Speechless- updated !

[lurcherlou]

We've debated where to go on our hols this year and considered Spain, Greece, France but decided - again - to come to Kalkan. Lovely looking villa, good price on the flights (although looking at the seating plan we seem to be the only people on it at the mo !) - then we thought we'd invite my mum along as we have the space in the villa - answer ? No !! Far too dangerous in Turkey, look at the political situation etc etc. OH said would she consider Belgium - 'oh that's different'    So I took a look on the foreign office website and found these comments - France 'There is a high threat from terrorism', Belgium - ' The Belgian threat level remains at Level 3 – a serious and real threat.' Spain 'There is a high threat from terrorism' - Why isn't this mentioned in the press ? Ah well, more wine for me then and our girls get a bedroom each !!

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=13235.0

[Babs]

My thoughts exactly lurcherlou, the advice for Turkey is no worse than many other countries.......all the more space for you as you say!

[Kalkan regular]

Your mum's loss. I suppose she will be safe at home!

[Haybo]

I've had the same with my Mum. We're booking for July 2017 for a special birthday and sh's on valium already!

[joycie]

So we've been to the Ash Tree for tea. It's two for one and tonight is steak night. I had a rump steak Bri had gammon a bottle of house Shiraz and of course I had a sticky toffee pudding. £23.85 all in really good value and you get what you pay for. That's how I feel about Kalkan. The pub is on the side of the canal not far from where we moor our boat it's our local and we love it.
We started to talk about my 70th birthday Brians 75th our Golden Wedding Anniversary they all happen around 2018/2019.
Where were we going to celebrate. Kalkan of course. There's no place in the world that I can imagine celebrating our milestones safely with no fears like Kalkan.
Health and wealth willing that's the plan. Kalkan where I breathe in the love and serenity of the place. Never feel threatened just perfectly at peace. I know things could change but I refuse to live my life expecting the worst to happen. You only get one chance for heavens sake go for it.

[Mayday1]

I could not agree more Joycie...........we have one life so lets live it..........and for me and so many others......Kalkan forms a big part of it.

[kalkan4eva]

So many people have questioned our decision to visit Turkey this year...even BH is questioning it given the warnings from ISIL. We love Kalkan, I can't imagine holidaying anywhere else but even a fair few of our friends who are normally in Kalkan with us in June won't be there this year...for lots of reasons, but I can't help thinking they are wary.I hope things will pick up as the season progresses but it's looking a bit bleak right now for property owners and businesses.

[Haybo]

We all have to be strong and carry on doing what we would would normally do, or the terrorists and scaremongers have achieved a part of their plan.

Two friends from my old job went on holiday last year and didn't come home.  Who knew that Prince Harry anf the PM would be reading passages and laying wreathes at their Memorial Serivice in Westminster Abbey?  If for nothing else, I feel I have to carry on in their memory.  Yes it makes you think a bit more about what you're doing and where you are going, but a bit of self awareness never did anyone any harm.

I am bringing a friend with me at the start of July.  She is Mum to 4 boys and she has said "hayley, if you think it's safe, let's do it" ....to be honest, the only thing that would really give me pause is if the streets were lined with refugees.

I am very, very sympathetic to the cause of the genuine refugee, but if I wanted to spend my holiday time surrounded by them and their plight I would volunteer to work in a crisis centre.

[Brandongirl]

Only an earthquake would put me off going to Kalkan !!!
Returning in May with three lots of girlfriends and nothing would keep them away. It's their favourite place for our annual girlie break. Some of their husbands are concerned for their safety but their reply is " it's Kalkan  and we always feel safe there"
Being honest I am more worried about being in London. I am taking some visitors into London today shopping at Westfield and then to The Shard and going up in that lift  it does enter my mind what a target it is in Central London but as you all said life must go on.

[Cosetta]

To all planning or desiring to come to Kalkan, as I sit here looking at the sea, NO PROBLEMS, NO REFUGEES HERE.  All is calm and normal.  Kalkan is too small a fish -- a minnow -- for any group wishing to get press.  They would first go to bigger and more popular areas such as antalya, bodrum, Izmir.  And, as pointed out, all large European cities are more likely targets than Kalkan.

[brian j p]

Cosetta, whilst I agree with you wholeheartedly .  it would only take a major incident in any of the big touristy areas ( excluding Istanbul & Ankara to result in a  flight ban  to turkey tourist  airports/hot spots full stop , as with Tunisia  most if not all  UK tour and package  airlines would pull out ( which keeps giving in to the terrorists)   and we would not be able to get to our beloved Kalkan . I for one  as with many will be making our normal twice yearly trips to Kalkan  and would do so even if there was an incident in any of the major tourist spots,    as I believe  we cannot give in !   

[felicity]

Just to reassure Haybo....there are NO refugees to be seen in Kalkan - all is as it was last year...excepting less tourists!  There are Syrians living and working (mainly illegally)in the greenhouses in the villages around such as Kinik...but none to be seen here...it is as tranquil and peaceful as ever!!

