Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Property For Sale in Calis Beach & Turkey => Moving To Turkey => Topic started by: Toky on November 29, 2011, 12:05:59 PM
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Hi Supacabby, I was wondering how you are enjoying your move to Calis. I'd like to know particularly how you are finding it out of season. The reason I ask is, we are now thinking of doing the same in the next couple of years.....taking a long let with the possibility of a full move when my hubby retires. Your comments suggest you are keeping yourself busy and that would be very important to me. I amvery restless and need to be doing things.
I'd appreciate your honest opinion, if you have the time to write a wee review.
8)
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I hear he is having a dreadful time ;) ;):D
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yes, poor thing, everytime we see him hes moaning about the weather, the food, not making any friends, the stress, the misery, boredom and his terrible dart and pool games.
hes looking very down and were all really worried about him : )
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Thank you for asking Toky, I haven't done a "blog" nor have I made any notes so will write this next few lines as they come into my head!
I am certainly not bored, in fact far from it!
I'm a sociable person, happy to sit & chat & pass the time of day with folk inc. strangers, that's how they become friends so always have someone to natter to. At the moment the days are lovely with lots of sunshine & a nice temp of around 20c so it's easy to walk, ride my cycle or jump on a dolmus to while away a few hours, normally with my camera for company. The evenings are a bit colder, down to as low as 3 or 4c & you need to wrap up warm but I am out most evenings. Mon is darts & pool as Linda said, a great way to meet up with folk over a drink & socialise, even if you don't actually get involved with playing. There are quizzes every night if you so wish. I was not a quiz person before moving here but again it's a good way to mingle & get to know people, most of whom are resident & can help with any questions or ideas.
I haven't signed up for any Turkish lessons yet, know I should but am happy practising with the locals in the markets & shops etc & some help from other expats who have more of a grasp than I do, still get confused with 6, 7 & 8 lol. I think this should really be on the agenda though, I'm just being a bit lazy, I think it polite to at least try to have a conversation in Turkish, shame so many of the shop keepers etc. speak such good English really!
I would advise anyone NOT TO BUY but rent for at least 6 months or a year if you can. The prices seem cheaper when you live here, not sure if that's down to getting to know the right people (no disrespect to Scunner with that statement) in person or just some folk wanting to rent/sell & are unwilling to use UK based agents. I think also a face to face conversation can weigh up much more to the advantage of the buyer, especially as someone can see you're serious & not just "another" time waster. I've been offered 1 bed apts for as low as £25,000 to buy or 300tl pcm to rent over the winter period & 2 bed for £30,000 to buy or 450tl rental on a years contract. Best offer of all was £100pcm for a 5 month let on a 2 bed apt, fantastic vfm but I am happy enough where I am for my stay now I've ironed out a few teething problems left by the previous tenants.
The general cost of living is about what I expected. I pay 475tl a month rent for my 2 bed apt & bills of appx 70tl per month for water & electricity. My expenses are appx 1000tl on top of that but bear in mind I'm here on my own now so eat out most days for the social aspect if nothing else. Food is much cheaper here if you shop wisely & use the markets, especially the Friday market in Fethiye & avoid the expensive "Pork shops" with their grotty sausages & rip off baked beans lol. The quality of the fresh produce is way above that of a standard British supermarket. Eating out is also very good vfm if you pick when & where. I upset a few people when I moaned that a beer is 6tl in Anna bar compared to 4tl in Eyna, yes it's only 2tl (80p) difference but that's 50% more, that's being cautious & not going silly imho, as opposed to being tight, each to their own!
In short, I've made lots of new friends, am having fun, living & enjoying life to a much better & healthier standard than I was & wouldn't change a thing of my experiment, so far so good!
Feel free to ask anything specific, am always happy to share my experience, it's the 1 thing I can give back to CBF & its members, the site which has been invaluable in my learning curve, thanks Keith.
PS: If you want everything British like tv, food etc. then stay in Britain, yes it's available here but at a price. I'm happy to be as Turkish as possible & get my fix of the UK stuff now & again, like the lovely BLT I had at The Yucel hotel earlier today as a treat! (a quick "plug" for Pams new workplace to wind Lance up lol).
