↑ The iconic Blue Mosque at sunset

Istanbul is a city filled with mosques, some of the largest and grandiose ones mankind had ever built. Most visitors associate Istanbul with its iconic Sultan Ahmet mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque due to the colour of its interiors, and any questions arising in the mind of a skeptical tourist are dispelled the moment they enter the building, for this structure is certainly, for the lack of a better adjective, stunning blue. Facing the Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia, built in 4th century CE using architectural and engineering techniques that will remain unchallenged for a thousand years since its construction, the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet, in the 17th century, ordered the construction of a structure that would be architecturally based on the Hagia Sofia, but Islamic in nature. Thus emerged the Sultan Ahmed mosque; a piece of beauty symbolizing pride and faith of the Ottoman rule and an amalgamation of Byzantine and Ottoman concepts.

However, this post is not about Istanbul’s famous mosque alone. I wanted to introduce the readers, through an opening paragraph in which I quote big names such as the Blue mosque, to another of Istanbul’s stunning wonders, namely the Süleymaniye Mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan, the famous architect of the Ottoman empire, under the blessings of Sultan Süleyman also known as Süleyman the Magnificent. Why, you might ask, am I talking about this mosque? Good question. That’s because this mosque is, in my humble opinion, more beautiful than the Blue Mosque and receives less attention in general tourist literature than it commands.

Let’s start the tale!

1. The Blue Mosque

↑ Who is the bluest of them all?

Located in the heart of Istanbul’s historic Sultan Ahmet area, which has a high concentration of top sites of tourist interest and is always overrun by large tourist buses dropping one big batch of visitors after the other, is Istanbul’s signature Sultan Ahmed (Blue) mosque. It is nearly impossible to visit Istanbul and not see this mosque; a proper comparison would be like going to Paris and missing the Eiffel Tower or travelling to New York City and skipping the Times Square; a sort of thing that just doesn’t happen (to regular visitors).

Built with the intent of rivaling the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), architects of the Blue Mosque pulled all stops trying to achieve the grandiosity of the Byzantine basilica, but were not quite successful in surpassing the design of a central dome of that nature, although success is, ofcourse, a subjective term. From the outside, the Blue Mosque is so impressive that one cannot but just stand there and appreciate the beautiful structure comprising eight smaller curved domes, six minarets, and one large central dome, making the building a masterpiece that draws upon elements of both Islamic and Byzantine design. This design was not revolutionary at that time, as you might expect, because Mimar Sinan, the master Ottoman architect, had built dozens of mosques based on a similar style, each of his structures improving upon the previous. One of Sinan’s students adapted the master achitect’s work for the construction of the Blue Mosque.

↑ Stupendous interiors of the central hall; very difficult to take a picture that communicates the grand scale of the building.

Stepping inside, and I won’t go into too many details because the description alone would span multiple blog posts, one is confronted with a jaw-dropping magnificence of the prayer chamber illuminated with a circular string of subtle lamps hung from the ceiling above. Lavishly decorated with calligraphy, Ottoman patterns and intricate brush work, the interiors prompted me to think of one word: Blue. Designed with Iznik tiles, that gives it the distinctive blue colour, the slender curves of supporting pillars really makes the colour and the artwork pop out, in a way that made me feel as if someone from the sky was coming down talking to me, while I was overwhelmed and almost intimidated by the dimensions of the interiors. This discord really resonated with me and I made two subsequent visits to the Blue Mosque trying to attempt, in vain, to digitalize this beauty on the lens of my camera.

We have progressed so much; we can visit lands far away and photograph scenes and moments from our travels, but there is no way to capture the feeling of a place, something that can only be experienced in person, at a given place, at a given time, and I am only trying here, without getting too philosophical, to narrate in a verbose manner and to paint a visual imagery of my experience in order to communicate those feelings to you, my esteemed readers.

↑ Lights hanging from one of the eight smaller domes draped in calligraphy, patterns and other artwork

As you can see, the imposing beauty of the Blue Mosque is very captivating, pardon this adjective-laden sentence, especially for people who have never seen anything like this before, and has the magnetic effect of attracting your mind to visit it over and over again. As tourists and infidels, if I may add, while you share the main chambers with devout Muslims offering prayers, you will be asked to enter the premises through side entrances and you will also be asked to stay within a perimeter inside the prayer hall, a simple mechanism to control crowds, rightly so because tourists, and there can be hundreds of thousands of them here each day, can be very unquiet and disrespectful, a characteristic that annoys me generally but will annoy me even more if I were praying, and a behaviour that can only be attributed to the fact that these people, I’m generalizing, do not understand that the place they are visiting is not artificially propped up Las Vegas, but a real, functioning place of worship. It’s for reasons like these that places on the tourist highway can tend to get frustrating.

Nevertheless, under no circumstances am I suggesting that you skip this place.

After enjoying my visit to the Blue Mosque, I went walking in random directions, on one of the several small cobblestone streets of Old Istanbul, peeping into other mosques and savouring many kinds of food options on the way. It was in one of those places, while lost in my thoughts with a cup of tea in my hand, that a stranger started chatting with me and asking if I had been to Suleymaniya mosque. Suleymaniya? Where is that? I asked. Since I hadn’t been there, I decided to walk to this new mosque off the tourist hotspot. Well, who am I kidding, it was a popular place but still quieter than the Sultanahmet mosque.

2. The Süleymaniye Mosque

↑ Inner courtyard and a distinctly Sinan style of architecture

Distinctly identifiable on the Istanbul skyline, the Suleymaniye Mosque, commissioned by Ottoman emperor Suleiman the Magnificent, stands on top of a hill in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. There are various streets leading up to this hill and I ascended from the Eminönü side of the Golden Horn, a name given to a horn-shaped gulf on the European side of the Bosphorous over which the Old city of Istanbul is laid out. This being a common way to climb up the hill, the street passing through very non-touristy areas skirting around the Grand Bazaar, I got to see the real commercial side of Istanbul, something that I had overlooked in my quest to check off all the tourist sights on my list.

