Keeping expenses down

Our original plan was to come to Antalya to get the doctor stuff looked after, and then head north outside the city to some of the smaller towns and explore some of the countryside. However, current car rental prices here are not what they were during Covid! 

One of the reasons we love the motorhome form of travel... we can go where we want and when we want and it's easy to stay in the countryside where we can enjoy the fresh air and get out hiking.

Anyhow, we checked into car rentals and they are about 1,000 lira ($30 USD, $40 CAD) a day here. I could probably shop around and get something slightly better, but it would still add up to too much money! 

And, we know that we've got an expensive month ahead of us when we meet up with our daughter and granddaughter on the 1st of May. So we decided to stay put here in Antalya and keep our expenses down.

We negotiated a cash deal to extend our current accommodation to April 26th Unfortunately it's already booked after that, so we're looking at a place closer to the airport and Lara Beach for the balance of our stay until our flight May 1st.

Yesterday was market day! The "pazari" weekly markets are a Turkish custom in the whole country. It's where the majority of the population go to shop for the cheapest prices on the best produce. So now that we know we're staying for a while, it made sense to make the extra effort to go to the market and do some stocking up.

Getting a bag of apples from the apple guy.

Many vendors at the market tend to specialize in one type of product... there is the mushroom guy, the egg lady, the apple guy, the broccoli and cauliflower guy... you get the idea. And, the place is huge. We usually take one wander around the whole place before buying anything. Prices do vary, as does quality and selection, so by looking around first you can get an overall idea. And we watch the locals to see where they shop because they come to the market weekly and usually have favorite vendors.

We really enjoy the experience!

Picking up some broccoli and cauliflower.

The carrot guy!

The watermelon guy. We didn't buy any because we had a 2 km walk back to the apartment!

Ruth, with our three bags of goods.

We shopped at a total of nine different vendors. Besides the fruit and veggies, we also bought a huge loaf of natural sourdough bread. And a chunk of old cheese!

(Depending on which article you read, sourdough made with a natural starter is supposed to be gluten free due to the chemical changes of the bacteria in the sourdough bread making process. Ruth hasn't really experimented much with it, but she figured it was worth a try in this case... and so far, so good.)

Our haul of fruits and veggies.

Here's the breakdown of the cost. 

Apples 15 lira ($0.46 USD, $0.63 CAD)

Cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots 75 lira ($2.31 USD, $3.17 CAD)

Lettuce 10 lira ($0.31 USD, $0.42 CAD)

Potatoes and onions 35 lira ($1.08 USD, $1.48 CAD)

Mushrooms 10 lira ($0.31 USD, $0.42 CAD)

Tomatoes 15 lira ($0.46 USD, $0.63 CAD)

Strawberries 40 lira ($1.23 USD, $1.69 CAD)

Total 200 lira ($6.15 USD, $8.46 CAD) for everything.

Huge loaf of bread, and a chunk of old cheese.

The bread was 60 lira ($1.84 USD, $2.54 CAD), and the cheese was 165 lira ($5.07 USD, $6.98 CAD).

Back at the apartment for lunch and a rest and then we headed out to meet up with Joan and Alan in the old town area.

We have walked by Hadrian's Gate several times, but never actually walked through it.

Through the center part, you can still see the old grooves caused by chariot wheels.

Some parts have been restored, but a lot of it is the original 2,000 year old structure.

What a civilized society!

We met them at the gate, then walked to this fancy hotel in the old town area.

We sat and had tea in the courtyard area.

Ruth, Joan, and Alan.

Today is cooler and a bit overcast, so we think it's a good day to attempt the long walk down to Duden waterfalls. It's about 8 kms (5 miles) one way, but it's fairly flat overall. Maybe three hours total return trip.

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