More scenes.

More ships.

For Mr. Raj.

Received an email forwarded by the Ancient Mariner (he is ancient.. he he he): "The pics of Istanbul brought back memories-Sudha & I did this route for 3 year from India with Bulk Iron Ore to Constantza via Cape of Good Hope -Gilbraltar- Dardanelles & Istanbul were the real highlights Not Constantza.

Great pics.- If Noor has more pics of the Dardenelles water-way -channel- inc Black Sea entry points etc also do post. "

That warms the cockles of my heart, not because of the flattery but because the photos give joy and brings back memories for the viewers. After all, when all is said and done, all that we are left with is memories of a time gone by. So, some more of the photos that I took. Not exactly what you requested for but I hope you enjoy them.

Remember the anxiety of waiting for the crew boat ?

Bye-bye Istanbul.

I'll be back, umrah package perhaps....

Lunch.

Appetiser of breads, walnuts, cheese and butter.

Subra's spicy kebab.

The Abu Gannush kebab that I had. Small pieces of lamb spiced and grilled over a bed of a type of eggplant salad. Delicious.

This is one of the more extravagant lunch that we had. Otherwise it woud be a quick doner of lamb in bread - a kind of sandwich not unlike the kebabs at the pasar malam.

Note that I have been posting a lot today. This is because today is the last day and we are waiting for the draft meeting report. Beginning this evening there will be no more internet access untill I get home.

Bye-bye Istanbul.

Cheese, nuts and spices.

Window shopping.

The main staple seems to be lamb in the guise of kebabs or kofte. Some salon (kebab outlet) has a big window to entice passersby with the sight of meat being grilled, in this case its green chillies that is being grilled.

Apart from kebabs there are a lot of shops selling sweets, turkish delights and baklava. We wonder how they avoid heart attacks with all the consumption of meats, cheeses and sweets. Someone opined that perhaps its because the consume their meat mainly grilled (causing the fat to be drained...) unlike back home when we saturate them in coconut milk or ghee.

Aya Sofya.

The main entrance.

For ablution ?

The parapet and chandelier.

Virgin Mary overlooking the Mimbar.

Fish in Kumkapi.

Its a nice place, a whole village of fish restaurant opposite the fish market on the main road leading to Serkeci. You won't be able to see it from the road though as it is beyond the ancient underpass with the cobblestone walkway. This place caters for both the locals and tourists. On the night that we went, there were more locals than tourists.

Starter of cold seafood salad mixed with pickles and olives.

Raw dried salted fish. Eaten with olive oil. Quite nice actually but we thought it would taste better if it was slightly grilled or crisply fried.

Turkish salsa of tomatoes, coriander, chilly and some other stuff. Not fiery enough for Malaysian taste buds.

Grilled seabass for Subra. It is truly fresh. Served only with lemon, half of a very potent onion and some rocket leaves.

I had sole, served similar to Subra's seabass. Yes, the fish truly is fresh.

Finished off with Turkish coffee. The first sip is similar to gulping down a tablespoon of nescafe except it taste nicer. Strong stuff. The fruits are complimentary. The whole lot cost us YTL 80 which is about RM 200. According to the Singapore delegation it was a rip off. They had a similar experince the previous night. The meal should be no more than YTL 40.... Anyway, it was an experience and they do have roving musician to serenade you while you have your meal.

The Turkish Straits.

Too many mosque, can't recall which one this is. Could be the Blue Mosque...

A ship passing by the densely populated city on its way into the Black Sea.

A Turkish Coast Guard cutter approaching a VTS tower.

It really is a beautiful place, notwithstanding the rather dark winter atmosphere, there are some truly amazing structures and scenery along the Turkish Straits.