↑ Ritual ablutions by devout Muslims who are preparing to pray inside

Since the mosque was closed when I reached there, being the time for prayers, I simply lingered around the courtyard admiring various little shrines, tombs and leafy grounds of the mosque. The spots around trees were busy, you know, with groups of people sitting at the base of a tree trying to escape the sun and talking to each other while waiting for the mosque to reopen. I noticed an empty tree inviting me to sit under its shade, an opportunity that I seized immediately, and I sat down writing my thoughts in my pocket sized diary. After some doodling I got up and went to the northern periphery of the courtyard, only to be braced with a stunning view of Istanbul and the iconic Bosphorous bridge spanning across two continents.

↑ This view of Asia and Europe knocks the socks off pricey rooftop patios! I am on the European side, across the Bosphorous river is Asia!

While it is hard to describe the Suleymaniye mosque, since I am good neither at articulating my thoughts nor at appreciating the architectural merits of a historic monument, it is not difficult to discern that I will, regardless of my expertise, go ahead and fill another paragraph with long sentences and clause separators. From the outside the façade resembles that of the Blue Mosque for the reasons mentioned above, but one must acknowledge its beautiful proportions and the fact that it was laid on top of an uneven surface. I did that. After entering through a seemingly ordinary side entrance one is suddenly exposed to a large central prayer hall with spectacular decorations, calligraphy and artwork, reminiscent of the Blue Mosque which we visited earlier, but certainly not as busy or vivid as you can probably tell from the pictures. The Sulemaniye mosque uses somewhat subtle colours, mix of several shades and feels more airy and lighter due to numerous little windows piercing through its dome projecting sunlight in the chamber below. I once again felt overwhelmed, which I usually do in large houses of worship, but the feeling didn’t send me into an elevated heartbeat mode, making me bit more relaxed and feel-at-home instead. I spent more time here, walking around the limited space available for tourists and trying to take pictures from various angles.

↑ Interiors of the adorned with decorations and washed by natural sunlight. The place is not as crowded as the Blue Mosque.

The mosque is not just a place of worship but a supermarket of community services, if I may use that word to illustriate the fact that you can access a soup kitchen, a hospital, a rest area and a library, among several other services provided by the mosque. Cute and crowded chai khanas (tea houses) line the southern edge of the masjid’s courtyard.

Thoroughly satisfied from my visit, on my way out of the mosque I took the opposite path that led me down the hill through the famous Beyazıt lane ending near the tram tracks at the Istanbul University for more shopping, eating, ogling and praying options.

↑ Wrapping up prayers at the Süleymaniye

Conclusion: Which mosque to visit?

Thus I wrapped up my visit to the two mosques; one more famous than the other, one more grandiose than the other, one more older than the other, one more graceful than the other. Clues to solving that puzzle are hidden in this long verbose blog post. The next question before me was if I should advise my readers to pick one over the other, or be highly critical of one mosque vis-a-vis the other, tactics that I would never engage in because, ultimately, I am neither a subject matter expert nor a local believer who frequents these places so I don’t feel in a position to discuss the relative merits of the two places, plus why would you listen to me anyways. Nevertheless I will tell you that both these places warrant a visit because, choosing to quote a dialogue from Harry Potter, neither can live while the other survives, although it’s not as dramatic.

↑ Süleymaniye mosque seen from a tram stop across the Golden Horn

Enjoy your visit! This is how I finally decided to end this post, although I could have ended it with a mandatory cheezy question that travel bloggers, or any bloggers for that matter, love asking, such as, have you visited this mosque, what did you think about it, and so on. I will leave it up to you to choose how you respond but let me assure you of my full attention and gratitude for expressing yourself, or opting not to, in the manner of your choosing.

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Istanbul is one of those cities that has so much to see that it would take an entire week to properly explore various touristic and not-so-touristic areas of the city. A day-trip to Istanbul would be unfair not only to you, but to the city as well. However, I recognize that many people travel on tight timelines, or have a long layover, in which case I’d suggest not wasting any time and heading straight to visit the core attractions of the city.

Step 1: Make a list of places to see in Sultanahmet, the old city of Istanbul

Istanbul’s top tourist attractions are centered around the Sultan Ahmet square which is the downtown core of the old city of Istanbul. It might take one long and exhausting day to check out each and every place in the vicinity, but it is certainly doable. I am very interested in history and architecture. So, after spending my first day walking around these sights, I spent the remaining three days leisurely visiting the places I liked.

In this post I’ll walk you through the top places to see, followed by a plan to target visiting everything in a day. We will not waste any time entering museums since this is a day trip.

Blue Mosque

↑ The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Jami) at sunset

The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque) is the most prominent landmark of Istanbul and is a fully functional mosque. There are many entrances to the mosque but tourists are asked to enter from a specific door to the side. Upon entering through this seemingly ordinary door, you arrive into the visitor’s area inside the mosque and are suddenly exposed to magnificent chambers covered in intricate artwork and calligraphy, and glittering lamps that illuminate the interiors. In this state of bewilderment I was so absorbed in appreciating the beautiful decorations spanning the arches that felt awful to pull out my camera to take pictures; did I think I could capture this grandiose interiors on my lens? Thankfully the mosque is open for a long time so I came back at a later time.

Aya Sofya

↑ Hagia Sophia, also known as AyaSofya

Originally a Christian basilica constructed by the Romans in sixth century, Hagia Sofia is a masterwork of Byzantine engineering. The huge 30 m diameter dome covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world. Originally an Orthodox-Christian basilica, later converted to a mosque during the crusades and now a museum, Hagia Sophia has witnessed some of the most prominent milestones of human history.

