Buying snow Olu Deniz

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Buying snow Olu Deniz

Arriving here for an SIV course, I was initially very impressed with what the 15TL admission fee to the high launch sites was buying me. The road up is being paved, lower down the road, trees are being cleared to make space for a wider road, and the m launch has been completely covered with paving stones. Probably the best launch site you will ever see. The road further up, to the top launch, is still closed by snow. A m tall mountain facing the sea is destined to be crowned with clouds ever so often, and when that happens, lower launch sites should be available. The m launch is such a facility, but due to political reasons, is has been made illegal to launch from there. Apparently, the gendarmarie has been assigned a new Head of Office, so the flying permit from the m launch is now being reinforced to the point where they patrol the streets to monitor activity, like trucks being prepared for trips to the m launch. But not only that. Yesterday we went on our way up there, but were intercepted half way up, by the millitary police coming after us, to stop us from flying. Today, we have been sitting all day waiting for the top to clear, without any success, knowing that we could have flown all day from the m launch, had we been permitted to use it. The problem is centered around technicalities, like where and how to collect the fee for flying. There is a toll station a bit up the road, and local authoraties seem hell bent on insisting that you have to pass, and pay there, in order to fly of Babadag. A more flexible solution, like issuing a flying permit, identified by a card, would seem to solve the problem of collecting the payment. It is my opinion that the paragliding society should be made aware of this situation, and it is my hope that individuals with better connections than myself, will do what is in their power to help set this situation right. Click here to register, or login. Filesize: It seems that the old Olu Deniz problem is back - the place used to have a terrible reputation for the ''mafia' collection of fees at launch, then it was apparently taken over by the regional government who have done a good job of building a very smart take-off but they have now slipped back to the old ways When on a flyable day but cloud on the top of the hill preventing the 'official' takeoff from being used we went to check out the possibilities of using a lower alternative we were pursued by the police and the leadre of our party, a very well-known and long-time paragliding instructor with many years of using Olu Deniz was taken away in the police van This is not the sort of behaviour which s reasonable at a place which is selling itself as a world-class paragliding centre, but the authorities here simply don't care - they see paragliders as cash, and the only way the last issues in Olu Deniz were solved was because the place got such a bad reputation that people and their cash stopped coming - it looks as though that lesson wasn't learned, and they are going to go back to the bad old ways again I for one wouldn't come back, it's not a nice atmosphere to be shadowed by the police acting on the orders of the local govt, and there are plenty of other places in the world where you feel welcomed rather than exploited and prevented from flying And finally - it's not about the money - they could set up a simple flying pass system so any pilots had to pay a fixed fee - that wouldn't be a problem, but to prevent flying on flyable days simply because they can't charge for their own launch and they haven't sorted out a system to charge for general flying is stupid, greedy and leaves us sitting on the ground all day very unhappy Guys thanks for reporting these experiences. Please don't hesitate to write bad experiences and suggestions to make this place better. Governmental offices simply don't care what Turkish pilots say or suggest maybe these posts might help officials realize they are doing smth wrong. I've just come back and the problem to do with the m launch is that houses have been built nearby and the noise of the trucks is very disruptive.. Our group flew all the launches but had to walk approx m due to the snow to get to the top launch The best thing is the forestry dept actually gives you a credit if you don;t fly due to poor weather etc - so I'm not sure it's such a bad deal The road up is being built to allow mini buses up the mountain and to provide flyers a little more luxury that the 15yr old trucks currently in use, I'm also impressed that there's now an ambulance and doctor stationed on the lower landing and an ambulance on the higher take-offs. Fresh turf has been laid adjacent the regular landing sites and some of the troublesome trees everyone seemed to hithave been removed to make things a little safer!! Regards the locals seeing pilots as 'cash' - well that's pretty obvious as tourism is a business and we take advantage of the convenience flying in developed areas brings. Another thing the drivers are now all very well versed in assisting everyone to launch which really helps both solos and tandems getting off the hill, oh its also worth mentioning that the top take offs are now manned with individuals whom are well versed in what weather is suitable and what's not and they keep in close contact with the bigger outfits such as Skysports to try to