Chap kwa haraka baada tu ya kutoka nje ya airport ya Antalya tulitafuta taxi ya kutupeleka hotelini. Tulikaa kwenye hotel inayoitwa Privado Hotel. Go online and check it yourself. Andika Privado hotels Antalya utashangaa, it is cheap but very nice hotel. Beautiful inside, such a big room na tulilipa nadhani USD 30 per night. We went to look for breakfast na tulielekezwa sehemu ambapo ni city centre pale Antalya. After breakfast tuliporudi we opted to just sleep maana kule Capadoccia tuliondoka alfajiri sana.
That evening tuliamua kutoka na kutembelea a place moja matata sana ambako kimuonekano ni kama vile Stone town ya Zanzibar. They call the place Old town. Huko kuna kivutio kikubwa cha utalii (kwa pale Antalya) kinaitwa Hadrian's gate.
There was not much to see in Antalya but it was worthy visiting. Moja ya sehemu ninayoikumbuka ni football watching theatre moja inaitwa Barcelona. The place was cool. Nilikwenda kuangalia game ya Arsenal na Leicester jioni ya tarehe 25th Oct huku arsenal ikilala kwa goli moja mtungi goli likifungwa na Jammie Vardy dakika za lala salama. Niko kwenye ile theatre najisemea ndugu zangu huko kina
Castr na Aaron arsenal sasa hivi wanagomba tu hhahahahahhahhahahahha.
Antalya is cheap and beautiful, ni mji wa kwenda kupumzika tu. Kwa maoni yangu, there is not much and that means you will have plenty of time to rest. Siku zetu tatu zilikwisha kwa haraka sana na safari ya kurudi Istanbul ili tukachkue ndege ya kurudi Bongo. Tulinunua zawadi kiasi pale Antalya maana mji ule vitu ni rahisi kiasi na pia tulihofia tusije tukaacha kununua zawadi pale tukitegemea Istanbul halafu tukute vitu ghali. one day before our flight back home tukaruka kuelekea Istanbul. Tulifikizia hotel ile ile tuliyokaa mwanzo maana tulisha-book ile one last night. Haikuwa shida kufika tena pale na vile hatuna mizigo kabisa tukachukua taxi kutoka Sabiha airport kuelekea European area (Sultanahmet). Mapema kabisa tukawa hotel na ndege yetu ilikuwa siku ya pili yake jioni.
Wife yeye mawaz yake yote yalikuwa kwenye msosi wa chef asmir restaurant. Aiseee hii restaurant ni kiboko, vyakula vitamu sana pale. Jamaa wale wa ki-Syria wanapika balaa. Jioni ile tulipiga dinner yetu pale na some dessert kama kawa. Around saa mbili tukaingia mtaani kuendelea kununua zawadi maana baadhi ya watu walikuwa bado hawajapata. Moja ya dhamira ilikuwa ni kununua zile taa ambazo nliziona Cappadocia, katika kutafuta tafuta nkazikuta duka moja na nkaziwekesha kwa ahadi ya kwamba ningekwenda kesho yake kuzilipia na kuzichukua maana muda ule ilikuwa usiku tayri na hii taa ni nyingi.
Kesho ilikuwa ndio siku ya safari na ndio sababu kuu ya uzi huu kuitwa "My Corona Relief trip and lesson therefrom".
Hii siku ilikuwa ni siku ngumu sana maishani mwangu. Miongoni mwa very challenging day nimewahi pitia ni siku hii. Kama kawaida baada ya breakfast around saa nne tuliamua kutoka kwenda kumalizia some shopping, tukapanga around saa saba tuwe tumerudi tufanye parking ya mabegi yetu ili saa nane hivi tulale mpaka saa kumi na saa kumi na moja tutoke kuelekea airport. Flight yetu ilikuwa ni saa tatu usiku kwa hiyo check in time ilikuwa ni saa 12 jioni.
wakati tunatoka pale, receptionist alituita na akutueleza tufanye kabisa malipo ya ile night moja maana tulikuwa hatujalipa. na pia akatuambia kwamba ombi letu la late check out limekubaliwa kwa hiyo tunaweza toka around saa nane mchana. It was obvious kwamba ombi lingekubaliwa maana sisi tulikuwa ni "returning clients". Nkampa kadi ili akate pesa yake mule lakini kwa bahatti mbaya kadi ile ilifeli. Kila tukiingiza password inasema wrong password, tukaamua tutoe tu ile cash ambayo tuliiweka kwa ajili ya taxi jioni tulipie then tuta-sort out issue ya kadi baadae.
