Nemrut - Gaziantep, 2/X; 21st September
21 September
We left Adiyman after a decent breakfast buffet at hotel Samos. It was a supremely comfortably hotel, and for 1750L, the best value in Turkey so far. The mattress was firm, everything was clean and maintained to a high standard, and the WiFi in the lobby was very fast. It would not have been possible to arrive there earlier given how long the previous day was, but it felt like a shame to only be able to enjoy about 15 hours there.
For breakfast, there was a large pot of tahini and jam which I lathered over the bread, like I did in Kars.
After a busy highway out of the city, mainly in dual carriageway, we turned off onto a dirt road and continued south west. It was very warm, around 27C, and fortunately there were fountains to refill water and hide from the sun in the shade.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We are going to Gaziantep via Rumkale and the rest of the day was up and down along small roads. Mid afternoon we passed a small shop and bought a 2.5 L bottle of cola cola and a small can of orange juice and drank it outside, making some conversation with the kids as the elderly women looked on with some interest at us.
We then continued and passed a river in late afternoon. We debated continuing or stopping. There were some groups swimming in the river, and as it looked like a storm was approaching we decided to pitch the tent.
It was bad timing however, as as we started to pitch heavy rain started to fall, and we had to wipe the inside dry once it was pitched.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Once the rain died down, we went for a short swim and wash in the river and started to cook in the porch of the tent. A guy in a car came and parked further down the path, and we said hello. He asked if we needed anything.
A while later a herd of sheep passed with the shepherd guiding them from behind. I could see from the gap in the tent zip he was a bit confused as to what the tent was. I walked out and said hello, and which point his expression changed to one of realisation that it was a tent, and we shook hands.
The guy in the car came over and we had a chat. The guy had lived in the UK for a year in 2008, living in Cambridge with his brother, who had now lived there for thirty years.
The guy had claimed asylum in Vienna, as a Kurd, but when the UK Home Office realised his fingerprints were scanned in Vienna, he was sent back there -- as this was the first port in which he claimed asylum. He now lives in Vienna and was visiting Turkey to see friends and family.
The shepherd also explained how in the summer he would sleep out with his livestock in the open, as it was so warm then, around 40C in the day. We said goodbye and had dinner. It gets dark earlier now, as we head further west.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |