Kas's dolphin park closed after protests

After an outcry over the treatment of its dolphins, Kas Dolphin Park has been closed and its two inhabitants moved to another location.

The dolphins were originally brought to Kas for rehabilitation but were kept at the Kas Dolphin Park, an entertainment centre.

Turkish writer Buket Uzuner started a petition through Change.org which quickly attracted 20,000 signatures  and sparked protests throughout Turkey and the world. The signatures were presented to the municipality by the non-government organisations Freedom for Dolphins Platform and WWF Turkey.

During the presentation Uzuner said that Kas should be a dolphin paradise, not a prison.

Kas Underwater Association spokesperson Belma Tosun said the move is extremely positive. "We hope that this process will be an example for other Turkish cities that have dolphin parks."

Kas Dolphin Park is gradually being dismantled.

Read More

Tourist faces jail for collecting stones on Turkish beach

A US man is facing a 12-year jail term after picking up stones from a Mediterranean beach during a six-day beach holiday.

Jason Dement was detained by airport security when officials discovered a bag of stones in his luggage. Two of the stones appeared to be artifacts, officials said.

The 30-year-old from Mississippi faces prosecution under stringent Turkish laws against the smuggling of artifacts. A museum report confirmed the pieces identified by security were in fact artifacts, but it didn't state how old they were or what they may have been.

Demet told the Associated Press that he and his wife Sheila often collect stones as souvenirs. One stone was a triangular marble piece that looked like it had come from a building. The other was a brick coloured piece that looked a bit like old masonry.

"It had no inscription," Dement said. "It came from an ordinary beach. There were no historical sites around, no ancient ruins."

Dement was taken into custody at Antalya Airport on Sunday. The following day he was released but barred from leaving Turkey until a full report on the artifacts' value is received by a judge.

Dement has started a blog asking for help to cover his costs while in Turkey. Hopefully that won't be as long as the maximum 12-year sentence meted out for the smuggling of artifacts.

Read More

Turkey could become 'the new Amazon' with new petty crime sentence

If you pick a pocket or steal a bicycle in Afyonkarahisar you might find yourself with an unusual sentence: planting up to 1000 trees.

A judge is handing out a community service sentence of tree planting for petty crime in the Aegean district. In a year, Mehmet Gulcek has handed down 60 sentences of planting between 100 and 1000 trees around Afyonkarahisar. This has meant an extra 40,000 trees for the district.

Gulcek said his criteria for passing down the sentence is having a previously clean criminal record and showing repentance. Part of the deal is that crims will need to maintain the trees for up to a year. “If charity is done, it should be fully done. There is no such thing as planting and taking off just like that,” he told the daily Milliyet. 

“If one thousand courts did this in one year, Turkey would gain 40 million trees. If my colleagues support this practice, in 10 years we will transform Turkey into the Amazon.”

The trees are provided by the Forestry and Water Works Ministry.

Afyonkarahisar hit the news a couple of years ago when it banned alcohol.

Read More

Bodrum's blingiest beach resort

Sometimes I wonder if Bodrum's turning into an Aegean Dubai.

Have a look at the pictures of this new beach resort, due to be opened this time next year. You can almost imagine you're looking at a new Abu Dhabi resort when you look at this ridiculously luxurious Bodrum property.

The Nikki Beach Resort & Spa aims to cater to "swanky sophisticates" (that's me out, then) who take their partying seriously. 

The resort is due to open in Torba, a small village about 10 minutes' drive from Bodrum centre, Torba property is known for its seclusion and natural surroundings. The architects are endeavouring to match the buildings to the natural surroundings and use all local materials. There will be 57 suites and villas, 28 with their own private pool for the truly wealthy.

There'll also be a large shared pool, beach access, spa treatments, a fitness centre and a cafe and a bar.

 Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts already has hotels in Thailand and has beach clubs in a number of cities. 

Price? TBC. But you'd better have a fat wallet if the other Nikki resorts are anything to go by.

Read More

Is this the world's dullest museum?

Is it just me or is this a rather half-baked idea for a museum?

A new museum is aiming to draw tourists away from the charms of sun and sea and entice them into learning about ... stoves.

The Stove Museum's administrators hope that the new facility will convince tourists to seek out culture as well as the traditional Mediterranean delights.

“We cannot get tourists to leave the hotels. We need to present ourselves more. We need tourists to go outside of the hotels and see the town and its environs,” said Antalya's deputy governor, speaking at the opening of the museum in Balbey.

Although the southern resort area draws in around 11 million tourists each year, they tend to stay in their resorts or their Turkish homes, Yuksel said.

He added that as well as the Stove Museum, other new attractions include a Toy Museum and an art centre.

The Stove Museum will feature a children's section and exhibits showing stoves constructed of different materials.

