Today was a short day as it’s the last day for my traveling companion as he moves on to a new country and I leave to another one tomorrow.

We spent the day at Galata Tower since there were no cruise ships at port and there were no lines for the tower.

Galata Tower

Inside the tower is this model of Istanbul.

There are interesting things to see from the tower. Not sure what exactly is going on on the rooftop of the building below?

Spectacular views.

Interesting photo ops!

The route down is to take some stairs in some very tight corridors but each landing has some artifacts from long ago.

We had lunch at a Persian restaurant and the food was good and affordable.

Finished the day with desert. The three flavors of homemade ice cream from left to right are blueberry, peach and milk. Why are they all the same color? Who knows, but the best one is the milk. Available at Salon Galata.

SCAMS

Our trip in Istanbul has been fabulous except for the three scams encountered by the travel team. Istanbul is well known for endless scams and you should be aware that even the tourist destination are in on the action by over charging or padding the costs of tours, tickets and events.

The best way we found to avoid the scams is to PRE-BUY your tickets with reputable firms. I would highly recommend that you pre-book all the excursions or tours through GetYourGuide.com or Viator.com. I would highly encourage you to do this especially for Turkey.

I booked all my tours through GetYourGuide and I didn’t have a single problem. My traveling companion thought he could save a few bucks but ended up getting scammed.

If you think you’ll be saving money by going with some dude off the street, you will likely end up overpaying or be outright scammed.

The other thing to do BEFORE you travel to any destination is to review your destination in Reddit, YouTube or other online resources with emphasis on “scams in country x” and educate yourself. I also always check the UK Travel Advisory website for any notices. No, you don’t need to be British to use the site!

This website has a list of some common scams but it’s not all inclusive of issues you may face.

Tags: galata tower,scams in istanbul
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Today’s adventures consist of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cistern. Lots of rich history, culture and art at each site.

Blue Mosque

Our guide gave us a deep dive into the history of the Blue Mosque. You can read about some of it here.

The chain in the entrance below is designed to get people to bow and show reverence as you enter the mosque.

There are attire requirements in order to enter. Women must wear head scarves and no sleeveless shirts or shorts/skirts allowed.

The interior is amazing with multiple layers of domes, stained glass panes, and giant columns supporting the structure.

The columns are referred to as the ‘elephant’s legs’ and are made of marble.

Blue Mosque courtyard (image below).

Hagia Sophia

Walking distance from the Blue Mosque is Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia mosque also has a rich history dating back to Greek times when it was originally built as a temple to honor the Greek gods. It subsequently became a church then a mosque.

According to our guide, the Statue of Liberty would fit inside this structure which is remarkable considering it was built centuries ago!

The intricate mosaics are made up of thousands of pieces.

Basilica Cistern

The last stop was the Basilica Cistern. From Wikipedia: This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately 138 metres (453 ft) by 65 metres (213 ft) – about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area – capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water.

Medusa was discovered after restoring the cistern in 1985/87.

It was an amazing day! Best time to go is in the morning as the afternoon sun was a bit too much.

P.S. – There are cats everywhere. They are revered by the people in Turkey and cats are found on mosque grounds, trains, motorcycles, sidewalks, and any other place a cat can lounge around.

Tags: basilica cistern,blue mosque,hagia sophia
Categories: Istanbul
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I started the day with a trip to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The entrance below looks like something out of Harry Potter and Diagon Alley. Once you enter, you are bombarded with a huge complex with endless shops featuring gold, rugs, lamps, teas, shoes and many other items.

It’s easy to get lost in here and spend hours upon hours if you have the patience and money to shop. It is worth nothing that you HAVE to bargain for any goods here. I was in need of a cane and the price started at 3000 Lira and got negotiated down to 1000 Lira. Yeah, I still likely overpaid for it but at least I overpaid 2/3 less! It’s actually a nice hand carved cane with simple but nice decorations on it.

After the Bazaar, I headed to turn in my laundry for cleaning so that and lunch in between took up most of the day. The evening we spent on a cruise up and down the Bosporus. The guide on this 2 hour cruise gave us a rich history of the culture, events and landscape around the area.

