This ancient city is located about two hours away from the airport in Istanbul . We took a nice bus ride at 2 pm just nice to rest and to catch up with the much needed nap. The weather was nice as the sunshine warmed up the views. I tried to sleep but the scenery along the highway kept me awake. Just to feel the spring air that promises beautiful days ahead.
We arrived just after 4 pm at the bus station. You get into the station and through to the other side to get local transportation such as trams or taxi. Don’t worry about the bag scanners located at the entrance. Just drag the luggage on top and be done with it. We grabbed a taxi and paid 260 liras for the ride. The hotel was in Osman gazi area – some sort of old town where people shop. Tourist spots are in walking distance from this hotel. Koza Han. Ulu camii ( the grand mosque) . Several museums and cultural centres are accessible by foot or a short tram’s ride . So that consumed a-day or two – day stay here in Bursa.
The mosques called Camii ( with that C it is pronounced ‘jamii’ as in ‘jamek ‘) are plenty around here. And they seemed to be ancient with old bricks on the outside with majestic dome and minaret. The inside is always elegant like a tomb of someone pious, more like a shrine than a peaceful masjid. The air within the prayer hall stood still, quiet and filled with tension. No sound from anyone except the imam and everyone responded only after the imam. You know he is the imam when you see him. Straight face with a uniform jubah and the head gear.after the solah he would recite some verses from the Quran ;interestingly,after one of the Zuhr prayers he recited the whole of surah Yaseen. I sat there waiting for him to finish as to walk away seemed inappropriate.
The people here were awkwardly awesome. The ladies wore beautiful tudung and dressed fashionably. The men wore handsome beard and dressed casually. They look mean all the time but nice whenever you interact with them. With no Turkish on my part, talking can be frustrating. I wish I knew their language so I could explore the emotions that are hidden behind those beautiful eyes.
On Saturday, the marketplace was packed with people, I joined the crowd and pretended to shop for something although I have no intention of to do so.Every time I saw a price , I would convert to ringgit……hmmm not so cheap la. With shallow pocket and limited budget, shopping must be at the bottom of the list. Besides, we cannot afford to drag extra luggage around. Our trip has just begun and we many days to go and many places to visit.
After Asr we headed to another destination, the covered bridge. We walked along the busy road, down the waterways and parks. Many chose to chill on the grass, sitting and talking on the benches. The environment was relaxed and joyful. A group of men in-front of me were dealing marijuana, discretely in the open. A rare scene that paints this society differently. Just a short distance away a group of teenagers were playing in the water. We walked on and found a “waterfall”. Although the waterway was more like a “longkang”, and smells like a “longkang” it was nice to have a stroll along its bank. And the waterfall at the of it seemed to give us a nice surprise .
As we started to go back, my knees started to give away again. The spring flowers irritated my nostrils …. Oh no am I coming down with something??
