Days in Dubai

It was a nice trip to Dubai. And a country with a history. Maybe the buildings are new, the UAE has a rich history and full of traditions.
Yes, It is nowadays full with new build buildings. But it is a country of wealth, respect and almost no crime! The skyline of Dubai is amazing. And they are still building, with the speed of a Dutch extend its road: fast.

The first full day we met with Derya. An organized and sweet person. Since I forgot to take my medicines with me, she arranged a quick and effectual trip to the Iranian Hospital. Which scared me first, but those people know what they are doing. Thank you Derya.

We went to another 6 star hotel for a tea. And later that evening we had diner in 'the Ottoman' where her brother is the GM. Champagne and white wine.

There are so many shopping malls: you can even do ice skating there. The temperature in the summer is 45 Celsius, but in winter 25, and at night around 15.

The dress code in the UAE is much the same as it would be in your home country. But a healthy respect for the local customs should be maintained, as I recommend. You will see plenty of people wearing shorts, T-shirts, skirts, etc… Clothing doesn't have to cover arms and legs, but should be somewhat modest as a sign of respect for the local sensibilities.

You see the only 7 star hotel in world: the Jubla.

Personally, the women are extremely beautiful. And 'covered'. But on a traditional way. Like men are covered too...

The West can learn a lesson about this way of life, which is not perfect, but I rather see a person who takes care about themselve than someone who is obysieswith a dogmatic religion.

Thanks Derya for the nice time!

Happy Bayram

Wishing everybody a Happy Bayram.
I am in a place where I see more Dutch and Russian girls, nicely dressed, than Turkish people.
It's fun, walking around and hearing people speaking in your mother language while they are not aware that maybe other people can understand them..))
It's food, drinks, sun and the sea...and they have wireless Internet (the most important),
so I am saved.
The humidity here reminds me of my years in Miami, but I am still in a suit!

Cover millennia in Kyrenia

By Daniel Bardsley,
You could travel to every town on earth but I doubt you would find any place more beautiful than Kyrenia in northern Cyprus. With an imposing castle, a picturesque harbor lined with street cafes and a sweeping mountainous backdrop, it will take your breath away.

While the Greek-controlled Republic of Cyprus — which covers the southern two-thirds of this Mediterranean island — has become over-developed in its quest for the tourist dollar, northern Cyprus retains a quaint charm. For more.

Not many people know that much about northern Cyprus; it's politically isolated, traveling there is only possible through Istanbul (or through Larnaca, taking the bus to the Green Line and walking all the way to a bus or a cab) and it's recognized by Turkey only.

The beaches and everything else in the northern part of the divided island are untouched, although a boom of real estate developments have been seen over the past 3 years.

It's really a pity how the people are left alone, even though they wanted to be re-united with the rest of the island, through the Annan plan in 2004, but that didn't happen.

Is Turkey to blame?

The Queen Elizabeth 2

The Queen Elizabeth 2, which drew massive crowds when it visited Sydney harbor this February, will be retired to Dubai, where it will be refurbished as a floating hotel in the booming Gulf state. Reuters

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Dubai-owned company announced on Monday, Jun 18, 2007 that it bought the Queen Elizabeth 2, a giant ocean liner launched in 1967, for $100 million.
State-owned Istithmar said it plans to turn the passenger ship into a first-class floating hotel, retail and entertainment destination, berthed off Dubai's manmade Palm Jumeirah island.

The aging vessel, bought from the Cunard Line division of Miami-based Carnival Corp., will end its days as a tourist attraction, scheduled to open to the public at the beginning of 2009, Istithmar said in an e-mailed statement. Istithmar is a division of Dubai World, a government-owned holding company that also owns Nakheel, the developer of Palm Jumeirah. For more info.

Also Queen Elizabeth Hotel anchors in Kemer :))

Queen Elizabeth Elite Suite & Spa, a 325-room hotel designed and named after the world's one of the most famous ocean liners Queen Elizabeth, was inaugurated on Sunday at a ceremony in the western resort of Kemer, Antalya.

