Istanbul, Turkey Accommodations: Sultan's Inn Hotel Review

It was a smart move to organize a hotel pick up. Hefty at 25,00 €, but worth every dang cent. After a Philippines-Singapore-Malaysia-United Arab Emirates-Turkey transit, we were sleep-deprived and weary to the bones and bordering deranged. Our cabbie was at Atatürk International Airport's arrival hall on the dot, and in my head I wanted to run towards him and squeeze him in delight.

What I did in real life, as a greeting, was a mere grunt.

Sultan's Inn's rooftop, where guests can have brekkie.
With droopy eyes, I watched the Turkish world out my window as we whizzed towards the heart of Sultanahmet. The drive's about half an hour, and a part of our route unveiled a view of the Sea of Marmara. That certainly kept me up.

Our room wasn't available yet when we arrived at the hotel. But after a quick brekkie of menemen (which we grew an obsession for) at a nearby cafe, we were checked in when we got back.

Tight space, yet the bathroom's massive.

Like many other guesthouses and small hotels in Istanbul, Sultan's Inn has about four floors and a rooftop converted to a lounge area. Like the others, it doesn't have a lift. We were assigned a room on the fourth floor, and we were fortunate that the bell man was around to help us with the luggage.

Our double room has a colossal bed. Prolly too colossal that it ate all the floor space. The bathroom, massive. Air-conditioning is individually controlled and there's 24-hour hot shower. We were happy to have our own fridge though we didn't have much use for it. 

Brekkie spread.  

Breakfast is served on the same floor. The spread's got a pretty good selection during our stay and one could apple tea all-you-want (which meant a lot for the hubby). Guests may bring their food up the last set of stairs to the rooftop that offers a view of the Blue Mosque on one side and the Sea of Marmara on the other.

In the afternoon, Sultan's Inn also provides free snacks. Usually pastries, plus coffee and tea. Also served in the brekkie hall.

View of Blue Mosque from Sultan's Inn's rooftop.

Price of double room with brekkie at Sultan's Inn is 55,00 € (single 50,00 €, triple 70,00 €). It was way beyond our budget. But because of its proximity to Sultanahmet's (the old city of Istanbul) sights, plus its great reviews online, we booked with them anyway. The hotel has a good range of tour packages but we didn't try any.

We didn't really have to. The main attractions are just a few blocks away from it. Sultan's Inn, though very near the city buzz, sits on a quiet street which makes it an ideal temporary abode. The streets we had to walk on from the hotel to our various destinations weren't dodgy. Not a single time did we feel unsafe in the hotel's hood.

Our fave nook on the rooftop.

Except for our dripping aircon when turned off and the nonexistent elevator, we loved everything else about Sultan's Inn. If we get the chance to revisit Istanbul, will definitely consider staying here again. And when the time comes, I hope the Turkish embassy in the Philippines lets me stay in the country for more than two weeks.


Sultan's Inn Hotel
Mustafa Pasa Sokak No.40
Kucukayasofya Mahallesi
Sultanahmet, Istanbul

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2013 Year-Ender: When Travel Turned Into A Black Hole

And I got sucked in.

In 2012, we were armed with all sorts of excuses: Extended honeymoon stage. A break from the mundane. Discounted airfares for tots. "Still saving up for a house (and/or still haven't decided where to buy)". Backpacking while young. Living in the now... The list went on and echoed through the beginning of 2013. 2012, no doubt was a wild child.

2013 on the other hand started out quite prim, then morphed into some bad arse that broke out of its cage named 'settling down'. The call of elsewhere was much too strong and we ran free. Directionless, that we eventually found ourselves in a black hole that is long termish travel (again).

I could make up a bunch of reasons why we're postponing domesticity. But for today I'll use portraits and landscapes to back me up.

Eriyadu Island Resort, North Male Atoll, Maldives.
1. Australia

Clockwise from top left: 1. Bro-in-law's beautiful wedding in Curzon Hall, a sandstone manor built in the 1890s. 2. Bondi Beach, finally, after so many New South Wales visits. 3. Luna's third birthday at ze Persian in-laws' house. 4. Selfeet with  my Bensimon sneakers, Sydney Harbour Bridge.

2. Philippines

Clockwise from top left: 1. Thunderbird Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union for the hubby's birthday. 2. T'nalak Festival, South Cotabato. 3. Tattooed by one of the (there's a protégé) last mambabatoks in Kalinga. 4. Hapao Rice Terraces trek, Ifugao.  

