04/05/03 - My first day off ....
Yes, today was my first day off. Heaven :))) Didn't do too much. Woke up late, then went to the beach with some friends and am now on the balcony watching the sunset and updating my website. What more can a girl want???
The weather has been really good the past week. Very warm during the day, ok in the evenings...
My mom went back home thursday night, she'll already be looking for another last minute flight I guess :) Els also went back to Belgium today... (sorry elske, maar binnen een paar maanden ben je hier weer terug). In a week or so Tess and Karen will be here. I'm looking forward to see them. A big hello to Juuls and to Dutch mama (from the msn website). They came to Goldium to say hi :) I hope you are enjoying your holiday!!! It's always nice to put a face to a name....
Kusadasi is getting more busy. All the shops, restaurants and bars are open now. They close around midnight. In barstreet almost every bar is open, but not all of them are packed. The ones that are most busy (and best atmosphere) are Kitty's, Paradise, Authentic and Kusadasi bar. But that can always change....
I've added some pictures from last month on the msn group, but there is also a link on this picture page.... Enjoy !!!!
25/04/03 - I finally found some time ....
I finally found some time to update this page...
Everything is going fine here in Kusadasi. I found a nice flat just outside the centrum with seaside view. It's a 3 bedroom flat, fully furnished (including washing machine) near Gazi Begendi (the spot with the best view of Kusadasi). And i got myself a scooter to get around. My house is a little too far to walk to the centre (for me anyway, i don't like to walk too far). And last week i got a phone line installed so I can go online from the house now.
The weather hasn't been very good up untill now. Rain, cold, wind... The weather was better in Belgium. But it is getting better now... In a few weeks I'll probably say that it is too hot.
So far it hasn't been very busy here. Slowly more tourists are coming. And by now almost every shop, bar and restaurant is open. That has also taken a while, because they were working everywhere (roads, inside the shops,...).
Since april 1st I've been helping out in Goldium leather store. Every day.... so I'm getting very tired. I'm looking forward to my first day at the beach or just relaxing on a nice terras. So if you're coming to Kusadasi and you're looking for me, the best place to start is Goldium :) Or you can phone or text me on +90 536 307 39 94.
My parents came to visit me for 2 weeks (april 6th-april 20th). So they just left last sunday.... and my mom has already booked a ticket to come back... this sunday. So after just one week back in belgium, she's coming again for a few days. She loves the place too and i think she's a bit jealous of me. Hehehe. Anyway, it will be nice to have her here again (and not only because she makes me breakfast, washes my clothes, etc :) ) Tomorrow a friend of mine will also be here for a week, her name is also Els. I'm looking forward to that.
Keep on checking the photo albums as well, because I'll add some in the next few days....
25/03/03 - 4 days to go...
Yes, in 4 days' time I'll be in Kusadasi again. Can't believe it... The past week has been filled with farewell dinners. It is nice to see all my friends once again before I leave. I've posted some pictures from the dinner at Eric & Leonor's place and from the drink with my colleagues at my house. You can find them here. I would like to thank everybody again for the lovely presents !
I'm almost packed, just some last items to put in my suitcase.... I've been checking the Lufthansa website to see if there are any changes in the flight schedule due to the war in Iraq. Not so far... Everybody keeps asking me if I'm not worried about the war. Well, I'm not. Kusadasi is far away from the border with Iraq. But I do think that it will be another quiet season in Kusadasi. A lot of tourists will be avoiding Turkey this year. Maybe this will change when the war is over....
So far I've only got my ticket... No definitive flat or house yet. I'll stay in a hotel for the first few days while I'm looking for something more permanent. I'll keep you informed on this...
Well, this was my last entry from Belgium. I hope that I can get online soon when I'm in Kusadasi !
22/02/03 - 5 weeks to go...
Just 5 weeks left before I
go... Time went by very fast. Starting to think about what to
take with me (how will I ever be able to fit all my clothes and
other stuff in my suitcase???). I'm only allowed to take 20
kilo's, so that will be tricky 
. I heard that the weather was very bad all over
Turkey at the moment, so I'm hoping that it will change soon. No
place left for winter clothes...
Thanks for the entries on my guestbook! It's always nice to hear from all of you. It will be a nice way to keep in touch with the home front as well. I haven't made a lot of updates to the site up to now, for the simple reason that there was not much new happening. I promise to update more regularly when I'm there.
Before I end this entry, just a quick message to some friends because there seems to be a baby boom hehehe.
Anne-Marie
& Ali: congratulations once again with
your beautiful baby boy Nick Reso. It was so nice to see you both
again and I wish you all the best.
Sandra
& Marc: I hope to congratulate you soon
with a new family member. Let me know when it happens....
Cindy
& Chris: less than 8 months to go for
you both. Hope everything goes well. Keep me informed and I
should be back by the time the baby is due.
15/01/03 - My first entry...
This week I finally booked my ticket to Kusadasi (Izmir). I'll be leaving march 29th and will stay until sept. 29th. The dates have changed a bit... The main reason was the tourist visa. You have to buy your tourist visa when you arrive at Izmir airport (as you probably all know), this visa is valid for 3 months. I checked with the Turkish embassy here in Belgium and there is a possibility to get it renewed for another 3 months when I'm there. So for a tourist it is possible to get a visa up to 6 months maximum. When you want to stay longer you have to apply for a residence visa before you leave. But you have to give a good, valid reason for your long stay, 'holiday' is not a good enough reason for the embassy. You also need a lot of additional documents. That's the main reason that I'll be coming back to Belgium after 6 months...
I booked my ticket with Lufthansa and will be departing from Schiphol, Amsterdam. I paid 389 euro plus airport taxes and ticketfee. This was much cheaper than a departure from Brussels. Here is my flight schedule:
29.03.03 Amsterdam - Munchen 08.35-10.05 LH 5907 29.03.03 Munchen - Izmir 11.15-15.00 LH 3514
29.09.03 Izmir - Munchen 16.15-18.00 LH 3457 29.09.03 Munchen - Amsterdam 19.00-20.35 LH 4464
Now that my ticket is
booked, the countdown can begin ! 
From the end of march 2003 I will move to Kusadasi until the end of september 2003.
On this page you will be able to read about this adventure. I will try to update this page at least every week or so. I will also include info on the weather, places to be, etc... If there is something in particular that you want to know, you can e-mail me ( els_schollaert@hotmail.com ) or put a notice on the message board ( MSN Kusadasi Community or this guestbook ).
© Created by Els Schollaert
