General: Turkey

///// Introduction /////

I have been to Turkey 2 times in my life. First time was with my mum in 1999. I only had one week and stayed in Kalkan. I had a fantastic holiday and rebooked another trip as soon as I arrived home. Sadly this trip had to be cancelled and we did not go back for a few years. I returned this year, to Kusadasi, property hunting and want to tell others about my experiences I had in this amazing country.
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...About Turkey /////

Turkey is a huge country and is the gateway to Asia. 97% of Turkey is in Asia and 3% in Europe. Turkey has 5000 miles of coastline and it has 3 climatic zones.
1= Marmaris, .....(including Istanbul)Aegean and Med regions.These have a med climate with hot summers and mild winters.It can get upto 40-45 in summer
2=Blacksea,..........It is hot here in summer with mild winters and high rainfall
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///// Introduction /////

I have been to Turkey 2 times in my life. First time was with my mum in 1999. I only had one week and stayed in Kalkan. I had a fantastic holiday and rebooked another trip as soon as I arrived home. Sadly this trip had to be cancelled and we did not go back for a few years. I returned this year, to Kusadasi, property hunting and want to tell others about my experiences I had in this amazing country.

///// History and A Few Facts About Turkey /////

Turkey is a huge country and is the gateway to Asia. 97% of Turkey is in Asia and 3% in Europe. Turkey has 5000 miles of coastline and it has 3 climatic zones.
1= Marmaris, .....(including Istanbul)Aegean and Med regions.These have a med climate with hot summers and mild winters.It can get upto 40-45 in summer
2=Blacksea,..........It is hot here in summer with mild winters and high rainfall
3=Central Regions,.....and Eastern Anatolian regions(including Ankara)have more extreme hot,dry summers and cold winters.
Turkey has amazing history and it's landscape is varied over the country. Flights from the UK to Turkey take about 4 hours to European part of Turkey. The Currency is the Turkish Lira which is now about 2.6 TL to the pound. Glad they took the noughts off,lol. Turkey is also 100% self sufficient and grows all it's own food.

///// First time in Turkey /////

My first holiday to Turkey was with a travel company called Tapestry travel. They specialise in the unspoilt Turkey and do not cater for the mass market. They are a small family run company. We booked off their website and got a last minute deal for £200 per person for one week at the Yelken Hotel in Kalkan. I know this hotel has since shut down so will not talk about it on here. It is now being sold off as apartments. The one thing I remember about Tapestry was how friendly and punctual they were. When we arrived at Dalaman airport, after a quick walk through customs and buying our £10 Visa which last 3 months we were met by a lady with a clipboard who told us our bus was waiting. It was a small bus and we were given a bottle of water and some Turkish delight. It was the first week of October but the bus had air con as it was still hot, 30c.

As we drove the 2 hours through the mountains to Kalkan the lady told us about what things to expect and what places we could go and visit. I was surprised how green and lush the scenery was. I remember seeing children coming out of school waving at us and people picking cotton in the fields. I also remember seas of greenhouse that shimmered in the sun like water. Turkish farmers group together and buy greenhouses and grow tomatoes and then divide the profits. On house roofs I saw bundles of crops drying out in the warm sunshine. We also met up with the odd farmer herding his goats in the middle of the road.

///// Kalkan /////

We arrived in Kalkan around teatime. Kalkan looked amazing. The hotel was clean and had stunning views. That night we walked down to the town which was a pleasant 20 minute stroll. My mum was in paradise. Kalkan had loads of fantastic shops and restaurants. It was a very trendy and laid back place. Little winding streets and rug shops and Turkish style bars with rugs and cushions. Kalkan also had a pretty harbour where you could eat well for £3-4 a head including wine. The people in Kalkan were all very friendly and offered us endless cups of Turkish tea. They wanted to know all about us, but in a nice way. We had many nice evenings down in Kalkan. Turkish men will come onto ladies as I found out. One man who owned a restaurant kept buying me drinks and sitting next to me. As soon as I said I was married, he was off,lol. Other days men would chat us up and we just said we were meeting our husbands to get rid of them. They were not threatening or anything and we just flashed the wedding ring to give them the message.

