Welcome to travel + explore & play with Sallee Jay, where I am your host. 👋🏾💓‼️ It’s been a while since I’ve traveled international, so I had to make sure this trip hit a few destinations because WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER!

On a more serious note this trip was more than I could have ever imagined. I’m extremely grateful for the experience and as more of the story unfolds, I hope that your heart is equally delighted in the experience too! Follow along as I share trip details including — family first’s, healing, restoration and great adventures!

The story begins in America as I prepared to leave for the airport…

Confessions of a travel blogger:

I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful trip based off of my Lyft ride to the airport. I was definitely cursed 🤬🤬 out by my Lyft driver for having her wait a few minutes, while I gathered my things and secured my property. Whew chile… and she proceeded to antagonize me the entire ride to the airport, at one point even pulling over 😳 and threatening not to complete the ride because I would not engage with her and the trash energy that she was omitting. This is after she threatened to throw my luggage out of the vehicle and commented that blacks from Denver were weird 👀👀👀👀👀. Before you ask, she was a Black woman. 🤦🏽‍♀️🥴🙃

I prayed for her silently in the backseat - for her peace, healing and protection. Then I reported her, because who has time for behavior like that when all you requested was a paid ride to the airport. 😳🥴🙄

Once I arrived in Washington, D.C., I linked up with my Nana and headed to our hotel to get some rest. We had to awake early the next morning to get COVID tested before starting our journey.

This is a special trip, because it’s Nana’s first international trip! She’s cheered so many of us on as we’ve traveled and journeyed all over the globe and finally, it is her turn! We had to turn up ⬆️ for this one because this trip brought about some justice to a deeply rooted evil in Americas dark past… more about that later. Everyone, this is Nana‼️ I know she’s GORGEOUS ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️😩❣️🙌🏾💓

Anywho, after getting tested we headed to the airport to link with part of our group from Africa Development Promise, the main reason for our travels. It was so nice to have experienced travelers — Monica and Naz on this first leg of our trip, to help ease my Nana’s nerves and to show us the ropes as we experienced day trips in several cities.

We had an 8-hour layover in Istanbul and decided to tour the city. We obtained our visas and headed to the tour operators within the airport. For a private car, driver and English-speaking guide we paid $150 USD. We asked for clarification several times if this price was inclusive of everything and for all four of us as travelers combined. We received an overwhelming answer of, “YES!!”

We enjoyed lunch off of the water at Galata Galapera. We had so many great foods that we shared with one another and white wine. We also made a rookie travel mistake, which was odd given the fact that, we are all seasoned travelers— well except Nana. 

We ordered with our stomachs and feelings instead of utilizing logic, I blame it in the heat and exhaustion from traveling 🥴. We were all so captivated by the views that we did not ask for menus with pricing. And they suggested all the best foods for us and we kindly agreed and enjoyed the company of one another. While we certainly enjoyed our time and meal, absolutely no one at the table was expecting the $650 USD price tag that it came with! LESSON LEARNED!!!

We later found out that this restaurant likes to scam tourist in the area!!! 🤬😡 If you look at the reviews on TripAdvisor or other travel websites, you will see that while the food is delicious, the intent is to rip people off. The restaurant and the tour operators work in conjunction with one another. Ultimately, our tour cost us $200 per person USD, which in the grand scheme of things is affordable. That said, the tour company should have been honest with us, as we did inquire several times about the price per person. Not only do they operate this scam out of the airport, they also work with hotel concierge’s too! If you’re looking for a reputable tour do your research ahead of time, the airport may not be your best bet. Also, the drivers generally share very general information- if you want more information and exclusive experiences, pay the extra for an English-speaking guide or learn the language.

Next, we headed to The Blue Mosque, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque. As a functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I.

Next, we were escorted to small shops to see jewelry and luxury handbags.

Then it was back to the airport for re-entry and the next leg of our trip to Kigali. ✈️ Our tour guide made sure we made it back and through security in enough time to make our tight turnaround!

All and all, Istanbul is a clean and safe city. The water views are breathtaking and the people are inviting. They are also charming so be aware and enjoy!

Enjoy our footage of our time in Istanbul. It’s a beautiful city and I cannot wait to get back!