Antalya

 

Well.

I had to leave Istanbul eventually.  I guess.

The reason I was able to stay in that apartment for so long is because it was (inexplicably) available for weeks at a time.  And boy, was it tempting to just stay there until my 90-day visa expired. 

But I told myself I would explore more of Türkiye on this visit.  So … I guess I’m packing up and getting on another plane.

Yay.

Getting my big suitcase down those stairs (!) left my right arm sore for days afterward.  Using an Uber/cab to get to Sabina Gokcen airport (the city’s smaller airport with the call letters SAW) had me feeling that same melancholy of leaving Istanbul again.  Waiting in line at the airport to check my bag when the kiosk(s) refused to acknowledge my reservation was exhausting.  Getting to the end of that line, having the woman wave me over (at least, that’s what I thought she was doing), and then immediately leave her desk left me standing there looking like a goober for several more minutes before getting some help.

So yeah.  That was a bunch of fun travel stuff.

I want to go back to Balat.

But, instead, it was onto a new place.  Which is a good thing.  Right?

The flight from SAW to Antalya took about 1 ½ hours, an easy trip.  After waiting too long to get my bag, I grabbed a cab and proceeded to my new home for the week. 

My first impression of the city: this is really not Istanbul.  I know that is an obvious statement to make.  Istanbul is an ancient, unique city and there was no reason for me to think that the rest of Türkiye would look like one city.  But still … this place was a shock.

The wide tree-lined streets, the blocks of modern apartments, the lack of pedestrians on the sidewalks – all of it had me staring out the cab window in shock.  And then there are the mountains.  They are freaking gorgeous!  I can’t get over them.

My new host provided a picture of the building, which helped tremendously as most of the buildings in the area look alike.  The apartment is located above an Eczane pharmacy.  No, not that one.  The closer one (seriously, those pharmacies are EVERYWHERE – I think there are more branches of drugstores than there are grocery stores in this area).  I got inside without issue and into the elevator.  And then the confusion began.

The apartment was #14 on the 5^th floor.  But the elevator only goes up to 4.  Okay.  Got to the fourth floor and noticed that there was another set of stairs going up.  Really?  Here I was so grateful to be in a building with an elevator after having to deal with those horrible stairs in Balat.  Now you still want me to lug my stuff up an additional flight of stairs?  What did I ever to do to you, Türkiye?

Oh, but the fun didn’t stop there.  #14 was at the end of the hall.  The host had sent another picture of the set of two pipe fittings where the key was located.  Took me a minute to find them, then I spent another ten minutes trying to fit either one of the two keys into the two locks.  All of this while sweating buckets in a hallway where the motion-detecting lights keep flicking off after a few seconds, leaving me to figure things out in near darkness.  Sigh.

After some text exchanges with the host, taking breaks to wave my arms around like a madwoman to get the lights to come back on, I finally got the door open … only to find that the apartment was even hotter than the hallway.  It was like entering the gates of hell – if hell was a spacious one-bedroom with a killer view of the mountains.

Unfortunately, with the air conditioning off and the blinds open, the blaring sun had super-heated the place.  I scrambled for the A/C remote before doing anything else.  I took the picture above (ooohh pretty) then quickly closed the blinds.  I think those puppies need to stay shut for the duration of my stay.

I knew from the picture on the website that I wouldn’t like the light gray wood flooring, but I love the gas oven and stovetop.  Though I wasn’t thrilled to realize there was no microwave and the electric kettle didn’t work.  Added to my other issues with the place and I just had to shake my head.

Admit it, Turks:  someone was on the hookah when they designed this building. “Yeah, dude (or the Turkish equivalent of dude)!  Let’s make a building with 7 floors have an elevator that only works on five of ‘em.  Keep everyone on their toes.  And why bother putting a toilet paper holder in the bathroom?  Who really uses paper in that room anyway?”

Complaints aside, it’s not a bad apartment.  I might just extend my stay to stave off another trip to the airport so soon.

With my stuff stashed and evening fast approaching, I got on the good foot to explore my new surroundings and find something to eat.  As is my way, I headed toward the water, the main draw bringing me to this city.

Antalya sits on the Mediterranean coast and has the air of a seaside city.  Walking along the wide, nearly deserted sidewalks just added to my sense of displaced weirdness.  The place feels like part Portugal (the high-rise apartment buildings) and part Cyprus (the shoreline) with a sprinkle of Sunny Beach, Bulgaria (the lack of foot traffic).  Throw some Turkish flags around and the occasional stray cat and you have Antalya.  It is very weird.  Not bad.  Just weird.

And why are there goats?  Who do they belong to?  Why, after seeing them once, have I not seen them again?  Where did they go?

Why, on my first day, did I already miss Istanbul?

(Man, has that place got a hold on me!) 

The first restaurant that I stumbled on turned out to be more high-end than I thought.  While I had a simple meal of shrimp followed by a piece of cheesecake, the restaurant offered something for the more luxury minded diner.  Their Gold Tomahawk Steak King Size went for 19,000 lira.  That’s $565 USD.  For a piece of meat with gold on it.  Meanwhile, taking a picture of the menu was absolutely free!

Walking back to the apartment in the dark, it struck me again that I wasn’t too concerned about crime.  Sure, I was in new territory and was an obvious tourist, but the Turks were as uninterested in me in Antalya as they were in Istanbul.  I ended up approaching the lone mosque in the city just as the call to prayer rang out.  I was relieved to hear that sound. It wasn’t as epic as the experience of walking along the Bosphorus and hearing the call from all sides, but it was still good to hear.

It is punishingly hot in Antalya.  I noticed it the moment I stepped out of the airport.  Even Istanbul wasn’t this hot and at least there was a breeze.  But being on the Mediterranean in August is an entirely different animal.  On my first full day, I went exploring after breakfast and it didn’t take long before the sweat was dripping.  Even my phone began to overheat and I’d barely touched it.

By Saturday, 8/17/24, the temps reached 100 degrees F by 11:15 a.m.  That struck me as a good reason to stay inside to get some writing done.  Under the air conditioner.