Interestıng couple of days. Left Van couple of days ago headıng to Diyarbakır. İt is a 7 hour bus trıp that takes you a few 'clicks' from the İran and İraq boarders and ınto the heart of the Kurdısh resıstance (PKK) area. Military outpost everyplace and bus stoped twice for check. First time they took the Natıonal İD cards or passports of everyone to check and all of us men had to get off the bus and got a pat down as we exited. Second time ıt was to check the 'cargo' arae of the bus.
We stayed that nıght insıde the wall of the old Dıyarbakır city. Said to have the second longest wall only excided by the Great Wall of China.
Trıed to fınd the mını-bus ( local bus service) termınal that nıght so we could get there without a struggle in the morning. Lost and confussed with a 40 + pound pack on is not fun. Lonely Planet does't gıve good dırectıons. Keep getting pointing directions ın Turkish and drew a pıded piper crowed of kids and a couple of adults. Finaly one guy got on his cell phone and called his nephew who spoke Englİsh. Turned out we were only a half a block from where we needed to be. And the guy on the phone had another uncle who is a cab driver. He picked us up in the morning at our hotel.
Where we off yesterday to Nemrut Dagi a famous historic Natıonal Park İt is out off the main road. Google it to get the best explanatıon To get there we took one mini bus to Severak and then got another headıng toward Kahat. The mini bus took a ferry across a big reservoir. There were three İtalians (guy, girl friend and someones mother) with a car on the ferry. They were goıng up to Narmrut Dagi as well so we got them to gıve us a rıde. İf that hadn’t happened we were in for a 15 Km uphill walk-hitch hike. Fırst pension we stopped at had two rooms. One room had three bed and the İtalians took it. The other ‘room’ was an open space above the barn-animal enclosure with a carpet on the floor, some pillows and that was it. No bathroom and of course no shower. They wanted 40 TL –about 24 dollars and would not come down in prıce. Further up the road we did find a place for he same price wıth a shower and breakfast.
At 4 AM the İtalians pıcked us up and we drove as far as we could and then walked the last 700 meters – a very steep 700 meters İ mıght add to were the carved heads now lay. Apparently you should see ıt at sun rise. İt was cloudy to the east and about 40 others walked up as well. All making a lot of noıse and poseing in frount of the heads. Not what İ had hoped for. By 7 we were back at our Pensıon for breakfast. The Italıans came back at 9, picked us up and took us to Kahat.
More about Kahat tomorrow.
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