I was in a bit of a panic about our visas for Turkiye as they have introduced e-visas and research online indicated getting a visa on arrival would be a bit of a hassle. I’m starting to think I need to stop reading online advice as getting into Turkiye was one of the easiest entries we have ever done. We were in row two on the plane, so we were off quickly and following the signs to get our visa on arrival, which involved paying 50 euros each (ouch!) and getting our stamps in our passport for a 90 day stay. No questions asked. Love travelling on an Australian passport.
It was only 6.00am and the airport was like a ghost town. Our relief at being allowed into the country was complete when both of our bags glided towards us. It was relatively easy to find desk 19 for our transfer to our apartment, although there seemed to be some confusion about the address. Ten minutes later, we were in a van and on our way.
Knowing we were arriving so early and that we were coming off a bad night’s sleep, I had booked the apartment from the night before so that we could check in when we arrived, rather than wait until 3.00pm. Sometimes, I’m just a genius. Our driver dropped us at the door of the building and, after a little confusion with passcodes, we were inside our cute little home for the next month, and it was only 7.00am. We both thought we would be able to stay awake, but we succumbed to the demands of our traumatised bodies and slept until about midday.
Recharged and less likely to fall asleep in front of moving vehicles, we set off to explore our local area. We soon discovered that we are in a great spot – loads of shopping, cafes, restaurants and supermarkets within easy walking distance. We stopped in at a small café for lunch and eventually ordered a toastie (for Colin) and I chose a berogi, simply because it looked good in the photo. The staff didn’t speak English, although the sole woman working there managed to help us with prices. We also decided to try a Turkish coffee… the food was delicious, the coffee was ok. We just don’t like the muddiness of Turkish coffee I guess – it tasted good, it’s just the texture.
The weather was gorgeous, and our meandering took us to a lovely pedestrian mall, which was bustling with shoppers. It was so nice to look at goods on the sidewalk and not be hassled or abused when we walked away. Eventually, we reached the end of the mall and, stepping across the tram lines, we found ourselves on the water front. Oh. My. Gosh. This place is spectacular. Our initial impressions of Turkiye, and Antalya especially, are very good.
Over the next few days we enjoyed our apartment (thankfully as the weather deteriorated and we used it as an excuse to watch movies, read and play games). Our local area has everything we need – Colin has found his local for beer; there are a couple of bakeries that make our favourite pastries; the A-101 supermarkets are close and stock all of our key staples; there are plenty of book stores and antique shops for browsing. I even found a pair of leather books in preparation for our adventures into colder climates once we leave Turkiye.
Every day that passes has us thinking that we have found our Northern Hemisphere winter destination. Sadly, inflation in Turkiye is running at about 80%, so while it is incredibly affordable at the moment, the economics in the next couple of years could make it too expensive. Add to that the fact that it looks like Bulgaria and Romania are likely to be included in the Schengen zone in the next month or so, and we have lost two more countries to escape to so that we can stay in Europe longer term. I understand the economic importance of being Schengen, but it sure makes it a pain for those of us wanting to stay in the region for more than three months.
Antalya has given us perfect opportunities to get out for our daily exercise. It’s a gorgeous city and our apartment is in a fabulous location in Muratpasa. Three minutes and we are on the waterfront. But our walks, beautiful as they are, needed a bit of a boost, so we booked ourselves onto an adventure day trip which departed 20 December. We were (eventually) picked up in front of the shopping complex, Mark Antalya, and set off to Koprulu Canyon where we went buggy driving, zip lining and white water rafting.
The drive to the canyon took about an hour and a half, with the drive on the highway taking us through a constant urban sprawl. Where Antalya ended and the next town began was impossible to determine, but it was still an attractive drive. Citrus trees are everywhere and as we drove further from Antalya we drove past more and more orchards. The fruit was bright orange indicating it was ripe, but there didn’t seem to be any harvesting activity.
Our journey continued when we turned off from the highway and began the drive towards the mountains. The Taurus mountain range is extensive and as a backdrop to Antalya, beautiful. Even at this early stage of our foray into the mountains, the scenery is breathtaking.
We made a stop at a café/shop where we discovered we were joining other groups. Our 20 minute stop ended up being closer to 40 minutes as we waited for four other buses to arrive. Finally, we set off again, the 35 minute journey taking us through small villages dotted along the river, with signs clearly stating that the local economy depends on the adventure market.
We arrived at the Express Rafting compound and, disappointingly, waited again for another 40 odd minutes while the various groups were sorted onto their transports to do whatever activities they had booked for. Not many of us were white water rafting (hmmm…18 degrees with water temperature of 8 degrees might explain the low numbers!) and we were the last to be debriefed. We were given the option of buying crocs and wet bags for our phones, as well as wetsuit hire, but at 10 euros for each option, we passed.
At last, we were loaded into the back of the jeep and set off. Yasi, our guide and driver made the short drive as exciting as he could, with extremely loud music and speedy travel over the unpaved roads. We had connected with a woman from Manchester and her son, Johanne. Mum kept saying she was not the adventurous type, but that her son, who looked to be 12 or 13, wanted to do something a bit more exciting than shopping or museums. But it was mum who seemed to enjoy the music and erratic driving much more than her son.