The mosque on the top of the hill is relatively new however it is constructed to appear like the other older ones.

Sailing up then down the channel. The cruise serves fruits, nuts, teas, and pastries throughout the journey.

Rumelihisari fortress (image below).

The King’s Palace (image below). Only the king is allowed to use the tower in the image.

It’s called a sunset cruise for a reason!

Nice silhouette as the sun sets.

More tomorrow!

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We got into Istanbul a couple of days ago. It’s been a whirlwind. There are lots of people and lots of things to do here. Our first stop last night was a rooftop dinner at our hotel. The view was spectacular, the food was decent, and the prices were through the roof!

We had breakfast at the same rooftop restaurant but it’s free for platinum members. The strange thing about this restaurant is that for breakfast it is operated by our hotel and in the evening it is a private restaurant run by another company. The breakfast is pretty hardy. Omelet, salmon, veggies, breads, sauces, cheeses, and more!

The red liquid below came with breakfast. It is called Church tea but also known as black tea. It’s pretty good and served ultra hot.

I also had a Turkish coffee that was amazing. It is chocolatey and a bit grainy with an amazing flavor.

Our hotel is near the Galata Tower (see image below) but we didn’t get a chance to go up. It cost 30 euros to visit and there is a very long line to get in. There were 3 cruise ships docked at the port so that may have something to do with the long lines.

The line wrapped around the tower into the street and beyond.

Cool sea side fishing happening below.

In the evening we went to see an authentic Dervish ceremony. It was a spiritually enhancing experience. Unfortunately, no recording or photography is allowed during the ceremony so you’ll just have to come see it in person.

The famous Kamondo Stairs (also near hotel) are interesting “double helix” looking stairs steep stairs. People come here to do wedding photography and other social posting photography.

View of the stairs from below.

There is amazing food here but the three major food groups are: kebabs, lamb, and fish. And endless deserts.

Tomorrow we’re going to check out a yacht and ride the sea.

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We spent 6 days in Buenos Aires and it’s time to review the big three B’s: Brilliant, Boring & Brutal.

Brilliant

Buenos Aires has a lot to offer. Lots of restaurants, shopping, entertainment, museums, art, history and much more. It’s safe to say there is something here for everyone and that’s what is brilliant about Buenos Aires. Additionally, there is a metro, buses, boats, and most Ubers are fairly inexpensive so transportation is easy. There is a large tourist industry here so there are plenty of alternative options such as private tours. We managed to find Pho, Ramen, Italian (Michelin rated), and Argentine cuisines during our trip.

Boring

As Brilliant as Buenos Aires is there are a few things that bored us. First, internet and Wifi speeds were slow. We’ve traveled the world on T-mobile service from the USA and Argentina is the first country it has failed us. The service worked but it was extremely slow. We’re not sure if the cell infrastructure in Buenos Aires is strained, obsolete or simply broken but it was a painful experience trying to get online.

The WiFi in our hotel never got faster than 25mb up/down and that’s surprising given we had 100mb in Uruguay for most of the time we were there.

The Museum of Fine Art had an audio tour by scanning a QR code at various stations but the free WiFi within the museum failed to work most of the time and the QR codes didn’t lead to anywhere useful on the internet when it did work.

Countries that want to thrive in the 21st century need to up their game with internet infrastructure or may as well become Amish.

Brutal

The two things that stand out as Brutal were the fluctuating currency exchange rates and heavy taxation.

Currency

Let’s start with the currency issues. First no one really wants the Argentine currency! Many places preferred payment with credit or debit cards. Many places also advertised that they take USD for payment. Walking along the main tourist and shopping areas there are endless touts offering to exchange money by broadcasting “cambio!” to everyone passing by.

We had problems taking money out of ATMs because there are strange restrictions on withdrawals. There seems to be a limit of $15 USD withdrawal and there is often a $15 USD ATM fee so you get nothing! We gave up on the ATMs and exchanged USD to Argentine pesos and used credit card for all other purchases when we could.

