Do you want to live in Turkey?

[ebrujkilerii]

Iam from turkey

[Berethor]

Turkey is becoming more and more islamist, it's problematic to raise a daughter in Turkey.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38030182

[UniquelyBasic]

In a turkey? No

I dont know much about Turkey so Im not sure.

[EmmaMary]

No thank you... We have though had a holiday there seven years ago, and maybe will visit again one day.

[EmmaMary]

Thank you for the MHO.

[whereismyjohnny]

No, but I'd like to visit it someday. Istanbul, Antalya and Cappadocia look beautiful!

[KostasKouvalis]

They are. I've been

[whereismyjohnny]

@KostasKouvalis I hope you had a good time! What was your favourite out of these three?

[KostasKouvalis]

For the most part I did, my only complaint was that it seems like everyone in the country is out to rip you off.

I didn't notice that you put Istanbul on there. I didn't go to Istanbul. I was in Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Antalya province.

Cappadocia was by far my favorite. It felt very authentic Middle East, while the other regions felt very Western/Southern Europe.

Cappadocia was number one on my Turkey wishlist and had been on my bucketlist for years. And I'll be honest, probably a big reason I enjoyed it so much is because I went during COVID, when it was one of the few countries that was open, and there were almost no tourists there. I'm certain if it was crowded, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. If you go, definitely do the balloon ride.

Lycian Coast was probably my second favorite. And I also loved Perge, Aspendos and Side. Best preserved amphitheater in the world and in Side you can walk among ancient ruins FOR FREE!
Antalya has great museums, shops and beautiful Ottoman architecture.

Honestly, I enjoyed every place I visited in the country except Pamukkale. The ruins and Cleopatra's baths are absolutely worth it, but the travertine terraces were very disappointing compared to the ones I've seen in the U. S.

But I liked Turkey even better than Italy, to be honest.

[talka20]

With Johnny

[whereismyjohnny]

@KostasKouvalis Oh, these rip-off merchants 😅 I think every tourist destination has them. I see some in my country during summer.

I only heard good things about Cappadocia so far. I see your point, and I agree. When the place is overcrowded with people you can't fully enjoy it, so I think it's best to visit it off-season (early spring or autumn when there are not many tourists). And yes, I'll definitely do the balloon ride if/when I visit. It's a must!

I heard about Pamukkale, but not exactly good things. 😅

Thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it, and I'll have in mind the things you said when I'll be planning my visit!

[whereismyjohnny]

@talka20 😂

[KostasKouvalis]

I know, and these assholes always have to ruin what otherwise would be very incredible places. I swear, the one thing that will make or break a place for you, is its people.
What country are you in?

Yeah, try to visit off season. I heard some of the carpet shops will rip you off, or demand money to take pictures and video. I'm sure there are scams and problems like there are everywhere, but I personally didn't have any issues. But I was also traveling as part of a tour and having a local guide definitely helps. He was able to convince the guards to let me take pictures in the "No Photo" areas.

Honestly, I could have easily spent an entire week in Cappadocia and not been bored. I think 2 days is a bit rushed. The travel time by public bus is about 10 hours and by tour bus it takes twice as long. Most people recommend flying. I personally enjoyed looking at the countryside and villages, but the constant stopping on the way the back to drop off tourists at the their hotels drove me mad to the point that I almost jumped out and hailed a cab. So if you don't have patience for stuff like that, flying might be a better option.

Antalya region definitely has the most to see and is a great base for exploring other parts of the country. The cruise to Kekova Island which includes a visit to the rock cut tombs and Santa Clause tomb is definitely worth it. And Phaselis has some great swimming and snorkeling, along with Greek ruins.
Unless you're interested in ruins, you can skip Pamukkale. I read about a beautiful cave and salt water lake nearby, but it seems you can only get there with private transport.

[KostasKouvalis]

I haven't heard many good things about Istanbul. Most Turkish people will tell you to avoid it. I certainly wouldn't plan my trip around it. Maybe just visit the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace and take a cruise down the Bosphorus or to the Princess Islands and leave.

Istanbul and Ephesus are the only two "must see" places that I missed. I might get them next time. I heard nice things about Black Sea region, but it's mainly just beaches and towns. Avoid the Kurdish region like the plague.

You're making me wanna go back now. LOL

[whereismyjohnny]

@KostasKouvalis I'm from Croatia 😅

Yeah, two days doesn't seem enough to see everything that Cappadocia offers. I did my research on Cappadocia about a year ago, and there are quite a lot of things to see. I think it's best to plan a 4 or 5 days long visit so that it's not rushed. It really annoyed you that much? 😆

Antalya seems like a great destination! Kekova Island is definitely on my list.

About Istanbul, I know that a lot of people avoid it because of safety reasons. Some of the people I know visited Istanbul, and luckily they didn't have any issues and their trip went smoothly, but I understand why people are concerned about visiting it.

