Summary of My 17D Balkans Travelogue (2018) Covering Istanbul, Bosnia & Herzegovina & Croatia

And here comes the end of another travelogue of mine - like, finally! This year I managed to complete at least 5 travelogues before year-end; Solo Trip To Europe (2017), 9D8N Australia Melbourne & Sydney (2017), 6D5N Central Vietnam (2018), 6D5N Kyushu Japan (2018) and now this one - 17D of my Balkans trip covering Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia. Feeling accomplished cause my motivation for blogging is finally back on track! I almost lost my interest and passion not just in blogging, but in travelling too dating back 2 years ago.

SUMMARY OF MY 17D BALKANS TRIP COVERING ISTANBUL, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA AND CROATIA

Here is the compilation of my Balkans travelogue at a glance (obviously I'm lazy to summarise everything 😜):

• 2018 Istanbul, Bosmia & Herzegovina and Croatia (Sneak Peek)
• 48 Hours in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Sarajevo to Mostar By Train and Stari Most
• A Day Trip To Blagaj Tekija, Pocitelj, Kravice Falls & War Tour
• Can't Help Falling In Love With Dubrovnik
• Old City Walls of Dubrovnik
• From Dubrovnik to Split
• A Day Trip To Sibenik From Split
• A Short Layover To Zadar
• The Breathtaking View of Plitvice Lakes National Park
• Zagreb, My Last Leg of Croatia
• Istanbul, Turkey - My Starting and Ending Point of My Balkans Trip

(Just click each of them and it will link you to the individual blogpost)

For this post also, I would like to share not comprehensive one but a brief and basic travel guide based my own first hand experience to Turkey (Istanbul), Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia.

VISA

For Malaysian, visa is NOT required to enter into these three countries. Therefore don't have to worry about applying any visa at all. That's show how powerful our Malaysian passport are, right? However if you are intended to stay more than 90 days for each respective country, then you have to go and apply for the visa. I don't have experience for this cause normally, I only stay one or two weeks for each country. 

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Before embarking for this trip, I exchanged Euros and some Turkish lira (I changed in KL Nu Sentral). You can bring along US dollar, British Pound or even Singapore Dollar cause these currencies are also widely accepted in most of the European countries.

• Turkey's national currency is Turkish lira. It can be found in Malaysia. But in case you don't have the time to change, no worries cause you can exchange in Istanbul. TRY100 = RM102
• Convertible mark (KM/BAM) is the only legal tender in Bosnia & Herzegovina. I exchanged in Sarajevo International Airport - the first Bosnia's airport I landed. €1.00 = 1.95KM on average*. But because there is 1% commission being charged, hence I got €1.00 = 1.93KM
• The official currency for Croatia is Croatian kuna. €1.00 = HRK7.13 on average*

*The rate I exchanged in May 2018

Top: Bosnia & Herzegovina's convertible mark

Bottom: Croatian kuna 

PURCHASING TRANSPORTATION TICKET

The most frequently asked travel questions - where to buy all these transportation tickets and when? Being "kiasu" in me, I always prefer to buy all my buses and trains ticket prior to my trip in order to secure the seats, especially when the bus and train schedules are quite limited. Except for my train ticket from Sarajevo to Mostar and a-return day trip between Split and Sibenik, I booked all my bus tickets from GetByBus (click here). It's a legit and reliable website, so don't have to worry cause it's really pretty save and secure buying bus tickets from this website. 

The only downside of this website is that you have to print out your tickets. They don't accept mobile ticket. And another thing you have to take note is that for all intercity buses, there is an extra fee of €1-2 charge for luggage fee. Remember to keep some small change.

SIM CARD

Because I was travelling alone, hence it's freaking costly to rent a pocket WiFi by my own. Besides that, for your information Bosnia & Herzegovina is actually doesn't consider to be part of European coverage even for both pocket WiFi and travel sim card. What I did is I bought my travel sim card from Hello1010 (click here) and purchased another one for Bosnia & Herzegovina in Sarajevo Airport. 