Yasi pulled up at the site where we could see the buggies, so it seemed logical that we were shepherded to the shed where mud-caked vehicles were stored. Directed to sit two per buggy, Colin and I settled in, adjusting the (psychologically provided) seat belt to add another protective layer to our helmeted heads. Yasi had strongly recommended we all drive the 2 seat buggies rather than the quad bikes as the flip rate on the quad bikes was much higher. And as I don’t know if our travel insurance would cover quad biking, it was definitely the option of choice.
The guys in the buggy in front of us started their vehicle and gassed us out as the fumes filled the air around us. Our buggy took a bit to get started but start it did, and Colin drove us out onto the track. We all had to follow our guide who was on a quad bike, and unfortunately, we were stuck behind the buggy spewing copious quantities of smoke from its engine. Other than not being able to breathe, it was fun, and Colin did an awesome job of driving in clear air.
We did a swap of driving at what we thought would be the half way mark, and then we were told to stop at the river. I think it was for a photo op, but as we hadn’t bought a wet bag, we didn’t have our phones to take any photos. It’s a shame because the area is just gorgeous.
After about 10 minutes we set off again, hooning along the track, trying to avoid running into each other and getting spattered with too much mud. Driving the buggies was a bit of a challenge – no power steering and effectively no brakes – but we survived. Mum and son had beaming smiles, especially mum. I think she might have a bit more of an adventurous streak than she will admit to.
Once we returned to the shed and parked our beasts, we were directed to another shed to don our harnesses for the zip line. Tick another item of the things to do list – we zipped across the river and then onto another line to come back. It was fun, not exhilarating, but good for a laugh. When everyone had their turn, we were bundled back into the jeeps and set off on a rough and fun drive to the rafts. Yasi seemed to get a kick out of hitting the water-filled dips in the road to splash water all over the young guy in the front seat, who had the window down.
There were only a dozen of us rafting, so with very brief instructions, we were directed into the raft (lucky Colin got the front seat) and set off with Ergan, our skipper, setting up motivational chants. The white water was very gentle, although it gave Johanne a few thrills, especially when he seemed to cop most of the water that splashed over the sides and bow of the raft. The water was freezing cold and our feet were quickly soaked sitting in the water in the bottom of the raft, but the day was warm enough that when we weren’t getting splashed, we weren’t too cold.
By the time we returned to Express Rafting, we were pretty soaked and our shoes were going to take some time to dry. I had thought to bring my sandals with me and after we got changed into our dry clothes, the ginger walking over the pebbles to get to the restaurant made me regret my decision to leave them behind. Lunch was a nice feed of pasta, rice, salad and chicken, fending off the cats and dogs who clearly believed it was their right to share.
After lunch, we were told it would be about 20 minutes until we would leave, but it was more like an hour and a half as we not only had to wait for the other groups to return, but also wait for them to have their lunch. We were confused as to why the other groups returned so much later than we did, considering they were not white water rafting. But we didn’t know what their packages included, so wait we did…again.
It was a good day of lovely scenery and some fun activities, but the wasted time waiting for other groups made it a slow day. Perhaps it would not be such an issue in high season as maybe the transfers would be for groups doing the same activities. The day felt disorganised; perhaps as a result of combining very different activity groups? Anyway, it was still good value for money and we got out of Antalya and saw more of the countryside, which is very pretty. Yet another tick for Antalya and Turkiye.
The weather leading up to Christmas day was a bit wet, so we took time out to recover from our adventures. Mindful that Turkiye is a Muslim country, we were a bit surprised at the level of Christmas in evidence – lights, decorations and trinkets in a lot of the shops. Perhaps it’s to cater to tourists, and of course, there is an element of Christianity in the country, but it certainly helped make it feel homier.
Christmas day was quiet, and a little bit lonely, but we did chat with the girls and Colin’s parents. The funny part of the day was that every time we started cooking our eggs for breakfast, someone would call. Our eggy breakfast became Christmas lunch, and we chilled the day away, drinking a decent red wine while watching our favourite Christmas movie – Love Actually. As we don’t have an oven in the apartment, Christmas dinner was steak and veg – not quite the traditional roast, but it went down well with the second bottle of red.
Antalya is such a liveable city and our days were filled with long walks around town exploring different areas or down to Konyaalti Beach, which is, even at this time of the year, busy with people enjoying the glorious weather. Is this possibly the loveliest place to be for Christmas? The water is way too cold for me, but people do get in and go swimming.
We allowed ourselves to get ripped off for exceptionally poor meals at one of the restaurants on the water front with a plan to eat while watching the sun set. The prices were ludicrous and although my chicken curry was ok, Colin’s doner meal was a disgrace. The staff were lovely so it made it all the more difficult to be polite when they asked if we were happy. Then, to add insult to injury, they charged a tip. In the end, we paid $50 for a meal we wouldn’t pay $2 for. Oh well, live and learn. We disobeyed our golden rule of checking reviews, so when we looked and saw it only got 2.8 stars, we understood. I left a review – one star, although the setting and staff got higher.
to be continued