The locals warned not to leave the country with Argentine pesos because they may become worthless by the time you return.

Taxation

There is a 21% VAT on every sale. In Uruguay we were given receipts to get our taxes back for large purchases but that doesn’t seem to exist in Argentina or the vendors aren’t interested in doing the paperwork. We were surprised at the Pandora store in the mall that said they don’t do tax free receipts.

Bonus: AVOID Taxis

AVOID Taxis at ALL cost and just use the UBER app. Taxis are always a rip off and our first and ONLY time we used a taxi we got ripped off. The clown at our hotel quoted us $50,000 for the taxi and when we arrived the driver charged us $62,500 for using a credit card to pay. Didn’t argue with the taxi but I will never use a taxi in Buenos Aires again and suggest you do the same. Ironically, when you use the Uber app, a taxi might show up but they can’t rip you off because payment is set through Uber.

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“La Casa Rosa” is Spanish for “The Pink House” and the equivalent of America’s “White House” so it’s the center of government. We started our day at the obelisk below which was walking distance to the Pink House.

We did stop at this Metropolitan Cathedral. “Save Your People” in Latin below.

“La Casa Rosa” is listed below although with a shadow cast on it it looks more dark than pink.

There is a nearby museum that showcases the design and structure and some of the old structures from the 1800’s.

After the Pink House we wanted lunch and were told that “Napoletana” pizza is often served as a thinner crust than the traditional thick “Pan” style crust most pizza restaurants serve here.

While the crust was a bit more like “hand tossed” and a bit doughy it was great!

Here’s was $24,400 looks like in Argentine currency and the cost of the pizza and two drinks.

After lunch we headed to the Museum of Modern Art. We were surprised that it’s not only modern art but metamodern art which takes things to a whole new meta level!

Can you dig the meta modern?

One of my favorites below, the meta modern is mesmerizing.

My favorite artist in the museum was Valentina Quintero and below is some of her work.

Then I saw this and was mesmerized for hours.

There are many basilicas, cathedrals and churches and we didn’t have time to stop and see them all.

Walking around we saw a realtor shop and this was posted outside, a 4 bedroom apartment with balcony and 90 square meters 968 sq ft for $125,000 USD.

Not a bad deal? One of our guides told us the property taxes and upkeep can be expensive in some districts.

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Our first stop this morning after our free club lounge breakfast was a stop to BASÍLICA NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL PILAR.

Right next to the church is the famous Recoleta Cemetary. The cost to enter the cemetery was $33 USD for two people. It is worth the price if you appreciate the art designs, sculptures and architecture of these structures. A few famous people are buried here including Evita Peron.

La Recoleta Cemetary

The soldier tomb above had detailed intricate carvings on metal.

Some of these tombs have many sculptures and intricate designs.

Another interesting one.

Not all tombs are well maintained. A few seem to be on the berge of collapse.

The columns on the image below seemed to be buckling from the other side and the area was closed off so this photo was taken from the opposite side. Note the cracks on the column, the opposite side was worse.

My favorite tomb was the simple one below.

A necessary quick stop to re-energize and rest for our next visit.

Next stop was the Museum of Fine Art.

Tons of art work and some of my favorites were works from Juana Romani, Amedeo Modigliani, Emilio Pettoruti, Alejandro Xul Solar, Rafael Barradas, Pedro Figari, Juan Del Prete, Alfredo Guttero, Fritz Burmann, Felice Casorati, Jorge Larco, Carlo Carra, Abraham Regino Vigo, Cesareo Bernaldo de Quiros, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, and Joaquin Torres Garcia. Honorable mention to Escuela de Sebastiano Ricci.

After the museum we headed to the Floralis Generica. A large metal flower that opens and closes.

Nearby is this Botero sculpture in honor of Fernando Botero. We found a Michelin rated restaurant across the street from this sculpture and were happy to get seated without a reservation (thank goodness for low season)!

Part of the cubiertos….

The dish below is “milanesa langosistos” but the real winner was the dark brown sauce made from pear that stole the show.

We ordered a steak and split it and it was mouth watering tender and delicious.

And the cost was about $75 USD.

