DocDivaTraveller: June 2016

When it comes to exploring the world, I have two main motives. Firstly I want to visit all the seven wonders of the world. Secondly I want to visit or take a dip in as many seas and oceans as possible. Our trip to Greece introduced me to the Aegean Sea (a part of Mediterranean). Our next stop Istanbul had three water bodies...The Golden Horn, the Bhosphorous strait and the Marmara Sea. We took a cruise on all the three of them. But a sea is not fully explored till I swim in it!

A live mermaid with a stone one :D

Istanbul has a group of islands called the Princes Islands. They are a group of nine islands strewn over the Marmara Sea. A visit to one of them would fulfill my wish of taking a dip in the sea of Marmara. It was our second day in Istanbul. We had researched for Princes Islands' Package Tours the day before but the prices were steep. But at last we found out that there was no need to buy package tours; we could arrange the trip by ourselves by taking the local ferry.

A hearty breakfast with our host Kenan

The morning we got up late. I mean we had plans of leaving the apartment at 6 in the morning but we woke up at half past eight! The previous 48 hours of sleeplessness and the non stop chatter with our new friends the previous night had taken the toll on our schedule. Anyways we had a hurried breakfast and then we packed our beach essentials and left!

All set for our journey in the Marmara Sea..departure from Kabatas port

First it was an uphill walk to the bus stop and then a tram ride to the ferry station. The ferries to the islands were quite frequent; almost every 20 minutes. We booked the one to Buyukada and waited for our ship to arrive. As mentioned before the entire port was bustling with visitors: local and tourists alike. Firstly it was a Sunday and secondly it was the last day of their very important holiday of Bairam. The festivity was palpable.

the street bustling with tourists...

The islands are a favourite spot for picknickers. Our ship started and I could not contain my excitement. I was going to take a dip in another sea! The journey was quite long. We saw many islands on the way, many large ships too, with th passesngers waving each other .First our boat stopped at Heybiliyada. We were supposed to deboard at Buyukada. As soon as our destination came, I was elated. I jumped off the ship.

Our super tanned faces!! The Greek sun took a toll on our skin colour!

A yacht that caught my fancy..

Welcome to the island of Buyukada!

The island is absolutely motor less. Only bicycles and horse driven carriages are the mode of transport. I pranced on the cobbled streets under the glaring sun and poor hubs took pictures.

The place was a haven for tourists and sea foodies. I could sea lobsters and crabs everywhere. The little restaurants were very beautiful with quaint decor and hydrangeas popping everywhere.

I was particularly fascinated with the wooden houses there. Every window had flowers hanging from them. We thought of renting a cycle but it was out of our budget! So we decided to walk: the commonest mode of transportation there. I was excited for the beach but little we knew that it would be a rocky affair instead of the expected white sand!

Meal by the sea among the hydrangeas...

A horse driven carriage...the main mode of transport in the island.

Dress: from Goa
Purse: Shopper's Stop
Accessories: Forever 21
Sunnies: Aldo

6/30/2016 9 comments

How can it be possible that we go so close to the Marmara Sea and not take a dip in it? After traversing The Marmara Sea for about two hours, we reached the Princes Islands of Turkey. These islands are special for various reasons.

These are about nine islands spread over the Marmara Sea. These are Prince Islands as the prince of Turkey used to be on exile in theses islands. These islands don't have any mode of vehicular transport. The only way to traverse is either by walking or horse drawn carriage. Now these islands are open to the public. Out of the nine, the two most popular ones are Buyukada (Big Island) and Heybeliada.

As you have read here, we traversed along the Marmara Sea and reached the island of Buyukada. The island was bustling with merry makers as it was the last Sunday of the 'Bairam' holiday. International and Turkish tourists were equally there. There were no vehicles but it was very crowded (especially the coast). The island smell was infectious. Seafood and beachwear kiosks were everywhere.

A trip to any island would of course be incomplete without taking a dip in that sea. So we were looking forward to a swim. We asked how far the beach was and kept on walking. It took a while for us to realise that there was no 'sandy beach'. The coast was rocky and everyone jumped from the island. I was not too game for the plunge for gathered up the courage anyways.

The water was very cold and the sea was rough. I had rocks beneath my feet and each time a big wave came, I was scared of being knocked down. I could not let myself get injured...my tiny daughter was waiting for me back home.
I held a rock throughout my stint during the 'so called swim' and then ushered my husband to join the waters. Meanwhile I took care of our belongings.

My partner enjoyed the rough sea like never before. He braved the waves and was not willing to come out.

