(Part 9) Traversing Turkey: Peace and Party on Istanbul's New Year's Eve

- Dec. 31, 2019, New Year's Eve.

- The year 2019 was about to end, but still I was not done exploring the wonders of Istanbul! There was really much to see in Istanbul, considering I only had time to visit around two of its many districts. (What more if I spent a full week or more in Istanbul, right?)

- That morning I went back to the Topkapi Palace grounds to visit the Istanbul Archaeological Museums (closest tram station: Sultanahmet stop.) It is located in the first courtyard, just after the first security check. Do note that the way to the museums from the courtyard involves a rather steep sloped path. The Archaeological Museums is actually made up of three smaller museums (your entrance ticket is automatically an entrance to all three): the main Archaeological Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient, and the Tiled Kiosk that functions as the Museum of Islamic Art. The museums were built in the 1800s as a way to modernize Turkey based on what its Ottoman rulers saw in Europe.

- One part that immediately caught my attention was the courtyard that sort of acted as an open-air museum with all its ancient sculptures exhibited out in the open air. I really wonder if they won't be damaged from constant exposure to the forces of nature.

Playing hide and seek.

Who has the best bodehhh??

I believe this is similar to one of the Medusa heads used as pillar bases in the Basilica Cistern (see here.) 

- The Museum of the Ancient Orient holds pieces that come from civilizations from Mesopotamia up until the Anatolian Plateau. The museum is closest to the ticket booth, and in my opinion it is best to start your visit of the three museums with this particular museum. It gives an idea of the historical and cultural beginnings and developments of the region.

Museum of the Ancient Orient.

Replica of tiled art from the Temple of Ishtar in Babylonia.

Statue of a Neo-Assyrian King.

- I soon visited the Museum of Islamic Art (Tiled Kiosk,) though ideally this should be visited last as it shows the most recent forms of historical art (Ottoman era from medieval and imperial Turkey.) It reminded me of all the kiosks and halls that I saw inside the Topkapi Palace.

Turkish tiled art is really something.

Would love to have this peacock fountain at home!!

Facade. Would love to have my picture taken here but it was quite difficult to get the whole thing.

- Finally, I visit the largest of them all, the main Archaeological Museum. Although part of it was being renovated, its diverse and uniquely-themed artifacts (ex. one section was dedicated to sarcophagi) made me want to discover more about ancient Turkey.

The main museum.

The Egyptian god Bes, protector of households.

Inside the museum.

The sarcophagus of Egyptian Priest Tabnit.

Love the detail!

Hall of sarcophagi.

- After visiting the museum, we rode the tram to Eminonu for a short visit to the Spice Bazaar as I wanted to buy more things, before riding the tram again to Karakoy for lunch (Karakoy tram stop.) After taking some photos of the view from Galata Bridge, we looked for the funicular to take us up the hill.

Galata Bridge.

Do you see the Hagia Sophia?

Fat cat at a little bit of the Galata Tower.

- The funicular called "Tunel" ("tyu-nel") is just across the street from the Karakoy tram stop, and also uses the Istanbulkart (Istanbul metro card.) The funicular was built in 1875, and since then has brought the residents of Istanbul up and down the hill.

A diorama of the Karakoy and Beyoglu districts that are connected by the funicular.

The funicular (it was 144 years old in 2019.)

- Once uphill in the district of Beyoglu ("be-yo-lu",) we walked around to see the shops on the way to see the Galata Tower. Originally built in the 1300s by the Genoese to replace an older tower built by the Byzantines, the Galata Tower was meant to be an observation tower and defense tower.

Galata Tower.

- Later on I decided to watch a Sufi sema ritual at the Mevlevi House, near the funicular station; the ticket to the show was worth 100 Lira. A sema ritual/performance is done everyday at around 5pm (but do check the schedules as they can change at times,) and is best to arrive around 30-45 minutes - earlier if possible - since there are no seat reservations.

Galata Mevlevi House.

- The sema ritual is a religious ceremony that the whirling dervishes are known for. To untrained eyes, the sema ritual seems like a whirling dance performance, and while on one hand it does appear that way, on the other hand, it should be understood that the sema ritual is a form of prayer. The ritual involves chanting of Islamic verses while being accompanied by traditional instruments such as flutes, lutes, and drums, while the dervishes salute each other before whirling. The position of the hands are also noticeable: the right hand faces upward to receive blessings from Allah, and the left hand faces downward to share these blessings.

