Turkish Delight, horses, beaches and a lost wedding ring. Our adventure in Turkey was definitely one for the books!.
Before our arrival we had connected with Berke Ranch on a possible Work Away opportunity with horses. Odette is crazy about horses and was obviously very interested in the opportunity to work with horses abroad. They welcomed us graciously, mostly because of Odette’s amount of experience with horses and riding. After securing our stay, we booked our tickets through TravelStart and landed in Istanbul.
Once we arrived we booked accommodation through Bookings.com which is our go App for finding and comparing prices and choosing the best location. Istanbul was a short 3 day mission in the city with town houses and teas. We felt safe walking around the city trying out local bakeries and enjoying cheese filled pastries.
Although many people in the more expensive areas could speak English, in the more local areas we found it quite difficult to communicate and often had to whip out our Google Translate (which often didn’t portray our message correctly). We always try learn a few basic words in the native language to help us get along. Counting to Ten can really assist in figuring out how much things cost.
We needed to book our bus tickets at a metro store with a slightly grumpy gent with ZERO English language skills. We really struggled and after about an hour, we had walked out with our tickets.
People where every interested in us as we walked around with our heavily loaded bags trying to find the bus station. We took an over night bus to Antalya, Kemer- where the Ranch was situated. A long 14 hours bus ride was the easy part. The overnight bus departed at around 10pm. As we arrive to the bus station there are over 100 buses and thousands of people pushing and shoving trying to find their way. With no English signage in the chaos you really can’t find guidance or assistance.
On our tickets was a station number (86) where our bus would depart from, so we found it and waited there. Our bus also had an individual number so we could match the numbers and get onto the correct bus. What a relief it was once we actually sat in the safety of our seats staring at the madness through the window… We had made it!
Antalya was a really nice town with ancient and magnificent 3 Doors (the original entrance to the city) fountains, stores, fresh fruit and ice creams stands. Much more tranquil than the city with beautiful mountain backdrops as you look into the distance. We explored the city, experiencing the most amazing fresh bread and authentic Turkish delight which melts in your mouth.
The next day we headed off eagerly to the Ranch. It was a beautiful hot summers day and we were welcomed with friendly faces and were shown around. We had found a gem in the middle of nature. Our responsibilities were made clear and we had the choice of working 5 hours everyday or one full day working then one full day off. The work was fun and mostly easy and on our off days we got a free shuttle to the ocean where we could relax and swim. We went on beautiful hikes through forests. Luckily we stayed near the iconic Twin Peaks which we could hike to as well. It seemed to be the perfect balance between work and play for us.
On one particular day at the beach, Jerome had lost his Wedding ring. It was a extremely sad day for us and on our return to the Ranch our boss asked us- Why the long faces? We explained our situation and after a few phone calls, he had organized a diver to go search for the ring in the ocean. We were so grateful for his kindness but not necessarily hopeful on the successfulness of the mission.
THEY FOUND IT!!! We could not believe the effort made by these kind souls. Turkish people are really kind and willing to help where ever they can but this was next level. Like a needle in a hay stack, Jerome had his ring back on his finger!
Over our time at the Ranch we built up a lot of trust and Odette took clients out in the mountains on her own, sometimes over 2 hours at a time. The clients seemed to love going out with Odette and would often return requesting her as their guide. She was in her element, washing, feeding and loving the horses at every spare moment she had.
Didn’t take her long to fall in love with environment and everyone could see the passion shine through. We got to take the horses out and manage them at the most prestigious events which was definitely a highlight. With buffets stretching out 100m long, we ate until we physically couldn’t anymore.
Jerome was, as they called him- Master Chef! He made the most delicious meals for the team. He picked fresh organic veggies from the garden and got real creative. Everyone loved the food he made for us. Our team consisted of a French girl also doing Workaday, a guy from Kyrgyzstan and 2 guys from Turkey.
We ate together everyday. When we arrived they said to us- “Here, we are family” and that really did shine through as we felt very much part of the family. We will never forget our stay at Berke Ranch and the lovely people we had met.
If you are after a hot summer and a beautiful Mediterranean Sea this is the place to go! There is so much to explore in Turkey. Its quite affordable and extremely beautiful. There are plenty WorkAway opportunities in different areas of Turkey so check it out and see what might interest you. Its a great way to save costs and make life long friends.
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