Mosaic of Archangel Gabriel
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4e875049-d004-4434-bd65-e58cda0d8597)
Posts Tagged ‘Hagia Sophia’
Photo Friday: Inside The Hagia Sophia
Friday, January 15th, 2010My Top 10 Posts of 2009
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
My New Year’s Resolution: To be happy & healthy in mind, body & spirit. And travel a crap load more.
I started A Pair of Panties & Boxers as a reminder to myself to never conform to society’s norm in the daily grind of a 9-5. I didn’t want my job to be the reason I stopped seeing beyond four walls and I didn’t want the burden of saving for grad school keep me from seeing the world. I figured the best way to travel as much as I can is to start a travel blog because in order to write about my travels, I’d actually have to go and travel. When I start running out of things to write, that means I need to get on a plane, train, bus, boat or any type of transportation fast – not that I don’t get that urge to just jet every single day. But sometimes, we do what we have to do and not what we want to do.
It hasn’t been a year since I started blogging but I thought I’d still wrap up 2009 featuring my top 10 most popular blog posts of the year. I hope all my readers enjoyed growing this blog with me these past 6 months. Thanks for sticking around.
So without further adieu, here are the top 10 posts for 2009.
1. Photo Friday: Kaifeng, China
Kaifeng, China
The beauty of traveling through China is that sometimes, I feel like I’m in two places at once – the past and the present.
See #8 for related post.
2. Facing Mud Made “Squatties” In Yunnan
The one thing I absolutely loathe about China is the lack of Western toilets. Those hole-in-the-ground-you-have-to-pee-by-squatting apparatuses make me cringe every time. I’m a girl — how am I supposed to pee that way?!
So when my roommates and I decided to trek westward for fall break, towards rural Yunnan and Sichuan, I had to put on a brave face and come to terms with the fact that I’d be using nothing but “squatties.”
Five hours into the bumpy bus ride and two bottles of water later, I was bursting with thoughts of shiny automatic-flush toilets and marble sinks.
Alas, what greeted me at the makeshift rest stop was an outhouse made out of mud and three little children asking for a 50 cents fee for using their “bathroom.”
3. Hangzhou, China: Stunning Sunset On The West Lake
The travel bug bit somewhere between Wuzhen and Suzhou. We returned from Suzhou Saturday night. But by Sunday morning, JC and I already had our bags packed and a one-way ticket in our hand.
We took the next departing train from Shanghai to Hangzhou. It was an hour and a half of smooth sailing.
4. The Blue Mosque: Etiquette & Communication
The Blue Mosque sits directly across from the Hagia Sophia on the Hippodrome, also known as the Sultanahmet Square. It’s hard to say which is more impressive. They both rival in beauty. With six towering minarets, The Blue Mosque dominates the Istanbul skyline.
5. I paid ¥20 for a cab ride down to People’s Park (人民公园), ¥10 to see the Gaudi exhibit at the MOCA, ¥40 for lunch at Pizza Hut, ¥50 for a shuttle ride to the Oriental Pearl Tower, another ¥50 for dinner and ¥1o for extraneous expenses. I dropped ¥170 like it was nothing because in my mind that was only $10.
My friend (at the time) JC and I walked along the Huangpu River that night. We saw a boy in ripped rags and torn slippers. He looked about 10 years old. He approached us raising a flower in his hand and said…
“一块，一块。要不要花？”(One dollar, one dollar. Do you want flowers?)
He haggled a little. We politely declined. I turned around and watched him zig-zag his way down the path. He made sure not to miss a single couple. JC and I sat down on the stone-rimmed flowerbed and watched the boy pace back and forth under the moon light.
6. My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets
Travel Secret #1: Art of Cheap Accommodations
Travel Secret #2: Kaifeng, China
Travel Secret #3: Climb The Great Wall When It Snows
What are some of your best kept travel secrets?
Share!
7. Chinese Migrant Workers At The Plaza de Oriente
JC and I walked non-stop these past two days. It was either restless leg syndrome or it was the excitement of being in Madrid. I thought we would take it a little slower on the third day but nope – not when traveling with JC.He only knows one speed – and it’s just go, go, go, go, go!
We began the day with a trip to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid.
8. Kaifeng, China: Chinese Jews
This was Kaifeng’s welcome to us. Fog? Pollution? Combination? I don’t know but it was one hell of a welcome. I held out my hand and saw nothing. I looked down and I had no feet. We blindly walked forward – away from the train station and closer to the sound of the road. We had a hard time crossing the street. We couldn’t see the cars and bicycles and they couldn’t see us. We played it by ear. Literally. And hailing a cab? I want to say, “Fuggedaboutit,” but we managed to do so. Till this day, it still puzzles me.