Hao tukatoka na breki ya kwanza ikawa duka la taa. Kufika pale tukazikuta taa zetu zipo na jamaa anazifuta futa pale. Tukakaribishwa chai, waturuki wanakunywa sana chai aiseee. Wanapiga sana sigara, sana tena sana. Tukakuta beautiful ashtrays, beautiful bedsheets, some ornaments na vitu kibao. Wakati tunakwenda interest yetu sisi ilikuwa ni zile taa, lakini wanawake bhana, kufika wife anaanza kuniambia habari za bedsheets. Kiufupi tulichagua taa zetu pale na tukapewa bei, kwa hesabu zetu bado tulikuwa na some amount remained kwenye kadi yetu ya bank hata baada ya tukilipia zile taa. Tukaendelea kuchagua pale mpaka tulipoona kwamba sasa tayari tufanye malipo tusepe. Baada ya kukabidhi kadi ili tulipe kwa POS, kadi ikawa inareject password ninayoiingiza. Kikawaida nina password tatu tu, those are my passwords everywhere na nilijaribu zote lakini ngoma ikawa inakataa. Tukapata wazo basi nikatoe mpunga through ATM ili tuje tuwalipe wale jamaa cash. kwenda kwenye ATM mara mbili kadi ikakaa kwa kutuambia wrong password, nikaona nisiingize mara ya tatu maana pengine kadi ingekuwa retained. Nikaamua kurudi pale pale nkahisi labda tulikuwa tunakosea kitu ngoja tukajaribu tena, kwenda kujaribu tu through POS pale pale nkapokea email kwamba the card is blocked because of several attempt. Aisee nilichanganyikiwa. Nilihumiwa na nkachanganyikiwa balaa huku nisijue cha kufanya, hiyo inaelekea saa saba hivi. Nikamtafuta rafiki yangu mmoja huku Tanzania through WhatsApp ambae anafanya kazi kwenye ile ile bank ambayo nina kadi yao. Bahati nzuri alikuwa online, nkamueleza na akaniambia okey nisubiri ajaribu kupiga call centre. Akaniambia atanijulisha. Kwa kweli nilikuwa natapatapa tu kama mfa maji. Nikajaribu kuwasiliana na family ili ikiwezekana wakaniwekee Western Union lakini ilishindikana, nimesahau reasons why family ilishindikana. Nafikiri nilikuwa siwapati hewani!
Nikafikiria nikaona kama inawezekana kuna demu flani hivi yuko kule kule Istanbul ambae ni rafiki yangu sana amtumie zile pesa straight yule mwenye duka, ambazo atakata pesa yake ya vile vitu na anipe mimi angalau USD 100/= na nikifika tu Tanzania ntamtumia. Kweli nikampigia yule dada na akakubali, kwanza kabisa akaongea na yule mwenye duka kwa Kituruki mpaka wakaelewana. Yule rafiki yangu akaniambia atamfanyia mwenye duka online bank transfer kutoka kwenye account yake na upon receipt of the funds basi yule mwenye duka atanipa ule mzigo wangu na atanipa $100. Bahati nzuri yule demu alituma zile pesa, akapiga kuniambia tayari katuma pesa, namwambia mwenye duka pesa tayari imetumwa angalia anasema haijaingia. Nkampigia yule rafiki yangu kumueleza akasema haiwezekani mbona huku tayari nshapokea email ya kwamba transfer is successful?? Hebu mwambie aangalie tena vizuri. Wakati tunaongea pale na mwenye duka, rafiki yake akamwambia kwamba siku ile ni public holiday pale Turkey na kazi wanafunga saa saba kamili. That could be a reason zile funds hazijaingia. Kweli wakatafuta call centre number wakapiga ile bank na wakaambiwa hivyo hivyo kwamba zile pesa zitaingia kesho yake. Nikamjulisha yule demu na kumshkuru kwa wema wake. Japo baadae nilihisi kwamba suala langu hakulichukulia kwa uzito stahiki. She could come and bring me cash, reason yake ya kutokuja ni kwamba alikuwa na kipindi in the next 2 hours na hawezi kukikosa. But I was in a situation of life and death remember.
Siku ile ndio nlithibitisha msemo wa "siku ya kufa nyani miti yote huteleza" The struggle was real. Ikabidi deal ya taa na makorokocho yote yale ife pale pale. Hotelini nimepewa mpaka saa nane nitoke, ikabidi nirudi hotel nikamalizie ku-park mizigo niitoe chumbani niiweke reception huku mimi nikihangaika how I will reach airport. Hatukuwa hata na USD 1 mfukoni, it was a disaster aisee usiskie. Ugenini ni nouma sana.
