Turkiye Day 3 - Balik Ekmek / Taksim Square / Kamil Koc

Assalamualaikum. Marhaba.

After spending more than 4 hours exploring Topkapi Palace, I exited the palace & walked to Eminonu. Opted to walk instead of hopping on the tram because I wanted to enjoyed the city on foot. Lagi best! Feeling tu terus meresap dalam jiwa.

The distance isn't that far from Topkapi to Eminonu Pier but I took nearly an hour walking. Sambil jalan, sambil cuci mata. Sambil click sana, click sini. Santai. Bukan ada apa yang mau rushing sangat pun.

6 April 2015
Istanbul 

# Gulhane Tram Station

# Some street along the way to Eminonu

# Another shot of Yeni Camii (New Mosque) 

To get to the Balik Ekmek boats area at Eminonu Pier, I passed by Yeni Camii once more. Kena ikut underground passage. Still drizzling masa ni tapi ku gagahi juga. Demiiiiii Balik Ekmek.

# The boat where they make the fish (Balik) sandwich (Ekmek). 

Memang ndak plan to take away pun. Sit-down experience is what I aimed. Lepas order sama Abang sado, I quickly search for a vacant chair. Abang muka garang tapi tiba-tiba request aku ambil gambar dia. Ndak payah poyo mau cari meja kosong, janji ada kerusi. Alhamdulillah, I didn't struggle much to search for a vacant space. Pusing kepala dua-tiga kali, tadaaaa...meja & kerusi kosong right before my eyes. Magic gitu!

# My TL 8 Balik Ekmek. Harus asingkan onion dulu. 

My verdict? Superbly delicious! Generous amount of fish fillet, walau the bread a bit keras. I enjoyed my luncheon. Before this trip, I came across comments from few people who dislike the taste of this fish sandwich. Some said it's too bland. While some even suggest one should bring their own chili powder or MSG. Amazingly, I just consumed the sandwich as it is & sangat sangat suka! Tuang jus lemon & sprinkled a bit of salt. Walla!!! Makan ndak tengok kiri kanan. Siap beli lagi satu. Tettttt!

# Walau cuma jual street food, lampu deco gerai tetap kebabom kan.

Lepas mencekik, perut kenyang...senang hati. Tiba masa untuk proceed to next plan. I took the tram back to Taksim Square; cancelled my plan to walkertapaki because it rained heavily soon after I hopped in the tram. 

# One of the colorful staircase at Findikli, Istanbul taken from inside a moving tram.

One of my regret during this trip is not being able to witness all those beautiful rainbow staircases at Findikli & Cihangir. If it's not because of the heavy rain I would have pose-ndak-hengat-dunia at all those staircases. Never mind, next visit harus akan ada misi yang ni. Insha Allah.

Back to Taksim, before balik hostel untuk packing...kill time ronda Istiklal Street. Syukur juga masa tu hujan redah sikit. But still kena beli payung. Nampaklah orang jual payung transparent, terus niat mau beli colour pink. Walhal di Eminonu tadi punyalah banyak orang jual tapi kau jual mahal, kan Bie? Sekali sampai Taksim, nan hado yang jual pink umbrella so si Err pasrah beli polka-dots transparent umbrella. 

# Mau masuk WC pun mencabar. Underground! And yes, it ain't free!

Public toilet or WC memang susah sikit mau jumpa di Istanbul. Jadinya when I saw WC sign, haruslah singgah! Walaupun kena turun tangga Harry Potter. Actually WC ni dalam masjid. Kiranya cuma tempat wudhu' jak yang free...yang mau membuang before beribadat, silalah masuk WC berbayar. 

# Hujan di bumi Istanbul

# Stand for EXO. *flip tudung*

# Lori sampah comel yang langsung tidak berbau. Relaks jak aku jalan tepi lori ni.

# Singgah sini untuk tunaikan pesanan kehormat from someone back home.

# Istiklal Caddesi

# Singgah beli lokum untuk bekalan dalam bas.

Habis ronda cuci mata, I went back to my hostel. Mandi manda. Packing. Pastu check out. Aku memang request for late check out & the manager charged me half day rate. Next, tinggalkan anak gajah di luggage storage. Luckily the storage is only a block away from the hostel else harus patah pinggang mengangkut. 