The hotel, which cost some 50 million USD, is expected to draw mainly British tourists.

The hotel's bed capacity is 1250.

Piece Together Cyprus

Explore


There can be few mosques in the world with a setting more beautiful than that of Hala Sultan Tekkesi. The building is surrounded by dozens of date palms and cypress and olive trees, while in front sits a huge salt lake, a bright white sheet with occasional patches of water.

And behind it, in the distance, sit the multicoloured hills and mountains of central Cyprus. It is, quite simply, breathtaking. What makes it all the more remarkable is that the mosque, located in the south-east of Cyprus, is just a half-hour walk from the island's busiest airport.

First things first

Hala Sultan Tekkesi was built in 674 after Umm Haram, said to be the aunt of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), fell from her mule and died. Her tomb lies in an annexe next to the mosque, which is open to non-Muslims and is the first thing most people see when they arrive on that Mediterranean island.

While Cyprus is popular with package holidaymakers keen to spend a couple of weeks lying in the sun and partying, there is more to the island than the beaches and nightclubs it is famous for.

Continue reading here.

Desert Safari

I thought that my first post should be related to the region where I am living!

If you come to Dubai for a holiday or for any other reason, you shouldn't leave without doing a Safari :) With a licensed driver and a specially made Toyota Cruiser 4x4 with capacity for 7 persons, you will be taken to a place where you might think you are on Mars or something, or in one of those Indiana Jones movie screen shots :-)


Most of the hotels' concierge would help you with your Safari reservation; 180Dhr (49$) per person including food and drinks for a full 7 hours trip. I suggest not to fill your stomach too much, in case :) Generally around 15:00 hours, you will be picked up from your hotel lobby and taken to Oman-Hatta road. Before the Safari can start, they stop for taking the air out of the car wheels.

After riding up and down like on a slide at a theme park, but with a bit more fun (which is called 'Safari Bashing'), you will stop on top of the mountain to watch the sunset... Think that you may not see those mountains or valleys again tomorrow..

Afterwards you will be taken to a desert camp in the middle of nowhere, and if you want, you can ride a camel and get your photo taken...


Or you can dress up like a local emir with a disdas for men and black abaya for women ...
Or you can get a henna tattoo within 2 seconds on your leg, arm or back, wherever you like, made by an Indian woman. After eating a selection of Arabic food and drinks, come the belly dancer and a bit of Arabic music. Then you will be taken back to your hotel by 9:30pm.



You will definitely enjoy it for sure :)

My Trip to Mexico DF (City) - 3

Mexico DF (city) is one of the most interesting cities I visited.
In 1992, the United Nations described Mexico City’s air as the most polluted on the planet. Six years later, that air earned Mexico the reputation of “the most dangerous city in the world for children” — a reputation Mexico has been working hard to improve. But despite more than a decade of stringent pollution control measures, a haze hangs over the city most days, obscuring the surrounding snow-capped mountains and endangering the health of its inhabitants. Mexico DF is built in a valley.
Factors that have contributed to this situation are: industrial growth, a population boom (from three million in 1950 to some 20 million today, less than Istanbul), and the proliferation of vehicles. More than 3.5 million vehicles — 30% of them more than 20 years old — now ply the city streets.

This picture shows the traffic on Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas, a 'street' of 40 km.
The tower of Latin America in the heart of Mexico DF.


The Paseo de la Reforma, another big street in Mexico DF. With several statues like the Angel in the background.
Here I encountered the corrupt Mexican police for the first time.

My worst trip: Miami - Istanbul, but final destination

When I left this daily sunset in Miami behind on August the 17th, 2002, heading for Istanbul, I knew that my life would be different, totally different in Istanbul.

It's now exactly five years ago that I moved from the 'Capital of Latin America, Miami' to Istanbul; the cultural and business Capital of Turkey and of so many other things and in fact of nothing, because it still denies its heritage.

