Adventure Travel in the Middle East

Always Accept Alcohol…from Iranians

September 22, 2010 By Danny

Everyone knows never to get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slight less well known is this: never deny the offer of a beer from an Iranian when friendship is on the line!

Iran, more than any other country these days, fills the headlines as America’s number one threat. We are Americans and that should mean that Iran is our enemy. This is the country whose most recent news headline have revolved around such punishments as stoning and lashing. As we travel through the Soviet states our parents grew up with, it is easy to think of Iran as today’s threatening menace. Many of us don’t know what goes on inside, and are left wondering….and worrying.

Taking a day trip out from the Armenian capital of Yerevan we were on a bus heading to some ruins when another tourist asked us first if we spoke English and then confirmed we were all going to the same place. She, an Iranian English professor, was on holiday with another female friend who was an architect. Neither lady wore a headscarf. A man made up the trio, he was a dentist but didn’t speak much English.

The first of the sites we went to, the Garni temple, was a bit underwhelming and probably wasn’t worth the trip out from the city for us. It consisted of a single Hellenic temple and a few scattered ruins of the old baths. We toured site together, and then shared a taxi from the Garni Temple to the Geghard Monastery further up the road. (Much nicer than the Garni temple, best Monastery yet) As we were sitting and waiting for our final bus back to town, a cup was suddenly placed into my hand by the dentist. Next I knew, it was filled with beer. We had hardly said two words to one another, his English not being too much better than my Farsi, but it was a hot day and he aimed to quench my thirst and his own…not something he was permitted to do within his own country. I asked how to say thank you in Farsi and was disappointed to find out that the Iranians, like the Armenians, simply use the French ‘merci’ because it is easier. They saw my disappointment and proudly shared that the word ‘Bazaar’ is of Persian origin. As we sat on that bus riding back to town, passing a beer around the back and sharing some chips and popcorn, one thing was absolutely clear: These three people were no more capable of terrorism than me.

It was the start of this encounter though that I will remember the best. As we walked together down the street, we found ourselves exchanging the usual pleasantries. They said they were from Iran and upon hearing that I’m sure our eyes were as wide as theirs were when we answered with our home country. We told them how much we had wanted to visit Iran but that the visa process was simply too difficult and costly for us and that those few people we’ve known who have actually gone there had only good things to say…especially about the people. They blushed and thanked us for the kind words and said that everyone really is all the same and wants the same things. We agreed and we all expressed hope and expectations that the current divisions between our countries would not be long lasting. After a mere two minutes of conversation, they offered to personally sponsor a visa for us if we thought it would be helpful. (Don’t worry mom, we denied…but only because it wouldn’t have helped 🙂 )

With the rest of our time in Yerevan we visited the National History Museum as well as the Museum and Monument to the Armenian Genocide. With the help/force/urging/etc of the best Couchsurfing hosts in Yerevan we ate gobs of traditional food and loved every minute of it.

IF YOU GO: There are several day trips around Yerevan. We took public transportation to Garni Temple and from there shared a taxi to Gerhard Monastery. Guidebook times were way off, Yerevan to Garni took nearly an hour on the bus not 25 minutes. Taxi’s in Yerevan were relatively inexpensive, but the entire center is easily covered on foot. Don’t miss Botero’s fat soldier in the park between the Opera and Cascade. The season hadn’t opened yet for the symphony or opera while we were there, but tickets are extremely inexpensive and I would recommend checking them out if you’re interested in a night of culture.

Trabzon & Sumela Monastery

September 8, 2010 By Jillian

From atop Nemrut we could almost see to Iraq and Iran. Ok, not exactly, but the fact was we were pretty close. Unfortunately, political situations being what they are, our silk road journey had to continue north instead of south. From Nemrut we headed to the Black Sea, on the err “Northern Silk Road.”

The Black Sea coast is beautiful, not at all like the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, it rises quickly into the hills. Hidden among the hills are a number of old monasteries and churches, many of which pre-date the Ottoman empire and are decorated in magnificent byzantine frescoes. Northeastern Turkey, although still predominately Muslim, is home to a number of Greek Orthodox Christian’s as well, many of whom originated in Georgia or Armenia. Although many religious figures were exiled and run out of Turkey nearly a century ago, Christianity continues, and just recently a historic visit by the Greek Patriarch to Northeastern Turkey prompted the home for a potential thaw in religious relations.

Sumela Monastery, the grand dame of monasteries in the area, is tucked into a cliff overlooking the magnificent Alt?ndere valley. Set 1000 feet above a river, the monastery looks like something out of a fairy tale on first glance. Small but beautiful, we explored the site from top to bottom. Badly vandalized over time, the vibrantly colored frescoes still survive today. For me, the graffiti atop the religious scenes was actually the most interesting thing about the Monastery and I found myself wanting to photograph the medieval frescoes with “I was here” written in Greek, Russian and any number of other languages more than anything else. Graffiti, although incredibly destructive, is interesting. In Egypt we saw a “Napoleon was here” message in one of the Temples, and although I would never carve a message myself, it is interesting to see historical messages left over time.

