Surreal fight in Rize involving Uzi, bats, kids, police

This is Sparta ... sorry Rize. The video below is one of the most fantastic fights you can see in YouTube. Some guys come to a grocer. They seem to be there to confront the owner. The owner of the grocer greets them with UZI ... yes UZI! A  sub machine gun which is hard to find even for many mafia organizations. And extremely illegal to possess in Turkey.

The owner of the grocer has an UZI but still calls the police. He must be quite scared. And before the police comes, he lowers his guard one second and one of the guys attacks him with a bat. After attacking a man holding a gun, an ultra fantastic and surrealistic fight begins. The attacker is severely beaten until and after police arrives.

Now the most unreal part. When all these were happening there is a kid in the scene. No one, including the owner who seems to be his dad, thinks about taking him out. Even in the presence of UZI sub machine gun. The boy is important here because after the man with the sub machine gun was attacked, the gun is out of sight for a while. And around the 7th minute into the video, the boy appears with UZI in his hand, watching the fight!

Watch it yourself. This is Rize,  the capital city of Rize Province in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. The gun culture in the region is quite known but having grocer owners with UZI is an extreme even for Rize.


Those who want to know what the hell is going on here : According to some Turkish sources, the grocer has changed hand and these "youngsters" were collecting "protection money" from the previous owner and demanding same from the new owner. Sometime back, this owner was attacked by a guy with knife. 
The youngsters in the video come to the shop to beat the owner. They come in as if they were ordinary customers and do not know each other. Owner realizes one of the guys have a hidden bat and takes UZI out. Some supposed to be attackers flee but owner traps a few in the shop and calls police. Meanwhile he sends out kids to his relatives to inform them (the people attacking the guy fiercely towards the end),

Turkey ups its game as a world-class golfing destination in 2014

Turkey’s campaign to become a global golf destination has gained momentum during 2014, with the golfing resort of Belek hosting a series of international tournaments and Turkey being ranked the fifth most important destination for golf tourism by the IAGTO, said Turkey property specialist Spot Blue International Property in August.

Turkey’s rising prominence on the golf scene is being spearheaded by Belek, a resort that combines championship golf courses with beach holidays, luxury accommodation and affordable new property. Belek now has 15 golf courses within a 15-kilometre stretch of coastline, boasts more than 50 five-star hotels and is just 30 minutes’ drive from the international airport at Antalya.

The National Golf Club in Belek successfully hosted its first European Challenge Tour tournament, namely the Turkish Airlines Challenge, in May this year, with the course receiving praise from leading players. In the same month, the course hosted the PGA Turkish Airlines Ladies Open, which will take place at Belek’s equally impressive Carya Golf Club next year. Meanwhile, building on its hosting of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Open, attended by a selection of leading players that included Tiger Woods, the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Club will host the Open again in November 2014.

Ahmet Ağaoğlu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation, commented that after the inaugural Turkish Airlines Open in 2012, which saw Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood amongst the competing players, bookings for tee-times in the Belek area rose by some 12 to 15 per cent.

Ağaoğlu stated recently that being under the Challenge Tour spotlight in 2014 will only strengthen Belek’s reputation as one of the world’s top golfing destinations. “Last year [2013], 160,000 tourists came to Turkey just to play golf,” said Ağaoğlua. “It’s an industry in this area and people appreciate the courses and facilities here. There is no better value out there than Belek in terms of the compact nature of this area.”

Increasing golf tourism is benefiting homeowners in Belek, and in nearby resorts such as Side and Antalya, by adding value to their property and increasing rental demand.

Golf courses in Belek, Turkey

“Sought after homes are situated on small complexes off the main road running along the coast between the centre of Belek and the neighbouring village of Kadriye,” said Julian Walker, director at Spot Blue International Property. “You can be a 20 to 30-minute walk - or short drive - from a Blue Flag beach, a championship golf course, and bars and amenities. Offering all of these things, as well as a short transfer time, makes the area good for rentals, especially when a major golf tournament is on.”


Typical of what’s available in Belek are a new three-bedroom semi-detached villa with a shared pool and located opposite a golf course, available for €179,000, and a two-bedroom apartment, just a kilometre from the beach and golf, available for just €69,000. 

Luxurious Raffles Istanbul Hotel to Open on 1 September 2014

Raffles will open its first hotel in Turkey on 1 September 2014, Raffles Istanbul. The luxurious Istanbul hotel will be at the heart of the Zorlu Center, a large shopping mall where fashion, fine food and the arts converge on the European shore in Beşiktaş. Raffles Istanbul Hotel overlooks the Bosphorus, the Prince Islands and the historic peninsula – a stunning vantage point above Istanbul.