There was no place to change; people were changing on the grass. Being an Islamic country, I did not expect any bikini show but surprisingly girls were lying all over the grass. When I was taking pictures, a few Turkish teenagers joined us for snaps. One thing about Turkish people, they are very friendly :D

We walked around as far as we could and then had lunch at a cute restaurant. Braving the waves of Marmara Sea had our stomachs gnawing. I ordered a plate of chicken schnitzel which came with bread, fries, salad and mayonnaise. Bread was unlimited. We ate to our heart's content.

I was in no mood to leave the island but we needed to explore Istanbul. So we took the 5 30 ferry and bade goodbye. This island tour was one of my favourites in Turkey.

Dress: From Rajasthan
Purse: Shoppper's Stop
Sunnies: Aldo

6/24/2016 5 comments

I have been a voracious reader since childhood. Books used to be my best friends...a true bibliophile to be precise. But after I passed out from my medical college, work and family commitments became the No 1 enemy of my best friend. As a result my obsession with reading turned into an occasional pastime. So when I got '6 degrees: Game of Blogs to review', my joy knew no bounds!

To start with its a very different book. Its a book with the same set of 5 characters yet 3 very different stories. Different is an understatement, the stories are unimaginably distinct from each other. For the first time 30 bloggers came together to create something so unique. 3 teams , 10 bloggers each were given 5 characters with descriptions and they had to come up with an interesting story.To read each story was an enthralling experience in itself.

The characters:

Shekhar Dutta: The male protagonist, a freelance writer who is yet to publish his best work. He is a stay at home Dad who takes care of his daughter and the household.

Tara Dutta: The breadwinner of the Dutta household. A beautiful and ambitious media professional who is scaling new heights in her career everyday.

Roohi Dutta: 9 year old daughter of the Dutta family. Very pretty, just like her mother and full of energy and enthusiasm. Her instant attraction and proximity to Cyrus (the character I am coming to next) is not something I like. As a mother of a two year old I find it rather strange. Little girls are scared of men leave the fact that they can be attracted!

Cyrus: A tall, fair and handsome law student. His character has been given a new twist in every story!

Jennifer: A dusky curly haired photographer who is always with her DSLR hanging from her neck.

The sixth subtle common character:

Aryan Ahuja: The neighbour of the Dutta family, His character adds a new dimension to each of the story. Sometimes you will think of him as the villain while in one story he is almost the hero!!

Now the stories.

1.The Awakening:

Unexpectedly, the awakening is a science fiction that is basically a war between the good and the evil. The humans are portrayed as selfish, the Gray aliens are trying to destroy the earth while the Peacekeeper aliens are trying to protect mother earth. The greatest twist in the story comes when Tara, the pretty mortal turns out to be Clariota, a peacekeeper alien! Since Roohi is her daughter, she too inherits her powers and they fight together to save the earth. It is the story of the awakening of Tara, the mortal into her true form, the most powerful peacekeeper alien Clariota. The story is an unexpected read. However I don't like the fact that in the end Tara and Roohi leave Shekhar to pursue their lives as aliens with Cyrus.

2.Entangled Lives:

Its a murder mystery that starts out to be very next door yet intriguing. Its a spine tingling story and I love such plots which involves hunting down the culprit. Tara Dutta is potrayed in quite a negative way. Okay fine she is cut throat ambitious but she could have been shown in a softer version too. One thing is for sure. The writing is so real that you can actually see the events happening before your eyes. Every moment you will think that you know the murderer but the very next evidence would prove you otherwise. Every character in the story has a motive for the murder.The character of the inspector Mr Java is something. You would hate him but you will love his investigative skills. The ending is one exciting revelation.

3.Missing: The journey within

This is my most favourite story of the three. Little Roohi goes missing and so does Cyrus. There are so many characters who are waiting to be found and reunited. Its a thriller too and the reader gets puzzled as to how the characters are interrelated. It deals with two very sensitive topics. A gay relationship and a man rape. Something which changes Cyrus's life. I love the fact that not only Roohi is found, but all the other characters get reunited at the end. In fact its a journey where everyone rediscovers himself/herself.

A science fiction, a murder mystery and a soul stirring journey. This is how I sum up the book.

The book is a 400 plus pages paperback read priced at 349 INR. I can assure you that the book is more than every single penny and every page unfolds a new story.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

6 Degrees is India's first book published through collaborative blogging, written completely by bloggers for the Game of Blogs activity at BlogAdda. Know more about Game of Blogs here. You can buy 6 Degrees: Game of Blogs if you liked the review. :)

6/17/2016 4 comments

The serene Bosphorus cruise...

