Living In Side Turkey

As we approach the end of our sixth week in Turkey we also begin our second week in Side, with a few things moving on.

October 29th is Republic Day here, Turkey’s biggest public holiday, commemorating the day in 1923 when Ataturk united this huge nation by declaring the existence of the Republic, although in reality the republic was effectively almost 3 years old by that date. In normal times, Republic Day is a nationwide festival with much celebration, but the Government has this year implemented COVID restrictions so the festivities are mostly restricted to draping of the Turkish flag over buildings and buses.

Speaking of COVID, matters have changed again back home in the UK, where lockdown is resuming. So far, there is no instruction for travellers to return home, so, with the best part of a month left before our scheduled return date, we can only wait and see what transpires, though it seems the chances of our Easyjet flight being cancelled are pretty high. 

In the meantime, we look to settle down in Side….

A short, and cheap, dolmus ride inland from Side is the larger town of Manavgat, home to a thriving market and all other amenities. Manavgat is built around the wide river of the same name, which flows right through the centre of town and is bordered by a succession of small parks and attractive gardens, plus three separate runs of waterfront restaurants serving quality food at generally very cheap prices. The atmosphere along the riverside is very appealing, as is the town in general.

In the town centre the waters are deep green; boat trips from here take you a few kilometres upstream to two waterfalls, by which point the waters are a bright turquoise as they cascade over the boulders. This is a young river rising from springs and underground lakes nearby, the turquoise colour seemingly coming from minerals present in the water at its source.

There is a quality about Manavgat which is extremely appealing and welcoming. The thriving twice weekly market has already become our source of produce for home cooking, the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables and the bustling atmosphere is exciting; buying our food here, learning to communicate, preparing fresh meals back in our apartment, are all elements of something we so wanted to experience on our travels. 

Back to our apartment in Side. We may be being overly simplistic, but for us the view from our balcony brings something a little bit mystical each night. By road we are nearly 100 miles from our previous location at Cirali; as the crow flies, across the sea, the Taurus Mountains at Cirali are just over 40 miles away, so of course not visible to the naked eye. Yet each evening, because we look due west, the sunset frames those mountains into perfect view, now so distinct as to appear to be just a short distance away. There’s something just a little bit magical about that: sitting on our balcony watching something becoming crystal clear which is not only invisible during daylight but also over 40 miles away, is extraordinary. We could live here for ever and still love that. Is that simplistic? Seems very special to us. 

As well as the lockdown developments at home, news of the awful Izmir earthquake also filters through as we settle in to our Side apartment. Watching the unfolding scenes on Turkish TV is an eerie sensation, knowing we were amongst those very buildings just a few short weeks ago, even recognising some of the areas in the middle of the disaster area. We make contact with the friends we made back in Selcuk; they are safe, thank goodness. But it is clear that not everyone has been so lucky and sadly the death toll is rising.

Chatting with locals here, there is much care for their compatriots in Izmir. Compassion and care seems to us to be an intrinsic part of the Turkish character, we already have a stock of stories which we may post later.

In the meantime, we continue to settle in to Turkish life, the sun continues to shine, we are swimming in the sea in November for probably the first time in our lives, the food is fantastic and life is peaceful.

Of course, there are looming issues about getting back to the UK, but for now our life is very calm.