After 4+ years of nomadic life and a whole lot of experience, we finally feel like we’re figuring out our ideal pacing. The first two years (because we thought we only HAD two years) we whipped through 36 countries at practically breakneck speed. And since COVID, it’s often been…too fast…too slow…too fast…too slow…

But now, we think we’ve cracked the code on how we’d ideally like to handle our time moving forward: one month in one place, and then go-go-go for a few weeks, one month in one place, and then go-go-go for a few weeks. We’re hoping this will give ample time for relaxation, productivity, and living as a local without growing a feeling of burnout OR itchy feet. 

Our Tiny House on the Sea

Based on this theory (and we’re only just testing it out), in late September 2022, we found ourselves on the outskirts of Finike on the Mediterranean for five weeks. Thanks to the gracious friend of our friends’, Robin and Feriha, (the ones from our Cappadocia photos), we landed in a cozy, little tiny home positioned on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. The real kicker? This seaview slice of paradise came for the bargain price of 300€ for the month ($295), including all utilities and internet…Teşekkürler very much, friends 🙏😊

The exterior of the tiny house. In truth, Mandy has a small obsession with tiny houses and had been wanting to try this lifestyle for a while. While she’s nearly ready to buy her own (for $18k) Greg is not so sure of the craftsmanship. The hot water heater runs on solar, but the electricity is on the grid. There is a busy road (basically the Turkish Coast “Highway”) that runs along the bottom of the hill but it’s just far enough away that we don’t hear any noise. 

The view of our “parlor” (ha!) looking down. Sponge Bob had to go shortly after this photo. 

The view looking up the stairs into the loft. 

Our porch, which had the most inviting sea breezes.

The loft and view we woke up to every morning. 

Our fully stocked and modern kitchen. We couldn’t believe it when we found out it included a full-size fridge, washing machine, and dishwasher. Two dishwashers in three months…my goodness, we were spoiled. 

The bathroom is also completely modern. The only challenges have been water that is either too cold or too hot, or sometimes you whack your head on the cabinet over the sink because the sink is so itty bitty. (First world problems.) 

There’s also an outdoor shower. 

Our tiny house was positioned facing so unfortunately we didn’t get the sunrise or sunset over the water but we did get to benefit from the colors. 

A huge bonus our friends threw in for us is access to their scooter. It’s about a 10-minute ride into town, so this is hugely helpful for groceries and exploration.

And, even more exciting…Mandy finally learned to drive one! She had tried to learn in India a few years ago, but since that wasn’t happening due to cows humping in the road and other scary obstacles, Turkiye was the perfect place to give it another shot!

Another huge bonus? We got to rent a kitten! Meet Nimbus, a very affectionate and sociable five month old Since Robin and Feriha have (15!) at their nearby house, they thought they could spare one. 

Nimbus even helped Greg do his morning exercises. And was always ready for a good snuggle. 

We also had another visitor for the weekend…Robin and Feriha’s dog, Shiva, came to visit while they went out of town.

Finally, we had goats!! Not ours, but the neighbor’s. They came for regular visits and helped us clean out our compost bin.  

Life in Finike

Living at the tiny house, we were flanked by sea caves, cobalt blue waters, and gorgeous beaches at every bend on the D400 (Turkish Coast Highway). So, we made it a point to visit often, as we soaked in the last few days of 80/26+ temperatures on the Turquoise Turkish coast. 

As with most Mediterranean beaches, it’s not sandy but instead stony, pebbly, and featured tough-on-the-bod stones, so beaches with chairs and umbrellas were hot commodities. Sometimes these amenities were free, or cheap at 20 Lira ($1.05) for as long as you wanted it. 

The water felt amazing!! Getting in and out of it without water shoes, not so much! 🤣 We were able to swim out to this little sea cave with no problem! 

One of the days when no one was around and we didn’t have a chair. Don’t worry. We won’t complain. 🤣

Most official beaches had a parking lot on one side and a tunnel that you walk through under the road, creating a cute little photo box.

The beach right down the hill from our tiny home, which was a five-minute walk. This one cost 20 Liras. 

They even did scuba lessons on this beach! 

The main beach and boardwalk in FinikeLand, as Robin and Feriha called their home.

