EASTERN TURKEY ADVENTURES
I touched on life in the Kurdish village a bit in a prior post, but it deserves a bit more. Set 10km off the lake and at the foot of Mt. Nemrut, its obviously in the middle or nowhere. Why a village was established there, I have no idea. Irregardless, it now contains about 150 of each people, sheep, goats, turkey, chickens, cows, you name it, all having more or less free reign. Other than village houses and barns, the only building in the village is the mosque, one of which you can find in EVERY village and town in Turkey, no matter the size. The village people are farmers primarily. In the words of Mehmet "We work 2 months a year and spend 10 months a year sitting and eating." I guess that explains how people can be overweight on a diet of bread, cheese, and vegatables.
The oddest thing about the village is the complete disregard for improving their quality of life. Men stand around smoking and joking, that is their apparent profession. Kids messing around doing not much anything. Women keep up with the requirements of daily life. Meanwhile, the village is littered with garbage and stagnant animal excretions. Plumbing into the houses is by a hose sitting on the dirt roads and "front yards". Plumbing out is by a oh so minimal trench that reaches a ditch by the road and sits around. The toilet is an absolute disgrace - even compared to toilets in ancient remains in Turkey. I think 1 week of work could turn the village from a mess into a respectable place. But there's tea to be drank, smokes to be smoked, and for whatever reason, it isn't a priority in the least.
The most amusing, in some ways, and frightening, in other ways, happening in the village during our stay was the second night of the village wedding celebration. We went down before dinner to check out the festivities, and were promptly mobbed by about 10 village kids. Feeling a bit odd about stealing the show from the bride and groom, we didn't stay long. We made it back down later after dinner. As mentioned, the first nights celebration jarred us awake with the sound of gunshots. That should have served as a warning. Walking up, we could see about 100 villagers singing and dancing, with complete DJ get-up and singers on the mike, this time dancing together instead of the junior high segregation of the previous night. Our approach was suddenly interrupted as the village joker unloaded a clip from an AK-47, no more than 10m from us, straight up into the air. And I mean straight up. The clip contained a few tracers, and they few right up over us and the crowd. The man made no attempt to shoot away from the masses. I guess falling bullets are not dangerous in Turkey. Anyway, this debacle was repeated with about 3 more clips, once right from the center of the dancing circle, and again straight up. At least the man who emptied his pistol clip had the sense to fire towards the empty field. Needless to say, I didnt feel to comfortable picturing the newspaper headline "American tourist killed by falling bullets at Kurdish wedding in Turkey." But we got out alrite, as did the rest, as far as we know.
While at the village we made a hard core trek through Mt Nemrut, which was a decent mountain and is now an enourmous volcanic crater with a pair of lakes within. The trek would be about 15km from end to end, and we knew we were tough enough.....or at least the Fiat Doblo would be. Our trekking would be contained to hiking from the road to the lake, from the road to a peak 50m away, etc. There was just no sense in being a tough guy and beating feet when you have a car at your disposal. And there was no way to see the whole thing on foot unless you have camping gear and a few nights to spare. The lake was beautiful indeed, the crater impressive in its size, probably 7-8km in diameter. Everything was pristine, and other than a few Army jokers messing around to avoid having to do real work, something I know a little about, we had it to ourselves. From the more manageable peak we did actually walk to, we had a great view of the crater and lakes on one side and Lake Van and surrounding mountains on the other. Great day, thanks to the Fiat.
Said our farewells to Mehmet and family and set off for Dogubayazit (also known to us as doggie biscuit, doogie boogie, or anything else that sounds remotely like it) traveling to the north and east around Lake Van. The lake is just big enough that you aren't sure if its mountains or clouds on the opposite side. The landscape around the lake is desolate and mountainous, leaving a jagged and uneven shoreline. The highway jugged the shore the whole way, so it was an enjoyable ride. A few km after making the turn north away from the lake and towards DG, we came upon a waterfall. Not expecting much due to the little volume of water in the adjacent stream, and not seeing anything on our first pass through, we nearly jetted off. But figuring there was nothing better to do, we doubled back and found it. To our surprise, even in the driest season, it was still impressive. Check the photos. Continuing on we drove parallel to the same stream, flowing in a 10m deep and 20m wide canyon that cut through the otherwise plain terrain of rolling lifeless hills and interspersed plains. Nothing of which was green, and contained to trees. In fact, it had been since olympos that we'd seen any trees. And the only green was in the irrigated farmland. Continuing on, we cut through a town that is only 5km from the Iranian border. Unfortunately, we did not come across any signs with an arrow and IRAN on it. Would have made a good counterpart to the BATMAN sign. (Speaking of, how does a place with names like Diyarbakir, Hasankeyf, Sanliurfa, Dogubayazit, and Yusufeli, end up with a town named BATMAN??????)
Through the vast hills and valleys, passing small village after small village, we hit the top of one hill to see the peak of Mt. Ararat staring at us. Quite impressive, a mountian of 5147m, 3100m above the surrounding terrain, with a snow capped peak, in the midst of brown hills, brown grass, and dusty towns. We wound through the valley toward the mountain, passed through some interesting hills of exposed red rock, and eventually arrived in the wonderfully charming Army town of Doogie midafternoon. Other than the immediate presence of the Mt and nearby Ishi Palace, the town is about as plain as they come. Like most towns we had drived through, it is nearly impossible to spot a woman on the street. Men are everywhere to be seen, primarily engaged in idle conversation, tea drinking, playing backgammon, staring at foreigners driving through the town, or some combination thereof. Of 200 or so people passed, maybe you spot 5 woman, and usually they are bustling to get somewhere with kids in tow. I guess they must be back at the house doing the real work.
After sorting out a hotel, we drove up to the Ishi Palace. Seems some wealthly joker about in the 18th century built himself a dream palace. Situated on the hillside overlooking the vast valley and distant mountains, the palace served to real, legitimate purpose. Walking through we came across dungeons, a large courtyard, a fabulous dining room, a harem hall and four harem rooms off it, the king bedroom and bathroom, and a few more random rooms. What is remarkable is that it had central heating, and the best looking toilet yet in Eastern Turkey. Why they can't replicate those feats now I don't know. Afterwards we hit the cafe higher up on the hill for a beer while pondering these questions and enjoying the famous "postcard" view of the palace and valley below. Leaving there we set off for the petrol station and the ensuing shock of spending a vast fortune, 110,000,000TL (a bit more manageable, yet still expensive, when converted to dollars - $70), to fill up the Fiat. Then we hit the plains at the foot of Mt. Ararat to toss some frisbee during the sunset. Its quite possible that is the first frisbee ever to be tossed at the foot of Mt Ararat. Who knows.
