 My friends think I am rather strange, because when I go on holiday, I much prefer to stay in a holiday villa than a hotel. When I start to describe my latest villa discovery, their eyes start to widen. "Why don't you stay in a hotel?" they ask, "You don't have to cook, everything is laid on. A villa is too much like being at home!"
That is just why I don't like hotels for my main holiday! I work in a crowded city in a big office, and spend much of my time rushing from job to home to kids' swimming matches, etc. The last thing I want on holiday is to spend it with a lot of other people - I want peace and quiet, and my own pool not packed with junior racers, thank you very much! Which is why, for the last two years, we have hired a villa in North Cyprus. A North Cyprus holiday villa gives me and my family the freedom to chill out and enjoy being together again. We have breakfast together on the terrace in the sunshine, instead of rushing through burnt toast and sticky cereals before the school run. I can admire the view (I like a nice view!) while the kids splash in the pool, or we can drive to a small local beach for the morning. I must be a lucky Mum, because my kids eat almost anything that doesn't move too fast. I like to think this is because we always shop locally on holiday, at small shops or markets. So, for lunch, they are happy to tuck into a local restaurant 'meze' selection without knowing quite what's in it, or tackle a big North Cyprus kebab, always a favourite. Then it's time for an 'adventure', whether it's exploring a mountain castle, playing gladiators in a Roman ruin or learning to scuba dive. (A surprise hit with all the family last year, thanks to the PADI Bubblemaker course for the kids.) At the end of the day, our holiday villa really comes into its own. Now we parents can sit back with a glass of wine or an Efes beer, while the kids kick back with a DVD for a while. (I do appreciate a DVD player in a villa rather than just a TV, since my Turkish is non-existent!) If we want to cook what we bought earlier, then my husband is on barbecue duty. If I'm feeling inspired, it's fresh veg, fresh fish and lots of nibbly bits like olives, etc. If not, it's a walk (preferably) to the local taverna for a slap-up supper that costs less than a trip to the cinema back home. In the past, I have rented villas across the Mediterranean, either through villa holiday companies or direct with owners themselves. I prefer to rent through a villa rental company, as I find the villas tend to be better equipped, cleaned more regularly, and, thanks to driving direction written in English, much easier to find!
 Prepare yourselves, resident villa owners of North Cyprus, for more relatives visiting you this autumn! Pegasus Airlines have announced two new flights from Stansted to Ercan international via Istanbul.
A new Monday flight will be available from 1 September 2008, with an additional Friday flight added from 1 October 2008. Ticket prices start for the Istanbul leg at only £40 one way, including taxes. This now means your sisters, and your cousins (whom you reckon up by dozens, as G&S would say) and your aunts can fly out to see you five days a week. Seriously, this can only be good news for North Cyprus tourism. While we swelter in 35 degrees plus, the UK is having an dreadful summer full of grey skies and ho-hum temperatures. I am quite convinced that by September, half the nation will be desperate to escape to the sun - but on a budget. This is North Cyprus' chance to grab those bargain-hunters and show them that great beaches, endless sunshine, friendly restaurants and historic wonders do exist north of Nicosia. North Cyprus Flights are available to book online now. Just don't tell my mother-in-law, OK?
Shed Your Excess Cyprus Pounds
 Just a reminder that if you still have some old Cypriot pounds lurking at the back of a drawer from pre-Euro trips south of the border, now is the time to cash them in.
As of the end of this month, free exchange of old Cypriot pounds for new shiny Euros will be withdrawn. You will still be able to exchange old notes for a further ten years and coins for two years, but only at the Central Bank which will charge you for the privilege. So, if you do have any old notes, act now, head south and get the best deal. And if extra Euros burning a hole in your pocket are not excuse enough to wing past Ikea on the way home to North Cyprus, I don't know what is... The concept of outdated currency has always a source of fascination to me since my days as my family's Monopoly wizard, but I had never heard of current currency being worthless - until now. The Famagusta Gazette reports that a private plane is stuck on the tarmac at Paphos airport after being grounded by Customs officials. The private jet had only stopped to refuel when the Customs officers made a routine inspection. Inside the plane they found dozens of suitcases, bursting with almost 5 billion US dollars worth of bonds. Yes, you read that right, 5 billion.
The US organization who owned the plane claimed that they did not need to inform the banking authorities in Cyprus because the bonds were not worth anything. But, if they were not worth anything, why were they being flown by private jet? Next time I fly to the UK, I will claim that despite being a major celebrity in the blogsphere (!), I am actually totally and utterly worthless. With a bit of luck, I too should get flown home in a private jet, or at least get an upgrade. What do you think?