Inside the performance hall.

Dervishes saluting each other.

Dervishes have to remove their outer cloaks before proceeding to the whirling part of the ritual.

They start whirling after getting a "go signal" from their superior.

- During the whole ritual, everyone was silent, and the only sounds to be heard are the singer's voice and the musical instruments. Although I did not understand everything that was going on apart from my basic understanding of the sema ritual (and the fact that I am not Muslim at all,) I felt that watching the dervishes whirl was quite therapeutic and I felt that I was receiving blessings as well from a divine being. Sometimes, I feel that the act of prayer can break religious boundaries. Since it was the end of the year, I guess it was what I perfectly needed: blessings of peace, love, and happiness.

Prayer in action.

I love the flowy skirts.

Salutation.

By the way, their hats are made of camel hair.

- After the one-hour sema ritual, I walked the entirety of Istiklal Street, one of Istanbul's main shopping streets (think of New York's 5th Avenue, Korea's Myeongdong, or Singapore's Orchard Road.) I underestimated the length of the whole street, especially since I told my family that I'd be meeting them at the end of Istiklal Street (I left them alone to shop while I watched the sema ritual since they were not interested in watching whirling dervishes.) The street was becoming a lot more crowded, with police checkpoints every few blocks, as Istiklal Street would be converted to a party street for the New Year countdown. Taksim Square, where I asked my family to meet me, was also barricaded. Taksim Square, by the way, is a public square with a monument built in 1928 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Turkey.

Old trams on Istiklal Street. They're still being used.

Happy almost new year!!

Taksim Square.

Eating turkey in Turkey.

- That evening, I roamed around Sultanahmet to take pictures of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosquare at night. I also bought a cone of lemon-flavored Turkish ice cream (since why not while you're in Turkey.) The ice cream man did not do his antics though, I was a bit sad, but hey at least I got my cone in a second; Turkish ice cream vendors are known for their ice cream stunts, which comes off as playing tricks with their customers (pretending to give you your ice cream cone, turning your ice cream upside down, etc.)  I walked back to my hotel like a happy little fat boy with his ice cream. 

Hagia Sophia at night.

Blue Mosque at night.

Turkish ice cream. He was playing tricks on his customers as part of the experience of  buying a cone of Turkish ice cream.

He didn't play tricks on me though, he figured I'd eat him whole if he didn't quickly feed me, a fat and hungry little boy.

- As the new year was approaching, I went to our hotel's rooftop to see the fireworks from afar. As the clock struck twelve, I remembered that it was my second time welcoming the New Year in Istanbul - I also did last year, at the airport, since Istanbul was my layover from Austria on my way back to Manila.

Happy New Year, Istanbul.

- I went back to my room after watching the fireworks out in the cold; the fireworks display was much shorter than I had expected. As much as I wanted to be sentimental and have a mental flashback of things that happened to me in the past year, or perhaps write a long essay and post it on Facebook or Instagram like other people (as if everyone was part of an essay writing competition,) I still had to pack my things and prepare myself for my last full day in Turkey!

- Don't forget to read about my other adventures in Turkey:

Part 1, Troy and the Trojan Horse: here

Part 2, Virgin Mary's House and Ephesus: here

Part 3, Laodicea on the Lycus and the Alien Travertines: here

Part 4, Konya: here

Part 5, Cappadocia: here

Part 6, Istanbul's Royal Old Town: here

Part 7, Istanbul Between Continents: here

Part 8, Istanbul's Secrets: here

(Part 7) In India Like a Local: Stuck in a Public Protest (What?!?!), "Meeting" my Bollywood Idols, and Exploring Delhi's Ruins

- March 31, 2018, Saturday.