///// What To Do Near Kalkan /////

Tapestry Travel done several day trips which we decided to go on. One day we booked a BBQ boat cruise along the coast. It was an amazing day. We sailed along down to Kas( another beautiful unspoilt town) and swam in the deep blue crystal clear seas and then eat a delicious BBQ lunch washed down with chilled wine and Efes beer( really good locally produced beer). The whole day was only £15 a person, but this was in 1999. Another day we took a bus trip to a stunning Gorge. Saklikent Gorge was in the countryside and we paid a small entrance fee to hike the Gorge(£1). We hired plastic jelly type shoes to walk in as we were wading knee deep in water at times. The location here was breathtaking and the cool water was pleasant in the heat. I noticed they also done white water rafting here and canoe trips. After we had hiked the gorge( part of it, about 2km, the gorge was 18km long) we came back and sat down with an ice cold Efes in a beautiful river stilt restaurant. I highly recommend this place, but it is not for people with bad backs as the hike was quite hard at times. Climbing up rocks etc, slippery. Another trip we did with Tapestry was visit the Dalyan Delta.

///// Dalyan Delta ////

We went on an air conditioned coach to here and we then caught a river boat. We slowly sailed along this river which was lined with reeds. The birdlife here was amazing. We sailed to the ancient city of Caunos and saw the rock tombs in the cliff,it was a great sight. We then sailed to the famous beach called Istuzu which is preserved as one of the few remaining nesting places for Loggerhead turtles.The film The African Queen was filmed on the Dalyan Delta. It seemed strange suddenly seeing a beautiful beach as we sailed through the reeds. The beach was huge and sandy and also had loo's and a bar serving refreshing drinks. Do remember to keep change in your pocket for the loos as more often than not people sit there with a small plate wanting tips. Please remember not to flush loo roll down the loo as pipes in Turkey cannot cope and can become blocked. If you use a traditional Turkish loo, be careful not to slip like I did,lol. Had a few beers ;-)

///// Kaya /////

We went and saw another day a deserted village . Kaya is a ghost town and used to be the home of 3500 Greeks until they were deported in the 20's. The people who were supposed to move in after them refused as they believed the place was haunted. Some of the cottages have now been done up and you can rent them out. This is where I was supposed to be going when I booked my second holiday up to Turkey. Sadly my mother in law was rushed to hospital so we had to cancel. This village is stunning and Tapestry do rent a few cottages out here. This is the place to relax and unwind. Fields of poppies and just the birds singing.

///// Xanthos /////

Turkey has a huge selection of temples and ruins worth visiting. Xanthos,which is 5 miles or so from the Gorge I mentioned earlier is one of them .It opens from 7.20am to 7pm daily.There are two tombs which tower above seats of the theatre and an obelisk. It is called the HARPY TOMB...This ruin was knocked down during an earthquake several years ago. I enjoyed walking around here, but stubbed my toe on a rock and it bled for like half an hour. So do wear sensible shoes, unlike I did, lol.

///// Patara /////

Another day while on holiday in Kalkan we decided to catch a local bus to Patara. The Dolmus bus( which means stuffed) is a good easy cheap way to travel. Turkey has a great public network of buses because most people there cannot afford cars , so use the buses. Petrol is even slightly more expensive in Turkey than the UK. We caught a bus which was £4 return for two of us. The buses normally run every 20 minutes from 7-8am till at least midnight in high season and till 10pm off season. When we arrived at Patara we saw loads of old ruins as we walked up the road to the beach. Patara used to be a large Lycian City. When we got onto the beach my draw dropped. The beach is 11 miles long with beautiful sand. This beach is the longest and widest in Turkey. We soon found ourselves a quiet space and it felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves. There was a bar here and sunbeds for hire and a porter loo. This area is a conservation area as turtles breed here . We had a wonderful day here relaxing. Patara is about 10 miles from Kalkan and takes about 20 minutes on the bus. As it was quite windy and sand was flying around, we hired a beach brolly from the bar for £2. When we left we used changing rooms provided by the bar and then went to catch the bus. We got fed up waiting and decided to share a taxi with a couple from Kas. It was only £3 a person, but I was half sitting on my mum's lap. Poor lady,lol.

///// Kas /////

On our last day we decided to visit Kas as the couple we shared a taxi with said it was beautiful. We caught a taxi from Kalkan to this small harbour town. Kas had loads of good bars and places to eat and is a good place for nightlife. It has a quieter pace of life during the day. The taxi ride took about one hour and was £10 for us both. We found both Kalkan and Kas quiet during the day as most people hit the beaches or stayed round the pools during the heat. You know the saying, mad dogs and Englishmen, or should I say ladies? lol.

