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Our
adventures in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continue....
   
Now this was a day full of experiences. In order to get our residency permits we needed blood tests and heart monitoring and in order to transfer the car properly to our names, we needed a new logbook.
We met Kemal at 8.30am at the Post Office and he came armed with boxes of cakes. First stop the hospital, we sat in the waiting area with lots and lots of other people, while Kemal went off with our fees for the tests. Ten minutes later he was back, minus a box of cakes, and we had our tests immediately and left the hospital within 30 minutes of arriving. Now sometimes it is clear that contacts and some goodies, work wonders.
From the hospital we went to the Northern Cyprus equivalent of the DVLC. You can't do logbooks, vehicle taxation etc. here by post, because the postal system doesn't work like that. So you have to fill in your forms and get in the queue. Apparently we were number 587 in the pecking order. The second box of cakes disappeared, with Kemal, through to the back and we were out again within the hour. Magic!
We arranged to meet Mustapha, the engineer from Cyprus Pools, to agree site planning. Joan and I pointed out that our site was on two distinctly different levels and would need to be dug out to the same level as the house. We didn't want a pool on a plateau. Mustapha gauged that we were 1.2 metres too high and would need 500 cu metres of soil removed. This agreed we were then able to plan the position of the pool and surrounding terrace and Joan looks as if she was already testing out the water. Can't really blame her for that, as once again the temperature was pushing 32 degrees in the shade.
We had managed to get a couple of days on the beach over the weekend, as nothing was happening on site and it was too too hot for anything else.
On the Monday we went up to Karaman. This because; we had met David and Glen Rogers, at The Hideaway, last May. They live in Kenya and are having a house built in Karaman. We had offered to take photos and e-mail progress over to them, because they were concerned about the lack of detailed progress reports. We found their site from Glen's detailed e-mail guide and what a view from a house being built on the edge of a mountain.
We then went over to our site to find that digging had started. Two JCB's were at work clearing the site and putting it, for temporary storage, in the farmers field behind. Unfortunately they had picked a very windy day and Brian & Lil got all the dust, in the house, in their pool, everywhere. I can hear the shouts now of, those b----y neighbours and they haven't even moved in yet. I think we owe them a few drinks to wash away the dust.
Oh boy, did it hit the fan today. It would seem that Mustapha, had not asked the farmers permission to dump 500 cu metres of soil on his land, however temporary and despite the fact that the field was not cultivated. Mr Farmer, had gone into Cyprus Pools office threatening police, legal action, etc.... Fuat, the boss of the company, had placated him with an offer of £400 and agreement to remove within 2 months. Now Fuat wanted us to pay the £400, guess what I told him? After some further consideration, Joan and I decided to go 50/50, providing the farmer was told that we had paid, because we realised that this was the best approach to our site for the 40' container of furniture. So we needed to stay friends with the farmer.
Who needs heated discussions, it's hot enough here anyway. (Still 32 degrees in new money)
During last month, we had bought a water cooler, the sun loungers and a radio/cd player from Ertugral Bildag, who owned a company called San-Ka Ltd. Ertugral (go on you pronounce it) is a retired traffic cop, who now runs this shop selling Bosch kitchen equipment among other things. Joan and I had become good friends with him, his wife Ayshan and their family, like out to dinner, visited their home and so on. Today, Ertugral was taking us to the Bosch wholesalers in Nicosia, to look and compare prices for the things we needed.
Joan and I had already been looking in the Cyprus equivalent of Comet and Currys for the Turkish made products we needed, which are supposed to be cheap. We had heard one or two quality comments from people but the things came with a full three year guarantee. Now considering we needed, a cooker, a hob, a tall fridge/freezer, a small fridge (to keep the beer and wine cold), a washing machine and a dishwasher, we were very pleasantly surprised to find that we could have the Bosch products for only £320 more than the cheaper range. So Ertugral did a good days business and Joan had a big smile on her face.
