The international fellowship tour of CBRT 131 was done in style... the tablers unanimously decided on the venue as Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.8 million. Also a mega city, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial centre of Turkey. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European and on the Asian sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.
There was total contingent strength of 25, which included tablers, ladies and one cute little twinkler.
The excited group checked in at Nedumbassery International Airport, Cochin on the 17th of February. After a long struggle amidst mad rush of people o get inside the terminal building. It seemed like we had chosen this sacred day to travel which falls every five years. After a bout of interesting negotiations we managed to get adjacent seats in the fully packed aircraft. The tour leader Tr Cherian -popularly know as Thalaivar made a corpus account to spend mainly on booze more than anything else. Even though lover boy Tr Prakash Aswani ( loves only his phone though) went missing and gave us a scare if he would miss the flight, but turned up at the last minute with his sheepish smile...
All this excitement made everyone hungry and Chacko and Binu was kind enough to buy everyone the food and drinks.. they realised that it is better to treat in India with Indian rupees and solicit return favour form others in Turkish Lira.. very clever buggers!!
The flight was uneventful except when Renu (spouse of Tr Bejoy) tried to scare us all by imitating a dead body with cotton in her nose..
The stop over at Abudhabi was very brief, and the group got just enough time to relieve themselves at ground level and rush to catch the connecting flight to Istanbul... Tr Binu of course managed to find time to buy more booze... Istanbul here we come!!!
The tour bus picked us up at the airport and took us to the Klaus Hotel. The rooms were comfortable but lacked any maneuvering space.. hardly an issue for people who didn't resort to any antics after watching the free for all hustler channel!!! We are not sure if the Klaus hotel will ever give booking conformation to any Indian group. EVER !!!
After freshening up we were taken by Bedo our tour guide to see the famous Blue Mosque... It was a wonderful sight and we walked in and around the mosque absorbing all its visual wonders...
Deepa ( Hr Tr Srijit's spouse) took an instant liking to 'Bedo' our tour guide... Srijit was even more excited than Deepa as he was hoping she would stay back in Istanbul with Bedo...
The biting cold prompted many to drink Saleph a Turkish winter drink, made from the dried powdered roots of a mountain orchid. The powder is then heated with milk, sugar and cinnamon to make a thick dairy beverage
We then walked around the Sultanahmet Meydani’ (Horse Square or Horse Grounds in Turkish) due to its function in the Ottoman period and the Hippodrome Square where the stone obelisk situated in the middle became the center of attraction. The bus ride back to the hotel was charged as the tablers charged their glasses, with the Chairman operating a full fledged bar.
The next day,much to the amusement of Tr Thomas Chacko we were driven back to the Sultanahmet area to visit the Topkapi Palace. The center of power of the ottoman empire. The driver demonstrated some excellent skills in maneuvering the large tour bus through the small streets of Istanbul. Sultan Mehmet the Ottoman Conqueror built the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul shortly after he conquered the city in the 15th century. The palace was expanded by successive sultans, and remained the sultan's residence for the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years.
The museum at Topkapi Palace took us through he wonderful and enchanting history of Istanbul and Turkey. The group had a great time of fellowship and fun at the palace. The visit to the Harem section excited the tablers and many wished they were born a sultan during the Ottoman empire.
The third sacred building visited, the Haghia Sophia ('Divine Wisdom') was dedicated on 26 December AD 537 by Emperor Justinian. He had come to power less than a century after the fall of Rome, and was eager to prove his capital a worthy successor to imperial glory. Approached by a grand colonnaded avenue beginning at the city gates, Justinian's cathedral towered over all else and was topped by the largest dome ever constructed - a record it held until the Romans reclaimed their pride just over a thousand years later with Michelangelo's dome for St Peter's.
After the Topkapi Palace the starving lot was introduced to some original Turkish food. I think the Turkish food made Tr Thomas Chacko senseless and prompted god knows what to confront the heavy weight Bedo to a bout of boxing.. This amusing but luckily not fatal performance of Tr Chacko gave us a new vigour to persuade our tired legs to visit the Hagia Sophia museum.
The end of Hagia Sophia visit resulted in a very energetic, animated and fun filled coffee break at one of the cafes outside the Hagia Sophia. Many tablers and ladies went searching for their spouses who got lost or went missing at this venue. Eventually we had to move along before we were thrown out by other irritated customers.
The evening program of visiting the Galata Tower to witness the traditional belly danceing evoked excitement among all the tablers.. not much to the liking of the ladies. GALATA TOWER is the oldest tower in the world history which has been a symbol of Istanbul for hundreds of years. It was constructed by Jusinianus (528) in 6th century to monitor the harbours. This outstanding structure was controlled by Genoese during 13th century. The Galata Tower has recently been restored and there are now a modern restaurant and cafe on its upper levels. From there a panoramic view out over the entire city can be seen. We had opportunity of watching an authentic Turkish Show seen in Harem entertainment in old Ottoman houses, of beautiful belly dancers, rich folklore dances of Anatolia, various shows and an opportunity of dancing at the roof of Istanbul.
We celebrated the wedding anniversary of Tr Mathew and Sherin by cutting a cake which looked like it was going to explode. It was an eventful night - Iona got to play the role of a harem girl and gave the belly dancers a run for their money with her seductive moves - Bejoy and Renu, Rajesh and Lanyia, Bindu and Anuj got to show off some their dance moves - Chacko was inducted into the Turkish dancers troupe which displayed their skills in knife trowing, Chacko almost fainted in fear that his precious member would have to taken back from Istanbul in jar - and last but not the least our very own Chairman displayed his crooning abilities by singing a song from a famous Hindi movie.
No Istanbul experience is complete without a cruise up the Bosphorus Straight. One of the most beautiful sights in the world, the Bosphorus , is a strait between the two continents of Europe and Asia. We were up an about on the on 19th morning in an exclusive. Barring the cold weather everyone scrambled up to upper level of our ferry, but half of us came down to the lower deck to a more comfortable and convenient bar. The Local Raki added on the additional spirit to the cruise. The beautiful views of 2 suspension bridges connecting the Europe and Asian side and the beautiful skyline of Istanbul was a sight to see...
After the energetic and spirited Bhosphorus cruise , we were taken by our guide to see a carpet factory and store. We were shown lots of different types of traditional carpets, right from colour changing ones to ones which fly... the only thing that none of us could agree upon was the price... After a wonderful lunch it was Baklava time... this orgasmic tradition turkish sweet as per Tr. Chacko was something we should never ever miss on a trip to Turkey. The group then dispersed for some time alone for shopping and other activities.
The grand event of the trip was finally here... the joint meeting with Istanbul Round Table 2. We had a wonderful joint meeting at the very famous Develi restaurant. The tablers of Istanbul Round Table 2 gave our entire group a very warm welcome and an official meeting was conducted. During the meeting we exchanged flags and presented gifts to the members of the Istanbul table. Which was followed yet again by some Turkish food. By this time the group was slowly getting tired of the Turkish food and was longing for some Indian rice and sambar...
The last day of the trip was kept aside for shopping at the Grand Bazaar.. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. After the tiring session of haggling and bargaining at Grand Bazaar the contented lot ( especially ladies ) got back to the hotel to rest and freshen up for a visit to Taksim Square in the evening. This vibrant and jam packed street in Taksim was something we had never seen before.. lined with shopping centers, discotheques, bars and eateries it was a charged up atmosphere. Sadly the next day we had leave this wonderful country and head back home.. taking back beautiful memories which will be etched in each and everyones mind for ever.
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