///// Tlos /////

On our Gorge trip that I talked about Earlier, we also visited the ancient city of Tlos. We spent about 20 minutes here while our guide explained all about it. We then carried onto a strange looking thing on a hill. We slowly climbed the hill to find an amazing view from the top. It looked like a castle with arched windows. We could see for miles, mountains all around us. The trek down was not as hard as there was a bar at the bottom waiting for us with ice cold drinks. Perfect.

///// Final thoughts of my 1999 holiday /////

I really enjoyed this part of Turkey. Kalkan was a very nice place, quite exclusive. I do hear now it has become quite built up. Lot's of villas built, being built. I think my fondest memory from this trip is the warmth of the people and how helpful they were. I remember one night sitting down at Kalkan harbour after a meal sipping wine, a Gulet boat sailed in and moored up. Several Turkish men were onboard. They started playing a board game and then one man started playing a stringed instrument. It sounded really atmospheric. Then another man started singing and it was just wonderful. Sitting there as the moon shimmered on the sea hearing these people. Another night in Kalkan there was a wedding down at the harbour. When prayer time started from the Mosque, the wedding celebration stopped, music and all. The people let the Mosque do it's thing and then the party started back up. I found this very respectful. I would recommend Kalkan for people who want to stay somewhere special and to have a good base to explore the amazing history along this part of Turkey. It would be an ideal place for a honeymoon.

///// Turkish Trip March 2006 //////

I finally managed to get back to Turkey this year. I went property hunting and also managed to have abit of a holiday too. I will not say much about the property buying process here, more about my holiday experiences. We booked a flight with British Airways for £420 including all taxes from London Gatwick to Izmir( 14 nights booked online). We went on their very first flight to Izmir. The flight was 4 hours long and a very good comfy flight. We had plenty of legroom and a meal and this included drinks. We had wine with our meal. The food was very good which makes a pleasant change. When we landed we were greeted by people giving us figs and wine and flowers which was great. It was because it was there first flight to Izmir. At least I now have some vino to drink when we get to the rental villa. We went through customs and got our luggage fast and paid our £10 visa fee and then met our taxi driver in arrivals who was holding a board up with our name on it. We were charged £30 from Izmir Airport to Kusadasi and it took about one hour. £30 for both of us. We thought this was very good value. We tipped the man about £3 when we reached the villa.( our rental company of the villa booked the airport transfer) The villa was abit disappointing as it had not been cleaned and was tatty. It was advertised as brand new, but it looked 20 years old to us. We think it was new, but the standard of workmanship was very poor. I will give links later. We then done several property viewings down in Altinkum and Akbuk and we luckily found a great house in Akbuk. Luckily as we were property viewing, we did not spend much time in the villa. The villa had quite a few problems, temp electric supply and water heating going wrong etc.

///// Altinkum /////

We visited Altinkum property viewing. We decided against buying here as it was too built up. Seas of properties and it was tatty in some areas. The beach area was nice and the beach is called Golden Beach. Some parts of Didim( Altinkum is just the beach area) were ok and the main road to Altinkum was quite nice. We stayed in a hotel called The Temple Hotel here and it was quite good. It was only £15 a night per double room for 2 people including a decent breakfast. The breakfast had a vast choice of things to eat. The lobby was nice and the location was good too. We stayed here 3 nights and would stay here again. The main road to the beach had a good selection of bars, places to eat. At the end of this road we caught a dolmus bus to Akbuk. Only took 20 minutes and cost us £2.50 return, both of us. Didim and Altinkum looks like it is up and coming and lot's of clearing up is being done. Loads of properties for sale here, too many if you ask me. I will go back here and The Apollo Temple is worth seeing.