Edit: Original post for any newbies reading this topic is here: {A Link to an old CBF topic was here - no longer available}41800
Edit 2: If you want to keep busy then there's more than enough to do, possibly more so in winter than summer I believe, especially if you get involved with 1 of the local charities who do such good work & are always grateful of helping hands.
Edit 3: My g/f is joining me on Boxing day for somewhere between 3-5 months, this will obviously impact on how I spend my time & I doubt if I will eat out as much nor go out when it's wet & cold, will update the topic after a month or so for you with a "couples" point of view.
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Fantastic response Supacabby. Thank you so much. I've noticed in postings that there seems to be loads to do when the main season is over and I believe more bars and restaurants are staying open in winter. I am so tempted to pack upand come over, especially as my surrounding area is seriously flooded, due to all the heavy rain. Look forward to the update.
:D
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I think it's more to do with the fact that the venues are quieter & you can mingle much more easily. I haven't been here in July or August yet, at the moment am deliberately missing those months due to the excessive heat & the numbers of people here.
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We've only done April, May & September for thos e reasons. Not sure I can cope with degs of 40ish in the height of the season
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Toky you get acclimatised - the seriously hot weather is only for about 3/4 weeks and providing you are sensible not too bad to cope woth - lots of water, not sitting in it all day - a nice stroll along the front about 9pm much nicer. When I moved I hadn't done a November - March but had been here is all the other months - moved in an October and loved my first winter. Am keeping track of the riany days this yuear - I reckon we have about 30-35 a year - my husband reckons more - I started counting on May 28th and including May 28th we've had 9 days so far and it's December tomorrow :-)
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Go on to wunderground.com site they have , calender going back 20 years max /min temp rain days plus very accurate weather forecast . ;)
i.e
2010
jan " 16 rain days
feb " 12 " "
mar " 4 " "
apr " 4 " "
may " 4 " "
jun " 5 " "
jul " 1 " "
aug " 1 " "
sep " 2 " "
oct " 7 " "
nov " 6 " "
dec " 11 " " Total 73 days of rain in 2010 .
june /july /aug/ 14 days above 35c .
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Toky, when you're live here, you no longer feel the need to spend all day on the beach / by the pool / sitting in the sun, as you do when on 2 weeks holiday. I tend to spend the hotter time of the day in July / August indoors doing housework, cooking or whatever & only venturing out late afternoon or early evening.
Most of the venues that stay open in the winter put things on that don't happen in the main season 'cos they are already busy & don't have to try hard to attract custom, as they do in the winter.
3Cs also have traditionally taken a 3 month break from promises auction (end May) to begining September, so no pool & darts, party nights etc
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I will be taking all this into account folks, thanks.
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This thread has been so interesting, thanks for sharing your experience Supacabby and best wishes
Bridge
x
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A couple of people have asked me about this topic recently so I thought it time for a quick update...
I've now been here (Calis) for 4 months. Most of what I said in my earlier scribe still applies. Making friends etc. is still very much the norm & an extra positive is the Turkish people, most are so friendly & willing to help in whatever way they can. Tradesmen arrive quickly & seem to do an efficient job, maybe not up to UK standards but I've yet to have to call anyone back to do a job for a 2nd time. Taxis are never more than 5 minutes away & cheaper than the UK, as are the buses & Dolmus, all the drivers have been friendly & helpful with 1 exception, I can certainly live with that! I've enjoyed helping some folk with their computer/TV/internet problems & gaining knowledge about Turkish way of life in order to pass some hints & tips on to those around me, in particular here on CBF.
I'm enjoying the laid back approach to life here, someone recently described Calis as "dead" in the winter, I disagree. Yes, the seafront is very quiet, not many restaurants open compared to a heaving summers day however if you make the effort there is no shortage of stuff to do, admittedly most is within the Expats community which may not suit all folk. There is charity work to get your teeth into should you so wish, simply supporting them by attending quizzes or table top sales, buying raffle tickets etc. goes some way to helping others less fortunate. I loved sitting on the prom in glorious sunshine on Xmas day with a beer waiting for Xmas dinner to be served, took me back to my childhood which was spent in Jamaica, Xmas day was always a beach day.