Next morning we set off for Kars, 200km to the north. Along the way we passed the first "nice" looking village of the road trip. Set in a valley between large barren hills, its contained a marginal amount of green grass, had a repeating "S" shaped stream running through it, and looked as if the people actually cared out the state of their affairs. That we were so impressed by it revealed a bit about the state of the other villages. Continuing on, we passed alongside the Armenian border. Judging by what we could see, I don't want to visit Armenia. I took a photo looking across into Armenia, and a few hours later, while sorting thru the pics, it took me a good few seconds to realize why I took a picture of basically nothing.
We arrived into the modern village of Kars in the afternoon. As mentioned before, the "modern" moniker comes from the facts that women are allowed out and about, usually without headscarves, and that the city is situated in a grid system instead of general chaos. But for this credit goes to the Russians, who controlled and built the city while they occupied the area from 1870-1920 or so. Other than a castle on the hill overlooking the city and the vast nothingness beyond it, and a 1000 year old Armenian church, it was rather uneventful. Dissapointingly so, because, for the first time since Fethiye and Olympos, Lonely Planet actually had an Entertainment center for the city. So we went to the one place mentioned, which it claimed to be a cafe/club that played music and where women were welcome. Unfortunately, it was only us and a few local guys. Guess thursday night is not the big night.
The drive from Kars led north near the Georgian border, then cut west to our destination town of Yusufeli. The familiar landscape of large open valleys and desolate mountains/hills prevailed for the first 100km or so. Then, after cutting around behind a group of hills, we were welcomed by green trees growing on the hills and a stream below. A very welcome sight. 5 days of various shades of brown gets a bit old. Another 50km or so of interspersed trees as we climbed and climbed. Upon reaching the summit, we parked the Fiat to take some pics. Then we had the brilliant idea to see to toss some rocks onto the steep slope and see how far they would bounce and roll. That ended quickly upon seeing the shepard emerge from below with a shout of warning. A quick escape ensued. Driving down we saw he was attending to a rather large flock of sheep on the steep mountainside just out of our line of sight. Sorry, man. The drive from the bottom of the pass to the town was brilliant, winding through a jagged, rocky, mountainous landscape along the banks of a mighty but mild river. The majority of the canyon was probably no more than 40m wide, with the rocks going straight up on each side a good 50m or so. And thus it continued for the next 150km until reaching Yusufeli.
We stayed in Yusufeli for the last two nights in Turkey. The town is nice enough, resting on each side of the same river we followed on the drive. Our hotel was right on the side, giving us a nice view and putting us well within earshot of it. Our activities in Yusufeli consisted of: hitting a restaurant for some eats and nostalgic, end of the road beers, marveling at the presence of a female wait staff, the first in Turkey, driving 15km up the canyon into the mountains before the road became a bit to rough for the Fiat (which isnt saying much) and turning around, providing a lift for a local man back to the town on our way back, and hitting the same restaurant for a few more nostalgic beers and intense political debate the second night. A good low key way to wrap up the Turkish adventures.
Saturday drove down to Ezurum to catch a flight. In a journey of an 1 1/2 hour flight, a 18 hour train, a 14 hour train, and a 10 hour train, one would expect the flight to be the easiest and most enjoyable. One would be wrong. The tiny airport has no gates, only one door passengers go through to get to the tarmac and up the steps into the plane. Probably no more than 8 flights per day go from this airport. Yet in a stroke of brilliance Turkish Airlines and Onur Airlines both have 1640 flights to Istanbul. This completely overloads the remarkably thorough security capabilities and the ensuing waiting area. I made it to the waiting area at 1620. The Turkish Airlines flight boarded at 1710. Apparently they have a "no missed flight guarentee", because the attendents basically had to hand hold everyone to the plane, and jokers were still casually strolling through the security at 1720. Excellent. My flight boarded at 1730, and took off some 30 minutes later. In another stroke of brilliance, they board the plane from front and rear, but make no distinction between where your seat is and where you enter. So the aisleway becomes a two lane road, further confusing the whole affair. Anyway, I didnt arrive in Istanbul until 2000, instead of 1820, leaving me a bit more crunched than desired for my 2300 train, or so I thought it was.
Took a cab to the Sultanhamet hostal where I had left my Eastern Europe guidebook on faith and the word of the resident employee. In typical Istanbul fashion, it was nowhere to be found when I returened to claim it. Sorry, dude. Down to the train station, but only after feasting on Burger King, and found my train left at 2200. No bother. Hit the market, got some McDs for the rails, and was off. As I had a whole compartment to myself, the train journey was rather pleasant, except for the Sultan's Revenge, which was still haunting me.
Arrived in Bucarest at 1730 the next day, and got a ticket for the 2137 train to Budapest. Over the next 4 hours I split time between the McDonalds seating area and the toilet inside. Not the most enjoyable layover. The train ride again was easy enough, again with a compartment to myself.
Into Budapest at 1030 in the morning, sorted out a train to Prague leaving at 1940 and arriving at 533. Figured a day in Budapest and night on the train was better than a day on the train and a late night arrrival into Prague. Priorities for Budapest: get some food to stabilize the system, hit up a Thermal bath to get rid Turkishmen scent I had begun to acquire after 2 1/2 days of no shower, and update the blog. 3 for 3, so far at least, i guess i'll have to wait and see about hte success of the first objective.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Saturday, September 25, 2004
OUT WITH THE TURK
The trot around turkey comes to an end today with a flight from Ezurum to Istanbul and train at 11pm from Istanbul to Bucharest. If all goes well, will arrive Bucharest at 530pm Sunday, and jump on to the 650pm train from Budapest, arriving at 900am on Monday. From there another 8hrs or so should get me into Prague. Total travel time is going to be pushing 48 hours. I can't wait.
Overall great times for the past 4 weeks in Turkey. Now its time to move on.