The hotels location near Istanbul's business district, Levent, will make it an ideal hotel for business travelers to Istanbul. Raffles Istanbul offers 132 guestrooms and 49 suites. Floor to ceiling windows lead to furnished private terraces and balconies, for lofty views over the Bosphorus and the city. The hotel features a spa, two restaurants, two bars and lounges and a patisserie.

“The spirit of Raffles fits perfectly into this extraordinary capital city at such an exciting time. Our philosophy is to create oases where people come together, then continue on, refreshed. And it is this tradition of bringing people together that is an essential feature of the story of Raffles in Istanbul,” said Peter French President of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “For centuries Istanbul has been the meeting place between East and West, Asia and Europe, where great civilizations and cultures have left their mark and where people have exchanged ideas, told stories and set out again. Turkey is a rising star in the global economy and, in this youngest member of the Raffles family, we have created the perfect expression of the ‘new’ Istanbul: vibrant, full of energy and innovation, but utterly in touch with the city in which it stands and its rich heritage.”

Rooms at Raffles Istanbul start from €600 per night.

TourIstanbul city tours while in transit

Turkish Airlines flies to many destinations around the world using its Istanbul Ataturk Airport base as a hub. And if you are flying with Turkish Airlines, the airline offers free city tours while in transit provided by TourIstanbul. So instead of spending a long wait in the airport, Turkish Airlines passangers can discovery Istanbul, one of the world’s premier destinations.

The tours, with English speaking guides, are offered three times daily and are designed to give transit passengers a quick, but interesting overview of Turkish Airlines’ home base. Depending on each passenger’s schedule, tours are offered with the following timings 09:00-15:00, 09:00-18:00 and 12:00-18:00.

TourIstanbul is a free layover service for all international transit Turkish Airlines passangers. Everything on the tour, the shuttle, museum entrances and the meals, are free. In the tour, TourIstanbul introduces Ottoman Cuisine to the participants. Even a single person’s participation is enough to start up the tour so there is no minimum number to wait.

Not all transit passangers of Istanbul Ataturk Airport can enjoy the tour. Both flights should be with Turkish Airlines’ flight numbers (codeshared or operated) Connection times between flights  should not be longer than 24 hours and shorter than 6  hours.

Begun in 2009, the program continues to attract more participants each year, with approximately 16,000 taking advantage of the offer in 2013. The growing popularity of the tours is a confirmation that Turkish Airlines brings added value for its customers at no additional cost.

Istanbul Blue Mosque

How to participate Istanbul City Tours by Turkish Airlines?

You do not need to book it in advance. All eligible passangers of Turkish Airlines can simply join the tours by showing up at the hotel desk in the arrivals hall of Ataturk International Airport at least 30 minutes prior to the departure of the tour.

Below is the list of places visited during the tour:

Blue Mosque
Hippodrome
German Fountain
Serpentine Column
Obelisk of Thedosius
Topkapı Palace
Basilica Cistern
For more information on the tours you can visit http://www.istanbulinhours.com. You can visit our Istanbul tours pages for more Istanbul sightseeing tours.

Istanbul air sightseeing tours by Seabird Airlines

Where can you get the best bird eye view of Istanbul? There are some great rooftop bars and restaurants for this as well as historic towers but the best bird eye view comes from a plane touring above Istanbul. You can join a plane tour over Istanbul to get the most out of the city by air sightseeing tours of Istanbul.

Seabird Airlines, Turkey’s first and only Air Taxi / Airline company to land and take off from water, operates DHC-6 Twin Otter Series planes which can take of with 19 passangers from Halic. The Istanbul air sightseeing tour takes approximately 20 minutes and starting from Ataturk Bridge on Halic you will have a chance to see Galata Tower, Rumeli, Anadolu Hisari, Maiden’s Tower.

Seabird Airlines is known for its regional scheduled services from Istanbul to Bozcaada, Bursa and Alacati. In the winter season the company is focusing on these Istanbul tours.

According to Kursad Arusan, the General Manager of Sea Bird Airlines “the large windows of Twin Otter planes provides a nice view of Istanbul and there is a great demand for these tours.

There is a short promotional video below about this fantastic Istanbul tour:


Seabird Airlines Istanbul city tour from Hip-Notics on Vimeo.

The ticket prices for air sightseeing tours of Istanbul is 95 EUR per person per tour and the tickets are sold in http://www.flyseabird.com/ as well as in some 5-star hotels in Istanbul. For an air tour like this, ticket prices are very reasonable.