Anyway, between 2000 and 2002, I was traveling extensively between Europe and the USA and within Europe and America. And earned so many Air miles (Skymiles of Delta, Air France and British Airways), that I was able to make at least one inter-continental trip each year for free. So, my last flight from Miami to Europe was a free one. With some stop-overs, but who cares, if the excitement of going to live in another country got me head over heels.
Anyway, the free trip was: Miami-Atlanta-Milan-Paris-Istanbul.

The flight from Miami to Atlanta was a flight which I took so many times. But from there it was always Amsterdam as final destination. Now: Milan (not Malpensa). There I had to wait for 10 hrs. for a flight to Paris, from where a direct flight to Istanbul was booked for me.
The flight from Atlanta was an overnight flight: leaving on Friday at 6 PM, local time, and arriving the day after, Saturday the 18th of August at 8.00 AM in Milan. And then: niente.
Waiting, with three heavy suite cases for my flight to Paris. But... my flight to Paris was canceled at the last minute at 3 PM. So, how could I reach the people who were waiting for me at Atatürk Airport? Thanks to Air France, which allowed me to make a phone call to Istanbul for free (my credit cards and mobile phone where left behind in Miami, as you understand).
But then, more important, how could I make it to Istanbul? And again, with a lot of help of employees of Air France and Alitalia, they booked me on a flight to Vienna with Lauda Airlines. Don't think that this is some kind of charter: it's first class only. In Vienna I had to wait 2 hrs. before Austrian Airlines took off at 11.30 PM for Istanbul. An Airbus with...12 passengers...so we were all treated like Royalty...))
At 2 AM, Sunday,I landed already safe in Istanbul. An exhausting trip of 32 hrs.
He, am I bored in Istanbul? No way, life is never dull here...like my trip from Miami to Istanbul.

Gizeh (Cairo), Egypt and Teotihuacan, Mexico

Reading books about history and mystics, I was always intrigued by the pyramids.
I visited Gizeh in 1977 and Teotihuacan in 1983. Just 21 years old, since they told me if you visit both, you will be part of a Golden and Heavenly triangle..))
Will put pictures of Gizeh, Asam (Egypt) and Sudan later here. And will ask a German photographer to allow me to use his beautiful pictures taken in Mexico on this blog.
I have still some nice stories about Mexico to tell.

My first trip to Mexico - 2

Detailed view of Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico. It is 70 meters high and is the third largest pyramid of the world! More later...

That French thing...

We came back from France last Thursday evening only after 10 days of touring around. I will write more about our tour in my blog, but here I want to report my first observations.

- The cities on the French Riviera are not that special except for their esplanades.
- I didn't see many beautiful French women. Are they all hiding up in Paris, or their beauty is hidden to the eye? :-P
- I don't want to hear anybody complaining about the way we Turks and/or Italians drive any more after seeing how the French are driving. They are crazy. They drive fast on highways, in the cities and, worst of all, inside the parking houses. They do not obey most of the traffic rules and if you point out their mistake they get angry and they always have a finger ready to show you where the sky is. I don't even want to comment on how the women are driving and behaving in traffic...
- If you have a SUV, stay far away from the parking houses in France, because they are made for tiny little cars. On many occasions we were afraid to enter these houses with our car since the max height was most of the time 1.80 meters (and in two of them even 1.70 meters)! Once we parked our car in a parking house but were not able to open the trunk because if we did, it would have touched the ceiling!
- You eat very well in France but you also pay quite much for what you eat. And those crepes... How much we ate.. We even looked for an open crepe shop (most of them were closed for vacation) for over an hour under rain in Lyon, waited for the girl to prepare our crepes for about 20 minutes and ate them again under the rain.. with no umbrella.
- It was very strange to find more than 90% of the churches closed. We love going inside churches, studying their architecture (not that we know anything about architecture, but it is fun) and trying to find some elements, symbols that hint the presence/influence of the Templar knights, Freemasons, Mary Magdalene etc. Do not miss out the cathedral in St. Maximin if you also like that kind of stuff.
- What is it with the French and their love for lingerie? I have never seen so many lingerie shops on one single street in my life.
- I have been stopped by people that were asking for directions many times. They thought I was French. I am not sure whether this is good or bad... that I look 'French', I mean... :-)
- All in all France is a beautiful country definitely worth many other visits. But beware: it is not a cheap touristic destination.
Now I have to pack, again, since me and by sweety are off to Austria this Saturday. We will be relaxing on the mountain in a spa hotel for a week.