The trot around turkey comes to an end today with a flight from Ezurum to Istanbul and train at 11pm from Istanbul to Bucharest. If all goes well, will arrive Bucharest at 530pm Sunday, and jump on to the 650pm train from Budapest, arriving at 900am on Monday. From there another 8hrs or so should get me into Prague. Total travel time is going to be pushing 48 hours. I can't wait.
Overall great times for the past 4 weeks in Turkey. Now its time to move on.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
ROAD TRIP CONTINUES
Alrite, we survived village life and the AK47 wedding parties, cruised north and east around Lake Van, checked out a waterfall in the middle of an arrid landscape, cruised within 5km of Iran and Armenia, tossed disc at the foot of Mt Ararat, drank a beer above a palace overlooking DoggieBiscuit, continued on north to Kars, and are now hanging in this "modern" town, which means that women can come out in public and actually has a quasi-nightclub. Details later.
More pics posted, a few turned out nicely. Especially the toilet shot.
Alrite, we survived village life and the AK47 wedding parties, cruised north and east around Lake Van, checked out a waterfall in the middle of an arrid landscape, cruised within 5km of Iran and Armenia, tossed disc at the foot of Mt Ararat, drank a beer above a palace overlooking DoggieBiscuit, continued on north to Kars, and are now hanging in this "modern" town, which means that women can come out in public and actually has a quasi-nightclub. Details later.
More pics posted, a few turned out nicely. Especially the toilet shot.
Monday, September 20, 2004
ROAD TRIP
The Sultan's Revenge had caught up with both Chris and I by the time with left Urfa. Eating traditional Turkish style can do that to you. So, upon arrival in Diyarbakir, we were quite happy to discover a Burger King mere blocks from our hotel. So to BK we went, lunch and dinner on Saturday, then again lunch on Sunday. Three meals in a row. If that can't stop the sultan, nothing can.
Picked up our wheels after the BK in Diyar, and set out off to enjoy the freedom and comfort, no longer having to travel with 18 unhygenic others in a 12 passenger van. First stop was.....BATMAN. And the only stop was to take a pic of the entering Batman sign. No sign of Robin or the bat cave. On through and down into Hasankeyf. The old city is situated on top of a plateau and cut into the rocks above the Tigris River. The new city is below jsut above the banks of the river. Much like Cappadocia with dwellings and criss cross stairways cut into the rocks, and a whole stone town ontop the plateau, all dating to about 14th century. Interesting thing here is that some day soon, upon completion of more dams, the whole city will disappear underwater. Get there while you can.
Back to the road, portable tunes blaring, with a fresh supply of sunflower seeds. Gotta have 'em. Our Fiat block, similar i think to a honda element, is gutless but spacious, complete with AC. Winding through the roads, most of which are under construction as the Turks have decided to expand all the two lane roads to 4 lane highways, aparently all at the same time, enjoying the newly relaxing traveling environment. Around 6pm we roll into our destination, Tatvan, at the banks of Lake Van. We had an accomodation connection near Tatvan from our man Aziz in Urfa, so we set out to call Mehmet. While I was dialing, none other than Mehmet himself introduces himself to Chris. Sorted. His son jumped in with us and wet off for their place about 30k away. 20k down the highway, I'm told to turn left where it appears to be nothing but a 10 foot bank. Ahh, believe me, Ahkim says, and sure enough a steep slope led to the dirt road. Its dark now, and we went about 10k deep into the middle of nowhere to find the village where he lived. Only traffic on the way were three donkey carts pulling full of tobacco.
The village boasts a population of 150 or so. No exact data is available. Their house has a kitchen/social room, and we pull up a cushion on the floor rug for some tea. Nature called, so I enquired about the facilities. I have never seen such a dodgy "toilet" in my life. A 3ft by 3ft wood shack with a concrete floor, and a 5 inch diameter PVC pipe in the middle. And a bucket of water outside for flushing. Nice one. Anyway. A bit later we cruised on down to a wedding celebration. Day 2 of the celebration, the day before the wedding. First off I could see a "tent" with music cranking and loads of village men dancing. Figured the women weren't invited. A few more steps later and the women could be seen opposite the tent, about 30m seperating, doing the same on their side. No mingling between the sexes allowed. AFter a could songs, the women gave up the dancing and formed a semicircle to watch and giggle at the men doing their thing. Something like a junior high wedding party, gotta keep 'em seperated. Back to the house, found our "beds" on the partially enclosed balcony. Fortunately, they had more than enough blankets to keep warm as the temps at night dropped to about 5C. Just as I started drifting off to the sounds of the still live and kicking wedding party, a good 15 gunshots rung out. Beware falling bullets, they can kill.
Woke up in the morning to the sounds of a goose singing away in a horridly off any sort of pitch squawk. Opened my eyes to see the sun just poking over the horizon thru the crack where the drape walls didn't cover. Balanced things out a bit. Mananged to get a bit more rest over the next hours despite geese squawking, roosters crowing, cows mooing, cell phones ringing, and people coming and going.
After 19 days in Turkey, we'd finally found the middle of nowhere way off the beaten path.
The Sultan's Revenge had caught up with both Chris and I by the time with left Urfa. Eating traditional Turkish style can do that to you. So, upon arrival in Diyarbakir, we were quite happy to discover a Burger King mere blocks from our hotel. So to BK we went, lunch and dinner on Saturday, then again lunch on Sunday. Three meals in a row. If that can't stop the sultan, nothing can.
Picked up our wheels after the BK in Diyar, and set out off to enjoy the freedom and comfort, no longer having to travel with 18 unhygenic others in a 12 passenger van. First stop was.....BATMAN. And the only stop was to take a pic of the entering Batman sign. No sign of Robin or the bat cave. On through and down into Hasankeyf. The old city is situated on top of a plateau and cut into the rocks above the Tigris River. The new city is below jsut above the banks of the river. Much like Cappadocia with dwellings and criss cross stairways cut into the rocks, and a whole stone town ontop the plateau, all dating to about 14th century. Interesting thing here is that some day soon, upon completion of more dams, the whole city will disappear underwater. Get there while you can.