Topkapı Palace

↑ Tulips blooming in the sprawling Gülhane gardens next to the Topkapı palace

The Topkapı palace (TR: Topkapı Sarayı, MR: तोपकापं सरयं) was the royal residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately four centuries during which the Ottoman empire reached its glory. Interiors are lavishly decorated and a tour of the premises can easily take half a day. However, since this is a day trip, we won’t have time for that.

Sights around the square

Hippodrome: Located right next to the Blue Mosque, this was a large central arena in Roman and Byzantine Constantinople. It is a great place to orient yourself in Istanbul’s tourist area and watch people. Also located on premises are the German fountain, and Egyptian obelisks and sculptures.

Basilica Cistern: This is a giant underground cistern (there is a whole network) built by the Romans to provide water to the city in cases of siege. It is possible to take a tour to explore the interiors in depth, but keep that for your next visit.

Million: Probably my favourite little sight since it’s very geeky! This partially intact marble pillar dating back to 4th century was the starting point of any distance measured within the empire during the Byzantine era. Indeed, that made Constantinople the centre of the world!

Gülhane Park: Filled with tulips in early April (when I visited), this park is located next to the royal palace. Eastern end of the park has lots of tea houses that overlook the Bosphorus river waterfront. Seen on the other side is the Asian part of Istanbul. So, in reality, you could sit in this park, drink tea in Europe and look at Asia. Pretty neat eh!

The Grand Bazaar – Shopping near Sultanahmet square

After a day of touring, it might be a good idea to get some shopping done. As we all know, it is sinful to return from Turkey without gifts, even if your Turkey visit was just for a day.

A word of warning: The Grand Bazaar is like a whole different city with hundreds of little lanes which would take hours, if not days, to explore fully. There is a tourist-intensive section of the Grand Bazaar (TR: Kapalı Çarşı, MR: कापालं चारशं), a name that implies ‘covered market,’ and not many locals shop in that tourist zone.

Egyptian Bazaar (TR: Mısır Çarşısı, MR: मसरं चारशसं) , also known as Spice Bazaar is also a covered bazaar has specialty herbal and spice shops.

Step 2: The game plan

Istanbul has excellent public transportation and all these places are on the main tram line, making it very easy to visit. The tram line cuts through the downtown core, connecting neighbourhoods on the west side with those north of the Galata bridge. This area of highly concentrated tourist sopts spans three tram stops – KapalıÇarşı to go to the Grand Bazaar, Gülhane for the park, and Sultanahmet stop for everything else. I suggest getting off at Sultanahmet and visiting the core places, and go shopping in the evening to finish off your trip.

If you’d like to use a tour operator, I’d suggest Context travel for excellent walking tours with people who know what they are talking about. The city has a free walking tour (and a free bicycle tour) chapter and I enjoyed a two hour overview with them. Several travel agencies in Europe and North America offer tour packages and you could go to Turkey with Directline Holidays, Make my trip, Tur-ista, Costa cruise and other such agencies.

↑ How can we forget food? There are lots of ‘restaurant lanes’ hidden around adjacent blocks. Walk a bit further to find places where the locals eat.

To summarize:

1. Start early
2. Visit the Hippodrome first, to get oriented
3. Have Turkish coffee or tea at a tea house adjacent to the square
4. Checkout Blue mosque (open 9AM to 9PM except prayer hours) and the major attractions which you’ll pick from the list above
5. Take a lunch break
6. Visit a museum: Basilica cistern, Topkapı palace or Aya Sophia
7. Walk leisurely in the Gülhane park slowly making your way to its eastern edge
8. Have tea in a romantic setting while watching ferries sail between Europe and Asia (Remind yourself that this is a unique location)
9. Head over to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice market to empty your wallets
10. Have dinner (Touristy restaurants on the main road, authentic ones on the back alleys)
11. Hop on the tram to return home

Hope you had a good day trip. I bet you will want to come back.

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↑Goofy picture of a sesame bagel in front of Yeni Jami, Istanbul

In the little time that I spent in there, I felt that Turkey had something to offer to tourists and travellers of all kinds. The country is full of wonderful natural sights and urban chaos, a mix of the religious and the liberals, delicious food and thousands of years of history. There are plenty of tour operators as well as infinite options for do-it-yourself types. I was in Turkey for about two-and-half weeks – travelling through Istanbul, Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale, Selchuk, Efes and Izmir – in other words more or less on the tourist highway.

I tried various ways of slicing and dicing my Turkey travel experiences in a summary post and I thought that the best way to capture the essence of this country was to show you that Turkey is, indeed, for everyone.

1. Historic, architectural and archeological sites

↑ Interiors of the magnificent Blue Mosque

Istanbul’s historic district is an architecture enthusiast’s walking dream. The beauty of Turkey’s mosques, especially the ones modeled on Sinan’s masterplan, is jaw-dropping; magnificent domes and
soaring minarets make you feel trivial and humbled in this house of god. Each city you visit has a grand central mosque and scores of smaller ones scattered around the town. Most let visitors in and photography is allowed during non-prayer hours.

The Greco-Roaman ruins at Ephesus and Hierapolis, once grand cities in the empire, are being restored to somehow convey their past glory and grandiose. I love visiting historic sites like these to get a glimpse of how our ancestors lived in the past.

2. Hiking and outdoors

↑ Kapadokya – endless options for hiking and discovering caves

Turkey is beautiful; way more beautiful than I had seen in pictures. There is a ton of geographic variety and sub-climates, all kinds of terrains from coastal to snowy, humid to arid, giving ample opportunities for both, adventure enthusiasts and relax-on-the-beach types.

Turkey’s Kappadokya region is great for outdoor hiking and rock climbing. The region has numerous valleys with bizarre penis shaped rock formations and cave houses, colourful rocks and a spectacular scenery. Plenty of options for hiking here, either in tour groups or chart your own.