There you go! Hopefully I don't miss out any important travel tips and info relating my trip to these Balkans countries. In case you have any queries or doubt, feel free to leave a comment or email me. 

TOTAL SPENDING

As usual, I simplify everything for easy reference - which include means of transportation, hostels, entrance fees, food but excluding my shopping spending throughout my trip around 17 days. 

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	€/KM/CZK	RM
Air Fares Singapore Airlines (Return fare Kota Kinabalu to Istanbul) Pegasus Airlines (One-way Istanbul to Sarajevo) Turkish Airways (One-way Zagreb to Istanbul) Cities Sarajevo – 2 days Mostar – 2 days Dubrovnik – 2days Split – 2 days A Day Trip to Split Zadar – 1 day Plitvice Lakes National Park – 1 day Zagreb – 2 days Istanbul – 2 days Ground Tour Herzegovina Tour Others 4GB Travel Prepaid Sim Card - Bought from Hello1010	- - - - - - - - - - - - 60KM -	2,190 293 955 301 188 782 419 149 289 300 363 250 150 103
	TOTAL:	6,732

Exchange rate  €1.00 = RM4.84 as at May 2018

Curious about my souvenir travel haul? There are two items I die-die must buy whenever I visit different country or city which are the fridge magnet and postcard. Besides these two, another one would be the stamps. Sometimes I would spend up to RM100 by just buying these three things. As for this trip, my total spending for souvenir and shopping is RM1,026 including numerous of fridge magnets, postcards, stamps, a T-shirt, a skirt and a dress when I was in Croatia. 

A hardcore collector for fridge magnets.

Souvenirs from Croatia including tea towels, liquid soap dispense and a T-shirt for my nephew.

Pouch and fridge magnets from Istanbul.

Turkish ceramic bowls in various sizes.

AIRLINES EXPERIENCE & THEIR IN-FLIGHT MEALS
For this trip, I flew and experienced 4 different type of airlines:

1) Silk Air for my journey between Kota Kinabalu to Singapore. I even blogged about this airline before (click here).

In-flight meal for Silk Air. I like their fresh fruits but not their main meal. Feel like eating thick flour instead of fish meats.

2) Singapore Airlines for the trip from Singapore to Istanbul as well as for the return. Finally I got to fly with the World's Best Airline. However, I'm quite disappointed with the fleet for the flight to Istanbul cause it's one old aircraft being used. The in-flight entertainment wasn't fascinating and not many options were given. Even for the in-flight meals, I found out it's just so-so and nothing to shout. 

For the route Singapore to Istanbul, their meals are quite acceptable. 

But for the route from Istanbul to Singapore, the meals look kinda sad and unappetising. Luckily there's an ice-cream to cheer me up

3) Pegasus Airlines for one-way journey from Istanbul to Sarajevo. Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish low-cost airlines with no-frills, similar to AirAsia where the fare doesn't include free baggage allowance, in-flight meal and entertainment. 

4) Turkish Airlines for a trip from Zagreb to Istanbul. Turkish Airlines is a national carrier airline of Turkey and it's full-fledged airlines. This is one of the most expensive fares I ever bought in my life just for a single trip. 

Never thought this is going to be a lengthy post but I'm glad that finally this is the end. Now I'm going to have a cup of nice hot coffee and at same time, thinking which travelogue should I blog next.

Read More

Balkans (2018): Istanbul, Turkey - My Starting & Ending Point of My Balkans Trip

Selam Istanbul!

Frankly speaking, I never imagine that I will visit Turkey by my own someday. My friends and I have been discussed about our trip to Turkey for the past few years but then, we never materialise it to date. One of the main reasons is due to the airfares - most of the times the price of the airtickets to Istanbul from Kuala Lumpur were over our budget. Not until (again!) my friend who manages the Mytravelmatez FB Page shared with me about Singapore Airlines promo. All-in return fares from Kota Kinabalu to Istanbul for as low as RM2,100 which I personally think it's a great bargain. Informed my friends about this but because each of them are committed to their worklife, at the end I decided to go ahead to travel by my own. It's not like I had never experienced travel alone before, right? So without thinking any longer, instantly booked the ticket before the price increase. My motto, "Book first, think later". 

