#15 Fainnama'al Usri Yusro Innama'al Usri Yusro

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

This is a story of a lady, who like everyone else, just got her SPM results.

As the naughtiest and loudest person in this family, I got to say I never expected to get this kind of result. I was never the smartest person in school, nor in class. I wasn’t born a genius either. What I had were my parents, my friends and most importantly, Allah. I always believe that for every hardship there will surely be ease and we must keep going no matter what. No. matter. what. Alhamdulillah, now that I got my result and best to say that I did it, even though I’m not the best student in school. This is by far my biggest and greatest achievement, Alhamdulillah. Through my hardships I’ve learned a lot of lessons as well as knowing how strong how I really am. Yes, I wanted to give up. Yes, I cried a lot. Yes, I failed sooo many times. But then I started to realize that I learned a lot from my failures and my mistakes. I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes anymore, because I know that afterwards, I’ll become more knowledgeable as the saying goes, you never learn anything if you never fail.

Believe it or not, I never wanted to be a science student. I hated science, oh for God’s sake! But I guess Allah knows what’s best for me because I got accepted to pure science stream class due to my PT3 result (although I got B for my maths and C for my science). I guess things were going too fast as I accepted the offer and decided to ‘TRY FIRST’. Things were not easy, yes, but they were not possible to learn. I started to realize that I actually enjoyed learning sciences subjects especially biology and for add maths as well (but only for certain topics)

Based on a true story. I was never really a fan of chemistry. I started to understand those mol things and electrolysis in form 5. During form 4, my marks would be around 50-60. Even after I understood those topics completely and I did a lot of homeworks, ( I also made my own book of experiment collections for Psyshics, Biology & Chemistry, all hand-written) I still didn't get an A. I got a B+ for my chemistry during trial. I repeat, I never got an A for my chemistry test. Amazingly, like a miracle, I got an A+ for my chemistry in SPM. That striked me the most, it made me realize even more that Allah is the most merciful, Allah listens, Allah cares. After all my hard work, my struggles, He finally gives me an A+. Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah.

I know that I have a longgg way to go in this life and I have no idea what the future holds for me. But consider this as a favour, to help and inspire my juniors and students out there that you are capable of so many things. You might like something that’s not good for you and you might hate something that is good for you. Allah knows it all. Some tips (if you can call it that) from me to students and youngsters, especially those who will be taking PT3 and SPM:

·         Solat. Never miss one. That is the most powerful weapon and with solat you get to release your stress, tell your problems to Allah, cry your heart out, He hears ‘em all.

·         Read Al-Quran every single day, if you’re busy even one page is enough. Don’t keep your Quran; don’t let it be coated with dusts. Open it, recite it and most importantly, feel it in your heart, Allah is talking to you.

·         Find your own way of remembering facts. Like me, I would write and do notes multiple times until I memorize it, don’t worry; you won’t be running out of pens or paper ha-ha.

·         Always respect your teachers and other students. Being in the smartest class doesn’t mean you need to treat the others badly. Guide them, teach them and show them that you care about them and you want them to succeed together. “Apa yang penting? Kerjasama!” loll

·         No cursing, please. I admit that I, too kadang2 cakap lepas & mulut laser but when it comes to cursing, whoop you’ve seriously stepped over the line. Especially the youngsters today, those crappy words just came out of their mouth so smoothly... I wonder why, I wonder how. Seriously you’ve got to watch your language. Those bad words are the reason why it’s so hard for us to understand what we learn. bak kata orang, hati sudah hitam dengan terlalu banyak mencarut.

·         Spend your time wisely, I am a fan of movies, big big fan and I know you like K-drama and stuffs, but you need to plan wisely, when’s the right time to study, when’s the right time for entertainment. Those oppa oppa cannot help you unless you help yourselves okay?

·         Never ever tangguh your homeworks. As long as you got time, finish them! Only then it’s up to you whether to play or to continue studying. Remember that time is gold; you can’t never turn back time so spend it wisely, very wisely.