Making it more FinikeLand-like was a very entertaining playground on the beach. Here you could pull out a Döner and plop down under a Magic Mushroom, escort Cinderella to the ball, slide out of a dog’s behind, OR let Bugs’ frail toothpick arms hold your body weight in a swing!

Alternately, you could slip a Lira into a solar-powered machine to feed a four-legged street friend. While it’s not really addressing their street animal problem, it certainly makes life a little more manageable for them.

Cheapest woman’s haircut, maybe ever?! 60 Liras ($3.22) including a 25% tip! Mandy kind of regretted not getting the $35 highlights afterwards.

Wowsa! This was our last loot from the fresh and affordable market in Finike! The last week or two, it seemed to be out with the watermelon and peaches and in with the pomegranates and apples. If you didn’t pluck pomegranates directly from local trees, you could buy them for about 15 Lira/Kilo ($.80) from the weekly market. Or, you can buy our whole fruit and veggie bundle for about 400 Lira ($21). AND we were finally mastering toting all this on the scooter! 

They are soooo juicy!! About $.25 each. Or…if you’d rather…free!! They were everywhere!!!

We loved the market. The locals always charged us regular prices and many were so inviting and friendly. Our “egg lady” even helped us with our Turkish and seemed so excited to see us every week! 

Strolling around town in Finike was perfectly pleasant, but we were happy to live away from it all.

Boat Trip to Kekova

The last weekend of September we soaked up the last days of summer by joining our friends and a boatload of locals on a day long sea excursion around the sunken city of Kekova. Unfortunately, I guess we had a little too much wine, sun and swimming because our little peepers were drawn on the upper deck just long enough to miss the main attraction late in the afternoon 🤣 Ah well, it was still an incredible day on the Mediterranean! 

Our traditional Turkish wooden boat for the day. The cost for the day long adventure was a fantastic value at 200 Lira or $10.75/person which included lunch, a snack and unlimited tea (of course).

Our snack included a Simit, or circular Turkish bread. It’s a lot more attractive with the shimmering sea behind it. Simits are dotted with sesame seeds and salt and quite nice if you have something to lather it with, but not so exciting to eat plain. The 600-year history of Simits have long roots in Anatolia when the Ottoman Empire reigned and claims to be unique to Turkiye. At that time, flour warehouses were called as Simithane, and the sultan’s oven was called the simit oven, hence the name. (Wikipedia)

Oh…that…water!!!

Mandy and Feriha 

Robin and Greg trying the sea on for size. It felt so refreshing! 

The rocky coastline can’t complement the boats any better.

The locals had fun teaching Mandy new ways to wear her scarf! 

Trying to look like we belong here. Ah yes. Totally posh 🤣

Robin made us play Titanic. Mandy happily oblige, but it was the most miserable 30 seconds of Greg’s existence. Haha.

I mean, it’s a better way to spend a Sunday than watching football… 

This little boy was so cute I couldn’t resist snapping his photo.

And the dancing begins and wiggling begins. Greg failed to take video of Mandy and Feriha dancing so all you get is the snapshot.

However, we did get video of these fine people. She was Greek and he was Turkish.

It was a wonderful place to snorkel because the water was blissfully clear.

Lunchtime! Yum!

Sailing along the shimmering sea.

The final stop at the Castle of Simena….the best way to get here is by boat. 

Limyra Ruins

A 15 minute scooter ride north of Finike, explorers can discover the ancient settlement of Limyra, which is undeniably one of the most naturally beautiful ruin sites we’ve seen in Türkiye. It has towering eucalyptus trees and a crystalline tranquilly flowing stream that weaves its way throughout the site, including over a Roman colonnaded street. 

The “former metropolis” (according to Roman period inscriptions) likely originates from as early as 6th century B.C. and continued well into the 4th-5th Century Roman Empire. In addition to the colonnade, prominent ruins tossed about include a 6000-person theatre, Roman baths, a large church, two sets of fortress walls and a Cenotaph for Gaius Caesar, aka “Julius’s grandson.” We visited on a Wednesday for 20 Liras ($1.05) and had it all to ourselves. 