Istanbul Aku Datang

FROM THE AIRPORT TO ISTANBUL CITY CENTRE

Thank goodness this time around my flights aren't delayed. Same goes to my luggage too - safe and sound reaching Istanbul. Still not yet recover from the worst nightmare I encountered from my previous trip to Europe alone last year (click here). Okay, now back to the main topic.

There are two different airports in Istanbul and both are located quite far from each other:

1. Istanbul Ataturk Airport - which majority planes land here, including Singapore Airlines.
2. Sabiha Gokcen International Airport 

Generally, there are several ways to get to the city center from both airports, depending on which district you choose to stay. The most popular would be Sultanahmet (the old city where most of the famous historical sights of Istanbul are situated) and Taksim (the new city with lots of shopping and entertainment around). I chosen the latter one cause I can catch the early bus to Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. 

One way with Havatas bus from/to both airports cost TRY15 (approx. to RM15). No reservation is required (first come, first serve basis) and the fare can be paid on the board. You can find this airport bus located very close to Point Hotel Taksim. To know more about the timetable, click here. 

The second option is by taking metro which is slightly cheaper than taking Havatas bus. Just follow the "Metro" signs once get out from the international arrivals and it will lead you to -2 (minus 2) floor. From there, purchase the Istanbulkart from the machine before getting into the train.


Ataturk Airport Station (M1 line) → Yenikapi Station (M1) → Taksim (M2) line

MY ACCOMMODATIONS IN ISTANBUL  
Well, I stayed in two different kind of accommodations when in Istanbul - mix of both hostel and hotel.

The first day I arrived, I booked to stay in Taksim Hostel Green House Istanbul. The hostel staff were pretty friendly and helpful cause by the time I reach the hostel, it wasn't the check-in time yet but he allowed me to use the bathroom. I was desperately need a hot bath after long hours of flight. Each bed comes with private locker, individual reading lamps and electric sockets. As for the location, it situated less than 10 minutes away from the Havatas bus stop - this is my main priority when searching for stay in Istanbul cause I need to catch my flight on the next early morning.



Whereas for my last day before leaving Istanbul (after back from Bosnia & Croatia trip), I chosen to stay in Misafir Suites 8 Istanbul which I prefer to stay in this area. It's more happening and it surrounded by countless of shopping stores, restaurants, cafes and more.



WHAT I DO & SEE IN ISTANBUL
I have few hours to kill before leaving to Bosnia & Herzegovina on the next day. Therefore, I decided to visit few well-known historical attractions like Sultanahmet (aka Blue Mosque), Hagia Sofia and Grand Bazaar. I'm freaking love going to the bazaar. All of these are located at the touristic heart of Sultanahmet. So from Taksim Station, I took funicular to Kabatas. Get off and I changed tram to Sultanahmet. Sounds complicated? Sure it does and I admit I lost my way on the first day.


Taksim Station → F1 Funikuler Kabatas → Tram to Sultanahmet using Istanbulkart which I bought from the airport earlier.

Once arrive at Sultanahmet stop, it's short walking distance to Sultanahmet (aka Blue Mosque) and Hagia Sofia cause both are located side by side. A trip to Istanbul is incomplete without visiting these two historical mosques.

Sultanahmet - Also recognised as the Blue Mosque by most of the tourists who visit this mosque is mainly due to its blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. The mosque is open to all public including the non-Muslim visitors but do take note of the prayer time cause the non-Muslim visitors are required to leave here. Hence, it is advisable to arrive in the mid morning. As for the entrance fee, it is free of charge. In addition, there is a dress code for both men and women but don't worry in case you are not aware of this cause you can rent for free at the Blue Mosque entrance.