·         During your ample time, when you’re waiting for the bus or when you’re in the van, open up a book. Read. Ignore what others say or think. If you read notes from school, who knows maybe that one time could help you understand some things ( I have a story of this actually, when I was on the van on my way home from school, I used to read a chemistry revision book and I read about electrolysis, one of the most challenging topics and I kept repeating reading it and at one moment it was like a light bulb just appeared on my head and suddenly, i figured it all out! I understood everything and it all finally made sense to me, amazingly: D )
- Keep going. You’re stronger than you think you are. I was weak, but now I finally know what I’m capable of. Like Dory said, just keep swimming, just keep swimming! Things are hard, but that’s life. If everything in this world is easy, then there would be nothing interesting, nothing amazing and nothing inspiring. Hard is what makes it great.

I think that would be all from me, if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask me on instagram @annaezaha_ . I would be happy to help you, I would like to take this moment to say thank you to my parents, umi and abah. I know my result is nothing compared to what you’ve given me since the day you brought me into this world. And I promise that I will keep struggling and will try my best to be better each day, thank you for supporting me through every steps, helping me since my first day at school 12 years ago until I finished school. Thank you for letting me know the true value of life, and for teaching me lots of valuable lessons in life, by travelling mostly. Day by day I know that I want to be a better person. Then, to my teachers, though I cannot make a list of all of you here, I pray that you will live a healthy and a happy life. I remember kena rotan, denda superman, denda berdiri atas kerusi. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for those. Because of your rotan and denda, I am who I am today. I also pray that Allah will give you the strength and courage to go through all the challenges while producing the future leaders and apprentice. Last but not least, to my friends, old and new, thank you for the memories, for laughing with me and crying with me. One year ago, we were just a bunch of students struggling and cracking our heads, who would’ve thought that time would fly so fast, eh? The next day, we’ll all be separated and meet new friends, have a career, get married, and have kids. Gosh, I’m an adult!

#14 Ezahaians In Turkey (Day 8 - 11)

DAY 8 - CAPPADOCIA

• In the morning, we woke up at 6 am and had our breakfast-in-bed at the hotel. 
• At around 8, the van came to pick us up for the day's activities; Green Tour -- This time we didn't go on our own but by a group trip ( which was less fun, actually :/ )
• We first went to see the view/panorama of Cappadocia and my, the view was breathtakingly beautiful! Plus we were also accompanied by a super, super cold and windy weather. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• After spending about 15 minutes taking photos and stuffs, we continued our journey to the Derinkuyu Underground City.
• It is the largest one in Turkey and one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia.
• With the depth of 60 m, it is enough to have sheltered as much as 20,000 people alongside live stocks and food.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• There were hundreds of steps and we had to bend down ( thank God I'm not that tall, haha otherwise I'd been a hunchback by now ) -- it was also very, very tiring.
• Hence, my fear of narrow spaces as they call it; claustrophobia, almost made me out of breath. Nevertheless, we made it out safe and sound, yayy!
  
  
  
  
  
• Our tour guide that day, named Camil told us a lot about the history; about how people used to cover themselves from the enemy underground when they were attacked ( I wonder how they survived in here -- I wouldn't make it in a day, pfft )
• There were bedrooms, graves, ventilator systems and a lot more -- but we couldn't explore more because of our backaches, haha
  
• About an hour and a half later, we finally got out of the underground city and made our way to Ihlara Valley.
• Throughout our way to Ihlara Valley which took about 40 minutes from the underground city, there were mountains filled with thick, thick snow and we stopped a while for some photos ( I stayed in the van because it was so damn cold and I needed to chill man )
• Then, we arrived at the valley and we had to take about 300 steps of stairs to go down to the valley, It was more like hiking, actually and it was tiring but it was all worth it when we saw the view of the valley. 

  

  Ihlara Valley, in winter

  
  
  
  
  

  

  mi madre <3

• Basically, during summer and spring the valley would be more greenish -- but that time, it was covered in snow. Plus, when we were walking, we saw a lot of holes in canyons that surrounded us there, and it was kind of interesting to think that people actually did dig them by themselves and lived there.