The waterbodies of Istanbul are pretty confusing. I mean I am good in geography but if some landform bothers me, its bound to confuse others too! My husband on the other hand is exceptionally good with maps and hence his concepts are crystal clear. He had explained to me the three main water bodies of Istanbul in detail (Marmara Sea, Bosphorus Strait, Golden Horn) but I am still pretty much in a jinx! I still can't differentiate the Bosphorous strait from the Golden Horn!

Instanbul lies on the banks of the Marmara Sea, while the Bhosphorous Strait separates the European part from the Asian part of Istanbul. The cruise along the Bhosphorous sea is pretty significant, no trip to Istanbul is complete without it. If you have seen the movie Dil Dhadakne Do, you know what I mean.

If you book tickets beforehand, they are pretty expensive. There are a lot of varieties...with Dinners, Belly dancing, etc etc. We ditched all the tempting offers that came our way. The sunset ones are the most expensive. We walked to the banks of Bhosphorous after visiting the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. Istanbul is so pedestrian friendly! I mean it was quite a distance from our apartments to the mosque are to the sea but it was incredibly pleasant!

The European part of Istanbul...

After bargaining we bought the tickets only to realize that they could be bought at a lower price too! Leave it. We sat on the roof of the ship and within a matter of few minutes, it was full! It was a very festive atmosphere. Our guide was screaming on top of his voice on the mic but who cared? There was so much noise all around that I could not decipher even a single word.

The setting sun shining on my head...our only joint photo of the cruise...

Crossing the Galata Bridge...

The Bosphorus Bridge...

The cruise was very pleasant. Cold breeze blew on my face. Who thought that in the month of July one can feel cold? I took out my Venus sweatshirt and sought warmth. The view was magnificient. We could see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, the never ending walls of the Topkapi Palace, the Galata tower, the Dolmabahce Palace and all the significant landmarks of Istanbul. I later realised that every mosque looked like the Hagia Sofia. We crossed the Bhosphorous bridge when the sun went down. We took a turn and entered the Asian part of Istanbul. Those parts looked frightening with thick dense vegetation in the twilight. While on our way back, the same landmarks looked even more beautiful with lights all around.

The Maiden Tower at night...

The Hagia Sophia all lit up...

It was quite late when we deboarded. WE had not slept for around 48 hours. The last sleep was in Santorini two days back. We were exhausted. But as true travellers we kept on going. We walked back all the way to our Sophia Apartments and then chatted with our new found foreigner friends all night long! It was the perfect end to our first day in Turkey!

6/14/2016 6 comments

At the foot of the Seven Hills Hotel

After a mesmerising view of the entire city from the rooftop of Seven Hills hotel, we proceeded towards the TopKapi Palace. The Palace is spread over a vast area bordering the Marmara Sea. I guess the sea acts as a most reliable moat. The way from the Blue Mosque to the palace was rather fascinating. The entire area was cobbled. And the cobbled streets led straight to the blue Marmara Sea. It was around seven in the evening and was heavily crowded.

Beautiful Cobbled streets...

Heavily crowded streets..

We started encircling the palace. It was huge. Since it was quite late in the evening, it was closed for tourists. We did not grumble as we were short of time. We had already booked the tickets of the Bosphorous Cruise for the dusk hour. We kept on walking along the high walls of the palace towards the Marmara Sea.

The high walls of the Topkapi Palace...

The Topkapi Palace was the residence of the Sultans of the Ottoman empire for around 400 years. It is also known as The Selagrio and has now been converted into a museum. It houses important relics of the Muslim world, holy remains like the cloak of the Muhammad. The Topkapi Palace started losing its importance towards the end of the Ottoman empire when the Sultans shifted to the Dolmabahce Palace. It is now a UNESCO World heritage sight.

As we proceeded further towards the sea, I spotted wooden buildings on the opposite side of the road. Some of them were boutique hotels while some cafes, etc. I am not at all used to seeing wooden buildings and they really fascinated me. Especially since they had flowering plants hanging from the windows and balconies.

I started posing in front of those beautiful buildings. A bunch of Turkish women joined me. They were not conversant in English and we exchanged hellos with smiles. Some of them posed with me while the more shy ones waited. They said that I was pretty. I smiled and thanked them. I found Turkish women to be very sweet and friendly. Every place where we went, the local women there interacted with us and took photos. For a city like Istanbul which is bustling with tourists all year long, its lovely to find that the local people take interest in tourists. Such sweet encounters leave memories etched for life.