Sinfully Sweet Endings in Turkey

Though this list is not exhaustive, it is quite extensive. The first is obviously the video that attracts you to Turkey, an elaborately dressed man in front of a small ice-cream stall. You place your order to him, he complies – the ice-cream is on the cone, one outstretched hand tries to meet another to grab the ice-cream. If it were only that easy….

Again, no brands for the ice-cream, any street vendor churns out equally tasty ice-cream, but if you want to burn some calories before consuming the ice cream, make sure one person gets the camera out while the other goes for the ice-cream. The vendors really love the spotlight 😊 . Also, the ice-cream, made from goat’s milk, and an ingredient called ‘salep’, does not melt easily – make sure you have the time to enjoy it properly.

Then, of course, is the national dessert of Turkey, the Baklava, looks like a puff, but filled with nuts and syrup, it is something really addictive. The best fresh ones would be at Hafiz Mustafa if you want a fine-dine-Baklava experience, however, this sinful dessert is also found in markets, and in local shops.

Dessert experience at Hafiz Mustafa

The Turkish Delight, or the Locum is a confection made from starch and sugar – it’s that simple, but elaborate dressings of nuts, dates, fruits and even flowers give it a very different and colourful feel. My favorites were the ones fused with Nutella, and a variant coated with rose petals! Turkish delight and Baklava can last for a month, and comes in small gift boxes, and is an ideal souvenir to carry back home (where it finishes off in a jiffy!)

What's your Delight?

The not-so-popular of the dishes, the Kunefe is an eclectic dessert that can only be enjoyed piping hot and fresh, straight from the oven. With a mildly sweet, honey-dipped crisp crust on the outside and molten local cheese on the inside, this is nothing short of pure bliss. Yes, I had grimaced too when I heard about the composition, and had initially felt I wanted to give it a pass, but one bite and I was sold. For starters, the cheese is not too pungent, and dampens the effect of syrup, thus producing a dessert mildly sweet, and still as sinful. It is usually endemic to Turkey, and definitely a must-try.

After gorging on these dishes for over a week, it was time to come back to more mainstream cuisines back home, but every once in a while, I find myself visiting a restaurant which has some Turkish options and everytime I ask myself, would I go back to Turkey just for the food, and the mice inside my stomach respond with a resounding, YES!

The Turkish Lunch (And sometimes Dinner)

The Turks have a huge breakfast (I believe the phrase on eating breakfast like a king would have been inspired from an Ottoman ruler, and passed on the proletariat through the Chesnidjibashi (royal taster of food, for taste and poison)), but if you think that it stops there you are mistaken.

Giant potatoes stuffed with goodness - A snack or a meal in itself?

Roam any of the bylanes of Istanbul as an example, the omnipresent cafes with patrons are testimony to the fact that the day has just begun. Even before we had the opportunity to peruse the menu, we found ourselves breaking the bread and sampling it with the Cacik (A yoghurt-based dip infused with herbs)

The complimentary Bread with Cacik

We sampled a vegetarian version of the Pide (another East-Meets-West dish), a cross between a Pizza and a stuffed Parantha (It was about as tasty as it sounds). 

On another occasion, we had the chance to try Mixed vegetables in a Casserole (Sounds familiar, right?). 

Where's my dish??

It turned out to be the most unique experience. The vegetables cooked with gravy were kept in an enclosed earthen pot, which is broken right before serving, and the fragrant curry just oozes out.

So, the taste of the clay becomes more and more pronounced as you go further into the dish like the Christoffel Bier, which gets more and more bitter as you get into the drink, but that is for another day 😉 Of course, if you cannot decide what to eat and want to go for a melange of tastes, go for the Mezze platter and wash it down with the homemade Limonita (Lemonade) or Ayran (A yum sour drink)

The ubiquitous Mezze Platter

No restaurant gets it wrong in Turkey, believe me! From the hummus, to the Muhammara, to the Ezme, or the Babaganoush, if you like the cuisine you will love it. There are a lot of innovative cooking methods like food cooked in salt which is baked to form an outer layer. It is fascinating to see how the dish unlayers itself! If you do not like the cuisine, you will still love it, especially with the complimentary tea/ coffee which follows a meal.

