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A Taste of Turkey (TK Y)

A Taste of Turkey (TK Y)

Old Sep 28, 2014, 2:27 pm
  #1  
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A Taste of Turkey (TK Y)

A Taste of Turkey

Once again it was time for a family vacation with the other half of the family. As the destination was Turkey, we decided to go direct and try out Turkish Airlines.

The trip priorities were a mix of both leisure and educational tourism, so we planned for 6 days in the South of Turkey around the area of Antalya, and then for 3 days in Istanbul.

1. Turkish Airlines A330-300 Economy Class JNB-IST
2. Antalya and the Limak Atlantis Hotel
3. Day tour to Side
4. Turkish Airlines A321 Economy Class AYT-IST
5. Experiencing Istanbul - 1
6. Experiencing Istanbul - 2
7. Turkish Airlines A330-300 Economy Class IST-JNB

Turkish Airlines A330-300 Economy Class JNB-IST



I was hyped to fly Turkish Airlines. It's one of the few airlines we haven't tried yet, and we've never flown in an A330-300 either. SAA has the A330-200's and they're pretty nice to fly in. Off we went to OR Tambo International where check-in took a few minutes. We'd reserved our tickets a few weeks prior to the trip, and were glad to have three rows of window seats behind each other. The 2-4-2 configuration is very convenient and precludes the unwanted third neighbour.

Our plane Topkapi had landed while we were drinking coffee after its stop in Cape Town to fetch some passengers.






Colourful tails greeting one another

After boarding I was very glad to see that we were seated in almost my favourite place on a plane i.e. on the wing. I love watching the motion of the wings as they perform their assigned duties. Boarding was essentially uncomplicated and the staff seemed friendly.





The seat is comfortable as economy seats go, but I thought the seat pitch was horrific. I flew EK Y last year and I'm sure it was substantially more unless I'm losing the plot. The recline is excellent, with not only the seatback moving backwards, but the seat its self also has forward recline, making the seat slide when you recline.



The entertainment system was good with a wide variety of movies. Its not in the same league as Emirates, but its more than sufficient. The touch screen is very easy to navigate and is large and clear. There is also a connection for your IPad if you want to run your Ipad through the seat screen. The earphones were standard economy.



We taxied well on time and took off powerfully on 03L for our 09h10m trip to Istanbul. Take off was smooth with clear skies, and after a sharp left and later right turn we headed north to Turkey. The entire trip was essentially devoid of turbulence and very pleasant from that point of view.

Unfortunately we had a hellish family next to us. The useless father did nothing except read a book while the mother played games on her entertainment system all while their three kids aged 1,2 and 3 terrorized the plane. They were jumping on their seats and screaming and even jumped over the seats and landed on some poor woman's head. It was funny to watch although she was livid. They were also not allowed to watch TV due to their conservative religious backgrounds The one toddler then stunk the plane out by relieving himself in his diaper while the mother did nothing. Even the flight attendants' eyes were out on stalks but they said they could do nothing. Eventually we told her to please see to her child, so she grudgingly took him to the bathroom. Luckily all five of them burnt out after a few hours and fell asleep for the rest of the flight, but what a shocking experience.





The menu seemed quite varied and although we waited for almost 2 hours before the first drinks run, they did hourly runs for the rest of the flight after that. (Apologies for the poor quality)


Snacks and red wine


The penne was delicious!

After a while I settled back and tried to get some sleep with moderate success. Breakfast in the morning was standard economy and tasty, but I was in no mood to take pictures! We entered a holding pattern and landed just after 5am at what was perhaps the softest landing I have ever had in a jetliner... simply superb.

With two hours to spare before our 1h30m flight to Antalya, we sat down for some coffee to resuscitate us. Some views of Istanbul domestic terminal...










I understood how they felt.

Boarding was timely, and the six of us sat in the absolute last row of the Turkish Airlines 737-800. Annihilated by long-haul economy, we all slept for the duration of the flight until we arrived in Antalya.

Last edited by SAtraveller; Oct 2, 2014 at 1:04 am
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Old Sep 28, 2014, 2:55 pm
  #2  
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Antalya and the Limak Atlantis Hotel

After arriving we discovered that a piece of our luggage had been left in Istanbul, so we made arrangements for it to be delivered to the hotel when it finally arrived. This turned out to be at 2:30 the next morning, but at least it arrived

After a 45 minute drive we arrived at the Limak Atlantis hotel in Belek. The hotel grew on me every day until the last day, when I was genuinely sad to leave. It runs an all-inclusive policy for food and drink which is fantastic (though not for the waistline). The staff are remarkably friendly and helpful and we enjoyed our stay at this excellent 5* resort.