Below are the places you can see during the 20 minutes plane tour over Istanbul:

• Haydarpaşa Terminal (Haydarpasa Tren Gari)
• Selimiye Barracks (Selimiye Askeri Kışlası)
• Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi)
• Taksim Square (Taksim Meydanı)
• Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)
• Bosphorus Bridge (Boğaziçi Köprüsü)
• Beylerbeyi Palace (Beylerbeyi Sarayı)
• Kuleli Military High School (Kuleli Askeri Lisesi)
• Bebek
• Roumeli Hissar Castle (Rumeli Hisarı)
• Anadolu Hissar Castle (Anadolu Hisarı)
• Bosphorus University Campus (Bogazici University Kampusu)
• Sarıyer
• Pierre Loti
• Feshane
• Rahmi Koc Museum (Rahmi Koç Müzesi)
• ST. Stephan of Bulgar (Bulgar Kilisesi)
• Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Fener Patrikhanesi)
• Fatih Mosque (Fatih Camii)
• Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi)
• Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü)
• Suleymaniye Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii)
• Beyazit Tower (Beyazıt Kulesi)
• Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
• Hipodrom
• Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
• Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
• Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)

For other alternative Istanbul tours check our Bosphorus Cruise – Full Bosphorus Cruise and Short Bosphorus Tour post. You can visit our Istanbul tours pages for more Istanbul sightseeing tours.

Turkey Public Holidays 2014 Calendar

Public holidays in Turkey fall into 2 groups: The ones which commemorate the important events from the foundation days of Turkish Republic and the religious holidays. There are only 2 religious holidays but they tend to be long, usually Turkish take a week long holiday during these holidays and business life almost stops.

If you are planning to visit Turkey, you should now this dates because many Turks travel within Turkey during long holidays and the hotel and flight ticket prices are quite expensive during these times.

Religious holidays for Muslim festivals and their date change every year since they are based on lunar calendar.

New Year Holiday  (Turkish Yılbaşı)
January 1st, 2014 Wednesday
Turkey celebrates Gregorian Calendar’s first year as new year and most of the time December 31st is also a half day holiday. Expect a very crowded and fully booked December 31st night.

National Sovereignty and Children’s Day  (Turkish Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı)
April 23rd, 2014, Wednesday
Grand National Assembly of Turkey has first opened its door at Ankara in 23 April 1920 and the day is a holiday for the commemoration of the event. This official holiday is dedicated to the children.

Labour and Solidarity Day (Turkish Emek ve Dayanışma Günü)
May 1st 2014, Thursday
This is May Day holiday, which was removed from the list of public holidays in 1981 by the military rulers of 1980 Turkish coup d’état. 28 years after, in 2009, May Day has been an official public holiday again. Since it falls on Thursday, expect Turks to attach it to next weekend with 1 day off on Friday and enjoy a 4 days long weekend.

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Turkish Atatürk’ü Anma Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı)
May 19th, 2014, Monday
May 19th 1919 is a public holiday commemorating the beginning of national liberation movement initiated in 1919 by Atatürk’s landing in Samsun. The holiday is dedicated to the youth. In 2014, this public holiday will create a 3-days long weekend.

Ramadan Feast (Turkish Ramazan Bayramı)
July 27 2014 (half day) Sunday, July 28-29-30 2014 Monday – Wednesday

This religious holiday in Turkey (and in the rest of Muslim world) is Eid_ul-Fitr and one of the longest holidays in Turkey and if all these days are in weekdays, Turks tend to have a long 9 days holiday by merging this holiday with the weekends. Since July is summer time, many Turkish will flock to south coast for holiday and it would be difficult if not impossible to find hotel rooms and plane tickets during this time.

Victory Day (Turkish Zafer Bayramı)
August 30, 2014, Saturday

This holiday is for the commemoration of the victory at the final battle in Dumlupinar which has ended the Turkish Independence War in 1922 with a victory and it is dedicated to the armed forces.

Sacrifice Feast (Turkish Kurban Bayramı)
October 3rd 2014 (half day) Friday, October 4-5-6-7 2013 Saturday – Tuesday

This religious holiday in Turkey is Eid_ul-Adha and one of the longest holidays in Turkey and if all these days are in weekdays, Turkish tend to have a long 9 days holiday by merging this holiday with the weekends. It is very difficult to find tickets and hotel rooms around this time. This year, it seems like it wont be a 9 days holiday but a 5 days long weekend.

