HOW TO get appropriate care when you have an accident outside of your home country !

HOW TO get appropriate care when you have an accident outside of your home country ! 

Switzerland

Koh Phayam means I am trying

Istanbul: Intercontinental Meeting Point for European Man and Asian Lady.

         Istanbul is a city spanning two continents where East meets West across the blue waters of the Bosphorus. We decided to meet each other in Istanbul because we wanted to see each other and prove to the Swiss Embassy that we are serious in our relationship. It sounds a bit crazy but it is all true!!!! Turkey is a country that grants Thai citizens a visa on arrival valid for 30 days, and it is quite close to Europe where my love resides. We ventured over to the Asian side of the city, where one can find lots of groceries, vegetables and spices, except that I couldn’t found any Thai cooking ingredients. Luckily, my Thai girlfriend had suggested I should bring my own cooking ingredients if I could. So, I brought 20 kg of Thai cooking essentials, including 5 kg of mangos, with me. The European side did indeed seem very European with much evidence of Muslim religious traditions, but also some remaining signs of Christianity. The society and culture are remarkably progressive and liberal on the surface, but I had a sense that there were deep religious underpinnings that set the tone and rhythms. There is an amazing richness of history to be explored in Istanbul. We could spend a lifetime exploring and discovering this city and still not experience everything here. 
         I am a happy girl and my love is a happy guy. We rented an apartment in Taksim area which is located quite near the Istikal shopping area and the Findik tram station, which enabled us to visit the old town, the new town or the Asian quarter without any restrictions.  Most of the time, we ate at home. I enjoyed cooking in our love nest very much and my loved one enjoyed eating and spending time in our apartment. Such a good match we are hehehe!!! We had a good time together here for almost a month.

During our stay, we were still at the end of winter season, but there was one benefit of this: we usually did not have to wait in long queues at the tourist sites we visited. The weather here was quite varied, so it felt a bit like being back in England. Some days were rainy and some days super cold, so we really could not trust the weather forecast from our unreliable iTechnology here. Every morning, we would ask each other “how is the weather?” Nevertheless, we were very thankful that we were able to arrange this fantastic trip to Istanbul together. The more we give each other freely and joyously, the more love we draw forth from our hearts; the more love we are able to give and receive from each other. These are the laws of love and attraction that we have discovered in the course of our relationship. This natural love process has brought us an opportunity to create together an adventurous love story and to grow our tree of love in various places around the world.

Tourist Attraction things: 

:: Blue Mosque / The real name of The Blue Mosque is Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish. It is called The Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles adorning the interior walls.  The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. As in many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice. The interior of the building is stunning, however Sofia Palace, which I will mention later, made me feel dark and ancient, while The Blue Mosque felt bright and airy. The entire floor was carpeted (for Islamic prayer time), giving a wonderful cozy feeling to the place. Once inside, you have to remove your shoes, which is of course similar to what one does in Thailand. Despite its liberal Western appearance, the movements of the people of Istanbul inside The Blue Mosque convey a strong sense that this is indeed a holy Muslim place. Interestingly, admission was free, which is quite unlike our high admission prices for foreigners in Thailand. From many mosques, including The Blue Mosque, came the sound of call to prayer 5 times a day. We frequently heard these calls, because our apartment was located near the main speaker which woke me up early with a loud praying voice. 

:: Istikal Avenue: We called this area the street which never sleeps. It is quite a good area for shoppers. There is a new adventure waiting around every corner. I must admit that despite my praise here for the history, religion and culture, window shopping is the theme of this area. Aggressive vendors were somewhat annoying. Most people here wear only black coloured cloth. Many times I was asked, "Do you want to buy this or that or these?” “Where are you from?" and "What do you want?" It was pleasant enough, but one quickly finds out that if you respond to the attention and engage in conversation, there is always something they would like to sell. It was the slick lead-in with a trick follow-up that got on my nerves when I walked along this street by myself. We could hardly ask for directions without playing some kind of game. Even if you learned to ignore their approaches, there was always another trick somewhere.  I thought Thai people had trouble giving directions but here it is even worse, as people do not speak much English. My favorite places to watch and observe were bakeries and shoe shine stands, which one could find on virtually every corner. 


:: Hagia Sofia / My suggestion here would be to first go through a slide show from the  beginning at the main entrance to see for yourself the various points of interest in Istanbul. You will understand more about this city and its history. I noted that there were a lot of photos with accompanying explanations, and my love spent a lot of time looking at them. As for myself, I just enjoyed watching the video. Hagia Sophia looks like a cathedral but it is really a mosque, which is also an architectural achievement of great beauty and an important monument for both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. I could easily relate to the fact that there had been many kings over time, similar to the evolution of our own Thai kingdom. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum of the Turkish Republic, one can experience here an encapsulation of its precious history.   I got my love to take these pictures inside the building in difficult lighting conditions. If you have ever visited Notre Dame Cathedral in Montreal or Wat Pakaew in Bangkok, you might find this place to be somewhat less magnificent, but each has its own special beauty which emerges once thoroughly explored and experienced personally. 


