also a group from Europe.

Quote unquote from PP the MyUAE pro President : "Ini merupakan acara terbesar yang d anjur oleh myUAE-PRO, bersama SMG. Kita ingin berkongsi sama dengan masyarakat dan komuniti ASEAN dperantauan. Ianya acara famili. Datang beramai-ramai sempena cuti umum Hari Kebangsaan UAE", tambahnya.

Ketika d tanya penyertaan pasukan Malaysia, beliau menjawab,"Kita menghantar sebanyak 14 pasukan dalam kategori Terbuka, 2 pasukan dalam kategori bawah 12 tahun, veteran dan acara wanita. Oleh itu, sokongan rakyat Malaysia amat d perlukan bagi melihat pasukan Malaysia menempa kejayaan dalam edisi kedua ini".

Pasukan Malaysia merupakan juara bertahan dalam kategori wanita (Captain's Ball).Konsul Besar Malaysia d UAE, Syed Mohd Hasrin akan melakukan sepak mula tepat jam 9 pagi. Kejohanan ini berlansung dari jam 9 pagi pada Disember 2, 2008 d Kelab Al Ahli (Dubai) - bersebelahan Lulu Hypermarket Ghusais. "

Babah and Abang A'an joined main bola, Babah masuk geng veteran (uhuks - dah falls under veteran group) sudah tua meh!. First game kena lawan ngan geng2 Mat Saleh dr Europe... ermmmm last minute kalah. Later then baru warm up nak doin OK. But kudos to all players, the organizers and all the supporters who are being very supportive and sporting.

Our heartiest empathy to Abang Suhaime who had a minor heart attack after the first game. He was rushed to the hospital to the ICU but remained cool boleh buat lawak lagi (he is a jovial person anyway). Wishing him a fast recovery. Babah and friends ada pergi visit dia at the hospital. (latest update) Abang Suhaimi is recuperating well. Alhamdulillah. photo ehsan dr abe Nik Ericson

The ladies had fun playing captain ball. The game is just like netball game except we have 'human being goal post' (the keeper has to stand on a chair to catch ur own ball to gain a point- anchor kena kuat and good in balancing urself, otherwise one would toppled while catching the ball.) Mama tak main, takut pancit and actually biasalah anak2 takde orang jaga eventhough ramai yang tolong jaga -hehehe. Alasan!!!! but... mama jadik tukang sorakkk.

Tapi paling best Malaysians ni, dalam apa keadaan sekalipun makanan perkara utama. Be it sports, majlis keraian... semuanya makanan so kat tepi padang tu Malaysian jugaklah yang berpiknik... makan dan makan ... brok-brek. Mama tak banyak snap gambar this time since professional photographer ramai betul, semua dengan outstanding camera canggih-canggih muncung panjang. ermmmm babah, boleh mintak upgrade tak?

Abang and the junior team were jubilant with their victories on 1st to 3rd games tho tak ke final.


Pancit - semua muka penat, dah veteran babe! CG and babah in action M'sia vs Europe group.

nice photos can be found from LensaHalim, Lensa PP, LensaFND. (Mohon izin ye abang-abang photographer.)