Hagia Sofia - Not far away from Sultanahmet, this mosque is also locally known as Ayasofya. It's consider to be one of the most impressive sight in Istanbul and I have to say that I love this architecture more than the previous one. As a matter of fact, Hagia Sofia was previously a church before converted into a mosque. And now, it's a museum at the Turkish Republic. However, I didn't manage to enter and visit it cause the queue was pretty long. 

Spice Bazaar - Initially I went Grand Bazaar and only to find out it was closed on Sunday. It was indeed waste of time cause I keep searching for the entrance for almost an hour until the local told me. Silly me! But luckily I found there is another bazaar not far away from Sultanahmet which is the Spice Bazaar. It is one of the largest bazaars in the city offering Turkish delights, various spices, caviar, dried nuts and more. However, I found the things sold here are more pricier than Grand Bazaar.
Nearest Tram Stop: Eminonu stop via the Bagcilar tram

Visiting Hours: 9am to 7pm daily

Grand Bazaar - Since I missed this one on the first day, die-die must go and try my luck on my final day. Thank goodness it opened. Immediately I went in and discover what this largest and oldest covered market in Istanbul has to offer. Of course, can't deny the things sold here are almost identical to Spice Bazaar but I enjoy the shopping environment here and the price tend to be slightly cheaper. I did my last minute shopping here like buying fridge magnets, pouch and even Turkish ceramic bowls.

Nearest Tram Stop: Carsikapi stop via the Bagcilar tram

Visiting Hours: 9am to 9pm (Closed on Sunday)

Galata Bridge - Just a short walk from the Spice Bazaar, I walked across the Galata Bridge. This iron bridge was one of the city's landmark built on the Golden Horn, the ancient harbour of the city and it has featured in Turkish literature, theater, novels and poetry. If you are looking for a spot for sunset viewing in Istanbul, this would be an ideal place. Feeling so serene and calm standing on the bridge while catch a glimpse of the local colour and character as well as watching those ferries and boats across by. What a fascinating experience! 

MY SHOPPING HAUL

Like I mentioned earlier, I did most of my shopping at Grand Bazaar and I bought things like fridge magnets, various size of Turkish ceramic bowls, shawls and so on.

Postcards for the priced of TRY3 for 10 pieces. I got at the newspaper stand nearby Sultanahmet. As for the stamp, it cost TRY4 each and I bought from Ataturk Airport.

Magents are selling 3 for TRY10 whereas for the pouch, each cost TRY2


Turkish ceramic bowls, from as low as TRY3 for the smallest size to TRY30 for the largest size

TOTAL TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR MY TRIP IN ISTABUL

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	TRY	RM
Accommodations Taksim Hostel Green House – 1 night Misafir Suites 8 Istanbul – 1 night Transportation Istanbulkart Havatas Bus Food and drinks Others Shopping haul	- - 55 15 83 376	44 58 53 15 80 364
TOTAL (RM)		614

Exchange rate TRY100 = RM102 (I changed at KL Nu Sentral in January 2018) 

IS IT SAFE FOR FEMALE TO TRAVEL ALONE IN ISTANBUL?

Quite number of my friends and also readers actually asking me whether is it safe for a female traveller to travel by her own in Istanbul and I am proudly to say, YES! I can't comment for the rest of the cities of Turkey cause I haven't been yet but so far from my personal experience, I found it is pretty safe to wander alone around Istanbul. I even bumped into a Singaporean female traveller who travel alone in Istanbul and other cities of Turkey. Just beware of pickpockets especially inside the public transport and also crowded places like Sultanahmet and the bazaars.