Life is Full of Difficult Decisions

We had kept a list of Italian/ Indian options in Turkey as we felt we would need that for variety, you know, with us being vegetarians, there was only that much before it got boring and repetitive. On our second day in Istanbul, after eating to our heart’s content, we tore that list. It was a decision we would never regret as we walked down the road to Hafiz Mustafa 1864 for a sweet ending.

Tales from Turkey

“Merheba”, I said. “Merherba”, smile on her face. Looked at my passport, and the smile grew wider. “Amerka??”, she asked excitedly. Pointing to my passport, I said, “No, India”. “No, no, Amer ka” and with a sweeping gesture, “Bollywood, Amer Ka?”. The excitedness on seeing someone who knew Amir Khan (Dangal fever was still on then) was palpable on her face, and this is exactly how my immigration went at the Istanbul airport. The city is spread across Asia and Europe, we had landed on the European side. Judging by how long my visa had taken to come, I was expecting shenanigans at the airport, but on the contrary, I was already liking Turkey by the minute, especially as our luggage was already waiting for us by the time we came out. Getting a metered cab was easy as well, and we were off to Sultanahmet – the historical part of Istanbul, our home for the next 3 days.

Istanbul

With so much of history to cover – history stares at you from every wall in every bylane, or so it seemed in Sultanahmet. 

The most famous sights of Instanbul in a single frame

Our first stop was the Topkapi Palace – the seat of the Ottoman Empire from the 15^th to 19^th century. The highlights are visiting the Four Courtyards, as you go deeper into the palace – the more restricted the access for the outside world. Being connoisseurs of the good food, the Royal kitchens are a sight to behold, replete with magnificent porcelain. However, the highlight for me was seeing the collection in the museum – from construction material of Mecca to a stick belonging to Moses – it is literally going back in time, with the oldest artifact dating back to 7^th century BC!! I would suggest taking an automated audio tour guide (It's a device available for rent in umpteen number of languages), as it covers all the facts you want to know, and at your own pace.

The other notable mentions were the Blue Mosque, and a church-turned mosque-turned museum (Hagia-Sophia Museum) – quite unlike anything else, taking the sunset tour of the Bosphorous (covering the bridges which span Europe and Asia), which gives a detailed account of the Yalis, and a glimpse into different suburbs of Istanbul. We also visited the Taksim Square to imagine what a revolution would look like, 

Heritage tram at Taksim Square

and the Galata tower to feel like a medieval knight. 

Happiness on finding Galata Tower (Actually, it's not that elusive :))

The grandeur of the Grand Bazaar was right out of a movie, and the aromas in Spice Bazaar were a jolt to the good ol’-factory. With the various street markets, Istanbul is a heaven for souvenir shopping. 3 days was tight, but we just about grasped the essence of the city before it was time to move to our next stop.

Pamukkale

The reason we decided to visit Turkey was this. 

Getting up early, and walking our way up, we were soon in the middle of the travertines. A formation of limestones, it is a good place to get your summer clothes out in what looks to be snow. 

Nope, not snow

The pools and the thermal waters are a sight to behold, but sadly are disappearing fast. When we were there, only 4-5 pools could be enjoyed for taking a dip. 

The fast disappearing travertine pools

It is a unique experience, and highly, highly recommended. I would suggest start hiking from the bottom, and make your way up while enjoying the view. In case enjoying in isolation is the objective, the idea is to get into the pools by 8.30 or 9, as very few people would have made it by then, as many do it as a day long excursion from Selcuk. After this, I would recommend skipping Cleopatra’s pool (nothing special, while paying a premium), and making your way up to the Theatre in Heirapolis. The panoramic view from here is spectacular, and I would recommend enjoying the theatre to yourself as much as you can!

Having your own ancient stadium, well - Almost!

Selcuk (Ephesus)

The ancient city of Ephesus, which was rebuilt thrice, first as a Greek City (one of the Ionic League) in 10^th Century BC, and then as a Roman bastion, this was a city you wanted to control to exert your dominance. It is home to the temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, unfortunately, only some columns remain now), the place where Virgin Mary spent her last few years – and has a Wishing Wall for the believers, the Isa Bey mosque, one of the oldest in Turkey. The ruins of Ephesus are also a place here you can imagine how an ancient city looked like (where was the seat of power, the limit upto which the lower class could access the city, dwellings of the ancient rich, middle class, and the poor), see where the first Social Network was established (sitting and s*itting in a social environment)

Facebook - version 2nd Century BC

 

and visualize where they spent their weekends – they did have their Theatre and Library, only it was very grandiose!

