A Childhood Dream Turned Reality

Assalamualaikum wbt and hello everyone. 

My last post was a year ago! 

I need to make sure that this blog is alive until my last day on Earth, hahaha. I mean, I'm not going to discard 16 years worth of blogging updates down the drain and lose this site just because of inactivities. So, even a yearly update shall suffice. 

Just a life update: 

I am currently pursuing my MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy in University College London, United Kingdom. 

I'm not active on blogspot. But you can follow me on instagram @sarahkushairi for more updates. 😊 From there too, you can subscribe to my latest series of newsletter: Saturdays with Sarah: Letters from London 🇬🇧. 

It's just unbelievable. This blog had been together with me since I finished my SPM, foundation, degree, PRP, working life and now I'm doing my Masters. 

If I read back the thoughts of the 17-18 years old Sarah on this blog, surely she couldn't believe that her childhood dream will finally turn into reality 15-16 years later. 🥹

"Thank you for not giving up on your dreams, future Sarah!" whispered 18 years old Sarah as she reads this blog entry from the past. 

Saturdays with Sarah

Assalamualaikum and hello everyone! 

Oh, I haven't been writing on this blog for more than a month! 

I actually made a pact with myself to post something here at least once a month but looks like it's probably gonna be once in every 2 months instead, LOL. 

Well, I had been doing something great (at least for me) for the past 2 months. The main reason of why I'm not blogging regularly is because...

I have a weekly newsletter called 'Saturdays with Sarah'! 

It's a weekly e-newsletter sent to my readers/subscribers every Saturday, hence it's Saturday with Sarah. 

To date, I had been consistently posting 9 letters for 9 consecutive Saturday, alhamdulillah! 

Tomorrow is going to be my 10th letter, insya Allah. 

I had always been inspired by Aida Azlin for her Tuesday Love Letters, and I'm always looking forward towards receiving her letters every Tuesday. Her letters uplift my heart! 

Deep inside me, I wanted to write something like what she had written. But something that comes from my heart, with my own way of writing and thinking. Something that comes out of my own opinions and reflections. But alas, I put the idea away, thinking it was too difficult, and I would probably have an endless battle with writer's block anyway. So, forget it! 

Also, I have this problem with consistency. In 2021, I made a pact that I would write a blog post every week, on my new wordpress website (which I paid quite a hefty amount of money for). But it only lasted for about 4 letters? 4 weeks? I can't remember. I do know that I didn't really enjoy writing it, LOL. 

I must admit that I really want people to read what I had written. Although writing is an act of joy for me, I would like to be validated as a writer. Meaning, I wanted to have readers, who occasionally respond to what I had written. It could boost my morale and motivation to write more and more. 

That did not happen with blog posts. Nowadays, nobody really reads blogs anymore. This isn't like in the 2000s' till early 2010s'. We had moved past 2020, ladies and gentlemen! 

But I have so much to talk about, so many things to share, I don't want to put my talent to waste. Okay, I would like to acknowledge that I indeed, have a talent in putting words into writing. 

So how can I combine my love for writing, my passion and desire to become a writer and gets validated from what I had written- aka actually having readers? 

I didn't have any answer for that, and besides, I had too much on my plate already. 

Until....I came across two books written by Nurliyana Rahmat, titled 'Healing Careful-liy' and 'Love, Liy'. Her books are a compilation of weekly letters she had written over several years and I am in love with her writings, and the idea of curating a weekly newsletter. 

The back of 'Love Liy' states that the letters serve as a safe space for her to share her reflections, be vulnerable and able to express herself freely. The letters are written like journal entries for her to bridge connections with her readers. 

And at the end of the book, the writer urges the readers to start writing letters of their owns. 

That's it! That's the answer to my question.

So I DM-ed Nurliyana Rahmat and asked her what platform she had used for her letters, and she said that she had been using mailchimp, which is free. 

I was nervous at first, but it was a now or never moment! I set up my own template, sent test emails to some of my friends, and alas, I let my intention known to my followers on IG and asked them to leave their emails if they wish to subscribe to my weekly newsletters. 

Alhamdulillah, the response was overwhelming! I thought I'd get at most 10 subscribers, LOL, but turns out much more than that. I like the idea of being vulnerable through my letters, as opposed towards being vulnerable on my blog posts or on IG/Stories, where everyone could have free access to my thoughts hahaha. 

Only those who care enough to subscribe to my newsletters are the people I can be vulnerable with, because they are so supportive! This small action of subscribing to my letters means so much to me, and I am thankful for their presence in my life. 

