LAKE UZUNGÖL

We were on the road bright and early after our night of cow pasture camping, and before long the highway hit the Black Sea. We paralleled the coast for most of the day. It was a smooth and scenic drive under sunny skies, cruising on a coastal highway through tunnels and towns, sandwiched between the mountains and the sea.

A little after midday we took a turn onto a windy road up towards Lake Uzungöl. Once we left the coast and entered the highlands the temperature began to drop and a sporadic but heavy cloud cover tumbled through skies above. The road took us into a region of Turkey known for its tea, and the valley we drove through was surrounded by precipitous terrain that held a patchwork of plantations. We arrived at Uzungöl, a little village wrapped around a mountain lake. A large white mosque sat at one end, with gift shops and restaurants lining the water on both sides. There was a noticeable amount of construction going on - guesthouses and little hotels sprouting up throughout the town. It was only mid-afternoon, but unlike our cow pasture camping debacle the night before, we thought we’d get an early start on finding a place to pitch the tent. We drove around the lake and up into the mountains, and within five minutes the steep and windy road turned to dirt.

With every hairpin turn and break in the trees the view became more dramatic, and the farther up we got, the more the temperature dropped. We came to a convergence of roads and spotted a cluster of houses spilling down an opposing mountainside. Johannes was on the search for some tea. We’d passed up the chance to buy some earlier, so we thought we’d try the village. There was no store, only a few dozen homes and a mosque. After parking the car, Johannes asked a couple of men where he could find some tea. When they found out he was German, they yelled down into the village for their friend Ali. It took a couple of minutes, but soon an old man came walking up the path. Ali was Turkish, but had lived in Germany for fifteen years. He’d retired from his job as a welder and had moved back to the village where he was born. 

Johannes’ idea was to buy to some tea to take with us, but instead we were invited into Ali’s home for an afternoon snack. After removing our shoes at the door, he took us into his living room. His home was simple, but nice. The room was dim with the curtains drawn, but the Turkish rugs and wood paneled walls gave the place a cozy feel. Under one of the windows mint leaves where spread out to dry in the afternoon light. It was still Ramadan, so our host couldn’t partake, but he gave us tea and cookies, and sat down to talk with Johannes. They chatted for a while, and Derick and I sat and enjoyed the tea. Evening was approaching, and we still needed to find a place to camp, so after an hour or so, we thanked Ali and left the village.

We retraced the road back to the intersection, and then continued driving up towards the clouds. The tree line broke as we approached another village, and after a bend in the road we smacked into some stunning views. The cloud cover was heavy overhead, and the sun was dropping over the mountaintops, shooting beams of twilight across the valley. We could see Lake Uzungöl below, surrounded by the red-roofed houses of the village. The mountainside was steep, but we spotted some flat ground around the bend, a few hundred yards downhill from the road.

It was an especially choice place to put up a tent, the views were amazing. And after eating what little food we had, we crawled into our tent for the night. The ominous cloud cover was free of rain, but once night fell the chill creeped up through the cold earth and left me with a restless night of sleep. We were awake before dawn and left the tent to welcome the sunrise. The sun brought some much needed warmth, and after packing up our gear, we hit the road for Georgia...

A SHOT IN THE DARK

We left Istanbul in the morning and drove across the Bosporus from Europe into Asia. Johannes took the wheel for the first half of the day, and I drove the rest. We cruised east through a landscape reminiscent of a western movie - red dirt, textured mountain ranges, and big skies. It was approaching dusk and we needed to find a place to camp. We’d already stocked up on some food for the night, and all we needed was a place to sleep. We turned left off the main road and within 200 yards hit dirt and gravel. The sun was getting low, and our dream of parking somewhere along the Black Sea and camping by the water was starting to look pretty grim. So we pulled into a cow pasture. We thought it would be ok, but then we heard gunshots outside of our tent!

It was dark, but I hit record. Here's a crappy little video...

As we packed up our tent the next morning, the same two men that almost chased us out of the cow pasture stopped by to bid us farewell. What a night...

ISTANBUL

Border crossings always take longer than expected. We were all excited once we crossed into Turkey, but it was already well after midnight and we still had a ways to go.

It was approaching dawn by the time we arrived in Sultanachmet, the old-town section of Istanbul. We pulled over by the famous Blue Mosque, looked at a map, wandered around, found some free wifi outside of a hotel, and located a hostel close by.  

We were all pretty wiped out the next morning. Derick had an unsuccessful attempt at acquiring a visa at the Azerbaijan consulate, and I hung out at the hostel and caught up on sleep. We’d been going non-stop for a week, and with plans to stay in Istanbul for a few days, it was nice to unwind a little. 

Derick caught word that a couple of his teacher friends from Korea were passing through, and right after sending them an email, they coincidentally strolled by our hostel while we were outside eating lunch. Müge and Sheryl had just finished a few years of teaching in Korea, and were traveling a bit before heading home. It had been a while since Derick had seen them so we celebrated with a few rounds of beers. They’d planned to head south on a bus that night, but we convinced them to postpone their departure for a day and hang out. After some beers at the hostel, we walked around the corner for dinner. And from there we took a cab to Taksim Square to get a taste of Istanbul’s nightlife. The neighborhood was bustling for a Monday night. We explored the network of alleyways that branch off of the main strip, listened to some live music, and eventually ended up at a bar where the crowd had spilled into the street for an impromptu block party. It was a lot of fun, and not surprisingly turned into another late night.

The next day we said farewell to Müge and Sheryl. Derick stayed back at the hostel, and Johannes and I took off to meet up with my friend Gülce and her sister Janset. Gülce is one of my sister’s best friends from Gettysburg and was in Turkey visiting family. She moved to the states from Istanbul when she was eight and has returned almost every year since. It was great to hang out with someone who spoke Turkish and knew their way around. Plus, Gülce is awesome!

The four of us caught a boat up the Bosporus Straight, which connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, and divides the European and Asian continents. We jumped off at the last stop north, and hiked up to a little hilltop castle with great views overlooking the Black Sea. After the hike back down we snacked on tasty fish sandwiches before boarding the boat back to Istanbul. It was late afternoon by the time we returned, and after a beer we parted ways with Gülce and her sister. It had been a lot of fun, and luckily we had plans to meet up and hang out again the next day. Derick, Johannes and I gave Taksim Square another go that night. What a fun place! We were pretty tired, so after a tasty seafood diner and some live music, we called it a night.

On our last full day in Istanbul we met up with Gülce and her sister for another adventure. Gülce’s friend Brendan also joined us. He had just finished the Peace Corps in Moldova and was making his way back to the states. We all met up in Kadiköy on the east side of the Bosporous, and after checking out a street market, ventured north in a bus. After an unsuccessful go at visiting an old palace, we ended up spending late afternoon by the water, eating ice cream and talking about life. Gülce and Janset had to head back to their grandmother's for dinner, so we parted ways. It was great hanging out with Gülce. Random rendezvous in foreign lands are the best! 

Brendan was staying with a friend close to Taksim Square, so we tagged along with him on the way back. We took a boat across the Bosporus, then hopped a metro up to Taksim Square. From there we walked down to an old lookout tower at dusk. The views from the top were great, and it was the perfect spot for an Istanbul sunset. After coming back down, we parted with ways with Brendan and slowly made our way back to our hostel on foot. We took our time and stopped for beers on the way, and once we got back we packed up the car in anticipation of an early departure the next day.

I need to visit Istanbul again. It was nice to be able to stay for a couple of days, but that city is most excellent, and is ripe for exploring. Food, music, culture, history - it’s got it all! And I will return.