My first trip to Mexico - 1

More than 20 years ago, when I was in my early 'twenties', I took a break and went to family in Southern California, more precisely Mission Viejo and Irvine. I planned to study at one of the most prestigious departments for Movies/Drama at UCI, where I was accepted as one of the 2 places for a person from the Netherlands.
After 2 weeks of talking around, and having fun with my cousins, I decided to make a trip to Mexico DF. Capital of Mexico. But my family told me not to go there! Too dangerous and a long trip.
Yes, by bus it was a long trip; almost 2 1/2 day non-stop. And two drivers who changed every 6 hours. With a 15 minute break each time. And they didn't count the passengers while leaving, so be aware to be on time. So, against the 'will' of my family, I booked a ticked. My trip started south of LA, Laguna Beach.


I took the Greyhound, and as the travel agency told me, it would take me all the way to Mexico City. 2.700 km. But in Tijuana they changed the bus. And now I was stuck in a bus of 'the Tree stars of Gold' by a Mexican bus company. Not very comfortable. But I took precautions: bought a bottle of Vodka! To get me sleepy, sitting around the night! No way that you could pull the chairs down!
A Mexican guy next to me suggested to mix it with some orange juice, but getting some straight shots of vodka in my veins helped me through the first night.
When we departed from Tijuana (see picture above) to Mazatlan (see picture below) -and no, I didn't go to the beach - I was not aware what was waiting for me.

The way from Mazatlan to Guadalajara was better. No bubs and no screaming from people who were in another bus which took off before us: they crashed and found their way in and along the road, or into a ravine.


This is a picture of Guadalajara. Not how it was but how it is now: modern.
When I was there for the first time, everywhere there were the pictures and flags of the PRI, which you can compare with the CHP in Turkey. A party which caused stagnation in Mexico, as the CHP did in Turkey.
But Mexico went under a transformation like Turkey is going now: and for your information; Monterrey in Mexico is seen as the most developed city of Latin America.

The PRI as the CHP, kept the poor people under their thumb.


One year before this trip to Mexico I made a trip to Greece, Egypt and Sudan.
It has been told that the 'flat' pyramids in Mexico are built with the same Pyramid-shaped structures which are built by many ancient civilizations like The Egyptians.
When I crawled through the Great Pyramid in Gizeh, Cairo, I sensed different feeling when seeing these ones. Btw, I have old slides available about Gizeh, but my camera was stolen in Mexico. That's why I use pictures from Internet.

Talking about Mexico DF, Mexico City, after Tokyo, Sao Paolo and NYC the largest city in the world, will take some more postings. And my way to Huehuetenango in Guatamala and back to the USA even more...to be continued...

Mexico

Was planning to write about my bus trip from South California to Mexico DF, and from there to Guatemala and back to Mission Viejo, California. But absolutely no inspiration today. Will do it later this week. Btw, I am sick and tired of the heat...

The ride of my life! A roller coaster...

Just back from an exhausting trip of 42 hours to Amsterdam and back to Istanbul.
Beside the discouraging information my Turkish friends and partners faced, they had still fun, although we all almost fell asleep during a dinner on Monday night..!!!
But our flight yesterday back to Istanbul is another story. It started good; we were all upgraded to business class.
The captain told that the trip would be quick. Clear view, no delays expected.

Flying to Turkey means flying over Hungary, and there the troubles started: lots of turbulence first and then suddenly coffee and wine was flying around in the cabin and people became really afraid; the plane hit a bubble in the air. Just in an area with a lot of thunder and light. So, the pilots started to climb over these nasty clouds, which took 30 minutes.
But compliments to the captain who kept all the time the passengers informed.
In the end, we arrived 30 minutes before planned arrival time in Istanbul.

KLM, the Reliable Airline?