  

  w/ the diva of the family

  
  

  

  my precious

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We took photos and walked for about an hour until we arrived at our stop for a drink, we had cay and juices. 10 minutes after, we continued walking to have our lunch at an Anatolian restaurant there.
• When we were on our way to the restaurant, there were dogs around us and they surrounded us! Me, being scared of literally everything, couldn't help it but screamed and ran to the restaurant, haha. ( lepas drpd tu serik dah bila nmpk anjing )
• Our lunch that day was a meal served in a clay pot, mine was meatball and it was, suprisingly, good! We also had this soup and bread as appetizers and fruits and of course, cay!
  
• After lunch, we went on our van and went straight ahead to Selime Cathedral and as we arrived there, it snowed! Weehee
• The place was so big, considering back then people used it as worship centres and some churches were located there as well such as the Virgin Mary Church. It was also a space of defense for Anatolia's earliest Christians. 

  

  love you tautautautautau

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Until then,it started to get dark and they took us to our final destination for the day, well, not exactly a tourist attraction, instead, it was actually a shop that sells Turkish delights and sweets.
• We tried some treats that we haven't tasted before and we started shopping -- we bought some nuts, several types of teas and Turkish delights.
  
• After that, they sent us back to our hotel and we had our dinner; Turkish pizzas in our room -- then, we showered and called it a night. 

  

  (not my photo)
  
  

  
  

DAY 9 - CAPPADOCIA

• At 5.30 in the morning, we woke up and by 6.30 am, we got ready to go on the hot air balloon. A few minutes after we arrived at the hot air balloon spot, we got told that it was cancelled for the day due to the windy weather ( so for those who intend to go on the hot air balloon, you'd better go here during summer or spring )
• So, we went back to our hotel and had our breakfast, by 8, we were ready for that day's activity; Red Tour.

  

  the map of Cappadocia

• We first went to the Open Air Museum; this place contains some rock-cut churches and it has also been a member of UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984.
  
  
  
• It contains around 6 churches; St Barbara Church, Apple Church, Snake Church, Dark Church, Carikli Church and Buckle Church -- but we only went to three of 'em.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We spent about an hour there, then we went to the Fairy Chimneys also contains rock churches. I didn't go in any of the churches but some of my family members did; they told me that there was an unpleasant smell... of pee, huhu and I was like, woo no thanks, haha
• We got to take a few photos and there were camels as well, then we bought some ice creams because, the cold never bothered us anyway *like a boss* (lame!)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• After that, we went to the Cavusin Seramik and there, they showed us the process of making seramic plates and souvenirs and a lot more. Umi and Abah bought some souvenirs and later on, we went to the mosque for Zuhr and Asr prayers.
  
  
  
  
• We had our lunch at Han Restaurant, a buffet restaurant and the meal was good :) 
• Moving on, after filling up our stomachs, we went to the Imaginary Land, what's funny was that the tourists usually used the vary-shaped rocks as a reference to a lot of things like dolphin, camel, mushroom, pig and a lot more ( want more? go see it for yourselves ;D )
  
• We also went to Three Beauties which was also, one of the most beautiful spot in Cappadocia. 
  
• For our last destination, we went to a weaving school and we had the chance to watch the whole process of weaving carpets. The carpets sold were very, very beautiful but unfortunately the price.. made my parents laugh, haha it was so damn expensive!
  
• After that, we said goodbye to Camil and headed back to our hotel, continued our journey back to Istanbul which took 9 hours, YES 9 HOURS! We departed at 5.30 pm and arrived at our hotel in Istanbul at around 3 in the morning. 

DAY 10 & 11 - ISTANBUL & BACK TO MALAYSIA

• After having breakfast at our hotel, Saba Hotel, we went straight ahead to Grand Bazaar by the tram.
• Since we didn't have much time to shop the first time we were there, that day was the ultimate day of shopping! We bought a lot of stuffs like souvenirs, shirts, carpets and many more.

  

  i seriously, miss this view. 

  
• One thing I notices when we were shopping, some sellers used to suggest and bring us to their friends' shop like at first it was okay...  but then it made us feel annoyed, actually. Plus, some sellers were also kind of rude and their face would change when we cancelled our intentions to buy their stuffs. Like, chill man! But still, some were really friendly ( over-friendly pun ada juga )

  

  Aslan the carpet guy 



please take me back here :')

• After about one hour and a half at Grand Bazaar, we continued shopping at the shops outside of Grand Bazaar, and then we went to buy some more carpets. 