Antalya's mayor Mustafa Akaydin added hilariously that: “Stoves are a part of our culture, but they have lost their attraction. We would like to keep the value of stoves alive.” 

Read More

Earn money with Place Overseas' affiliate program!

Need some extra cash? Know someone who's hoping to buy in Turkey?

Send potential clients our way and you'll earn 1% of the purchase price of any sales made.

We'll do all the work - just send us the referrals.

More info here.

Read More

Fethiye's dead sea

Even if you haven't been to Turkey before, you might have heard of Oludeniz. Deep blue sea, white sand and balmy breezes mean it's high on most tourists' 'to do' list.

But what a lot of visitors to the area don't know is that this Fethiye hotspot is considered Turkey's very own 'dead sea'. The name 'Oludeniz' translates to 'dead sea' as there is a higher concentration of salt within the lagoon than on the seaward side of Oludeniz, thanks to the lagoon's sheltered, warm aspect.

Unlike the huge, salty inland lake found on the shores of Jordan and Israel, you won't be able to float on the buoyant waters of Oludeniz Lagoon.

However, there are still a number of benefits to be found from bathing in the salty waters:

Skin sores and ear infections

An Australian study showed that sea water with a high salt concentration can help heal pyoderma (skin sores) and ear infections in children. The study of Aboriginal children showed that incidences of these two issues decreased by 50 per cent, and stated that the sea water acted as a skin cleanser and a 'nasal and ear washout'.

Dermatitis

Dermatitis drives its sufferers demented with repeated occurrences of inflamed, itchy skin. A Japanese study showed that salty sea water is an effective treatment, giving relief from itching and burning.

Bronchitis

Inhaling salty fumes has a positive effect on acute bronchitis. A 1995 study showed that patients had positive changes in metabolic activity, a normalisation of serotonin levels, and more.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

Salty water and UV rays combine to improve the effects of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. A study on location at the Dead Sea showed improvements in joint pain and skin irritation.

Read More

Vagina stirs up controversy in Turkish parliament

Turkey's deputy prime minister has caused a ruckus by admitting to being ruffled when an opposition member mentioned her vagina.

Bulet Arinc told the Republican People's Party deputy Aylin Nazliaka that she should've addressed Parliament while speaking, not him. "I am a shy person, I could get bothered when an elegant lady looks at me," he said.

Aylin Nazliaka's vagina has ruffled Turkey's deputy PM.

 
 The deputy PM then brought up the abortion debates that raged earlier in the year. "I also got extremely embarrassed during the abortion discussions when you [Nazlıaka], as a married woman with children, openly spoke of one of your organs [vagina]," he said.

Nazliaka had slammed the government's stance on abortions in May, stating: “The prime minister should quit playing politics over women’s bodies. To put it in a nutshell, I say the prime minister should quit standing guard over women’s vaginas."

After Arinc's latest comments, Nazliaka has said: "We are here [in Parliament] due to our personality, not to our femininity or our elegance. I would be happier if he was bothered by my statements, rather than by my gender," she said. "I am deeply upset by the deputy prime minister's statements, both for me and for the women of my country ... He should have been more serious in his manner of speaking."

Read More

Small Turkish village becomes Apocalypse hope

Worried about the world ending on December 21? It might be worth heading to a small village in Turkey, where many believe the positive energy of the area may be enough to ward off the apocalypse.

Sirince, a small village near Ephesus, has been flooded with cranks – er, spiritualists, I mean – who are convinced that the world will end in a week or so, as apparently foretold by Mayan hieroglyphs.

Sirince's positive energy might protect you from the Apocalypse.

According to the end-of-world believers, Sirince has a positive energy, thanks to the fact that it’s close to an area where Christians believe the Virgin Mary started her journey to heaven. This positive energy may well be sufficient to save the believers.

The sleepy village of around 600 inhabitants is expected to host around 60,000 visitors, according to the local media.

Hoteliers are rubbing their hands together at the unexpected winter windfall.

"It is the first time we witness such an interest in moving to Turkey during the winter season," one hotel owner was quoted as saying.

In fact, those working in Sirince’s tourist industry may well be the only people looking forward to the upcoming Apocalypse. "The rumours floating around have increased the number of customers. We are only happy about it," said one hotel worker.

Read More

'I wish all disabled people had Down Syndrome', - PM's wife

The award for patronising statement of the week goes to Emine Erdogan, who said that those with Down Syndrome will go "directly to heaven".

Speaking at a meeting yesterday for people with Down Syndrome Prime Minister Erdogan's wife told reporters that she had a relative with the syndrome.

Mrs Erdogan wished that all disabled people could have Down Syndrome.

Mrs Erdogan claimed that the relative, who died a few years ago, was "the mascot of the family".

"I wish all disabled people had down syndrome. Because, if I'm right, they are going to go directly to heaven after death according to Islam. I hope we will go to heaven too, for loving these people," she said. 

Read More