- With just one more day left in Delhi before going to the airport in the evening, I had to make sure that my plan for the day was perfect and packed. That morning I headed to the south of Delhi, to the Qutb Minar metro station (violet line,) to visit two places: the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and the Qutb Minar. Now normally people can take an auto-rickshaw to these places, but since I felt they were within my "walkable" range (around 1 kilometer,) I decided to walk. While walking, I heard some dishonest auto-rickshaw drivers telling ignorant tourists that the main destination, the Qutb Minar, was around 7 kilometers, so they would ride on the auto-rickshaws and pay more than what they were supposed to pay. (Disclaimer: not all auto-rickshaw drivers are like this. Only some.)

While walking to the metro station, I saw this. (Among many other cows and bulls on the street.)

- Around 700 meters (around an 8-minute walk) from the metro station was an open gate with no label/name whatsoever. This is the Mehrauli Archaeological Park (no entrance fee!!) This park is one of the most underrated places in Delhi since no one really visits it, as compared to its "celebrity neigbor," the Qutb Minar. Despite not being visited as often, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park should definitely be on everyone's Delhi itinerary. For one, this is one of the longest inhabited places in Delhi, and is home to tombs, mosques and other structures from the 11th century onwards (Khalji, Tughlaq, Delhi Sultanate, British, you name it!!) Today, there are still people living inside the park. The park, apart from the historical stuff, also has a regular playground, a rose garden, among other things.

This is the gate. It's just like walking to a different dimension. (I kid, but yes, admittedly, it was a bit creepy/sketchy.)

Directions to the things to see inside the park.

Not sure why Balban's Tomb was closed. It's one of the most famous tombs in the park.

Yes, I know it looks scary but trust me, there are a lot of neat things inside.

Entrance to a mosque (that's still being used today.)

Squirrels!!

- The park is actually very big, and it would take a whole day to fully explore the whole place. Unfortunately, some of the more accessible places were locked when I was there, so I wasn't able to maximize my stay at the park. Despite that, I think I was able to go around or at least see some of the prominent structures there before going to the Qutb Minar. One of the prominent places is the Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tombs. Again, not sure why, but the tombs part was closed, so I only got to see the mosque. (Too bad, the tombs are bejeweled and I would've wanted to see that!!) The Jamali Kamali Tombs, from the 16th century, are for the Sufi Saint Jamali, and Kamali, who is still unidentifiable, but obviously related somehow to Jamali.

Jamali Kamali Mosque.

Featuring the caretaker, in purple, at the back, judging me.

Hall inside the mosque.

One of my favorite shots in India.

Early rock carvings always fascinate me.

- While walking in the park, I understood why just like the Agrasen ki Baoli (click here), has a reputation of being haunted. Apart from the countless tombs in the park, there have been stories about voices, weird energies and sensations, and fragrant incense scents despite no incense being lit. Interestingly, the "most haunted" or at least the common creepy stories are from either the Jamali Kamali Mosque or Balban's Tomb.

Lodi Tombs.

Canopy.

Oh coolio, there are pigs walking around.

Yay piggy!!

- I later reached Rajon ki Baoli, or the "Step Well of the Kings," which was one of the most picturesque places in the park. The is the largest among the three baolis in the park (wasn't able to see the other two,) and it has the best design. It seems a bit wider and bigger than Agrasen ki Baoli in downtown Delhi. Today, the water in the step well is filled with moss, which gives it a touch of color (for better, or worse.)

Probably the nicest step well I've seen.

Sometimes, you have to turn your back on the world....because you need someone to scratch your itchy back.

The halls of the step well.

- Later on, I found an exit near the rose garden that was closest to the road going to Qutb Minar. It was not hard to find my way because I can see the big minaret of Qutb Minar all the way from Mehrauli Park, the is one road going to the Qutb Minar, and because I have a map.

Qutb Minar from the Mehrauli Archaeological Park.

- The Qutb Minar, built in the late 12th century to the early 13th century, and is a minaret in the middle of the Qutb Complex. This, by the way, is a UNESCO Heritage Site (and many think that the Mehrauli Archaeological Park beside it should be too.) It was built by the founder of the Delhi Sultanate, Qutb ud-Din Aibak.

I'm back!!

These perfectly-shaped carvings will always leave me in awe.

Of course, my photoshoots.

Let it fly.

View from afar.

One of the usual shots taken in the Qutb Complex.