3. Myanmar

Clockwise from top left: 1. Consulting a map at Yangon International Airport (photo by Ron of fliptravels.com). 2. Luna vs. angry birds. Yangon city center walking tour (photo by Ron). 3. Sunrise at Old Bagan. 4. Bare feet and templed-out (photo also by Ron).  

4. Singapore

Clockwise from top left: 1. We love Hotel Re! Nope, not a sponsored post. 2. Catching up with sis. 3. Supertrees Grove. 4. Marina Bay Sands.

5. Laos

Clockwise from top left: 1. Wat Si Saket, Vientiane. 2. Vang Vieng. Party central no more. 3. B-52 bomb crater in Xiangkhouang Province. 4. The mysterious Plain of Jars, also in Xiangkhouang Province.
6. Turkey

Clockwise from top left: 1. Blue Mosque, Istanbul. 2. Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia. 3. Oldest temple in the world, Gobekli Tepe (older than the wheel, they say). 4. Pamukkale or "Cotton Castle". Calcite-covered mountain in Denizli Province.

7.  Armenia

Clockwise from top left: 1. One of our afternoon walks around Armenia's capital, Yerevan. 2. Khor Virap, an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery in Ararat valley. 3. UNESCO World Heritage Site Monastery of Geghard, partially carved out of a mountain. 4. The Armenian Genocide Museum.

8. Georgia (Yes, it's a country!)

Clockwise from top left: 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Georgian Orthodox cathedral, Mtskheta. 2. Crossing the border by foot to Azerbaijan for Davit Gareji Monastery. 3. Ancient rock-hewn town Uplistsikhe, Eastern Georgia. 4. Former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin's house in Gori.

9. Nepal

Clockwise from top left 1. Climbing Fasidega Temple, Bhaktapur Durbar Square. 2. Luna sits in a kindergarten class/day care center for two days. 3. View of Himalayan peaks from our room's balcony in Nagarkot. 4. UNESCO World Heritage Site Boudhanath, Kathmandu.  

10. Malaysia

Clockwise from top left 1. Hotel Puri, a Peranakan ancestral home housed in a gorgeous structure built in the 1800s. 2. Nyonya Laksa. 3. Christ Church, 18th century Anglican church. One of Melaka's well-known landmarks. 4. Walking tour around UNESCO World Heritage Site Melaka.

12. Maldives

 

Clockwise from top left 1. Artificial Hulhumale Island. 2. A Maldivian 'bench'. 3. Eriyadu Island Resort. 4. Chili patties. Or something like that.      If your black hole is this bewitching, will you try to crawl out of it?     

 

This year-ender post is my entry to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival for December 2013 with the theme “The Pinoy Travel Bloggers Closing the Curtains on 2013: Love, Learn and Living”, hosted by Brenna Bustamante of The Philippine Travelogue.




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The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

Luna's head plowed forward like a bull about to gore someone. Or something.

I frantically chased her around.

Ducked here and there to avoid knocking tourists out. Every second I hoped to see hubby's face in the tourist buzz. I was waiting for his return. Minutes ago he quickly walked back to our hotel, about two hundred meters away, to stow our daughter's sorta useless stroller. It didn't function well on Istanbul's cobblestone streets and we weren't planning to lug it throughout our day-long, do-it-yourself walking tour.

In the courtyard of Sultan Ahmet Camii, more popularly known as the Blue Mosque.    Access from a more peaceful side.  

It was late spring under the Turkish skies. We were right outside one of the entrances to the Blue Mosque. In between my sprints after Luna, I watched more and more visitors fall in queue to get in the main prayer room. I then realized that I forgot to bring a headscarf. This I mentioned to the hubby when he finally got back looking slightly disoriented. I never asked, but I assumed he got lost along the way. His reply was so inaudible, it might as well have come with a muzzle. 

I pretended to understand and motioned for him to fish Luna out of an off-limits garden.

  Oh that impish smile.   Tourists lined up to see the mosque's interiors.  

Unbeknownst to us, just the week prior, authorities started providing robes and skirts (they used to lend only scarves) to visitors whose attire wasn't in line with religious rules. Summer was approaching and they were expecting scantily-clad vacationists to swing by.

So... We could have entered after all (not that I was scantily-clad). But then again the sight of the queue made us wince, hence we settled for the mosque's courtyard.

