We have been in Turkiye nearly two months now and really feel like we have settled into the local way of life.
It was a big transition from Thailand, there is so much that is so different between both places; weather, people, language, culture and food to name a few.
Our first shock was the weather, we knew it was 'heading into spring' when we arrived as we wanted to get here pre-tourist season to score affordable long-term accommodation and car rental, but when we landed in Istanbul in March it was freezing. Thailand was warm, humid, sweaty and swimming weather, Istanbul was 3 degrees and it was a shock to the system.
Istanbul was also busy, loud and chaotic, we anticipated it before we came and we tend not to visit big cities for that reason but we had to check it out as we were flying into SAW anyway. It was far more expensive than I thought from our research before arriving (more on that here) but we only stayed 5 nights before flying to Antalya.
Once we arrived in Antalya it was still cool, but slightly warmer and down on the coast. Now (end April) its mid 20's and in 2 months we have only had two or three days with rain. It's nice to climb and not feel like you're constantly going to slip off with sweaty hands but I miss the warm air and daily swims in Thailand.
Life in general has been an adjustment, Thailand felt like a holiday whereas Turkiye feels like 'real life'. Thailand we were eating out much more (it was cheaper/easier and we didn't have a kitchen), we went everywhere on the scooter which was so convenient and a heap of fun and we stayed at a small resort with other tourists, so you felt like a tourist too. Our room was cleaned once a week and our laundry was done for us at little to no cost.
In Turkiye we have our flat, with a kitchen and washer and we do our cooking and cleaning. It's considerably cheaper to prepare our meals so we have only been eating out once a week. It's nice having more space and for Kaia to be able to nap/sleep and Jacob and I still exist inside, get up in the morning and make a coffee, stay up at night and watch Reel Rock, whereas in Thailand when she was asleep we were either outside on the balcony (and getting eaten by mozzies) or in the room in silence and darkness.
Thailand is more of a chill vibe, fewer rules, common sense prevails, everyone is so kind and friendly and most people speak at least a little English. Here it's more 'sophisticated', we are in a car rather than on a scooter (and don't even get me started on the roads here, they are madness!) and there is more structure and routine. Don't get me wrong, the people are friendly (and I found this surprising compared to what I had heard) but no one speaks any English, especially in the little neighborhood we are staying in. We get by with Google Translate but sometimes people get frustrated when you can't communicate properly and I miss being able to connect and have conversations with someone other than Jacob.
Religion-wise it's interesting, both are Muslim cultures but Thailand is more accommodating of tourists and non-religious people. The mosques are plentiful in both places and the call to prayer happens about 5 times per day. Thailand is more relaxed in terms of Muslim traditions whereas here is a bit different.
Financially we are more strained in Turkiye, everything costs more but some of our expenses have been smaller i.e. not eating out. We love the Friday Market and the fresh produce is incredible and something we missed in Thailand, I love Thai food! But my god it's nice to have a fresh Greek salad and not be living off chicken and rice or spicy Thai basil and omelette.
The economy in Turkiye has been subject to huge inflation and grocery shopping is quite pricey, so while we have a win at the market in terms of affordable fresh produce, meat (especially red meat) is expensive. We have mainly been eating veggie with some chicken and Turkish sausage thrown in, the occasional red meat and no seafood (yet) which I want to get back into Kaia's diet to keep her allergen exposure up.
We are more cautious of spending here and that in itself can be anxiety-provoking. Sometimes I think it would be nice just to go out for a meal and order whatever, where that 'splurge' would have cost us $30 in Thailand it would probably cost us double plus here.
Every second we get we jump in the car and head up to Geyikbayiri to go climbing and explore. It's honestly so beautiful up there and by far the highlight of Turkiye for us (with the fresh produce a close second). The mountains, cliffs and climbing are just incredible and the views really do take your breath away. There are so many options for climbing you could never get the chance to see it all. On the mornings we don't climb Jacob usually works for a few hours and baby and I go for walk. We love stopping in at the little bakeries and grabbing a pastry or two and picking mulberries from the trees around the block.
I keep reminding myself how lucky we are to be all the way here and be able to experience the new place, culture, language (which I am enjoying learning a bit of), never-ending mountains and climbing, and all-around exploring and new adventures. I try not to be too concerned about money but am hard-wired to be conscious and I know that in myself. When I feel worried about it I remind myself of something someone once told me that really stuck:
You can have it all, just not all at the same time.
So if that means we get to just be here, in the mountains climbing every second day and experiencing all of this quality time with our daughter, that we will never get back - if that means we have to live a bit more frugally then it's still totally worth it
I love it here, I really do. But I think I miss South East Asia a little. Towards the end of the year as the seasons change we will likely head back there, maybe to Laos or Vietnam instead of Thailand, maybe Thailand, and I am looking forward to seeing what that experience brings.
For now we continue to explore and enjoy Turkiye before going to Bulgaria in June, Italy in July and Serbia in August.
Til next time,
R
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