Heybeliada

Another rainy day in Istanbul, but my couchsurfing host was kind to lend me his nice umbrella. The destination: Heybeliada, one of the Princes’ Islands off in the Marmara sea.

Sometime during my travels in last few years, I promised myself that I would do less touristy things when I go to new cities. I love walking and this Island has been closed for motor-traffic, so that was cool. It is a hill and a beautiful climb along the coast. The top of the hill took about 25 minutes of intensive hike to conquer. On the top of hill, somebody had aptly put a couch and a picnic bench in the middle of woods facing an extra-ordinary view of other Islands.

It is winter so there are very few foreign tourists. Hotels are locked. Horse-carts empty. Local market is open along with a cafe, which has a very nice WiFi connection. I enjoy a grilled cheese sandwitch/toast with turkish tea. I promise myself that if I every moved to Istanbul, I would love to rent a small place on one of these Islands and commute to the city. Yes, the commute would be long and maybe impractical from the center of city (about an hour) but it would be nothing like Karachi’s boring intensive traffic.

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