Once upon a time when you went on holiday you waved goodbye to your family and friends and you saw them again in a fortnight.

Apart from a postcard which usually arrived in the UK about 10 days after you did, that was it. Maybe a phonecall if you needed to check in about something really important.

Otherwise you really got away from it all.

Oh how things have changed.

Now, if you haven’t texted to say you’re off the plane; at baggage reclaim; in the taxi… your nearest and dearest go into meltdown.

“Have you heard from them?”

“No, haven’t you? Do you think they’re ok?”

“Let’s text them and check . . .”

Technology has truly taken over the holiday experience.

Time was you went to the travel agent having perused a glossy brochure and booked your hotel with little more than her word for it that it was “A lovely place – I’ve been there myself”.

Unless your chosen resort had featured in a tabloid “holiday from hell” expose, you were blissfully ignorant until the minute you pulled up outside.

Not any more.

Now you’ll have taken the virtual tour of the hotel, checked the local restaurant menus so you know exactly what you’ll be eating on any given night, hit up Google Earth to check that the gloriously planted garden isn’t actually the central reservation of a four-lane motorway between you and the beach, and measured the 10-minute walk into town only to discover it was uphill and that even Usain Bolt would find it a tall order.

Then there’s all the paraphernalia you have to take with you.

Everyone has a phone and every phone has a charger . . . sod’s law dictates that nobody in your party can actually use the same one, so you bung them all in.

Then there are iPods, iPads, netbooks, laptops . . . all with chargers. And at least four adaptors.

When you used to go to the beach, the only entertainment, apart from watching the Germans play bat-and-ball, was a tattered wordsearch magazine and a paperback.

Now he’s playing Fifa 2011 on his DS and she’s trying not to get sand in her Kindle…

And you can forget the evening chorus of crickets . . . now there’s a cacophony of Blackberry chirrups as the signal kicks in and a whole backlog of emails flood in simultaneously around the bar.

Friends text to say they’re in Mojito, where are you? Mothers at home ring to make sure you’re using sun protection and mothers in resort phone home to make sure their home-alone offspring haven’t burnt the place down.

Of course everyone takes a camera (and its charger…).

And while there used to be that delicious anticipation to see your pics when they came back from Boots – usually with quality control stickers pasted all over them – the digital age means you’ve seen ’em, edited ’em and (more importantly) vetoed the ones in which you look fat/drunk/simple as you go along.

Indeed most of them are on Facebook before the last revellers have left the restaurant.

Who needs postcards when you can simply update your status and make all your friends green with envy?

Rachel is on a sun lounger with a cocktail; James is topping up his tan while waterskiing; Sarah drank this fishbowl cocktail last night and is having a day in bed . . .

And while you used to meet “that nice couple from Solihull” and get (and promptly lose) their address, the 21st century holiday pals have been friended and Linked-in before the third bottle of Angora.

But it’s not all bad.

Songs that remind you of your holiday can be downloaded there and then; friends without water can send a desperate text begging for a shower; impromptu get-togethers can be arranged in minutes . . .

And when you’re safely back at home, there’s always another little reminder of your lovely two weeks in the sun . . . the bills for all that social activity and the month of poverty to pay for it.

Sadly there’s not an app for that . . .

How lucky are you!  Turkey has never seen the like of this before.  Meet  Kalkan’s newest phenomenon. More mysterious than Mystic Meg, more extraordinarily talented than an X factor contestant ( in round 1); please  welcome Mademoiselle Serviette Deplage. With a swift rub-a-dub-dub  her quite amazing powers  will leave you lost for words. So here, on Enjoy Kalkan,  discover what your beach towel says about you!

Twister Towel

You’re fun loving and sociable, with a taste for a little friendly competition!  Kalkan is the perfect resort for you – its welcoming and happy atmosphere will be spot on.  Twister towel lovers, you  might enjoy a spin round the bay on a banana boat or pedalo from  Kalamar Bay beach club.  I  also forsee you loving the twists and turns of a trip to the Saklikent Gorge.  If possible, put off any planning applications for a month or two as you may find yourself tied up with red tape. Your lucky colour is yellow and the letter K will be important to you.

The Twister towel is one of a number of great beach towels available (at time of writing) from Paramountzone.com .