# More info about this left luggage service here. 

Settled with the anak gajah, singgah beli bread & bun di Simit Sarayi. Then I walked to Kamil Koc office. Was told to wait for the shuttle bus that will bring me to the bus terminal at 8pm the latest. Bus will pick me up at 830pm. Si Err datang awal so lepaklah dia kejap di waiting room. Sambil charge segala devices yang ada. 

# Cuma angkut that small backpack. Nasib baik muat.

Shuttle bus arrived on time. It started to rain heavily again soon after I got on the bus. Sepanjang hari bumi Istanbul disimbah hujan. Tapi memang perfect timing! Kan aku naik overnight bus, haruslah bakal tidur lena. 

# Is Park. 20 minutes from Istanbul. It is home to many popular bus companies in Turkey.

# Kamil Koc waiting tent. 

Besar sebenarnya building Is Park ni tapi aku tiada mood mau menggambar malam tu. Hujan satu hal. Sejuk satu hal. Then masa pi WC, aku super malas mau korek camera dalam bag. I totally forgot about the existence of my handphone. Jadilah kan dapat gambar seketul dua.

# Kamil Koc coach bus.

# My ticket. 

From Istanbul it will take approximately 10 hours to reach Denizli. Bus departed at 920pm sharp. Luckily I got to choose my seat upon purchasing the ticket. Nampak jak seating 2+1 terus laju si Err pilih single seat. Senang kerja. Tidur kuak lentang macam mana pun tetap ndak ganggu orang sebelah.

# Inside the bus.

# Free food & drink.

# Power point at each seat.

Less than an hour after we left Istanbul, steward cum bus assistant started serving light supper. Rasa macam naik flight pula kan siap ada snack berhidang bagai. FOC pula tu. TV pun ada. Tapi aku ndak lah melayan movie sebab nan hado movie English. Ada 2 usb ports for charging. Lengkap! Toilet jak tiada. Tapi aku bersyukur sebab aku ni kan ada penyakit 'hantu tandas'. Kenapa bersyukur? Sebab bila tiada toilet dalam bas, automatik pundi kencing tunjuk tahap toleransi paling tinggi! Langsung tiada rasa mau terkucil hokey! Grrr sangat perangai.

Regardless mindset has changed pasal toilet, aku tetap ambil langkah berjaga-jaga. Hence masa steward datang offer drink, aku cuma minta air mineral. And grabbed whatever snacks in the cart. Dasar piranha! Wifi onboard is free so I went online for a while prior dozing off. Terjaga juga few times tapi sambung tidur dengan jayanya. Bas ada singgah RNR twice if I'm not mistaken. And aku cuma turun sekali. Paling win, most of the big bus companies have their own RNR! Yang complete fuel station, restaurant, mini market. Bapak impressed aku wei.

Anyway, thanks to Merengmate for mentioning the ferry ride. Aku pilih seat jauh dari pintu depan & belakang. Because according to her, it will get extra cold during the ferry ride. "Aku rasa macam sejuk gila tapi aku tak tau kenapa Bie". Mampu statement gitu? Haruslah sejuk membeku sebab both doors of the bus must remain open throughout the ride as to allowed ventilation. Nanti ada juga passenger mati ndak cukup oksigen, kan. Aku sedar masa bas start masuk ferry, pastu ada juga terasa angin beku menerpa masuk once the driver opened the doors. But I managed to get back to my beauty sleep soon after that. Cocooned myself in my jacket...and off I went to dreamland. 

I woke up in Denizli the next morning. Tipu! Walhal terjaga awal because the bas stopped at few bus stations before finally arriving at Denizli Otogari. 

Part Denizli, yang tu kita continue next entry. 

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