We were off to have a day communing with nature. The bus left at 11 for Erfelek, about 35 km away from Sinop. One of the elderly men at our pension had started to show us the bus stop but had passed us, like a relay baton, to an equally old man who was heading in the right direction. With no suitable third runner in sight to pass us to, a vague circular pointing motion led us to the wrong bus stop. Luckily we had plenty of time and we were redirected to the right spot.
Sinop would be a very good place to hole up in for a month. Apart from its own charm, it has interesting villages all around, forests, caves and the 28 waterfalls at Tatlıca that we had come to see. As soon as we arrived at the square in Erfelek, we found a taxi to drive us the last 14 km to the end of the dam. The price of 50 lira ($A42) seemed expensive but when we saw the state of the roads which meant a half hour drive, and it included picking us up later, it was very reasonable. On the way the driver passed us the bottle of cologne to put on our hands, seemingly a requirement of travel in Turkey and a ritual observed on most trips of a considerable distance. A dark squirrel darted across the road and disappeared into the trees. Numerous large dogs menaced the taxi, making us glad that we hadn’t walked.
Waterfalls gush down the mountainside and once would have fed a river in the valley. Now a dam has drowned everything, including 81 houses. The tops of some trees show that the flooding is fairly recent. The newborn lake is enormous and provides a huge water supply. At the head of the dam the taxi drove across a ford of stones to the picnic grounds. Facing us was the first waterfall, cascading about twenty metres over mossy rocks into a deep pool.
We climbed the mountain up a winding trail. This was floral and foliage heaven, with beech, oak and conifers providing an upper storey and dappled light. The path was lined with flowers and was fairly slushy and slippery. Every now and then a diversion would lead to the base or the head of a waterfall. Every one would have been perfect for a dip in summer and eventually, not able to resist, I did go in for a paddle. We both enjoyed being out in touch with nature and giving our legs and lungs a work out.
On the way up we came to a café. I was ahead and looking through the window, I saw a man in there. We followed a side track and when we returned, the café was deserted, and had been for a long time. There was an unreliable wooden plank floor and a strange old machine that had a chute and a grindstone at the bottom. The dust on the floor was undisturbed until I crossed it. The seats outside were no longer useable and the only other building had a padlock. Who had I seen?
We continued climbing and met a man, a boy and their donkey coming down. The man explained something to us in Turkish, which I gathered was offering me a ride on the donkey to go down, but we declined and continued on our way. A cuckoo’s call sounded just like a clock in a distant room. A myriad of insect life and bird song told us that this lush forest should have had animals but we didn’t see any. Eventually we reached cleared land on top of the mountain and a gate that led to a farm house. It was raining so we decided to go down into the shelter of the forest. On the way back we followed up a few trails we had missed. We picnicked near the first waterfall with our taxi arriving in good time for us to catch the last bus.
We were walking back down the main street of Sinop, feeling very satisfied with the day when we ran into Gökhan . We went off to discuss our new travel plans with the bus company, and agreed to meet him later. Luck was with us and our new destination seemed easily achievable within a reasonable amount of time. Even better, it would be on cheaper small busses.Back with Gökhan again, we were surprised to see Yildirim swish into the parking spot beside us. He invited us out to dinner, but since we had already agreed to do things with Gökhan, who was not included in the invitation, we declined. It was a bit awkward and I am not sure if the right message got across, given our language difficulties. In any case, Yildirim withdrew with good grace and wished us well.
We went on to have a hot potato for tea and some interesting discussions with Gökhan. We had noticed teenagers carrying large red and white discs and had surmised that there was some sport or game which was all the rage for young people in Sinop. It turned out to be students coming and going from practises for the special ceremonies on the 19th of May, which commemorates the beginning of the Independence fight in 1919. Ataturk designated this day as the festival of teenagers so secondary school students take a major role in the bands and with a presentation in which coloured discs spell put words. Students in their final year are exempt from preparations for the ceremony because they are in the midst of exam preparation.
Gökhan is a very thoughtful and interesting person who is very easy to get on with. Together, we marched along the sea front path, passing all the people who had seen the writing on the wall in their mirrors, when they recalled that the bathers season was nearly upon them.
We reached the lake just as the last of the light was fading. Several carloads of men sitting around eating, drinking and smoking, along with quite a few untended cows, were our companions, listening to the din of the frogs. It was the perfect time of the evening for a walk and allowed us to continue chatting.
It was amazing, and just like being in a movie, to see Yildirim yet again, walking towards us with a friend through the foreshore park. He said that he had been looking for us all day to invite us to a meal. He regretted that he had had no time to get us a gift. We explained that we had been to the waterfalls, and I said that his company had been his gift to us. He said that he would learn English for our next visit. I said that I would learn Turkish for it. He offered to take us around the next day but we had decided to leave so that was not possible. He couldn’t have been kinder. We are going to send him the photos that we took on our tour of the peninsula with him.
We wished Gökhan all the best with his exams. Keith had said to him that some time in an English speaking country would be of great benefit to him. There are many constraints, including financial ones, so, knowing that such an opportunity was not likely to come along, Gökhan has done voluntary work with a tour company and for a couple of years, has taken people around. As he said, if you can’t go overseas, then you have to find a way to find overseas in Sinop. We learnt a lot and he was a great help to us in many ways, as well as being excellent company.
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