Salam wa Rahmah ! Yesterday we had a fun filled day in Konya. We visited the 4 compulsory stops on ASk-Pipah -Go-Mana-Mana . Its really good to see Konya is turning into a more beautiful city with a larger section of the city being turned into pedestrian areas with large granite slabs in most areas. Last 2 visits i saw the on going development near the Mevlana Museum area and now the area behind Karatay Ceramic Museum has been turned into a large open plaza with a beautiful Seljuk Monument in the centre. I love the changes they are making to this city. We arrived early at Mevlana Museum to avoid the Friday crowds and it was a relaxing tour. More shopping at the Museum souvenir shop and plenty of photos taken as the beautifully manicured garden were full of assorted colored roses and other flowers. We tasted 1 or 2 of the mulberries plucked by the girls working in the garden too. We had some great photos taken at the war memorial and i took some photos of the guide and driver too as this was their first visit to this place. Why War Memorial? Well , to admire and appreciate the building with its Seljuk architecture especially the solid doors and multiple pillars which were handcrafted in the Seljuk style as well as the fountain in the centre of the complex. Those who have not been to Uzbekistan, you will get a glimpse of what to expect in that country. At the Karatay Museum too there were bigger improvement in the ongoing restoration works.Its really nice and the group were amazed at the glazed tiles on the ceilings and walls. We finished our tour before Jumaah prayers but we had to wait for the restaurant to reopen after the prayers before we could enjoy the Etliekmek. As expected, they love this typical Turkish speciality but unfortunately we did not have it at my favorite restaurant as it was so packed . No reservations allowed. Disappointed but at least now i have tried 2 other restaurant besides my favorite. We had it at Yildiz Restaurant , name similar to one of my nieces which means Star. Ahmad and family especially the kids love it . This time around, the group members love Etliekmek with cheese but still the beef was everyones favorite . Datin Salmiah, Zurina and myself enjoyed Ayran very much. It is their famous yogurt drink, oooh! so yummy and refreshing. The rest tried their famous Seftali or peach drink. After lunch it was full 3 solid hours of shopping at their bazaar. Konya is a good place to shop. The bazaar are clean with wide long streets and not crowded. You pay like the locals not like foreigners do when they make purchases at the Grand Baazar or other outlets in Istanbul. Just as an example, a kilo of Turkish delights or Lokum is between 24-36 Turkish Lira, while in Istanbul you have to pay min 40-70 Turkish Lira. The prices even better here in Konya than in Bursa. The baazar here is a great place to shop especially for Muslim clothings . You can get good selections of ladies long skirts and pantaloons especially if you are an XXL personlike me, hi hi hi and they are so so cheap. I got myself 3 long skirts and 2 pants for only 150 TL which is equivalent to Rm 225. At Ms Read back home it will cost me around rm 800. I am done with my Raya shopping here in Konya to go with my blouses tailored from the materials i bought in Palembang, ha ha ha. I have discovered more new shops for materials too. I bought 2 pieces of beautiful linen for my Jubah at Rm 25 per meter. From my favorite shop in SS2 will cost me rm 45 - rm 60 per meter. I will save my money to shop in Konya for materials next November, Inshaallah. The ladies went crazy with the laces for curtains but off course thats not their priority but again if not for the baggage allowance constraints i am pretty sure they will buy. Turkey is famous for their textile industry and you must know where to go for it actually. My sister in law Zurina surprises me a lot as i dont expect her to shop so much here but viola! Her bags has reached the maximum limit and she still has 2 more cities to cover. Ha ha ha. Tuty got her goodies for her business and Datin, Haniza, and Kak Hadi too all shopped more than what they planned. Hi hi hi. Pipah very happy when everyone is happy. Later in the evening i met Aydin, the guide i had on my last 3 visits and it was so good to catch up with him. He had to handle a group from Taiwan. He sents his salam to all of you who know him. Well so much for now . We are leaving for Cappadoccia for 2 nights and looking forward for more wonderful adventure with the group on ASk-Pipah- Go-Mana-Mana !
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 02:02:58 +0000
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