When Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror took over Istanbul in 1453, he first ordered the construction of a new palace for this new Ottoman capital, on a site in the district of Beyazit where Istanbul University stands today. Then he changed his mind and had a number of buildings constructed on the headland which was an olive grove to the southeast. It is these buildings that became the Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi Palace was the home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. The final form of the first palace covered an area 700m², and was enclosed with fortified walls 1400 meters in length. The walls had a number of gates, namely the Otluk gate, the Demir gate and the Imperial Gate and a number of minor angled gates between them. After the reign of Mehmet, the palace grew steadily to form a city like complex of buildings and annexes, including a shore palace known as the Topkapi shore palace, as it was situated near the cannon gate -Topkapi- of the ancient walls of Istanbul. When the shore palace was burned down in 1863, it lent its name to the great complex we now know as Topkapi Palace.

The Topkapi Palace continued to be the principal residence for four centuries until in 1853, Sultan Abdul Mecid I moved into the new palace of Dolmabahce on the Bosphorus. The old palace was used as house for the women of the departed sultans and their servants until the Harem was officially disbanded in 1909. In 1924, Topkapi Palace was converted to a museum on instructions of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The final step was the opening of the Harem to the public in 1960.

Because Topkapi is the first attraction to tick off on everyone's list get there when it opens, so get there early. The Topkapi Palace Museum is open between 9:00 am-5:00 pm everyday except for Tuesdays. Tickets can be purchased in the gateway to the Second Court. The tickets cost 12.000.000 TL. (equivalent to about 8 USD or 7 EUR) per person. The treasury section needs a separate admission fee and costs 10.000.000 TL. There is a discounted fee for the students. The Harem Section can be visited with a separate ticket in the ticket office near the Harem entrance. The tours to Harem are operated every half hour from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. The tickets cost 15.000.000 TL(11 USD or 9 EUR).

Go straight to the Harem, which can only be seen by guided tour, as the tours fill up early. After the Harem tour you can stroll around the palace's grounds and the four courtyards at your leisure. Also, don't miss the Treasury in the 3rd courtyard which houses gold, and works of art.

Straight after the Topkapi Palace, head for the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque which are virtually next door.

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Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762380.html

Scientists believe that Maldive Islands were first settled by Aryan immigrants who are thought to have colonised Sri Lanka at the same time, (around 500 BC). Further migration from South India, as well as Sri Lanka, occurred. The latest archaeological findings suggest the islands were inhabited as early as 1500 BC. Around 947 AD, recorded contact with the outside world began with the first Arab travellers. As the population increased, the Maldivian people with their mixed features formed tight-knit island communities. Historical remains dating back to 400 BC show strong evidence that Buddhism was widely practised among the people. Islam came to the Maldives with the Persian and Arab travellers and in 1153 AD Arabian traveller Abul Barakhat Al-Bar Bari is said to have been responsible for the conversion to Islam. In 1558, the Portuguese invaded and captured the Maldives. They ruled the country for 15 years, until Boduthakurufaanu, the national hero recaptured the Maldives from the Portuguese. He ruled the country as Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu from 1573 – 1583.

The Maldives became a British Protectorate and a dependency of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1887 and remained so until 26 July 1965 when they gained full independence. The independent Maldives reverted from a Sultanate to a Republic on 11th November 1968 and since then the country has remained a fully independent republic.

The first resort, Kurumba Village was developed in 1972, on an uninhabited island near the capital, Malé. The resort, had accommodation for about 60 guests. The second resort was Bandos, with about 280 beds. The services in the two resorts were quite basic compared to that of others in the region. The food was mainly local and the transportation quite slow. It was also a time when air travel to the Maldives was only available on Air Ceylon which operated a small Avero aircraft. This plane carried only 48 passengers and took two hours to reach Malé from Colombo. Despite this, over a thousand tourists came to the Maldives in 1972. In 2003 the Maldives consists of more than 80 resorts, and over 500,000 visitors from all over the world. Italian visitors account for approximately 25% of all visitors, followed by the UK at 17%, Germany at 14% and Japan at 9% and the average stay is 8.5 nights.

The Maldives hold the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum altitude of only 2.3 metres. Although there have been reports of rising sea levels threatening the islands, the sea level has actually lowered in recent decades. There are said to be 199 inhabited islands and 993 uninhabited islands.

The December tsunami reached the Maldives at approximately 9.20am on 26 December 2004, sending waves up to five metres high over the 1192 islands. The disaster is believed to have caused damage to 69 of the 199 inhabited islands and 14 islands are said to be completely devastated and had to be evacuated. In total, some 20,500 islanders were displaced from their homes and 83 people were killed, including three tourists. A further 25 people are still missing and presumed lost in the disaster.

Even before the disaster, environmentalists were concerned about the risk to the islands from rising sea levels. The most serious damage was to the islands along the east coast of the group, particularly in North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll, but the capital, Malé, and the international airport on Hulhule island experienced only minor flooding. The tsunami also caused significant damage in the far south of the Maldives, particularly to Vilufushi in the Thaa Atoll and Kolhufushi in the Meemu Atoll. In the north, Kandholhudhoo island in the Raa Atoll was completely destroyed, displacing 3,000 islanders from their homes. The island has since been abandoned. Cartographers are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations by the tsunami.

Despite the massive damage to homes, schools, harbour facilities, telephone and electricity suppliers and general infrastructure, the loss of life was thankfully comparatively small, especially when compared with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Still, estimates suggest that around 7% of the population has been left homeless by the disaster and the overall cost of damage is estimated at US$470 million, or 62% of the islands' GDP. The government has reported that the impact of the tsunami will set back development in the Maldives by two decades.