Republic Day (Turkish Cumhuriyet Bayramı)
October 28-29th, 2014 Tuesday, Wednesday
This 1.5 day holiday starts at 28th afternoon and October 29th is a full day holiday commemoration of the proclamation of the republic in 1923. This is a good opportunity to have a long 5-days weekend for many Turks.

Turkish Airlines will fly to Kuala Lumpur daily

Turkish Airlines operates 4x weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia currently. And starting from May 2014, the airline will fly to Kuala Lumpur daily from Istanbul Ataturk International Airport. Increased frequency comes after increased demand for flights between Turkey and Malaysia according to Firat Yildirim, general manager of Turkish Airlines for Malaysia.

In 2014, Turkish Airlines flew in 10,000 passengers from Turkey to Malaysia. The airline anticipates this demand to reach 20,000 passengers this year. Other than Turkish Airlines Malaysia Airlines also flies between Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur.

“For Visit Malaysia Year 2014, we are going to have more passengers, travellers, tourists and businessmen coming in on Turkish Airlines from Turkey through our vast network to support Kuala Lumpur’s tourism initiative,” Yildirim said. Given the airline’s track record in Europe and North America as well as the Middle east and African continent, he said the airlines anticipates greater growth in passengers traffic and “is confident it can gain market share here.”[1]

Turkish Airlines has just started to fly to Kuala Lumpur in 28 April 2013. The flights started 3 times weekly and increased to 4 times weekly in 17 June 2013. In fact, Turkish Airlines was flying from Istanbul to Kuala Lumpur 10 years ago but stopped flights in 2003.[2]



Above video shows the arrival of its inaugural return flight to KLIA by flight No: TK060 landed at 4.50pm on April 26th 2013 and welcomed by the water cannon salute.
Increase in flights to Kuala Lumpur from Istanbul adds more flights for many destinations outside Turkey. Turkish Airlines uses Istanbul as a hub and feeds it with flights from 245 destinations in 105 countries around the world (94 destinations in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) countries, 36 destinations in Africa, 33 in the Middle East, 31 in the Far East, six in North America and two in South America and eight in Russia).
[1] - Turkish Airlines to fly daily to KL by May 2014 [2] - Türk Havayolları İstanbul’dan Kuala Lumpur’a uçuyor

Turkey’s First Apple Store opens in Istanbul Zorlu Center

When the first Apple Store On February 4th 2014, opens its doors in Istanbul Zorlu Center, Turkey will join 14 countries which have Apple Store. The huge Istanbul Apple Store will span across 2,000 meter squares and sell Apple products like Mac PCs, Apple Software, Apple TV, iPods, iPads and iPhones as well as 3rd party products like accessories. The Apple Store in Istanbul will feature cubical glass ceiling architecture which is currently used in only 2 stores in USA.

Istanbul Apple Store will also offer personalization services for purchased Apple products. For example, customers will be able to write their names behind iPad tablets using lazer or select the specifications of Mac computers before they purchase them. Like all Apple Stores, Apple Store in Zorlu Center will also feature Apple repair services.

Turkey is one of the focus areas of Apple and it is reported in Turkish media that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook will be in Istanbul for the opening of the Apple Store. Apple eventually plans to open 4 Apple Retail Stores in Turkey.

Zorlu Center in Istanbul will be home to Turkey’s first Apple Store which is scheduled to open in Feb 2014.

Tim Cook will also visit Ankara and meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul to discuss Fatih Project. This educational project involves 10.6 million tablets and Apple has given proposal for the project, which is not concluded yet, in June 2013.

Apple has opened its iTunes Turkey last year.

Currently Apple has 420 stores in 14 countries including United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Japan, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzeland. The largest Apple Store in the world is currently located in Amsterdam’s Leidseplein Square.

Zorlu Center is composed of three residential towers, a 184 room Raffles İstanbul Zorlu Center hotel, a 2,300 seat Zorlu Center for Performing Arts Center and a large shopping mall. The Zorlu Center Shopping Mall is home to 200 shops ranging from Turkish luxury department store Beymen to international names such as Valentino, Stella McCartney and Pucci. On the European side of Istanbul near city’s business and finance center in Levent, it is also easily accessible from Asian side through Bosphorus Bridge.

No more on arrival Turkey visa by April 2014

By 10th April 2014, on arrival visa to Turkey (visa stickers issued at border points) would no longer be issued. But do not worry, you will not need to queue in Turkish Embassies. There is now a better option which seems to be easier and more convenient. Instead of on arrival visa, visitors to Turkey will have to buyTurkish e-visa online before arriving to Turkey.

