Former journalist George Dearsley has released an action-packed biography – 12 Camels for Your Wife – about his and his late wife’s undying 49-year complex love affair with the adopted homeland, Turkey.
Full of anecdotes and quirky stories, his book is as much a dedication to his wife, Carolyn, who sadly died aged 58 from a sudden heart attack 18 months ago, as it is for his second love.
“I fell in love with Turkey when I first came here in 1972 with a university pal driving an old van,” reflected Mr Dearsley, who now lives alone in the traditional Turkish village Kaplan, in Izmir province.
“On that first trip I was totally overcome by Turkey’s hospitality, scenery and culture.”
The book, available on Amazon here, reveals his times and tribulations – such as being wrongly arrested as a spy in Turkey in 1974, being caught in the devastating 7.6 earthquake in 1999 which killed 17,000 people.
On a more light-hearted note he was asked to judge a town’s beauty contest, attended a circumcision, saw a man swallow a snake, and watched as Turkey’s most famous criminal crashed his sea plane.
Retired Londoner George, 70, who lived and worked mostly in Manchester, said: “I started writing the book as a hobby. I hope people read it and learn more about this fascinating country.”
The couple previously owned an apartment in Sile, Istanbul from 1984 to 2015 which they used as a base for holidays. But when his long-time friend Levent, who he first met in Istanbul on that fateful first trip, retired to Kaplan near Tire, he sent images of a vacant property next door and the couple came over and bought it.
The couple have two daughters, one now living in Manchester and the other living in London, and both love Turkey, having visited several times.
George and Carolyn with Mert Yandas, formerly of Tirespor 1922, now of Fenerbahce
Jack Scott, author of Perking the Pansies, a similar book about expat life in Bodrum, commented:
“George’s account of a longstanding love affair with the country is a real delight – an astute, beautifully-penned story of an Englishman abroad. It is funny, insightful and poignant.
“What starts as a madcap road trip to Japan in a royal blue Bedford van, twists and turns, anecdote by anecdote, into an entertaining and touching tale of a courtship with the land he now calls home. There are some wonderful turns of phrases.”
Whether you are a casual traveller, looking to live abroad or a seasoned ex pat the book seeks to explain Turkey’s sometimes crazy but endearing customs, habits and culture.