Despite this, the emergency relief effort has been extremely successful, though some would say that it has been challenged to the areas most frequented by tourists. As of March, 71 of the 87 resorts in the Maldives were open as normal and tourists could visit Malé and other areas that escaped major damage without problems. However, 16 resorts remain closed as a result of the disaster – for an update on the 16 hotels that are closed, see: www.visitmaldives.com.mv

No prior visa arrangements are required, but some requirements must be fulfilled to obtain a 30 days tourist visa on arrival: a visitor must have a valid travel documents and properly completed embarkation/disembarkation cards which usually provided at during the inward flight. In addition, visitors must also have a return air ticket or at least US$ 50.00 per intended day of stay in Maldives. Any amount of Foreign currency can be brought in without declaring and can be taken out without any restriction. Some items are forbidden to be imported to the country, including firearms and explosives, pornography of any kind, including what would be considered “acceptable erotica” in all western (and most eastern) societies, pork and all products containing pork, narcotic drugs, poisons and hazardous, irritable or industrial chemicals and alcohol. Alcoholic items purchased on the trip will be held in Customs bond for collection upon departure.

We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel reminiscences about Japan and shopping in Hong Kong.

When I was first stationed in Japan, the Chaplains would have to counsel Japanese girls that wanted to marry GIs. They would explain to them that they might get homesick in the States so far from their homeland Japan, that customs were different in the States etc etc. One Chaplain told me that the Japanese girl he was counselling got tired of all his little talk and said to him: look here Chaplain, I want to go to the States. I no bullshit you. Ha!

I was stationed in Japan for five and a half years and loved it and it showed in my letters home. I must have gone to Hong Kong from Japan at least a dozen times on our planes. Planes leaving Japan would often stop in Hong Kong no matter what their destination especially at Christmas time. I got to be kind of an unofficial shopper for those that could not leave the base of Japan and this included buying Rosewood furniture for the Commander who was soon to leave for the States. I had to get it on one of our ships returning to Japan and get it thorough customs in Japan. A buddy of mine Nesi met me to act as my interpreter. The customs asked my buddy if I was Important. He told them in Japanese. You dam right he is. He is a Sergeant. (Low Sergeant, however, TSgt.)

We were supposed to be checking weather and intelligence but shopping entered into things. One time I was proudly walking down Nathan Road in Hong Kong in my new Hong Kong shoes when the soles fell off. I bent over to pick them up and my new Hong Kong suit ripped down the back. Chinese thread was not strong and Americans learned in the future to bring American thread to their tailors and hope they would use it.

You got a tailor made suit with two pairs of pants for $25 in 24 hours. Our crew usually stayed in modest hotels, either in the Golden Gate or the Peninsula. They knew our needs, so much so that when sometimes we had to leave early, they would store stuff for us between trips etc. One time, my roommate was a new man in our outfit. We entered our room and three Chinese followed into our room. My buddy said: Mac, who are these folks? I said I don't know. I thought they were with you. They were what we called tailor pimps who tried to get you to go to their tailor shop. They would give you a drink while about three people would be measuring you. You felt like a King. The first time they asked me how I dressed. Are they making conversation? I first put on underwear, then trousers, then shoes. No do you dress left of right? An old timer said to me: Mac they want to know which way your dong hangs to the left or the right so they can arrange material to hide it. I said as far as I know it just hangs and it isn't that big. I have trouble finding it. Ha! The tailor pimps were better informed that our intelligence. They would know our commanders name, when we were arriving in Hong Kong and when we were to leave. One time in a hotel, what we thought was the front desk phoned and said for us to have our luggage out in the hallway by three o clock instead of four. It was a con artist phoning. Our luggage was picked up and there went our Hong Kong suits, souvenirs, military clothing. The works.

AFRH-W Stanley Sagura collects used eye glasses and volunteers to go with a group including eye doctors to distribute them free to needy around the world. I enjoy hearing about his travel experiences. He was with a group of 38 in a tour that were taken to the largest McDonalds in the world in Beijing, China. (Some had gotten tired of eating Chinese food!) This McDonalds had 300 employees. Stanley counted 30 cash registers. They all ordered the same items in advance and were taken to a second floor dining area where they were all fed within five minutes! What service! We were discussing the humorous signs we saw in Japan when the Japanese print signs in English, obviously not their first language.

In Japan they have a drink something like Gatorade they call Sweat. Actually Pocari Sweat. A small bottle of it in a vending machine cost $1.65. They also have a drink called Calpis and a powdered cream like coffee mate called Creep. They have a packaged toothpaste brand of “College” toothpaste in the same colours and layout as the “Colgate” brand. There is a city in Kysushu by the name of Usa that manufactures table service flat ware and had stamped “Made in USA” on it for export until a Japanese agency Ministry of Industry and Trade stopped this. Stanley saw a sign for a detour that read Please Go Sideways and a sign wanting you to put your hand under the faucet that read “Be near your hand when the water flows.”

One sign in a hotel stated “All the water in our hotel has been passed by the Chef.” He saw a sign in a hotel near the manually operated air conditioning that read “When you get hot control yourself.” Control yourself, Mac! Sagara advises that Japanese have difficulty saying “no.” If they disagree they usually say “could you possibly be mistaken?” Or something to that effect. If you ask: is Tokyo in that direction (pointing) and it is actually the wrong direction you may possibly get a “Hai” (yes.) You should ask “Which way is Tokyo?” Answer: that way, (pointing in the right direction.) To open McDonalds in Russia ,where they had difficulty teaching the employees to smile, they first had to open an approved meat processing plant at a cost of US $10m. Now McDonalds are in all major cities in Russia and well patronised.