Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I remember exactly how the idea of retiring in Turkey got mooted. We were driving along a country road. Let’s call it the A30 by Stonehenge. Atmospheric.  We had moved from London to the West Country three years or so previously. It was not working out well. K had recently lost both her parents within three years of each other, work opportunities were few post crash, people seemed rather closed and parochial.

We had owned a villa in Kalkan for five years.

“I think we should move to Turkey” I suggested.

She looked at me with those lovely, adoring eyes

“Are you f**king crazy? I cannot even think about such a ludicrous idea. What is the matter with you?”

Six months later we moved to Turkey. How does decision making work in your relationship?

I am telling you this because recently somebody put up a post on Kalkan Living (the resident’s portal. It is run by a friend who lives, naturally, in Hong Kong). The couple were thinking of moving to Kalkan and wanted advice on a few points; bringing a dog, making friends etc

I did respond but it was a 3 second attention span Facebook response. So for those thinking of retiring in Kalkan, here is how it has been for us.

The Special and I, ten years on, still feel fortunate and privileged to be here. But there has been a learning curve and much change along the way. Of the nine people we had formed close friendships with by the end of our second year, seven have headed back permanently to the UK, although two have recently reversed that and returned. We have made many, many friends over the subsequent seven years. Some of those have since returned to the UK and others are here for only part of the year. Kalkan is a friendly place but transient. It is easy to make and lose friends.

I sometimes think there is a kind of seven year itch, a pull to return “home”. My take on that is the difficulties of language and differences of culture make it hard to lay very deep foundations.

Living in Kalkan is a little like riding a charging bull elephant whilst you are perched up high and safe in an air conditioned howdah.  The minibar is well stocked, the views magnificent. If, however, you were to force the window open, stick your head out and look down you would be shocked by the destruction beneath. As long as you remain in the bubble all is well.

The Real Turkey can be chaotic. On 15 July 2015 we watched spellbound as a coup unfolded on our television screens. It failed. Hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested, gaoled and dismissed from their jobs. The legal system and the media has been hollowed out and brought under government control; a government control which has tightened under a new presidential system and further polarised this country.

Over ten years the Turkish currency has plunged from 2.4 down to 10 to the pound sterling. So, if you imported capital and converted it to lira ten years ago it would have lost 75% of its value. The interest received would not compensate. Fortunately property is valued and traded in hard currency in this part of Turkey.

Most people need an activity in retirement, wherever they go. Opportunities for volunteering are fewer here although Kaş4Kids and the street animal charity KAPSA both have strong communities. KAPSA has even opened its own bank. Yapı Kedi. You cannot miss it. There is usually a dyslexic Cat Sat on the Atm.

My impression is that there are fewer classes and hobby groups now than there were when we first moved out.

The climate is brilliant but there is a winter (you did not know?) and most places shut down. Life is quiet. We like that but not everybody does. The houses are cold by end of December so you will need heating for at least two months. Modern airconditioning is the easy solution. The lack of insulation and a dry system that does not radiate any heat may make it a bit cheerless.

The cost of living is significantly lower but there will be expenses that you may not have fully considered such as the cost of trips back to your home country.

We have had a great ten years and plan to remain for another. The social life is good. There are lots of great people, foreigners and Turks. There are opportunities to get involved in things. But it has been and will continue to be a work in progress.

Ten years ago I could never have predicted I would be living in the mountains,  forbidden to leave the house between 5pm and 10am and about to swim 6km to raise money to improve the local school’s airconditioning. What will the next ten bring?

A little caution is therefore in order. At 60 it is not so easy to recover from mistakes so try and make sure it is for you before committing. And when you do commit, my advice would be to only commit what you can afford to lose. Turkey is wonderful but it is still a gamble.

My friend Olga runs Aristos Watersports with her partner Mustafa. She recently came by the house where six of us were treading grapes to make wine as part of a small co-operative we have set up.

She whipped out her camera “You guys have so nailed a Mediterranean retirement!”

Maybe.