Previous Post of My 2018 Balkans Trip

• 2018 Istanbul, Bosmia & Herzegovina and Croatia (Sneak Peek)
• 48 Hours in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Sarajevo to Mostar By Train and Stari Most
• A Day Trip To Blagaj Tekija, Pocitelj, Kravice Falls & War Tour
• Can't Help Falling In Love With Dubrovnik
• Old City Walls of Dubrovnik
• From Dubrovnik to Split
• A Day Trip To Sibenik From Split
• A Short Layover To Zadar
• The Breathtaking View of Plitvice Lakes National Park
• Zagreb, My Last Leg of Croatia

Read More

Balkans (2018): Zagreb, My Last Leg Of Croatia

Zagreb is our final and last leg of our trip in Croatia, before I went back to Istanbul and my friend Jeff continue with his journey to Slovenia. Besides being the capital city of the nation, Zagreb is also the largest city which has almost thousand year-old history of its old town. From Plitvices Lakes National Park, it takes approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes by bus to Zagreb.

ARRIVED ZAGREB BUS STATION (AUTOBUSNI KOLODVOR)

Zagreb Bus Station is situated to the south-east of the old town and it takes nearly 30 minutes to walk to the old town. Guess what, we indeed walked from here to our hostel carrying our backpacks. Luckily for me, I used to walk a lot during travelling. But in case if you are unfit to walk so far, don't worry cause you can take tram just outside the bus station. Take tram #6 towards Crnomerec and get off at Trg J. Jelacica - this is Zagreb's main square (5 stops, cost 4 kuna). Don't forget to validate your ticket in the little yellow machine once enter the tram. 

THE HOSTEL WE STAYED IN ZAGREB

Chillout Hostel is the hostel we stayed for two good nights here. This colourful mixed hostel is located just within the old town making it is very convenient to walk to those tourist attractions. The hostel even features an unpretentious restaurant and bar. However, there are few things which we dislike about this hostel; the dormitory room is quite small and it's hard for us to move around. The air-conditioner within the room was not working well during our stay.

Chillout Hostel Zagreb
Date Stayed: 24 May to 26 May 2018 (2 nights)
Room Rate: 169 kuna for a single bed in 4-bed mixed dormitory room (Booked via Booking.com)

PLACES OF INTEREST IN ZAGREB
Zagreb City is divided into two distinctive parts; the thousand-year old Gornji grad (Upper Town) which consists the Presidential Palace, the iconic St Mark's Church, the Croatian Parliament and museums and galleries which are all set in cobbled streets lit by gas lamps and the other is 19th century Donki grad (Lower Town) with countless of shops, restaurants, cafes, theatres and parks.

So many places of interest. Which should I go? Left or right?

1) Ban Jelacic Square - A charming medieval central square of the city with architecture and cobbled streets resembles of Budapest, Vienna, Prague and other Central European capitals. This Austro-Hungarian styled square is the most popular meeting points and a place where Croats gather for huge events especially major football matches or concerts. 

2) Dolac Market - It is the main open-air farmer's market in Zagreb. This is where the local buy fresh products such as vegetables and fruits for the past 80 years under the notable red umbrellas. If you are looking for typical tourist souvenirs like fridge magnets, keychains, T-shirts and more, you can consider to visit here. Open everyday as early as 7 am till 2pm.

3) Zagreb Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - That's one pretty long name there. It is the most significant landmark of Zagreb. As a matter of fact, this cathedral is not just the tallest building in Croatia but it is also the most monumental sacral building in Neo-Gothic style southeast of the Alps. 

4) St. Mark's Church - It is the parish church of old Zagreb and it is easily recognised for its uniquely colourful tiled roof which attract both local and foreign tourists to visit it. St. Mark's Church is one of the most well-known iconic of Zagreb and it's highly recommend to visit when one visit Zagreb. We didn't manage to enter into the church but by just looking out the exterior, we're totally absolute intrigued by it.  

5) Museum of Broken Relationships - First of all, we never intended to visit this museum initially but because it was raining heavily in St. Mark Square where the St. Mark's Church located, we ran into this museum thereafter. Secondly, we thought this museum is relating to history of two countriess decided to break up their nations' friendship but both of us were totally wrong. Museum of Broken Relationships is actually a museum dedicated to failed love relationships and this is where they displayed their personal items from former lovers along with brief synopses. Frankly speaking, I'm not a history buff but I found this museum is quite interesting and fascinating - one of a kind and unique museum, I should say. 