Maybe you should visit Turkey again then? 😆 Because it seems like you had a great time. Just remember to take a plane next time, or a cab 😂

[KostasKouvalis]

Oh noooooooooo! Croatia was on my list for a long time. Still kind of is, though I'm deciding to put if off for the time being, as I haven't heard nice things about the people there. LOL But honestly, after seeing places like Italy, Turkey and Burney Falls, I don't know if Croatia would impress me much. Will they treat me any differently if I tell them I'm from Poland. Mieszkam w USA, ale mówię po Polsku.

No, it really isn't. Četiri ili pet dana bilo bi bolje.

Oh you know about Kekova? You can't actually walk around on it, but the scenery is amazing, and you can see submerged ruins. Yeah, only bad thing about going in spring or late fall is you won't be able to swim, and the water is AMAZING!

Yeah that's what I hear, that it's not very safe.

I'm considering, but I prefer to visit places I haven't been yet. But maybe I would visit if I got a girlfriend, or maybe I would pair it with another country. I've been to Greece too, but that was over 10 years ago, and I haven't been to the islands so that might be an option.

[KostasKouvalis]

For the most part, YES! If it weren't for the scammers and every single one of our tours getting changed, it would have been perfect! Our Cappadocia trip was originally supposed to be 3 days and include a visit to Konya, they ended up cancelling it and sticking us in a two day one with about 20 Russian tourists. And as I'm sure you know, Russian tourists aren't exactly known for their friendliness.

If you take a cab, have your hotel arrange it for you, otherwise they'll try to rip you off by taking longer routes to bump the meter. One guy took some back roads, another guy tried to drive us to the other end of the beach and we had to beg him to stop, and another guy drove us to the paid section where all the tourists go, because he thought it would be more convenient for us. Every time you ask them to do something, they do it a different way. I don't know what is the problem with those people. They seem to think you know better. We literally had to BEG one guy to drive us to the free section.
Same thing in restaurants. You ask them for a small serving, and it's like you're speaking gibberish. I don't know what is wrong with those people.

[whereismyjohnny]

@KostasKouvalis Lmao 🤣 Really? People who visit usually say we are friendly, although I have witnessed a couple of situations where locals weren't exactly nice to tourists.

I don't know if it would impress you, but what I know is that there is a lot to see and many people like it and eventually come back. Wielu Polaków spędza wakacje w Chorwacji. I'm sorry if this is not correct 😅

Yes, Kekova Island is one of the places that got my attention. Now you are making me want to go 😆

Your trip definitely was an eventful one. Once again, thank you for sharing your experience!

[KostasKouvalis]

Really. Maybe the average locals are, but I heard the customer service people, especially on the ferries are very rude. I also know you guys are scared to death of small talk. Just take care of what you need and go away. LOL

I know there's a lot to see. A few years ago it may have, but after seeing some of the places I've seen, I'm not so sure. The cities and geography aren't that different from other places. I've heard many complaints about Dubrovnik and some guy on THIS website wrote an entire MyTake talking shit about Hvar
9 Reasons Why The Island of Hvar Sucks! ↗
LOL. Number 3

No that seems spot on. I think most of them just chill on the beach.

Really? What about it peaked your interest?

You're welcome :)

[whereismyjohnny]

@KostasKouvalis ''I also know you guys are scared to death of small talk. Just take care of what you need and go away.'' You are aware that you are generalizing the whole nation?

It seems like an interesting place to visit. It looks absolutely beautiful in photos, and I believe it's even prettier in real life. So scenery it is, but also historical reasons. I'd like to see the ruins.

[KostasKouvalis]

Not me. Some Croatian-American girl said this. But American tourists in general complain that Europeans in general don't like to make small talk with them. And the other way too. Some Dutch girl said she came to the U. S. and it scared her that random people were trying to talk to her.

Yeah the geography is beautiful, and many of the ruins and historical sites rival even those in Greece or Italy I feel. Maybe you've seen the Colesseum in Pula, that is nothing compared to the theater in Aspendos. In addition, the cities, at least along the coast are very modern and Westernized in many aspects, so I feel you're getting the best of both worlds.

They give you condoms at hotels. There are strip clubs and sex shops, bars, tattoo parlors, gay people, public displays of affection and I even saw women in thong bikinis, even in Pamukkale. Aside from maybe the ones in the Balkans, Turkey is the most progressive Muslim nation on earth.

[Anonymous]

The last member of my family to go to Turkey was my great great grandfather when he fought there in ww1 as was part of the army that conquerors the Turks.

[DavidRaul]

Visit it for a vacation? Sure. Spending the rest of my life in Turkey? Nope.

[Agape93]

Nothing could get me to move there

[KostasKouvalis]

I could if it wasn't Muslim

[MountAverage]

I would love to visit, but not live there.

[BeMuse]

Nope.

[Anonymous]

Fuck no... big no for Islam countries.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Nope.

[joeldalton]

Nope.

[Iron_Man]

Nope

[In_Trance]

Lol no