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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Istanbul Chronicle: Chapter 1 - Half globe trotting

Looking back to just yesterday, I remember how I had cold sweat all over me. Our flight was 5 hours away, I hadn't finished completely my review of the "thing" that needed my review. I hadn't finished packing our clothes. My cold did not seem to get any better. And the nurse called the person who came in later than me to see the doctor first ... Urghh!!! By the time I collected the cold medicine & antibiotic, it was already 12 noon.

We ran across to Bintang to get Vit C supplies for the kids, and to exchange some money. No direct exchange to that currency and so we opted for Euro & USD. We rushed home, and I sort of just stuffed my clothes & Ayah's into our luggage. Then I continued with my last minute attempt to review the last few worksheets - unbelievable!

And then my phone rang. The plane did not land in KL last night they said - technical problem. WHAT???

But they re-arranged alternative flight for us, the first 2 options offered I rejected outright because I would have to travel separately from Ayah. Finally they offered us SIA but the flight would only take off at 9.45 pm, transit at S'pore, with stopover in Dubai.

I only heard 9.45 pm departure and both travelling together. And I said OK lah....

What a blessing! I finished off the review which was necessary to ensure our 5000+ staff would be able to smile this month end. I managed to replicate the email & send it by about 4.30 pm. Phewww.... Flight delayed? But expected arrival a few good hours earlier? Ada hikmah disebalik setiap kejadian.

Ayah packed his "gadgets" - travelling parents these days must be prepared with the equipment to stay in touch with the children. So cable check, earphone check, speaker check, web-camera check - except that he was not sure if Abang Idin knew how to log on to YM with webcam. And so a last minute 1-2-1 tuition took place, with Idin meng-iya kan saja apa Ayah dia kata.

I looked at all our luggage. One small luggage for office wear, one medium size luggage for our casual wear, 1 notebook bag each, and 1 very special luggage for her. This special luggage was full of Msian goodies such as Maggie, ikan bilis, jelly powder, brahim ready-to-cook, sup punjut adabi and asam Moh Far Kor to name a few.

Boy have I been away from home once or twice for what seemed like eternity! And indeed the items in her wish list were indeed some of the simple pleasures of Msian "cuisine" that I missed very much those days. So I made sure all the items in the wish list were grabbed from the hypermarket shelves for that dear someone. I also grabbed lots & lots of jeruk mangga until one of the floor managers who walked past whom I knew quite well asked me if I were 'craving'. Well ... at least I thought it must be the asam that made him think that I was pregnant and not my ugly bulging buncit tummy. Craving pun craving laaa....it was in her wish list and I want to see her smile. The dear someone who is another blogging mom that I only came to know in recent moons by a sheer coincidence really, when I checked out her site, thinking that it belonged to my sis-in-law. Funny how our blogosphering friendship blossomed eversince - common ground of course being mothers of children.

I looked at the bag again and I wondered if Allah would really grant me a chance to meet up with her & her lovely family. The goodies were ready. Actually - I also threw in one non-edible into that bag - tampal koyok cap tiger. HAHAHA ... dunno why!

Ayah saw me daydreaming and gave me the time-check eye brow. And whooosshhhh I hurried to get ready.

That was yesterday.

This morning finally, we touched down on Istanbul - the only city on earth with a foot on two continents which stand proudly at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. "A city which a sheer mention of its name awakes people's fantasies of civilisations and religions, old and new, historic and modern" - this I read and copied from the hotel room brochure about this beautiful city.

Ahhh.... The weather is so nice out there. But Ayah is snoring. So here I am blogging from the hotel room, overlooking the Bhosphorus Straits.

Istanbul
Just you wait
In between work & leisure
We'll roam your streets & straits ...

To my dear blogging sis if you are reading this, hope we would finally meet soon. "Mawi" dah tak sabar nak jumpa you.

To Abang Idin, please do your best in your term exam this week. I'm sorry I'm not around to help you with your studies - but that would also mean you can study in peace, without me nagging behind your back.

Wassalam .....

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why does everyone want to be me?

I go to Wanshana's, there is an Ayah there. I come here, and there is an Ayah here. Can't these Ayahs be more original?

Aaiiiyaaah...!

~ Aiyah

P.S. How's the Turkish coffee?

IBU said...

Hello Aiyahhh... Show me your passport pls? Hmmm...tak (belum?) kenal.

Just like there are plenty of mommies and ibus out there, so I supposed there are abundance of Ayahs out there too.

All 'ORI' .... in their own right. Hahaha...

wanshana said...

Dear Ibu,

AIIIIYYYAAHHHH!!! I see SIGMUND FREUD is here, too?!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Just to wish you a 'helluva time in Istanbul!'

I'm sure you'll have a great time shopping, what with your haggling skills; tangan like dewa-dewi - can sangkut 27 bags at one go, and all!

Jangan lupa balik hotel, okay? Hehehe...

P/S : I don't think your hotel bills can bail Paris Hilton out of jail this time around, dear... Eherks...