Thank you , my subscribers! 

Some had DM-ed me, saying how they love reading my letters, how my letters resonate with their current states, and so on. Masya Allah, alhamdulillah, I am glad that my letters are beneficial to them.

I write those letters for myself, and I need to share the reflections from the going-ons in my life, which includes my experiences, circumstances, books I read, places I had been to, with the intention to make them feel better. To uplift their spirits. To make them come closer to Allah. 

I would like to think of it as a form of dakwah, done in my own way.  

Writing these letters had become a weekly routine for me and I feel so much joy in writing them.  Sometimes I got an idea of what to write and the words just flow out smoothly. Sometimes I felt like tearing my hair out as I had no idea what to write even when it's already Friday! 

But that's the thing. I learn to always show up to write these letters even when I don't feel like it. I have my own subscribers and I must not let them down! I'm not sure how long will I continue to write it, but I would like to write at least 40 letters, insya Allah. 

I would consistently pray to Allah after every solat for Him to grant me the ideas of writing the best letters ever, and for Him to help me to write those letters in the best possible way. 

On a last note, if you wish to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, just leave your email at the small subscription form on the right panel of this blog. 

Please pray that I could write more letters and these letters serve as my legacy, my source of good deeds even after I'm no longer here on this world. Aameen. 

The Golden Era of Chinese and Hong Kong Dramas

Assalamualaikum and hello everyone! Just thinking I should post something on this blog once a week. This is a musing I wrote when I randomly thought about all the Chinese dramas I watched growing up. 

So nostalgic!     

***

The advent of Korean Wave had led to the infiltration of its dramas, culture, language, just almost everything into countries around the world. But before their dramas and movies made their way into Malaysia, we were once besotted by various Chinese and Hong Kong dramas playing on the TV from the early 90s’ to early 00’s. Those were the golden era of TVB and ATV.

       “I couldn’t watch Zhi Wei getting tortured by Rong Mo Mo,” my friend lamented dramatically. We were then 10 years old, living in an era where the television was our primary source of entertainment.

      “I was so mad, I felt like jumping into the TV and punch her in the face,” I replied with gusto.

        Huan Zhu Ge Ge, or popularly known as ‘My Fair Princess’, had taken the world by storm in the late 90s’. It was first aired in the Cantonese dub at NTV7 in 1999.  Even at a young age, I managed to differentiate between the two dubs, Mandarin and Cantonese, although I do not speak in either dialect. The story of how the spunky Xiao Yan Zhi met the demure Zhi Wei, and making their way to the Forbidden City, with romance and adventures along the way, still enticed me to this day.

      Then there were the Wuxias turned into heart-pounding dramas like State of Divinity, Legend of Condor Heroes and Storm Riders, where the whole family would sit in front of the TV, our mouths agape as we marvelled over the Kung Fu moves and the ability to fly and fight on water. I wished that I had learned Kung Fu then. I really wanted to fly.

      My earliest memory of religiously watching Chinese Dramas every afternoon began in 1997, where both my mom and I were glued to ‘The Good Old Days’ every afternoon. The series is so good that even the previews managed to stop me from my task as I craved to know more about the next episodes.

    From then on, I watched every single drama the TV had to offer. I eventually became an ardent fan of Jessica Hsuan, who acted in Golden Faith, Square Pegs, Witness to a Prosecution, the list is endless! Not to forget Dicky Cheung who played comedic characters in Fong Sai Yuk and Journey to the West. Also, I think I still have a crush on Kwong Wah who played the suave saxophonist in ‘I Have a Date with Spring’.

    A friend had commented on my interest towards Chinese dramas by saying “You’re a Malay, why are you watching too many Chinese dramas?” to which I replied “What’s wrong with that?”

    Chinese dramas exert its positive effects in many ways. One example would be that it unites people from different races and religions in Malaysia, just like how P.Ramlee’s movies did. I clearly remember becoming friends with Rachel and Parvathee, bonded by our loves towards My Fair Princess. We would spend our breaks in between classes, writing fan fictions for each of us to read and comment on, and gushed over Alec Su at that young age. We were just eleven!

    Also, through watching the period dramas, I also inadvertently learned about the history and culture of China, where different dynasties were depicted. The Qing dynasty setting in My Fair Princess featured women in elaborate headdress and clogs, while the men each sporting a queue. The Tang, Song and Ming dynasties have its people dressing in similar styles. The Yuan Dynasty was under the governance of Mongol kings Kublai Khan and Genghis Khan, after the fall of the Song Dynasty. A King’s love towards his General’s lover had led to the downfall of the mighty Ming Empire.

