Preparation : Istanbul - Travel Plans

So far we've been progressing well on our preparations for our trip next week. We've just got back our passports, with a 1 year extension on our temporary residence permit and multiple entry/exit visas.

As I posted earlier, we've confirmed how we're going to move the kids around. On October 2nd we had a late night discussion to plan our itinerary; the exact hour-to-hour breakdown of our holiday! Ckn beat me to posting about this, so you can read it over at her blog


Field test in Progress : Using the Tamrac Camera sling-bag at Assaha Restaurant. I recently got this bag in KL to carry all our camera gear for the trip. I think Ckn will use the Tamrac, and I'll be taking my beat-up Deuter day bag to carry the kids stuff and misc.

The main things that drew the boundaries for our trip was of course the kids. Unlike our last holiday to Egypt with my parents, we'll be traveling alone this time. Also, we needn't worry about Erica's transport because she was 'attached' to the party (...she was resting peacefully in her mama's tummy. I don't think her mama was restive however...). This time around, we have to factor in the mobility and limits of the kids.

We came up with a plan that allows for at least half a day of sight seeing, with ample time to rest in the afternoon, followed by some light plans in the evenings. Taking into account the time we have in the city, we've divided our plans to cover several areas in Istanbul :

• Sultanahmet - Old Istanbul; This is where all the main Ottoman and historical sites are. We'll be staying here as well so most of the places we want to see will be minutes away


• Galata - North of Sultanahmet, across the Goldn Horn. This is 19th century Istanbul (or older?). There are embassies and Parisien style buildings here, with a museum and a palace
  


• Bhosphorus Sea - The main ferry terminal of Eminonu is also north of our Hotel. We hope to catch a cruise to get a vista of Istanbul from the sea.
  

• The Bazaars - There are 2 or 3 bazaars in the area, the biggest being the Grand Bazaar, followed by the Spice Bazaar. I know it'll be full of tourists and may not be the cheapest place to shop, but then this is a once in a lifetime visit!
  

We've also planned some must-do things in Istanbul, and hope to do all this in our down time after the sight seeing during the day:

• Watch a swirling Dervish dance

• Shop! I hope to find a Hereke kilim rug to hang in our home, some unique decorative plates, apple tea, a Fez hat for Ehsan, and costume jewelery for Ckn. From what i read, shopping in Istanbul should be a nice experience!
  

• Experience a Hamam - a traditional Turkish Bath, with soap massages and a sauna

• Dine - I guess Turkey is known for it's kebabs, but we hope to find a decent fish meal as well

The biggest challenge I feel is the timing. We'll be going before or on Eid and we expect the city to be 'different' because of the holidays; closed businesses, busy-than normal public transport and the crowds. The sites ought to be opened, but I'm emailing the hotel for assistance on some of our other plans. It would be lovely to see places outside of Istanbul, but I think we won't do justice to the city; so all our plans will focus on Istanbul (for now...)