:: Grand Bazaar / Istanbul is the kind of city where you can just wander around the back streets and where you are going to certainly see many things you have never seen before or even thought about. If you have a map and a good sense of direction you can allow yourself to just get lost and then find your way back. We managed to find our way around this area very well. The Grand Bazaar has been defined as the biggest market in the world. Commercial things were being sold, shops are being re-supplied, often by men carrying large boxes on their shoulders or in carts because many streets are too narrow to bring a truck through.  The centre of commerce in  Istanbul  is the Grand Bazaar which is a covered market of carpet shops, other shops selling scarves, clothing, jewelry, handbags, lamps, T-shirts, as well as shops for tourists, cafés, restaurants, and even a gold and currency market like a street level Wall Street. It goes on for miles and miles - a shopper's paradise - and even if you are not really a shopper you will find something of interest to keep you occupied while others enjoy shopping. For us, after wandering around taking photos of everything in sight, we bought massage towels, a dress and scarves. At the main entrance was an EFT guy at the gate. EFT in Turkish means a security guard, but in English to us it signifies Emotional Freedom Technique, which gave us a big smile. 


:: Galata Bridge / The bridge has two levels. The upper level has a road for cars, tracks for the trams, a sidewalk on each side for the pedestrians, and a railing for hundreds of people to rest their fishing poles on as they fished in the Golden Horn. People on the bridge were catching fish continuously and what they caught depended upon what kind of fish happened to be going up or down the Golden Horn. I saw a guy pull up a small fish and others pulling up a bigger one and some fish I did not even 
know what they were. Anytime of day or night  that we were passing by we always found people fishing from the bridge. Meanwhile, there is a lower level that has tons of fish and kebab restaurants, cafés, bars, nightclubs and many fancy restaurants with waiters.  There was even a floating restaurant where we were invited in as we walked past. It was fun walking along the bridge seeing fisherman, but we both agreed we did not want to eat any of those fish.  

:: Galata Tower / The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) is the most recognizable landmark of the Golden Horn. The cylindrical tower with its conical cap rises high above all other buildings on the east bank of the Golden Horn and provides a magnificent 360 degree view of Istanbul. Galata Tower was originally built of wood and erected as a lighthouse in the year 528 AD. About 700 years later, it was reconstructed using stack stone, and stands today as one of the architectural witnesses to Istanbul’s rich history. Over the course of its life, Galata Tower has been used as an astronomical observation point, and a watch tower for the fire brigade (although apparently that didn’t prevent its destruction by fire a few times). Although it has been damaged and rebuilt a number of times, it is the oldest tower in the world, the top still accessible to visitors by elevator from where you can admire the city. Unfortunately, we were only able to observe from the base of Galata Tower as there were too many people in the queue. In addition, my love was feeling ill, so we decided go back to rest in our love nest. 

:: Tokapi Palace / Topkapi's history has been expertly preserved by making much of the palace into a museum. The castle, in addition to being a central visual point for the city, was also the setting for many of Istanbul's most intriguing historic events. Called a castle of “irregular, asymmetric, non-axial, and un-monumental proportions”, it was built by Sultan Mehmed, a 23-year-old Ottoman who conquered the city. As the residence of the Ottoman Sultans for more than 400 years, the castle has seen its share of romance, humility and humour. It was the deathbed of Selim the Sot, who drowned in one of the castle's bathtubs after indulging in too much champagne. It was also the home of Roxelana, the legendary queen who rose from being the king's love-slave to his free wife.

:: Hamam Turkish Bath / Harem or Hamman  means “forbidden”  in Arabic and the harem part of the Tokapi palace was where the sultan’s wives, concubines, children and mother lived, out of sight of prying eyes. We both agreed we wanted to experience the Harem. As I was reading a book about 1,000 things to do before you die, Hamam in Istanbul is on that list too.  But when we searched and read the reviews on Trip Advisor we could not find any good reports about it. Most comments posted were negative, so we decided to visit the Cagaloglu Baths by ourselves instead. But the cost was around $40 without a massage or any services, so after a quick look, we ended up just giving each other a massage at home instead.

 
:: Cruise tour / This ended up being the highlight of our trip.  It was very cold out on the water but we both had very warm hearts on the cruise. ^__^.  We stayed up on the top deck and took in the scenery. Most of the time, my love was busy taking photos while I just enjoyed the views of Istanbul. It went up from Istanbul past Ortakoy, and under the Bosphorus Bridge before turning back to Eminonu.  Bosphorus Bridge reminded me of Golden Gate bridge, so I was tearfully happy when I saw the big bridge. I don’t  know why, but I prayed someday I would be able to take my love to visit  San Francisco. We have now been on two different cruises together. I had some tea while on the cruise and fell in love with the whole tea custom in Istanbul.  I especially loved the mixed herbal tea!  A cruise on the Bosphorus is probably the most overlooked tourist attraction in Istanbul, which is understandable given the abundance of historical sightseeing opportunities. 