limit the chance of a wasted journey up the hill Turkey is a country of corrupt bureaucracy and bribery. That's how it works there. It's all about the dollar. A decade ago they were selling newly built homes and apartments to outsiders. Ten years on these places have so much of this unwanted building that original homes have had their views of the sea and mountains lost - the one of the main reasons westerners buy a property. Someone I know of had a great sea view and now they have a block of flats six feet from their window. Corrupt building permits and no real regulation. That's Turkey. They have a golden goose and they kill it to sell it. That is how this site is destined to go. Insane and greedy. You don't own the view unless you do! That's the way it goes in any country I think the allegations of corruption is really out of place. In Turkey there is corruption like most other Countries. Regarding the lower take off the reason why its not possible to use it is because that land is private property and the owner now has closed the access. That's it. Such things do not happen only here I can tell you that Oludeniz is really wonderful and at the end the charge for access is not something impossible for such unique place. When you go for skiing you pay for the lift and people do not complain. Why in OD shouldnt be like that? I agree with you! We should be willing to pay for flying beautiful sites. I have no reason except synicism to think anything like this is going on at Oludeniz. From what I have seen in other pilots' photos it is a superb place for a holiday. But I don't agree about the allegations of corruption in Turkey though. Because that's the way it is. It is probably this way the world over, as someone already pointed out. So please, please don't take it personally if you are Turkish. It seems the way most of the world does business, I guess. I was talking about the town I mentioned about where hundreds of villas and flats were built by paying officials under the counter. These places are mostly unoccupied even now as too many were built and the companies individuals mostly went bust. As I said, I know someone living there and the situation is as I say. Not sure any allegations are necessary or even relevant. It is a corrupt country! Any Turk will be the first to tell you that and all the tandem pilots I met there said the same. It is certainly a great place and I will be visiting again. But it does sound shocking how the police are mobilized so quickly over something like the m example. I was also shocked at how imposing the people on the gate are. Especially with their rottweilers. One time when we were going up there was one person in our vehicle who had not paid due to confusion over hie return ticket which had been credited due to a non flyable return. The people on the gate were very aggressive I thought and the driver looked fearful. Maybe this is just a culture thing but they seemed like bullies to me. Maybe the police turning up and taking away your driver for the m breach is a cultural difference too. It seems harsh and aggressive to us but maybe in Turkey its normal and acceptable? Would be interested to hear from some locals as to whether this behaviour is acceptable but I suspect that if anybody did say anything it'd be anonymous. Looking forward to my next visit later this year though. Granted, Transparency International rates Turkey at 56 in their corruption assessment, but the UK is hardly a shining example at 20th; France at 25, Spain at 30 and Italy at 67! Germany isn't bad at I'm happy to concede that Turkey has its problems, and it's not my favourite place to visit. But I've often wondered if their attitude to tourists reflects the way in which tourists behave - avoiding paying, treating Turks as crooks, and otherwise showing a reasonable level of contempt for people who I found to be generally polite, generous and kind. I have no desire to visit Babadag, as good as the flying looks. This is not because I hold anything against the Turkish people who live in Oludeniz I enjoyed my last visit to that region 20 or so years ago, and as a country we tend to have real affection for them, not least because they killed so many of our forebears at Gallipoli , but because of the circus that surrounds people from rich countries holidaying in less rich countries. Cheers John. John John John Get real. And these people not always, but invariably do well from the subsequent transfer of currency, and are grateful for the opportunity. And invariably do not take the piss. In fact Iv'e been ripped off in more terms in 'developed' parts of the west than elsewhere. I'd say go to Olu and have a look at who is getting the best deal-the hard working bar owner who is far from naive or the lobster coloured Brit enjoying his one or if he is lucky 2 weeks away from home. They are probably ,and would agree as such, to be getting exactly what they want ot of the situation. Gruffydd, Gruffydd, Gruffydd Having endured large groups of other nationalities arriving at French sites en masse , it's not the noble savage I'm defending, but the behaviour of people who should know better. I'm just some tosser down here on the bottom of the world in the midst of winter. This 'may' be the problem with turkey and hence it ranks better than say Italy in the list India is getting better though slightly Anand PS - USA on 22??? I do not think it is acceptable to offend