Cherry said...

makcik berterbangan ke ? which airline tu kurang pandai sampai ada technical error ... ish ish ish ... minta compensation le. tapi in yr case since you've declared to the whole world that you in fact benefit from the delay, slim chance to get the compensation.
ha ha ha now i know afasal you sempat comment my blog at 425am !

Ayah said...

Wwwwwaaaa Isntanbul ... or is it Constantinople? Anyway.. Selamat berlibur...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQrKZcYtqg

Mummy Rizq said...

woo.. istanbul! bestnyaaa....!!!!

IBU said...

Shana

Yahh! Speaking of the Devil.. just a grand entrance, not started his dreamy classes in my comment box yet. hahaha!!!

I shall remember your pesanan penaja about the kilim carpet. Don't worry, I won't make the cargo sink.

p/s Paris Hilton will cry ....

IBU said...

Nuk,
Ha'ah, naik belon. Airline yg we were looking forward to embark on because we saw the advert of their on-board dining was superb & award winning. hehehe ... but i guess they made a grand mistake for not employing a super engineer like you! pasai tu la technical error.

Me asking for compensation? Aiyaahhh... travelling expense claim sendiri pun dah setengah tahun nak sempat isi form!

IBU said...

Ayah

You memang kawan my hubby yg sejati eh? Tau jerrrrrr bab2 ancient history ni. Dia kirim salam, tanya you nak kirim bawak balik kepala medusa yang tenggelam tu ker? Ishh...Sanggup ke dia gi menyelam sejuk2

IBU said...

Mummy Rizq ....

Woooo....memang best! Tapi jacket tertinggal lah! How? hehehe... ada la reason singgah memana beli jacket kan?kan?kan? hehehe...

Cheers!

Makcik Runner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sue said...

you kejap ada, kejap takde...alih2 kat Istanbul....best sey
Ni kes betul menghilang...dari Msia hehehe

Makcik Runner said...

wahai ibu! selamat berjet-setting ke destinasi anda dengan selamat. syiok pergh dapat pi jalan2 once in a while ni. especially kalo pi ober-c ek?

D said...

syok nya....

Unknown said...

Ibu...bestnyerrr...ni tgh bayangkan Ibu berjalan2 dikota Istanbul...

tokasid said...

Salam to ibu:

Saat paling manis ialah bercuti seluruh keluarga.Alhamdulillah.

Hazyr said...

Are you back yet kak?

Dont forget to put up photos of your trip yek!

Anonymous said...

masa i bukak the *bag* malam tu..i tenung habis semua barang tu hahahahahah halil dok gelak kat i sebab banyakkkkkkkkk sangat barang kat dalam tu... in which right now u mesti ada kat aya sophia...n i am going to masak my maggie mee next to my asam as my dessert hahahahah

hope ur journey will be a safe one...

i am sorry la i cannot fill up the whole bag with goodies like u.... (u datang hujung bulan hehe).. n i tak tau apa nak beli for ur kids... (now i think i know so masa balik mesia nanti i belikan something for them especially)..so apa yg terpikir dalam otak.. i just balingkan ajer masuk bag.....

thank u for coming n thank u for the goodies..i tengah kat dalam heaven ni Alhandulillah.. haven of junks!:0)

hahahah what tummy la.. i dont see any tummy... i just see one badan kurus..!

hatice n baddin kirim all their love their love... diaorang tengah mengkaler guna pen yg u kasi tu..

Ordinary Superhero said...

Have a good time.

IBU said...

ryzah dear,
not back yet but soon, soon.
la ni tgh transit kat bahrain. 3 more good hours to go. will post the pics soon too.

IBU said...

amboi, amboi orang yang kat istanbul tu.... simah dear,

we managed to hop in & hop out of aya sofia, alhamdulillah... just in the nick of time.

i sent sms masa kat istanbul airport tadi, not sure if you got it. we are in bahrain now - kat airport jer.... hehehe. but the duty free shops are very inviting (as if shopping kat karpala carcisi not enough?!).

di mataku masih terbayang2 you & halil, hatice, baddin, you & halil, your delicious home cooked meals, the roses, the cats, the lift!..... oh! I miss you all oredi. I told Saba I want a girl just like hatice (tapi kena iras muka saba la.. hehehe).

Catch up in next update.

MUaaaahhh!!!

IBU said...

OSH,

Thanks, we did. Lots of experiences, interesting & harrowing included!

Unknown said...

Ibu, Allow me to personally record my appreciation for you condolences. I have got the grips on things no matter how hard. Its arwah's children who are taking it very hard.
Yesterday after the reception the groom sat with me for a chat and he cried again. He said in his exact words, "Uncle Ajit, kali ni dia pi terus tak balik dah. Dulu dia keluaq la juga p kursus seminggu dua tapi dia balik".

simah said...

hopefully by now u r already safe at home..mesti ur kids swarm u both sebab rindu...

waaa we miss u both ..bila i makan my asam..i teringat kat u...i terkejut tau bila u sebut nak pi aya sofia masa breakfast tu... nasib baik sempat u all hop in n out..

cerita la saba's *adventures* kat sini hehehe

cant wait for ur next update..

