FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Istanbul

Showing posts with label Istanbul. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Turning Lemons Into Baklava

Jeff picked us up at 11pm (technically the night before) and drove us to Kigali International Airport to begin the long journey to Nepal.

Check-in turned out to be the slowest we had experienced anywhere in the world, which was made more memorable by the first seemingly unhappy Rwandan we had encountered. The agent asked a remarkable number of questions, including our exact flight routing from Nepal back to Australia. Quite why this was relevant remains unclear.

Fortunately the airport itself is small, and with only two flights departing around the same time immigration and security didn't take long.

Small as the airport was, it still had a Priority Pass lounge, which proved more than adequate while we waited for our first economy leg to Istanbul.

This was probably the longest eight hours of the entire journey. The flight began with a very short hop to Entebbe in Uganda, only about forty minutes thankfully, but it came with one small challenge: an extremely large man seated between Mal and me, accompanied by a persistent waft of damp sweat. To our greatest relief, he disembarked in Entebbe along with roughly seventy-five percent of the plane.

Those of us continuing on to Istanbul remained onboard while the crew cleaned the aircraft and a new group of passengers boarded. It was a slightly bizarre experience. The remaining six and a half hours to Istanbul passed with intermittent attempts at sleep.

The Pearl lounge at Kigali Airport

Let's go. First flight to Istanbul via Entebbe

We had to stay on the plane while the cleaning crew worked around us. But it was great time to use the toilet!

They provided eye mask, socks, pillow and blanket even in economy

When we arrived at Istanbul Airport we made our way to the Turkish Airlines transfer desk for business class passengers. We had managed to upgrade the second leg of our journey, from Istanbul to Kathmandu, to business class (for a bargain AUD1500 total), which turned out to have an unexpected bonus. Because of our long layover, Turkish Airlines provided a complimentary hotel stay with transfers included. Thank you, Turkish Airlines.

We did have to apply for an e-visa but this was done quickly while we were at the transfer desk and approved immediately. We breezed through passport control (I don't think they even looked at us...) went straight to the hotel desk to register and were then whisked away in a private van to the five-star Polat Hotel. It’s primarily a business hotel and not quite in the centre of Istanbul, but it overlooks the Sea of Marmara and the room was infinitely more comfortable than spending thirteen hours in an airport lounge. The afternoon nap in the hotel was sorely eeded.

The stay also included dinner, which turned out to be excellent. After several days of lodge dining in Rwanda, we realised how much we had missed Mediterranean flavours.

At 10pm a Turkish Airlines driver was there to take us back to the airport. With only our carry-ons and not having to check in, we whizzed through immigration (no lines) and security (super fast). We had time to squeeze in some food at the lounge before it was time to board our second red-eye flight that would take us to Nepal.

Little things made us happy. Yay for free hotel!

Beautiful day to be "stuck" in Istanbul, overlooking the Sea of Marmara

Let me tell you that bed is super comfortable

The shower is also awesome

We didn't realise we missed baklava

Middle eastern desserts for a change and sweet sweet oranges

The plane that will take us to Nepal

So glad we managed to upgrade

Makes my legs look even shorter

Amenities kit

It aint no Singapore Airlines bellini but I'll take it if I get a lay flat bed

Wednesday, 20 December 2023

Dolmabahçe Palace

Sultan's Gate of the Dolmabahçe Palace

I think we are inherently city people. Not that we dislike or not appreciate the country but we feel alive when returning to a big city! There was palpable sense of comfort in the whole family despite only returning to Istanbul briefly.

We only had one site to see today and that was the Dolmabahçe Palace, built in 1856 by Sultan Abdülmecid I. It was built to try to emulate the luxury of the counterpart European monarchs as it was deemed that the the medieval Topkapı was lacking in style. The reality at the time was that the Ottoman Empire was in decline and funds were rapidly diminishing. Only 6 Sultans in total lived in the palace before Ataturk took over.

We spent a good 2 hours within the Palace. There were many things that were utterly beautiful, in fact, more beautiful than in some European Palaces, but at times they were jarring. It was as though it was a Palace that wasn't sure of its identity, with Eastern and Western elements that sometimes worked but mostly felt forced. The Harem section felt completely out of place. In some ways, it was a little sad that they felt they had to be more European, and that this was the beginning of the end for the Ottoman Empire. Topkapi Palace definitely had more character despite being more "basic".

No photos inside. We could only take photos of the exterior

Gardens just outside

Front of the Palace

Umm...how long is that selfie stick?!!?

The River Gate opening up to the Bosphorus

As seen from the River

Apparently not all rice were equal. Despite having rice as part of the Turkish meals we've had, it was NOT Asian style and so we finally succumbed to searching for an Asian restaurant. Luckily there was one only 300m down the road from our hotel. Like many Asian restaurants here, the offerings were pan Asian which made it difficult for the Asian food craving family to make a choice! Korean fried chicken?! Ramen?! Tantan noodles?! Bao?!? In the end, the sushi ended up being quite good. The rest was just passable.

From here, the family had to briefly split up again. Mal and I were off to Rome to pick Jonah up, the rest would stay and enjoy Istanbul for another day before we all meet up in Barcelona for our cruise. Mr Husnu was there again to escort us to the airport. We asked him what his record for airport visits and he said 20! He once walked 15km just escorting guest and all just at the airport!

This would be a good time to mention New Faces, the company who organised our private tour. They were so responsive and helpful, and communication has been fantastic. We have loved our guides and drivers and would highly recommend New Faces for anyone considering visiting Turkey and Georgia. We found out today that they were the local operators for AMAwaterways

Ok let's go in. The sushi ended up being the best

Yes for Star Alliance Gold

And hurray for Turkish Airlines to have fast track everything!

Our flight to Rome was uneventful. Immigration was super speedy. However, the "priority" luggage came out last lol. The single most unpleasant thing happened next. Our private transfer came late, and the car reeked of some funky smoke. The 45 minute drive to our hotel was torture but we made it. Double Tree Rome Monti was lovely by first appearances. Our room was tiny but the bathroom was cool. We didn't quite make it to see Jonah, but we did get his dirty laundry courtesy of Heather. Welcome to Rome!

Monday, 18 December 2023

Sirince

We spent our last day on the Aegean Coast of Turkey exploring the Greek village of Sirince high up in the mountains. Originally Greek as the residents of Ephesus moved up here when coastal access was silted up and the city began to decline. In more modern times, it was one of 2 places in the world said to survive the Mayan prediction of dooms day, and thus became famous when Tom Cruise came to hide out from the end of the world. Oh and the artisan who designed the jewelry for the set of Troy still resides here...Our guide mentioned that in summer, the lines to come here gets so long that cars are often lined up along the roads with no where to park.

It was lovely to wander the quiet cobblestoned streets and enjoy some authentic village life. Most shops sell goods that they make themselves. Our highlight was having the best ever potato gozleme, unbelievably our first in Turkey! It was so good we got seconds.

We also loved the way they served coffee. Coffee prepared in the hot sand. The leftover grounds are used for fortune telling. My mother was apparently going to have a baby. Elliot wasn't too impressed with having to address someone twenty years younger as "Uncle". He was, however, happy that we bought some sweet fruit wine to celebrate his 21st birthday with! Sirince is also known for its local production of fruit wine. We tried blueberry, peach, melon, mulberry, and pomegranate. Like the other shop owners, the owner was generous and friendly. It really was a lovey way to shop!

From here on, it would be back to big cities for a while. We flew back to Istanbul uneventfully. Mal and I would fly to Rome the next day and then we'd rendezvous in Barcelona.