Along the way we were accosted by a group of friendly youths all wanting to take pictures with the two of us asking where we were from. They were all from Syria, a happy bunch all smiling, I guess some of the lucky ones glad to be away from the fighting.
We gladly obliged and went on our way. The walls as you wind through the steep streets many times block the view so every time you catch a glimpse of the view down the hill through a break in the buildings you have to catch your bearing.
We ended up a little lost in a not so savoury area of the tumbledown town, a nice old man asked me pleadingly if I had a cigarette, I gladly handed a couple over of which he was very grateful. An old woman brushing her doorstep looked quizzically at us wondering what we were doing, we didn t have the language to say we re off to climb a mountain, but the base of it rests by the town's otogar so we politely asked;
"Pardon, nerde otogar?"
She pointed down the alleyway and to the left, and soon we emerged from the maze of back alleys onto the Main Street which cuts sideways across the hill as you look at it in the pictures.
Mardin is not a town designed for rubbish collection :) and although beautiful you do have to dodge the streams of water running down the steep streets, littered at times with rotten food, rubbish and the odd hypodermic needle and syringe complete with blood (I took a close up pic), showing the darker side to the dreamy town of Mardin.
This should not put one of, we were walking through essentially a backstreet residential area, the beauty of the town still over rides any of the above mentioned downsides. It was an interesting juxtaposition nonetheless.
We soon found ourselves at the base of the hillside looking up at another mini mountain to conquer. High up of the hill the local children were scanning through the rocky terrain herding the local goats. If they could get up there why the hell couldn t we?!
The sun was beating down, but the winter temperature still carried a crisp bite in the air, perfect for a stomp up a hill. Halfway up the hill as we suddenly looked back across at the old town, the view was quite spectacular.
If you ever find yourself in Mardin I reccomend this walk/climb. The view back across is like nothing you will get walking around the old town as the building as walls block the view back up the hill. You see the whole place rising up to the rocky fortress on the hill surrounded by the lush green flatlands below, the higher you climb the better the view gets.
The shepherd boys spied us from far up on the hill top and at breakneck speed with the nimbleness of a mountain athlete sped down the mountain to enquire as to what we were doing shouting "Alo, Alo" as they came thundering down the hillside, complete in raggedy clothes and flimsy trainers.
They were a friendly smiling happy bunch, complete with sticks to prod the stubborn goats along the way. "Where are you from!?" Was the question, the one line tht all Turks know how to say even if they speak no English. We chatted briefly saying we were heading for the top, smiling and waving they obliged me for a great photo, shepherd boys in the foreground with Mardin rising in the distance behind.
Not long after we were nearly at the summit as as we looked down we spied the Chinese tourist who had checked into our hotel that morning, complete with camera stand in one hand and a mighty looking beast of a photographic device slung round his neck. This man was out to take some serious photos! We called down to him, he waved and made his way up to us as we waited taking in the spectacular views!
The trio of Englishman, Australian and Chinaman were soon scrambling for the summit through the rocky outcrop which sits atop the hill and before long we had made it! It was well worth it! The views all around were stunning. To the south across the flat farming plains you could see all the way to Syria, back across th way Old Mardin stood impressively, rising up towards the blue sky, the sheer drop down one side of the mountain made the views even more stunning. After the obligatory photos, 'look at me I made it!' We sat down to enjoy a tasty packed lunch in a not so shabby setting :)
The wind whipped across the mountain top but with the views below us to every side it was worth bearing the cold. Soon we decided to descend as the sun was setting and the temperature dropping. The Chinese man was holding out for the sunset, so we said our goodbyes, left him perched on the cliff top camera at the ready for what would be a spectacular photo opportunity I m sure.
Charlie was heading off to Istanbul that evening and then onto Israel and Tel Aviv, he planned to go into Palestine and Jordan also, a great few days had been had having him as a traveling companion, Cappadocia, Nemrut and Mardin, but it was time to part ways and as he made his way to the otogar I stomped up to the top of the town to catch one last glimpse of this soecial place as the sun set over the horizon.
On my walk up, as luck woul have it I bumped into the German, Michael who had joined us up Nemrut with his Ukrainian girlfriend. They had made it to Mardin! He too was looking for a vantage point to take pictures of the town as the sun set. Having been up there that morning I told him to follow me and we found ourselves in and amongst the grave stones which adorn the hilltop just below the fortress. The sunset was something to remember, as the lights of the town gleamed in the setting dusk, the call to prayer hauntingly punctured the silence as we looked over the town and to the horizon as the sky changed to all colours of red and crimson.