 

Blue Mosque, the stunner.

Arcades that surround the inner courtyard.

The courtyard is almost the same size as the mosque itself. And we found it frenetic when we stepped in. Tourists poured from all entrances. The flow, nonstop. Hubby and I positioned ourselves under an arcade, in an unpopular corner while Luna ran to her heart's desire.

Amidst the chaos we gaped at Blue Mosque's pulchritude.

One of the six minarets.

Architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa knew splendor well.

Sultan Ahmet Camii was built  from 1609 to 1616, under the rule of Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I. It's more popularly known as the Blue Mosque because of the exquisite blue ceramic tiles that adorn its interior walls — which we unfortunately didn't see. Also, unique to this imperial mosque is its six minarets since the common maximum is four, and they are classical examples of Turkish architecture. It has one main dome and eight secondary domes that, to me, appears to be a cascade of some sort.

View of Blue Mosque from Sultanahmet Park.

We stood in awe for quite a long while until Luna tugged my dorky shirt to invite me to a game of run-along-the-red-carpet-'til-we-huff. I glanced at my watch. Surprised by the time, I grabbed my daughter by the hand. She'd have to resume her running some place else...

At Hagia Sophia.
 

Luna started and ended her Blue Mosque tour with a dash.  

Turkey In Two Weeks And A Day 2013: 

Istanbul, Turkey: When The Dust Temporarily Settled 

How To Apply For A Turkey Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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2013 Thus Far: The Second Quarter

Half of the year's consumed, and we're trying to catch our breath.

Dawn of 2013 I foresaw myself filling a more domestic role in an American redneck town while the hubby turns into some NASA rockstar around this time of the year. The scheme fell apart and here we are, the same ol' wildling mum and dad, still raising a daughter in her Terrible Twos 'on the road'.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal.  

We were hoping for a more unstrained second quarter, yet we ended up doggone hectic all throughout that we're more tired than when April began!

Here's what happened with Plan B, in chronological order. May contain random shiznit as ush.

Had to cut our Laos trip short for a flight back to the Philippines for my Turkey tourist visa application (which by the way was a royal pain in the arse). Sister flew from Singapore to Philippines the day after to surprise my mom with a quickie family reunion.

Hubby chose a nomadic life over the possibility of NASA stardom. Because he stayed in his current company, he was sent to California for business conferences and a baseball match (an annual outing of geeks) while Luna and I did some catching up with relatives in Tarlac. Hubby also visited Japan as a sidetrip on the way to the U.S.

Attended Choose Philippines' relaunch at MNL Boutique Hostel which turned into one helluva Pinoy Travel Bloggers' block party! Joined an ice cream eating contest which numbed my gums for days. My guwapo partner from Island Media Asia and I lost.

Celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and the rest of the fam over a somewhat simple lunch out.

Was in Manila for the Aerosmith concert! Snagged the last free ticket worth almost $500 off ze cousin.

After countless Singapore stopovers, we were able to finally see the Supertrees up close. And see the Merlion for the first time.

In Istanbul we managed to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace before flying to Denizli.

Panic at Pamukkale when hubby and I lost each other for a couple of hours in the ancient Byzantine city of Hierapolis. Hubby actually assumed I was kidnapped to the point that he was already collecting a group of suspects (at least in his mind). I, on the other hand, climbed the travertines the second time (not a walk in the park, I tell you) in my frantic search of my husband and child. I also requested the ticket officer to radio all park rangers — the same park rangers under the hubby's list of suspects — to look for them. 

Entered the house which is believed to be Virgin Mary's last residence. A structure that the Apostle John had built for her.

Walked around one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League, ancient Greek city (and later a Roman city) Ephesus. I gawked at the Library of Ephesus.

Hired a manual transmission car (Qué horror!) for a DIY tour in and around Capadoccia. It turned out cheaper than joining a group, plus we were able to see the sights that piqued our interests at an unhurried pace. We forgot to refuel the Renault before leaving it (due to an early flight) at the parking space across our cave hostel for the owner to pick up, but didn't get into trouble.

In Şanlıurfa, a province of Turkey that shares a border with Syria, we visited the following sites: The oldest temple in the world Göbekli Tepe (built before the invention of writing and the wheel), traditional mud brick "beehive" houses, and the cave where Prophet Abraham is believed to have been born.