       When Korean dramas began to make its waves over Malaysia, the TV channels had slowly stopped showing Chinese and Hong Kong dramas. That was when this glorious era had waned, making ways to Winter Sonata and Autumn in My Heart.

     The era of watching Chinese dramas had ended for me as well. However, whenever the mood struck, I would play the soundtracks, reminiscing the carefree days where all I cared about was to go home to watch the next episode of Triumph in the Skies with my family, and where my classmates would excitedly chatter about the previous episode of Armed Reaction, anticipating the next one today.

Ah, the good old days! 

The Joy of Writing

Assalamualaikum and Hello everyone.

It’s been a while. A really long while. When I first created this blog almost 15 years ago (Gosh I feel old! This blog is the same age as the Form 3 students taking PT3 this year!), I had fun writing on it. There was this sense of accomplishment, of you writing something out and it appeared on the internet, and people actually read what you had written!

So, I began writing more from my heart, spewing out every feelings and happenings, writing and hitting that publish button for as many as 5 blog posts per day! It was exhilarating! Back then it was only less than 5 people who actually read my blog.

As my blog gained more readers and followers, I began to feel self-conscious over what I think and write. I am that kind of person who loves to speak out on various matters, but the thing is, some of my opinions are not necessarily correct. I got embarrassed over what I had written and slowly deleted some of the posts that I deemed would make people think less of me. What a shame, I should have put them in the drafts mode instead.

But yeah, blogging was therapeutic, enjoyable, fun! Nevertheless, as time gone by, more and more people began to leave the blogging world in pursuit of an app with beautiful photo grids. Many had changed their simple polyphonic phones into smart phones, and of course, the appearance of Instagram is timely. We began spending more time scrolling through the pictures in our phones, reading the captions, and not many have the time to write long blog posts or even read them anymore.

It’s the same with me. The feeling to speak out my mind is still there, but I had chosen to write them on the IG stories and Whatsapp stories instead. There is also that feeling of satisfaction when you could see people viewing your stories (and your words), which no doubt, created that feeling of pride over what you had written. But really, am I writing to satisfy myself, or to satisfy the viewers?

Eventually, I have developed the same feeling I had when I blogged. I feel conscious of the number of people viewing my stories. What if there is a person who disagrees with my opinions, screenshot-ed it and make it viral over the internet? Of course, this is just my anxiety talking.

Just today, I realized that the passion of writing is still there. The yearning to express my feelings, to write about what I think might be interesting. But the best platform for me to do that is through this good old blog. Whereby I don’t have to comply with the word limits, I don’t have to make my IG and whatsapp stories so crowded with my own thoughts and opinions.

This blog will forever be the place where I can write to my heart’s content, from my heart, with hopes that it could touch other people’s hearts. Here, I will not be worried or anxious upon looking at the number of viewers (and who viewed my blog). Here, I am quite safe, as not many people read blogs anymore!

So I decided I must write regularly again, just to organize my thoughts. Even though not many people would read it, it’s okay. I write for myself. I write for my own pleasure. And that, is the true joy of writing. J

In other words, I’m not going to let this blog die! Come on, I had fed and raised this blog for 15 years now! xD 

30 is the new 20? And 40 before 40.

So, it's the year 2020! I remember memorizing all the Wawasan 2020's visions from the Sejarah textbook sentence by sentence, word by word, only that they did not come up in the SPM Sejarah Paper. 😂

The year 2020 means the year I would be turning 30!

Is it for real? The big three-oh?

Just this morning I discovered a strand of silver hair amongst the black ones. I yanked it out and just laughed in disbelief. Aging is inevitable. The melanin had slowly ceased its production, LOL. I remember plucking my mom's silver hair when I was young. Now I have it myself! If I lived well enough until the age of 40, I hope I can just laugh merrily at the mirror while looking at the mounds of silver hair I have on my head. 