Back to the road, portable tunes blaring, with a fresh supply of sunflower seeds. Gotta have 'em. Our Fiat block, similar i think to a honda element, is gutless but spacious, complete with AC. Winding through the roads, most of which are under construction as the Turks have decided to expand all the two lane roads to 4 lane highways, aparently all at the same time, enjoying the newly relaxing traveling environment. Around 6pm we roll into our destination, Tatvan, at the banks of Lake Van. We had an accomodation connection near Tatvan from our man Aziz in Urfa, so we set out to call Mehmet. While I was dialing, none other than Mehmet himself introduces himself to Chris. Sorted. His son jumped in with us and wet off for their place about 30k away. 20k down the highway, I'm told to turn left where it appears to be nothing but a 10 foot bank. Ahh, believe me, Ahkim says, and sure enough a steep slope led to the dirt road. Its dark now, and we went about 10k deep into the middle of nowhere to find the village where he lived. Only traffic on the way were three donkey carts pulling full of tobacco.
The village boasts a population of 150 or so. No exact data is available. Their house has a kitchen/social room, and we pull up a cushion on the floor rug for some tea. Nature called, so I enquired about the facilities. I have never seen such a dodgy "toilet" in my life. A 3ft by 3ft wood shack with a concrete floor, and a 5 inch diameter PVC pipe in the middle. And a bucket of water outside for flushing. Nice one. Anyway. A bit later we cruised on down to a wedding celebration. Day 2 of the celebration, the day before the wedding. First off I could see a "tent" with music cranking and loads of village men dancing. Figured the women weren't invited. A few more steps later and the women could be seen opposite the tent, about 30m seperating, doing the same on their side. No mingling between the sexes allowed. AFter a could songs, the women gave up the dancing and formed a semicircle to watch and giggle at the men doing their thing. Something like a junior high wedding party, gotta keep 'em seperated. Back to the house, found our "beds" on the partially enclosed balcony. Fortunately, they had more than enough blankets to keep warm as the temps at night dropped to about 5C. Just as I started drifting off to the sounds of the still live and kicking wedding party, a good 15 gunshots rung out. Beware falling bullets, they can kill.
Woke up in the morning to the sounds of a goose singing away in a horridly off any sort of pitch squawk. Opened my eyes to see the sun just poking over the horizon thru the crack where the drape walls didn't cover. Balanced things out a bit. Mananged to get a bit more rest over the next hours despite geese squawking, roosters crowing, cows mooing, cell phones ringing, and people coming and going.
After 19 days in Turkey, we'd finally found the middle of nowhere way off the beaten path.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
ON TO KURDISH COUNTRY
Enough about trying to describe the area....my words don't do much justice. On to the simpler things.....we stayed in a cave pension, an original rock cave that has been reworked a bit to accomodate people. Cut into the rock, all the chisel marks still visible on the wall, it was cool enough during the day and warm enough at night. Who needs AC and heating. All for a grand total of less than $15 per night. Not bad. Other pensions had room carved into the Fairy Chimneys, the large lava rocks, with nice panaromic views.
Leaving Goreme, we had to change buses in Kayseri on the way to Kahta. Too bad they didnt bother to tell us about the 3hr wait before the Kahta bus departed at 12am. Nothing like killing 3hrs in a bus station. Luckily, the bus was less than full, so we were able to get a full two seats to make an attempt at getting comfortable and sleeping. Arrived in Kahta at 7am or so, and were promptly met by the man from the pension we arranged in Karadut. A few stops and 50km later we arrived at their place in the shadows of Mt. Nemrut. After some eats and a couple hours of sleep, we took off for the mountain. A rough 12km drive winding around and up the mountain proved that we were wise not to try to hike it. Upon arriving up top, we were left with about a 700m hike, more than I would have liked. Anyway, made it in one piece, and got around back to the statues of King Nimrod and the gods. The good king thought he was equal to the greatest of the gods, so he had his people cut large rock thrones and statues, capped with heads about 2 meters in height, and set them up on the top of the mountain. Nimrod surrounded by Hercules and the like. Earthquakes took there toll on it all over the last 1000s of years, and restorative efforts have reconstructed the bodies on the thrones, but the heads are no longer attached, and are displayed below. Around the other side are more stone statues of the gods and our man Nimrod. From there we watched the sunset. I have never sat and waited 45min for the sunset before, especially in the cold wind at the top of a 2150m mountain. Not quit sure it was worth it.
Back to Karadut, then off the next morning for Sanliurfa, right in the heart of the Kurdish lands. And for all the travels thus far and all the people encountered, none top the Kurds for being nice, friendly, happy people. Especially the kids. Of every 10 kids I've walked past on the streets, I think 9 have given a "hello", wave, and a smile. And for once, we've found people that genuienly like Americans! Urfa is about as old as towns get, save Harran and a few others, originally settled by the Hiitites back some 3000 yrs or so BC. A castle sits on a hilltop over the city, as it has ever since then, albiet destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Old Testament's Abraham and Job both spent some time in this city back in their days. Now its mostly Kurdish, and not very modern. No McDonalds, no shopping malls or supermarkets, no nightlife whatsoever, just lots of orderly chaos. Despite it all, they are great people. We stayed at Hospitality Pension with our new friend Aziz and his family. "No problem, Kurdish people are good people, we like Americans, Everybody happy, good times, rich inside." Never at a loss for words, thats Aziz.
From Urfa hit a day trip down to Harran, which dates back to before Genesis Ch 11 in the Old Testament. Why they would settle in a dry, barren, scorching hot desolate area is beyond me. The town has remnants of the world's oldest university, which has subsequently been a mosque, church, and fortress. A Roman castle in relatively good condition is on the same site as castles from 3000 or so BC. The town is famous for its beehive houses, which is about as accurate a description as one could conjour up. Remarkable in that, despite 35+ outside, it felt air conditioned inside. The current beehives are only 200 years old, and now only inhabited by kitchens and animals, as the town is now modern. Our walk thru Harran was led by our man Omar Sherif, a 14 yr old kid who learned English, and quite well, from tourists. He has aspirations of going to tourism university, and I think Chris and I gave him his first lesson: don't try to screw over your customers. He tried to badger us into giving him money, after saying any amount is good at the start of the tour and taking us to the cleaners at the restaurant for lunch. They teach them young here, they do.