I am in awe at the markets for quality & price. To fill the shopping trolley with fresh fruit & veg enough to keep 2 of us going for a week for not much more than £10 still amazes me & I enjoy trying to chat with the stallholders in Turkish, laughing when I get it wrong & smiling when I actually understand what they are saying. This is without any extra tuition, just listening & asking lots of questions! I've learnt that a "village bread" with 2 types of cheese bought from 1 of the stalls makes a superb lunch, washed down with a cay for less than a nasty cup of Mc'Donalds coffee! If in doubt ask, no one has ever shouted at me for not understanding.
However there are a few negatives appearing & it wouldn't be a fair update if I didn't mention them.
The winter weather has been one of the worst on record apparently with lots of rain & far colder than I expected, the weather is 1 thing we can't control & have to take it as it comes. It's made me rethink my plans if I did another winter here, I would increase my budget for heating to double my original & also make sure I hired a car for the term of my stay. In November I wrote how nice it was to enjoy my daily bike ride on the prom, this has been almost non existent for the last month & I have never in my whole life watched so much TV. Whilst this may seem boring it's out of the ordinary for me as I watch almost no TV in the UK having worked nights for many years. Having a car would just help to get out & see a bit more of the local attractions, even if it's just for a lunch & back before dark, guess this is something I'm used to in the UK, the car being always available & right outside the door.
What makes that slightly worse is the standard of Turkish house builds, they are very poor when it comes to keeping heat in the home, in fact I would say there are no standards. It's frustrating to get the flat nice & warm, nip out for an hour or so & come home to it freezing cold. Solution is to leave the heating on but that comes at a price, personal choice would have to be used here. I was advised that my winter bill for electricity on a 2 bed apartment would be appx 80tl a month, in fact 148tl & 169tl have been the last 2 months but I'm not alone, everyone I've spoken to has had higher than average bills due to the poor weather. At least I've resisted the temptation of an electric blanket or hot water bottle, not quite that bad yet!
What do I miss?
In no particular order: Friends & family, Koppaberg pear cider, a decent Chinese or Indian meal, central heating, electric shower (not having to wait an hour for the immersion to warm the water in the mornings which ties your daily schedule somewhat), extra mature cheddar cheese & thick sliced gammon ham (yes both are available but at a high price), drivers with a little more patience & not quite as reckless, having a structure to my day (taught me I'm not ready to retire just yet!) & probably other things I can't think of right now.
I hope that is of some help, feel free to ask any specific question if you have any, am happy to help.
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Now to update my future plans. I was originally going to stay in Calis for 8 months, this has been shortened to 5. Not because I'm not enjoying life here but due to "circumstances" changing. My landlady has managed to sell the apartment I'm renting (well done Jo in this economic climate) therefore have been given notice to move at the end of Feb. My g/f joined me on Boxing day & we decided that to move everything for such a short time wouldn't really be worth it so UK beckons at the end of the month, a short stay of 1 week then we are off to Jamaica for 2 weeks of "proper" sea & sun before restarting work in April.
If the summer season goes well plans are to come back to Calis for 3 months starting in Jan 2013, watch this space...
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Why not write a book ? very interesting and easy reading ,more !!
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What a splendid couple of replies from you Supacabby ! Informative,interesting but above all else-honest. Chatty cab drivers usually drive me nuts but I would be very willing to make you the exception to that rule. This POB for sure ! Keep warm.
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Much against my better judgement I googled POB but couldn't find an explanation. AGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!
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(http://www.calisvilla.co.uk/pob.jpg)
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It's also Welsh for each/all ! ;) :)
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Passenger/person on board maybe?
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Correct, Passenger On Board.
but
it could have 38 other explanations here: http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/POB :)
as well as Scunners excellent example.
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Thanks supacabby - none of those, including passenger on board, fit into the sentence. But then again maybe that is not a prerequisite.
I apologise for detracting from your thread, but IHTS:(.
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I just love reading Supacabby's inputs, so honest and down to my level lol.Keep them coming.
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Didn't realise I was getting quite that low Alan!!! Glad you like them, say what I see kinda guy.
I can add 1 other thing to the negative pile: Adverts at twice the volume of the TV program, Digiturk is horrid for this, have to keep grabbing the remote & yes, now I'm struggling for things negative so getting down to really scraping the barrel!
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As has already been said an excellent post. Well balanced for and against and easy to read.