Will fly tomorrow morning at 5.30 am (!) to Amsterdam. I don't like this flight, it means that I have to wake up at 2.30 am, on my way to the airport by 3.00 am and check-in at 4.00 am.

Will be in Amsterdam by 8.00 am, local time, and will have the first meeting at 09.30 am, and the last one that day at 8.00 pm (dinner). Not something to look forward to.

KLM is using the motto: The Reliable Airline. Here are some comments. You can make up your own mind.

Greek-Turkish Love

Yes, so much is said about Turkish-Greek relations that it seems as if it is impossible to bring people from both countries together. Dead wrong!
Here a picture of a Turkish-Greek couple...
Can you see at their faces where they are from? Who is 'the Greek' and who is 'the Turk'?
Enjoy! The picture is not that clear since I made it with my cellular phone.

The spreading of the Light

Although already back in Istanbul, want to share with you all one event in Greece.

It was Easter Saturday, April the 7th, and it was quite impressive: The spreading of the Light.

On the Holy Feast of Pasha, Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate the life-giving Resurrection of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This feast of feasts is the most significant day in the life of the Church. It is a celebration of the defeat of death. In this victory that came through the Cross, Christ broke the bondage of sin, and through faith offers his followers restoration, transformation, and eternal life.

Before midnight on Saturday evening, the Odes of Lamentation of the previous day are repeated. The Orthros of the Resurrection begins in complete darkness. The priest takes light from the vigil light and gives it to the faithful, who are holding candles. The priest sings: "Come ye and receive light from the unwaning light, and glorify Christ, who arose from the dead", and all the people join him in singing this hymn again and again. From this moment, every Christian holds the Easter candle as a symbol of his vivid, deep faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as Savior. In many churches the priest leads the people outside the church, where he reads the Gospel which refers to the Angels' statement: "He is Risen; He is not here,” (Mark 16:1-8).

And there were a lot of people outside on the streets, and when the first candle came out the church the light was spreading quickly. Yes, this was impressive!

A church in Thessaloniki

Drove yesterday from Athens back to Thessaloniki.
While the air was really dry and nice in Athens, Thessaloniki is humid. All the time you have the feeling that you fall asleep. Perfect environment for a holiday!

Today to a shopping mall: Cosmos. Owned by the Greek Orthodox church, so between all kind of outdoor restaurants and bars, and in fact in the middle of the shopping complex, a Greek Orthodox Church was built. Who is telling me now that the Greek Orthodox is not dominant in the Greek society? Got a lot of reactions from Greeks who simple deny this after my article about EU and Cyprus.

Easter Sunday

Yes, this picture looks like the photo made in Bodrum, on the right hand side column of my blog. But this is Pireau, a suburb of Thessaloniki. Beautiful scenery. The difference is that you can see a Greek island from Turkey, but you can not see Turkish land from Thessaloniki.
On Easter Sunday I drove through 'explore my senses' of Greece. And yes, it was nice. Had a nice piece of lamb on the beach, and enjoyed myself. Yes, definitely, the Greek cuisine is made for my stomach, Turkish one smells sometimes like hospital food: looks like they do their utmost best to cook the vitamins out.
The picture is made when I was waiting for my meal...

Flying Olympic Airways

This is a high wind propeller airplane.
Didn't know that these planes are still used for commercial purposes. But Olympic Airways is still using these machines: between Istanbul and Thessaloniki. Not more than 50 people can go with it! And I was thinking last week Thursday, the first day of Greek Orthodox Easter, that this flight could be crowded. Especially since there are only 2 flights each week from Istanbul to the second city of Greece. But the flight was not even full!
Thirty years ago, while on my first visit to Athens, we booked an unexpected flight to Cairo. Never forget that trip since I was thinking by the start that we didn't get off the ground...
Now, sitting in Exit Row, I could hear the propellers banging in my ears for 1 hr and 10 minutes.
No, not fun at all. Also the flight was delayed twice. We took off 20 minutes after the flight was supposed to land in Thessaloniki. I am curious about my flight this Sunday: Thessaloniki-Athens-Istanbul.