The whole of the Southeastern Anatolia region where these cities are has changed remarkably in the past 20 years for one reason: water. Some 19 dams were built on the Tigris and Euphrates, among others, rivers, and canals, tunnels, troughs, and ditches now carry water to the whole of the region, turning what was arrid wasteland into fertile farmland full of barley, cotton, various trees, corn, etc. Quite a difference can be seen when traveling north to regions unserviced by the water. Anyway, while improving things for the people, its not all fun and games. Apparently, Eli Whitney hasnt made it here, and dozens of women and children can be seen out picking the cotton by had, acre after acre. In the still dry and arrid parts, flocks of sheep and goats roam the land, tended to by shepard girls and boys, probably no more than 12 years old.
Arrived in Diyarbikar today to set out on the final week of the Turkey adventure: ROAD TRIP. Despite it all, technology has made it this far, and we were able to go to Avis.com from Urfa to reserve a car for a week from Diyarbikar. So we'll be making the rounds to the other Mt Nemrut, Lake Van, Mt Ararat near the Iranian border, and who knows what else.
Enough about trying to describe the area....my words don't do much justice. On to the simpler things.....we stayed in a cave pension, an original rock cave that has been reworked a bit to accomodate people. Cut into the rock, all the chisel marks still visible on the wall, it was cool enough during the day and warm enough at night. Who needs AC and heating. All for a grand total of less than $15 per night. Not bad. Other pensions had room carved into the Fairy Chimneys, the large lava rocks, with nice panaromic views.
Leaving Goreme, we had to change buses in Kayseri on the way to Kahta. Too bad they didnt bother to tell us about the 3hr wait before the Kahta bus departed at 12am. Nothing like killing 3hrs in a bus station. Luckily, the bus was less than full, so we were able to get a full two seats to make an attempt at getting comfortable and sleeping. Arrived in Kahta at 7am or so, and were promptly met by the man from the pension we arranged in Karadut. A few stops and 50km later we arrived at their place in the shadows of Mt. Nemrut. After some eats and a couple hours of sleep, we took off for the mountain. A rough 12km drive winding around and up the mountain proved that we were wise not to try to hike it. Upon arriving up top, we were left with about a 700m hike, more than I would have liked. Anyway, made it in one piece, and got around back to the statues of King Nimrod and the gods. The good king thought he was equal to the greatest of the gods, so he had his people cut large rock thrones and statues, capped with heads about 2 meters in height, and set them up on the top of the mountain. Nimrod surrounded by Hercules and the like. Earthquakes took there toll on it all over the last 1000s of years, and restorative efforts have reconstructed the bodies on the thrones, but the heads are no longer attached, and are displayed below. Around the other side are more stone statues of the gods and our man Nimrod. From there we watched the sunset. I have never sat and waited 45min for the sunset before, especially in the cold wind at the top of a 2150m mountain. Not quit sure it was worth it.
Back to Karadut, then off the next morning for Sanliurfa, right in the heart of the Kurdish lands. And for all the travels thus far and all the people encountered, none top the Kurds for being nice, friendly, happy people. Especially the kids. Of every 10 kids I've walked past on the streets, I think 9 have given a "hello", wave, and a smile. And for once, we've found people that genuienly like Americans! Urfa is about as old as towns get, save Harran and a few others, originally settled by the Hiitites back some 3000 yrs or so BC. A castle sits on a hilltop over the city, as it has ever since then, albiet destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. The Old Testament's Abraham and Job both spent some time in this city back in their days. Now its mostly Kurdish, and not very modern. No McDonalds, no shopping malls or supermarkets, no nightlife whatsoever, just lots of orderly chaos. Despite it all, they are great people. We stayed at Hospitality Pension with our new friend Aziz and his family. "No problem, Kurdish people are good people, we like Americans, Everybody happy, good times, rich inside." Never at a loss for words, thats Aziz.
From Urfa hit a day trip down to Harran, which dates back to before Genesis Ch 11 in the Old Testament. Why they would settle in a dry, barren, scorching hot desolate area is beyond me. The town has remnants of the world's oldest university, which has subsequently been a mosque, church, and fortress. A Roman castle in relatively good condition is on the same site as castles from 3000 or so BC. The town is famous for its beehive houses, which is about as accurate a description as one could conjour up. Remarkable in that, despite 35+ outside, it felt air conditioned inside. The current beehives are only 200 years old, and now only inhabited by kitchens and animals, as the town is now modern. Our walk thru Harran was led by our man Omar Sherif, a 14 yr old kid who learned English, and quite well, from tourists. He has aspirations of going to tourism university, and I think Chris and I gave him his first lesson: don't try to screw over your customers. He tried to badger us into giving him money, after saying any amount is good at the start of the tour and taking us to the cleaners at the restaurant for lunch. They teach them young here, they do.
The whole of the Southeastern Anatolia region where these cities are has changed remarkably in the past 20 years for one reason: water. Some 19 dams were built on the Tigris and Euphrates, among others, rivers, and canals, tunnels, troughs, and ditches now carry water to the whole of the region, turning what was arrid wasteland into fertile farmland full of barley, cotton, various trees, corn, etc. Quite a difference can be seen when traveling north to regions unserviced by the water. Anyway, while improving things for the people, its not all fun and games. Apparently, Eli Whitney hasnt made it here, and dozens of women and children can be seen out picking the cotton by had, acre after acre. In the still dry and arrid parts, flocks of sheep and goats roam the land, tended to by shepard girls and boys, probably no more than 12 years old.
Arrived in Diyarbikar today to set out on the final week of the Turkey adventure: ROAD TRIP. Despite it all, technology has made it this far, and we were able to go to Avis.com from Urfa to reserve a car for a week from Diyarbikar. So we'll be making the rounds to the other Mt Nemrut, Lake Van, Mt Ararat near the Iranian border, and who knows what else.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
CARAVAN CONTINUES
First off, a quick blurb about being an American and traveling given the world situation and American sentiment around the world. The most common thing, to the point its basically ignored, is for someone to ask you "What do you think....Bush or Kerry" then rattle right on saying "I like Kerry". But usually thats about all they know of the situation. And the anti-american sentiment is usually held not by locals, but by other travelers from Western countries. The best example of all this, granted its a bit absurb, is goes like this. Chris and I are chilling with a few beers in a pension terrace in Fethiye. A group of two Brits and two, i believe, Turks, are a table away tripping over themselves to bash America, and Britian, but only in conection with the war. So after the usual banter, the Brit bloke takes the cake with this one: "We (his wife or girlfriend) don't buy American products if at all possible. No Coke, no Marlboro, no Nike. Well, I do have one pair of American sneakers. But they are Phat Pharm, and they were made by black people." He then goes to enlighten us eavesdroppers of an American conspiracy: "I heard that America, despite having enough oil to meet its needs, buys it all from foreign countries, so that, in 100 years, America will be the only country on earth to have oil, and then they can control everybody." Wow. Didn't know that either. I guess the biggest thing I've learned is usually to just have a laugh and not try to argue it out. And it was a good laugh, and continues to this day.