On our last day in Istanbul we met up with Sabrina of Just One Way Ticket and found out that she indeed buys only one way tickets! It was the third day since the Turkish police attacked peaceful protesters at Gezi Park with tear gas and water cannons. Tsk.

Luna constructed her longest sentence to date, "Put that sugar in the tea!". Referring to a sugar cube (widely used in Turkey) which she wanted to put in her bubba's apple tea.

Flew about six times in two weeks just within Turkey because we were pressed with time.

In the country Georgia (yes it exists), a driver who barely spoke English and played/s 70s rock music in his cab took us to Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century). Two of the most important structures that showcase Georgian Christian architecture.

The same driver took us to Joseph Stalin's (former de facto leader of the Soviet Union) old house that's now surrounded by a park, then to rock-carved town Uplistsikhe (a name I can't pronounce until now) which is one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia.

Hiked a mountain to get to the other part of Georgia's Davit Gareji Monastery's cave complex that physically sits on Azerbaijan. Yes, we crossed the border without having our passports stamped! Luna hiked by herself almost halfway.

Rode on Tbilisi's newly rehabilitated funicular and chanced upon a Georgian folk dances presentation by kids at Mtatsminda Amusement Park. We felt like we were on the set of Game Of Thrones.

Hopped aboard a marshrutka that took us from Tbilisi, Georgia to Yerevan, Armenia. Immigration formalities at the border took an hour.

Booked accommodation for the first time through AirBnB. Stayed in a Yerevan apartment for a week. Cheaper than in any of the city's hostels and guesthouses.

Visited Armenia's Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the oldest state-built church in the world. On the same day we spent some quiet time at Khor Virap Monastery where hubby descended to the dungeon where
Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for thirteen years. Thirteen!

Was left with a harrowing feeling when we left the Armenian Genocide Museum. And we were even more distraught when a cabbie charged us 3,000 dram (about $7) for a short ride back to town instead of 700 dram.

I was never able to pronounce Shnorhakalut’yun correctly (hubby never bothered trying). It means 'thank you' in Armenian. Even Armenians don't use it, instead they say merci. 

Flew to Nepal for it was the cheapest route out of Armenia and toward our home region. Checked in a hostel named End Of The Universe, and we were given a suite with a sweeping view of a Himalayan range. One out of the two mornings that we woke up to such vista, the clouds parted and gave us a peek at the peaks!

Spent four days just eating and watching videos in a guesthouse at Bhaktapur's UNESCO World Heritage Site Durbar Square. We also let Luna sit in a Nepalese pre-school class for two days. Oh how she loved it.

Where we are now...

Just arrived in Phuket yesterday and it looks like we'll be here for four weeks since my sister and hubby's bro and his wife will be flying in also on different dates this month. Currently on a pad thai and Thai pancake diet.

Who's going to be on the island the coming weeks? Raise your hand, and I'll pass you a Chang or Singha.

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In Sickness And In Stress

An eye infection, X-ray test for pneumonia, and high fever in the middle of the desert. Each a horror in its own right. When one of these happens to your toddler while on the road, it will surely make you swear off long term travel (though deep down you know you'll soon eat your words when the tot gets better).

You'll go to great lengths, as far as paying with your soul, just to find a cure. I know I did. Okay, maybe not the 'paying with your soul' part. Not yet.

1. Mongolia  

For one whole week we endured bumpy, unpaved roads (even the paved ones are a mess) aboard a hired badass Delica in the Gobi Desert with a European couple we met through Couchsurfing. And during the first five, Luna vomited everyday. Hubby puked on the sixth. The ride was that wild.

Not your usual stop in Gobi Desert.  

Then there's the infamous desert climate that seems to possess a multiple personality disorder — which was an entirely different challenge. Even with the lack of clothing, we sweat like pigs in our van-turned-sauna during the day. While at night, we froze like porkchops in our ger-turned-fridge.

So it wasn't surprising that on the fifth day, Luna contracted a fever. Thanks to our Mongolian driver Ganba, we found a hospital in one of the remote towns. The two-story hospital was as deserted as the Gobi. Luna was given pills that we had to slice in halves because it's too strong for her age, suppositories, and vitamins that looked like Airsoft pellets (which in my opinion should come with a "choking hazard" warning). We never gave her the pellets. I mean, the vitamins.