The Great Library - Ephesus

If you are only interested in getting seeped in history and are NOT interested in walking the ramp (like us😊), do ask your guide to avoid trips to Leather Museums and Pottery Stores .

Cappadocia (Goreme)

Staying in a cave is something that hermits or saints (or Prime Ministers recently do). And you would usually associate it with meditation. Not in  Goreme -  staying in a cave which is airconditioned, luxurious and connected with a tunnel to their wine-cellar is the way to go here!

Many firsts here, obviously the hot air balloon experience is unlike anything. On a good day, there are about 300+ balloons, and seeing them all together, in the topography is just wow! 

Merrily, Merrily Merrily, Merrily.....

... Life is but a dream!

Recommendation would be to get up early, and to enjoy the sunrise atop a balloon. Obviously, having a super-experienced pilot who takes you right outside cave-hotels, and you can act as a rooster was a plus (Imagine being a few feet above the ground, shouting out to people in their cave-rooms and asking them to grab their dream pic😊.) 

Good Morning Folks!

There are many balloon rides which are available, make sure you research and take the one as per your budget and requirements. We had opted for Butterfly Balloons, and were really happy with it, as they were friendly and punctual, and we got the perfect sunrise. The landing was celebrated by popping the champagne bottle open - another first!

Next up was going for an ATV experience - a good way to explore some of the valleys like Pigeon Valley, Love Valley (I will let you find out why it is called so!), the Red Valley or the Sunset Point in Goreme for the sunset.

A panorama with the Love Valley

And obviously, while staying in a cave, imagine having an underground cave city, complete with livestock and a church. That’s what people in Derinkuyu and Kaymakli did to escape atrocities of wars. An hour inside had us claustrophobic and wanting a way out , to embrace the sunlight again, we were in awe of people who did it for years at an end! But it is a good place to try that Batman tune (A bit of trivia – there is a city of Batman in Turkey, though we did not visit it)

Modes of Travel – Hot Air Balloon, Foot, Tram, Train, Boat, Air, Bus, Taxi (In decreasing order of interest)

Time of Travel – September – It was a blasting furnace, and while that meant a great hot-air balloon ride because of clear skies and placid winds, it was also draining to walk 10+ km everyday under the sweltering sun.

Places to Avoid – Eastern and South-Eastern Part of Turkey was unsafe to travel during our visit in September 2018

Places we did not visit, but would do a Turkey trip again just for it - Antalya

Top 5 Immigration Experiences (So Far)

Serpentine queues, bored faces, kids howling after hours of travel, and the urge to check into the hotel and use the restroom. Sounds familiar? Immigration is usually the most dreaded part of international travel, and we have had our share of those experiences as well. But sometimes immigration is fun as it is your first experience with the people from that country and can give you amazing and hilarious moments. Our entry into Turkey was one, which though it did not make the top 5 , will be described in a later blog. Enough of rambling. Do read on.

5. Johor Bahru (actually, Malaysia) – Singapore

So, you are having a meal in Johor Bahru, and across what you think is a wide river, you see the glitz of Singapore and decide, well, let’s do this. A late-night surprise date in another country, and back! You go to a mall (JB Sentral), take a train and 5 minutes later, Hello Singapore! Its not uncommon for people to go to Singapore for work while staying in JB - so avoid the rush hours and go as per traffic flow – then it’s a breeze. However, some people I know have been stuck for up to 7 hours when going in the direction of traffic.  Ways of crossing  - Drive (the fanciest), by a 5 minute train ride (the fastest), shuttle bus (most practical) and yes, walk along the causeway😊 . If you are frequent visitors to both countries, it is possible to be in both countries 365 days a year, without a stamp on the passport (My wife managed 300 in 3 years).