3. Unique natural wonders

↑ Sinking my feet in the rejuvenating Calcium travertines of Pamukkale

Imagine a landscape with rugged brown mountains, dry terrain with occasional trees and patches of green farms, deep blue sky with wisps of little clouds that prompt you to wonder what they are shaped like, and dusty, smoky air rising from a city on the horizon. Now in the middle of this scene, picture a large mountain draped in white colour. How oddly would it stand out? My bus was passing through a series of monotonous mountains when the road took a turn and I looked out of my window, awestruck. Standing before me was a large mountain, bright and white, covered in Calcium deposits at Pamukkale.

↑ Hotels and residences in Göreme

I have never been to the Moon or to planet Mars. But from countless pictures and movies, I have a pretty good idea oh how the Martian or lunar surface would look like; it looks like what you see in Cappadocia. It felt like I was in a movie set for Star Wars or another space sci-fi. Quite dramatic and very strange for sure! Both these places are UNESCO world heritage sites.

4. Friendly people

↑ Rolling couscous balls with the women at a restaurant

My trip started in Istanbul which is the largest city and really the gateway to the country. In Istanbul you can prepare yourself for what you can expect in the rest of the country. There are gay bars in neighbourhoods next to mosques that call for prayers five times a day. There are women in mini-skirt and high-heels sharing a seat with women covered in a full veil. Streets are well marked but traffic chaos prevails. It’s a mix of urban and rural, modern and orthodox, young and old in Turkey. I felt that Turkey was on a quest to find a balance between two extremes and two identities. European v/s Asian, orthodox v/s modern, love-hate relationship with the Arab countries as well as the EU, the contrasts are endless. Turkey is really a colourful social mosaic and a place I would immensely enjoy because I like places of social diversity. The people I met were very friendly and helpful.

From a Turkish immigrant living in France who was visiting his hometown after ten years and wouldn’t let me travel by myself because he thought it was too dangerous, to a group of old men who taught me a common Turkish board game called ‘Tavla’ (played in tea houses), each day was quite eventful on the social interaction front. I learned some basic Turkish before visiting and that helped me immensely throughout the journey. People are generally quite overjoyed to see a foreigner make an attempt to speak their language.

5. Food

↑ Salads, beans, stews and bread at a vegetarian restaurant. (The owner gave me chicken later ‘because it was very good and I should taste it’)

Where do I even begin?! From the moment I stepped in Istanbul, I was in food heaven. There is so much diversity and sophistication in food preparation there. Local specialties in Anatolian Turkey are quite different than the food you get on the Mediterranean coast. I simply loved their seasoned kebabs and meats. Turkey consumes the highest amount of bread per-capita and you get a basket of bread wherever you go! Vegetarians will have a very comfortable time in Turkey, they make excellent preparations out of various kids of beans, and the selection of fresh vegetables, cheeses and nuts is immense.

Turkey makes the best of its strategic position between Europe and Asia. Turkish cuisine made it to India via Persia and, although transformed, one can still identify similarity between Turkish and Indian food. Bunch of dishes have same names even.

I did have some rather extreme experiences

↑ The day I almost died, almost.

• On my second day in Turkey, my flight to Cappadocia got caught in a wind storm, made a failed attempt to land, twice, and the turbulence was so intense that the oxygen masks popped out and people started yelling, crying and praying to Allah. I did feel my life flash before me and in that moment I thought about my friends and family and some memorable time spent with them. Not money, not work and certainly not any material possessions.
• While hiking in Cappadocia I was confronted by a pack of wild dogs which was quite a trembling moment. Again, I quickly thought of all the people I loved and thanked everyone who helped me in my life. (LOL, just to be sure)
• I have couchsurfed lots throughout my life and in a bunch of countries. In Istanbul a couchsurfing host asked me to leave probably because he didn’t approve of ‘people like me’ which I thought was quite an extreme reaction.
• In one very funny incident, a bike that I had rented got stolen while visiting Ephesus. I complained to the Turkish army (who work as the police in rural areas) and they took me to a surveillance room to go over video tapes and managed to catch the thief. Very impressive feat!

↑ Remains of a library in Ephesus

So you see, Turkey has something (including surprises) to offer for everyone. My travelogues in subsequent posts will focus on my style of travelling, i.e. backpacking, with glimpses of organised tours once in a while.

Have you visited Turkey? Did you have similar thoughts?

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↑ Arrival of Autumn in Ottawa. I spent several minutes crouching and waiting for someone to walk past. This waiting and crouching for pictures is not uncommon. I love the depth of field and the closeup.

↑ Steam escaping from an underground duct on King St., Toronto. There was no time, so pulled my point and shoot camera to capture the moment.

↑ Montreal draped by a breathtaking display of fall colours. Sometimes nature does the job and showers vivid colours on the canvas. All I had to do was adjust the contrast to bring out various shades.

↑ It took me a while to climb that mountain in Cappadocia, Turkey, and thought it would be a great setting to write in my journal. The HDR picture at an odd angle makes it a bit dramatic.

I have lots to learn in photography, especially long exposure shots and macros. It would take a lifetime to learn those skills since they don’t come naturally to me. But a digital camera makes trial and error very easy!

↑ Rolling couscous balls with the women who asked me to take their picture. I am generally shy about taking pictures of people.

↑ Several visits and various settings later I was able to capture the stunning interiors and magnificent domes of of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Can be better but I am satisfied with the result.

↑ Little love locks on the Brooklyn bridge with huge skyscrapers of downtown Manhattan, New York City, in the background. Lot of crouching and squeezing in awkward angles but I like this contrast of scales.

Any picture can look better with a bit of touch-up and simple crop, contrast and white balance adjustments can make a lot of difference. Most of my pictures have undergone some degree of post-processing in Aperture, my favoured software. I also add a border and slip in a watermark.