We met the boss of Nature Gardens on site today to discuss walling, planting etc. He promised a full landscape plan. We await. We also need to discuss the walling with our builder because we need some 60 metres of retention walling as a result of the difference in plot heights and somehow I don't think that that is our responsibility. I suppose that at the end of the day we are going to want something a bit nicer than he would be prepared to put up, but that is a negotiation.
During the last week we have been doing the regular things like, shopping, visiting the local police for residency purposes, buying a large standing fan, cause it is still bloody hot, and visiting the site to check progress.
We have also managed to collect our house deeds from the local solicitors and the land registry and Joan has been introduced to Filiz at the Cutting Room. She is a U.K. trained hairdresser with her own business here. Joan liked the result as well as the very brash and outspoken Filiz. I also went for my first Turkish style haircut, quite an experience. Lots of hot towels, cut throat razors, massaging etc. as well as a haircut that is much shorter up the back than I am used to, but I have to admit that it is also much cooler.
Today the roofing team moved in on site. Over here they don't have pre-prepared roof trusses so they just start with lengths of timber, no scaffolding to work from, no hard hats and certainly no safety officers, this is the result in one day.
This evening we organised a BBQ at our rented villa, with Brian and Lil and also Derek and Sandra who own the Lardy Da's Tearoom in Kyrenia. A very pleasant way to enjoy the warm evenings out here. As Derek said, you don't really have to worry about planning a BBQ, because you know its going to be dry and warm.
While we were clearing the patio and getting things ready this Chameleon turned up. The first we have seen. A strange creature, walks very very slowly on the most peculiar feet. Its just as if he has to spend 2/3 minutes thinking about every leg movement he makes.
Oops. This one got well and truly stuck. Obviously this is going to cause some delay because he is down to the axles at the back and looks very heavy.
Apparently its already been there since yesterday and they are still scratching their heads. Maybe somebody will think about emptying it and then using one of the JCB's to lift, or is that too logical? I'm sure the real E.T. would have found a solution, even if he had to phone home.
The brick layers are back again and have started the fireplace, as well as some of the extra rooms underneath, giving them somewhere cool to lunch. Does that barrow really say "sod off".
Joan and I went to Nicosia today to look at a marble and granite supplier. We have for sometime been discussing the kitchen worktop and whether to go to the extra expense. After all it is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to have what you really want, for a price that is a lot more realistic than in U.K.
Granite, which is a little cheaper, is recommended over marble, as apparently marble can be stained by acidic things like lemon juice. We found a colour and pattern that we really liked and the guy is going to measure and give us a price. I suppose in the end we will go for it, something that Joan has always wanted, but was out of the question when we did the kitchen in New Romney.
Back out to Lapta again because you have to keep checking and the pressure on, otherwise our furniture will arrive and the house won't be ready. We feel that just the fact that we keep going and then ringing with queries etc. keeps them on their toes. Who knows, maybe they would meet the deadline anyway, but it is nice to see progress.
When we got out there, the brickies had come over on their day off, to build Brian & Lil a BBQ, apparently it was promised some time ago. We managed to negotiate something similar for when our terrace is ready, I suppose really, as they were nicking all the bricks and other materials off our site, they had to agree. As long as our place doesn't fall down for the lack of the odd brick, that's all O.K. with us.
Lil came up with an impromptu chicken lunch, so we could sit and watch them work. I think we are going to owe our neighbours big time, when we finally move in.
Another site visit, this time to meet with the electrician to agree positioning of power points, wall switches, in the top house and under the covered veranda and utility areas. He is going to put switches upstairs in the dinning room to control the pool and garden lights, now that's really posh and lazy. He is also going to put the strengthening pieces in the upstairs ceilings to take fan/light fittings. We put two in the container to go in the lounge, but if the fittings are in all the rooms we can always possibly use them. Now is the time and the most cost effective way to have extra points fitted, once the walls are plastered etc. then it is a little late.
Hey they started to dig out the pool today. A little bit more soil for the farmers field!
The roof is also going on and much of the rough rendering work downstairs has been done. Things are really beginning to take shape.
Exciting isn't the real word!
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