Toy Story towel

It’s all about friendship and good times for you!  You love excitement and prefer to be leaping in the infinity pool or diving in the sea rather than lazing around.  Good for you!  Using up all that energy will mean you’ll be ready for a hearty lunch or a slap up meal in the evenings – and where better than one of Kalkan’s many wonderful restaurants.  I see smiles wherever you go in Kalkan.  Your lucky number is 3 and you will meet someone special with a Y in their name.
Toy story towel available online from Asda.com

Pirate towel

It’s up the main sail and out to sea for you.  Your heart is craving hidden treasure and you have no time to waste.  So get down to Kalkan harbour and decide which of the boats will be your vessel for the day and get exploring!  You may want to go a little further afield and explore an ancient sunken Lycian city in the Kekova area.  Dive in and swim in those ancient crystal clear waters – awesome. Your lucky colour is red and you will find the letter S is important to you.

Wandering Hands Towel

You’re in the mood for love and romance.  Kalkan has it in spades, so this could be your lucky holiday!  Why not treat yourself to a turkish bath to get yourself into perfect condition for when Cupid decides to strike!  Your lucky number is 2 and you will meet someone with an O or U in their name.

Hippy towel

You want peace: world peace and individual peace, inner and outer peace – just peace. Kalkan is for you.  Stretch your towel out – somewhere with a beautiful view of that bay, not hard in Kalkan, and just go for it.  Let peace overtake you.  Then, when you’re fully chilled go forth and spread the message of peace and love throughout Kalkan – in the bars and restaurants, bazaar and beach clubs.  You may well notice just how successfully you’ve spread the word. Your lucky colour is white and you will find happiness and maybe a friendship bracelet somewhere starting with the letter D.

Wads of dosh towel

Time to polish up your medalion and get your latest Rolex on. You need to go places and get spending!  I suggest you start at the Thursday market in Kalkan, where you will find a huge selection of jewellery and ‘genuine fake’ designer sunglassses and watches to perfect your image.  I forsee you promenading along the harbourside in the evenings. a truly dazzling sight to behold.  Restaurant choices abound in Kalkan so maybe could choose a different one each night before hitting the dance floor later. The letters M, C and I could be lucky for you, particularly after midnight.

Mademoiselle Serviette Deplage will return soon with some more amazing beach towel forecasts.
She is even offering some free reading for any Kalkan lovers who would like one. Simply log on to the Enjoy Kalkan forum and send a picture (or even a description) to be professionally analysed by Mademoiselle Serviette Deplage.

Every day, all over the world, a war is raging.
It’s the age-old conflict between man and that common enemy, hell-bent on making our lives a misery – the mosquito.
Our arsenal of weapons has improved over the millennia. Industrial chemicals, sprays, creams, salves, coils, plug-in devices, a well aimed slap with a flip-flop… all go some way towards letting us win the occasional battle but, as it stands, the mozzie is still ahead as far as the war is concerned.
And while Kalkan mosquitoes aren’t the type to pass on horrendous diseases like their brethren in other parts of the world, they are (ably assisted by their allies in the axis of evil, the olive flies) a damn nuisance.
The thwack of a flip-flip or a newspaper against a wall is part of the holiday soundtrack as another victim tries (usually in vain) to locate the source of the high-pitched whine that signals an imminent attack.
The bloody splatters across the walls bear testament to past skirmishes won and lost.
And while some people seem immune to their strategies, some of us are singled out for assault after assault.
All I have to do is step off a plane and nasty biting things for miles around start sniffing the air and licking their lips at the thought of tender white meat.
“That’s odd,” locals will say as they sympathise with my red, itchy bites. “We don’t usually get mosquitoes at this time of year.”
So it seems even hibernating insects will wake from their slumbers and brave hostile conditions to seek me out.
Well, no more. I fight back.
Where some supermarkets make a promotional display of, say, barbecue products or Christmas goodies, the ones in Kalkan promote insect repellent.
And while most hotels offer complimentary shower gel and shampoo, many around these parts also throw in a can of Sinkov.
But before you rush to town and scoop up every can, bottle and spray you can lay your hands on, let me share my own personal battle plan.
I have no idea of the science behind it – and I certainly make no medical claims about it – but, touch wood, it seems to work for me and several others who have refined the strategy over the years.
First, two weeks before take-off I start taking anti-histamine tablets every day, and continue throughout the holiday.
This doesn’t stop the blighters biting but it does mean the bites don’t become all red and itchy. (That’s the really cunning thing about mosquitoes – they set you against yourself as it’s your own defence mechanisms that cause most of your problems.)
Once there, I burn citronella candles on the balcony in the evenings and plug in one of those liquid diffusers in the bedroom.
I always take Head and Shoulders shampoo as well, as that keeps both mozzies and those little black olive flies out of your hair – literally.
You can buy a whole array of repellents but, in my book, nothing works better than Avon Skin So Soft. This is amazing stuff (and no, I’m not on commission).
It stops squeaky hinges, removes chewing gum from clothes and carpets, cleans paint brushes, gets tar off your car’s bodywork AND keeps biting insects away.
It also keeps your skin lovely and soft, all for under £3.
It doesn’t smell too bad, either – unlike the real secret weapon. Marmite.
The world is split into lovers and loathers of this savoury spread – and mosquitoes are firmly in the loathe camp.
Pay attention – here comes the science bit… When you eat Marmite, it exudes from your pores as you sweat, so you give off the aroma.
Mosquitoes don’t like it so they give you a wide berth and home in on one of their fellow Marmite haters.
My problem with this is that the Other Half loves Marmite and I can’t stand it . . . so while he rarely gets bitten, I become the only option on the menu if one of the enemy gets through the defences and into the trench.
I suppose, if all else fails, I could cover myself with it at bedtime. It would make for a tricky conversation with the apartment cleaners, but it might take the attention off the blood-splattered walls.

