Losing Sight of the Shore: Antalya

Judy. Coming to Turkey was an experiment. Although I’d thought about it, Ted didn’t want to support Erdogan in any way, so it wasn’t really on our radar. Then we needed a non-Schengen country for our last month away from the US, and England was still too cold for us. Our friend Ben absolutely loved Turkey, even after being trapped in Antalya for three months during the pandemic. So we decided to give it a try—for six weeks, no less.

We’re just over halfway through our stay in Antalya. We’re really enjoying our stay here and what we’re learning about the city and the country. Antalya is just the right kind of warm—as in Málaga, the breeze keeps it from being too hot. We have a lovely terrace, but being on the fifth floor means that the wind is a bit strong for much of a stay out there. We have to laugh—we have a sea view—just the sea-- on either side of a building a few blocks away, and from the far corner of the terrace, we can see the Taurus Mountains.

We’re not complaining, though. The breeze means clothes on the line dry quickly, we catch the sounds of wandering bands on the street, and see the busloads of medical tourists unload at the dental office across the street.

Our afternoon walk

We’re actually in a great location. The coastline, made up of cliffs along the bay, is a short ten-minute walk away. Food is so cheap that we eat lunch out every day, and there are plenty of restaurants with a variety of food within a couple of blocks. The grocery store (for breakfast and snack items) is just around the corner. Coffee shops abound, from mega chains like Starbucks and Shakespeare, to mom-and-pop spots, to state-run cafes with a killer view of the sea. There, a Turkish coffee is seventy-five cents, and comes with a cup of water.

Sadly for the Turkish people, the Turkish lira is not worth much at all, but for us it has made life very inexpensive. Our main meal seldom costs more than $10 (for two people with tax and tip), and I’ve had two excellent Thai massages at $20 each from the spa a block away. The bus stop is a few doors down, and takes us where we want to go for about fifty cents each. We’ve visited Servas friends, walked the beach at the opposite end of town, and explored the Old Town (tourist part of the city, with outstanding views of the water and mountains), thanks to the crowded but efficient bus system.

The low cost of living is also reflected in the medical sector, so much that this is a medical tourism destination, mostly for Brits, but also Germans, Russians, and Americans. On our first day here, we met three British fellows, aged from thirty to sixty, who came to have dental implants. It’s easy to recognize them—at the bars they drink their beer with a straw until the dental work is finished. This is also a popular destination for hair implants and plastic surgery. There are travel agencies that handle all this, including pickup from the airport, hotel at an all-inclusive resort, travel to the clinic, and even golf!

We spend our days as we did in Málaga, or anywhere else, doing laundry, washing dishes, reading, taking walks. We did a tour of the ancient city of Perge and flew to Izmir to explore that city and Ephesus. We may do another trip outside the city, but mostly we just live.

From our back terrace

View from the front of the apartment

Life is definitely different. If a menu has no photos, we pull out Google Translate. In fact, it’s become a daily occurrence! Frankly, we enjoy being a bit over our heads, and choosing to live in a middle-class area rather than a few blocks up the way with Russian and American tourists has definitely made that possible.

Western Turkey, we’re told, is much more secular than the eastern part. When Attaturk formed the New Turkey, he demanded it be a secular country. Head coverings for women were forbidden in state buildings. When Erdogan was elected (then became dictator), he pushed for an Islamic state. Right now, what we see here and in Izmir, is a healthy mix. Young women in hijabs walk arm in arm with their friends in tight t-shirts, hair blowing free. It’s nothing to see a grandma in scarf, long sleeves and a full-length dress smoking in a café. Wine and beer, though usually not sold in small restaurants, are available, as is hard liquor.

Discarded cigarette pack

Smoking, though! Wow! I thought there were a lot of smokers in Spain, but here EVERYONE smokes! It’s tricky to find a no smoking area in a restaurant; if they’re there, it’s far in the back. It’s interesting to see people pull out a cigarette pack with photos of cancer devastation, tap out a cigarette, and light up.

On the other hand, the flowers are absolutely gorgeous. (Maybe they make up for the smoke.) In Málaga we smelled orange blossoms as we walked down the street. Here, there is a profusion of smells—jasmine, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, and roses—ah, the roses! Huge roses in all colors, along with yellow and red poppies and wildflowers in all hues. Some are along the coast, others in the yards of the apartment buildings. Our own little front yard sports no grass, but five rose bushes scattered in the otherwise bare ground.

Street cats and dogs rule the city. People leave out food and water for them, but I don’t know how many are neutered. A cat I saw today had a notched ear, and I’ve seen dogs with tags in their ears. I hope that means they’re fixed. Of course that doesn’t solve the problem of their poop everywhere.

This street cat thinks people food might be better

Street pup finds it cooler in a shop

Everyone we’ve met warns us about the Turkish drivers. Yeah. No question. Don’t play games.

A few blocks away is a mosque, and five times a day we hear the call to prayer. It’s distant and lovely, and reminds us both to take a minute to pray for our friends. It’s very comforting.

There’s a proliferation of national flags. The only place I’ve seen this many flags is possibly in the US, or maybe France. Massive flags hang between apartment buildings, down the sides of them, from balconies, and all along the coast and streets. Very proud of their country, these Turks.