Turkey’s Culture & Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik has announced this change in London in November:

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik stated on Monday that stamp visa or banderole visa system would be lifted on April 10, 2014 so that the use of e-visa would be more widespread.
Celik attended the meeting of G20 Tourism Ministers in British capital London on Monday. Speaking at the meeting, Minister Celik stated that there was a ten percent of increase in the number of tourists who visited Turkey this year when compared to last year. He added, there was a 22 percent rise in tourism revenue compared to last year, and these rises were closely related with the visa applications.
Celik noted, “In the past decade, we have lifted visa procedures with more than 30 countries, made visa agreements with more than 50 countries within the opinion of that visa exemption opens the way for tourism. Only assessing Turkey’s tourism statistics shows us how correct was our visa policy and how much success we made. With the policies that we follow and the close attention that our country receives, the number of tourists who visited Turkey in the year of 2002 was under 13 million and in the ten year period, so in 2012, that increased to 35.7 million people.”
Source : Turkish visa applications to change

With e-visa, applicants now can obtain their visa electronically after entering required information and making payment by credit card instead of waiting in a queue upon arrival to Turkey. To apply e-visa to enter Turkey, visit Turkey e-visa web site.

First Snow of the Winter in Istanbul

December is one of the coldest months in İstanbul. It is very likely that you will have some rain, chilly winds and maybe even snow. This is the surprising part: heavy snow started falling on İstanbul’s outskirts on 11 December 2013 and continued until 13 December 2013. Actually this was the first snow of the winter in İstanbul and the city has been affected by the snow for three days. Everywhere was covered by the snow which created wonderful scenes from different views of İstanbul.

İstanbul, one of largest cities in the world with a population approximately 14 million, is located between two continents. The city is divided by Boğaziçi (Bosphorus) Strait and extends both on the European and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Boğaziçi (Bosphorus). Since İstanbul is  a transcontinental city, straddling Boğaziçi (Bosphorus) in northwestern Turkey, between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, the city receives air streams from Balkans, Siberia and Marmara.

İstanbul is also one of the most significant cities in history. Considering its long history, İstanbul has been a contact point of several civilizations and has served as the capital of four empires; respectively Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, the Latin Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. İstanbul was also selected as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Istanbul Bosphorus under snow. Seen from Bogazici University campus (European side)

Rumelihisari under snow in December 2013

General information about the climate in İstanbul is as follows: İstanbul has a transitional climate between a temperate Mediterranean climate and a temperate Oceanic climate with warm to hot, moderately dry summers and cool to cold, wet winters since it is bordering the Sea of Marmara which connects the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. Generally speaking winters are cold, with low temperatures averaging 4–5 °C (39–41 °F). Snow showers are rare (luckily we had one between 11- 13 December ), but it rains frequently. Starting from December till March temperatures are around 5-10 °C in İstanbul. Snow and strong winds negatively affect city transportation especially ferries. People prefer shopping malls or covered areas during colder season.

Approximately 11.6 million foreign visitors arrived in İstanbul in 2012 and tourists usually prefer summer and spring times. However during winter, sights are less uncrowded, prices for hotels are lower. After seeing the pictures of İstanbul in snow; it would be nice experience to try to visit İstanbul during winter times.

Qatar Airways flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport to start in May 2014

Most of the international flights to Turkey arrives to Istanbul Ataturk Airport which is at almost the end of this large city on the European side. This is OK for many because much of the tourist attractions in Istanbul is on this side of the Bosphorus. But if your destination is Asian side or other cities near Istanbul such as Bursa, Izmit and Sakarya then you will need to “cross the bridge”. This may mean hours of drive in traffic as well as other conveniences (there is no direct airport shuttle from Istanbul Ataturk Airport to Anatolian side of the city and it will cost a lot to take taxi to there).

Recently, I have taken a flight from Singapore to Istanbul on Qatar Airways and landed in Istanbul Ataturk Airport while my final destination was Umraniye on the Asian side. I had to take a 2 hours long public transportation to reach there (yes I am stingy). If there was a Sabiha Gokcen flight I would just take a shorter airport shuttle and then taxi.

Fortunately, increasing number of international flights are arriving to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Qatar Airways is the last one and one of the few which opens Asian side of İstanbul to long-haul international flights from Africa and Far East. By May 22 2014, the Doha based airline will fly to Sabiha Gokcen. The 4x weekly flights will be served by Airbus A320 aircraft in 2 class configuration with 12 Business Class and 132 Economy Class seats.

This will allow passengers to access Asian side of Istanbul as well as some other major industrial cities in Marmara region such as Izmit, Sakarya and Bursa. And not only Qatar Airways passangers: the airline has recently joined oneworld global airline alliance which is the third largest in the world. Oneworld members include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas.