The Kalkan Phenomenom – Love at first sight

view from the rooftop bar of Tera Mare’s  Kalamar Meltem Apartments**

There’s clearly something about Kalkan, Turkey that encourages love at first sight.  You can tell just by looking around at people. There they are, lets call them A and B for simplicity.

A and B are sitting having a drink in a bar, chatting to each other, as you do – probably about the weather or the price of stamps; all perfectly normal stuff that takes place all over the world.  But then suddenly, just as A (quite likely a man) is explaining why it is utterly ridiculous that there are no postboxes around and people shouldn’t be expected to walk all the way to the post office to send a card he notices that B (probably a woman) is gazing at a spot about half a mile behind his right ear, with a most peculiar expression on her face,  Concerned, A stops in mid rant to ask B if she is alright, and B – with a gentle sigh and contented smile mutters that everything is absolutely perfect, possibly adding a comment about the blueness of the sea or the general loveliness of, well everything… And that’s happening all the time here.  It’s understandable, even predictable – this beautiful little place is out to capture hearts and souls and has all the charms to succeed in this.

So what is it about Kalkan that  makes it so uniquely perfect?  There is important research into the Kalkan phenomenon with a growing band of people willing to sacrifice their time to investigate the causes of Love at First Sight in Kalkan.  You may even notice some of these undercover operators if you visit Kalkan this year.  Stationed across the village in restaurants, bars, beach clubs, and around the harbour these people may appear to be doing very little apart from drinking in the atmosphere – or drinking up their ice cold Efes.  But don’t be deceived – they are working.  It’s a tough job but someone has to do it…

You may be wondering how you too could sign up for this project.  Researchers are in constant demand – after all, statistics tell us that 89% of all surveys can not be verified scientifically because they are too small*.  So how can you get selected for this role?

Firstly, the Love at First sight in Kalkan project does not just take anyone.  You must demonstrate your training and qualifications for this position.  Observational skills are paramount and I suggest three ways of honing these.

1. The infinity pool lookout.   Practise this one several times a day until you have perfected it (could take years though).  Float at the side of the pool, with elbows on the poolside – apparently gazing at nothing but that view of the bay.  Drink in the view.  Thus positioned you are ready to report on any changes at sea, like the sun glistening on a passing boat or something.  It could be important, or not.  Variations on this approach are useful.  You may find that lilo manoeuvres (in pool or sea) can be similarly effective observational platforms.
2. Bar and restaurant work. Again, this may take years and years of undercover work to get a full picture of what is going on in Kalkan.  I suggest you try out a number of different bars and restaurants,  sitting at different places, observing the Kalkan way of life and making mental notes.  Please don’t write anything down as it may get into the wrong hands.  Who knows what someone else might do with this research.  It is important to keep yourself hydrated and healthy during this arduous training so ensure you always have a full glass of something – maybe an Efes, an ice cold glass of rose or even an apple tea – ready to hand.