Alrite, set sail on the boat cruise on 4 Sept from Fethiye. We had about 16 people on the boat, a good mix of Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, Canadiens, and us Americans. Most were only holiday or extended vacation in a career transition, and made Chris and I feel like the jokers of the lot. Sort of. Anyway, the Meditteranean coast of Turkey is magnificent. Rocky, desolate hills and mountians with sparse vegatation, the kind you'd find in a relative wasteland, meet the crystal clear blue waters of the Sea. Islands of similar design sprout out of the sea here and there. Sandy beaches are few, but where they are its quite impressive, at least it would be were it not for the endless rows of beach umbrellas, towels, and tourists. Never did like those tourists. We cruised along, making stops at a harbor leading to butterfly valley, which would have a been a real disappointment if you went to look for butterfl (they must have been on holiday themselves), the blue lagoon, which suffers from the curse of having been on the cover of Lonely Planet, so now its along but a lonely place, at St Nicolas island, home of the well known St. Nicolas backin 800AD or so I think. Most slept on the deck of the boat, and I awoke the next morning to a frightening storm, only to realize it was just the boat blazing through the sea. Back to sleep. It is a nice thing to awake, have a peak across the sea to the sunrise and coast, hold the gaze a bit, then drop the head to the pillow and doze off for a few more hours of sleep. Day two took us to a coastal town, and another harbor before droppin anchor near the Sunken City. Built some 2000 years ago, it now resides just under the sea at the foot of the island. Ruins existed on the island as well, but by now I'm a bit blinded to rock and stone ruins. Next morning awoke to a trio of goats making their way around the rocky slopes of the island. Again, right back to sleep. A trip to a fishing village with no road access topped off the third day. Made the trek to the castle uptop after chilling out in the Hammock for a bit, nice views to all sides were the reward. Food was excellent throughout the cruise, made by the three man crew. My only complaint about Turkish food is the tomatoes. They are ubiquitos. Think shrimp from Bubba Gump, and you'll be halfway there. Breakfast lunch dinner. There is no escape. Great times aboard the boat, and the cruise served as a nice vacation from traveling.
Finished off at Olympos, near the like named mountian the Greeks were so obsessed with. Spent the night in a treehouse, dinner and breakfast included, served summer camp style, for a grand total of $8.50. Can do for more of that. Great cove at Olympos and the nearby Cirali at the other end of the beach. Ruins dating over 2000 years line the walk from the beach towards the area where the treehouse pensions line the road for a few Kms. Spent two nights down the beach at Cirali in relative comfort, extending the vacation from traveling. Set off at 1130pm from there to make the 5km trek to Chimera, also straight out of Greek Mythology. After the trek, including 1k up treacherous rock steps, you find the flaming rocks of Chimera. For some reason, gas has seeped out of the rocks as long as can be known, and they are constantly flaming. An area about 20m X 50m contains a good 10-12 hotspots with small to large flames dancing about. The night sky was about as clear as could be, and well away from any city lights, allowing a remarkable of the stars, and nearly all of them. Another day spent lazily messing about the beach, and then the following evening it was up to Antalya and an overnight bus to Goreme in Cappadocia.
The whole of Cappadocia is completely unique to anything I have seen, and probably anything that is. Imagine something like a Hollywood set for a Star Wars or Hobbit or something, maybe something out of a new Disneyworld theme park, or something from the moon. Probably the most flamboyant combination of the wonders of nature combined with the creativity and cleverness of man. A natural harmony. Hard enough to describe, so save me the effort and cruise through the photos (photos.yahoo.com/begbey). But a bit about the formation.....Explanation is that the volcanos in the region blew their tops thousands of years back, spewing an incredible about of ash throughout the region, and some lava as well. The ash hardened over the years into a soft rock, and parts had the lava rock about it. Years of erosion by wind and rain wore down the unprotected soft rock. The lava rock protected the areas under it, leaving a pillar of sorts with the "Fairy Chimney" on top. Then man came along, the Hiitites it is thought, back in the BC days, and discovered they could easily dig into it all and live inside, protected from the heat of summer and cold of winter. And much more easily than bringing in stone or rocks. This worked fine and well until they needed protection from invading armies and persecution from the Romans. So in the same region are some 300 underground cities, the largest going down over 7 floors, tapping into groundwater through wells below, and channeling air from above, able to sustain life within for 6 months or so. Dug into hard rock, they took a bit longer than the above ground houses. Further south of the Goreme valley is a channel that seems to have been cut by a glacier, leaving rock plateaus on either side, showing the multilayered rock on the exposed faces.
ok, gotta jet.
First off, a quick blurb about being an American and traveling given the world situation and American sentiment around the world. The most common thing, to the point its basically ignored, is for someone to ask you "What do you think....Bush or Kerry" then rattle right on saying "I like Kerry". But usually thats about all they know of the situation. And the anti-american sentiment is usually held not by locals, but by other travelers from Western countries. The best example of all this, granted its a bit absurb, is goes like this. Chris and I are chilling with a few beers in a pension terrace in Fethiye. A group of two Brits and two, i believe, Turks, are a table away tripping over themselves to bash America, and Britian, but only in conection with the war. So after the usual banter, the Brit bloke takes the cake with this one: "We (his wife or girlfriend) don't buy American products if at all possible. No Coke, no Marlboro, no Nike. Well, I do have one pair of American sneakers. But they are Phat Pharm, and they were made by black people." He then goes to enlighten us eavesdroppers of an American conspiracy: "I heard that America, despite having enough oil to meet its needs, buys it all from foreign countries, so that, in 100 years, America will be the only country on earth to have oil, and then they can control everybody." Wow. Didn't know that either. I guess the biggest thing I've learned is usually to just have a laugh and not try to argue it out. And it was a good laugh, and continues to this day.