Although Christian communities still exist in Turkey, the area is still predominately Muslim. Ramadan observance requires Muslim’s to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking or other distractions during daylight hours. About an hour or two before Iftar, the break fast meal, the streets fill with people rushing about to purchase sweets, food and drink for the big meal. In Trabzon there was a palpable excitement in the area at this time, and the sleepy streets where shop keepers had napped away the afternoon were suddenly full. One evening we found ourselves in downtown Trabzon five minutes after the breaking of the fast. Not another soul was on the street, a single car passed us, driving at break neck street, rushing home to eat. We laughed to ourselves, knowing that had we been fasting, we would have been the same way. As tourists we’re not expected to fast during Ramadan, but we are courteous and careful about eating in the open, especially in more religious areas. On the coast and in the major tourist areas there’s no problem with openly eating and all the restaurants are open and full. In fact, in these areas a number of Turks don’t keep the fast themselves and the atmosphere is lively all day. In the more rural areas the streets are quiet during the day, very little commerce goes on, and we’ve found ourselves surreptitiously eating in the back of stores, Church courtyards and ducking behind bus seats.

If You Go: Trabzon is easily accessible and serves as the gateway to Northeastern Turkey and the Kaçkar Mountain range. Hiking and camping opportunities exist in the area, but come prepared with most of your own gear. Onward transportation to Georgia is very frequent. Nearby Ayder is a popular summer vacation spot for Turks who come to enjoy the hot springs and day hikes.

Mt Nemrut: Zeus, Hercules, & Big Heads

September 6, 2010 By Danny

With an overnight bus to take us from our mountain bike tour of Cappadocia straight to Mt Nemrut, we never thought much about the idea of taking a rest before hiking up 3,000 feet of elevation. After our bike ride in Cappadocia we were able to fall asleep on our bus before we even pulled out of the station and didn’t wake up until we’d arrived at our destination….still it wasn’t enough and I was due to pay for it.

The peak of Nemrut Dagi is over 2,100 meters in elevation marking the highest we’ve been in quite sometime. The peak though is something of a shame, it’s not real. The mountain was chosen by a pre-Roman king wanted to sit amongst some gods whom he considered his relatives and carved a nice ledge for some giant statues (with even bigger heads). This wasn’t enough though, he then created a big hill of rocks up the mountain to be made into a new summit to serve as his eternal tomb. Gotta love those monarchs.

The walk, truly, was easy enough. Follow the road from just outside our pension and don’t deviate until we see some giant stone statues. We started walking around 2pm, giving us plenty of time to get there before sunset. We were exhausted though, and I walked nice and slow. We watched as a horse escaped its pen and was chased through the hills by its master. I stopped to say hello to some cows and to admire a street sign that had been completely covered in bird droppings. I looked for any excuse to stop… I was exhausted and the 3 hour hike took me a solid 4 hours….and I was doing it without any gear.

Some people like to climb Nemrut and spend a night at the top and get up for sunrise. The wind in the evening was enough to make me sure that wasn’t in the cards for us….sunrise looks the same as sunset anyhow. When we gazed at those giant heads, sitting on the ground in front of the wrong statues (the heads were too big to be supported by their bodies and fell, they were stood back up by modern archaeologists) I thought they looked a touch small but didn’t leave without taking a chance to flex my muscles in front of Hercules.

Walking around to the other side we sat with the friends we started the hike with (but couldn’t keep up with) and had some tea. We started talking to a Kurdish man who leads trips through Eastern Turkey and Northern Iraq. He gave us his card. You probably think you know where this is going but you’d be wrong, we had already decided not to head further east, or south for that matter. The funny part about this man was that his name was Montana and it had been given to him by the US forces he had worked with throughout the rest of Iraq where he had been attacked over 10 times. Whether we believe him or not is irrelevant, the point is that we are in a region where people have seen and experienced the power of the US in ways we simply cannot imagine. They are part of a living history, one we hope to explore in the coming months as we go to countries that end in the letters ‘stan.’

IF YOU GO: We went directly from Cappadocia to Kahta which is the nearest town to Nemrut. We stayed on the slopes of the mountain in the town of Karadut which was easy enough to reach with a minibus from Kahta. There was no need to purchase a tour from Cappadocia or from within Kahta, we were able to get to Karadut via bus and walk the remaining 12km walk on our own without a problem. There are some other small archaeological sites in the area though and if you are interested in seeing those, then a tour would be advisable. All four hotels in Karadut offer transportation to/from Nemrut for about 50 TYL round trip per car. From Kahta it is easy to get to Adiyman or Sanliurfa which serve as local transportation hubs to the rest of the country. We stayed at the Karadut Pension and a quick call to the owner provided us with mini-bus instructions to reach his place from Kahta.