  

  ini budak sudah lapar

• Then, we had lunch suggested by the carpet guy, we had the usual Turkish cuisine meals, kebabs and stuffs. After lunch, we went back to our hotel to pack our bags and rest.
• By 7, we got ready to go to a Malaysian-Chinese Restaurant at Sultanahmet called New Asian Restaurant, which only took about 20 minutes walk from our hotel with out tour guide; Abang Junaid for the last time. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We had tomyam and other Malaysian meals like Kailan, rice (real rice!) and a lot more. Plus, we ( umi & abah, actually ) met our hometown-mate from Batu Kurau, Taiping and he is a chef at the restaurant ( oh what a small world ) and then the Batu Kurau started to pop out of nowhere between the three of them, hahaha
• Then, we walked back to our hotel and we did our final check for tomorrow's flight back to Malaysia :'(

  

  i'm getting emotional now..

• In the morning, as usual, we had our LAST breakfast at the hotel, we said goodbye to the beautiful view and then by 9, a van came to pick us up to bring us to the airport. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was our last moments in Turkey. Gule Gule Turkey! <3
  

Well, in a nutshell, our journey in Turkey taught me a lot of things and made me open my eyes about history. I never liked history honestly, but I enjoy learning the history of Turkey; about Sultan Muhammed Al-Fateh, Constantinople and much more. And even though we didn't get to visit the whole Turkey, we already felt like home there. The environment, the food, the people, the weather, even though they're different from our home here in Malaysia, those are the things that made our vacation special, and meaningful. We've learned a lot of things here, as well as to strengthen our imaan. For example, it was hard for us, the ladies in the family to take wudhu in such weather but nevertheless, it made us remember the sacrifices of the people before us. 

I know that Turkey can never run from history and I've wrote a lot of facts in all my entries so I'm asking that if you realized that I wrote any of the facts wrongly please, do tell me =) Lastly, I want to thank my parents for giving me this opportunity to go to such an amazing place. Thank you for not bringing me to cliches places but this,because Turkey is something else. Thank you to our tour guide, Bro Junaid and our driver (don't know his name) for bringing us and being patient with our naughtiness, pleased to meet you. I also want to thank my readers for spending your time reading my entries, I hope you'll learn something from it, in shaa Allah.

Dear Turkey, thank you for having us, and I hope we can see you again one day. Aamiin.

Love, Anna xx

Find me on:

instagram: @annaezaha_

Youtube: Anna Ezaha

#13 Ezahaians In Turkey (Day 4 - 7)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

DAY 4 - ISTANBUL & BURSA

• As usual, in the morning we had our breakfast at the hotel and by 8.30, we met our driver & tour guide for our next journey to Bursa, Pamukkale & Cappadocia.
• Our 1st stop for the day was the Panorama 1453 Museum Istanbul -- this museum is all about the history of Constantinople & Sultan Muhammad Al-Fateh.
  
• The best thing was, we got to experience the fall of Constantinople and it was unbelievably surreal! It presents you an ambience where you can live the events told/written about the subjugation of Constantinople in 3D!
• While you're ascending the stairs -- you'll first see the blue sky (which I thought was real & that we were going outdoor) until you realize that it was all painting. Once you're there, you'll actually 'inside' the conquest of Constantinople, 0n 29 May 1453. With the musics and the 3D paintings, You'll feel that you were living during that time & that era.
• The more you absorbed all the depths within the 3D pictures, the more astonished you get. It was one of the best things I've seen and I recommend everyone to go experience it by yourselves. 
  
  
  
  
  
• After spending about 1-2 hrs in the museum, we continued our journey to Pierre Loti Istanbul to see the breathtaking scenery of the Golden Horn -- we took a few pictures & there were actually graves (mmmm) & cable car around us. 