After lunch we headed to “El Caminito” which is a part of Buenos Aires that serves as the melting pot of the city. Lots of elaborately colorful houses, shops and restaurants in the area. It’s a must visit place if you’re in Buenos Aires.

Famous building in image below.

It’s been a long day so we headed back to the hotel and hit the lounge for afternoon tea and snacks.

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Today was a bit of a work day but we did manage to go eat lunch at a recommended restaurant called La Pipeta. The restaurant has an extensive menu and a ton of quotes.

A few of my favorites, this one reads, “Adam was happy, he did not have a mother-in-law.”

“A gift horse does not have its teeth looked at.”

Lunch. This restaurant did charge “cubiertos” charge but it was only $1.37.

The meal above was $41,000 Argentine pesos ($32 USD). The currency fluctuates wildly, it was 1290 to 1 when we got here and its 1274 today.

The strange thing is I went to a “casa de cambio” or exchange house today by stepping into a secret backdoor inside a news stand and the guy gave me $129,000 for $100 USD. If the current rate is $127,400 then someone got screwed somewhere along the currency line.

I dont know how people here live with the currency chaos but it explains why many prefer payment by USD or card.

Our wine tour was at Miravida Soho Hotel & Wine Bar…

Our wine tour was an intimate experience with just us and our sommelier guiding us through Argentina’s wines.

A review of the regions.

First wine, white Torrontes…..

Second, a delectable Pinot Noir.

Third, a nice Malbec…

Fourth, a cosmic blend of intriguing flavors…

Each wine was paired with cheese & fruit.

We bought a couple of bottles of wines. It was a late night so we got back to the hotel and had a snack at the club lounge (free for platinum members).

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Our primary purpose of the day was to get a sampling of Buenos Aires food so we had a great experience.

We started at Picsa which is Italian for pizza.

Beef empanadas, flaky pastry, delicious tender meat. In American chicken wings usually accompany pizza and here it’s beef empanadas.

Our second stop was El Preferido.

Oilve oil from Patagonia. Black olive is called Isabellina.

Here we sampled a chicken milanesa and torta.

Third stop was Fuego y Vino (Fire & Wine).

The owner also wrote a book featured below.

Amazing grilled provelona cheese.

And a ribeye steak cooked to perfection on wood fired grill.

The salad was delicious and the owner prides on farm to table veggies.

A quick stop here for a chocolate sample.

Then finished the tour with gelato.

Salted caramel below bombarded the taste buds.

After the tour we walked around some of the open air markets setup in the area but didnt buy anything because we have been unable to withdraw money from ATMs.

Our food tour guide recommended against pulling money out because banks charge excessive fees and provide a bad exchange rate.

People here recommend you send yourself money thru Western Union or use the black market exchange houses.

We were too tired to head out for dinner so we stopped at the Sheraton club lounge and had a second food tour. Mini burgers, mini milanesas, mini empanadas and flavored rice (free for platinum members)!

There are also sandwiches and pastries along with a variety of beer and wine but we opted for tea and soft drinks.

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We left Uruguay this morning and landed in Buenos Aires in the afternoon. After checking into our hotel we stopped at the club lounge for tea time then went for a walk about.

Views from the tower.

For dinner, we found Vietnamese food! A food that I sorely have been longing…

First up egg rolls!

Next up Pho Ga! Yipeee!

Let’s talk money. The meal cost $59,900 Argentine pesos and the card was charged $49.51 USD. According to the exchange rate app, the charge should have been $46.60. We were warned that we would get “ripped off” if we used a credit card to pay for things here in Argentina but I think that is odd because banks typically set the best rates amongst themselves.

What I think is happening is that the exchange rate is so volatile that it does move in very rapid directions up or down on any given hour. As I typed this post, the exchange rate changed again from when we did the initial charge a few hours ago.

On our walk back to our hotel we stopped by a busy market street with lots of shops and lots of people. There were tons of leather goods, restaurants, and other shops selling various wares. It’s a busy bustling market place on a Saturday night.

Got back to the hotel very tired….more to do tomorrow.

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