Qatar Airways will commence flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport in May 2014.

Qatar Airways have started flying to Turkey in 2004 with the commence of Doha – İstanbul Ataturk Airport flights. Increased demand resulted in introduction of Ankara – Doha flights in 2010. In 2013, Qatar Airways has responded to increased demand for flights to Turkey by replacing narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft on Istanbul route with wide body Airbus A330 and increasing the frequency of Ankara – Doha flights. Doha – Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen route will be the 3rd route of Qatar Airways to Turkey. With these flights total number of Qatar Airways flights to Turkey is increasing from 14 to 18.

Qatar Airways offers transfer in Doha to Istanbul which makes it a cheaper alternative to fly to Istanbul from Far East such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Japan.

Luxurious boutique Witt Hotel Istanbul

Are you looking for a luxurious and spacious boutique hotel in Istanbul where you’ll feel right at home? Witt Istanbul Hotel offering 17 rooms with a modern-retro lasting design may be for you. This very trendy and modern hotel is opened by Tuncel Toprak who studied economics at Rutgers University in the USA and after a brief stint working in the financial industry returned to Istanbul to follow his dream of opening a boutique hotel.

From the outside, Witt Istanbul Hotel’s traditional Turkish sandstone facade looks like a nondescript apartment block. But kitted out exclusively in bespoke furniture by Autoban, Turkey’s top interior designers, and with bathroom and mini-bar fixtures from Ross Lovegrove, Witt Istanbul Hotel is far from ordinary. The end result is domestic luxury rather than hotel swank. The non-chain, non-banded 17 room luxury boutique hotel is diminutive, discreet and designer without being garishly so. It all makes for the perfect pied-a-terre in the vibrant Beyoğlu neighborhood.

The Witt Istanbul Hotel is situated on a steep hill in Cihangir, a trendy neighborhood with a bohemian flair. “I wanted to stay away from the tourist areas of Taksim Square and Sultanahmet. Here you can be an insider and hang out with locals,” Tuncel explains his choice of location for the hotel.

Still Istanbul’s night life center Istiklal Street and Galata district are quite near and old town (Sultanahmed) is quite accessible.

And the rooms? Witt Istanbul offers large rooms (minimum 30 square meters), stylishly furnished suites with iPod docking stations, Nespresso-machine-equipped kitchenettes and city or Bosphorus views.

Luxurious boutique Witt Hotel Istanbul

A useful tip: Van Kahvalti Evi (Van Breakfast House) which is a two-minute walk from the hotel is a must try. The place is a homage to the Turkish breakfast with fantastic selection of cheeses and honeys.

Luxury Yacht Charter Destinations From Marmaris

The most favorite place for yacht charter in Turkey is Southwest Coast known as Turkish Riviera or Turquoise Coast. Along its beautiful coastline there are many luxury yacht charter destinations to visit and explore. A very popular city to begin such relaxing holidays is from the diverse and exciting city of Marmaris. From here, travelers can embark, choosing from an array of itineraries.

Located on the border of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas of Turkey, Marmaris offers much that one can do before or after their luxury yacht charter holidays. Boasting 4 major marinas and a choice port of call by yachtsmen and blue cruise travelers, Marmaris is known to be the gulet heaven of the Carian coast. To see a small selection of yachts and gulets embarking from Marmaris, there is a Yacht Charter Show in the month of May where the harbor is lined with all sorts of yachts of different classes to board and look around.

One reason why blue cruise travelers choose Marmaris for their gulet charter holidays is because of its near proximity to the Dodecanese and Cyclades islands in Greece. The island of Rhodes is a very short cruise away and from there, most itineraries will follow the route to Symi island and Kos.

Symi island visit during 7 night yacht holidays from Turkey

Not limited only to the Greek Islands, the surrounding regions offer plenty of alternatives in routes. Traveling from Marmaris to the Eastern Mediterranean will lead you to discover the quaint and ever so popular port of Gocek and the 12 islands, the splendid city of Fethiye and all the other little bays in between such as Bedri Rahmi and Aga Port. There is also the ancient city of Caunos in the town of Dalyan.

Blue cruise pleasures do not stop there. Gulet cruising to the East will open even more routes to other fantastic destinations. Heading to the west a leading itinerary among travelers is from Marmaris on a 7 nights’ gulet cruise to Bodrum. The special part about this luxury yacht charter destination route also takes you to the islands of Rhodes and Symi as well as the Datca peninsula to see the ancient city of Cnidus (Knidos). Therefore you have the pleasure of seeing not only the magnificent Turkish coastline but also the historic country of Greece along the way.