  

  Pierre Loti

  

  it's the ezahaians y'all

  
  
• Then, we went to the tomb of Abu Ayyub Al Ansari. Abu Ayyub Al Ansari was one of the companions of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW, he was also one of the Ansars and he supported Muhammad after the Hijrah of the Muhajirins from Mecca to Medina in 622.
• When Rasulullah arrived in Medina, he was offered shelter by majority of the Ansars so to avoid any misunderstandings, Rasulullah let his camel do the choosing. The camel was let to walk freely & wherever it sits and whomever's house is to be chosen as Rasulullah's temporary residence. The camel, then sat near Abu Ayyub's house.
  
  
  

  

  the tomb of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari ( Al Fatihah)

  
  
• After the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, a tomb was constructed above Abu Ayub's grave & a mosque was built in his honor. Abu Ayyub himself, wanted to travel to Constantinople due to the hadith of Muhammad SAW; "You will conquer Constantinople. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the best." The person whom the prophet Muhammad SAW mentioned was obviously; Sultan Muhammed Al-Fateh. Unfortunately, Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, passed away there.

  

  makam asal Ayub Al Ansari sblm dipindahkan

• Right after that, we went to the Suleymaniye Mosque -- which was built on the order of Sultan Suleymaniye & blended Islamic and Byzantine architectural elements. The mosque is also one of the most famous mosques in Istanbul and a must-go.
• At the side of the mosque, there was also the tomb of Sultan Suleymaniye & we had a chance to visit it as well. 

interior

Suleymaniye Mosque

so hard to take pictures with this boy here

with our tour guide, brother Junaid (my face duhh)

• Then, we went to have our lunch at a restaurant at Yusufpasa (couldn't recall the restaurant's name, huhu). It served mostly Chinese food, but the service was pretty slow. Nevertheless, the food prepared was yummy yummy! Hehe.
• After filling up our stomachs, we continued our journey to Bursa which took around 3 hours. We took a ferry to go there & we spent about 30 minutes on board. 

  

  trump tower, hahaha

  
  
  
  
• When we arrived at our hotel, Bursa Palas, it started to get dark and by 8, we went to have our first dinner in Bursa. Our meal was deliciouss ( bcs everyone was hungrryy but then again the portion was quite big so I couldn't finish it on my own, huhu).

  

  eventhough I'm not a fan of Turkish Cuisine, I must say: I miss it :(

  
  

  

  US! 

• After dinner, we walked to watch the Sufi Whirling Dance. It took us around 20 mins and I was glad that it was cold (unlike Malaysia, I'd be one dead girl, hahaha)
• When we arrived at the place, they offered us with cay and we waited for some times before the show started. The Sufi Dance, actually is a a form of meditation (or zikr) which originated among Sufis & was founded by Jalaludin Ar-Rumi.

  

  enjoyin the heat of cay

  
  
  
• It was such a wonderful experience, honestly to be in that room there --with the music & the wonderful dance (they were whirling for over 30 mins, believe it or not!, I mean, even the ones watching were already feeling dizzy) I wonder how they did it...
• After the dance finished, we walked back to our hotel anddd that sums up our fourth day in Turkey! 

DAY 5 - BURSA

• By 8, we had our breakfast at the hotel (i tell you, the foods were worse that at Saba Hotel's!!) but mehh, we ate maggi afterwards.
• After breakfast, we continued our journey to Mount Uludag. We went up there by a van, and it took around 45 minutes until we arrived. The view outside was spectacular and so breathtaking it was like we were in Narnia (Abah couldn't stop saying that hahah)
• When we arrived, the weather was suuppperr coldd and it got even colder when we went up again by an open cable car. You can ask my sister, she witnessed my scream because it was too cold and I couldn't handle it, haha
  
  
  
  
• When we arrived up there, I, especially, ran towards the cafe and went to the heater because, why not haha *laughing emoji* We had some coffee & hot chocolate for a while and then only we went out. Not until 10 minutes outside, we went back to the cafe for the heater and it went on and on like that all the time there,

  

  muka nikmat sbb panas, haha

• During our time out in the snow, we had a lot of fun playing, climbing, throwing snows at each other ( Abah was the most energetic one among us, hahaa ) -- it was definitely one of our highling moments throughout our trip in Turkey <3 
  
  
  
  
• We went down again then by the open cable car and that time, I went alone! (nothing impressive, really)
• A lot of winter sports were provided especially ski but the ski seemed like only for professional and we've tried ski before this in Beijing sooo yeah. Instead, we rented some toboggans -- eventhough only kids were supposed to play with this thing, I still had a lot of fun thoughh ( what? 17 is just a number, hehe) Jimmy, Jihah and I played that thing for over 1 hour (sampai terbaring tertonggeng hahaha) 
  
• And then, we took a lil break and continued our activities by riding snowmobiles ( 200 TL per snowmobile & 2 person on a snowmobile ) -- it was quite expensive, yes, but it was really worth it.
  
