LashWorldTour

18/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Check out all this delicious Turkish food...

Wherever I am in the world, my favorite type of restaurant is cafeteria-style...
..You know, where many different dishes are already prepared and then presented behind big glass counters for diners' selection...

I've come across them all over SE Asia, Poland, Bulgaria...and here in Turkey too!

Here are some delicious Turkish dishes on offer at these great cafeteria restaurants...

17/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Grand historic palaces on the Bosphorus

All along the Bosphorus there are dozens of massive & elaborate historic palaces...

I saw many of them while taking a day-long ferry trip up the waterway.

Most of the palaces date to the 1800s and early 1900s...

16/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Boats galore on the Bosphorus Strait!

Istanbul is a massive, sprawling city set along the banks of wide Bosphorus Strait...

The Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea in the north with Sea of Marmara in the south...which then connects to the Mediterranean Sea.

It's an extremely important waterway between Mediterranean countries and northern countries like Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria & Romania.

A whole slew of boats, barges, Navy ships and ferries are constantly going up and down & across the Strait.
It makes for fantastic boat watching...

14/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Here's my favorite baklava shop...

Turkey is famous for its delicious baklavas, Turkish delights & other desserts
My all-time favorite Turkish sweets shop is called Hafiz Mustafa...
..which has been in business since 1864!

One of their best shops is just a few blocks from my little apartment! Yeah!

13/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Street cats in Istanbul...

One of many things I LOVE about Turkey is the many street cats!

It's great enough for me that there are so many stray cats...
..but what really makes it great is that local people take care of them!

Not only do people give the cats food and water...
..but they build little cat houses for them all!

I can step outside my door, walk a block in any direction and find cats! Yeah!

12/02/2025

12/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Typical small open-air tea shop...

Turks drink a lot of tea!

They drink strong tea in tiny little glass cups.

All over the city, there are tiny little open-air tea shops where people can stop for a caffeine perk up...

Here's one adorable shop I like along the shores of the Bosphorus Strait...

11/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – Here's what Istanbul looks like...

Here are some scenic views of Istanbul and the mighty Bosphorus Strait...

I'll confess that I took these photos last time I was here...
..but I haven't had time yet to go out exploring this time.
..not to mention the awful wintery, bitterly cold weather here this week. Eek.

10/02/2025

MY ISTANBUL TRAVEL UPDATE – At Istanbul Airport, I had to pay a FINE!

Yep, a FINE!

But I knew all about it before I headed to Istanbul...

Last time I was in Turkey, in 2021, I overstayed my visa...by a lot! Oopps!

Amazingly, Turkish immigration gives two options for paying overstay fines...

1. You can pay at the border before departing Turkey
..Or 2. they will let you depart without paying the fine, but will have to pay when you return to Turkey.

I opted to pay upon return, not even sure I would be back to Turkey.

So, this time I had to pay before I could get into the country.

In 2021, my fine was about 1400 lira / at the 2021 exchange rate of $1 US = 7 lira, that was $200US!

But the Turkish lira has been in freefall for a couple years, so the current rate is $1US = 36 lira!

In the end, 1400 lira + various fees => 2172 lira …. $60 US.

With added ATM fees, I paid in total $72 US.

Still much better than $200 US!

And now I'm square with Turkish immigration. Yeah!

09/02/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE –Surprise, I'm in Istanbul, Turkey!

I am officially no longer in the Middle East! I'm in Turkey!

I'm probably more surprised than any of you since I had noooo plans to visit Turkey this year!

Long story short...I was all prepared to fly to Azerbaijan then at the last minute could not get a visa!

Fast scramble to cancel my flight & accommodation and quickly figure out where the heck to go...in a hurry! Eeeek!

I quickly settled on Istanbul, a city I love and which I could reach easily.

So here I am in intriguing Istanbul...probably for the entire month of February!

Lots of photos of this super-cool city coming all this week and beyond...

06/02/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – A handful of skyscrapers in Bahrain...

Turns out that Manama, Bahrain is muuuucccchhhhhh leeessss developed than Qatar and Dubai!

In fact, Manama is kind of like a giant, messy, dirty ghetto... except it's safe.

But it certainly is not a pretty city, unfortunately.

At least there are a handful of great modern skyscrapers. Here they are...

05/02/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – Authentic Indian sweets shop!

In addition to lots of tasty Indian meals here in Manama, Bahrain...

I also discovered a real Indian sweets shop! Yeah!

I promptly bought several tasty sweets and enjoyed them thoroughly.

I haven't come across an Indian sweets shops since I was stomping around Malaysia...last time, probably in 2015... 10 years ago!

No wonder I was sooooo excited to find this sweet shop!

04/02/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – More tasty Indian meals in Bahrain!

One great thing about Manama city, Bahrain is all the tasty, cheap Indian food!

Just like Dubai, I've been able to eat lots of my favorite Indian meals for more than one week here in Manama. Yeah!

03/02/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – Check out historic Bahrain Fort...

I'm now in the small island country called Bahrain...

It's in the Middle East, next to Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain is not nearly as developed or beautiful as Qatar or UAE....
..but I did get to visit this cool historic fort on the outskirts of Manama city...

Kind of amazingly, it's actually a historic Portuguese fort!
..anyhow, here are some cool views of the fort and Manama city in the distance.

31/01/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – Here are Qatar's BEST buildings...

Qatar does not have anywhere near the number of gorgeous skyscrapers that Dubai has...

BUT, this cluster of stunning buildings in West Bay is sure worthy of attention!

I greatly enjoyed a long coastal walk past all these gorgeous buildings...
..with ever-changing vistas of the soaring towers.

Yeah skyscrapers!

30/01/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – Beautiful Islamic Artworks...

Qatar's Museum of Islamic Arts showcases a huge diversity of Islamic-inspired artworks from dozens of Islamic countries around the world.

Here are a few of the gorgeous artworks I enjoyed at the museum...

29/01/2025

MY MIDDLE EAST TRAVELS UPDATE – Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar...

This great museum was another of my top bucket list places to see in Qatar.

The building was designed by the famous US/Chinese architect I.M. Pei...
..who is one of my favorite architects.

I cannot say this museum is my favorite of I. M. Pei's works...

It kind of looks like an Art Deco wedding cake! Lol

But I did admire it none the less, especially the interiors...

Tomorrow I share a bunch of beautiful Islamic artworks inside the galleries!