A nice flight (1.5 hours) on Turkish Air and we were even fed a nice meal! Once there our driver picked us up and we headed down the highway south bound for 1.5 hours. It was a warm ride and a quiet one too as our driver couldn't understand or speak English.
As we approached the area began to look more and more like Kamloops! Both Barb and I kept dosing off, we didn't get a great sleep the night before and when I awoke for the last time I thought I was back in BC! Beautiful hills and small mountains with lots of pine trees and fauna just like around Kamloops. As we came around the final curve there it was Kalkan. The water almost looked like a lake in the beautiful Okanagan?
What a beautiful town.
We were driven right to the door of our B&B (The White House) and there we were met by Hussein who is the owners brother in law.
From there we went inside to our room and wow, very nice, but the view was even better. We were given the best room in the place and it came with the view to live for! Nice tiled floors, wooden trim and accents a double bed and then a single as well. A great balcony and air conditioning too.
A nice comfy bed and great Turkish linens.
By the way for those of you who are wondering; we have not had any "Squatty Potties" in our rooms. Other than a Budet or another thing I'll describe better another day they are pretty much all western. I did notice in the Istanbul and Dalaman Airports that their toilets were "Squatties."
After we unpacked we went upstairs to the roof top deck and it too was very nice. In fact its my favorite part!
Lots of comfy chairs and half of it is nicely covered and the other half is open to the blue, blue sky. At one end is the bar & kitchen area. If they (staff) aren't around "just help yourself" and he showed us where to keep track (not free). Our breakfast is served between 830 and 1030 on the deck as well.
The Terrace up top with the bar and tables
We've been here in Kalkan 1.5 days now and we still love this little place. Its located and the end of a nice bay on the ocean and straight out it looks like one or maybe two islands. Apparently we can hire a boat and go out swimming by the island(s) and have lunch so that too will be added to the agenda!
The water is turquoise blue... I guess that's why they call it the "Turquoise Coast."
A beautiful Marina and some great looking boats.
Walking around town on our first night with the lights of the cafes, bars and restaurants aglow was so cool.
It was like this little piece of paradise especially for me (Jim) who I think liked it a bit better than Barb.
Barb doesn't like being approached by the "Touts" (retailers and the restaurant guys) who call out to you to come in. They know your heading to go somewhere so "why not here for a rest?" Some of them have a lot of imagination and class, others "not so much." But most of them are able to get me (Jim) talking (tough I know). Then they hope to build a relationship with you so that you will come in and buy dinner or drinks. Just a culture of the very competitive sites.
One of the many restaurants down near the waterfront.
Aside from that it is a beautiful place. Perched up the side of a hill coming down into the marina & bay. Everything is here from clothing shops, SCUBA and groceries. The prices for most things are about the same as the city or a little cheaper but no great deals other than cheaper than Europe. In fact the meals here are quite a bit cheaper than Europe.
The place we have for 4 nights (White House B&B) is about $45lbs and our next place for a week is $20lbs per night. So that's a pretty good price on both. When you are on a budget like we are (because of the length of travel) we have to be careful as we need to know we have enough to carry us through... So cheap is a good thing so long as it is clean and decent.
So far there hasn't been much for cloud here. I would guess the daytime high is about 25-27 degrees C. It cools down a bit at night but not a lot. In summer it gets real hot here. Sitting on the upstairs Terrace at night the stars all shine and the water is very calm and so far no real wind. In fact at times we wished there was a cool breeze but we aren't complaining as we hear Calgary/Cochrane is getting hit again with another spring storm! Yikes!
Our Terrace looking the other way.
I told the winters are not a lot different and at times they can get as warm or close to what they are now.
Tonight we were talking with Hussein and he told us about his village which is 13 kms inland from here & is where he grew up. Now he lives at his wife's village up the coast a bit. He was explaining how much nicer the people are in the Villages away from the tourist traps like Kalkan. I thought wow I thought the people here were very nice. So we've planned a day trip where we will hire a Taxi to take us to his Village and around to see some other areas of interest before we leave. As noted in the past we really like to try and get out to see the real people not the plastic of the tourist zones. So as much as we like the people here we will go see the "very nice people" inland too!
This has been a nice break. Although we really enjoyed Istanbul the crowds were getting to be a bit much at times and we are not used to it (being from Cochrane).
What a view to wake up to!
I had some good meals in Italy but nothing that would blow my socks off? I must not have found the good places? In fact our Italian restaurant in Cochrane (Portofino's) is the best we have ever had for Italian and still is! (I fully recommend it to all of you). The meal I had in Kalkan tonight was likely the best I have had in the time I have been away. What did I have? Spaghetti!
It was awesome! It was done Napolitan style (Naples) with a tasty tomato sauce and it was just great. Barb had a wonderful beef dish with rice and veggies. The Turkish people really know how to make a meal! We've had several good ones since being in this country and are told this area is known for its food.
Good news! Our daughter in Malaysia (Hailey) made it to Nepal OK even with all the strikes. She and the gang had to walk 3.5 hours to get to their place of lodging with all their luggage (all of Hailey's belongings) so they were quite tired out. We are thankful for their safe travels. Hailey will be there for language training for 5 months or so.
Steven our youngest is getting ready to go to Italy this summer for about a month. So he's getting excited too. Natalie and Neal are at home in Calgary working and battling spring storms.
We are so thankful for Skype on our computer. Being away this long and getting to see their faces and talk to them for long periods helps us with missing family. Technology that I suggest everyone should have for free calls over the net. (Skype.com)
A nice spot for a good lunch!
We've been talking about a Turkish Bath and Massage. Jim might finally get a haircut (or slight trim) and a Turkish shave complete with massage.
Barb went for a walk at 715am this morning (9 hours ahead of Calgary) and she might want me to go with her tomorrow? I've had a "funny tummy" for the last 2 days and have obviously picked up a bug somewhere as it's hard to keep things inside me. So if I feel better tomorrow I will join her as this town is just not meant to be avoided!
More pictures can be found on Face Book. I will try to send you the link once I get them all loaded up.
That's it for now. Getting ready to crash again. The days seem to go by too fast here?
That's it for now. Getting ready to crash again. The days seem to go by too fast here?
Jim for Barb & Jim
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