3. Mingling with the publicThe important thing is here is don’t let yourself be spotted.  As a researcher you need to blend in seamlessly and appear to be just another happy person in Kalkan land.  So go shopping and spend, spend, spend!   What better way is there to appear that you are not just loitering and observing than by buying beautiful and essential items such as jewellery, leather bound books or beautiful lampshades.  You know it makes sense.

Are you still interested – knowing that this challenging training needs time and commitment if you are to get it right?  Good.  Well get training and I’ll let you know the next steps very soon…

* based on a ten day study of holiday habits conducted under blazing sun with four participants, one of whom couldn’t do the maths…

**Extensive range of accommodation available on Enjoy Kalkan website including some of  the Kalamar Meltem Apartments.

Do I hear sniggers?
Well,  shoes are an important subject and I don’t think they’ve been addressed yet in any of the travel literature I’ve waded through in my research.   Whilst for some people it may be enough to gaze at images of Kalkan bay, wondering what it will feel like when they finally dive into that crystal clear, deep-as-forever water,  for others the pressing question of what shoes to pack has been known to cause anxiety and unplanned chocolate consumption when no answer is forthcoming.

So, this is where we put that right.  We will tackle the shoe problem that often underlies hidden tensions in the preparations and packing department at home.  If you’re wondering what on earth I’m going on about – have I been at the wine already perhaps? – then you must be a man,  travelling alone possibly.  Maybe you’re just a little unaware of the sheer variety of footwear that must be considered when packing for one’s holiday in Kalkan.

Look at the options.

Suppose you are looking forward to a week in Kalkan;  seven glorious days of sunshine doing as much or as little as  takes your fancy.   Fantastic!  In fact we could pause here for a little day dreaming…but, we won’t.   No; we will focus on shoes.

Perhaps you don’t know Kalkan well.   You’re thinking you may need high heels, low heels, kitten heels or no heels, white shoes, black shoes, silver shoes or gold shoes, trainers, walking boots, deck shoes or swimming fins. Well, assuming you are arriving in 21st century style – by plane and car with a teeny weeny baggage allowance, rather than 19th century Grand Tour - with huge entourage of servants, camels, horses, carriages, boats and more – then I fear you will need to ‘rationalise’.

It’s tough, but Dr Who tardis style suitcases simply don’t exist and the need to select ‘a few’ pairs of shoes is all too clear. For the men this may mean just two pairs – sandals, which they may choose to wear with socks of course, and flip flops. For women though, it’s not so simple. You may feel you need high heels to complement your outfit. But, in Kalkan wearing high heels may need to come with a safety warning! The steep hills which give the town its charm, provide daily cardio-vascular exercise and enable roof-top dining with stunning views also make tottering along on stilettos a somewhat hazardous activity . But hey! You’re coming to Turkey where exciting and adventurous activities abound.

Perhaps you’re planning to celebrate the Royal Wedding with a bit of ‘royal highness’. There could be no better to excuse than this to indulge in a pair of Prince Court Glitter shoes from Schuh. Sparkling like an impromptu Kalkan firework display, they will definitely get you noticed round town; and not just because you’ll be standing nearly 6 inches higher than usual! Like Kate and Wills you may need an entourage to support you in your mission to show these off to their best advantage. You may wish to astonish the neighbours as you step out from your place of residence – however palatial that may or may not be. But I suggest you have have a taxi waiting round the corner. Either that or someone with a pair of flip flops to change into! The taxi will mean you could intrigue onlookers as you process downtown, royally waving at them as you pass. The flip flop bearer will offer a slightly less royal package, but it will be a pretty essential one. The hills of Kalkan need respect!

Maybe one of your reasons for going on holiday is to step up to new challenges and enjoy new experiences. Turkey certainly has plenty to choose from. From Kalkan you could choose kayaking, paragliding, scuba diving, white-water rafting or many other fantastic life-enhancing activities. You can book before you leave home or sign up to when you’re wandering around the cobbled streets of the bazaar in magical old Kalkan in the evenings.
Did I hear you say you’ll need to ditch the high heels for these activities?  Not necessarily. High heeled trainers may not have seemed a must-have item in 2010 – but that was so last year.  Now you could sport a pair of Diesel high heels ( in distressed denim).  Just imagine the impact you’ll have when you turn up at Patara beach for a spot of horse riding or kayaking in a pair of these!

