All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go
Posted by Guhan | Filed under travel
Vacation time is here !! Its a great feeling to start a vacation. This time we are off to Turkey, the land of the Ottoman Turks. This was another must see place in my Bucket list and I am really excited that I am finally going there.
This time, more fun traveling because Mom and Sis are joining us. Its a 11 day 10 night trip, covering all the important historic sites and some natural beauty. Our trip itinerary is
11 May 2010 – Arrive Istanbul on Air Arabia flight via Sarjah
12 May 2010 – Byzantine and Ottoman Relics Tour
13 May 2010 – Bosphorus and the tour of the 2 continents. Will see the water way that divides Europe and Asia
14 May 2010 – Off to Izmir to see the houe of Virgin Mary and the Greco-Roman city of Ephesus
15 May 2010 – Pamukkale and Heirapolis tour
16 May 2010 – Off to coastal town of Anatalya
17 May 2010 – Off to Cappadocia and a day to relax
18 May 2010 – Visit the ruins at Devrent and Terra Cotta art work from 3000 BC
19 May 2010 – Natural Rock formations south of Cappadocia
20 May 2010 – Back to Istanbul
21 May 2010 – Leave back to Bangalore on Air Arabia via Sarjah
There are many more historic places we will be seeing, like the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, the grand spice bazars and the famous Topkapi palace. We also plan to visit the Temple of Artemis, one of the older 7 wonders of the world.
I will blog about the places in detail when I get back, or if the computer gets the better of me, will blog from my hotel room :-p
Off we go!
Vacation!
Posted by Guhan | Filed under travel
Its that time of the year when I gear up to go on a vacation. This time, its exotic Turkey that I will be visiting with family. Looking forward to the trip. Last year, I had been to Jordan on work, and managed to sneak a trip to Petra. The grand structure at Petra which makes an appearance in the Indiana Jones movies was a spectacular sight. Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans, is enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream. Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress, but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf. During this trip I also managed to go to Dead sea, a salt lake bordering Israel and Jordan.The dead sea is the lowest elevation on the Earth’s surface. It is also one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water, with close to 40 % salinity. This makes floating on the dead sea a one of a kind experience. Its like sleeping on a water bed. You just have to ensure you dont dip your head in water, because the salt and minerals can give you an eye burn to remember.
Turkey is one of the must see places I have in my Bucket list :-) and I am really happy I have finally planned a trip there. My mother will be coming along, and its going to be really great because she is an ocean of knowledge. I am sure by now she knows a lot of history about all the places we are going to see in Turkey. So apart from the tour guide, I am going to have a walking talking encyclopedia with me :-)
Its also a much deserved break. Work has been hectic and have been working my ass of for a long time now. Plus some frustrations over the last few months to get over and some happy moments to celebrate. The vacation is coming in good time. Will unwind, forget work, forget routine and hopefully come back refreshed to make some important decisions in career and life in general.
More on where all we are going will come shortly
