Be Prepared

[PaulJ]

I like to be as spontaneous but, when visiting somewhere "new", I prefer to do enough preparation in advance to help avoid wasting time or risk offending the locals.  To a great extent, that's why I like forums like this one as there's just so much accumulated knowledge available.  I have some questions, so I'll get them out of the way;

1. Is there a good quality, accurate and detailed (paper) map of the Fethiye / Calis area? If so, where can I get one (either in the UK or upon arrival at the resort)?  I'm not expecting Ordnance Survey standard but a good A-Z type of thing with main landmarks shown would be ideal.
2. Is there a reliable timetable (and map of departure points) for Dolmus from Calis to Fethiye and from Fethiye to destinations such as Kayakoy, Olu Deniz, Saklikent, Patara, etc, available? This would need to be for October 2019 (I'm not sure if that's classed as Summer or Winter in Turkey).
3. Is water safe to drink from the tap or is it better to buy bottled mineral water?
4. Are there any boat tour operators that are recommended or, possibly more importantly, best avoided?
5. Is haggling in markets acceptable or offensive?
6. Are there any not-so-obvious scams doing the rounds?
7. What is the norm as far as restaurant and bar tipping is concerned?
8. Is it acceptable to bring Ibuprofen into Turkey.  If so, is there a limit on how many? I'm only thinking about 30 or so as I occasionally need to take them to alleviate painful knee joints.
9. Is it acceptable (legal?) to take photos of local people without asking for their permission first? My main hobby is photography.  I know that it's not allowed to photograph official buildings, etc but not sure otherwise.
10. What type of electrical plug adapters will I need for Turkey?

Sorry it's a long list but I thought it best to ask for everything I could think of in one go.

[Highlander]

1. Is there a good quality, accurate and detailed (paper) map of the Fethiye / Calis area? If so, where can I get one (either in the UK or upon arrival at the resort)?  I'm not expecting Ordnance Survey standard but a good A-Z type of thing with main landmarks shown would be ideal. Pass
2. Is there a reliable timetable (and map of departure points) for Dolmus from Calis to Fethiye and from Fethiye to destinations such as Kayakoy, Olu Deniz, Saklikent, Patara, etc, available? This would need to be for October 2019 (I'm not sure if that's classed as Summer or Winter in Turkey).Pass - but all fairly requently. Olu Deniz every 20 minutes I think (?)
3. Is water safe to drink from the tap or is it better to buy bottled mineral water? Bottled water
4. Are there any boat tour operators that are recommended or, possibly more importantly, best avoided?Sugar Boat Tours - Not the cheapest but a great day out - I can send you details if you wish
5. Is haggling in markets acceptable or offensive? Acceptable
6. Are there any not-so-obvious scams doing the rounds? There used to be a money change man in Fethiye that you should avoid
7. What is the norm as far as restaurant and bar tipping is concerned? Personal preference - we do with the amount dependant on level of service, quality etc.
8. Is it acceptable to bring Ibuprofen into Turkey.  If so, is there a limit on how many? I'm only thinking about 30 or so as I occasionally need to take them to alleviate painful knee joints. Yes and you can always get an equivalent from the local chemists which maybe stronger
9. Is it acceptable (legal?) to take photos of local people without asking for their permission first? My main hobby is photography.  I know that it's not allowed to photograph official buildings, etc but not sure otherwise. Not children I would suggest
10. What type of electrical plug adapters will I need for Turkey? Two pin

[Scunner]

9, General wide shots, market scenes etc are fine - if it is a portrait or close up then it may be best to ask, especially if it is a woman who happens to be with her man. In Calis/Fethiye most are pretty used to it by now though to be honest - just be a bit careful and ask if you go rural.

[KKOB]

1. If you've got a printer at home it's easy to print maps from Google Maps. Most petrol stations and car hire companies have local maps which are either free or less than 5TL.

5. In the markets everything, except the price of fruit and veg, is 'negotiable'. In the case of clothing and household goods, the first price asked is very often 50% more than they really expect. Be careful of 'genuine fakes'. HMRC are always on the look-out for them at UK airports.

6. If you go to Kayakoy be careful of the bottles of water that the staff of Muzzy's dish out to passengers getting off the dolmus. They give free bottles out so that you feel 'obliged' to go into the bar /restaurant after your walk around the ghost village. However, the majority of what they give out are bottles that have been recovered from their tables and bins and refilled with tapwater.

[Diverbaz 1]

3. I generally find tap water ok.

4. If staying in Calis then there is a boat co-operative just behind the sea front, great day out with food that may surprise you, and prices are almost half some of the the ones in Fethiye. Don't get stung.

