Antalya Warnings and Dangers

For those of us used to having a porcelein bowl for our bodily functions, don't let habit catch you off guard here. One slip and it could be a memory you'll never forget (no matter how hard you may try!)

I swear to God (not much should be taken of that since I'm an atheist) but this is where my organized and paid for tour took me for lunch! Needless to say life belts and rafts were a prerequisite! What had happened was that they had had the heaviest snows on the mountains for about 30 years and guess where the water went when it melted! Luckily our riverside restaurant had an upstairs section but unluckily they were so concerned about the floodwaters that we ended up eating elsewhere.

Men! The men in Antalya are, I'm sorry to say, dangerous, sexist, vulgar and creepy (if you are a woman). I could not safely leave the hotel by myself by day or night, we had to go out in groups of three and probably every other time we would be followed home by Turkish men in cars or have to run down other streets to lose them. We got harrased where ever we went. One girl I knew of becuase good friends with a supposedly charming young Turkish man and he became her 'boyfriend'. For 3 weeks he met her at the hotel and we would all go to dinner, he seemed to be different and respect her, he didn't act pushy, until the night when she trusted him and he said he was taking her to meet his family. He did take her to her families house and his brothers and father took it in turns to gang rape her and afterwards they through her out onto the street. What made it worse was the police would not get involved and do anything about it.

This is really an anti-warning. A lot of people are concerned and ask is it safe in Turkey. The answer is absolutely yes. You are safer in Turkey than you would be in just about anyplace but Mayberry.

Unfortunately we opted for the dolmus to viste Side. When we got there we did not know the way to the amphatheatre as we got detached from the other travellers. We asked a young man who proceeded to take us to where we wished to go or so we thought. He took us up into some sand dunes, noone else to be seen, pointed across the way, in the direction we should go then demanded 8 MIL TL for the privalige. We felt very vunerable as we had the children with us and were very foolish to have gone with him.

The rafting we did was great and the nature was beautiful.
But we went there with our two kids, i don't advice that to you, at some places the water was very deep and rough.
They got helmets on but they did not fit!

We did not encountered any particular dangers there. The photo below was taken in a Gold Center. Lots of jewels, the prices are same as in Moscow (to my mind, I am by far not an expert!). My friend likes jewelry, she bought a few items there. She (brave girl!) even ordered a few items to be delivered in Moscow for her, and paid in advance (reckless girl!). However, to my greatest surprise, after we came back, they delivered to her what she had ordered!! Frankly, I thought it was a mere trap. Fortunately, I was wrong.Little boys in the streets may be annoying foisting flowers on you (somehow you find yourself with a small bunch of thin stems in a hand!) and then asking for money. Do not take anything from them! Unless you are eager to show off your charitable nature, of course.