2. Laos

On our last days in Laos (where we traveled for three weeks last March), Luna had an eye infection and we were totally clueless where she caught it. A sign of such infection, by the way, is having a yellow watery discharge from the eye. Hubby and I searched for eye drops in a bunch of convenience stores but found none.

We were supposed to visit Pha That Luang the day before our flight out of Vientiane. We saved the best for last. However this didn't push through for we stumbled upon an ophthalmologist's clinic while we were walking towards it. The clinic's business hours run from 5:00PM to 8:00PM only, so we thought, might as well stick around and wait for it to open.

The ophthalmologist did not speak much English (he proudly mentioned that he speaks fluent French though) but managed to say "bacteria". Not a comforting word to hear but at least he seemed to know what's going on. He gave us three bottles of eye drops, and struggled to explain the doses. Cost us a whopping $20.

3. Turkey

Our limited time in Turkey (no thanks to my fifteen-day visa) pushed us to fly six times in two weeks. Every three nights we changed hotels. And we did sightseeing almost daily. Luna's health gave in after she climbed Pamukkale's "Cotton Castle" twice. The freezing water streaming down the travertines partnered with the strong gust of equally cold wind must have been the culprits for her cough-cold-fever combo.

 Intoxicating cocktail.

Five days after and about a thousand kilometers away from Pamukkale, our hostel's owner in Şanlıurfa walked the hubby and Luna to a public hospital. Şanlıurfa Province shares a border with Syria, and the culture is evidently more Middle-Eastern than European. Arabic is widely spoken and only a few people speak English. Suffice it to say that the owner Mustafa had to accompany them in the hospital to explain the situation.

Mustafa assured us that he "knows everybody". And true enough, even if Luna's a foreigner, she was given a free injection for her fever. The doctor prescribed about five bottles of meds and were surprisingly cheap. In case you missed it... Five bottles!

4. U.S.A.

Ahhh. U.S. Health Care System. Why on earth did we have to deal with you? Five wee hours of waiting in line with a baby who hasn't eaten nor drank the whole day. 

Okay, to be fair, the doctors were able to give her the right treatment. With just one pill, Luna started craving for milk in an instant (had that not worked, they would have given her the drip). We were never told what caused her loss of appetite.

Total damage... And I mean DAMAGE... Almost $700 + trauma. Closest we got to paying with our souls.

5. Brazil 

I've seen hubby cry only three times in our life together (he cried several times while watching Naruto but he was good at concealing tears). During a hospital visit in Brazil's one of 'em.

What caused our rush to the hospital: Luna's struggle to breathe from twilight to dawn.

At seven in the morn, we asked pharmacists in a drug store a few blocks from our hostel for a nearby hospital. They only spoke Portuguese. One of them pointed at their staff who was sweeping the parking lot and exclaimed, "Spanish!", as if it was the biggest light bulb moment in her life.

I took the directions in a language I barely understand, a language that the Brazilian actually barely speaks!

Bubba breaks down.  

Miraculously, we found the hospital after walking for more than a kilometer toward the town center. And as expected, nobody spoke English at the hospital's front desk. They were able to call in someone who does though and I couldn't tell if she's a nurse or a doctor or a beauty queen in costume from the way she's dressed. She was wearing an ensemble that's similar to a nursing student's white uniform, accessorized with huge, dangling gold earrings. She sashayed the hospital's hallways in five inch heels and chewed gum. Even with all the panic, the gum annoyed me in an indescribable way.

She served as our translator the whole time we were with the doctor. When he mentioned that Luna will undergo an X-ray test for pneumonia, hubby and I both silently broke down. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Like, up there with giving birth and losing Luna in a department store for five whole damn minutes.

We picked up the result ourselves from the X-ray room then handed it to the doctor in his office. The translator soon followed. There was a quick conversation between the two, then we were told that the result was negative. Apparently, it was just too much mucus. Doctor gave us a prescription for meds then signaled with the classic Brazilian thumbs-up sign.


Have you been in a similar situation? If you don't have kids, have you had any serious health issues while on the road? How did you confront it?

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Istanbul, Turkey: When The Dust Temporarily Cleared

[Warning: Graphic content]

The dust temporarily cleared when we flew out of Atatürk Airport early this morn. We're now more than a thousand kilometers away, shivering under a doona in a rented Tbilisi unit, yet my heart yearns for Turkey. And though my body's overly sore — beyond Efficascent Oil repair (yes I have a bottle in our first aid kit) — from a two-week spring fling with/mad dash around the country, I am still wishing the embassy gave my visa a few days more. 