↑ Broad street, Philadelphia. Sometimes changing the white balance and bit of touch-up makes seemingly ordinary pictures more interesting.

↑ Golden beaches and quaint villages of Konkan, India, shining in the afternoon sun; looking better with the use of the rule of thirds.

↑ Use auto-timer to take somewhat natural pictures of yourself hiking in the Himalayas

So, those were some of my very simple and practical tips to improve photography. Hopefully you can use them. Do you have a favourite tip you rely on?

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4 weeks, in Afghanistan and a neighbouring country

Afghanistan has been on my list for a while and I was initially planning a six month trip from Kabul to Istanbul. Central Asia is a absolutely beautiful region and I am quite curious to see it. You may know that I like history and geography – to a geeky level. This region, on the silk road, has been at the crossroads of civilization for centuries. With functional knowledge of Russian, Turkish and Farsi, I imagine it would be lot of fun to travel in Central Asia. Unfortunately six months is a long time commitment so I am thinking of doing something shorter. Parts of Afghanistan are now free from the Taliban and safe (well…) to travel and I am looking into traveling to the following places:

Kabul: The capital city,
Bamiyan: Ruins of Buddha statues,
Mazar-e-Sharif and Balkh: Northern cities with beautiful architecture,
Panjshir: Hiking and trekking in the Hindu Kush mountains.

Option 1: Afghanistan and Iran

I have heard nothing but great things about Iran. First hand accounts of warm hospitality, friendly people, stunning scenery and delicious food have tempted me to visit this country for a while. An itinerary I am working on is similar to the one above but includes Herat, a large city in Western Afghanistan closest to the Iranian border. From here, it is possible to cross the border into Iran and travel to Mashhad, the next big city. Indian passport holders can get visa-on-arrival at Iranian airports, but that’s not true for land border crossings.

There is a problem though (besides the Iranian regime prosecuting westerners, homosexuals, women, minorities etc)…

The Israeli stamp problem

I travelled to Israel and the West Bank in late 2007 to early 2008; therefore I have an Israeli tourist visa and immigration stamps on my passport. A bunch of Islamic countries will refuse to let you in if you have shown any evidence of having visited Israel. Iran is one of the countries that imposes this rule strictly.

Many people get around the issue by renewing their passport, getting immigration stamps on a separate piece of paper (an option not available for Indian passport holders), visiting Israel after traveling to the Muslim countries that impose this ban, or travelling at the end of your passport validity. None of these are applicable for my case so I am left wondering.

Few travel websites have suggested that if the Israeli stamp is several months old, Iranian authorities won’t be too concerned. However, given current political situation, that might be a huge risk.

To conclude, I am still undecided about Iran.

Option 2: Afghanistan and Uzbekistan

This route sounds safer at the moment. If my prayers are answered and the Uzbek-Afghan border is open for tourists, I get to checkout fantastic stops on the ancient Silk route: Bukhara, Samarkand, Tashkent, etc. in Uzbekistan and maybe even Dushanbe in Tajikistan.

Initial preparations

• Languages: I’m thinking of learning basic Farsi (Persian), a language that would be useful to know in this region. Afghanistan has two main languages: Pashto and Dari (Afghani Persian) and learning Farsi will help me communicate verbally as well as read signs. For Uzbekistan I may have to brush up my Russian and Turkish. None of this is necessary but as you may know, I like learning foreign languages at a beginners level.
• Research: Networking with recent travellers and locals would be the key since government reports are usually not very helpful.
• Airline of choice: Doubtlessly, Turkish airlines. The airline not only provides excellent on-board service but also is well connected to almost all corners of the world.

Stay tuned for more!

Want to be a part of this trip? I’d love to have you follow me digitally as I travel through this region. Subscribe for updates on travel preparation and the journey.

Thanks for reading!

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2012 was a great year to fine-tune the work-save-travel model. I took about 12 weeks (almost 3 months!) off for travel this year which was fantastic. Wish I had more but I think this is a good balance since I am not a travel professional.

Let me give you a glimpse of the places I visited this year:

USA

Philadelphia

It was my first time visiting Philadelphia and I was quite impressed by this city. The city has a quintessential neighbourhood character and a very cute historic district. The oldest street in USA is supposedly located here.

Buffalo

Buffalo is within biking distance from Toronto, in theory. I was a bit lazy earlier this summer so I took a train to Niagara Falls and then biked over to Buffalo. If you are looking for tips to bike across the Canada-USA border, look no further!

New York City

I love New York City, I really do! I have been here about a dozen times in the last four years, each visit being very unique! There are so many things to do in NYC that it will take me years to understand and explore it fully. I visited NYC in February and right now, for New Year’s, I am in this great city once again!

Detroit

Not too far from Toronto and having some family there gives me incentives to visit the Motor City and I’ve done that thrice in last few years. I have only explored a part of the city, there’s plenty more to do.

Canada

Despite being my home for the past six years I still haven’t seen a lot in Canada. It is an insanely large country!

Calgary and Banff

It was the middle of Spring in Toronto but out west in Calgary they still had snow. I went there for a brief visit and we stopped by at Banff National Park in the middle of the Canadian Rockies.

Ottawa

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is about five hours away from Toronto and I visited it this fall for the first time. It’s a nice town with lots of government buildings and parliament buildings.

Montreal

Fall in Montreal is extremely pretty! It was my second time visiting this city in Quebec and I had a fun time exploring downtown, old Montreal, Mount Royal and Le Plateau neighbourhoods.

Timmins

Spending Christmas in Northern Ontario is quite an experience. It was -25ºC and full of snow so we went snowshoeing in the woods, and had homemade wine and rabbit for dinner.

