Arrived in Van earlier than expected because of a brand new tunnel which significantly shortened our riding time this morning! We were too tired and disinterested to bother visiting any of the local sights so we just sat next to a grocery store, treated ourselves to chocolate chip cookies and yogurt, and later on camped at a gas station at the edge of town. We had not showered for several days so our clothes were starting to stick to us. Unfortunately there was no running water in the bathrooms but we managed to get a sponge bath with a bucket of water. Not perfect but much better than no bath!
Next morning we continued north along Van lake towards Dogubeyazit. At one point a mini bus passed us which had a sheep strapped to the roof. It was inside a feed bag with just its head sticking up like an antenna. Funny things people do here. Poor thing.
Of course the wind had quickly noticed that we were no longer going east so it too switched direction and was blowing right into our faces again. At least the first half of today's ride avoided inhabited areas so there were no flying rocks to worry about.
However, a bit later near a town called Muradiye James got a cup of coca cola thrown in his face by some rude teenage boys and a few kilometers further a group of really little boys, maybe 7-8 years old, went totally frantic when we came around the corner. They started screaming "tourist tourist", bounced around, picked up rocks and sent them flying in our direction. Aaaaaa we HATE THIS PLACE! We just wanted to leave but our dear bikes were too slow to get away as fast as we desired and we were too worried about the bikes getting damaged on a bus.
The nature of traveling by bike is that you interact with your environment much more closely than you would in a car. In most cases that's wonderful but in our current situation it was a real curse. Bikes are slow and offer no protection against unwanted looks or flying objects. We really reached the all time low of this trip so far.
A Warmshowers contact had told us we could potentially stay with a friend of his in Muradiye. We still had no address, the arrangement had not been confirmed and he had told us to just call him when we get into town. However, due to the previous two incidents we had lost all interest in staying here. But we did not have much choice because we did not feel safe to wild camp and Dogubeyazit was still about 100km away behind a high mountain pass. We were about to turn into Muradiye when a truck stopped next to us and the young driver and his friend offered us and the bikes a lift to Dogubeyazit. YES!!! The two guys were very friendly and we felt we could trust them. We were so very grateful! SO GLAD to be inside a vehicle. From here we could enjoy the scenery of the trip without worrying about flying rocks. Our two rescuers were on the way to Igdir to pick up a load of tomatoes.
The narrow road towards Dogubeyazit gradually wound its way up the mountain following the Iranian border for a while. A line of large border control towers loomed on the mountain ridges. The treeless landscape was stunning, rugged, wild, hostile. The incoming thunderstorm and the massive, black lava field leading up to the pass only intensified this impression. Our companions told us that the lava field is home to bears and lots of wolves. We had every reason to believe them because in the small villages we passed through we could see giant sheep dogs with frighteningly long metal spikes on their collars.
When we came over the mountain pass we expected to get a good view of Mt. Ararat, the mountain where Noah landed with his ark. But it was nowhere to be seen...until we realized the snowy top was actually sticking out of the clouds shrouding the rest of this impressive volcano. Wow! Beautiful.
Dogubeyazit was a buzzing, crazy, dusty place. The cobbled streets were jammed with cars, men pushing around vegetable and fruit carts and pedestrians weaving their way through the chaos. Various vendors and heaps of watermelons lined the road side. We were so hungry so when we found a decent looking take out place that was not closed for ramadan we treated ourselves to some meat. Mmmm so good. Tanner, a very nice Turkish guy who works at a carpet store here for the summer invited us to eat outside his store. He spoke very good English and excellent German so it was great chatting with him, especially since we were still a bit wired up by the unpleasant events from this morning.
THANKS TANNER FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND THE CAMPING TIP!
We eventually made our way up the crazy steep cobbled road to Murat campground just below Ishak Pasha palace. We asked at two other places along the way what they charge for camping and they asked for 20-30 lari (~$10-15). Way too much for around here, especially since the smelly bathroom facilities are unlikely to be stocked with toilet paper. Things weren't looking so good because we had only 15 lari left in cash. If they charge 20-30 at these non-scenic places, they must charge a fortune up by the palace. We were really discouraged but eventually decided to still go up to the palace. At least we could get some nice photos. We prayed that we could strike a deal with the campground owner. The cobbled street got really bumpy here and so steep that we had to push the bikes for half of the way. So tired! Our hopes were low but when we reached the restaurant next to the Murat campground we received a much needed, very warm welcome by Os, a young summer employee from western Turkey. When we asked for the camping price we were so surprized. Only 10 lira! Yess!! So happy. The campsite was well shaded with large trees, there was only one more tent besides ours and a night guard would ensure no strange characters come snooping around. What a relief! I have never felt so grateful for this sense of welcome, security and (temporary) belonging. At home I always took it for granted but today I realized what a priviledge it has been to grow up and live relatively without fear.
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