Colonnaded Roman streets were kind of a big deal in the Roman Imperial period in Anatolia and Syria. Nowadays, this has become beautifully flooded in Limyra. The street is paved with fine cut limestone slabs and had a width of about 8 meters (26 feet) and a length of about 40 meters (131 feet). Its entirety is still being excavated. At one time, a church from 6th Century AD beside the Ptolemaion was erected on a pre-existing square.

Greg contemplates leap frogging across the ruins. 

Turns out, the internet says this is a very popular swimming hole on hot days. The water indeed looked so inviting but we can’t believe they let people swim atop this history. 😬 But then again, we’re guilty. We swam atop the ruins at Cleopatra’s Pool in Pammukkale and it was an experience of a lifetime.

The stream, which seems to come out of the earth, forms many tributaries throughout the site, often accessorized with 50 shades of green. This jaw-droppingly gorgeous photo is unedited.

Ruins littered about. 

“Hey Boss! What should I do with this extra Greek columns?” Hmmm…maybe I’ll just stuff them here…

This pretty ‘lil pile is the top of what was once the church. 

The colonnaded river street drifts on…

It was wonderful to be in a site with so many tall trees. We don’t see a lot of those in the Mediterranean.

This was the cenotaph for Gaius Caesar, the grandson and prospective heir to the Roman Emperor Augustus, who died in Limyra on February 21st 4 AD on his way back from a military mission where he had been severely wounded. Although his body was buried in the imperial Mausoleum in Rome, while in Limyra a huge memorial, a cenotaph (empty tomb) was erected. Although there has never been a chamber inside, tomb robbers and illegal diggers throughout the years have (idiotically) tried to blow up the cenotaph with dynamite in order to find hidden treasures inside.

We knew we’d found the Roman Baths when we saw the Lifesaver looking columns. We don’t remember exactly what these were used for but it had something to with allowing the hot air to circulate more freely or to produce heated floors. Oh those Romans. If only we’d followed in their footsteps a bit more 🤣

The theatre is another stellar spectacle of Limyra and dates from around 1st-2nd Century BC. The originally freestanding theatre is today partly covered by erosion. 

The horse shoe shape shows that the theatre was first built in the Greek tradition in pre-Roman times.

Designed exactly like most of today’s stadiums and theatres, a huge covered corridor surrounded the seats. I guess here is where you’d buy your autographed “Warriors of Limyra” Tshirts and shields. 

And from where Greg was standing he could almost hear the vendors shouting, “Get ‘yer Boar’s Balls! Fish Heads! Porridge Puls!”

On the site is also a 15th Century Dervish Lodge and Mausoleum called Kafi Baba.

It also features a very lovely swimming hole.

Lycian Way (Again)

And since we were so close to the Lycian Way, one of the best hiking trails we’ve ever experienced, of course we had to jump on it again. Although this time, rather than huffing 100 miles, we chose the easy way up.

Myra Ruins

On another day, we took the scooter 30 minutes to the town of Demre to see the Myra Ruins, a well-known political and cultural center of the ancient world and one of the most important settlements in all of Lycia. It is famed for once being home to St. Nicholas. Yes…that St. Nicholas, aka a bishop in the local church early in the 3rd Century whose reputation for generosity and kindness gave rise to legends and miracles he performed for the poor and unhappy. 

Other notable people grazed this place as well. In 333 BC Alexander the Great conquered it, followed by the sovereignty of the Ptolemais in 306 BC, and St. Paul was also a regular visitor (perhaps he drank milk and ate cookies with St Nick on the weekends?) 

Although there are astounding cliff-face rock tombs and a 10-12,000 person theatre, it’s obvious by the way the earth unfolds that there is a lot more lurking just beneath the surface. Archeologists say, probably up to 6 meters deep, in fact. 

Our jaws were practically indistinguishable from the accompanying faces as we entered Myra’s most splendid collection at Myra…the City of the Dead (Necropolis.) These tombs from 5th to 4th century BC represent when when Myra was one of the important symbols of the Lycian Classical Period for its remarkable architecture.

Exhibit A. 

The intricate stone face bass reliefs practically make you feel like the humans of old are still with you. 

