Having acquired the additional documentation for the immigration office, we collected our hired car and set off on our first road trip; although Roy was driving on the right hand side of the road, in a left-handed car with a manual transmission, he did really well. It helped that we sort of knew where we were going; back to Kemer, a seaside resort on the Turkish Riviera.

After a scenic drive along the coastline, we snaked our way high up into the mountains and pine forests of the Olympos Beydağları National Park, arriving in Kemer, back at sea level, around 1015. We were delighted to be processed straight away at the immigration office and even more delighted that we left with our “Ikamat”; our temporary residency permits.

To celebrate, we took a short walk to the Imperial Turkiz Resort Hotel and enjoyed a morning coffee on their patio, overlooking the waterfront. It wasn’t until we decided to explore a little further that we discovered the walkways meandering through beautiful gardens, the lovely beachfront, although it was a pebble beach, and a marina with a boardwalk lined with restaurants, bars and cafés, for which it is well known apparently.

Lunch was another Turkish feast at one of the many restaurants lining the streets in the centre of town, Café Cheffy, where we enjoyed a delicious lamb casserole, although at tourist prices.

Satisfied that we’d had a productive and enjoyable outing, we returned to Finike, pleased to be back in a quieter, more rural setting, where we’re afforded the opportunity to get a glimpse into daily local life, rather than living in a substantially more expensive tourist trap!