Marmaris Yacht Marina in the night

Source : 5 Reasons To Choose Luxury Yacht Charter Destinations From Marmaris

Halal Sex Shop opened in Turkey

Turkey's fırst Halal Sex Shop has been launched selling halal sex products and giving advises on how to have "halal" sex. The shop is opened by 38 years old Turkish entrepreneur Haluk Murat Demirel. The sex shop does not use explicit photos and does not sell haram products such as vibrators (masturbation is not halal). The halal sex shop on the other hand sells products “entirely safe,” and in compliance with Islamic norms such as condoms, massage oils, lubricants and herbal aphrodisiacs.

45 per cent of the halal sex shop are women. The shop does not have an official Halal certificate. The shop owner checks the products in Islamic sources and marks them Halal.

The entrance page on its web site there are 2 sections Erkek (Male) and Kadın (Female). It says completely safe, comply with Islamic norms and Halal sexual products.

Entrance page of Halal Sex Shop

"We use words which are delicate, not pornographic," he explains. "For example, instead of 'horny' we use 'desiring'. These details are important."

Turkey is a country where liberal and conservative values often conflict. Recently a Victoria's Secret shop silently pulled down their shutters before the prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in this Ankara Shopping Mall, walked by. This was quite aggressively debated in social networks and internet in general.

Turkish socialite rocked by black baby scandal

This blog post is moved to Oravar.com : Turkish socialite rocked by black baby scandal.

Turkish man Yagmur Kursat Ersagun accused of rape in Taiwan

One of the most talked person in Taiwan was a Turkish student named Yağmur Kürşat Ersagün. Unfortunately, the topic is rape: Ersagün also known as Wang KaiJie (王凱傑) in Taiwan is accused of raping a woman and an underage high school girl. And there is more: Taiwan police have found sex videos of 29 women in his apartment.

Last April, a woman approached Taipei Police and accused Ersagün with attempted rape. According to the woman, she has met Ersagün in internet and he has brought her to his apartment with the excuse of "feeding his sick rabbit". Ersagün, who is a student in Taiwan for the past 5 years, was in front of judge this week and rejected all accusations. He had claimed that the videos found in his apartment was taken with the consent of the women and he has given a copy of the video to the women. Unlike most other sex video scandals, the videos did not leak to internet to be watched by masses.

Taiwan has a very big video and rape scandal last year. Justin Lee, a playboy and son of a well known tycoon in Taiwan, has been accused of raping and taking videos of women. Some of these women were very well known models and actresses like Maggie Wu. At the end Justin Lee has been found guilty for raping 9 women and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Justin Lee scandal videos were leaked to internet and was highly in demand for download and watch.

Yağmur Kürşat Ersagün

Bosphorus Cruise - Full Bosphorus Cruise and Short Bosphorus Tour

One of the things you must do in Istanbul is to take a Bosphorus Cruise. This unique experience will let you see both Asian and European shores of Bosphorus and Istanbul's magestic silhouette from a fantastic angel.

But which Bosphorus Cruise you should take. You will be flooded with many cruise operators in Istanbul. Most of these are private Bosphorus Cruises and they are usually disappointingly short, expensive tours on small boats. The best Bosphorus Cruise in Istanbul are those 2 tours operated by Istanbul's Sehir Hatlari: 4 Seasons Bosphorus Tours.

See more Bosphorus Cruise - Full Bosphorus Cruise and Short Bosphorus Tour.

FEMEN Turkey branch is active now

Ukraine based feminist protest group FEMEN has opened its Turkey affiliate. FEMEN Turkey Twitter page has announced the new development : We announce the debut of FEMEN Turkey office! Join Guntulu! Fight for democracy in your country.

Guntulu is the name of the young topless Turkish woman in the photo below whose boobs are painted to Turkish flag while her protest fist is all the way up. FEMEN is known for its topless protests. The abusive messages left under the photo of Guntulu shows that FEMEN members will have hard time in Turkey.

FEMEN Turkey Twitter account was suspended for half an hour but later activated again. The first message about Turkey after the opening was about ODTU (Middle East Technical University) in Ankara where students are protesting the government who is determined to cut 3,000 trees in ODTU forest.