Turkey and its people with spread corruption allegations. The people who are doing this in this forum have no authority to say that. I can tell you that as a foreigner living and working in Turkey almost 7 years already I' have been treated like a precious guest from day 1 by everybody. I also had a lot of business relationships with private companies and authorities and, unlike other places, I have NEVER been asked for bribes or similar things. So I invite the people who claim that Turkey is corruption all over the place to come with facts and names. In this case we would report the facts to the relevant Court and I can assure you, the guilty of corruption will be prosecuted and condemned. I've been there tens of times and the people are generally nice and have good attitude towards foreign paragliding pilots. Of course you have to respect the local rules and laws like everywhere. Basically pay the fee for the use of take-off. Cheers Andrea. It's nice in Olu Deniz - but remember it is now a successful 'resort'. As well as being a paragliding destination it is a beach holiday resort full of people on 'all inclusive' holidays - who eat at their hotel - hang out at pool and beach etc. They also take tandem paragliding flights. I don't really see the launch fee as much different to the tourist tax I pay at French hotel! Turkish people are friendly and normal! Like everywhere you get good and bad. Mind you I laughed when a Turkish taxi driver taking me from Olu Deniz to the airport at Dalaman asked if we could make a detour to his village on route to pick up his young son so he could come and see the aeroplanes!! I agreed of course - but its just a reminder you are in a different culture - with different expectations. I also remember landing after an XC in village inland - no-one spoke English - but the kids led me to an English couple who had moved their recently. After a beer with them perfect landout or what?? No hassle - I was just a bit of additional entertainment It a great place with some great people. That's the right attitude Mark 8. I suggest we don't paint Turkey and it's wonderful people with the same brush as a few spoilers in OD. It's a great country but different. I don't think anybody is trying to accuse the Turkish people of being anything other than fantastic. I've had a wonderful time in Oludeniz and have been treated very well indeed. That's why I'm going back. And I applaud the efforts to clean the place up. But, lets not get precious about offending people by voicing concerns over corruption. I don't think the comments are intended to be aimed at all Turkish people The corrupt and powerful few know who they are, they won't be reading this and they won't care. We don't like it. Most of the Turks I have met don't like it either. There's no need to name names or cases. Just google it and you'll see many examples. Just like the issue a few years back with the mafia running the launch sites. I'm glad that that's sorted although it does still feel a bit mafia-ish and aggressive at the gate. But do these examples tarnish the people of Olu Deniz? Of course not! Does it lessen our desire to go there? A resounding No! Everybody has a right to point out what they think is wrong. So, getting back to the point: Having your driver arrested for going to a launch. Was this wrong? Should it change? Is it acceptable? Who are we to say. We have no right to judge what is and is not acceptable in any culture. That's for the Turkish people to decide. If they feel this is just a cultural difference that should be respected then we should accept it and respect it. But if they feel it is wrong and want the support of the PG community to change it then we should. It's always difficult though as, I suspect, if there is something wrong very few local people will put their neck on the line and say that it's wrong. Avec bloody shotgun. I think you have had too many bad experiences at crowded sires matey. Havn't we all though? Getting back to the original point though, if there is a burgoening racket going on we should expose it and do something about it-the real winners of us flying there are not, and shouln't be, the Forestry or old bill, but truck operators and others associated with our custom. And as another 'bigup' for Olu, the point is, in part, of us flying there is it's learning opportunity-bloody good one. Who rides motorbikes? If the Nubergring apologies if Iv'e mis-spelt started taking the piss out of bikers, methinks something would get done sharpish. Turkey is amazing,so are the people,i visited many times then spent a whole season 10 months there in I met some of the most honest decent interesting people i have met anywhere,Turkey is a state of mind,it is complex and simple it is a playground to be enjoyed but equaly it can be other things as well. The thing is Olu Deniz is whatever you are looking for,it caters for everyone,yes there are rules,and laws but its a frontier town and like the wild west it warrants respect. There are Gustavs,Mahonei,s,Muratabe,s,and Flintys all indulging their own forms of mischief,it accomodates this and even though a muslim country you feel welcomed not just tolerated like many resorts. I have heard many people say 'they must be faking,they are so nice' they are amazing and generous not cynical,passionate,yes there is Turkish pride and this can be easily roused but this is a minor thing. As for flying, All topics.