I enjoyed a tasty meal that evening in the old town with Michael and Lisa, they were heading onto van and ultimately Kars, so I gave them a few tips from my time there, wolfed down my Adana kebab, tasty it was, packed with flavours and spices and with that we said our goodbyes.
As a lone traveller it's good to meet people every now and again, it breaks up the solitude somewhat, but I was ready to go it alone again and be lost in my own little world that I had been accustomed to in the east. The next morning I awoke and jumped onto the morning bus from Mardin to Kars.
The sole foreign traveler on the bus I was ready for a long 17hr ride. An older gent struck up a conversation, he spoke a little English, he was a truck driver and travelled around Europe delivering goods. He was bound for Denmark on his next journey. Every time the bus stopped we would disembark to stretch our legs and a friendly conversation would start up with my trusty lorry driving friend.
The road cuts straight along the bottom of Turkey through the flat farming plains, the temperature rising to around 12 or so degrees. The sun beat down through the windows turning the left side of the bus into a furnace. To the distance on the right the mountains rose high.
As we passed through Urfa onto Gaziantep, the friendly drinks and food attendant on the bus got his trusty trolley out ready to serve us hot and cold drinks, then disaster and high drama struck!!
To let some fresh air in the driver had kept the side door to the coach open, as we sped along the endlessly straight motorway. The boy lost his footing as he was setting up the trolley halfway down the coach an tumbled out of view down the stairs crashing onto the Tarmac road through the open door as the bus went along at 50 or so km/hr!
The bus screeched to a stop as the boy lay motionless on the road, passengers jumped off to assist him, he lay there lifeless. Everyone's heart was in their mouths, he had taken quite a fall at high speed. There was no blood and he had a pulse, nothing appeared broken. The driver called for an ambulance, but it was taking too long. Ignoring all safety adivce I.e recovery position, don t move the body etc. a strong chap picked him up in his arms like a big baby and we laid him along the back row of seats! on we went driving fast towards the hospital.
On the way the ambulance caught up, the boy was carried off The bus half Conscious and put on a drip, he lay there a mere five mins or so and came too. I thought he would be off to hospital in the ambulance. But this is turkey and the show must go on! They bundled him into the drivers sleeping cabin under the coach with his drip and said he ll be fine in a hour or so. With that we sped off on our way. Sure enough he was up and about and serving drinks am hour later, the trooper!! Only in turkey would you fall out of a moving bus at 50km, then 1
Hour later be back to work!
Along the way a rather rotund bearded Turkish man struck up a conversation;
"Where are you from!" The standard question. After my reply he said
"Me no English, but football, you like?!"
It's amaIng how long a conversation you can have by essentially naming football teams/players you like/dislike!
He said;
"You, Manchester United?"
"Noooo"
"Chelsea?"
""Nooooo"
"Arsenal?"
"Nooooo"
Manchester city?"
"Nooooo"
Liverpool?"
"Yesss"!"
"Me Liverpool too!"
With that we smiled and shook hands!
"Turkey, me glatasaray! " he said, "Drogba"
"Nooo Drogba I said, I hate" he laughed,
"Why?"
"Chelsea and always moaning"
I think he understood and laughed.
Then he was back again
"Gerrard, very good, very good" and have a double thumbs up!
It was then time to get back on the bus and our strange but fun conversation was over :)
We continued on our way, but the drama was to continue! Along came
the Jandarma!! The army, complete with firearms and sniffer dogs!! Being close
To the Syrian and Iraqi borders, they were looking for smugglers of
Contraband! Taking all the ID cards of the Turks and my passport the dog went to work on the luggage. Sure Enough a few minutes later he had sniffed out two suitcases laden with cigarettes! I asked the guy who spoke English how much they cost in Iraq. He said about 1lira a pack. In turkey roughly 7-9lira, so you can see why people take the risk!
We soon had our cards and passports back, as the sun set the rest of the journey through the night passed off without anymore such incidents. I managed to get a few hours sleep
As the coach wound round improbable
Turns up and down steep cliff faces on the south coast of turkey and I awoke finding myself nearing Antalya at around 6am.
As we drove into Antalya it was quite the culture shock. Being in the wild east for so long I had not prepared myself for the immediate change when arriving in Antalya. A real western feel to the place. Modern roads, shopping centres,
Bowling alleys, McDonald's and so on, adorned the roads as we swept into the sprawling modern outskirts of Antalya, I started thinking: "oh crap what have I done" I was so happy in the mountains and valleys of the east!
