Day 2 of Turkiye : Anıtkabir Mausoleum & Tuz Golu @ Ankara

package tour 的悲哀就是 wake up call came 2hrs before departure when i only needed at most an hour; 30 minutes to doll up, pack & check out and 20 minutes for breakfast!!!  

Good morning from our hotel room @ 5.50am... thankful for the early sunrise though... else I confirmed would be even sleepier and grouchier...😴😴😴

看了就没食欲... breakfast was a lot of dried apricot and two hard boiled eggs which Angela peeled for me... 😍😍😍

then it was the daily llooonnnnggggg bus ride from here to there & over there, another package tour 的悲哀... but i do luv the sun shinning on me while i'm sitting in an air-conditioned environment... warm warm yet cool cool... 😍😍😍

entertainment on these long bus rides included selfie-ing, listening to tour guide's sharing on Turkiye, reading the PVCs (laminated fact sheets) which he passed down the seats like classroom manipulative, 

playing homescape, duolingo-ing, strolling videos after videos, napping and my favourite was 放空-ing while enjoying the view through my bus window... 

welfie time during toilet break... luv the auto filter in angela's phone... i wish i look like that seh... 

2 hours later @ Anıtkabir Mausoleum in Ankara 

heavily guarded and strict security check... 

It's such an important and high status place that all international delegates have to visit and pay respect at this mausoleum before they can attend any conference and/or meeting with the country's leaders... and indeed we did see a few groups of 大人物s in suits and ties with armed bodyguards...

there were also MANY MANY groups of students of all ages, in coloured coded vests for easy identification and in different coloured graduating gowns and mortarboards... all waiting in turns to pay their respect to the country's past leader...

 

accidental shot of angela while videoing our daily tik-tok inspired travel video to commemorate the chua sisters' first oversea holiday together... can guess which video trend we were doing for this day 2 in Turkiye?!?!?!? 

so happy that i opted for vegetarian lunch cos the usual was fresh greens, lentil soup, grilled chicken/beef AGAIN!!! 

self paid soft drink @ 30 lira (S$1.25)

after an hour+ bus ride, we reached Salt Lake... this lake changes colour with the seasons... it appears pink due to the pink halobacterium growing in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake in late summer and fall but it was just plain white when we visited... =S...

this couple in our tour group was so sweet to each other, we thought they were dating / newly wed... jaw dropped when we learnt that they have been married for 25 years with their eldest son being 20 years old this year... 

they colour coded their attire almost every other day... i luv to assume that they were in pink cos they might have seen pics of Salt Lake being pink...

did we happen to wink at the same time or were we squinting from the super strong sun?!?!?! 😎😎😎

with my teeny weeny salt cloud...