We’ve never seen a place with so many unique depictions of our early ancestors at one site. The faces are definitely unusual. Of course, after the fact, we realized it was because they were supposed to be masks. Which makes sense considering the theatre. Duh.

Interestingly, every rock tomb face is also a bit different. Kind of like a little neighborhood of dead people. Rock graves are dated to the 4th century BC. 23 of the graves are inscribed, 13 of them are Lycian, and 10 are ancient Greek. 

An entrance to one of the tombs. If you’re wondering if St. Nick was buried here, he was…”but not anymore.” It is said he was buried in his church at Myra, and by the 6th century his shrine there had become well known. In 1087 Italian sailors or merchants stole his alleged remains from Myra and took them to Bari, Italy which is when his popularity began to spread in Europe. (Britannica.com.)

The theatre is the largest in the region with a capacity of over 10,000 people. The Roman Theater was rebuilt completely, leaving the much smaller Hellenistic theater under it. 

Greg in a sea of steps. Can you find him?!

A pair of massive granite columns lies on the base of the theatre. This is a peculiarity because the rest of the theatre is made of limestone. How far did they have to truck those in?! And how on earth did they do it?

So many explorations at this site.

That Roman arch guarantee… now that’s built to last!!

Double-decker doors.

In case you doubt whose hands made these…that’d be Greek script. The details are so exquisite. 

The underbelly.

We’ve crazily seen the way these stones lock together very recently…across an ocean in Peru!

The front entrance to the theatre was obviously quite grand at one time. 

It included many garlands. Often accessorized with faces of Ganymede, Eagle, Mithras, Medusa, and various sirens and menads. (Note: a menad is wild and debaucherous woman! 😮)

18 granite columns lined up like soldiers. How much are those worth in countertops? 🤣

The theatre with the tombs in the background. These are the two main sites of the city. Clearly, a lot of people most have lived here to house such extraordinary and large facilities! 

Just down the road, the small medieval Alakent Church was unearthed (as in, completely uncovered) during the 2012 excavations with all its interior fittings. All interior decoration components were found to be intact. Unfortunately, it was fenced off and we couldn’t get closer than this to check out the interior. 

Kaş

From Finike, we day tripped on a 1 1/2 hour dolmus minibus to the sparkling little jewel of Kaş. We stayed in Kaş for three nights in March 2019 at the end of our Lycian Way trek, but this time it felt quite a bit more bustling, especially due to the obvious influx of Russian escapees. We were also quite surprised to hear many of our own countrymen, the first time this has been noticeable in Türkiye. However, it was still just as aesthetically appealing as ever! 

This time, we checked out some Lycian tombs, did some shopping and strolling, and also had the pleasure of grabbing lunch with some EG followers, turned friends, Tracy & Steve!

When we first arrived, we had about 2.5 hours to kill before meeting up with our friends so we thought we’d pop on part of the Lycian trail we hadn’t done for old time’s sake. But, getting to the trail from Kas involves quite an uphill climb. Fortunately, since the views get delicious before you even get on the trail, and the sun was already intensifying, we just opted to head to the Lycian Tombs, conveniently stashed in town, instead. 

These rock-cut Lycian tombs are in a neighborhood northeast of the center. They are marked on Google and there is a sign on the road leading up to them, as you skirt modern day houses and fences. 

There are three other additional tombs if you scramble up the rock face to the left. Remarkably, while at the second tomb, we passed by an American, and made some casual chit-chat, not realizing it was Steve…the guy we were planning to meet up with later that afternoon! And at the bottom, we then found Tracy! Gotta love those small town/small world serendipitous moments! Naturally, we chatted a bit, and then did some more exploring before we met back up for lunch. 

The streets of Kas are lovely to meander through and often quite reminiscent of Greece. 

Until you get to the one and only Turkish rug stores! Also, in this frame you at right you can see a sarcophagus-shaped tomb, very well known and sprinkled throughout Lycia. 

Ample tourist shops, galleries and charm to soak in.

The main square with lots of stops for ice cream, drinks and dining! 

The restaurant selection includes options for Californians. 

Well, that’s one way to make your rubbish a little more pretty 🤩 

And, as always, lots of special Kedi accommodations.