Post Template What I love about technology is the way you can learn so much from people you have never met. I enjoy reading the Cyprus44 forum posts for just this reason. It's like being in a bar with interesting people you really want to talk to, but without the beer bill and the headache the next day! The post that's caught my eye this week is by Brian24001 on why Britain would wish to sign a "Memorandum of Understanding" with south Cyprus, especially at a time when the peace talks between north and south are finally becoming a reality. OK, here's a hint. Life's a gas as Prime Minister, but the party will soon be over when the North Sea reserves run out... Fuel prices are fast replacing the weather as the hot topic of conversation in the UK, and nothing invites more fury than petrol price rises. The average price of diesel has risen to over GB£1.30 a litre, and lorry drivers and school run mums alike are up in arms. Which is why we're quids in here in North Cyprus once again, with the average pump price for diesel hovering just below the 2YTL mark. (That's around 90p for our UK readers.)
But, UKTurk sounds a cautionary note with his Cyprus44 forum post on fuel prices. Prices in mainland Turkey are already a third higher than in North Cyprus, and I have a a nasty feeling that's a taste of things to come in the future. So, while our UK families moan about falling rain and rising fuel prices, perhaps we here in the TRNC should count our lucky stars that even if we can't have water, there's still cheap petrol - for the meantime.
Cyprus reunification issue to be solved by an Australian?
 Can the whole Cyprus reunification issue really be solved by an Australian? Certainly, the UN seem keen to enlist former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer as the new UN special envoy, in order to kick-start the peace talks.
In fairness, talks between President Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat are a current reality, not just the fanciful wishing of just a few months back. The issue seems to be, when to stop arranging the reunification talks, and actually start, well, talking the talks. A joint statement from both leaders after their meeting last week restated their ultimate goal of a “bi-zonal and bi-communal federation based on the principle of equality” , which is great news. However, they will be meeting again in June to set the date for the start of reunification talks proper, which is not such good progress. Now, if Mr Downer is as straight-talking as his fellow countrymen Down Under, and as laid back, then he could be just the man for the job. Perhaps, with a Crocodile Dundee swagger, he'll sit the two blokes from either side of the buffer zone round a campfire with a six pack of tinnies (beers) and sort out the whole thing before the tinnies get too warm. What a great thought - I'll drink to that! Kathy
Cyprus' hidden wildlife sanctuary
I must confess that newsletters from the United Nations Development Programme in Turkey are not my usual bedtime reading. Yet I've been fascinated by its report on a study currently being conducted by a cross-border scientific team into the biodiversity of the UN buffer zone. Did you know that the buffer zone covers 3% of the island, and can be over 4 miles wide? Neither did I, so no wonder it's become a haven for wildlife. All the animals have to worry about are a few UN peacekeepers driving by, some low-key farming - and the odd land-mine, of course.  The main beneficiaries of this peaceful existence are the mouflon, who can be found living in substantial numbers in the abandoned village of Variseia. I've never seen one of the 3000 mouflon that live in the wild, but apparently in the buffer zone, they are a common sight.
The scientists are also looking for some of Cyprus' other rare species, including the Cyprus tulip and the freshwater terrapin. After all, with no development, no hunting and no tourists permitted in the UN-monitored buffer zone, if I were an endangered terrapin, I'd be there as fast as my legs would carry me.
However, there are signs of less welcome, human activity; illegal hunting traps have been found, along with rubbish tips and discarded pesticide containers. Even the buffer zone is not immune from progress. And here, of course, is the irony. When the whole north/south issue is resolved, (and note, I say when), what will happen to this unique wildlife corridor than spans Cyprus? One plan is to make it into a peace park, which seems a great idea to me. The park would give the united people of Cyprus a permanent reminder of how their island was once divided, and a reminder that always makes them smile. Kathy
Water Shortages in North Cyprus
 If only! Am I the only one being driven nuts by water deliveries that are allocated at random? Some weeks it's twice a week, other times it's been 10 days between deliveries, and it makes any sort of sensible life planning a logistical nightmare.
Now, I know water is short earlier than usual this year, but water shortages in North Cyprus are not exactly a novelty. We know they are going to happen well in advance by the simple observation that we haven't got wet very much during the winter! It's a simple equation; no rain in the winter, no water for the summer. We know that, the authorities know that, probably even my cat knows that. On my last visit back to Blighty at Christmas, I noticed a chart stuck to my sister's fridge, giving her recycling bin collections dates for the whole year. Yes, the whole year, including alternative collection dates for Bank Holidays, and special 'green' deliveries to collect your old Christmas trees once you had taken them down mid January. Why can't we manage such simple organisation, when water shortages are predicted months in advance? Such chaos smacks of "Alice in Wonderland' logic, as the White Queen remarked:'The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday - but never jam to-day.''It MUST come sometimes to "jam to-day,"' Alice objected.'No, it can't,' said the Queen. 'It's jam every OTHER day: to-day isn't any OTHER day, you know.''I don't understand you,' said Alice. 'It's dreadfully confusing!' And the irony behind it all? Christmas in the UK was wet and horrible, and I spent Boxing Day helping my sister pump out her garage inspection pit because it was - flooded. Happy days! Kathy Relevant Forum Posts:
Advice on how to conserve water
electricity and water connection charges
Shipping of water from Turkey to TRNC
Water & Electricity Supply Price Increases
Water Cuts
Water Cuts Again
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