TRAVELLIVE 04-2016
Istanbul, the first days of spring… I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here. I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team. I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach. Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
Istanbul, the first days of spring…
I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here.
I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team.
I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach.
Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
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SUNRISE FROM A HOT AIR BALLOON<br />
To contemplate completely the spectacular beauty of Cappadocia’s natural architecture, there<br />
is nothing better than joining a hot air balloon tour. For only 200-250 USD, you will have about<br />
1 hour to fly over this area. However simple it seems, it takes some luck to visit on a beautiful<br />
day as good weather is a compulsory condition for the hot air balloons to fly.<br />
The hotel’s alarm awakened me at<br />
4:30 am. It was still dark and cold.<br />
We traveled by bus from the hotel to<br />
the gathering place of KAPADOKYA<br />
BALLOONS Company in Goreme. It<br />
is a low-rise building designed like a<br />
mountain with a beautiful grapevine<br />
trellis and a large garden. About 60<br />
guests were waiting, having breakfast<br />
with tea, coffee, and cakes.<br />
20 minutes later, we continued<br />
traveling by bus to an empty lot.<br />
The sun was till asleep yet the dark<br />
gradually retreated. In the faint light of<br />
dawn, we could see dozens<br />
of giant balloons lying on<br />
the ground. They started<br />
heating the air to inflate the<br />
balloons. The atmosphere<br />
got bustling. When the<br />
first sun rays lighted the<br />
land, the huge colorful<br />
balloons, now filled with<br />
air, were ready for their next<br />
expeditions with their new guests. Each<br />
balloon can serve from 10 to 20 guests<br />
depending on its size. Navigating<br />
balloons isn’t a simple task at all. To<br />
operate a balloon in Cappadocia, about<br />
20 people have to work together for<br />
one hour.<br />
At 5:30 am, our balloon, started its<br />
fascinating journey. The pilot skillfully<br />
From the<br />
balloon,<br />
the cave<br />
cities<br />
look like<br />
enormous<br />
beehives<br />
adjusted the burner. The heat lifted<br />
the balloon into the sky and threaded<br />
through the craggy cliffs. Sometimes,<br />
I felt like I could touch the stones.<br />
Around us, other balloons were<br />
hovering beautifully. Thanks to good<br />
weather, there were about 200 balloons<br />
operating that day.<br />
After some minutes in the balloon,<br />
alternating between the mixed feeling<br />
of surprise, worry, and extreme<br />
excitement as this was my first time<br />
experiencing a hot air balloon, we<br />
sat down and silently admired the<br />
magical beauty of Cappadocia<br />
at sunrise.<br />
The majestic stone plateau<br />
appeared endless below us.<br />
From a height of 600m,<br />
you get a panoptic view of<br />
how the plateau was formed<br />
millions of years ago with<br />
cracks, fractures and rock<br />
layers formed by lava. Somewhere<br />
are stone columns which have been<br />
eroded by rains, winds, and sea<br />
water. They stand like mushrooms<br />
and are called monks since they are<br />
shaped like monks in their robes and<br />
hood. After a half an hour of flying,<br />
the balloon started to descend so<br />
that visitors could get a closer look at<br />
Cappadocia’s wonders.<br />
MR TR¡N DUY NAM<br />
FOUNDER OF PIXEL<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
After your trip to Turkey,<br />
what do you think about<br />
the country? What<br />
impressed you the most?<br />
I’m mesmerized by<br />
everything in Turkey. The<br />
traditions and religions<br />
blend harmoniously with<br />
the speed of modern life.<br />
Man-made works do not<br />
make the landscape less<br />
beautiful. The combination<br />
of Asian and European<br />
culture is reflected in<br />
people, cuisine, and even<br />
in the weather. If time<br />
allowed, my journey to<br />
explore that combination<br />
would have resulted in the<br />
stories within stories as in<br />
"One thousand and One<br />
Nights".<br />
Do you have any advice<br />
or recommendations for<br />
those who are planning<br />
to visit Turkey in the near<br />
future?<br />
Turkey is an endless<br />
inspiration. I just want<br />
to say that you mustn’t<br />
hesitate to visit this country.<br />
Prepare for your luggage<br />
and start your journey now!<br />
<strong>TRAVELLIVE</strong><br />
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