I’m stil researching the latest in fins for your snorkelling and scuba-diving experience; available in Kalkan: harbourside with the Dolphin Scuba team and also at the Kalamar Beach Club with the Kalkan Dive Centre.   But I think it’s safe to say that high heels will play no part in this.   Instead you will just have to dive into the crystal clear Kalkan waters and do a little fish watching.  Give your feet a break!

Step into whatever shoes you choose for your Kalkan holiday and let them take you where you want to go. Your holiday is the chance to make your dreams come true – and Kalkan is an amazing place for that to happen.

In the words of William Yeats:

“I have spread my dreams under your feet
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

Just don’t forget the flip flops!

In these days of low-cost air fares and bargain hotel deals, paying for your flights and accommodation is the easy bit.
What can be more painful are the bills you run up in the pursuit of pleasure.
Nobody wants to skimp while on holiday, and – unless you are really disciplined, allowing a set amount of “spends” and budgeting so they last the fortnight – chances are you’ll still be paying for your fun in the sun long after your tan has faded.
Unless you’re canny.
For starters, shop around before you go to make sure you’re getting as many lira for your money as possible.
Adam Aiken, editor of personal finance website MyMoney24.co.uk, says it’s worth spending a little time to avoid spending a lot of money.
“Just a few minutes making some online comparisons will show there is a world of difference between the best and the worst exchange rates,” he says.
“If you are changing only a small amount of cash it might not be worth it, but if you are changing several hundred pounds into lira, a little effort can pay big rewards.
“Also, it’s important to remember that exchange rates move on a daily basis. There are some providers who almost always offer the best deals, but don’t assume that the best place to go one day will be the best place to go the next.”
Meanwhile, be wary of “commission-free” claims. A money-changer might not add a fee to the transaction, but this is a false saving if the rate it is offering is poor. Always ask yourself how many lira you are going to get for your pounds, once the rate and any commission have been taken into account.
You might also find that the best rates are available in Turkey, so you could change a little cash in the UK before flying out and change the rest after you’ve arrived.
Of course, once you’re there, it’s important not to waste precious pennies that could otherwise be spent on a few beers, a nice dinner, a few beers, a day out, a few beers . . .
Few people take travellers’ cheques away these days. They beat cash hands down for security, but apart from in the States – where you can use them to pay in shops and restaurants – they have to be cashed, and that can be a pain.
Some people take cash, but carrying around large amounts of readies or leaving them in hotel rooms or apartments can be a security headache.
Many others use their plastic to take cash out at an ATM. But while this is simple and safe, make sure you know the difference between credit and debit cards when it comes to withdrawing cash.
Unless it’s an emergency, you should never withdraw cash on a credit card. A well You’ll probably be hit with a handling fee, but more importantly you’ll also be charged interest from the moment you get the cash.
If you need to make a cash withdrawal, use a debit card to access your current account. You might pay a fee for the transaction, but you won’t be stung with a hefty build-up of interest charges.
“Save the credit card for restaurants and shops,” says Adam.
“If you use it just for those transactions, you’ll get an interest-free period before you need to pay your bill.”
The other thing to know is how much – if anything – your credit card issuer will charge you per transaction.
“If you’re canny, you’ll use one of the few cards that doesn’t add foreign usage fees every time you use it,” says Adam.
“At the moment, various cards from the likes of Halifax and Santander offer fee-free foreign usage – but again, don’t forget that you shouldn’t use those cards for cash withdrawals.”
When you do pay a bill with your credit card, you might find you get the option of paying in sterling or in lira. Always plump for lira because the conversion rate your bank will use will be more competitive than that provider by local retailers and restaurateurs.
(Of course, it can be better all round to pay with a fistful of tenners. It often works out that this gives you a discount.)
Every pound saved on commission, interest, bank charges and other fees is another pound towards your next holiday.
So while it’s second nature to take precautions against getting burnt by the sun and stung by creepy crawlies, it is just as important to avoid the same dangers from your bank.