Instead of lamenting of how old I've become, I actually don't mind turning 30. I'm not that scared of getting old. For me, 30 is the next big adventure. A whole new adventure as a working adult woman. When I was 20, it was an adventure of transitioning from teenagehood to adulthood, figuring out my career pathway and well, trying to make sense of the world and all that it contains, remember all those angsty, emotional feeling of quarter-age syndrome? I've survived that phase! Yaay to me~

Plus, you know. Life in this world is temporary. I seek solace in this fact. Thus I don't really care about silver hair and well, wrinkles on my face (I have one at the corner of my left eye- it has been there since I was 20, LOL). But it doesn't mean I stop caring about my appearance. I still want to look good for my age. I want to age gracefully. Like Audrey Hepburn, Seniwati Sarimah and Zeti Aziz. Like my mom! She looks 10 years younger than her age and I am not exaggerating. Thus I need to take good care of my health. To eat healthily, exercise regularly, religiously apply sunblock and eye cream and try to maintain a positive attitude throughout the day! The last one is really important. 

 I shall be the best version of myself. That is the best thing of turning 30. It's like a really prime age. You have a stable job and income. You can do whatever you want. You finally accept who you are. You can make your own choice. You own your life and you are responsible for how you live it!

I have this book titled '30 before 30' by Marina Shifrin. It chronicles the author's journey of achieving 30 things before she turns 30. She made that bucket list when she was 20. So she had 10 whole years of achieving those 30 things. But me, I bought it (and got the idea of making the list) when I was 28. HAHA.

But like I said, 30 is the new 20. I can start from now. Making my own list of 40 things to do before I turn 40. I don't want to pressure myself by making sure I achieve all those things. Life is not a series of a list of things you have to do by this and that age. But, why not? Maybe I will learn some important and valuable lessons while trying to complete all those 40 things in my bucket list. Just like Julie Powell when she attempted all 500 plus recipes of Julia Child in 365 days. (I watched Julie and Julia and I love anything by Nora Ephron). I might not achieve all 40 stuff. I might only achieve half of it, or even less. But it's okay. At least I tried. Life is short. You have to try all sorts of things. (NOT THE ONES THAT DESTROY YOURSELF like alcohol, drugs and such).

So yes, why don't you and I make this '40 before 40' list together? Let's make 30 the new 20, 40 the new 30 and so on!

Gonna make the list now! 

Snippets of Turkey

Assalamualaikum and hello all! 

I had to force myself to write this as the memories about the trip are slowly diminishing.Writing about this trip had definitely made me relived my memories of Turkey!

So In December 2018, my family and I went for a trip to Turkey, covering Istanbul, Cappadocia, Bursa and Uludag!

I did not make the itinerary for this trip, unlike the previous ones. Don't know why. Perhaps I had gotten tired of making itineraries or perhaps I didn’t really have this much interest to go to Turkey. My parents were the ones who wanted to go to Turkey, actually, so we just tagged along. I thought Turkey is quite boring, but boy was I wrong! It was SO MEMORABLE! One year on, I could still remember all those places that I visited!

I’m not going to blog every single detail about my trip. I can’t really remember the date they built Hagia Sophia, or some historical facts (gasp!).I just want to reflect on my feelings there-those good, wonderful feeling of happiness when you’re in a new country. The feeling of wanderlust. J

Day 1- KL-Jeddah-Istanbul

Our journey started on the 11^th of December 2018, taking a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah. We had to transit for 6 hours there, before taking another flight from Jeddah to Istanbul. It was my first time taking Saudi Airlines and I have to say that the service was excellent! I love all the in-flight food and entertainment. The majority of the passengers were heading to Jeddah to perform their umrah, and I couldn’t wait but to look at them enviously, praying that one day, I too could be given the chance to go to Makkah. Ameen.

It would have been a perfect, satisfying, comfortable journey if it were not for the fact that I suffered from sore throat the day before departure. The classic Sarah-is-going-to-catch-a-cold/fever warning symptoms are sore throat, followed by bouts of sneezing every few seconds and runny nose. SO ANNOYING!

I kept on swallowing Panadol and Piriton (Forgot to bring Actifed!!!), praying with all my might that my immune system is strong enough to combat this illness. I slept throughout the journey, only waking up when food was served.

Approaching the holy city of Makkah al-Mukarramah

Young Sheldon with Arabic subtitles. xD

The meals were served twice. Plus there’s a tea/coffee time in between.

Then, the 9 hours journey was over, and we found ourselves at the Jeddah Airport, where we were required to stay for a 6 hours transit before taking another flight to Istanbul.

The 6 hours transit would have been bearable if it is not for the fact that the transit area was freaking crowded and uncomfortable with people sleeping on the floor because there wasn’t adequate seats! The Saudi government should improve their infrastructure. They are very rich, right? Surely they could afford to build and provide better facilities in the airport! Also, the transit area has a rather large retail section where they sell duty-free perfumes and stuff. *rolled eyes*. They should tear those down and expand the waiting area. I mean, some of the pilgrims were sleeping on the floor! So kesian!

