Couple live in ‘caravan’ they converted from clunker bus

ANTALYA

A newly married couple of six months are living in a caravan they converted from a clunker bus in the southern province of Antalya.

“We call it the ‘new bride caravan.’ We wake up in another corner of the city every morning,” Mert Kaybaki told İhlas News Agency.

The couple bought the 2007 model bus with a price of 66,000 Turkish Liras ($4,885) when they were engaged. The modification of the bus cost the couple around 250,000 Turkish Liras ($18,500).

“We used the caravan as our bridal car. As a wedding gift, my wife’s uncle gave us tires,” Kaybaki said.

The interior design was carried out by Yağmur Şahinoğlu Kaybaki, the bride. “I made the drawings when we were in self-isolation during the pandemic,” she said.

When asked why they call “their nest” a “new bride’s caravan,” she said, “If we opted for a house, it would have been a small one-bedroom apartment. Too small to be a new bride’s apartment. So, we decided to live in a big new bride’s caravan.”

Kaybaki especially thanked his wife’s parents for appreciating their lifestyle. “Normally, it would be absurd to say, ‘I want to marry your girl and make her live in a caravan.’ But they were understanding of our choice,” he said.

For their new life on the caravan, they tour the city, welcoming the mornings in different locations.

“Depending on our moods, one day we wake up in the Konyaaltı beach, the other day in Boğaçayı,” the husband said.

The couple also strictly opposed the idea that “caravan owning is a pensioner’s move.”

“No way! Living in a caravan is totally something young people can do,” said the couple, advising all young couples to think about it.