One spoke no English; the other didn’t have a word of Turkish.
But the conversation had been going on for the best part of an hour with no signs of flagging.
“Galatasaray?”
A vehement thumbs-down and a deep frown.
“Fenerbahce?”
An enthusiastic thumbs-up, a broad smile and a punch of the air for emphasis.
“Chelsea?”
Fingers are rubbed together with a rueful smile, suggesting that the team’s success is all down to the amount of cash in their coffers.
“The referee?”
A beer mat is held aloft in lieu of a red card and both men make the sort of hand gestures that need no translation.
Like the language of love, the language of football is universal.
Like the Brits, Turks love their football.
If there’s a game on television – English, Turkish or international – you’ll find a cosmopolitan group of (mostly) men enjoying some friendly rivalry: congratulating, commiserating and generally sharing 90 minutes of camaraderie and beer.
Kalkan does not have many places to watch sport, but on a Saturday afternoon, a lot of holidaymakers are drawn to those watering holes with big screens to see the results come in and watch a couple of games from home.
There are few colours worn – it’s not really that sort of resort – but rivalries soon become clear and friendships are made and cemented.
Waiters have grown adept at delivering trays of drinks without missing a second of the action, and non-football-watching visitors soon pick up the ‘Yali duck and scurry’ as they pass the big screen on the tree outside the Yali bar in the Old Town.
Rugby and cricket are less popular, which can be a bone of contention leading to fighting over the remote control when there are big matches clashing with the footy fixtures.
There may be hope on the horizon for cricket fans, though. Turkey’s national team was founded in 2008 and competed in its first European Championship (Division Five) in 2009.
They came sixth out of six but it’s early days, and with six teams in Ankara and two in Istanbul, enthusiasts whose holidays clash with the 20-20 or the Ashes might soon find a few Turkish fans backing their calls for some telly-time.
But until then, it’s football all the way.
The big five teams are Fenerbahce, Galtasaray, Besiktas, Bursaspor and Trabzonspor.
At the time of writing, Fenerbahce are top of the Spor Toto Super Lig on goal difference with Trabzonspor snapping at their heels and last year’s champions Bursaspor third.
So who to support when there’s a match on?
You could go with the flow, suss out the majority support and join with them or you could do some homework and find the team most like your own club at home . . .
For example, you could go on shared nicknames.
This would mean Norwich City fans immediately pinning their colours to Fenerbahce – the Canaries; Millwall cheering on Galatasaray – the Lions; Crystal Palace having a choice between Besiktas and Konyaspor, depending on whether they fancy being a Black Eagle or an Anatolian one; and Brentford, Barnet and Watford fans getting a buzz for Antalyaspor – the Scorpions (bees, hornets and scorpions all sting . . .  no? OK).
Last year’s champions, Bursaspor, may be a little harder to match up. They’re known as the Green Crocodiles . . .
Stick with colours and it’s easier. Burnley, Aston Villa and West Ham fans can put their claret and blue shirts on Trabzonspor; Celtic and Yeovil fans can unite behind the green and white of Bursaspor; and the Toon Army can march, black and white scarves aloft, behind Besiktas.
(An interesting aside: Besiktas used to play in red and white but changed their strip to black and white as a mark of respect after the entire team perished in the first world war.)
Sure – if your first and second teams ever come up against each other in international competition the gloves are off, but it’s nice to find some common ground, as our friends in the bar have found.
“Peter Crouch?”
Both men break into a strange robotic dance and slap each other on the back before tottering off into the night.
Two teams have gained another fan this night and a new friendship has been forged, all thanks to the beautiful game.