Of course, the anxious me covered my nose most of the time. It was so crowded, and people were coughing and sneezing. I didn’t want to get sicker. I was so scared of getting the Mers Cov.  My immune system was still struggling!

Alas, 6 hours was over. We took a flight to Istanbul, and the in-flight service was as excellent as ever.

Reached Istanbul, and the hotel driver brought us to the Sultanahmet area, which is the best area to stay if you want to walk to the historical places without taking a cab or a tram.

The place was situated in a hilly area. The lanes are so narrow and crowded. The driver could not park directly in front of the hotel, so we had to lug our luggage up the hill, in that drizzling afternoon.

I forgot the name of the hotel. But it’s like a small 3-4 storeys apartment.

You open the door of the room and these are my brothers’ beds.

Climb several steps up to my parents’ queen-sized bed next to my single bed situated next to the heater and window.

We prayed Zuhur+Asar first, then went out to have lunch. The same goes with other countries that I had visited, it took me quite a while to register the fact that I am in another country, thus I did not feel that excited, initially.  There’s no “I can’t believe I’m here! Yippee!!! ” sort of things.

The Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud II and his royal family. 

Turkish delights!!!

Found a Turkish restaurant and went inside. I LOVE ALL THE FOOD! Except the Turkish Coffee. Which is so bitter, LOL. Well, coffee is supposed to be bitter, duh! 

Then we went out to Serefiye Cistern, an aqueduct. Nothing much in here.

Walked some more, finally, the beautiful sight of Hagia Sophia greeted us from a distance. That was when it struck me “I’m here! And this place is so beautiful, Masya-Allah!” and I got all excited! We only took pictures on the surroundings without going inside, that activity is reserved for tomorrow. My mom got leg cramps because it was so cold! My dad massaged her legs. So sweet! And we had to hold her on each side as she couldn’t walk properly.

This deserves a MEME! Whatcha lookin' at? 

So many cats in Istanbul and they are all FAT! My mom's friend said it's because the people there regard the cats as members of their own community. Thus they are very well-fed. None of the cats came to us begging for foods. None of them are skinny. Which makes me laments the conditions of the cats in Malaysia. :( 

And we slept early that night (9 pm Istanbul time) and woke up at 3 to 4 in the morning.  Still couldn’t recover from the jetlag.

Day 2 Istanbul-Sultanahmet

Woke up for a breakfast at the hotel. I LOVEEEE the food served! A variety of cheese, breads, potatoes, hummus and various condiments.

View from our hotel room. Not much of a view. HAHA. 

But at least you can see the Bosphorus Strait. 

Then we were ready to explore Sultanahmet area. First destination of the day is the Basilica Cistern, which is similar to Serefiye Cistern except that it is more famous because it appeared in the movie ‘Inferno’ starring Tom Hanks. Built during the reign of Emperor Justinian, It was used as a water storage area. So, another aqueduct.

Medusa upside down, I think?

Wait, this is Medusa with her viper hair.

Then, we moved on to Hagia Sophia, which is just across the road.

I can’t really remember the ticket price. But we got in for 60 liras per person, with a personal so-called tour guide who charged us 100 liras. So in total, it was 400 liras. Well, he did explain almost everything about Hagia Sophia but somehow, I’d rather explore the whole building by myself instead of having to follow him around here and there.

Hagia Sophia is really magnificent. It was once a church during the Byzantium era, and then converted into a mosque when Muhammad al-Fateh conquered Constantinople (old name of Istanbul). It is two-storeys high, and the second storey is where the Empress of Constantinople pray. As I walked towards the second storey-with a series of passages upwards, I couldn’t help but to imagine the royalty of the olden days walking on the same floor to get upstairs.

There are also mosaics featuring Christ, Mary, the emperors and empresses, and also mosaics with the name of Allah, Prophet Muhammad pbuh, and the 4 Khulafa Ar-Rasyidin.

I think this this the mosaics depicting Emperor Justinian and Emperor Constantine on the left and right presenting the Hagia Sophia and the city of Constantinople to Virgin Mary and baby Jesus Christ.

When the tour was over, the tour-guide asked for 500 liras. We were shocked. All of us argued “You said it was 400 liras!” and he said “Okay, 400 liras then,”. It seemed like he was taking the chances of us forgetting what we had promised him earlier. Luckily we remember. Huh!