Turkey really is a 'tale of two countries' if
You will. East and west, throw in the mix the Kurds and you have a stunningly beautiful but complex country. The east, whilst much money is being pumped into infrastructure is still very much developing, the west is already highly developed and noticeably more secular/less openly Muslim. I quickly removed my Kurdish Arab neck scarf, a fashion statement in the UK. In western turkey a sure sign for strange looks! Whilst my skin colour could make me either Turkish or Arab, in western Turkey I would much rather be considered Turkish than Kurdish in these here parts of the land.
I disembarked at the huge Otogar in Antalya wondering what was to await me in this modern Western European style city.
I took the first dolmus of the morning into the centre, asking where Hadrian s gate was, a helpful young Turkish chap told me where to get off. The city was like any other European city.
Hadrians gate appears out of nowhere, a roman relic amongst the modern city. The centre itself is not unappealing, pedestrianised streets and a modern tram system create a user friendly feel
To the inner city.
You enter the old town through the remnants of the Roman emperor Hadrian's gate, and quickly come into a sea of calm. Narrow quaint Paved pedestrianised streets stretch down to the sea front, although highly geared towards tourists, this does not take away from the Beauty of the old town, littered with nice pansiyons, cafes and restaurants, I will admit it was a welcome sight after a 17hr bus journey.
I walked into the courtyard of my pansiyon, comfy outside benches and tables all around, a friendly assistant who spoke good English welcomed me into my dorm lodgings, I was glad for a warm shower and a place to put my things.
That is all I saw of the area that morning, I showered quickly and left on the easy to use tram system out of the city to the last stop (a mere 2tl) then caught a local bus to aksu (2tl) and had a 2km walk to the ancient ruins of Perge! Beware the tour companies will charge you 40euros to go there. Do it yourself through public transport, so cheap and no hassle at all. Plus you get the freedom of going at your own pace.
I jumped off the local bus at aksu and after enquiring with a helpful local I was soon on the 2/3km walk towards Perge, stopping off only to buy some salep, the tasty milky Turkish drink fused with cinnamon and a sesame covered sinat bread from a roadside stand.
As I arrived at the ruins they appeared by the road side out of nowhere. A city originally built around the 1/2nd Century BC but most of the ruins are from the Roman period.
A huge arena stadium is on the left of the road, stunningly still in tact, rows of stone seats in a perfect oval complete with entrance arches, this must have been privy to some exciting contests and battles back in the day. The enormity and scale Of just the arena alone and the fact it was constructed so long ago was immense. One could just imagine the chariots and horses entering through the huge stone arches.
As I paid my 15tl I wandered into the main city not sure what sights were there for me to see.
It was epic. If you ever get the time and your in Antalya, go there.
As it was off season I rarely bumped into any tourist around the complex due to the incredible size of the place. I have not been to any other ancient city ruins before, well Nemrut, but that's not so much a city as a unique tomb and group of statues atop a huge mountain :) So I have nothing to equate it too, say for example Ephesus.
As I walked through the city gates the size and structure of the place takes you instantly, I walked off to the left trough the remnants of the ancient baths, the intricate design and immense size was still there to see. A mixture o marble and stone construction, the weight of just one marble column would dwarf any new build home wall these days. How they transported and fashioned all this makes it more spectacular as the marble columns glistened in the sunlight.
I jumped through an archway and wanted to get off the beaten track of the site, by the size of it I would guess only 30odd % has been excavated, the rest remains under earth and soil waiting to be discovered!
Through the mixture of bushes, scrub and random scattered roman stones I stumbled across a young shepherd! Turns our the Turkish archeological board turn a cheeky blind eye to the odd shepherd herding his sheep about the huge complex!
He struck up a conversation and quickly tried to sell me some Roman coins, he assured me he found them about the site. I had no reason to disbelieve him but decided to keep my money in my pocket. I asked if you could walk through the west side as you look at the complex, he said "yes yes, very good, no problem"
With that I continued on my quest. Dodging sheep as I went! The wall around the city is mostly tumbledown, but still you can see the enormity of its size. The city itself fell To Alexander the great with no bloodshed, it was quite something to think that the man himself had walked through these walls.
I spied a hill in the distance at he back of the city covered mostly in reeds and bushes with a few ruins dottedabout the hillside. Given my precious few days of hill climbing antics I made a beeline for it! There may have been a sign saying do not enter unexcavated areas, but I figured if I could see the young shepherd herding his sheep about these no go areas, it was a rule pretty much like the smoking ban, they didn t give a crap what you did :)
I was quickly near the summit, picking my way through bushes and ruins, the sun was a cheeky 17 degrees, on leaving the hostel I was still in east mode and found myself sweating under my copious amounts of layers :) lucky I had my rucksack to offload them into.