Hope you do the same for Jamaica. We had a lovely holiday there for our thirtieth wedding anniversary and hubby is trying to persuade me to go back. tempted but have a new grandchild in Jersey this year and want to visit as much as we can. Maybe next year though.
Where are you staying?
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Thanks everyone for your comments.
Jamaica isn't going to be quite the beach bum holiday most would do. I lived there for 15 years as a child so it's a case of going back to my roots, a kind of rediscovery I suppose. Have booked a cheap package to the Holiday Inn in Montego Bay (£1050 for 2 weeks AI inc flights etc. with Thomson) then used the extra money I'd normally spend on a better quality hotel to book a driver/guide for a week of tours around the island with a special day visiting my old school, houses, haunts etc. in Kingston. I'm sure there will be a few days of R&R on Negril beach during the 2nd week though, just to balance the stress levels (& bring the rum levels up) you understand!
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Thanks for that Mark, very down to earth and grounded advice....stu and I came over Christmas time about 4 maybe 5 years ago now and it happened to be be a very cold winter that year also...it is a sharp reminder that it's not as rosy and cheap as so many think.....we first went over in 2002 and fell in love with the place as so many do and have been back every year since, but we do realise that holidaying and living there are two different things........lovely to see you have been helping AA a bit also, I help them whenever I can...even from the UK.
Best of luck to you
X
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quote:
Originally posted by Supacabby
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Jamaica isn't going to be quite the beach bum holiday most would do. I lived there for 15 years as a child so it's a case of going back to my roots, a kind of rediscovery I suppose. Have booked a cheap package to the Holiday Inn in Montego Bay (£1050 for 2 weeks AI inc flights etc. with Thomson) then used the extra money I'd normally spend on a better quality hotel to book a driver/guide for a week of tours around the island with a special day visiting my old school, houses, haunts etc. in Kingston. I'm sure there will be a few days of R&R on Negril beach during the 2nd week though, just to balance the stress levels (& bring the rum levels up) you understand!
Hubbies favourite tipple ..Appletons VX. Some pics to put you in the mood.
http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p278/heathermac_02/jamaica/
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What a great, honest read! I admire the balance in your posts. Delighted that you've got other plans too. Fate is a funny thing. Have lots of fun on your travels and keep us updated if you can.
Good luck Supercabby
:D
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quote:
Originally posted by Highlander
Much against my better judgement I googled POB but couldn't find an explanation. AGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!
scorcher - I see you are online. If you see this, can you please put me out of my misery. Thanks
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Could it be Passenger on board???
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quote:
Originally posted by Supacabby
Correct, Passenger On Board.
I suppose it could be, Heather. Yesterday it was anyway :D
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" Punter " in my neck of the woods - take your choice. Irie !
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P***ed here!
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Way to go...... !
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I was answering H. AND it was 7.27:28 on a monday morning :-\
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You may have gathered I am not a fan. How in heavens name is a body meant to know what any three letters stand for:(:(:(.
PS Besides which it is against CBF Rules:D
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It hardly seems that long since supacabby said that he was planning to go to Calis ....
So enjoy your comments keep them coming until you leave
The recent record of your stay made interesting reading :)
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quote:
Originally posted by Highlander
You may have gathered I am not a fan. How in heavens name is a body meant to know what any three letters stand for:(:(:(.
PS Besides which it is against CBF Rules:D
H you use the acronym CBF! Is it against CBF rules to use acronyms like CBF in your post on the CBF?:D
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MYOB bewva!
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i hate TLAs
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quote:
H you use the acronym CBF! Is it against CBF rules to use acronyms like CBF in your post on the CBF?:D
NO
That's a proper word by the way, not an acronym ;)
But more importantly let's call a halt to this, on this thread at least, and let people comment on supacabby's posts.
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It's a shame you are leaving soon Mark, I was looking forward to meeting up with you for a drink, maybe later? Give us a UK update in November, I bet you will be able to list a few more negatives then!
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Can't you just pop over to Jamaica for a drink George?
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As you do !
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I was also hoping to catch up with Supacabby in April :( Perhaps we should have a CBF outing to Jamaica ?!:D
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quote:
Originally posted by pookie
I was also hoping to catch up with Supacabby in April :( Perhaps we should have a CBF outing to Jamaica ?!:D
I am in 8)