Then, we moved on to Topkapi Palace. The security to these historical places were quite tight. We had to put our bags over the conveyor belt to be screened, etc. Just like in airport. We later found out that it’s a precautionary measure against terrorists, like those who planned an unsuccessful coup at Thaksim Square a few years back.

Well, you can buy tickets to two separate places- Topkapi Palace and the Harem, or just Topkapi Palace, or just Harem, where the Ottoman sultans’ concubines resided in during the Ottoman Empire. 

My parents wanted to go to only Topkapi Palace. Now that when I think of it, why didn’t I go to the Harem too? WHYYY???

The entrance fee for Topkapi Palace is 60 liras, the same with Hagia Sophia. The entrance fee for the Harem is 60 liras too.

The Palace is beautiful and well-kept. There is a section where you couldn’t take photos of the beard of Rasulllah SAW and the robe of Sayyidatina Fatimah RA. But of course, some 'smart' people couldn’t understand the rules or even too illiterate to read, leading to the guards saying ‘NO PHOTOS! NO PHOTOS!’ every single second.

The place where they take ablution. 

Walking around the Royal kitchen area. 

Bosphorus strait! 

The library. Not a real Ottoman there. 

It was here that my sneezing got worse and I knew then that my immune system had failed me and I had officially fall sick.

We then had our lunch at the restaurant and ordered some kofte (meatballs) and soup. I love the lentil soup. I could still taste it in my throat until today. So hot, creamy, savoury. Yumss

That green soup there!!! 

We then performed our prayer at the Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque. Went to take our wudhu at the toilet nearby, as in the toilet, there were several Malaysians (LOL Malaysians are everywhere!) who said that they witnessed someone being pick-pocketed right in front of the toilet. I shuddered upon hearing that and clutched my belongings closely.

I kept on sneezing when I was praying, LOL. Then we went to the Grand Bazaar. It reminds me of ‘Silk Street’ in Beijing, only that the vendors here were nicer and much more polite. Didn’t buy anything there. Just looking around.

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar. See that security barrier there?  It's everywhere! 

Then, we went to buy simcards as the wifi at the hotel sucks, and also because we need to do a web-check in for our next flight to Cappadocia. OMG, writing about Cappadocia makes me excited!!!

Then I stayed in the room the whole night with my darling brother Haziq, who was such a fine young man who volunteered to stay in the hotel with me while my parents and brother went out to get dinner- chicken kebab omg so nice!! I shivered in the cold winter ambiance-heater sucks! Sneezed, sneezed and sneezed, took PCM, Actifed (somehow I found it somewhere in my bag), vitamins, and when I woke up the next day, I felt better, Alhamdulillah.

Day 3 Kayseri-Cappadocia-Uchisar

Breakfast was as usual, AMAZING! Then the hotel driver sent us to the airport where we waited for our flight- Turkish Airlines to Kayseri Airport.

In the plane, we were served this grilled cheese bread with tomatoes which is so delicious!

Snowy landscape

Arrived there on time, found our driver and got into the mini bus. What bugged us the most was, the driver was waiting for two more groups who had not yet arrived at the airport. So we had to wait for them and my dad got sulky because we almost missed our prayers.

Anyway, we travelled across the highway to get to Cappadocia. You could see remnants of snow on the hills and by the roadside, which made us feel really excited.

The best part of Cappadocia is our CAVE HOTEL located at Uchisar, which is the highest terrain in Cappadocia.

The hotel is the most luxurious and prettiest hotel I had ever stayed in. It’s one of a kind too, since it was carved from a cave. Our suite is so spacious, with my parents room in front, then a short hallway leading to a big area with my bed on one side, and my brothers’ on the other side. There’s a Jacuzzi tab too! My mom got it at an affordable rate for 2 nights, not exceeding RM1000. It’s a bargain for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The entrance to our Cave suite. Climb up the stairs. 

And it opens to my parents' bedroom. 

You pass through the door on the left of this picture, moving along a short passage, and you will find...

My brothers' sleeping area 

And mine. So cool right!!!

The view from my bed. On my right is the staircase leading down to...

Our bathroom, with shower and jacuzzi! There's another bathroom at my parents' room, also with jacuzzi. 

The only downside is it’s so far from the Cappadocia town, so there isn’t any nightlife. All we did was just exploring around the area (so cold!) and just enjoyed our room! And oh, we booked a one-day Green tour for our activity tomorrow. The receptionist called the tour guide and they will be picking us up tomorrow. There are several kinds of tours- Red, Green and Blue (I think) but I chose the Green Tour because I wanted to go to the Derinkuyuu Underground City.