• We also got the chance to ride it by ourselves & enjoy the wholee view of Mount Uludag filled with thick snow. Not so many people joined this activity, just us and one other family so we kinda conquered the place, really.
• We stopped at the end of the point and took some pictures; there was also a professional photographer and he took photos of every single one of us but then again, to even get the CD -- it was again, expensive. Nevertheless, the pictures were beautiful <3

  

  ladies and gentlemen, THE EZAHAIANS!

  
  

  

  The Fantastic Four (??)

  
  

  

  #goals

• Then, we continued our ride ( I actually drove one of those and Abah sat behind me! hehe, it was suchh a wonderful experience :') )
  
• After about 2 hours, it was time to say goodbye to Mount Uludag. We went down by cable car called Bursa Teleferik and it took us around half an hour till we arrived down there. Next, we went for lunch!
• Our lunch that day was probably, the most delicious meal I've ever tasted in Turkey andd oh my, I want it again! The name of the restaurant was Iskander Bursa Kebab.
  
• After lunch, we went for Zuhr & Asr prayers at a mosque; Bursa Ulu Camii -- this mosque was as usual, beautiful but what's special about this mosque is that they have a beautiful fountain in the middle of it, The history says that the fountain was actually a gift from the Christians to Muslims, but somehow they forbid it to be done as prayer area -- so the Muslims made it as an ablution area for male.

  

  (not my photo)

• After prayer, we went shopping at the Silk Bazaar ( shopping, again!! ) Umi had a lot of fun shopping and choosing scarfs for friends and relatives while her 17- y/o daughter was dying to go back to our hotel ( I HATE SHOPPING )
  

  

  *insert hipster caption*

• Abah & Jimmy bought sweaters as well and by then it started to get dark and then we went back to our hotel & got ready for dinner. The dinner for that night was the usual Turkish Cuisine.
• After dinner, we went shopping, again! But that time, BAKLAVA! Umi and abah bought a lot of Baklava and got them wrapped up to bring 'em back to Malaysia. Then, we went back to our hotel and we called it a night. 

DAY 6 - BURSA & PAMUKKALE

• In the morning, before going to breakfast, me and Jihah had some maggi first ( busted! ) and then only we went down to have our breakfast.
• After breakfast, we started our journey by stopping by at Osman Gazi's tomb and it took around 5-7 mins from our hotel.
  
  
  
  
• Osman Gazi, was the founderof the Ottoman Dynasty, The state transformed into a world empire in the centuries even after his death.
• There was also the tomb of Orhan Gazi, the second bey of the Ottoman Empire; and he was the son of Osman Gazi and Malhun Hatun.
• After reciting Al-Fatihah, we continued our journey for the day. Our second destination was the Cumalikizik village; the history of the village goes back to the Ottoman Empire's foundation period and the historical texture of the village has been very well protected. 
• We took some pictures and bought some souvenirs. There weren't a lot of people though (throughout our whole journey in Turkey, yes, because tourists would choose Spring mostly to come here)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  loves <3

• After that, we continued our journey to Pamukkale which took around 6 hours to arrive at our hotel, Pam Thermal. We went dinner at the hotel and that time, the food was slightly different because they were lots of Chinese when we arrived so the food was more to ~~ Asian, yknow.
  