///// Akbuk /////

We decided to buy a place in Akbuk as it was really quiet, unspoilt and felt very safe. I have heard that Altinkum has quite a few break ins to holiday homes. Akbuk is supposed to be virtually crime free. When we first saw Akbuk, I was blown away. As we drove along the coast road I could see the most amazing colour sea. There has been no building on the sea side of the road. It is all green fields and pine trees. The villas have been built on the mountains other side of road. This means almost every place has fabulous sea-views. Building is also regulated in Akbuk, so no high rise buildings will ever spoil the views or feel of Akbuk. As we got nearer to the actual town centre we saw olive trees and goats and more stunning sea-views. We liked Akbuk because is was so green. Natural. The whole area is surrounded by pine clad mountains. It felt calm. While we were there it was the solar eclipse. I had bought viewing glasses off Ebay. We were not far enough down to see 100% but it must of been 90%. It went slightly dark and all the birds stopped singing. The temperature dropped from 24c to 10c. It was a very strange feeling.

///// Akbuk places to eat /////

Akbuk is only a small place and has about 14 places to eat in the summer and about 4 in off season. We found a great place called Jokers Bar right on the seafront with wonderful views. They had only just opened when we went so did not have any food. But we had a refreshing beer while relaxing in the sun. They open from 1st April to end September. We noticed several fishing boats in the small harbour and we saw one man carrying a strange looking fish which he said was a Seal Fish. Fishing is good here and Sea Bass is supposed to be good here. You can buy fresh fish each morning as the fishermen bring their catch home. Akbuk has a market on Fridays which I have not been to as yet. We walked up the main street and Akbuk had a good selection of shops. Hairdressers, Dentist, Doctors, Car Hire, DIY, Food Shops. Enough to keep you happy on your holiday. Akbuk is mainly a Turkish holiday resort. We ended up buying a house on a nice complex with fantastic views. Going out to furnish it in the near future.

///// Kusadasi /////

After we had sorted our house buying out, we went back to Kusadasi and had abit of a holiday. The local buses were good and we found the people on them very helpful and polite. One day we caught Dolmus bus to Kusadasi seafront to check it out. We really liked this part of Kusadasi. Seafront is lined with palms and was quite trendy and busy. But we did find that we got hassled here allot. People kept coming up to us and wanting us to eat in their restaurant. We took a walk away from sea where the shops were. We got hassled even more. People wanted us to go into their shops. It was a pain to tell you the truth and annoying. Kalkan was not like that at all, nor Altinkum or Akbuk. We found Kusadasi nice on the seafront and it had a great selection of shops, but it was a big busy place. Not very relaxing and this was only March. Imagine what it must be like in summer? We had a few meals out in Kusadasi and we saw the price difference straight away. It was more expensive than Akbuk and Altinkum. But then again it felt more exclusive. I do recommend Kusadasi to people who love shopping and action and a trendy happening place. If you like a slower pace of life, head elsewhere. Kusadasi had a couple of large waterparks which would be great in summer.

///// Ephesus //////

One day we decided to go and see this temple. We caught a Dolmus bus and it was £4 return for 2 people. We got off where we thought we had to after seeing a huge amphitheatre in the mountain side. Sadly we got off at the wrong end and had to catch a taxi to the right place for £4. It was £5 per person to enter. We had some bloke wanting to be our guide at the entrance and we said no. Make sure you take a bottle of water as it gets very hot here. Very sheltered location with hardly any breeze. Ephesus is massive. We spent about one hour walking around the endless ruins. It is open from 8am-6.30pm . I was amazed at the stunning carvings and statues and just how much of it there was. I will not bore you with history as you can find that out anywhere( guidebooks etc). All I can say you must see it. When you exit the place you are greeted with gift shops and places to eat. We had a fantastic fresh pizza in a place on the left at the end of all the shops. £4 and it was very good. After you pass the shops you can catch buses and taxis. If you want to catch a Dolmus bus you have to walk out onto the main road and wait there.

///// Shopping /////

Shopping is great in Turkey. Always haggle for things as people expect you to. Designer goods( fake) are available everywhere and you can get yourself some great bargains. I bought my friend 4 T-shirts (Nike) for £10. Leather jackets and belts and wallets are also very good. I bought my husband a belt and my dad a wallet for £5 each. I also got myself a great leather handbag at the local market. Markets are the place to get bargains. People will except Sterling and Dollars( and Turkish Lira of course) and they give discount for cash. Be careful when using your card as fees are added. Same with hole in the wall. You are charged 2% I believe. You are better to take sterling to Turkey and then change it as you get a better rate. Rugs are a good buy in Turkey too. Rugs are handmade and can take months to make. I bought a small rug for £40. I found CD'S a good buy too and you see pirate CD's everywhere. You can also buy some nice ethnic style things such as lanterns and handpainted plates and pictures. We met a man in Kalkan who handpainted these wall plates and they were beautiful.