[PaulJ]

1. Is there a good quality, accurate and detailed (paper) map of the Fethiye / Calis area? If so, where can I get one (either in the UK or upon arrival at the resort)?  I'm not expecting Ordnance Survey standard but a good A-Z type of thing with main landmarks shown would be ideal. Pass
2. Is there a reliable timetable (and map of departure points) for Dolmus from Calis to Fethiye and from Fethiye to destinations such as Kayakoy, Olu Deniz, Saklikent, Patara, etc, available? This would need to be for October 2019 (I'm not sure if that's classed as Summer or Winter in Turkey).Pass - but all fairly requently. Olu Deniz every 20 minutes I think (?)
3. Is water safe to drink from the tap or is it better to buy bottled mineral water? Bottled water
4. Are there any boat tour operators that are recommended or, possibly more importantly, best avoided?Sugar Boat Tours - Not the cheapest but a great day out - I can send you details if you wish
5. Is haggling in markets acceptable or offensive? Acceptable
6. Are there any not-so-obvious scams doing the rounds? There used to be a money change man in Fethiye that you should avoid
7. What is the norm as far as restaurant and bar tipping is concerned? Personal preference - we do with the amount dependant on level of service, quality etc.
8. Is it acceptable to bring Ibuprofen into Turkey.  If so, is there a limit on how many? I'm only thinking about 30 or so as I occasionally need to take them to alleviate painful knee joints. Yes and you can always get an equivalent from the local chemists which maybe stronger
9. Is it acceptable (legal?) to take photos of local people without asking for their permission first? My main hobby is photography.  I know that it's not allowed to photograph official buildings, etc but not sure otherwise. Not children I would suggest
10. What type of electrical plug adapters will I need for Turkey? Two pin

Thank you Highlander.
I'll check out Sugar Boat Tours - I always find recommendation is the best advertisement.  As for the photography, I never photograph children unless they are part of a general scene and not the main focal point.  Hard to avoid having them in the picture somewhere when you're at a holiday destination.  My missus informs me we have a multi-adapter that has a two-pin thingy so I'm hoping that will do the trick.

[PaulJ]

9, General wide shots, market scenes etc are fine - if it is a portrait or close up then it may be best to ask, especially if it is a woman who happens to be with her man. In Calis/Fethiye most are pretty used to it by now though to be honest - just be a bit careful and ask if you go rural.

Thank you Scunner.
Yes, as I mentioned to Highlander, in towns, it'll be mostly general street scenes. In more rural areas, I always ask permission or at least make it really obvious that I'm about to take a photo so they can say no or tell me to bu**er off.

[PaulJ]

1. If you've got a printer at home it's easy to print maps from Google Maps. Most petrol stations and car hire companies have local maps which are either free or less than 5TL.

5. In the markets everything, except the price of fruit and veg, is 'negotiable'. In the case of clothing and household goods, the first price asked is very often 50% more than they really expect. Be careful of 'genuine fakes'. HMRC are always on the look-out for them at UK airports.

6. If you go to Kayakoy be careful of the bottles of water that the staff of Muzzy's dish out to passengers getting off the dolmus. They give free bottles out so that you feel 'obliged' to go into the bar /restaurant after your walk around the ghost village. However, the majority of what they give out are bottles that have been recovered from their tables and bins and refilled with tapwater.

Thanks KKOB.
- Yes, I've got a printer and I've printed maps off previously. However, they have a tendency to end up as a soggy mush if it rains.  I will print one off but I'll also try to find a decent laminated / wax-coated version.
- The 50% price uplift seems modest compared to Morocco and Egypt!
- Refilling water bottles is also something I've seen, elsewhere.  I won't touch anything unless the seal is fully intact. I'll try to remember to have a bottle of water with me when we get off the coach at Kayakoy.

[PaulJ]

3. I generally find tap water ok.

4. If staying in Calis then there is a boat co-operative just behind the sea front, great day out with food that may surprise you, and prices are almost half some of the the ones in Fethiye. Don't get stung.

Thanks Diverbaz.
- I will occasionally use tap water for brushing teeth but, as I've had a couple of bad episodes when I've used it extensively, I'll probably stick to sealed, bottled water.
- Does the co-operative go by any given name? We'll be in Calis - a few hundred metres from the Water Taxi pick up / drop off.
- My wife and I qualified as PADI divers some years ago but haven't done any diving for quite some time. What's the diving like in that part of Turkey? Unlikely we'll give it a go this time round but we still have the gear and we only do the easy, tourist stuff, but it's something to consider if we return.

[Liz 101]

There's quite a few diving boats go out daily from Fethiye, with all the gear available. European Diving is the one that most will recommend.