Eating: food and drink: 

:: Leb-i derya Richmond hotel / Overlooking a magnificent view of East and West at this location, we sat down to enjoy a great appetizer, which was pricey - but worth it!

:: Klemuri / This Restaurant is located near the Istiklal. Here one finds unbeatable value and generous proportions! The service is very friendly and you are made to feel very welcome. We both agreed this was the liveliest restaurant we had experienced in this city. The restaurant is very clean and meals are very good. If you want to eat something local you will find it here, but you can find other dishes that are also delicious. And the hot herbal tea is superb. Don't forget to take your camera if you decide to go.  My lover had trouble finding the place using Trip Advisor, but we finally did. When we go back to Istanbul next time, we will definitely go there again.   

:: Pitta Pizza and Turkish pancakes / This thin pita is topped with spiced lamb, quickly baked so it is still soft, topped with chopped onions, parsley and a squeeze of lemon, then rolled up like a crepe. One of the things you can’t but notice as you stroll the streets of Istanbul are Turkish pancakes or Gozleme. They call them Turkish stuffed pancakes and you can see women making them inside as you pass by the shop windows. We loved the Turkish pancakes with spinach and cheese.    

:: Chai Tea / Tea was the cheapest drink in Istanbul.  Turkish tea, or chai, is nothing like Indian chai. Tea drinking is a big part of Turkish hospitality, and it’s served in curvy, tulip-shaped glasses, which are simply too beautiful to refuse. There are also many other herbal, fruit and spice teas to choose from, but the traditional and most commonly served is the Turkish tea. 

:: Cheese / There are over 200 varieties of cheeses. Since my love is French, he is the cheese expert, and he confirmed there are very good cheeses available here everywhere.

People, Culture and Lifestyle:

 

:: Transportation / First piece of advice: use local transportation as it is cheap and reliable and helps to avoid the hassle with the crazy traffic.  We also just walked around a lot, holding hands of course. One of the first details I noticed in Istanbul is the street crossing lights. Like most places that I visited around the world, it has a red man for "Don't walk", and a green man for "Walk". But here, the green man is not a picture but an animation, and he's not walking, he is running. I think he's running because he knows that to walk across the road is to risk getting squashed by a maniacal yellow taxi driver. A big thank you to my love for getting this picture of the yellow cabs.  When I first looked at this photo, I thought perhaps it had been taken in New York City. Taxi drivers dart into even the tiniest gaps on Istikal Street, even if it ends up being to their own detriment. The sound of Istanbul is the call to prayer five times a day, plus the sound of the traffic. Police drive quite fancy and expensive cars.  Car horns are constantly honking as drivers cannot wait more than a microsecond if the light turns green and the driver in front is not immediately moving. In this respect, it reminded me of Hanoi‘s incessant horn-honking, or the crazy traffic in the small streets of Kathmandu or Bangkok's traffic situation, which is a similar mess.

 :: Language barrier / We were doing OK in Istanbul. I had two words in my Turkish vocabulary: hello and thank you. I truly believe that a large portion of the population speaks enough English to make communication possible. When we asked directions on the street, if the first two people did not understand us, the third would. Even in areas away from Istikal where not as many people spoke English, the people in the village would find someone who spoke French or German. 

:: Fashion - People wear black / We saw everything on the streets of Istanbul. We saw many Arab and non-Arab women in black. I bought bright clothes which drew a lot of attention. When I was in Istanbul, I noticed a lot of young Turkish men hanging around touristy spots. However, if you are a woman and YOU DON'T WANT the attention of strange men on the streets, you  must dress conservatively. 

:: Exhibitions , Movies, Music and Dance / First we were so proud to see the Sergi Exhibition advertised everywhere in Istanbul. Since this is my love’s family name, we were joking with each other about lunching at the Sergi Exhibition in Istanbul. Eventually, we found out from his friend that “ Sergi” means  “Exhibition” in Turkish. Movie: While we were visiting Istanbul, a movie festival was in progress. We were fascinated by the young generation at the Istikal cinema. We watched Iron Sky, a film about the last moments of World War II, when a secret Nazi space program evaded destruction by escaping to the dark side of the moon. Music events: If you would like to visit Istanbul and want to know what is happing there, our advice  would be to please buy “Time Out Istanbul” magazine (English version) which is worth perusing for only 7 ty. We attended a concert which featured a local Turkish composer. We both had very good time and bought some souvenir CD’s. 

Oh, East is East and and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgement Seat;

But there is neither East nor West, Border, Nor Breed, no Birth, 

When two strong men stand face to face, tho' they come from the ends of the earth!

 

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)

 

One heart from the West, another from the East, but distance never separates two hearts that really care and love each other.  Our memories of Istanbul will help to keep us together. But whenever I start feeling sad because I am missing you, I remind myself just how lucky I am to have someone as special as you in my life.