9. I’m a nerd. I like math and I like to plan. Excel is my best friend. I can’t live without my planner. When it comes to traveling, I get excited at the thought of creating a new spreadsheet. Budgeting is my favorite part. How low can I go?
10. A Snowman On The Great Wall of China
I conquered 7,200 steps to the top of Taishan and trekked 4 hours around the West Lake in Hangzhou. Climbing The Great Wall? Sure! No problem. Except I forgot to factor in the high altitude and nearly freezing temperature. Read more…
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=25ea7a2b-8b56-4b6a-af3f-b015759f62be)
Photo Friday: Hagia Sophia
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4e49d885-9ab2-48d2-8010-893a08e87701)
The Galata Tower & Fish Sandwich
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009This post is part 7 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.
The Galata Tower
If you lucked out of a stay in the Hali Hotel and it’s terrace view of The Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque and The Bosporus River, visiting the Galata Tower is the second best place to go for a panoramic view of the Old Istanbul. JC and I hopped on a bus from Chamberlitas station in Sultanahmet and took it over the Galata Bridge. The sun beamed at a 45 degree angel. In a few hours it would be setting. There would be no better place to watch the sun set over the Istanbul skyline than up on the Galata Tower.
We climbed up the vertical hill before reaching the foot of the medieval stone cylinder, where a line already snaked around the base. The Galata Tower stands out as one of Istanbul’s most striking landmarks. The blue cone capped tower offers a panoramic view of The Golden Horn, The Bosporus River, the Sea of Marmara and the skyline of Old Istanbul dotted with minarets and dome mosques.
The Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 to fortify the city. After the Ottoman Conquest, it became a holding place for captured war prisoners and a watch tower for spotting fires. There is an Old Galata Tower called the Megalos Pyrogos, which was built during the Byzantine period on another location. It was used to control the entrance of the Golden Horn. However, the old tower was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade.
The current Galata Tower contains a restaurant, a café and a nightclub. None of which were of any interest to me. I darted straight to the narrow deck to claim my spot and held down the fort until the sun set. The deck is just wide enough for one person but tourists are impatient. They squeeze by anyway forcing the person standing closest to the fence to sway the upper half of their body over the edge giving them a thrilling view of the 220 foot drop. It’s not for the faint of heart. Good thing I’m short. I didn’t sway over too much.
We lingered on the deck long after sunset. The city looked different at night but it was still as lively as it was before. From above, the lights below were the heartbeats of the city. Everything seem to have a pulse – the restaurants, the cars, the mosques, the ferries, the streets, everything. JC and I made our way back over to Eminonu via the under path below the Galata Bridge. Restaurants filled the length of the bridge from one end to the other. Looking out towards the water, I could see the almost invisible fishing lines that were dangling from above.
At the end of the Galata Bridge in the Eminonu district, three neon flashing fishing boats rocked heavily from left to right. They were Eminonu’s famous fish boats that served fish sandiches straight from the deck. I was a little seasick just watching the cooks work. I wonder how they stayed on for so long. The waves crashed hard along the boardwalk and the boat almost looked like it was about to tip over. The cooks didn’t look phased at all. They must have taken some really strong dopamine. We sat away from the water and people-watched from afar while we munched on our fish sandwiches. Our fingers smelled fishy for a very long time but I didn’t mind. It was great to be absorbed in another world.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=298eb96e-542b-4075-8fa6-f55e95ca067e)
The Hippodrome Comes To Life
Thursday, October 1st, 2009This post is part 4 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.
During the Byzantine period, the Hippodrome was the center of Constantinople’s largest social gatherings. This was the arena where their passion for horse racing and chariot racing took place. The Hippodrome was the only place where the emperor and the masses came together in one venue. And at times, it was also a place for political debates.
The Hippodrome, now known as the Sultanahmet Square, is still a major social scene. It’s like Times Square without the lights, especially during Ramadan. Families of three generations gather together, plop their behinds and mark their spots on the grassy courtyard hours before the sun sets. They sit and chat as they await for the first meal of the day.
Today the seats and columns of the stadium no longer exist and the race track is paved over with cement. The Hippodrome has been replaced by one large courtyard that sits between the Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque . Only a few remnants remain of what use to be the racing arena.
I’m not a fan of history. Dates and time lines evaporate somewhere between the a person’s mouth and my earlobes. But facts, depending on how interesting they are, might go in one ear and occasionally out the other. What really sticks with me is seeing the cause and effect relationship between the past and the present.
So when faced with remnants of the Ottoman era, I had to mentally entertain myself. I strolled through the Hippodrome personifying them. What would they look like? What characteristics would they have? What have they seen over these thousands of years? What would I see if I were them?
