Doğubeyazıt to Trabzon, Turkey Saturday May 10th

Keith and Christine would love to hear from you with questions, comments, personal news and any news at all from Australia or wherever you are. We will reply to all emails! Please write to either windlechristine@gmail.com or windle.keith@gmail.com

Our bus left at one, but instead of enjoying the stroll around town we had intended, I had some pains in the stomach and thought I had better stay close to a toilet. We were talking to Joel on the phone and he suggested a remedy that we already had in our medical kits. We hadn’t even thought to look in them. By the time we had packed up, I was fine. We have been remarkably well, with Keith only having a couple of days of not feeling the best while we were in Greece. Touch wood.

After dropping our bags off at the bus, we went to Osman’s shop to have a look. The kilims were beautiful. We purchased little Kurdish caps for Frey and Yonah. After cups of tea, we met one of Osman’s brothers and admired photos of Osman’s village and family. We were assured that, although some women had up to 16 children, the younger generation were more likely to have two children. Osman told us about his priest friend at the Sumela Monastery, near our next destination of Trabzon, so we will look out for him when we visit.

The bus was just rumbling out of the station when a late passenger and a whole consignment of running shoes had to be fitted on. It was a very comfortable large bus with reclining seats and a steward who brought around drinks. In the ten minutes before the rain started, we vainly tried to catch a glimpse and a photo of Mt Ararat’s twin peaks, but clouds and bus speed were against us.The trip was long, with only one scheduled half hour stop at 9 pm. The scenery was very varied, often looking like treed paradise in the valleys and a moonscape on the hills. We passed nomads minding flocks in the middle of nowhere and one or two round tents for their temporary homes. The hills for most of the way were spectacularly green and red rock. Massive land slides of rocks and erosion caused shapes like dinosaurs to ride on top of loose stone hills and sheer drops. Our trip mostly followed rivers in the valleys, where green stretches of apricot orchards and crops were fed by them.

To entertain us, the bus showed a Turkish film which featured many violent murders and near murders. It also showed ‘Rush Hour 3’, dubbed in Turkish. We had seen it last year, which allowed us to follow the story while listening to the Turkish and focusing on the violence. What a diet of death and destruction. Sadly, that was followed by passing a car accident, although no-one seemed to be badly hurt.
We were going to Trabzon to visit Huseyin, who we had written to last year asking about the weather in his part of Turkey. He had replied with details and also warmly invited us to stay. At last, more than eight months later, we were going to meet. The estimated arrival time of 9 – 10 pm changed to 12 – 1 so when we arrived at the otogar, we took a taxi to Huseyin’s house.

Huseyin and his brother, Hasan, along with Huseyin’s friend Alena, had stayed up to greet us and they gave us a very warm welcome. Huseyin and Hasan have always worked in tourism, with Huseyin now working in a five star hotel in Trabzon and Hasan having retired. Huseyin met the taxi and led us to their apartment on the third floor. We had some supper and then gratefully sank into their very comfortable couch for the night.

Economic development and living standards are starkly lower in many parts of eastern Turkey compared to the south and the west. Families are big, education is poor and vast numbers of people live a subsistence lifestyle, depending on a few animals and a small area of land for the necessities of life.