- There are other interesting structures inside the Qutb Complex. Even from my first visit in 2011 (click here), the one that usually catches my fancy would be the tomb of the ruler Iltutmish and the fancy carving around his tomb, and the Alai Minar, which is the base of a minaret that was supposed to be twice the height of the Qutb Minar. The building project didn't push through due to the death of Alauddin Khalji, the Khalji Dynasty ruler who ordered this minaret to be built.

This would've been a nice place to have a photoshoot (actually a lot of places inside the complex were perfect for photoshoots.)

Entrance to Iltutmush' tomb.

Close up of the stone carvings.

I mean....howwww?? Such elegance!!

Quranic verses.

Iltutmish' tomb.

Alai Minar. 

At the ruins.

Inside Delhi's first mosque located inside the Qutb Complex.

- The Qutb Complex is quite big that it would also take a whole morning or a whole afternoon to fully go around and absorb every bit of information inside this big complex. However, as much as I wanted to stay, I had to get going if I wanted to finish everything I had in store for the day.

- I walked back to Mehrauli Park as a shortcut, and a more "scenic" path on the way back to the metro station, and rode the train to Rajiv Chowk metro station, which is the station that brings people to one of Delhi's financial hearts - Connaught Place. Connaught Place, built in the 1930s by the British, is shaped like two concentric rings with the establishments organized in several "blocks." The center of the two rings is a park called "Central Park" (yes, the same name as the one in Manhattan, New York) with the giant Indian flag in the middle (as can be seen in Part 6 here). Connaught Place has many stores from top international brands to local brands, restaurants, bars, cinemas, bookstores, you name it! However, my main purpose in Connaught Place was to visit Madame Tussauds across the Palika Bazaar block (southwestern block). Delhi's Madame Tussauds, I learned, was quite new and isn't even a year old (as of the time of my visit); so far, it is the only Madame Tussauds in India. Although I have been to different Madame Tussauds in the world, I was excited when I found out that Delhi had one, because I assumed that I would see a lot of Bollywood wax models, as well as other famous Indians like politicians and sports icons. Well, I was both right and not. While the main attraction of Madame Tussaids Delhi was the roster of Bollywood celebrities (on top of the usual western celebrities), a lot of big names like Shah Rukh Khan were still missing. I was told that some of them were being given a retouch or a makeover, while others were still on their way to the museum as additions to the models available - so don't worry, Madame Tussauds Delhi will just keep getting better as time goes by.

Here I am!!

With Raj Kapoor, one of early Bollywood's dearest actors. 

Ranbir Kapoor.

Of course, who can't recognize Mahatma Gandhi himself!!

With current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bollywood playback singer Asha Bosle.

- In the middle of my visit there the fire alarm rang and all visitors were asked to evacuate the building. This gave me a scare. Apparently, the restaurant beside Madame Tussauds had a fire alarm situation. I'm not sure if this happens frequently, but the Madame Tussauds staff seemed to be so relaxed and reassured us that we'll be able to go inside again after 5 to 10 minutes. I was really thankful that they were right, and that it was a false alarm. Little did I know that this wouldn't be the last scare of the day!!

British-Indian actress Katrina Kaif.

Hrithik Roshan!!

Madhuri Dixit!!

Salman Khan on a bike.

I will totally freak if he weren't here: AMITABH BACHCHAN!! (I saw his actual car in Film City in Mumbai, click here to see.)

- From Madame Tussauds, I walked round the block to visit Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The Jantar Mantar is a group of astonomical devices such as big sundials built by Jaipur's Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 1700s. Although the one in Jaipur is the biggest and most popular (click here and here to see,) the one in Delhi was built first among all the 5 Jantar Mantars across India. The giant devices not only tell time, but also show the position of the moon, the stars and constellations, and the sun. These help the Mughal scientists with matters such as harvest, or even astrological matters.

The Mughals were intelligent people who pushed for the further advancement of math and science.

Giant sundials.

There are many kinds of sundials that are not only pretty, but pretty useful too!! (Pun semi-intended. Haha.)

It looks like a heart, but it's actually a circle "folded" in the middle. 

- After my short visit, I went across the corner to find myself back at Janpath. I had a little lunch at McDonald's. Now I know that this isn't the most Indian thing ever, but trust me, McDonald's in India is an interesting experience. Due to many dietary restrictions of Indians (usually either no beef or pork depending on the religion,) there are many ways as to how McDonald's adapted to the palate of the Indians. From the sauce, to the choice of patties (fish, chicken, vegetarian usually,) going to McDonald's is definitely a must in India!