Obelisk of Thutmose III
The Walled Obelisk
Snake Column - Wikipedia
At one end of the Hippodrome sits is the Egyptian Granny, Obelisk of Thutmose III, who’s in pretty good shape considering the fact that she’s almost 3,500 year old. She’s made with pink granite and was brought over from Temple of Karnak in Luxor, Egypt.
The other end of the Hippodrome is The Grand-Daddy Basil I of Constantine VIII, better known as the Walled Obelisk. He was originally donned with gilded bronze plaques and topped with a sphere. Unfortunately, the Fourth Crusaders came through and stripped him bare. Each of his plaques represented the many victorious battles he had won over the years.
The Old School Warrior is about 2,486 year old and nicknamed the Serpent Column. Quite fitting since he is a bronze statute with three decapitated serpent heads. It’s been said that he was made from the shields of Persian soldiers. He resided in the Hagia Sophia before relocating to the Hippodrome.
I can only imagine, which is exactly what I did, what it would be like to see the world change over 3,500 years – the knowledge that I would accrue, the beauty that I would see, the pain that I would feel and the changes in the human race through the generations. Sometimes I wish I could stand in one place and press rewind, like Adam Sandler in the movie Click or become a reincarnation of a phoenix.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=81669250-356c-45ad-887e-44097827e5b1)
The Blue Mosque: Etiquette & Communication
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009This post is part 3 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.
The Blue Mosque sits directly across from the Hagia Sophia on the Hippodrome, also known as the Sultanahmet Square. It’s hard to say which is more impressive. They both rival in beauty. With six towering minarets, The Blue Mosque dominates the Istanbul skyline.
The Blue Mosque is an active mosque; therefore it is not open to visitors at all times. Doors open at 9am but is closed 5 times throughout the day for prayers. It’s also closed midday on Fridays as this is the mandatory prayer of the week. Most mosques in Istanbul close one hour before sun down.
The main entrance into The Blue Mosque is reserved only worshipers. All other visitors are required to use the north entrance. Before you can get a glimpse of the blue tiles that gives The Blue Mosque its name, there are a few rules to follow:
Women must:
- cover their heads with a scarf
- wear clothes that cover their shoulders
- wear a long skirt or dress to cover their legs
Men must
- wear long pants to cover their legs. (Shorts are not acceptable.)
Men and women must
- take off their shoes and place them in a plastic bag
Plastic bags are provided and head scarves are given to those who have none. As you enter The Blue mosque, be prepared to get a nice big whiff of feet. Don’t cringe. It doesn’t smell as bad as squat toilets in China. What did you expect? Everyone has their shoes off.
But if you think about it, it’s not the locals who stink up the place. It’s actually the tourists and visitors. Worshipers wash their hands, face, neck and feet in the ablution before entering the mosque for prayers. The rest of us – tourists and visitors – stroll in after a long sweaty day of wandering through the city. Not many of us bother to wash ourselves. Of course the mosque is going to smell like feet.
Entering the mosque wasn’t a problem for JC and I. We did our homework and we were prepared with the right ensemble. Getting out of the mosque was another story. We walked back to the north entrance and realized the door was locked from the outside. Perturbed, we headed back to the mosque but a gate had already been set up.
From behind, a young boy in an olive uniform called for JC. He was with two tourists – a girl and a guy. Words were exchanged along with hand gestures and confused looks. The boy in the uniform spoke Turkish. JC spoke English. The girl spoke Spanish. She tried translate the little bit of Turkish she knew.
All of the sudden, JC hiked up his jeans and maneuvered himself to climb over the wall. I shouted,
“What are you doing?!”
“Getting out.”
“That’s not how you get out.”
“That’s what he said.”
“He doesn’t work here.”
“Yes, he does.”
“No, he doesn’t”
“What are you talking about? He just told me.”
“The workers here are in blue.”
“Oh, what the hell was he telling me then?”
“He was asking you how to get in.”
The entire time JC was trying to ask the boy how to get out, the boy was trying to ask him how to get in. Lost in translation? The incident gave birth to a new joke. How do you ask a Chinaman how to get into a mosque? You don’t.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=3cfd89de-00ec-4cd7-ba53-8322a8b5fedf)
Istanbul's Hagia Sophia
Thursday, September 24th, 2009This post is part 2 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.
View of the Hagia Sophia from Sultanahmet Square
Rick Steves said that Lady Liberty could do jumping jacks inside the Hagia Sophia. That’s how big it is. Even though the church-turned-mosque-turned-museum is currently under construction, it sits majestically at almost 1,500 years old. Its beauty is timeless.
