Friends in Ankara
Days are passing quickly in Ankara. Temperatures outside has leveled out at some 15 degrees after plunging to 5 from the summer heat. It looks like a dry and sunny fall is arriving in Anatolia. All for the better, since I’m moving north. From being quite indecisive about the winter route I have decided to head to Georgia and spend the cold month in a cold country. Leaving some room for winter camping trip into the Caucasus back country.
A week has passed since I arrived here. Apart from fixing my wheels I have been very inactive physically, which is quite interesting. Reading book and just laying around talking to someone is one of the things I have not been able to enjoy the last few years. Learning to relax and just gathering information, it is quite nice.
The south east was different. What people warned us of in Istanbul seemed when there to be mere exaggerations from people who only gather their information from the Turkish television. Finding the hospitality to be greater, the arms to be plentiful, one in every car and house and the military in jeep convoys as we reached Siverek. It never though gave the impression of being tensed, as I remember from the US, many had arms in their houses without this meaning that they were guerrilla or crazy. The relations between man and women more segregated than in the west, that is for sure. When invited to people we spent the evening with the men, on the floor in the living room. the only glimpse of the women we would get was when they arrived with food, tea or cleaning of the dishes. Helping out as a guest was out of the question. It is hard to accept in hindsight but while in the moment, it seems to be quite natural to the people involved.
In the next few days I move on, My nomad genes, or what ever it is tells me it is time to move north. Probably would not have been a good nomad some 1000 years ago when moving north meant freezing to death. times are changing, which is all good.
Read about homoerotic Haman here, about bikes breaking down here and about traveling in southeast Turkey here
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Hey Erik.
I’m glad to see that you finally made up your mind, concerning the route. Just don’t get stuck in Ankara before the roads north close.
Best luck F