Alrite, set sail on the boat cruise on 4 Sept from Fethiye. We had about 16 people on the boat, a good mix of Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, Canadiens, and us Americans. Most were only holiday or extended vacation in a career transition, and made Chris and I feel like the jokers of the lot. Sort of. Anyway, the Meditteranean coast of Turkey is magnificent. Rocky, desolate hills and mountians with sparse vegatation, the kind you'd find in a relative wasteland, meet the crystal clear blue waters of the Sea. Islands of similar design sprout out of the sea here and there. Sandy beaches are few, but where they are its quite impressive, at least it would be were it not for the endless rows of beach umbrellas, towels, and tourists. Never did like those tourists. We cruised along, making stops at a harbor leading to butterfly valley, which would have a been a real disappointment if you went to look for butterfl (they must have been on holiday themselves), the blue lagoon, which suffers from the curse of having been on the cover of Lonely Planet, so now its along but a lonely place, at St Nicolas island, home of the well known St. Nicolas backin 800AD or so I think. Most slept on the deck of the boat, and I awoke the next morning to a frightening storm, only to realize it was just the boat blazing through the sea. Back to sleep. It is a nice thing to awake, have a peak across the sea to the sunrise and coast, hold the gaze a bit, then drop the head to the pillow and doze off for a few more hours of sleep. Day two took us to a coastal town, and another harbor before droppin anchor near the Sunken City. Built some 2000 years ago, it now resides just under the sea at the foot of the island. Ruins existed on the island as well, but by now I'm a bit blinded to rock and stone ruins. Next morning awoke to a trio of goats making their way around the rocky slopes of the island. Again, right back to sleep. A trip to a fishing village with no road access topped off the third day. Made the trek to the castle uptop after chilling out in the Hammock for a bit, nice views to all sides were the reward. Food was excellent throughout the cruise, made by the three man crew. My only complaint about Turkish food is the tomatoes. They are ubiquitos. Think shrimp from Bubba Gump, and you'll be halfway there. Breakfast lunch dinner. There is no escape. Great times aboard the boat, and the cruise served as a nice vacation from traveling.
Finished off at Olympos, near the like named mountian the Greeks were so obsessed with. Spent the night in a treehouse, dinner and breakfast included, served summer camp style, for a grand total of $8.50. Can do for more of that. Great cove at Olympos and the nearby Cirali at the other end of the beach. Ruins dating over 2000 years line the walk from the beach towards the area where the treehouse pensions line the road for a few Kms. Spent two nights down the beach at Cirali in relative comfort, extending the vacation from traveling. Set off at 1130pm from there to make the 5km trek to Chimera, also straight out of Greek Mythology. After the trek, including 1k up treacherous rock steps, you find the flaming rocks of Chimera. For some reason, gas has seeped out of the rocks as long as can be known, and they are constantly flaming. An area about 20m X 50m contains a good 10-12 hotspots with small to large flames dancing about. The night sky was about as clear as could be, and well away from any city lights, allowing a remarkable of the stars, and nearly all of them. Another day spent lazily messing about the beach, and then the following evening it was up to Antalya and an overnight bus to Goreme in Cappadocia.
The whole of Cappadocia is completely unique to anything I have seen, and probably anything that is. Imagine something like a Hollywood set for a Star Wars or Hobbit or something, maybe something out of a new Disneyworld theme park, or something from the moon. Probably the most flamboyant combination of the wonders of nature combined with the creativity and cleverness of man. A natural harmony. Hard enough to describe, so save me the effort and cruise through the photos (photos.yahoo.com/begbey). But a bit about the formation.....Explanation is that the volcanos in the region blew their tops thousands of years back, spewing an incredible about of ash throughout the region, and some lava as well. The ash hardened over the years into a soft rock, and parts had the lava rock about it. Years of erosion by wind and rain wore down the unprotected soft rock. The lava rock protected the areas under it, leaving a pillar of sorts with the "Fairy Chimney" on top. Then man came along, the Hiitites it is thought, back in the BC days, and discovered they could easily dig into it all and live inside, protected from the heat of summer and cold of winter. And much more easily than bringing in stone or rocks. This worked fine and well until they needed protection from invading armies and persecution from the Romans. So in the same region are some 300 underground cities, the largest going down over 7 floors, tapping into groundwater through wells below, and channeling air from above, able to sustain life within for 6 months or so. Dug into hard rock, they took a bit longer than the above ground houses. Further south of the Goreme valley is a channel that seems to have been cut by a glacier, leaving rock plateaus on either side, showing the multilayered rock on the exposed faces.
ok, gotta jet.
Monday, September 13, 2004
LOSS OF INSPIRATION
Found a nice Internet cafe to download photos and update the old blog, but as things go, it took an extra hour to sort out burning a disc and the inspiration for writing left long ago. Photos did just uploaded. Cappadocia is really beyond words, and photos, something you just have to see in person. But some shots turned out well enough.
Off to another overnight bus ride, the third in two weeks, heading to Mt. Nemrut, which is a bit south and east of central turkey. Things should start getting a bit interesting as this, Cappadocia, is the last real tourist destination we'll run into.
Found a nice Internet cafe to download photos and update the old blog, but as things go, it took an extra hour to sort out burning a disc and the inspiration for writing left long ago. Photos did just uploaded. Cappadocia is really beyond words, and photos, something you just have to see in person. But some shots turned out well enough.