Tale to Tell: Not quite Johor but If you stay near the Subang Airport (KL), and don’t need to check in stuff, you can technically leave home 25 minutes before an international flight departure (True Story, being the protagonist)

4. Beijing (China)

Our flight landed on time, and we said right, let’s get to it. But 30 minutes of taxiing, and when we peered out of our window, we could see that the airport extended till the eyes could see. At on point on the tarmac, I could see a sign which said 3500m to the north, and 3500 to the south (7km in length), and the east-west was more than 3 km as well (to the naked eye)! On reading up, we realized it just became the largest airport in the world (December 2019). A 5 minute train ride later, we completed our immigration and were on our way – but not before a sign which welcomed us  -“One Way Entry Only, No exit”. Scary, reminded me of Hotel California lyrics. But yeah, even if you miss it, there are plenty of fun pictograms and Google translate meme worthy photo-ops.

Obviously the word TRAIN has not made it to the lexicon yet, or is obsolete

3.  Hong Kong – Macau

You get to feel like a gangster, well almost. International waters, a speedboat and the allure of big money 😊. The 24x7 speedboat is the most common – day escape. However, with 24x7 buses on the 55km long HZM Bridge and accessible from the Hong Kong Airport, it is a fun experience to see the road literally swallowed by the sea in the middle of THE SEA! Don’t believe me yet? See below 😊

 Just the feel of riding in a 4-wheeler in the open seas for miles makes this trip worth it. And once back in the open – the dazzling lights of Macau (The largest casino concentration in the world, beating Vegas) or Hong Kong inviting you (depending on which side you are travelling). Technically speaking (well, writing), your immigration gets done first and then you purchase a ticket, as if daring you to make that 55 km on foot. You think of it for a minute, but the allure of Macau makes you stop right in the middle of your daydream. The ticket is purchased, and you are promptly on your way.

Tale to Tell: Getting up one morning, and suddenly deciding let’s do Macau. Take your passport , wallet and arm-candy (if you have one) and you are on the way to a 24-hour gambling session without staying in a hotel 😊.

The sea devours everything, even roads

2. Georgia – Armenia, by road

So, the trains were full, and we were not interested in a 6 hour mashrutka (Mini bus) ride where my long legs would not fit. So, we booked a Bla Bla car - a highly recommended hitchhiking app, great for budget travellers in Eastern Europe. Sceptically, we decided to give it a try. Vrooming through very scenic routes you reach the border that says the usual - Nakhvamdis Georgia, and Barev Dzez Armenia - well you need not master the language to know what that would mean! Now coming to the scary part, all non-drivers need to leave their luggage in the car and proceed separately for immigration, while the driver immigrates with the car and luggage along and you meet on the other side – well hopefully! Fingers crossed, we took a leap of faith and decided to leave all our luggage from our 2-week trip in the boot with a stranger we met through a random App a few minutes back! Fortunately, our fears were unfounded, though in hindsight would have been another adventurous (or not so!) story to tell if otherwise. But thankfully our newly found friend was waiting for us on the other side and we listened to the latest Armenian pop on the beautiful drive to Yerevan.

Tale to Tell: Not knowing our car number when asked during immigration without any Internet to look it up. Luckily, we were allowed through after getting hotspot by the friendly immigration officer 😊

A nice song to get into the Yerevan Mood : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiktoDHSnRA

Always fun to do these screenshots

The scenic route (Lake Sevan) on the way to Yerevan. 

1. Azerbaijan – Georgia, by train

You have heard of breakfast in bed, right? How about immigration in bed? Wait. What? So, the train leaves from Baku at night and reaches the Azeri-Georgian border at about 6 AM. A matronly woman, the train attendant, asks us to open the doors of our personal compartments and wait for the immigration officer. At the Azerbaijan side, the gentleman occupies the train attendant’s compartment. We go one by one, answer a few questions and get the exit stamp. All in the train. The train moves for 15 minutes and enters Georgian territory. The immigration officer enters and takes our passport. A few minutes later, we see him on the platform with hundreds of passports in his hand and walking out of sight (probably to the immigration office in the station premises), while we are locked in! Again, the fear of being in international territory and passports out of sight is a bit unnerving. Perhaps a lot of people feel the same, and so I guess as compensation, we get tea served in bed, chat with our friendly co-passengers while our documents are being checked. Mind you, all of this has been done without having to move out of our compartments. Just when the royal treatment starts giving way to restlessness to start exploring Georgia, the officer walks in with our passports duly stamped, and says Gamarjoba to Georgia 😊

The "Automated People Mover" which ferried us from Baku to Tbilisi

The Sumptuous, Scrumptious Turkish Breakfast

So, one of the major concerns we have while traveling, (also a major opportunity) is Food.  Constraint because we are lacto-ovo vegetarians, and opportunity, because within that constraint, we are open to literally trying everything. So, the first thing when we talk about Turkey – is a big, hearty Turkish breakfast. Lots of salads, jams, cheese and breads for vegetarians, but ohh so tasty!

Salad counter at a typical Turkish breakfast. Apart from one dish, all vegetarian!

Plenty of cereals to choose from!

And breads too!!

From fixing a salad with fresh tomatoes, olives and cheese (A typical breakfast buffet consists of 8-10 types of cheese, each tastier than the previous). Then there is Menemen (which is a cross between scrambled eggs, and omelettes), and consists of eggs mixed with red and green peppers,  tomatoes, and spices. 

Menemen

Eaten with bread, to me this dish is the ultimate fusion of east meets west. If you are a fan of bread, chances are that you will like the Borek (Thin pastry filled with spinach and cheese) or the Cigara Boregi - think Spring roll on the outside, and mozzarella/ cheddar heaven on the inside. All the dishes were scrumptious, and we ended up spending about an hour everyday in trying all these dishes and more. And if you want to get started with a sweet tooth in the morning, why not try some fresh honeycomb? Yes, that’s a thing!

Fresh Honeycomb..

Once done and swearing to ourselves that this was the last meal we had for the day, we ventured out of our hotel , walked up to Topkapi palace, and took a left for the boulevard where you have the Hagia Sophia Museum on one side, and the Blue Mosque on the other. That’s when the street food starts beckoning you. From fresh pomegranate juices, to Limonita (Home-made lemonade), and even with a filled stomach, we had to get a drink! Oh, picked up a Simit to go as well (That’s a sesame bagel, eaten plain or with Nutella topping – Turkey is one of the higher per capita consumers of Nutella, and hence, its ubiquitousness).

Breakfasty street food

It’s just day 1 and by the time we reach lunch time, we are already packed to the rafters. It’s really a wrap for the day. Our lunch will have to wait until tomorrow….

Stutiyi Sri Lanka - Gallavanting to Galle

“It’s like going to a Chinese colony”, is what someone told me when I mentioned my plans to travel there. But having heard and read a lot about the “Pearl in the Indian Ocean”, we froze on a short trip to the island nation. 

One of the view points in Mirissa (More about it later)

There are three ways to reach from Colombo to Galle – by bus, train or car. If you intend to go directly from the airport, a cab makes more sense as it gives you the freedom of taking a day tour on the way to catch the sights and sounds in Sri Lanka. Many cab drivers offer this service, and it is good to book one in advance, as it is hassle free as soon as you get off from the airport. I would advise against taking a bus, as it is not so comfortable. I will cover the train in a separate post, but would recommend it for the return journey. Even so, you do encounter the tracks on the way, as they and the road jostle for position closer to the ocean

Okay for another hour

Our destination was Weligama, the surf capital of Sri Lanka, and we went through Bentota (stopped at a resort which had a railway line going through it, cutting the restaurant from the beach), Balapitiya, Hikkaduwa and Galle enroute to Weligama. These can be covered in a day; our guide and driver Shan did a great job of managing our expectations; the points of interest are:

• Beaches in Bentota and Balapitiya – to chill, sip some of the King coconut water. Also, one can try the boat ride in the mangroves in Madu river, near Balapitiya. (We had given the boat ride a skip as we were more interested in turtles and watching the sunset at Galle)

Beaches on the way

• Hikkaduwa - for catching a glimpse of stilt fishing, and for the turtle hatcheries. A place where one can spot many varieties of turtles being cared for including leathersback, hawksbill, Green sea and Olive Ridley turtles. This was one of the badly affected spots by the 2004 tsunami, and was inspiring to see that the hatcheries tried to save the turtles, putting their lives at stake. There are some moonstone mines near Hikkaduwa, and one can enjoy the process of seeing how they are excavated, sorted and polished. I would caution against buying them unless you are a collector and have great knowledge, for me they were just a tourist trap.

The turtle hatchery that survived a tsunami!