Choosing holiday reading matter can be one of the highlights of preparing for your spell in the sun.
A suitcase full of romances, the latest thriller, that long and serious novel you take every year but somehow never get past the second chapter of . . .
What you read on your sunlounger can be as much a part of your holiday as the restaurants you choose and the sights you see.
But have you ever considered going native? Trying a book written by an author from the country you’re visiting? Not a guidebook – a proper novel. Translated into English, of course . . . unless you’re fluent or really relish a challenge.
Turkey boasts some excellent authors whose books give an insight into the minds of the people and the country that no guidebook could ever do.
Orhan Pamuk is one you may have heard of. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006, his novels have gained popularity all over the world.
His fourth novel, The New Life, became the fastest-selling book in Turkey when it was published in 1995.
It was probably also the slowest read. It’s not long, but it is a bit of a handful – although worth persevering with.
Two of his other titles – Snow and My Name is Red – also deserve some attention.
Both centre on at the differences between Islam and the West, only one is set in modern times the other in 1591.
A more easy-to-read option, again easily picked up in Waterstone’s, is something by Elif Sharak.
The Bastard of Istanbul and Forty Rules of Love are great books to lose yourself in. Slightly quirky, they also allow fascinating dips into the history of Turkey, its culture, and its relationships with its neighbours.
Love and longing, both physical and spiritual, feature strongly in her writing and she is particularly interested in Sufism – a mystical branch of Islam.
Turkish literature in general tends to be an interesting mix of political intrigue and mysticism. Historically Turks love a good epic – Yasar Kemal’s Memed, My Hawk, is one good example of this, full of derring-do and revenge. You might know it as the Peter Ustinov film The Lion and the Hawk.
But many stories tend to wander off at a strange tangent where something totally fantastical ends up explaining something only too real.
Djinns appear, time stands still (or speeds up, or goes backwards) and angels can crop up without any explanation.
But if that all sounds a bit ‘out there’ or hard work for your holiday reading, there are plenty of books written by Western writers but set in Turkey.
A few years back, every holidaymaker in Greece was reading a copy of Louis de Bernieres’s Kefalonia-based novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
It became a bit of a cliche, but those who read it learned a lot more about the island and Greek history than they could have picked up on any daytrip.
In Kalkan, Kas and Fethiye we are lucky that the same author based his Birds Without Wings on the deserted Greek village of Kayakoy – an easy outing from any of the resorts.
Set in the early 20th century, the book is a mix of a good old fashioned love story and a history lesson – interspersing the central tale of friendship without borders with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the horrors of Gallipoli, ethnic cleansing and the life story of Kemal Ataturk, the father of the modern state of Turkey.
Midnight Express, by Billy Hayes, may be one to leave behind, although it is even better than the film, if that can be possible. And don’t bother with Murder on the Orient Express – its only link to Turkey is that Agatha Christie penned it in Istanbul.
A better bet if you like a bit of espionage and terror might be Savarona, by J Patrick Hart. He’s a Western author but the plot has enough strange touches to make you think it could just be Turkish…
But my choice for this year has to be The Towers of Trebizond.
Written by Rose Macaulay in 1956, it tells the story of three eccentric characters and a camel travelling across Turkey to start a High Anglican Mission.
There’s always room in anyone’s luggage for a book that starts with the line: “‘Take my camel, dear,’ said my Aunt Dot, as she climbed down from the animal on her return from High Mass.”

Turkey – the country where east meets west and wet, soapy flesh meets cold marble slabs.
If you’ve never indulged in a proper Turkish bath, it’s time to shed your clothes and your inhibitions and try it out.
Ritual bathing has been enjoyed all over the Islamic world for centuries, cleanliness being considered especially close to Godliness by Muslims.
(I’ve luxuriated under colourful stained glass domes in Morocco; been swished none-too-gently with birch twigs in Uzbekistan and, on one unforgettable occasion at a natural spa on Lesbos, received an enthusiastic rub down with a loofah by an elderly goat herder…)
From western-style spa experiences in the hotels to more traditional encounters in ‘municipal’ baths you have the opportunity to get in a lather in nearly every Turkish town.
If you venture as far as Istanbul, you could do worse than visit the Cagaloglu Hammami.
Built in 1741 and listed as one of the 1,000 things in the world to see before you die, the baths look like a film set and boast Florence Nightingale, Kaiser Wilhelm and Edward VIII among their clientele.
They will also get you cleaner than you have ever been in your life.
The routine in a Turkish bath is more or less the same wherever you go.
Start off in the steam room where the idea is to relax and sweat out any impurities, pouring water over yourself from time to time.
After a while you will be beckoned on to the marble dais in the centre of the room. In the Cagaloglu, this was by a large woman wearing even larger bloomers.
There you are soaped, sponged, exfoliated (usually with a traditional sisal mitt) and massaged so thoroughly your skin will squeak.
Think you’re clean?
Think again.
You may be appalled at what gets released from your pores.
Dead skin sloughs away like a snake in the moulting season – and no, showering before you go won’t spare your blushes.
Men, I am told, are treated to some heavy duty massaging where joints are cracked and every knot is pummelled into submission.
The cool room is a place to relax afterwards, enjoying a refreshing mint tea before you’re sent on your way – as clean and pink as a newborn baby.
Once you get over the initial awkwardness of being naked with strangers, it’s a totally relaxing experience – and a great way to prepare your skin for that golden Turkish tan.
Just watch out for Greeks bearing loofahs.

Our Kalkan Webcam is located in the Old Town with many more coming soon giving you a live view of Kalkans streets, if you are in Kalkan why not say hello to your friends!

Kalkan Live WebCam 1 – Location: Kalkan Old Town with Patara Prince in the backdrop

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