Niagara Falls

Going to Niagara Falls from Toronto is no big deal really. It takes 2-3 hours to reach there by bus, train or car, and about 8-10 hours on a comfortable bicycle ride. I like the falls and numerous bike trails that cris-cross this region, but tend to skip the Niagara falls attractions in the Vegas-like part of the town.

Toronto

Home sweet home! I was in and out of Toronto a lot this year. I love this city and its festivals!

Turkey

In April this year I travelled to Turkey and spent over two weeks there. Prior to leaving, I studied some Turkish language, so the experience was even more fun! Besides spending few days in Istanbul, I did the standard tourist circuit – Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Selchuk, Ephesus, Izmir. Turkey certainly has a captivating geographic diversity and lots of delicious food options!

In the new year I’ll start blogging about Turkey.

India

I visited India for 5 weeks earlier this year after about 3.5 years. It was nice to see my friends and family after such a long time and savour some delicious street food (and yes, I did get sick).

Konkan

The coastline between Mumbai and Goa is filled with beautiful beaches, small villages and extremely delicious food. This is the region my family comes from so we had a very ‘authentic’ summer holiday.

Himalayas

After two weeks in 35ºC weather I spent some time in the Himalayas, in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh. I love everything about the Himalayas, the hiking, the food and the remoteness. We did lots of hiking, visited monasteries and had a relaxing time overall.

Besides these regions, I also spent time in Mumbai, my hometown.

So that was my year, adequately travel intensive.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback! Hope you had a good 2012 and wish you happy travels in 2013!

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India’s passport: Your gateway to travel restrictions?

Indian travellers often complain that they face lots of restrictions on their travels due to the limitations of the Indian passport. Indeed of the 103 countries indexed by Henley’s Visa restrictions index, India ranks #82nd. This is a poor score since only 51 countries will allow Indian citizens to either travel there without visa or get a visa on arrival. In comparison, citizens of Denmark can enter 169 countries and Afghans can enter only 26 without needing to get a visa before departure.

However, let’s look at the silver lining shall we? Over several years of travelling, I did discover some advantages and experienced interesting situations as a direct outcome or an indirect consequence of possessing an Indian passport. Read on!

Travelling with an Indian passport? Yes there are benefits!

1. Travel to Bhutan

Many people do not know where Bhutan is: It’s a tiny Himalayan democratic kingdom tucked between India and Tibet (China) that measures it’s success based on a ‘Gross National Happiness’ scale. The place is untouched, unexplored and ‘off the beaten path‘ in possibly the truest sense of that overused phrase.

For people of most countries in the world, it costs anywhere between $200-$250 a day to visit Bhutan and they can only do so in guided tours except for special circumstances. Indians, on the other hand, can travel mostly freely. I had a great time there – backpacking, hitchhiking and visiting penis temples. visiting this country is a golden opportunity and Indian citizens can do it cheaply!

2. Collect colourful visas, not just entry stamps

When I show my passport to travellers from Europe or North America, they are quite surprised by its colorful pages. Indeed, as a reward for all the trouble of planning and applying for travel visas in advance, you get to show off colourful stickers in addition to standard entry and exit stamps in your passport.

Another nice things about visa stickers is that it becomes easy to recall the exact dates of your travel. Most tourist visas are valid for short durations, like 2 weeks or a month. My US visa on the other hand is valid for 10 years; I can travel there anytime.

So you get a qualitative reward for quantitative efforts… I’d gladly trade but since I can’t, in the interim, I will enjoy the colorful visa stickers.

3. Cheaper visa-on-arrival fees

Several countries will issue a tourist visa on arrival at the border or at the airport for a fee. Typically the fee for these kinds of visas depends on bilateral agreements between the two countries, so often the cost of a visa is different for different countries. For example, when I travelled to Turkey earlier this year, I paid approximately $20 in entry fees. For Canadians the entry fee is approximately $60. That’s something!

4. Pique people’s curiosity

It’s rare to come across Indian backpackers when you are travelling. I have met a fellow Indian citizen by coincidence only once. I did come across people of Indian origin who were naturalized citizens of the first world, but obviously they do not travel on Indian passports so it doesn’t count. As a result, each time you flash your Indian passport, you can be assured that border officials, hostel managers, police officers, etc. will be genuinely interested in chatting with you. I got a dinner invitation once, many offered tea, and then once a Russian policeman let me go without any bribe.

It always surprises me that India has successfully kept her ‘exotic’ oriental image to a degree. While there is nothing mystical or exotic about India – you’ll know that within a minute of arriving there – people will still ask you interesting questions esp after seeing your passport. You can always count on questions about eating beef or why Indian gods and goddesses have many hands. Other questions include Bollywood, circumcision and wearing a mark on one’s forehead.

5. Power up by pairing with another official document

Did you know that an Indian passport with another document, such as a visa from USA/Schengen zone or a permanent resident card of UK/Canada, will open up many new countries for travel? For sure, I could get a visa-on-arrival at Istanbul since I have a valid US travel visa + Indian passport. Similarly I could travel to Mexico using my Canadian permanent resident card + Indian passport. Over a dozen new countries suddenly became more accessible to me, not requiring a visa approval prior to departure anymore.

6. Become an unattractive target for abductions

And I am serious here! When I was going to the West Bank from Israel proper, many people cautioned me because I looked somewhat Israeli. I backpack and travel cheaply, so it is clear that I do not have a ton of disposable income, but that’s a different story. Tourists around the world do get kidnapped once in a while.

However, with over 6,000 Indian nationals languishing in jails of foreign countries, from a population of 1.2 billion, it is clear that the government of India faces resource and logistical (and attitude) challenges to look after all its citizens. So if you get kidnapped, good luck, your government is neither coming to your rescue nor paying a ransom… sounds so assuring!

Travelling on an Indian passport – it’s not that bad afterall.

Any other tips about the uniqueness of your passport that you’d like to contribute?