Chicken Maharaja Big Mac. Tried this the first time in 2012, and still remains to be one of favorite Indian McDonald's burger.

- I spend the rest of the afternoon walking along Janpath to see if I can hoard more things home. While leisurely and meticulously looking at souvenirs, there was a giant group of protesters who marched on the road. At first everyone did not really mind them since the protest seemed peaceful, but later on I noticed that the shops started to pull down their metal doors. I hid in one of the shops - and thankfully it was a clothes shop - and so I shopped for clothes in peace while the protesters became violent outside. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I can definitely hear the protesters getting it on with the Indian police. I could also see some aggressive footwork when one of the staff opened the metal door a few inches just to see if the violence was over. I asked one of the shop owners of the clothes store why there was a protest, and he told me that there was a leak in the secondary education national exams as well as a leak in some sort of national civil service exam, and so the students were protesting since the whole country was asked to do a retest. The thousands of students (around 3000 according to the news) were supposed to march to some government agencies to ask them to investigate on these matters. (No photos/videos, because hello, common sense. I didn't want to get stuck outside while the violence was ongoing. Also, don't worry, this doesn't always happen and it should not ruin your travel plans to India. I just happened to be there when that happened. It can happen anywhere anyway, right?)

- A few minutes later, the protesters moved to another location, and the shops along Janpath were open once more. While most stores were unaffected, I saw one bridal store whose glass window shattered leaving the mannequins exposed, and another souvenir store with some broken limestone models of the Taj Mahal. One guy whose car was parked outside then the violence took place had a broken car side mirror or a window, so he was quarreling with a policeman about this. However, the most important thing was that we were safe and that apart from the protesters, no other civilian in the area got hurt - as far as I know that is. I finished my shopping later on, and hurriedly walked to the metro station and went back to my hostel.

Saw this giant leather shoe outside a shoe store in Janpath right after the protest.

Yes, India has a Central Park.

- At the hostel I just rested and waited for my service to go to the airport. Still quite shocked from the protest during the afternoon, I told people back home about the protest, and that India probably does not want me to leave before an "experience of a lifetime." Come to think of it, there was always something significant happening - not necessarily bad or traumatic - in India whenever I go there. In 2011, it was the passing of the famed guru Sathya Sai Baba, in 2012 it was the ASEAN-India car rally (one of the main reason why we were there and it was awesome,) and the supposed end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012, and this year, it was the big exam leak issue. I think that whether good or bad (but better if good of course,) these situations make the trip to India all the more interesting. That was my main takeaway from getting stuck in the middle of the afternoon protest. After all these thoughts, my driver arrived and whisked me away to India Gandhi International Airport after a cool night view of Connaught Place.

Saw this at the hostel. Yes, this is so me.

Connaught Place at night.

Central Park with the giant Indian flag at night.

Gandhi's spinning wheel, giant version.

As always, it was a pleasure to see this Surya statue.

Musicians playing at the airport.

- Around 10 hours later, I finally arrived in equally hot Manila. Now I don't know why but of all the plays that I have been to, this was the only time when I came home with an unwipeable beaming smile. Not that I don't enjoy all my other adventures (trust me I really really do,) but perhaps I always have this kind of "aww vacation's over, we need to get working again" feeling, so I usually look tired and cranky after a supposedly nice vacation. However, it was only during this trip to India that I came home fully recharged despite a rather hectic itinerary in both Mumbai and Delhi. I have come to conclude that I was perhaps reborn in India, so I came back home to the Philippines as a new and even more positive person. I have always known that India is overwhelming with color, culture, and even "chaos" (as some people put it,) but perhaps the spirituality and the vibe of the country are reasons why India is the birthplace of some of the world's major religions - and several other minor religions. With India's current easier visa processes, major transportation developments and improvements, and more reasonable travel fares, it is no doubt that I will consider visiting India again (and again and again) in the near future. India is one of world's cradles of civilization, and it will surely take more than a lifetime to explore this big, beautiful, and bejeweled country!! 

- Don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, and Part 6 here!!