I am the kind of person who enjoys walking aimlessly on the
streets. Too bad I don’t do that very often in Karachi because the life of an
A-Level student demands a bit too much in very limited time, but whenever I
visit another city, the best way I choose to explore it is by walking on its
streets. Be it a small village in Kenya, the downtown of Kuala Lumpur, the
alleys of Bur-Dubai or the Holy city of Makkah, I’ve done it everywhere.
Walking around is perhaps the best way to feel the spirit of the city you are
visiting, for it allows you closer contact with the lifestyle and traditions of
the people. And being a person who loves to explore new cultures and
communities, this exercise has always been very fruitful to me.


Tourism is one of the largest industries in Turkey
and cities such as Istanbul are usually crowded
with tourists from all parts of the world nearly all year around. Thus, the
city is beefed up with tourist spots and it has something to offer for
everyone. Take a cab and go straight to Sultan Ahmett Camii (Blue Mosque) and
be awestruck by its amazing architecture and beauty. Or take the metro to Hagia
Sophia museum, a church which is also a mosque and dive into the history of
Romans and Ottomons.
Late in the afternoon, take a ferry to Princess Islands
while feeding sea-gulls on your way and simply relax there till late in the
evening at the famous pollution-free island by roaming around on a bicycle or a
horse-cart. Smell the sweet scent of flowers and grass on the island and for a
few minutes, sit back on the rocks and observe the sounds of the waves hitting
the island shore.

Perhaps Napoleon Bonaparte was right when he said, “If the earth
was a single state, Istanbul would be its
capital.” And truly he meant it when
he said that.
By Zeeshan Hasan Khan