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This post is about Simcity, a computer game that simulates city building. Its a single player game where one starts with an empty land and slowly builds cities (or towns / villages) over the whole region. A range of factors, such as unemployment, pollution, transportation, utilities, environmental and trade policies, taxes, industries, health and education, govern how the city will develop – and I think it is sufficiently realistic. Infact, this game has been used by planners and architects in a number of research projects.

Characteristics of a traveler-friendly city

A range of socio-cultural and geo-political variables come together to form complex mosaics that our cities are. Most cities, even well planned ones, eventually grow organically and evolve their own identities. Which is a good city and which isn’t? Hard to tell! Each traveller will have his/her own preferences, likes and dislikes about a city. Although cities are constantly making efforts to woo visitors, the so-called “ideal city” for tourists does not exist.

However, what if we were to create one from scratch? Yea, now we are talking something!

Having spent countless hours in front of my computer building dream cities, and countless hours wandering in cities around the world, I certainly know what I would like to see in a city. Let’s examine some principles that Sim City mayors could employ in their projects to make both visitors and residents happy. Not perfect, but quite acceptable!

Here’s my list of top 5 strategies:

↑ Commuter train station with elevated rail system

1. Plenty of public transport options

Simcity provides a number of transportation tools at your disposal as the city mayor. You can build an underground metro system, surface tram network, elevated rail, monorail, high-speed rail, bus lines and regional railways. Most of my cities use two or three other kinds of mass transport modes in addition to buses and railways.

A comprehensive public transit system is a boon for residents and travellers alike, making it very convenient to hop across the town whether for work or for sight seeing. New-York City’s metro system always impresses me and so did Moscow’s. One of my favourite activities is to get a day pass and get off at a random station to explore the area.

↑ Broad central plaza with a tram station (belongs to the green line) flanking its west side and a City Hall on its east side

2. Parks, plazas and green space

Sim City encourages mayors to build green space. In fact, prosperity of a city is directly proportional to the amount of parks and plazas the city has.

As much as I love crowds (and I love them, I am from Mumbai!) I am also looking for places to wind down. In Toronto I like to go to parks for exercise, photography or to have a picnic with friends. When I am visiting a new city, I look for a green spaces to relax and have a meal or write my journal. It’s the best place for taking a break or people watching.

3. A tight knit Town centre and a town square

City planning has evolved over thousands of years and it manifests in a variety of flavours around the world. What’s common is a central place for people to gather, a place of power (or a spot for the occupy protests).

It could be the Red Square of Moscow or the Zocalo of Mexico City, I always strive to build a city square and place administrative buildings such as the city hall around it. Travelling in South America has influenced much of this peculiar colonial Spanish setup. It makes sense from an organizational perspective to place Sim City reward buildings such as the Mayor’s residence, Town and City Hall, Bureaucracy building, Senate house, etc.

4. Public spaces for recreation and entertainment

Travellers are always tight on budget, and I am sure it will get worse over time. I would love to visit a city that organises festivals, shows and concerts for people to enjoy. If the venue is a public space, ticket prices are usually cheaper too. Depending on my treasury I build entertainment centres, theaters, opera houses, libraries, etc. In Toronto, I am always supporting arts and culture (PS: I don’t mind if the city levies a surcharge to subsidize cultural events and festivals.) If I could build a Broadway theatre street in SimCity, I’d totally do that. Anything to build more cultural capital.

↑ Historic tram line running through this neighborhood that has characteristic duplex and triplex apartments

5. Characteristic neighbourhoods

If you checkout Philadelphia or Mexico City, you’ll notice clear characteristics that distinguish neighbourhoods from one another. I want that, I like that. Soviet style conformity may be efficient but it’s the fuzzy chaos of small streets and narrow alleys, local stores and markets, variety in architecture and such interesting features that that make a city rich in social capital.

If I build a high-density upscale residential neighbourhood, I build pedestrian malls and plazas. On the other hand low-density neighbourhoods get a park or two, winding streets and farmers markets. There is only so much you can control but it is possible to give different look to different districts of your city.

↑ Mixed income neighbourhood. Residents in this community voted to preserve their red brick-lined streets

So those were some Sim City specific factors that would make a city more interesting from a tourism perspective. Hope you enjoyed reading this post.

What other features would you add to your SimCity?

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While walking on Moscow’s artsy Arbatskaya street, I noticed a poster that said “Bolshoi Ballet company presents, The Nutcracker.” It was about four years ago but I am going to write about it as if it happened yesterday.

Now although I had never seen a ballet before, I knew I wanted to see young men and women with long legs jump around the stage on their toes while wearing funky costumes. I was instantly excited; The Nutcracker is a very famous ballet production and the Bolshoi ballet is one of the best companies in the world. I bought tickets in no time, I couldn’t miss the chance to see them perform on their home turf.

1. Find the venue: State Kremlin Palace

Built to function as a modern arena for Communist Party meetings, the State Kremlin Palace is an iconic building located in Moscow’s Kremlin. After walking under the majestic arch of the Troitskaya tower entrance and not making attempts to humor the guards who stare at you with a fixed gaze, you’ll see the – peculiarly Soviet styled – State Palace immediately to your right. It is surrounded by other important looking administrative buildings such as the Arsenal, the palace of amusement, royal orthodox churches and cool installations like the Tsar cannon and Tsar bell. Young soldiers loiter around, with guns dangling from their shoulders, looking at you with curiosity and a serious expression that dares you to mess with them. Obviously I didn’t dare.

The palace is located inside the Kremlin, i.e. at the heart of Moscow. The closest metro stations are Biblioteka and Aleksandrovsky Sod although a number of subway lines and stations crisscross around the kremlin. Plus each station has multiple exits, so not to worry too much, you can’t miss the Kremlin.