Idham said...

:) ibu....seronok tuuuuuuuu!!!!!

eh, mesti senyum sweet sweet gitu kan simah masa jumpa tu..hehehe..

ah, terkenang!

id

Anonymous said...

n by the way..insyaallah..one day soon ada la rezeki u dapat anak perempuan (with muka saba)heheh

Lee said...

Hello Ibu, wow! You're in Istanbul....and Met Simah too. Double Wow!
I bet the kopi tasted betul sedap both of you shooting the breeze.
When I hear 'Istanbul' my mind thinks of belly dancers, Gypsies.
I guess that movie "From Russia with love" did it.
That fellow whats-his-name with lisence plate 007 fooling around in Istanbul.
Ahhh, the girls there are exotic, the food, the city. I must go there while still young, ha ha.
Love your blog and your postings, Ibu.
Psssst! You have a real handsome hubby there, very debonair, very suave looking, macham incik Divid Niven.
You have a nice day, Ibu and thanks for dropping by. UL.
ps, love your sense of humour.
Those days in KL, I had more Malay friends (Malay girlfriends too) than Chinese as somehow I find Malay people have real good sense of humour. Best laughs and times I had was sitting in Kampong kedai kopi chatting and listening to my friends the Pakciks telling stories. I could speak Malay with Kelantair accent too. Ha ha.
I had lots Malay friends, stayed with them in their kampongs, from Alor Star, Jeruntut, Lenggong, Grik, Marang, Gua Musang to name a few. How I miss those days with my friends. UL.

Mat Salo said...

Aah ibu..

My first time here. Eee, syiok nya baca cerita sini.. Looking forward to hearing about your trip to Istanbul..

Ibu, so sad laa, I got a boy who's in F2, another boy who's 6 and finally blessed with a girl who just turned 1, but I'm somewhere in the Straits of Makassar...

Needless to say, I spend more than 2/3rd's of the time away koje punya pasal. I know it's school hols in Malaysia, am arguing with my boss to get me a relief quick! Tak tau sempat tak, hotel sure full punya.. Ingat nak take them to Bt. Ferringhi, Insya'Allah..

So nice to hear from the "Mama's Blogging Fraternity" hehe...

IBU said...

Kata Tak Nak,
Sayu nya... harap anak-anak arwah redha dengan kententuan ilahi. Walaupun arwah pergi tak kembali, doa dan ibadat anak-anak lah jadi pengiring pemergiannya, insyaAllah.

Idham,
Simah senyum masam-masam manis - macam asam jeruk tu lah :) Their warmth & hospitality was beyond redemption.

Uncle Lee,
Belly dancing? Same what I had in mind too. Or was it in hubby's mind? sshh... Save the story for my next entry. Thanks for the compliment for my hubby. But shhh... jgn puji lebih2 la uncle lee. Nanti perasan, susah I !
U.Lee, I'm a typical malay of mixed parentage ( in msia, who isn't? all those saudagar arab & india during kesultanan m'cca must have melted the heart of my great-great-great grandmother lah!). And currently residing in Rawang - for 9 yrs now, in a taman with no more than 4 or 5 malay families. Majority are chinese & indians. So far so good. My family & I got to indulge in oranges/ ground nuts & watch lion dance during CNY and home-made chicken tandoori during Deepavali every year without fail. My boys, after 1st day at kindergarten, already picked up "ayo yo kadavalei" & "why so like that one???". hahaha... so cute!

IBU said...

Mat Salo,
Hi...welcome aboard! I'm also looking forward to write about my instanbul trip tapi tak start-start lagi. hahaha..

Wah! Batu Feringghi? best nya. people said it's very nice there kan? expats also like to go there. I understand how you feel about being away from beloved children. I pun, nama jer grounded. Very minimal actual contact time pun. So i guess, we all working parents must make the best of whatever time we have when we are with them - and actually even when away from them! With webcam & instant messaging these days, I can still 'review' my sons' homework when i'm outstation. hehehe...Hope your leave will be approved and that you'll have a great holiday with family. Cheers!!

maklang said...

salam...

ni maklang lompat dai blog Simah...

seronoknya dapat jumpa Sima...maklang jumpa kat YM je...

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

Ibu,
have a lovely stay in this land of a thousand dreams (Baghdad -- a thousand nights).
Hati2 mamat Turki...lirik2 mata diorang tau. Husband or no husband... ahahaa...they don't care.

Anyway.... take care and enjoy.

PS: Kak Ena belajar belly-dancing......tapi my butt tak sexy-laaa

wanshana said...

Dear Ibu,

You've been tagged! (Eherks...).

Do check my blog for further details.

Take care!

ZABS said...

Salam untuk Ibu,
Pernah ke Istanbul, sometime in 1974. Melawat Blue Mosque sekali, tapi dah terlalu lama. Mungkin Ibu boleh update kita tentang Istanbul, boleh?

Nisah_Han said...

wow!!
sweet blog...
hehehe..........