  
  
• After dinner, we went to our room, took a shower anndd we went to sleep. That's all for Day 6 :) 

DAY 7 - PAMUKKALE

• In the morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel and then we hung around by the pool & the hot spring. While waiting for umi and abah to check out, we (the siblings) played at the playground near there (jakun sekejap haha)
  
• Then, we went on our van and met our Turkish tour guide for the day named Doggy and we proceeded to Red Water -- the water was once known for its mineral ( iron & calcium )
• We also had the opportunity to taste the water from the tiny volcano and it was.. okay :')

  

  my face! HAHAH

• Next, we continued our journey to the Hierapolis Ancient City and the cotton castle. The weather that day was perrfect and they weren't a lot of people so we kind of got the place all to ourselves.
• The ancient city is now a tourist attraction and has been declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
  
  
  
  
• Doggy took us for a walk and told us the histories and stories of the ancient city. Apparently there were lots of remnants from the buildings but mostly has been ruined due to a few earthquakes that happened there. 
• The ancient city was so big and obviously, we weren't going to all the places there ( there were tombs, theater, antique pools and others. ) and we got to choose places that we wanted to go.
• Gymnasium and library that was used during the old times were unfortunately destroyed ( only some remnants left and underground spot -- Doggy said some people went down there and never returned out, grr)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We went on to look at the antique pool ( in Roman's period, Hierapolis was a health centre and during those years, people used to come to the pool and found their remedy )
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• After that, we went to buy some souvenirs at the gift shop there. My family (and I, mostly) were attracted to the big theater located around 1 km or so from the antique pool, so we walked there.
• Since the path was hilly, we were sweating and we had to take off our jackets for a while (somehow it felt like Malaysia kejap hhaha) and when we arrived at the top of the theater, my, my, how striked, fascinated and impressed we were of the beautiful and historical place. (I mean, if I could, I would've recorded our priceless faces at that time, haha) 
  
  
• Feeling like a movie star in the movie Gladiator, we walked and sat around the theatre ( once again, there was no one else there so, we conquered the place! )
• We took about 20-30 minutes there to take pictures and to enjoy the view. I went down there eventhough the stairs were pretty steep and it was pretty scary to look into the locked gates (wondering what would've been there thousands of years ago, that's pretty scary, right?)

  

  tshirt super comfy by @emancloset
  go check em out!

  
  

  

  oh how i miss this place :'(

  
  

  

  boyfriend

  
• Then, we moved on to the beautiful, breathtaking cotton castle of Pamukkale ( the cotton castle is actually inside the ancient city ) 
• There was a small hole-aisle filled with flowing hot water and we walked in there and it was so much fun! Eventhough it was slippery but still, it was like natural foot massage! That place was so out of this world, I mean, Masha Allah can you believe that they're all natural???
  
  
  
  
• Well, approximately 400,000 years ago, modern asia minor experienced a series of devastating earthquakes resulting in a shifting in the valley of the Menderes River and caused for the thermal water lashing out to the surface.
• The hot springs began to flow down to the surface of the platue with incredible speed and while these flowed, they simultaneously began to evaporate in the sun, resulting in the formation of terraces and slopes, filled with turquoise water.
• The water, is famous for its benefits to the eyes and skin because it contains minerals like magnesium, iron, sodium chloride/salt, sulphuric acid and calcium carbonate/lime water. 

  

  daddyyy

• These two places ( Ancient City and Cotton Castle ) were the ones that made us think and realize about the history and Allah's power, and they were definitely my fav places in Turkey. If possible, in shaa Allah, I would like to come here again, one day :)
• The mineral-floor at the cotton castle was so so cold like when I stepped my feet on it, I was actually doing tap dance, hahahhaa
• Couldn't get enough of the amazing view, it was time to say goodbye to Pamukkale and hello to Cappadocia! We went to have our lunch at a buffet hotel-restaurant and then we continued our journey to Cappadocia which took about 9 hours (!!!)
• During our way to Cappadocia, there were mountains filled with thick snow around us and we stopped once in the middle of the road to take some pictures but because the weather was sooo cold I was freezing and I couldn't feel my hands, we only spent around 5 minutes and then we went in the van back.

  

  tak lama lagi beku la tu haha

  
  

  

  our omg-its-so-cold-but-must-take-photos-first faces

• At around 11pm, we arrived at our cave hotel in Cappadocia, called La Maison Du Reve and then we called it a night.

And here is my video for our 4th to 7th day in Turkey. Hope you enjoy! 

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Youtube: Anna Ezaha