The Hagia Sophia is just as architecturally impressive now as it was back then. In 1453, Constantinople, now Istanbul, was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. Everything was destroyed and burned to the ground. But Sultan Mehmed II was so enamored by the Hagia Sophia that ordered it to be turned it into a mosque.
During the building’s conversion from church to mosque, many of the mosaics were covered because Islam disapproves of representational depictions. The church’s altar, bells, iconic images and sacrificial vessels were replaced with Islamic features like the mihrab, the minbar, and minarets.
After being burnt down twice, the Hagia Sophia was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian and is now entirely fireproof. Inside, there are eight huge circular wooden boards. Each one has the name of Allah, the prophet Muhammad, the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and the two grandchildren of Mohammed, Hassan and Hussain, written on it.
The most interesting, and probably the most unsanitary, thing I came across was the Wish Column, aka the Sweating Column. I watched each tourist stick their thumb into the designated hole and turned their palm 360 degrees to make a wish. It is the only item in the Hagia Sophia that allows visitors to touch. Touching any of the mosaics, on the other hand, will cause a surround sound eruption of “No touch! No touch! No touch!” from security guards in all directions.
Taiwanese tour group
The Hagia Sophia is grand in size but it’s no exception to the masses and tour groups that flood the building. They all seem to be armed with cameras and ready to shoot. As usual, with any tourist attraction, the weekend is war. Every other day is fair game. Just don’t go on Mondays. It’s closed.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=eac784e6-ad21-4e74-a2e0-9d588f335284)
Merhaba Istanbul!
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009This post is part 1 of 17 of my trip to Istanbul. The series intends to give more than just a I-saw-this-and-did-that review. It aims to share the voice inside my head as I explore a world I’ve only read in books.
Hagia Sophia
I’m a nerd. I like math and I like to plan. Excel is my best friend. I can’t live without my planner. When it comes to traveling, I get excited at the thought of creating a new spreadsheet. Budgeting is my favorite part. How low can I go?
This 8-day trip to Istanbul was only $1270 – $640 for round-trip tickets and $630 for everything else. That means I spent less than $80 a day. That includes accommodation, food, entrance fees, transportation and souvenirs. I’d say it’s a pretty good deal for independent traveling.
JC and I landed in Istanbul around 10AM with no place to stay. We took public transportation from Ataturk International Airport to Sultanahmet in search of a home and found the Hali Hotel. Here’s an excerpt of the hotel review I wrote for Lay Your Head Here:
Imagine a panoramic view of the Golden Horn, The Haghia Sophia, The Bosporus River, The Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara. That’s the view from the terrace of the Hali Hotel in Istanbul where I had my complimentary breakfast every morning.
If you’re visiting Istanbul for the first time, staying in Sultanahmet is ideal. The Hali Hotel is located within minutes from The Grand Bazaar, The Topkapi Palace, The Blue Mosque, Haghia Sophia, Suleymaniye’s Mosque, Basilica Cistern and other historical and cultural places.
You can find the rest of the review at Lay Your Head Here.
The Hali Hotel is conveniently located in the middle of everything. The Putin-looking manager at the front desk was a little cold at first but he warmed up to us throughout the week. Hip-Hop Hasan gave us a great tour of the hotel. He was a jovial guy who led a double a life – a bell boy by day and a hip hop break dancer by night.
JC told the Putin-looking manager that Hip-Hop Hasan deserved a raise for giving us an exceptional tour. Hip-Hop Hasan’s Kool-Aid smile grew even bigger but the Putin-looking manager gave JC the stare of death that said, “Don’t give the boy any ideas or his raise will be coming out of your pocket.”
For 55 Euros a night, we settled into our temporary home for the week. After a power nap, we went to brunch around 3PM and ordered a cup of Turkish coffee. I desperately needed that shot of caffeine before setting out on foot. We walked by the Hagia Sophia and The Blue Mosque and strolled through the Hippodrome, which was packed with tourists and locals.
It was the middle of Ramadan and many of the locals gathered at the Hippodrome to await their first meal of the day. JC and I went back to the Hali Hotel and sat on the terrace for over two hours watching the sky change colors as the sun set. It was the only night we had the terrace to ourselves. We had a feeling that this would never never happen again. People usually realize it hindsight but when something is too good to be true, it probably is.
We stayed up there for as long as we could – alone in the dark with nothing but the lights below and the stars above. I had a front row seat of the Hagia Sofia to my left and The Blue Mosque to my right – both lit up with lights. When the wind blew, I felt as if I was floating. I was high just knowing that for the next 8 days, I did not have to be cooped up in four walls and spend over 10 hours of the day typing away in front of a computer screen.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=cb0910f4-2a72-4b62-b4c4-a76b4efec3e5)