[MartynE]

Lurcherlou, I sympathise, I really do. It's idiotic.

We have some very good friends who have been to Kalkan with us twice before (in 2006 and again in 2014) and they loved it each time, but this year they said they wouldn't dare go to anywhere in Turkey and say they are even worried about us coming back. Instead they are going to Spain, (where the foreign office say the risk of terrorism is HIGH and which ISIS have declared they are going to make subject to Muslim rule again - as it was until 500 years ago). It just doesn't make sense to go there instead of Turkey on the basis of being scared..

I wrote a page on the subject on our website: www.kalkansecrets.com/safety and the main point is this: It doesn't matter where in the world you chose to go on holiday; the biggest risk to your safety is the drive to the UK airport! That is a statistical fact.

Over 30 people are killed (and many more seriously injured) on the UK's roads every WEEK. That's the equivalent of a major terrorist incident like Brussels, every week, right here in the UK... but does it stop people getting in their cars everyday? Of course not. 

People are so irrational, and so easily led. They are doing the terrorists' work for them, just by being scared.

[kalkan4eva]

Spain is not escaping the scaremongering....

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/496950/Spain-holiday-Brits-ISIS-terror-attack-Costa-warning?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=DS%2Fad60%2Fcpc%2FISISvidwarning&utm_term=DS%2Fad60%2Fcpc%2FISISvidwarning&utm_content=DS%2Fad60%2Fcpc%2FISISvidwarning

I look at what happened in Tunisia and I think holiday resort, frequented by mostly British tourists and that's what gives me cause for concern. It won't stop me coming, but I will be more vigilant and as Haybo says that's not a bad thing is it?
I am also vigilant in big shopping malls in the UK, anytime I'm in London on business and at every football game I attend.. Quite frankly a terrorist attack could happen anywhere....and indeed they have.

IMO, its ok to be fearful of an attack just don't let it rule your life.

[brian j p]

MartynE  re "People are so stupid, and so easily led. They are doing the terrorists' work for them, just by being scared"    I think classifying people as stupid  is a bit OTT ,  misinformed   or overly concerned = yes  but not  stupid .   You yourself may have potential or repeat guests who have decided not to come to Kalkan this year as  they might have been misinformed,   To brand them stupid might result in them never coming back to your properties !! 
"

[Chris S]

It seems to me that is all a part of our 'Health and Safety', risk averse culture these days.
[/size]By rights I, and people of my generation, should have been dead decades ago according to all the 'bilge' regularly spread around these days in the press and through government agencies.

[MartynE]

MartynE  re "People are so stupid, and so easily led. They are doing the terrorists' work for them, just by being scared"    I think classifying people as stupid  is a bit OTT ,  misinformed   or overly concerned = yes  but not  stupid .   You yourself may have potential or repeat guests who have decided not to come to Kalkan this year as  they might have been misinformed,   To brand them stupid might result in them never coming back to your properties !! 
"

Point taken, Brian.
"Irrational" is probably a fairer adjective than "stupid" if generalising widely. (Although both may apply in some select cases, judging by some extremely irrational AND stupid comments I've seen on social media regarding the issue)!

Anyway...I've changed my post accordingly and thanks for pulling me up over it.

[Lizilu20]

We've been talking about this often this past week, both in Fethiye and here in Kalkan. People are frightened, especially people who haven't ever been to turkey and don't realise how cosmopolitan most of the Turkish people are (if that makes sense). Kalkan is as beautiful as ever and it feels to be as safe here as anywhere else in the world right now.
We are of the opinion - live and let live but be mindful that dangers exist everywhere.

[lurcherlou]

Well, unprompted, I have had a phone call from Mum and she has decided to come along ! Her flight is now booked so less wine for me and the girls will have to suffer each other in the same bedroom - but one more visitor to Kalkan so a good result I think . Grilling her she seemed more concerned about the Tunisia shootings- but as I'm not a great fan of the beach I think she should be safe around our pool. I agree with all of you that vigilance is important wherever you are. Any way I'm no longer speechless and I'm glad that common sense has prevailed.

[Chris_S]

With my (slightly bizarre  ) sense of humour, I crossed my mind that if the airlines did stop flying to Turkey, then perhaps we could all fly to Greece and get the return trip on the migrants' boats.

For a small fee they could drop us off in Kalkan and save the hassle of the taxi transfer.

Last week I was asked why I was going to Turkey as it was so dangerous.  I asked them where I should consider, perhaps London on the buses or Tube, maybe Paris for the Cafés, concerts or football, Brussels for the culture, Madrid by train, or perhaps farther afield like Boston for a run, Oklahoma, or Bali, or Jakarta.  Perhaps Mumbai might be nice, or Tunisia, or Egypt?  At a push there's Kenya, or the Gold Coast, Tokyo's Underground is probably safe if you have a gas mask, New York's also on the Agenda, or finally, if you want the extra long flight, Sydney.

Turkey it is, then.