Some images of the pool area...



















The pools were extremely refreshing especially considering it was well over 30 degrees Celsius during the day.

Some views of the grounds...













There is a main restaurant in the hotel which serves an extensive buffet, as well as several specialty restaurants that serves anything from Mexican to Chinese to Turkish food.







We decided to head for the Turkish restaurant on one of our nights...











The food was absolutely delicious and extremely well presented.

The hotel also has resident cats who are well cared for and have the cutest babies that guests like to entertain. Going to read at night while they climb on you and go to sleep has to be one of the most relaxing and rewarding experiences.





During the day we often wondered down to the beach. The sea was very warm and tranquil and glorious to swim in. We hired a pavilion each day - there are a limited amount but they come with a great deal of privacy and comfort as well as an all day drinks and food service.










Pavilion breakfast at the seaside


Afternoon caviar and champagne



One night we traveled about 15 minutes from our hotel to Aspendos, an ancient amphitheater which was built in 155 BC to watch Tosca, the Opera. I don't mind telling you that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and one that I will treasure dearly.







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Old Sep 29, 2014, 3:28 am
  #3  
 
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That was awesome!!! Turkey is a very beautiful country with magnificent places to visit! I think I need 2 weeks to visit every dignified place in Turkey and spend 4 days in Istanbul alone. Turkish people are also beautiful and I wish to befriend with some of them. How much do you think should one prepare if he/she plans to roam the whole Turkey? I will also ensure to use cheap accommodations and restaurants to save for my travel. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.
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Old Sep 29, 2014, 3:28 am
  #4  
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Day tour to Side

The next day we took a ride to Side, a coastal town about 30 minutes from where we were staying. You'll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful town on the shores of the Med, and it was a fantastic day trip.

First off we dropped by yet another Amphitheater... it's 200 years younger than the one we watched the opera at, but it's still almost 2,000 years old. Its been everything from a play stage to a church, depending on the ruling government.





We passed a stall and asked for some pomegranate juice - a delicacy of the area. After crushing a few pomegranates for us, we were surprised at the bittersweet taste - much like a mixture of strawberry and lemon juice. There was something very appealing about it though.





We then strolled through the small town, which though commercial, is still very beautiful.





















We then made our way to the Temple of Apollo which is still standing partially, which is remarkable considering its age.







After walking around for a few hours we found a fantastic restaurant with a great view to eat lunch.













Overall it was a very pleasant stay, and I would recommend that anyone who visits Antalya also makes an effort to visit Side.
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Old Sep 29, 2014, 3:49 am
  #5  
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Turkish Airlines A321 Economy Class AYT-IST

After a memorable few days on the southern coast, we flew up to Istanbul. Antalya's domestic terminal is quite small with only a few gates, and a handful of coffee shops and boutique shops. WiFi is 'sponsored' by one of those generous companies that actually expect payment when you try to log on. That said, we didn't wait long and soon boarded our new Airbus A321 to Istanbul.









After a powerful take off we settled in at FL 300. The flight is short ~90 minutes, but TK provides a full meal and beverage service. The day was crystal clear with beautiful views of the Turkish countryside.





The snack box was the same one we had on the way down, and is quite substantial, with a salad, mini cheese platter, cold meat sandwich and desert.









We soon entered a holding pattern, which I see is standard at Ataturk International (the airport is insanely busy, but more on that later!)





The landing was bad! I've never actually bounced before in a plane, but this pilot did a good job. We then taxied to our parking bay and took a bus to the terminal. Overall a very pleasant flight with amazing scenery.
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Old Sep 29, 2014, 3:54 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by krawin
That was awesome!!! Turkey is a very beautiful country with magnificent places to visit! I think I need 2 weeks to visit every dignified place in Turkey and spend 4 days in Istanbul alone. Turkish people are also beautiful and I wish to befriend with some of them. How much do you think should one prepare if he/she plans to roam the whole Turkey? I will also ensure to use cheap accommodations and restaurants to save for my travel. Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience.
Thank you for the kind comments

Turkey is much larger than people think. I think if you want to do the whole country you will probably need at least a month. We didn't even travel west to Kusadasi and Ephesus, and there are a whole host of other places. Istanbul its self is absolutely enormous - it's almost a few cities merged into one. The Turks are fantastic people, and very friendly, but honest to the point of offending someone. Enjoy Turkey!
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Old Oct 1, 2014, 3:50 am
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Experiencing Istanbul -1

Istanbul is an immense city, and 3 days there is really not enough. We therefore dumped our luggage in a charming little 4* hotel we found near to most of the attractions and made our way into the city.