Great repurposing!

For lunch, since we were in tourist land with access to vegetarian options, we suggested meeting back up with  Tracy and Steve at Oburus Momus. It was excellent, and a good value for the quality. Mandy’s falafel was 109 Liras ($5.85.) Greg settled on Nasi Goreng, an Indonesian dish for 139 Liras ($7.30) 

Meet Tracy and Steve, our new friends from Seattle. Tracy runs the fantastic blog Traveling Tracy and we were excited to find we had a lot in common with them including very similar budget/travel styles! 

The ‘Lil Fancy Town of Göcek

Towards the end of our stay in Finike, Mandy decided to pack her day bag, hop on a five-hour bus (technically three dolmus mini buses), and be reunited with her Turkish Sila in Göcek for her first girl’s getaway weekend abroad in years! Laughing, connecting, wining and dining. It was so good for the soul! 

Fancy eating 🙂 Their dinner was a bottle of wine, pastas, Greek salad, bread and olives, for $20/each. The prices were definitely elevated in this town.

Yes, Göcek is a bit of a hoity-toity community, which was a new word for Sila.

And we even found a beach to bask on with real sand!

This hotel had the same last name as Sila! 🤣

Turkey Wrap-Up 2022

Türkiye remains firmly in our top five countries after our third and longest visit. We saw new lands this time which opened our eyes to even more depth, more variety and more culture…confirming it’s undoubtedly a fascinating country that truly has layers upon layers of discoveries. In fact, if it weren’t for a couple of major downsides, Türkiye is somewhere we could easily call home one day. Regardless, it’s hard to leave a country you love so much…one that you could easily spend another three months in, if it weren’t for your visa expiring…. That said…we’ll be back. Again and again!

Time Spent: 88 days

Money Spent: $3760.34 or $42.73/day

Places Stayed: Istanbul, Göreme/Ortahisar (Cappadocia), Kahta, Sanliurfa, Mardin, Finike

Our Upsides

-VERY welcoming and hospitable people, whether or not we were paying. You are a guest first in this country. Plus, we have good local friends here!

-Relatively easy to learn the necessities of Turkish (pleasantries, numbers, food/adjective vocabulary) and if you try to speak it, you are rewarded with encouraging locals

-Hiking trails and culture

-Cordial drivers

-Dynamic food options

-Fantastic weather overall

-Varied terrain

-Gorgeous beaches and bluest seas on the southern and western coast

-Friendly street felines

-Drinkable Water (not everywhere, but many places)

-Fast Internet

-Ayran, the refreshing yogurt-y drink, especially the kind that spills from a foaming fountain

-Unbelievable and affordable selection of produce and groceries

-Feels completely safe, even in large cities like Istanbul, at night

-Clean cities, people take pride

-A literal history book of sites and ruins

-A breadth of rich and diverse culture

-Easy to use public transportation

-Easy to live on $45/day for two people.

Our Downsides

-Although the internet is fast, the government seems to have placed odd restrictions meddling with it. A few sites we use often like Booking, Libby and Amazon are some we had challenges with. A VPN is necessary.

-Economic instability: while most of the world is dealing with inflation around 10%, Turkey’s has soared to incomprehensible highs at 80%+. This wasn’t too noticeable for lucky us thanks to the insanely strong dollar, but terrible for the locals. Also, even with our strong dollar, prices are creeping up. We paid $1 for a Doner, Turkiye’s classic fast food in 2019, and now it’s around $1.75. A couple other examples…Their highest note, the 200 Lira is only valued at $11 now. It was nearly $40 when we were here last in March 2019. Also, the insane ATM fees cost 200 Lira (again $11) for a maximum withdrawal up to 4000 Liras. ($215.)

-This inflation goes hand in hand with challenging bureaucracy, which can also include things like lack of building codes, overdevelopment and carelessness with historical preservation.

-Smoking Culture

-Caffeinated Culture: there is a national obsession with coffee and especially tea (the caffeinated bitter variety). And, you should drink it at all hours of the day…oh well if you can’t sleep or it gives you issues. No, this is not one of the “major downsides” but we’re looking forward to a break from being “peer pressured” to drink it (or risk looking impolite).