As I looked down from the hilltop you could see the whole city complex laying before you, if you ever go there I recommend the climb, it gives the city perspective, and it's a damn enjoyable view.
I descended and walked through the huge columned walkways deciding to have my packed lunch In such a fine place. A stray dog who had been following me awhile waited patiently and pathetically for some scraps, he was so skinny and forlorn I took pity and threw him some bread and cheese. He gobbled it up in no time and I knew I had a friend for the rest of my visit. He was a nice little black and grey stray and he followed me loyally as I three him bits of chocolate and bread for the rest of my amble around the ruins, we became quite the couple by the end of it! I got into the habit of calling him along if he wandered off!
I found myself finding out the areas no one was venturing into,
mist just walked down the main excavated Main Street. Whilst listening to my music I sat there drinking in the enormity and history of the place in the hot midday sun. But after 3/4 hours as the sun started setting it was time to go. A good day spent in such a awe inspiring place. Stones littered the site inscribed in perfect creek and roman showing the history of the place.
Only spoilt by the odd retired German man or two complete with ageing wife plastered in war paint walking beer bellied and topless around the site looking highly unintested in the place. (The men walking topless that is,
not the wives, :) )
One particular couple did provide great amusement to me though, as the topless husband was instructing his legging clad not so slim wife to sit astride/stand next to all Manner of roman ruins and columns posing for his camera complete with huge lens. I chuckled at what their lounge wall will look like after they get those
Photo s developed. But they seemed to be enjoying themselves, Well she definitely was by the poses she was pulling :) why not bring your wife to a roman ruins for a amateur photo shoot, if that's your thing! If provided me much amusement, So everyone was a winner!
I returned to Antalya via local bus and tram and wandered Around the old town some more. Although not really a backpackers budget kind of town, as I said before, it is quant and picturesquein the old town, and plenty to see inthe surrounding areas. I made my way back to the hostel where an excitable table of
Korean medical students greeted me in the courtyard! They very nicely invited me
To sit with them and I chatted awhile about my day swapping sightseeing stories. They had forked out the 60 euros for the tour, I was quietly pleased with my budget self made version.
Not one to make stereotypes ;) but there were times when I would say something they all found interesting or surprising and in unison the whole group would go "ahhhhhhhh" or "ohhhhhhhhh" with such timing I wish someone else was there to chuckle along with me, on the inside of course :)
Today I was toying with the idea of going to Side to see some more ruins. Having seen Nemrut and Perge and such a good
time was had at both I didn t want to soil it and see one ruin too many. It has been a amazing trip and with the weather pushing 21 degrees today I decided on doing sweet bugger all today :)
I wandered along te cliff top, the pansiyon is but a 100m walk from the sea and view point. The cliffs plunge down into the stil emerald green clear waters, on the other side of the bay the snow capped mountains dominate the horizon as the occasional boat sails past.
Local Fisherman cast their rods hopefully into the strikingly clear waters below. Casting off the many huge rocks that litter The coastline under the cliffs.
I followed the unofficial pathway and clambered part way down the cliff, and sat there for quite a while taking in the the view and contemplating a successful trip had .
the trip, however, is not over just yet and I found my way to a private beach looking out over the bay. It was deserted, no one was on it and the water looked so inviting. For the price of one beer I was allowed down! For the whole afternoon I had the beach to myself, tres bon indeed. The clear water soon called me in and I was swimming in Antalya bay looking at the Mountains around and back at my still empty beach.
To the locals I guess the water is cold, but to an Englishman, 21 degrees and 15 degree water is paradise after a childhood of visiting north welsh beaches!
So ended my stay in Antalya, a lovely visit to Perge and a afternoon on my private beach sipping a nice cool
Beer or two after a tres enjoyable swim.
To cap it off I went back to the cliff tops, scrambled down to where many of the local young people congregate in the evening, understandably so, the view over the bay to the mountain is perfect as the sun sets over the horizon, I found a private little spot and perched on the cliff , sat back and enjoyed one last Antalyan sunset. Looking out over the bay.
Tomorrow it's back to Istanbul for one night, maybe chance for a museum or two, The Topkapi palace. Maybe none of them ;) maybe a lazy day, we ll see. Well
You ll see when my final blog is written in a day or two :)
A afternoon flight to London and resultant night out In the big smoke beckons this Friday. Back to Blighty with a bang.
Will post my last blog of this trip sometime after Friday, till then folks!
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