One of the Best 15 days of my Life- Turkiye (Turkey)

Turkey has been in my mind all my life. Seeing my computer screen with so many hot air balloons made Turkey one of the places in my bucket list since childhood.

After 2 years of staying home, getting frustrated, I made a promise to myself in March that I have to visit this beautiful country. I started reading stories, watching videos and gathering as much knowledge about this place as I can.

The Visa process is quite simple now. There is no Biometrics, anybody on your behalf can apply and get it done from any VFS center. I applied through an agent. It costed me 13k including the agent fee.

The trip cost will vary depends on where you eat, where you go and where you party and obviously how much you drink. haha

There are so many places to go in Turkey, and 15 days were too less so I had to choose the places and the amount of time that I should spend in each place.

So after researching and a lot of frustration(because it was getting hard for me to choose) I decided that I will visit Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Bodrum, Izmir and Pammukale.

After reading this, if you still have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Finally, it was the time when I was leaving for my dream Destination. There is only one direct flight from India to Istanbul which is operated by Indigo. It takes around 6 hours to reach there. I reached Istanbul around 10 am.

So, you have many places to stay there in Istanbul and there are mostly two famous neighborhoods i.e. Sultan Ahmet and Taksim. I chose to stay in Sultan Ahmet which is also called the old town. The reason is that most of the famous places are located in that neighborhood.

Also, Taksim is know for night life and is very crowded and loud. you can easily go there for partying and return back to have a sound sleep without any noise.

There are many ways by which you can go to both of these locations from the Airport. As I was on a budget trip so I decide to choose the cheapest one i.e. the shuttle buses. And trust me the buses were quite comfortable.

It took me an hour to reach the hostel. I checked in, took a shower and without wasting any time decided to go to explore the places nearby.

Also, I had to exchange dollars in Turkish Liras and the best place to do that is the famous Grand Bazaar. You get the best exchange rates there.

Hagia Sophia, called as Ayasofya in Turkish, is an important Byzantine structure in Istanbul and one of the world’s great monuments.

Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design

The famous Grand Bazaar of Istanbul is filled me hundreds of shops and you will literally get confused where to go and what all to buy. And, I am mentioning again that if you want to exchange your currency, then this is the best place to do that.

I was too tired, so I woke up quite late. This day I decided to just relax. So, I decided to do the Bosphorus trip. Those of you who don't know the Bhosphorus Bridge divides Istanbul into two continents- Asia and Europe and isn't it fascinating?

This was my last day of the first leg in Istanbul. And there were couple of places that I wanted to cover in the Sultan Ahmet side.

My bus was at 10 at night and I was leaving for Cappadocia, so I easily managed to cover the places.

I reached Cappadocia around 10 in the morning. The bus journey was around for 12 hours. But the buses were quite comfortable. They provide snacks in between as well. And they stop many times in between, so you get enough washroom breaks as well.

Cappadocia is altogether a different vibe. The landscape is so amazing. All the properties are built like caves. And mine was also a Cave Hostel.

Cappadocia has always been my dream destination. Obviously because of the only sole reason- The Hot Air Balloon. So without any delay, I started exploring the options. There are many balloon companies that offer the balloon ride. You can choose any of them. You should try to book the first flight if you are able to get it-The sunrise flight and you would be able to see the sunrise from the top. I was lucky enough to get it.

That day I book a sunset ATV tour an it was really adventurous. You get to see many places riding ATV and the places are filled with hundreds of ATV's.

Finally it was THE BIG DAY. I couldn't sleep in the excitement. They came to pick me up at 4:30 in the morning. The whole journey was magical. Seeing the balloons getting ready for the flight. Seeing them taking off. Everything was magical.

The flight last for about an hour. And all the balloons in the air makes everything look so good and the beautiful landscape from the above is something that can't be expressed. It's something that everyone should experience once in their lifetime.

After the flight the celebration takes place with the champagne opening. Everyone cherishes the moment and the certificates are awarded to all the participants.

This day I just wanted to relax as I was leaving this beautiful places and going to my next destination which was Antalya. So I decided to treat myself with the Turkish Hamam.

Your trip to Turkey is incomplete if you don't experience this.

I reached Antalya at 9 in the morning. As usual I didn't waste any time. I checked in and directly went away to explore. I went to the Marina and went for the boat tour. The boat takes you to different places including the famous Duden Waterfalls.

This day I wanted to go to Olympus. It takes around 1.5 hours to reach there from Antalya. Also, there is a place called Chimera Rocks which is a must visit place. You can see natural fire coming out of the rocks there.

I took an overnight bus from Antalya and reached Bodrum around 12 in the Afternoon. Bodrum is know for its parties and you can find some nice clubs there including the famous boat club-Catamaran.

I reached late and was tired so I decide to relax and booked a boat trip for the next day.

The boat trip was quite fun. It takes you to many places. It stops at various places and you can swim in the deep blue waters. The lunch is also included in the tour.

We left for Izmit at around 10 in the morning and it took us 3-4 hours to reach there. I wanted to see the Ephesus Ruins there. I am not a huge History fan but seeing how the city was built during that time and the architecture that was used with any modern amenities really fascinated me.

This day I Planned to visit Pammukale-Cotton Castle. I was really looking forward to go to this place. Seeing all those IG posts used to make me wonder is it really this beautiful? And it really is.

So this day I was going back to Istanbul for the last leg and complete the places that were missed the first time. On the way, I decided to take a stop in bursa. The tombstone of Ottoman founders Osman Gazi and Orhan Gazi are there so I wanted to see them.

This day I went to see the Princess Island. There are 7 in total but only 4 are open for public. You can go to any one of them. The best part about them is that no vehicle is allowed to ply there and the only way to reach there is by boat. You can rent a bicycle and roam around.

It was my last day in this beautiful country. I was already sad about it and sulking. but I still had couple of places to see. So, I woke up early so that I can cover each one of them before leaving for the airport to catch my flight.