Back in late July, Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet has announced FEMEN's plans to open up a Turkish branch:

We have met Inna Sevcenko in FEMEN Training center and she has said that she supports Taksim Gezi Park protests and FEMEN has drawn huge interest from Turkey. She has also said that to open up FEMEN branch in Turkey they have trained a Turkish woman in FEMEN Paris.
Source : Türk Femen’ler geliyor

Femen Turkey

FEMEN Turkey requested support from Turkısh women. They wrote in twitter and requested women to send them a topless photo where they write political messages on their breasts. A Turkish woman named Didem Dinç has been the first supporter. She has sent a topless photo of herself with "No to war" on her breast.

Didem Dinç

Marmaray will open on 29 October 2013

Marmaray, the tube which will cross the Bosphorus underwater from Europe to Asia in Istanbul, is set to open on 29 October 2013, on the 90th birthday of The Republic of Turkey. The project has been under construction in the past 9 years and is usually referred as "The Project of The Century" by ruling Justice and Development Party. The tests on the section which is composed of submerged tube and tunnels has been started on 4 August 2013 and the first test drive was performed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Marmaray is in fact going into operation 4.5 years later than it was originally planned. When the work for Marmaray started in 2004, it was planned to be finished by 2009. But in 2005, archaeologically significant sites were discovered at the location where the Marmaray tunnel goes to surface level and sections in Uskudar, Sirkeci and Yenikapi. The most important site which has been uncovered was the biggest port of Constantinople in the 4tn century, Theodosius Port.

Not all phases of Marmaray are opened on 29th October. Only the first phase which is composed of 4 stations will be opened. This section is the most important section because it has the underwater Bosphorus crossing. All the project will be operational sometime in 2015.

Marmaray ticket prices will be 1.95 Turkish Lira (around 1 USD).

Below are the 4 stations which will be operational on 29th October:

• Yenikapı (European Side)
• Sirkeci (European Side)
• Üsküdar (Asian Side)
• Ayrılıkçeşme (Asian Side)

Marmaray construction site seen here in Uskudar, Asian side of Bosphorus. On the other side,
European shores of Bosphorus is seen.

Same day with Marmaray (but with a different ceremony), Ankara - Istanbul High Speed Rail Line will also become operational.  

Ankara - Istanbul High-speed Train

Ankara – Istanbul high speed train is a high speed train in Turkey scheduled to operate on 533 kilometer long Ankara – Istanbul high speed railway from February or March 2014. Currently, Ankara – Eskisehir high speed train is operational and the high speed railway between Istanbul and Turkey is almost completed.

Istanbul is the largest city and the financial, cultural and art center of Turkey. Ankara, the second largest city in Turkey, is the capital city. Ankara – Istanbul route is the busiest route in Turkey currently dominated by private buses and airlines. With the completion of the project, travel time between Ankara and Istanbul will be reduced to only 3 hours and the share of transportation by the railway on the route is expected to jump to 78% from the current 10%. More, Ankara – Istanbul high speed railway will connect to Marmaray which will allow direct train access from Europe to Asia.

I have previously used the existing high speed train line between Ankara and Eskisehir. The train is quite comfortable and offers plugs for your computer in the business section and a comfortable working space. Adding these extras, the travel time between Ankara and Istanbul is more productive with the high speed train. And you do not need to pass through those endless security check queues of the airports which also reduces the total time spent.

Ankara – Istanbul High Speed Train (TCDD HT65000)

Ankara – Istanbul High-speed train starts its journey from the city center of Ankara but the story is different in Istanbul. Unfortunately, the high speed train will not arrive to Haydarpasa Train Station in Kadikoy as many hoped. The train starts its service from Pendik, the eastern most district of Istanbul. From there you will need to transfer to normal train line of Marmaray. There are 9 stops on the Ankara – Istanbul High Speed Rail Line (from Ankara to Istanbul):

• Ankara
• Polatlı,
• Eskişehir
• Bozüyük
• Bilecik
• Pamukova
• Sapanca
• İzmit
• Gebze
• Pendik

It seems like this created disappointment for many in Istanbul. One writer in popular internet site Eksi Sozluk wrote “I congratulate Izmit residents for their new High Speed Train Line” (Although Pendik is a district of Istanbul, it is quite far in the eastern outskirts of city towards city of Izmit).

Ankara – Istanbul High-speed Train is not the only high speed rail project in Turkey. There is a high speed rail line between Ankara and Konya and there are projects to connect Ankara to Samsun, Kars (via Sivas, Erzincan) and even distant cities like Diyarbakir and Antep by high speed train. Turkey expects to have 1500 km high speed train line in 2013 and plans to increase this to 10,000 kilometers in 2023, the 100th birthday of Turkish Republic.

Turkey High Speed Railway Map (completed, underconstruction and planned