Foodie Friday: Pide, our Turkish Favorite

September 3, 2010 By Danny

If the word ‘pizza’ comes from the word ‘pita,’ then the ‘pide’ must be the missing link.

Our first taste of the Turkish pizza was when we lived in Washington, DC. Our favorite neighborhood restaurant, once it opened, was the Turkish place on 8th street, about two blocks from our home. We took tons of people there, many of them couchsurfers, where we almost always ordered a pide, or two or three…

If you can imagine a canoe shaped pizza, (New York style, not that nasty, greasy stuff from Chicago) then you can imagine a pide. (Editor’s Note: Ahem, what Danny?) The toppings are usually a bit different bit different than we’d have at home however. The most common pide is the Kymali, my favorite, which is a mix of peppers, onion and minced meat. Sometimes other Mediterranean treats such as olives and cheese are added as well but this usually isn’t a Kymali then, it’s another type of pide. There are many to choose from, just like back in the US.

Because it doesn’t always have cheese, and isn’t a full circle, it actually makes a fairly light meal as compared to most pizza I’m used to. We often share a pide when we’re snacking, or each have our own when we’re actually in for a meal. Over our three days in Cappadocia, we went to the same pide place three days in a row. A full pide there cost a mere five Lira or about $3.30. The restaurant came to know us so well that they didn’t mind when I invaded their kitchen to take a few photos for the blog.

Cappadocia: A bike trip to the moon

September 2, 2010 By Danny

Picture this: two volcanoes. One explodes and spews soft rock. The second explodes and covers that soft rock with hard rock. Over time water eats away at both rocks, but the hard protects the soft below it. People arrive, want to hide from various empires and dig themselves into the soft rock. That is a short history of Cappadocia.

Arriving in Cappadocia before 6am we were practically still dreaming when we walked off the bus and saw a sky filled with hot air balloons floating over buildings built into cave walls and mountainsides. Taking advantage of the cool air of the morning, we set out for a hike through one of the nearby canyons and found ourselves alone surrounded by cave homes. Near each dwelling, up high in the rock were curious holes, home to pigeons, all decorated to help the pigeons find their way back. Strange rock forms abounded, and we had the entire place to ourselves. Arriving back in town as the heat set in, we checked into our hotel room, or err cave. For the same price as a couple of dorm beds back in Istanbul, we booked a private cave room. Feeling like the Flintstones we slept like “rocks.”

Our tour of Cappadocia continued like this for two days, visiting strange rock formations and staring at the incredible power of wind and water. We visited tremendous underground cities. Yes, I used the word city, each one once held several thousand people. The Goreme Open Air Museum was a collection of cave dwellings and monasteries carved into the cave walls with byzantine frescoes adorning the walls and ceilings. Strange towers rose from the ground where the hard rock on top protected the soft rock below from centuries of water, and souvenir shops were never in short supply.

We did manage to do more than just some site-seeing. We rented mountain bikes for the first time since we biked Kruger NP in South Africa. Against the suggestion of our rental agency, we took those bikes through one of the narrowest canyons in the Cappadocia area, without a decent map or a compass. Don’t worry, it doesn’t end badly. In fact, we pulled, hoisted and hiked those bikes along a precarious trail. At one point we had to use ropes to pull ourselves and those rental bikes up and over giant rocks. The few times we were able to ride, we took those bikes through caves and under gorgeous arches. Pulling our bikes up a rather steep hill at the end, we caught an Italian tour group off guard. Staring at us in disbelieve, the souvenir shop owner offered us water and juice (for a price of course) and tried to sell us her hand made lace. Opting instead to celebrate with baklava and yummy pides, we coasted downhill back to Goreme, arriving two minutes before the bikes had to be returned.

IF YOU GO: We were lucky enough to be traveling with a pair of Aussies from our Blue Cruise and shared a car rental for about $60 for a very nice 24 hours. This probably worked out in our favor but not by much. The tour prices are reasonable if you want to see everything but Cappadocia is a perfect place to just go for a walk through the surrounding canyons (if you base yourself in Goreme) and take an occasional bus trip to a nearby city to see an underground city. We stayed in the Nomad Cave Hotel and had a very nice time there in our own cave room with breakfast, dormitories were also available. We took a direct overnight bus from Olympos to arrive in Goreme but there are connections to Goreme from all major cities such as Istanbul and points further east. You might have to connect through one of the nearby larger cities such as Kayseri, however, which is also home to the main airport.

Always Accept Alcohol…from Iranians

Trabzon & Sumela Monastery

Mt Nemrut: Zeus, Hercules, & Big Heads

Foodie Friday: Pide, our Turkish Favorite

Cappadocia: A bike trip to the moon

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