Entrance Fee: 40 kuna (approx. to RM27)

6) Mirogoj Cemetery - Alright, probably many of you would not ever consider to visit cemetery but this cemetery is not like what you think. Mirogo Cemetery is claimed to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe and it is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. Besides being a burial place, it also consists an open art gallery and a beautiful green park. So if you are looking for Instagram-worthy spot, do consider here. Trust me! Your followers won't believe this is a cemetery place. By the way, this rarely visit spot is located out from the old town. So we took bus #106 from Zagreb Cathedral to here. 

Other Sights We Bumped Into:

Apart from the above, we stumbled upon few buildings with fascinating and impressive architecture that caught my attention. Guess I am an archilover. 

Zagreb Art Pavilion


Croatian National Theatre

Zagreb Train Station (Glavni Kolodvor) - This is a railway hub which has direct services to major European cities like Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Ljubljana and Sarajevo.

A random building which I don't know what it is but I love this pic anyway. #nofilter


A few shots for the sake of the Instagram

My newly bought dress from Croatia's H&M and my 10 years old sling bag from France's H&M

Never leave a city without sending at least a postcard #thetravellingnails

THE FOOD WE ATE IN ZAGREB


Kicked off our second day with a cup of hot coffee and pastries at Pan-Pek


Lunch at Bombay Grill. We're kinda craving for something spicy and Asian food, so we settled our lunch here. It's so delicious that we finished almost everything served on the table.

Before leaving Croatia, don't forget to try Croatian Vanilla Custard Cake - Kremsnita.
In Zagreb, try the one in Vincek which is not far away from Ban Jelacic Square.

HOW TO GET TO ZAGREB INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 

After staying for two days and two nights here, it's time to bid goodbye to Zagreb which marks my last city in Croatia. As my flight back to Istanbul is scheduled to depart at 9am, I have to leave the city at least by 5 am. From Chillout Hostel, I walked to Ban Jelacic Square to take tram #6 heading to Zagreb Bus Station (Autobusni Kolodvor). And from there, I took airport shuttle operated by Croatia Airlines which opens to the public. It takes about an hour journey from the bus station to the international airport and that explain why I need to leave the city early. One way costs 30 kuna and can be purchased on the bus. 

First time flying with Turkish Airlines and this is one freaking expensive one-way ticket I ever bought.

TOTAL SPENDING FOR 2D2N IN ZAGREB

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	HRK/€	RM
Accommodation Chillout Hostel – 2 nights Transportation Plitvice Lakes to Zagreb by bus Bus #106 from Mirogoj Cemetery Tram #6 to Zagreb Bus Station Croatia Airlines Bus Admission Fee Museum of Broken Relationships Food & Drinks First Day Lunch – McD First Night Dinner - Groceries  Second Day Breakfast – Pan-Pek Second Day Lunch – Bombay Grill Second Night Dinner – Wrap Grill Pork Coffee & cake at Zagreb Airport Others Magnet Postcards Stamps Souvenirs & snacks	HRK169 HRK80 HRK4 HRK4 HRK30 HRK40 HRK36 HRK16 HRK25 HRK79 HRK16 HRK43 HRK50 HRK9 HRK20 HRK93	114 52 3 3 20 27 24 10 17 53 11 29 34 6 13 63
TOTAL (RM)		479

Exchange Rate: €1.00 (RM4.84) = 7.13 kuna on average

Previous Post on My 2018 Balkans Trip

• 48 Hours in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Sarajevo to Mostar By Train and Stari Most
• A Day Trip To Blagaj Tekija, Pocitelj, Kravice Falls & War Tour
• Can't Help Falling In Love With Dubrovnik
• Old City Walls of Dubrovnik
• From Dubrovnik to Split
• A Day Trip To Sibenik From Split
• A Short Layover To Zadar
• The Breathtaking View of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Read More