Off to another overnight bus ride, the third in two weeks, heading to Mt. Nemrut, which is a bit south and east of central turkey. Things should start getting a bit interesting as this, Cappadocia, is the last real tourist destination we'll run into.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
TURKISH DELIGHT
Istanbul. Expectations blazing. Middle east meets Europe. Literally, east meets west, Europe meets Asia. In Istanbul. Yet, disappointment, not what was hoped. Everything's a hassle, everyone hassles. The other impact of tourism is very evident. Kids chatting ya up for money, adults trying to exploit you. Sucker you in. Madness, a bit a chaos. Not much of a chance to relax. No longer new and exciting, now just a stop on the way to bigger and better. Despite, history abounds. A great Christian church built in 500AD now a prized mosque. The conquerors conquered and then got conquered. Prayer calls wailing from the mosques, loads of mosques. No one flinches, cant be bothered. A muslim country, yes, but its not as one might imagine. The west moves east, constantly creeping. Sun sets on the Golden horn, a treasured sight for ages. Standing on a bridge, local men fishing over the sides, below the bridge a lower deck full of bars and restaraunts. Cruise out the Boshorus Straight, Europe on the left, Asia on the right. Finally, a little peace and quiet, a bit of relaxation. To the Black Sea, hike up to a castle nestled above, keeping a watch on the sea, the straight, and Istanbul. Now cows graze the inner castle area. Nice view for the cows. Out in Istanbul. Chance encounter with a 25ish hustler who tried to pull on over on Chris a few days back. Had a little encounter. He ran off, scared, tail between his legs. Turned around, four cops four feet away, inquiring. Uh, time to bolt.
Gotta get moving. Overnight bus to Selcuk, arrived bleary eyed yet keeping on. Head out to Ephesus. A great city, fought over for hundreds of year, BC and AD. Now in ruins, yet remarkably intact. A little credit due to the archeologists and their restorative techniques. Tourists by the busloads. Gotta luv em. Impressive city by any standards, made all of rocks and stones. The main theater seats 25,000 people and took some 75 years to build. Some patience they had, or maybe time just moved a bit slower. But it was built to last, and last it did. Back to Selcuk, the current down nearby. A castle sits watch over it all, occupying the hilltop. Sun sets over the Meditteranean, lighting up the sky and providing a nice backdrop to the hills and castle.
Moving on. Bus to Pammukale. But it goes to Denizli. Funny, they didnt mention that when we bought the ticket. Nor that it would leave at 1300 instead of 1200. Such is the life. Fortunately, a reservation at a hostel served us well, and their man pointed us in the right direction. Minibus now, and their other man waves it down in the road and gets us off, a short walk to the hostel. They keep tight control over their assets. Wise enough. The attraction here? Calcium deposits formed over way to many years by water coming out of the hills. Just barren hills miles to each side, yet a few hundred yards of what looks like a colorado ski mountian sitting right in the middle. Too bad the tourist boom of a few years back ruined the water flow, crippling natures development. Could have used a little long term thinking about profit maximization before doing that. Now the hotels have been torn down, but the damage remains. Any attempts I make to describe it fall short, so will let the photos do the talking. Arriving near sunset, we walked against the tour bus crowd getting to the top to see the sun setting behind the hills beyond the valley. Quite impressive. Again, reference the photos. Walked on up to the Roman ruins behind it after picking up a few beers. Sat at the top of a 15,000 seat Roman theater, all to ourselves, catching the last bit of colorful sky out over the valley, pondering what it would have been like to sit there a few thousand years ago.
Next day bus to Fethiye. Joined in on a four day boat cruise around the Med sea. No time for writing bout that now though.
Istanbul. Expectations blazing. Middle east meets Europe. Literally, east meets west, Europe meets Asia. In Istanbul. Yet, disappointment, not what was hoped. Everything's a hassle, everyone hassles. The other impact of tourism is very evident. Kids chatting ya up for money, adults trying to exploit you. Sucker you in. Madness, a bit a chaos. Not much of a chance to relax. No longer new and exciting, now just a stop on the way to bigger and better. Despite, history abounds. A great Christian church built in 500AD now a prized mosque. The conquerors conquered and then got conquered. Prayer calls wailing from the mosques, loads of mosques. No one flinches, cant be bothered. A muslim country, yes, but its not as one might imagine. The west moves east, constantly creeping. Sun sets on the Golden horn, a treasured sight for ages. Standing on a bridge, local men fishing over the sides, below the bridge a lower deck full of bars and restaraunts. Cruise out the Boshorus Straight, Europe on the left, Asia on the right. Finally, a little peace and quiet, a bit of relaxation. To the Black Sea, hike up to a castle nestled above, keeping a watch on the sea, the straight, and Istanbul. Now cows graze the inner castle area. Nice view for the cows. Out in Istanbul. Chance encounter with a 25ish hustler who tried to pull on over on Chris a few days back. Had a little encounter. He ran off, scared, tail between his legs. Turned around, four cops four feet away, inquiring. Uh, time to bolt.
Gotta get moving. Overnight bus to Selcuk, arrived bleary eyed yet keeping on. Head out to Ephesus. A great city, fought over for hundreds of year, BC and AD. Now in ruins, yet remarkably intact. A little credit due to the archeologists and their restorative techniques. Tourists by the busloads. Gotta luv em. Impressive city by any standards, made all of rocks and stones. The main theater seats 25,000 people and took some 75 years to build. Some patience they had, or maybe time just moved a bit slower. But it was built to last, and last it did. Back to Selcuk, the current down nearby. A castle sits watch over it all, occupying the hilltop. Sun sets over the Meditteranean, lighting up the sky and providing a nice backdrop to the hills and castle.
Moving on. Bus to Pammukale. But it goes to Denizli. Funny, they didnt mention that when we bought the ticket. Nor that it would leave at 1300 instead of 1200. Such is the life. Fortunately, a reservation at a hostel served us well, and their man pointed us in the right direction. Minibus now, and their other man waves it down in the road and gets us off, a short walk to the hostel. They keep tight control over their assets. Wise enough. The attraction here? Calcium deposits formed over way to many years by water coming out of the hills. Just barren hills miles to each side, yet a few hundred yards of what looks like a colorado ski mountian sitting right in the middle. Too bad the tourist boom of a few years back ruined the water flow, crippling natures development. Could have used a little long term thinking about profit maximization before doing that. Now the hotels have been torn down, but the damage remains. Any attempts I make to describe it fall short, so will let the photos do the talking. Arriving near sunset, we walked against the tour bus crowd getting to the top to see the sun setting behind the hills beyond the valley. Quite impressive. Again, reference the photos. Walked on up to the Roman ruins behind it after picking up a few beers. Sat at the top of a 15,000 seat Roman theater, all to ourselves, catching the last bit of colorful sky out over the valley, pondering what it would have been like to sit there a few thousand years ago.
Next day bus to Fethiye. Joined in on a four day boat cruise around the Med sea. No time for writing bout that now though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)