The first thing we encountered was a massive and very vocal protest against changes to the education system, held by teachers no less. There were many thousands of protesters and the noise was significant. The riot police were out in full force, but the demonstration was very peaceful.




Not exactly a riot control vehicle.


This looks more like it.

Our first stop was the Blue Mosque. It was interesting to see, but after the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, most mosques look a bit drab.


Obelisk outside the mosque from ancient Egyptian times.









Entrance was free, but one may not enter the inner mosque during prayers, which occur five times a day, so pick your times carefully. You have to remove your shoes, but this is common to most mosques.







We then walked down the road to the Basilica Cisterns which are some of the largest cisterns under Istanbul. While essentially empty at this point, they used to hold many thousands of kiloliters of water. The cisterns also featured in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love where Bond used them to access the Russian Embassy. Ironically the embassy is nowhere near the cisterns, but that's the movies for you.







The cisterns are very peaceful and the water is filled with large fish. There are also two columns with upside down and sideways Medusa heads that continue to perplex archeologists.

After that we caught a ferry to Kadikoy (on the Asian side of the city) to visit my cousin who is on an exchange program in the city for a year.








Some friendly dolphins following the ferry



After finding a cafe in the very cosmopolitan area, we settled down to try out some Turkish coffee, which was remarkably potent. It was like drinking mud but was oddly enjoyable.



This was followed by Turkish tea, but this was bland and I soon found out that the apple flavoured tea was far more enjoyable.




The first of many street animals. There are many dogs and cats who live on the street but most of them are tagged and look healthy and well fed. Indeed, we saw many civilians feeding them or putting out food for the animals, so it seems that they are considered to be communal pets for the city.


On returning we paid 1 Turkish Lira to have our fortunes read by two rabbits with remarkable psychic powers. The messages promised happy lives and occasional problems proving their unique foresight.


Turkish roasted "chestnuts" are freely available on the street and taste a bit like hard potato. They grow on you but aren't anything special.



That night we ate at Olive, a fantastic restaurant rated about 60 out of 11,000 restaurants in Turkey. The service was magnificent with arguably the best waiter ever.







Thereafter we all sauntered through the streets of the city and went for a display of Dervish Dancing. Photos were not allowed due to the religious significance of the ceremony. It's important to go with the right mindset! I was expecting a sort of dancing show. It isn't. They literally dance in circles without any variation for an hour. Its remarkable that they don't fall over from the dizziness.





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Old Oct 1, 2014, 4:25 am
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6. Experiencing Istanbul - 2

The next morning we were up and went for a tasty breakfast on the roof of our hotel. This provided us with fantastic views of the Bosphorous and the Hagia Sofia.









Soon we were off to the Grand Bazaar which you will either love or hate. It's enormous and filled with thousands of shoppers and guys who will do anything to sell something to you. Luckily we went there with a purpose i.e. to buy a Persian carpet. It was a extraordinarily fun experience as we had researched the art of haggling. We were escorted to the carpet shop where we sat down and were served tasty apple tea. The carpets were presented to us for over an hour, with all the skills required to make them and the quality exaggerated. After much talk and arms thrown up in the air, we haggled our dealer down to exactly 20% of the original price. This, he said, was because he liked us so much and would never duplicate as long as he lived ... Off we went with our exquisite 100% silk Persian carpet and all the attached legal documents.








Inside the enormous carpet shop

Our carpet...









Off we went for a cruise of the Bosphorous and some Palace sightseeing.

While waiting on the Pier we were swamped by the over-friendly street animals who were anxious for a pat or a scratch.





Our first stop was Dolmabache Palace which was the center of power for the Sultans after they tired of Topkapi Palace. It was also the residence of the revered President Ataturk until his death.


mosque outside the palace





The gardens of the palace...











Once inside I managed to take a few pictures until the guide told us this was frowned upon. The Palace is as beautiful and extravagant as any I have seen in the world. One can see how it basically bankrupted the country. If you go to Istanbul you absolutely have to make time to see this wondrous creation.






The famous crystal staircase.





With regret we finally left and continued our boat tour along the enormous river.




Turkey making sure they're battle ready... we saw a submarine sailing up the river the previous day.