Because yeah, we would have stayed longer even with the anti-government clashes that erupted in Istanbul.

War zone-ish. Photo from The Times Of Israel.

 Water cannons used to disperse the demonstrators. Photo from Mirror News.

Taksim Square. Blood or red-dyed water (from cannons) to mark protesters?. Photo from IntelliHub.

Yesterday, we warily roamed the streets in and around Sultanahmet Square. We noticed that the number of foreign tourists significantly declined. It was our last whole day in the city, we can't let it go to waste. Never mind the ongoing social unrest a few kilometers northeast and well, our aching legs. The plan was to drag our arses to the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest permanent enclosed markets in the world, after checking out of the dilapidated Atlantis Hotel at midday then meet up with a fellow travel blogger late afternoon.

The former was a plan that didn't fall through, because unbeknownst to us, the bazaar's closed on Sundays (Sundays?!). So we resolved to buying a few knickknacks from shops surrounding it. After our last lunch in the country, which did not consist any form of lamb — because ermergehd we had too much of it, we strolled back to the hotel to grab our luggage and transferred to the charming Naz Wooden House.

There was barely time to lay our heads down on tempting beds for I received a Facebook message from Sabrina, the bubbly blogger behind Just One Way Ticket, saying she has accomplished all her errands and that she's ready for tea. Cause yah know in Turkey it's always time for tea.

Photo by Sabrina, taken from her flat's balcony in Taksim.

Sabrina and I were interviewed for a 2011 Couchsurfing video but we never met personally until that day. Her scenes were shot in Istanbul where she was couchsurfing/traveling that time. Ours (we were featured as a family) on the other hand were shot in Australia, where we were spending some time with relatives before continuing our round-the-world-trip.

Because we're both travel bloggers, we somehow found each other online early this year.

We fetched her from the hotel she's staying at for a five-day gig. She emerged from the lift looking like a ray of sunshine slicing through Istanbul's gloomy sky that afternoon. She just checked in that day, and came from her rented flat which sits in the area where clashes between protesters and Turkish police took place. I remember reading her Facebook status about being trapped in a Starbucks branch when the chaos began the night prior.

She witnessed the bedlam firsthand, while I, only saw a small parade of demonstrators along Kennedy Avenue. But we're both furious. If you've been following the news, you'd know about the fight for Taksim's Gezi Park (which will be turned into a commercial center). It's one of the few remaining green, open spaces in the city. There's a bigger story to tell which I do not know of, about what the Turkish Prime Minister and his ruling Justice and Development Party has or has not done for the country, but I find it difficult not to judge.

Will you do the same just to be heard? I certainly ain't got the cojones for this. Photo from IntelliHub.
Peaceful protesters were doused with tear gas and pepper spray, the canisters thrown straight at them. Water cannons were used to shoo disoriented people out of the park. The news never made it to Turkey's telly. I surfed the channels and only saw dubbed foreign films, dubbed cartoons (to Luna's delight), and cooking shows. I read somewhere that Miss Turkey was on too, and I uhm, regret not being able to catch that.

Also on Saturday, Facebook didn't load properly when accessed from Istanbul, because "they throttled the bandwidth to the bare minimum". At first I thought the internet connection of the 70€ room we were bunked in last Saturday had a wonky connection cause I cannot see photos on Facebook, and I let myself utter a slew of ugly curses (cause hello, 70€?). Then I read that TechCrunch article which made me question... Where's the freedom of speech?

It's a heavy matter to tackle. Sabrina and I did not to dwell on it. Like in any meetup of two nomadic people, we exchanged stories about where we've been and where we're going. In between sips of Turkish tea and bites of gozleme sprouted topics like visa hassles, cheap flights and Philippine's stunning beaches.

Amidst the mayhem, our last day in Turkey somehow ended light.
It was too short a time.

We ended our tea session just before nightfall. Sabrina walked us to Hagia Sophia where we bade farewell with a double beso. A shiny-happy ending to our whirlwind, fifteen-day visit. A kind of ending I am hoping for the Turkish fighting to save a park.

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How To Apply For A Turkey Tourist Visa In The Philippines

Türkiye, why only fifteen days? Whyyy (Looks at the sky with fists up in the air)?!

... Snaps back to reality.

Merhaba!