↑ Enormous coat check counters and concourse leading to stairs that go to various levels. Everything has a soviet scale to it.

2. Homework: The Nutcracker at the Bolshoi theater ballet

Bolshoi, which translates to big or grand in Russian, is Moscow’s, and by extension, Russia’s most iconic theatre. Since its Soviet heydays, this immaculately decorated theatre has hosted some of the finest classical concerts, be it music, dance or drama. When I was traveling in Russia, this place was under renovations, so performances were moved to the Kremlin Palace.

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet based on the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” in which a young girl’s favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. The Russian ballet rendition is perhaps the most popular ballet in the world.

I was glad I read this story; otherwise it would have been completely unintelligible, between all the singing and dancing in fancy costumes. Unlike an opera, there are no subtitles.

3. Dress up and find me some kids

People were dressed extremely well which, having travelled in Russia for the past three weeks, wasn’t a surprise. What caught me off guard was the disproportionately large number of kids attending the ballet. There must have been two or three kids for each adult. I imagine it was a school excursion day for kids to get some proper culture into them. Those youtube videos of hiphop have no class! LOL

PS: I am a bit scared of kids, pets and other irrational creatures in general.

↑ Chaos during interval. Kids started screaming with excitement and started running upstairs. What was happening up there? it was a mystery to me.

During the intermission at the end of act 1, I stepped outside the concert hall and was faced with a terrifying sight. There was a deluge of kids, I don’t know where they came from, but they were everywhere. On scaling the columns, dangling from the ceiling, crawling on the floor… okay maybe that was a different nightmare. Everyone was rushing upstairs with a sense of panic and emergency. Adults were shouting at the kids too, in a very un-northamerican manner, probably trying to reign them in but in vain. I was curious to see what was on the upper floor. I went there only to find a great dining hall, a noisiest one ever. There was lots of running around, tripping, crying, laughing and excitement in general, I guess food was the biggest attraction there. I wasn’t sure if my ticket included food, and also since I was intimidated by the children, I stayed away.

4. Find you seat and sit back for an enchanting performance

I bought a ticket for a seat in the balcony. I bought it a day in advance since it was the weekend.

The grandiose structure of the State Palace is quite impressive although I didn’t feel like it had a distinctive character. The building is a modern glass and concrete design, with nearly half of it (17 metres) submerged underground. Wonder what secret meetings happen down there. The main hall is able to hold six thousand people and its acoustics were considered to be the most advanced at the time. Over the years this was the main place for mass state events (particularly party congresses). Presently it is used for official and popular concerts.

Ushers led me to the concert hall since I couldn’t figure out my seat numbering scheme. As I made my way to the balcony and looked at the expanse before me, I felt very tiny. The theatre holds six thousand people and it was packed. And very noisy as well.

A lady in her 30s was sitting to my left. She was from a little town called Suzdal (beautiful Church complex btw!) which is few hours away from Moscow and part of the Golden Ring cities which I would visit later. I think it was her first time in Moscow (or something like that) because she seemed quite excited. So much that she didn’t notice that my Russian was accented; at least initially.

↑ “Ethnic” characters: Chocolate from Spain, Coffee from Arabia, and Tea from China

Thoroughly satisfied, with a number of goosebumps inducing performances, I left the theatre with a big smile on my face. It was probably the second ballet performance I had seen and left craving for more.

5. Bonus: Checkout the Kremlin and blog about it

Since the State Kremlin palace theater is located within the Kremlin complex, you can stroll inside for free after the concert. I think it’s a great deal! There is so much to see inside the Kremlin that it will keep you occupied for half a day easily.

↑ Excellent performance coming to a close!

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Tour of Ottawa’s Peace tower

The Peace Tower (officially the Tower of Victory and Peace) is a focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa. It’s a beautiful tower 92.2m high and decorated with over 350 architectural elements keeping with the Victorian High Gothic style of the rest of the parliamentary complex.

Getting there

Earlier this fall, I visited this tower and took a tour to the top and middle sections. I would recommend visitors to visit this attraction after checking out the House of Commons and Canada’s Senate.

Entrance is free but you need to get a ticket (which has a designated time) and line up at the elevator entrance after clearing security check. The elevator will take you up to the top of the tower first (for breathtaking views) and then to the central chamber (for the memorial hall).

View of Ottawa and Gatineau from the top

Ottawa is a small town but very pretty for sure. Parliament hill is located on the edge of the Ottawa river which is the dividing line between Ottawa and Quebec provinces. Just cross the bridge is Gatineau where all the signs are in French. It’s neat!

The tower’s flagpole holds symbolic significance, and acts as the flagpole of the nation. The flag, proudly flying atop this tower, did invoke a sense of nationalism and belonging in me which didn’t surprise me given that I’ve spent almost six years in this country.

Memorial chamber

Yesterday was Remembrance Day, a day celebrated by most commonwealth countries to honor those who died in the line of duty, specifically the world wars. November 11, 1918 marked the end of World War 1.

The Peace Tower was built not only to stand as an architectural feature and landmark, but also to function as a memorial. The memorial is a beautiful chamber in the middle section of the tower with high stained glass windows and various embellishments of symbolic nature. Books of Remembrance are placed along the walls. These books list all Canadian soldiers, airmen, and seamen who died in service of the Crown—whether that of Britain (before 1931) or that of Canada (after 1931)—or allied countries in foreign wars. The displays were later modified to represent a broader overview of Canadian armed conflict, both foreign and domestic, since Confederation in 1867.

Carillon, bell ensemble

From the top floor you can also see the large clock and hear bells from close. Every hour on the hour they play Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” which is a nice idea but the bells are so awfully tuned that it sounded like a child hitting random notes on a toy keyboard.

The peace tower is a distinctive Canadian icon and appears at the back of $20 and $50 bills. If you are visiting Ottawa, there’s no way you’d miss it.

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