BTW, the receptionist doesn’t understand English. So we had to use Google Translate to communicate with her.

The only thing missing is the hot air balloons. This picture would have been perfect then! 

I read this (the hotel's copy) and vow to go to Konya one day! Insya Allah! 

Day 4 Cappadocia

What’s a superb hotel without a superb breakfast?

I think I was answering a query about drug doses. LOL really. The doctors in my ward would ask me anytime, anywhere. Tak sampai hati tak jawab. 

Breakfast was super awesome, we had the waiter serving us, we ate lots of breads and cheese.

Then the tour guide picked us up with his van. His name is Azan. There were two other groups there. One is a Singaporean Malay family, another is a couple from India.

Our first destination for the day was the Selime Monastery. You had to climb up the hill to get to the now-defunct monastery. The whole architecture was amazing! He also showed us the structures which supposedly inspired George Lucas’ depiction of Star Wars’ Tatooine.

Then, moving on to Ihlara Valley. This place is so beautiful! You just have to see it by yourself as no words could perfectly describe this place (actually I am too lazy to type out flowery descriptions about this place). 

I want to go to New Zealand! #tetiba. This reminds me of one of the paths Frodo, Sam and Gollum took to destroy the One Ring. 

Those caves were the Christians' settlements back then. 

Then we had our lunch, which is included in the tour package.

Barley grains with cheesy chicken. Of course, my favourite green soup served with lots of bread. 

Continued our tour by going to the Derinkuyuu Underground City! It's the place where the Christians hid from the Muslim Arabs during the Arab-Byzantine wars. It could accommodate up to 20,000 people and there were amenities like chapels, schools, storage rooms and kitchens inside. It extends to a depth of 60 metres and  believe me, without a tour guide, you would be lost inside this maze of a city. We even crawled down to the place where they stored dead bodies. Wicked!

It was a rather strenuous journey, especially for my mom, as we had to crouch down and climb up numerous series of stairs.

Then, we went to Pigeon Valley while the rest of the group went to take the super expensive Hot Air Balloon rides. RM1000 per person for a 30 minutes ride. Lucky Singaporeans who only had to spent $300 of their money to take the hot air balloon. I mean, I wouldn’t mind spending it on myself, but my parents refused to take the hot air balloons and thus I didn’t want to go up there all by myself. So, yeah. A bit regretful. Maybe one day.

The pigeons nestling in the rock formations. 

You could see the hot air balloons!!! And the evil eyes charms hanging from the branches. The Huawei Mate 9 watermark tu sibuk je. Hahaha. It's from my dad's phone. 

Nice pictures were all taken by my brother and my father. 

Ended our tour with the jewellery factory. Then we went back to the hotel.

Day 5 Yenikapi, Istanbul, Galata

Last day in Cappadocia. Had our last breakfast there and rushed to catch our flight back to Istanbul. This time, my mom booked a hotel near the Yenikapi area. But the hotel was better than the first hotel we stayed in. We met my mother’s high school friend-Angie who is now a teacher in Istanbul there. So Auntie Angie taught us how to take a metro to Galata where she treated us for dinner at a seafood restaurant!

The restaurants under the Galata Bridge. We didn't go to any of it. Instead, we went to the one near to the fish market. Which offers seafood at a more reasonable price! 

The old train to Galata 

Fresh seafood

Assorted condiments 

That’s what I love most about Turkey. The food! Everything is halal, no pork, also cheap. Then I was reminded of how we had to cook in Japan and Australia as it was difficult to find halal foods. And halal foods are expensive too.

We walked around Galata Bridge and took another Metro to the Galata tower area. Then we went back to our hotel. My brothers and I shared a room where we played Snap! Happy Families and Donkey. I won all three games! #powerofa90skiddo

Day 6 Bursa

Took a ferry to Bursa from the Yenikapi Ferry Terminal. Bought our tickets there at the counter. Arrived in Bursa, where we took a cab to our hotel. Checked in to our hotel after we had settled everything, praying, etc. We made our way to the market in Bursa, eating lunch at a restaurant along the way. I had blisters walking several kilometres away from the hotel to that market.

Our sleeping area. Syafiq's first pose. 

Parents' sleeping area. Syafiq's second pose. Hahaha. 

Chocolate pudding

Kofte. Meatballs.I only finished the meatballs, leaving behind the soggy breads. 

Say cheese! 

Something happened. I desperately needed to go to the toilet. But no one understands English there. No one knows what a toilet is. So I quickly typed the word 'toilet' on Google Translate and they immediately showed me the way, LOL.