The smallest of the Ottoman palaces in the city.





That night we went for dinner at yet another stunning restaurant, Pasazade Ottoman restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was pretty good too.









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Old Oct 1, 2014, 1:07 pm
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Originally Posted by SAtraveller
Day tour to Side
.....
After walking around for a few hours we found a fantastic restaurant with a great view to eat lunch.
.....
Originally Posted by SAtraveller
Experiencing Istanbul -1
Istanbul is an immense city, and 3 days there is really not enough. We therefore dumped our luggage in a charming little 4* hotel we found near to most of the attractions and made our way into the city....
Do you have the name & address of the restaurant and hotel?
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Old Oct 2, 2014, 12:39 am
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Originally Posted by Mr. Roboto
Do you have the name & address of the restaurant and hotel?
The restaurant in Side was Paradise Restaurant

The Hotel was Hotel Yasmak Sultan
Ebusuud Cad No:18-20 Sirkeci, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul, Turkey
It's easy to find on Tripadvisor and Booking.com
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Old Oct 2, 2014, 1:03 am
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Turkish Airlines A330-300 Economy Class IST-JNB

As our flight was only at 00h55, we basically had a whole evening to enjoy ourselves in Istanbul. Our timing for this holiday was fantastic, as the rain had started to arrive for the first time on our holiday.

We settled in at a nice little restaurant on the sidewalk and asked to experience their Testi Kebab, a meal for two made in a ceramic pot. It was an interesting and tasty experience.


Some lentil soup to start

And then the display...











After a slow meander back to the hotel we left for the airport at 22:00. After arriving at 22:45 I was shocked at how busy the airport was. It reminded me of Dubai - with hundreds of people catching international flights. What a fiasco. After passing through their extensive security, we went to check in.

Unfortunately Turkish Airlines had taken the liberty to fragment our family, which caused us to have a huge fight with them. They were very indifferent to our complaints and blamed us for being the last people to check-in. What is the point of phoning a month before to book our seats??? A very poor image of the airline indeed!

After checking in, we went to sit by the gate and managed to negotiate marginally better seats in the plane with the gate staff. Instead of all of us sitting alone, we managed to sit in pairs in various areas of the plane. This was not at all like the three rows of window seats I booked a month prior to the flight.



Boarding was smooth but the weather was dire.





Although we were primed to be grumpy after our seat experience, the flight really was unenjoyable. The Captain came over the loudspeaker and said "have a nice flight"... thanks for all the info...

We taxied to the runway and experienced the most appalling congestion. After waiting for 30 minutes in the same place, the Captain said "Ataturk has a lot of congestion tonight, we are number 6 in line". Yikes! ... We finally took off after 70 minutes on the runway... that's a new personal record for me.

Of course, the fun didn't end there as we took off into thick clouds... I couldn't see the wing for a full 30 minutes and was shocked to see that we were still in thick clouds even at 30,000 feet. Finally we broke through and settled at 36,000 feet but the moderate turbulence continued for another hour before everything settled.




Amenity kit

The crew then performed one of their nasty tactics on red eyes and delayed the drinks service for a full two hours. By that time I grabbed a coke, downed it and fell asleep and didn't even care about dinner. Dinner at 04h00? Yeah right.





After waking up at 08:00, I indulged in a delicious breakfast before the plane landed at 09:45.







It was then time to complete an Ebola Questionnaire to make sure no unwanted germs enter our country.









After a smooth touchdown we headed to our parking bay at the end of this unremarkable flight, but a great holiday.





Thank you for reading my Trip Report
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Old Oct 3, 2014, 12:04 am
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Stunning photos, thank you for sharing.
Sadly, although TK does have superb catering, the crew can be a bit of a hit and miss affair with regards to friendliness. but still, I use them whenever I can due to the vast number of connections to Europe.
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Old Oct 3, 2014, 12:26 am
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Loved the TR! Brings back fond memories of Istanbul.
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Old Oct 5, 2014, 2:33 am
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Originally Posted by roadwarrier
Stunning photos, thank you for sharing.
Sadly, although TK does have superb catering, the crew can be a bit of a hit and miss affair with regards to friendliness. but still, I use them whenever I can due to the vast number of connections to Europe.
Thank you for the kind comments... I enjoyed TK a lot but I agree with you that the crew can be a bit random. I'll definitely give them another try though.

Originally Posted by puls
Loved the TR! Brings back fond memories of Istanbul.
Thank you very much for the comments
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