Turkey - Comfortably Numb

Book review: There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

One drop of water to bind them all One single drop of water. It falls from the sky onto Ashurbanipal, the Assyrian king. From then on, it alters its structure but not its DNA, and enters the system of the other main characters: King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums, that self-taught genius who grows…

Photo Feature: Picture Postcards

All photos by Sheila Kumar and subject to copyright. The Alexandra Book Café in Budapest is one of the most ornate coffee shops I`ve been to. All that Baroque gilded moldings, the glittering chandeliers, the striking…

Travel: Sirince, Turkey

SIRINCE On top of the world Sheila Kumar happens upon Sirince atop a modest-sized mountain in Turkey, and comes away charmed This place was not on my list. I mean the list I drew up before embarking on a trip to Turkey. There was glorious Istanbul, a boat ride on the mesmeric Bosporus, a day…

Photo Feature: Cats of Turkey

Cats of Turkiye, a pictorial representation All pics by Sheila Kumar. All images subject to copyright. A short note on Istanbulli felines: Locals call Istanbul Catstanbul at times; many hundreds of felines — 1,25,000 at last count — roam the streets in complete and confident freedom and have…

Travel: : Heybeliada Island, Turkey

Islet in the sun The writer visits a lovely Turkish island with no cars but plenty of shaggy dogs. It’s a gorgeous morning, a brisk wind rifling the surface of the Sea of Marmara, the sun still in a mild mood though we have crested the mid-day point. I’m on the deck of the Baris…

Travel: Pamukkale, Turkey

Turkish delight I have climbed steeper hills. And on one occasion that stays in my memory, for wince-making reasons, I have climbed a gritty hill without footwear…don’t ask. And here I am, climbing the 2,700-metre-high calcite hill in Pamukkale, in Turkey’s Denizli region. So why am I so tensed, teeth gritted painfully, muscles knotted hard,…

Travel: Cappadocia, Turkey

Just can’t wait to kiss the ground… Sheila Kumar goes hot-air-ballooning in Cappadocia with fear in her heart and a question on her lips. It had rained, the night before. And so, some of us go to bed with a silent plea in our hearts. Those pleas are heard; at 4.30 the…

Travel: Mother Mary`s House, Turkey

The house on the hill Legend has it that after the crucifixion, Mother Mary went to live in Turkey. We go explore the site. Our guide Cengiz is telling a fascinating story as the vehicle climbs the steep inclines of Mt. Koressos, the Bulbul Mountain, on the outskirts of the famed historical site of Ephesus….

Travel: The Bosphorus, Turkey

I just can’t help it. As I stand looking at the rippling swath of blue water, a line from an old Hindi film song comes to mind: “…tumsa nahin dekha.” I’m on the European side of Istanbul, staring at the Bosphorus. Over the last four days, I have taken in all of Istanbul’s many delights….