Tulitoka hotelini around nane na nusu, tulikuwa na mabegi matatu. mawili ya wastani na moja kubwa na zito, ilibidi tuondoke na yale mawili huku mimi nayaburuta kuelekea kwenye station ya Tram ya Hagia Sophia maana si mbali, nikakae pale pale huku nikisubiri jamaa wa bank aniambie kwamba kadi yangu ishafanyiwa reset ndipo tutoe pesa ya kutufikisha airport. Tulifika kituoni pale Hagia Sophia nkamwambia wife anisubiri na mizigo pale ili nikalifuate na lile begi jengine ili tuje tuondoke zetu. Nikarudi hotel nkachkua mzigo wangu na kuondoka, this was a really hard day. I did not expect kwamba our holiday would end that way, I was angry to my wife unnecessarily. On the way wakati tunatembea na wife kuelekea station kule basi akiniuliza kitu kidogo tu nakuwa mkali. akitembea pole pole nakuwa mkali vitu ambavyo I regretted mwishoni. Why was I angry unnecessarily?????
We had like 10 Turkish Lira na hizo ndio tulizitumia kukatia ticket ya Tram pale kuelekea eneo moja linaitwa AKSARAY METRO STATION ambapo tungeweza kupata usafiri kuelekea Ataturk International airport. All this time rafiki yangu huku Tanzania yupo kimya tu. Nkampigia whatsapp call wakati tupo kwenye Tram ila akawa hayupo online so simu inanionyesha "calling" na sio "ringing".
Baada ya muda tukafika Aksaray, tukashuka hatujui pa kuelekea. One of the thing abroad huwezi kuuliza uliza tu ovyo ovyo watu wanakuona niaje niaje!!!! tuliposhuka tu kwenye Tram na mizigo yetu ambapo begi moja alibeba wife na lilikuwa likimuelemea, tukawa tumesimama pale Tram station huku nikichanganya akili what to do. I saw a Somalian brother coming my way, I stopped him na nkamuuliza ni wapi naweza pata train ya kuelekea new airport (Ataturk airport)???? jamaa akanifahamisha lakini mwisho akaamua kunipeleka. Ni mwendo wa kama dakika 10 hivi kutoka pale station ya Tram mpaka station ya train. Njiani nikamuuliza yeye anaishi pale? akaniambia yeah yeye anaishi pale, na amezaliwa pale pale Turkey. Jamii ya wasomali ipo pale. On the way nkakutana na waafrika vijana ambao walionekana ni wakaazi pale. Nafkiri ilikuwa wanavuta ganja, tulipowapita nkamuuliza jamaa hawa vijana wa kiafrika wanavuta ganja hadharani?? akaniambia they are the reason why aliamua kutupeleka kule station ya train maana wale ni wahalifu na alipotuona tu sisi akajua sisi ni wageni na Waislam maana alimuona mke wangu alivyovaa. Akaniambia angetufahamisha tu njia tungekutana na wale wana na yeye anajua pengine wangetusumbua as mtu yoyotte kituona tu anajua sisi ni wageni pale.
Kufika tu kwenye train station simu yangu iliingia email kwamba my card imefanyiwa reset hivyo ningeweza kuitumia. Fasta nkaangaza macho nkaiona ATM machine, nkamwambia wife nisubiri hapa nkajaribu kutoa pesa. nkaenda mpaka ATM na nkafanikiwa kutoa Lira 280 ambazo zingetutosha kufika airport maana ilikuwa ni kama lira 150-200 kutokea pale Aksaray.
Kadi ilikubali na pesa zilitoka. Aisee nilimshkuru Mungu like never before. Nkarudi nkamwambia wife we are good lets take a taxi now, we are not gonna go by train. We took a taxi mpaka airport, it was 2 hours trip na tukafika around saa moja pale airport, good thing watu hawakuwa wengi saaaaana kwa hiyo tulifanikiwa kucheck in. Tukatafuta sehemu tukala na kuelekea kwenye gate letu ready for a trip back home.
Baada ya kuwa kila kitu is set, nlimuomba wife msamaha kwa hasira zangu za kijinga na zisizokuwa na mantiki. Akanaiambia ni miaka 5 sasa tupo kwenye ndoa so she understands me. Nisijali alijua nimechanganyikiwa tu and she said she loves me so much.
Around mbili na nusu usiku tuli- board flight and at 09:00 pm we took off. Next morningaround saa moja asubuhi nilikuwa Airport ya Dar.
Safari hii ilinipa funzo kubwa sana, this kind of situation will not happen to me again as I will do much better this year.
More cards with me, more cash! Better feel safe!
Until my next trip...............................
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DOKEZO Shirika la Ndege Tanzania (ATCL) limetelekeza Abiria Mwanza, hadi sasa hawajui hatma yao
Niliyoyashuhudia mkesha wa mwaka mpya Arusha: Ufuska wa kutisha, anasa, ulevi, matusi, na hekaheka zingine