• Unnawatuna – for diving enthusiasts, and for a hippie lifestyle (We did not stop here, just passed through)
• Galle Fort– for a viewpoint alternating between a cricket match and the sea atop a Dutch fort. As one watches the sun set, history comes alive. King Rajasinhe would have seen the same sunset some 350 years back, and here I was in the 21^st century, enabled by all technology but still feeling the raw wonder of seeing the sun set over the Indian Ocean! With the addition of a cricket ground and a clock tower to the panorama, it is very picturesque, and worth seeing the sunset from.

One of the many views from Galle fort

On the whole, it’s an interesting ride, and I would advise taking the road by the beach to reach Galle, Mirissa or Weligama. Though it takes much longer, it is that much more picturesque and helps to imbibe the spirit of Sri Lanka! While on the road, I would advise to stop at one of the many roadside places which serves the authentic Sri Lankan rice and curry. We especially loved it with the Pol Sambol (Chilli and coconut grated together to give an ethereal taste), and can be had with just about any other Sri Lankan dish – from the Kothu to the String Hopper, though having it plain may just burn your tongue (Speaking from experience 😊). This is gulped down with the ubiquitous King Coconut, handcrafted to look like a mouse.

The ubiquitous king coconut

Though we covered Mirissa the next day, it was one of the highlights of our trip, as there was a rock just off the beach, which you could climb to experience the vastness of the Indian Ocean and to hear the waves come through. 

The beach is connected to a huge rock in the ocean, accessed by wading through sandy waters and up some rickety steps. But if you brave to climb and explore yonder, you are rewarded with an uninterrupted view of the Indian Ocean from one of the Southern most points of Sri Lanka. This rock has stood testimony to the uninterrupted force of the ocean. It’s like David versus Goliath. A good place to reflect on how small we are compared to the ways of nature 😊

The Ocean and beyond!

Stutiyi Sri Lanka - Tonic Called Train

Reading up about Sri Lankan, one of the first things you find is about how the train journeys are enchanting. 

About how it is one of the must-dos while here. This post describes one of them. There are two train journeys in particular, from Colombo to Ella, and the one from Galle to Colombo (or Matara to Colombo, the ride we took). Some quick info – there are two types of trains – one run by the Sri Lankan government – which are the colonial type of trains, and the ones run by Chinese, which are more modern. The trick is to travel in the golden olden, as the lack of comfort is more than made up by the beauty you encounter first hand.

So, which train to take? Well, we are fond of them beaches, and love the perfect sunset, hence we took the train departing from Matara at 2 PM, which would reach Colombo at 7 (and mathematically, we would get to view the sunset over the ocean from a train, that’s what I thought, and boy was I wrong). We got to view the MOST PERFECT sunset over the ocean from a train, it was breathtaking!

Picture Perfect Sunset...

...From a Train!!

To rewind a bit – there were two parts to the train journey – the first from Matara to Galle, where you  go through trees and villages and small towns, see the manually operated crossings at work – where you are the impediment for the person on his bike to get to where he/she wants. It gives a quaint country like feel, like time standing still (like the air around you, see video below). 

This went on for an hour until we reached Galle. The train changed direction, and suddenly we were out in the front – in about 30 minutes it was the Ocean, the beach and the train (See Below for a sample view).

 On the train , right there as we waved final goodbyes to what would be known as 21^st January , 2019 – you could literally see on the horizon that it was the beginning of the that date for those living yonder – just like passing a baton!

Ocean on your (Train)Door step

Points to Note

• The train number we took was the 8051 from Matara to Colombo, which was Government run. As such, it had only unreserved 3^rd Class, but there was one 1^st class Observation Saloon which we had booked (Costing about USD 14, at the back of the train, with a glass wall to give a panoramic view). 
• 
  
• Though it was perfect till Galle, the engine changed direction, and we could only see the blue butt of an engine for a good part of the journey – which kind of defeated the purpose. However since the people were few, during the sunset, we could roam around the carriage and get good vantage points to click amazing photos and watch the perfect sunset. 



Good Ol' Steam Engine

• The train gets filled up at Galle, and starts empty at Matara, if one can get there in time, getting a window seat could be easy (in the unreserved 3^rd class, costing about USD 1 only). 



Inspection of Guard!

• If in the 1^st class, please sit on the left side, though it seems wrong initially, you will have a sunset view by the window once the train changes direction in Galle.
• We visited in January, good season, clear skies and no rains. 
• LKR and USD are used at all tourist spots.