Just flew in Istanbul today from Singapore, with a three-hour layover in Abu Dhabi International Airport.  Though sleep-deprived, my heart's racing. A couple of hours into our Turkey trip, I've already fallen in love — we haven't even seen any of the sights yet! And oh, a lot of Turkish people have fallen in love with Luna too.

I tell you, I have to be dragged out of this bewitching country when my visa expires. Seriously? Fifteen days? We were thinking three months to see everything on our list. 


We took it obviously. I dreamed of Turkey far too long. As for the hubby, he's simply ecstatic to be back.

Are you (my fellow Filipino) planning to visit someday too? This post could be of help. They do not accept inquiries on the phone. I paid them a visit just to inquire about the requirements and I had to pay for the shuttle service!


Requirements for Turkey Tourist Visa Application and Business Visa Application

1. Completed application form. Form is provided at the embassy.
2. Passport-size photo. To be attached on the form.
3. Passport and photocopy of the first two pages.
4. Certificate of Employment. The applicant's job title, work record and monthly/annual income must be indicated.
5. Latest Individual Income Tax Return
6. Company's latest Income Tax Return if travel is business related.
7. For business owners - Company Business Registration such as SEC and DTI
8. Original Bank Deposit Certificate addressed to the embassy. No specified amount, but some travel agency officers I spoke with in the embassy suggest P100,000+.
9. If invited by government or private sector and international companies or institutions holding office in Turkey - Original invitation letter adressed to the embassy. If invited by a Turkish national - Original invitation letter must be notarized in Turkey, affidavit of support and pertinent credentials of the invitee together with the Turkish IDs and other supporting documents.
10. Confirmed hotel accommodation booking.
11. Round-trip airline ticket.


Application day:

Unfortunately, the embassy resides in Dasmariñas Village, which means you have to pay P150 for a round-trip shuttle ride. Take note, as a non-resident you're not allowed to walk to the embassy from the gate nor from the embassy to the gate, no matter how close the distance is. But some travel agency officers do it anyways because the shuttle (there's only one) comes by every 20-30 minutes. If you're coming in by private car/taxi, the guard at the gate most probably will tell you to take the shuttle also. The embassy's address:

Embassy Of The Republic Of Turkey
2268 Paraiso Street, Dasmariñas Village
Makati City

How to get to Turkey Embassy: By public transport, simply take the MRT and alight at Magallanes MRT Station.

When you get to the entrance (gate beside Ecology Village), do not forget to write your name on the logbook. If you can't find it, ask the guard. The driver may not let you board if you don't. He sometimes uses this as basis on who to serve first.

Payment of shuttle service is done at the village office. The driver takes you there first, before bringing you to the embassy.  

Bags are checked in at the embassy's guard post. Mobile phones must be left there too. You can only get in the office with your documents.

You'll be asked to write your name on a logbook inside the office. The guard will then give you your application form and number. 

Wait can take up to three hours. Dedicate your whole day for the application. Do not come with an empty stomach (the embassy guards discreetly sell biscuits and cup noodles at their post, ask if they have some if you're about to pass out from hunger).

Original documents and their photocopies are presented/submitted to the secretary. Incomplete documents are not be accepted. If satisfied with the documents, secretary will ask for the P2,500 single entry tourist visa fee and will give you a claim stub with the date of visa release. Also, ask if you can take the original documents with you (except passport and bank certificate)  after the secretary has seen it, because they might not remember to give you back come visa release.

How long is the processing time for a Turkey visa? Within ten working days from the receipt of the application.

IMPORTANT
- All invitation letters will be submitted by the applicant and should be faxed to the embassy prior to application. 
- Guards will let you in from 9:30 AM to 12:00 noon. Embassy will serve everyone who came within such time window until afternoon.
- Embassy is open from Monday to Friday except Wednesday.


Visa Release Day:

Pay another P150 for the shuttle service. Register at the embassy guard. Oddly, you may give the secretary your claim stub at anytime, so long as she's not speaking with another applicant. In my case, I handed it to a guy who came downstairs (office has two floors) to release passports to travel agency officers.

He gave my passport within a minute, but I still waited for more than an hour prior because there was no staff in sight on the ground floor except the guard.

If you have work on weekdays, you may seek the help of a travel agency for your application. I initially planned on doing so because I don't have a COE. I decided to apply myself when the travel agency "boss" appeared hesitant about my application just because my onward flight goes to the country Georgia, which she does not know of! 




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