To Ankara

I hope you are still with me.

The awesome cave hotel was an experience of a life time and after a good night's rest, we were ready for the next few final laps of our Anatolian drive.

Come to think of it, we really were on a marathon for the last 9-10 days and more often than not missing our Malaysian culinary. Yes, we do miss nasi lemak, char koay teow and just name them.
So, we left beautiful Cappadocia in Winter and her good memories. Even as I remember the place as I write, it surely was not easy to repeat the feat and much stamina is required. The winter walk was a challenging one as it took a toll on our limbs and the cold was a poor reminder.

En route to Ankara, we stopped by Salt Lake where again we were exposed to all products associated with salt from creams, to perfume and soap. Apparently, if you apply some of the beauty products, you are on the road to an improved look.
None of us bought anything as we eagerly looked towards Ankara in the 5 hour drive.

Ankara, the capital city of 7 million people is the administrative center for Turkey where many state quarters and the civil service administers better control over the country. But Nur said that the present civil upheavals and also external threats are adding pressure to the tourism industry and she is afraid the money churning sector will be badly challenged.

Old Ankara taken from a hill view as we parked ourselves for the noon lunch.

We travelled together with 5 other families and though this was the first for all of us, we indeed concur that it is a meet of a life time. Some may be your friends all your life and yet you do not get to travel together, let alone with family members.

Dad and I took the decision to tour with the younger 2 girls as they are still free and easy with no family commitments.

We also realise that the children we brought up are not to be assumed as our own at sometime or another as they have now ideals and values that differ from ours through time.

We may spend time with them and much often than not, to iron out differences and they in their present moments may actually chide the older folks for not being in sync  with the latest updates about life.

They also sometimes fail to understand that some preferences and values stay eternal. Yes, that is why we are not in sync.

That's me with dad, Esther and Sara.

These are the Tings of Sibu. The 3 daughters and only son are on their study breaks and they took this holiday season to be together before they split after the trip. Life is such, The parents do all they can for their off springs but more often than not; it does not happen the other way round. Not that I know everything but I have learnt enough from mistakes in life. Aha, this will again cause my children to say I am not in sync.

This Malay family also took the opportunity to travel together on this break. It is a closely-knit family and very good company. As you can see, the children are in their teens and still listen to instructions.

That is lawyer Ng on the right with his dear wife from China. Next is engineer Andy with sporting wife from Sarawak. They converse in Bahasa Malaysia just like when my parents converse with Esther. The beauty of ethnicity. 

All over Ankara, mosques dotted the city as it has 80% Muslims especially after the Ottoman Empire took over from the Byzantine Empire.

To close the day's tour before Istanbul the next day, we were given a little history of the city by the Ataturk museum visit.

We were fortunate as we had a chance to see the guards exchange their duty times.

 I saw this in Korea, Taipei and Praque. 

Where there is a state museum, we will see them.

The square was the place of the national Museum and the Mausoleum.

It was raining but under control.

The temperature though was low.

All that you want to learn about Modern Turkey is best known through the writings found there. Nur spoke with much pride about the Republican Ataturk and his social reforms. 

We were told under him, Muslim men can only have 1 wife and every home is to have a family name. Ataturk created alphabets and the Turkish language and allow coed schools. Girls are to go to school and can sit in state assemblies. 

Turkish is the first language in schools and English is the second language. 

Nur emphasised that Ataturk did not use religion in his political agenda and it accounted for his success. She truly spoke about him with much pride.

As I browsed through some writings, I could not help but jot down this quote:

"Unless a society walks towards the common purpose together with all its men and women, there's no technical possibility and scientific probability of its becoming civilised or advanced."

Think about it.

He truly was a wise man.

It's always the case. When you are on the top, you see things differently.

Oh that all leaders be wise. we pray. 

With the visits, we ended our day at Ankara.