This masjid was built in 1399 and still standing strong! 

While waiting for my father and brothers praying at the mosque, my mom and I had the opportunity to taste a creamy hot milk sprinkled with cinnamon drink called Salep!

And we drank lots of tea as well!

Hot tea with two sugar cube by its side. I already put one. One is enough. 

I bought several boxes of Turkish delights as souvenirs and my dad bought Walnuts, Hazelnuts and other kinds of nuts. My mom bought spices, and on our way back to our hotel, we tried the oysters squeezed with a bit of lemon. Yummy!

Alhamdulillah tak dapat Dysentery. 

Day 7 Uludag

Took a cab to the Teleferik Station at Bursa, it’s a cable car to the Uludag Ski Resort.

Long story cut short, we arrived in the snowy mountain of Uludag! My second time skiing after 4 years and I had forgotten how to do it.

My father, on the other hand, enjoyed himself so much that he kept on failing, and had knee pains that makes it difficult for him to walk properly. My mom kept on scolding him, saying that he’s no longer young, so he should learn how to limit himself.

I got tired of skiing and ate Menemen with my mom.

Another amazing thing that happened there: We experienced a snowfall!

No activities at night because my dad was in pain. So my brother just ordered food from the restaurant and we ate dinner in our hotel room.

Day 8 Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Something adventurous happened.

We checked out of our hotel in Bursa and got into a cab to the Ferry Terminal. But ferry was not available for the day since it the sea was rough, with choppy waves and stormy weather. So how on earth are we going back to Istanbul? Oh yeah, there’s no direct flight from Bursa to Istanbul, BTW.

And….the answer is, we took a bus!

Which is the best decision ever! As we traversed across other towns and cities of Turkey to get to Istanbul. 

Bus is super nice! 

There's also someone serving you tea and cakes! 

The bus stopped at Uskudar. No one could tell us how to get to Istanbul, which is the other side of Bosphorus strait. Like I said, not many people understand English! It was drizzling at the same time. Luckily we met a young Turkish lady, who is the daughter of a mufti in Turkey. She could speak English so it was a relief! She showed us the way until we reached our hotel in Sultanahmet. Thank you! 

We checked in to the hotel and ate lunch at the restaurant located in front of it. I can't remember the name of the dish I ate but one thing for sure, there are like 5 pieces of chicken wings with bread and I finished them all. Really delicious! Middle Eastern foods are my absolute favourite! Then we went out to shop for some stuff. We also went to the Grand Bazaar (again) with my parents buying Turkish prayer mats as souvenirs.

This is the one! 

Inside the Grand Bazaar

 I went to a bookstore in Sultanahmet to search for Elif Shafak’s books. It was freaking expensive! One paperback for 100+ liras? When I returned to Malaysia, I bought all of her books from Kinokuniya, each costing less than RM50. Aunt Angie was right. She told us that the Turks were not into reading, and that books are expensive there!

Went for another shopping  trip at the shops near the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome is kind of like the Roman Colosseum, only what remains of it now is just two huge pillars.

One of the two pillars of Hippodrome 

Day 9 Spice Bazaar, Galata Tower, and back to Malaysia

Last day in Turkey! Went to the Spice Bazaar, then only took a picture outside Galata Tower as there was a long queue to go inside. Then we ate lunch, checked out of our hotel, and went to the airport.

Inside the Spice Bazaar. It was less crowded than the Grand Bazaar.

Galata Tower 

My siblings and I watched ‘Siccin 2’ on the laptop while we’re waiting for our flight. Watching a Turkey horror movie in Turkey. Wicked! 

Back to Jeddah for a short transit time, and back to Malaysia!!!

Overall, a very memorable experience! My parents talked about how they want to go to Turkey again. They want to explore the other states and regions of Turkey. I want to go to Konya- also known as the City of Rumi as the great Poet Jalaluddin Rumi once lived and buried there. Then, to Pamukkale, Antalya, and so many more!

That’s all, a blog post long overdue (almost one year!). I’m glad I managed to finish writing about my trip there. Sorry it's not as extensive and not having much details like my Snippets of Western Australia post as I had forgotten every single thing that happened a year ago. I really need to make it a habit to write on my travel journal each time I visited a new country. 

And Insya Allah, I will be taking a trip to Egypt this December, then performing my umrah in Makkah and Madinah. I am really looking forward to it. I want to receive the hidayah. I want to improve and strengthen my relationship with Allah and Rasulullah, aameen.