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.