I was absolutely thrilled when my flight ticket to my next holiday destination which I booked at the recent MATTA Fair arrived today. Another dream holiday came true within a short span of time. The last one month has been a hectic month for me having to work long hours till late nights and on weekends and this holiday is something I very much look forward to - away from work and to rejuvenate.
My preference was to look for a free and easy package rather than a tour package. Unfortunately, most of the travel agents offered tour packages with very packed itineraries for a 9-day tour. One thing I learnt from this kind of package is, one will not have the opportunity to enjoy and truly appreciate each places as the tourist guide will hurry you to keep with the time and itinerary. MAS Golden Holiday offered a free and easy package but the travel period was up to May 31 and it’s way too soon for me.
After collecting and reading a whole lot of travel flyers and brochures, I stopped at several booths to enquire further about airfare and flight availability to this destination. I was a bit panicky when a few travel agents told me that there was no more seat available on the dates or even the month I planned travel. Alamak…and it was only the 2nd day of the MATTA Fair. They told me I should’ve have come the day before. It was quite understandable as April to October is high season as it will be summer there. An agent at one particular booth was very helpful enough to check all airlines to this destination from MAS, Qatar Airways, Emirates and even Uzbekistan Airline, nada.
I was very disappointed but I thought I should just make one more stop and tried my luck at one particular booth offering attractive airfares from Emirates. Probably their quota for low fare seats is still available. I let out a sigh of relieve when the agent told me that there’s available seat in early August. It may be a month later than my original planned date but I decided to grab it. Furthermore, I like traveling in Emirates not only because of their excellent in flight services and good food but also the variety of tv, movie and radio channels to choose from.
So, from August 3 – 11, I will be at City of The World’s Desire marveling at the beauty of Aya Sofya, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and exploring the Grand Bazaar, just to name a few. I will stopover at Dubai for 2 nights before heading home on August 13. This will be my 3rd visit to Dubai and I am planning to take the opportunity to try out skiing at Emirates Mall which I did not do during my last 2 visits. Gee, it’s like I know I’ll be coming back to this part of the world…
Now that my flight ticket has been confirmed, what’s left to do is to make hotel arrangement and planning my itineraries at Istanbul. If any of you fellow bloggers out there have been to Istanbul, Turkey, I would be most grateful if you could share your experience and provide some tips and info to help me plan my holiday. .
My preference was to look for a free and easy package rather than a tour package. Unfortunately, most of the travel agents offered tour packages with very packed itineraries for a 9-day tour. One thing I learnt from this kind of package is, one will not have the opportunity to enjoy and truly appreciate each places as the tourist guide will hurry you to keep with the time and itinerary. MAS Golden Holiday offered a free and easy package but the travel period was up to May 31 and it’s way too soon for me.
After collecting and reading a whole lot of travel flyers and brochures, I stopped at several booths to enquire further about airfare and flight availability to this destination. I was a bit panicky when a few travel agents told me that there was no more seat available on the dates or even the month I planned travel. Alamak…and it was only the 2nd day of the MATTA Fair. They told me I should’ve have come the day before. It was quite understandable as April to October is high season as it will be summer there. An agent at one particular booth was very helpful enough to check all airlines to this destination from MAS, Qatar Airways, Emirates and even Uzbekistan Airline, nada.
I was very disappointed but I thought I should just make one more stop and tried my luck at one particular booth offering attractive airfares from Emirates. Probably their quota for low fare seats is still available. I let out a sigh of relieve when the agent told me that there’s available seat in early August. It may be a month later than my original planned date but I decided to grab it. Furthermore, I like traveling in Emirates not only because of their excellent in flight services and good food but also the variety of tv, movie and radio channels to choose from.
So, from August 3 – 11, I will be at City of The World’s Desire marveling at the beauty of Aya Sofya, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and exploring the Grand Bazaar, just to name a few. I will stopover at Dubai for 2 nights before heading home on August 13. This will be my 3rd visit to Dubai and I am planning to take the opportunity to try out skiing at Emirates Mall which I did not do during my last 2 visits. Gee, it’s like I know I’ll be coming back to this part of the world…
Now that my flight ticket has been confirmed, what’s left to do is to make hotel arrangement and planning my itineraries at Istanbul. If any of you fellow bloggers out there have been to Istanbul, Turkey, I would be most grateful if you could share your experience and provide some tips and info to help me plan my holiday. .
9 comments:
Jelesssssssssssss................. I always wanted to go to Istanbul... thought I could go/stop-over somewhere in May/June... on my way to Jeddah...... tak boleh jadik nihh... asyik pi Dubai jerrrr.... boleh shopping material for baju raya kan?
Rush - ala, you pun seem to be doing a lot of travelling this year. If you jadi stop at Istanbul, you can recce for me first. Stop kat Dubai pun sebab I like flying with Emirates, free lodging pulak tu. Kain baju raya tu I ada beli extra during my last trip there. Tambah-tambah aje kut. Anyway, pi Jeddah buat apa?
Istanbul deserve at least 3-4 days, loads of things to see, different culture, different architecture from different civilization/century. From Byzantine to Ottomon... Cruising at Bosphorus to Shopping at the Grand Bazaar... jangan lupa buat Turkish Bath (Chamberlitas is famous for tourist, very near to Grand Bazaar)
IMHO, Cappadocia is second best place after Istanbul, but it takes 10hours (at least) bus journey to get there. Hate long travelling? U can managed it by flying using Turkish Air or cheaper by Onur Air.
Ephesus and Secluk also nice for Roman/Greek history/experience. For Sufism tour (Whirling Dervishes) you have to visit its center at Konya.
If you wanna spend time by the seaside, check Fethiya, Bodrum or Mamaris area. Lovely beaches... nak mahal lagi... sewa yatch... :-)
For different experience, check itinerary for Turkish Oil Wrestling... it's at Edirne, check kalau kena dgn timing u. (I tak pergi sebab timing tak kena)
oooh so many things to do in Turkey... First you have to decide What do you wanna see? Travel one round trip (which u can also get it while u are there in Istanbul), or limit your visit to Istanbul and 1-2 outside Istanbul. For a headstart, go visit www.turkeytravelplanner.com. I used this website to plan for my trip in Turkey. Kalau nak tanya apa2 email me.
Zal - thanks for the info. Definitely will get in touch with you for more info. I'll be in Turkey for 8 nites, will consider your recommendation and seek your inputs on my itinerary.
yes nurul,..u need that well deserve break!...ENJOY!!
Pearl@Work
Pearl - Very much looking forward to it. Thanks... when is yours?
Waaaa nak ikutttt....
Nurul, kalau itinerary u dah siap, boleh ler pinjam ek? nak tiru... tak pun tiru si zal punya... tapi tak tau ler bila nak Istanbul ni, this year tak mungkin kot as my flight dah confirmed direct to Jeddah frm KL... well... me going for umrah end of next month..
Azhar - nak ikut kena bayar pengeras dulu..he...he..just pullin your leg :)
Rush - no problem, tapi tunggu lepas I balik dari my trip. At least I can give a more true picture from self-experience. Tercapai jugak niat u buat umrah...berapa lama di sana? Kalau sudi, doa-doakan untuk I jugak yer :)
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