///// Food /////

I really enjoyed the food in Turkey on both my trips. Kebabs and stuffed aubergine baked in oven . Mezes and fresh fruits and chicken, fish, lamb are all on menus. I loved the Turkish pizza( Pide). Normally has cheese, fresh herbs, spinach on it. Another dish that made my mouth water was mushrooms baked in oven. And of course you will need drink to wash all this delicious food down with. Raki is the local fire water, tastes like aniseed. Efes beer, Pilsen and Cay( Turkish Tea). All very good. You will get offered cups and cups of tea. If you have a sweet tooth, do sample the lovely Turkish Delight. I also enjoyed pizzas and fresh fish. You should be paying about £5-£8 per person for a nice meal with a drink. Try and eat where local people eat as you will get much better value than tourist places. I had a great meal in a 100% Turkish place in Didim opposite the Mosque for £2. I will be going back as the food was good and the people very nice.

///// Transport //////

I found the Dolmus buses very good and people very polite and helpful. Willingly gave directions and opened doors and swapped seats so I could sit next to hubby. All you have to do to catch a Dolmus bus is stand on correct side of road and stick your hand out when you see a bus coming. Then just pay driver at some point before you get to where you are going. Most fares are in the 2TL range. Taxi drivers will try it on abit . Always ask a price before you get it. We are going to hire a car on my next trip with Propercar. £130 for medium size car with air con( 7 nights ). You can get quotes over the net. Longer journey can be taken on larger buses(Dolmus buses are mini bus size). We caught a larger size bus from Soke to Didim for £4 return one day and it was a comfy ride and bus had air con. We used the buses 95% of the time as they were so good. Only used taxis when we really had to.

///// Things to look out for ///////

Turkey does have quite a low crime rate compared to the UK. Just be aware of pickpockets and property break ins. Feet are classed as unclean in Turkey. When I was property viewing I was often asked to take my shoes off before entering homes. One time I noticed extra things on my bill after a meal, so check your bill as some people try and add stuff and hope people do not notice. Some people whack prices up when they see English, foreign people coming, so know what prices things should be. Watch out for pot holes in roads as the roads are not that good in places. Only drink bottled water and make sure all your injections are upto date. I did brush my teeth with tap water and it gave me ulcers. Take tampons( ladies) and rehydration pills and medications for upset tummies( not that I have had this problem as yet). Remember Mozzie spray too. Shop around for sensible priced flights. We( hubby and I ) have booked with Thomsonfly for our next trip from Luton to Bodrum for £250 all taxes for 7 nights. Construction stops from May til end Sept which is a bonus. You should be paying around 3TL for a beer( local beer) and anything from 5-20 TL for a nice meal( main course). Drink locally produced drinks as they are better value. Imported things like Malibu are really expensive. Do not go around flashing your cash and cameras around. You will be attracting unwanted attention. Make sure you have £10 ready for the visa at the airport on arrival. Try and have abit of loose change on you so you can tip people 10%. Taxi drivers, waiters etc. I found taking a small backpack was good for day trips as it was lightweight enough to carry and I put a bottle of water in it and suncream and a map. If you have a fairly new mobile phone, it should work in Turkey. We just turned ours on and it connected straight away. It will cost £1 a minute though. You can buy a Turkish sim card if your phone is sim free and this works out much cheaper if you have to make lot's of calls. I will do this next time as I have just bought a sim free phone off Ebay ( triband phone).

///// Final Thought //////

I really like Turkey and my plan is to finally live there. It is not perfect and does have flaws like any other place. Earthquakes, wet winters, expensive flights, 4 hour flights, you get hassled in some places. But look at the good things.. Great weather 8-9 months a year, friendly welcoming people, fantastic scenery, superb food, wonderful history, things are allot cheaper than the UK and even other European places like Spain. And I think it has a great atmosphere and is not as built up and spoilt as some other places. The Mosques and bellydancing all add character to it. Turkey has some amazing sunsets along the coast and I just feel at peace here.

///// Helpful Links //////

www.tapestryholidays.com
http://www.propercar.com
www.thomsonfly.com
http://www.ba.com/
www.villarenters.com( villa Joanne Kusadasi)
www.templebeach.com

Hope this has helped you and thanks for looking.  

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