Pilgrimage from Eryaman (Ankara) to Isletmeleri (Ankara) 20/06/08

The amazing hospitality continues and a huge breakfast is waiting for me upon waking. Spending the morning lounging around and chatting it's a relaxing way to start the day. Knowing I only have 25kms today I'm not concerned about leaving late and it's noon before I make a move.

Omer takes me back down to the main road and leaves me to it. Nothing but highway today so plugging myself into my ipod I drift off.

A fresh gust of wind brings the scent of rain, but glancing around there isn't a cloud to be seen. A few minutes and a few gusts later I can't shake the feeling it's about to piss down...

I stop, look around, but still no sign of rain...strange??? Turning to face behind me I'm confronted by huge dark clouds brewing in the distance. Shit! I have to meet my next couchsurfing host at 5pm and I only just have enough time to make it. Stopping for a thunderstorm isn't in my plans :(

Upping my pace I try to outrun it but the effort is futile...and just my luck, as the first drops start falling I find military bases on either side and nowhere to hide!

With torrential rain bearing down I'm just about at a run when relief comes in the form of a BP. It couldn't have been better timed... even before the shop assistants can offer me tea the heavens let go. Awesome!!!

With thunder and lightning to boot I feel no need to torture myself and keep walking. I figure bugger it, if it doesn't stop soon I'll just bus it to the meeting spot. The BP has wireless and finding myself a little corner I set up camp to wait the storm out...

Forty-five minutes later the skies are blue once again but I think the damage is done. It's looking like I will be late...

Keeping a good pace I stop at a service station to ask how far I have to go...

"Where are you going?"

"The 5M Migros, Ankamall..."

"5kms"

It's already 16:30 and there is no way I'll make it on time. Luckily for me a truck driver overhears our conversation and offers me a lift. Considering I'm only going to bus it back to Ankamall anyway when I restart in a couple of days (yep, thats right...tomorrow I'm having a break!!! yippee!!!) there is not much difference in starting 5kms before...or so I tell myself anyway :)

Meeting my new host, Zeynep, we head straight back to her apartment to relax. She works as a check-in agent at the airport and has just finished a split shift so is feeling pretty buggered herself. Much to her credit though she is still a perfect host :)

Zeynep has two friends up from her home town as well as her brother so after a wonderful dinner we all head out to have a quick look around the neighborhood. The last stop is a mosque with the first level being used as a shopping center. We need beer for the soccer game tonight so I ask Zeynep if she thinks they sell beer inside...

Shrugging "Maybe, they have a supermarket"

Maybe!!! The chance of finding a mosque selling beer is all a bit too exciting for me and I'm wishing I bought the video camera. But don't worry...if I find beer inside I will be back ;)

Unfortunately, as hard as we search we keep coming up empty handed, but we do get a laugh at the reaction of the supermarket staff when we ask :)

The game tonight is Turkey Vs Croatia in the Quarter Finals of the European Cup, so it's a pretty big deal. Once again Turkey starts off with an ordinary performance and is lucky with the 0-0 score after 90 minutes. They finally get it together and the game is great to watch over the next 29 minutes but then with one minute left on the clock Croatia score! It's a disaster!!! The Turkish fans are already crying before the game restarts and the mood is pretty miserable but with one second to go Turkey equalize!!! The Croatians are now the ones totally demoralized turning the penalty shootout into a complete non-event....

Then the celebrations start! The honking horns and fireworks carry on way after we all call it a night...

Pilgrimage from Basbereket to Eryaman (Ankara) 19/06/08

Waking in my perfect little campsite feeling great, I'm ready to make the push into Ankara. The walking is easy and within a few kilometers the road starts it's decent.

Coming around one of the cuttings I'm snapped out of my daydream by a pile of rocks cascading down the hill. Checking to ensure more aren't to follow I realize one of the rocks has it's legs in the air kicking! It was a tortoise trying to scale the cliff which set the whole thing off and now he's not looking in such good shape :)Watching in amusement to see if he will be able to right himself my conscience soon gets the better of me and I go to help...

No sooner than he is on his feet he is once again on his way to the top. Some tortoises never learn :) I want to wait and see how far he gets this time because the last two meters are vertical, but tortoises being tortoises it looks like its going to take him a while. So wishing him well I set back off.

Stopping for breakfast at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, I'm impressed with the amount of customers milling around this early in the morning. An old woman works away, bent over a big hot-plate pumping out pancake looking things filled with cheese. They disappear into the mouths of the hungry patrons as fast as she can dish them out...there's no way I'm missing out on one of these ;)

And I'm not to be disappointed, the are great and I'm left wondering why more shops along the way haven't caught on...

Once again they refuse to let me pay and I leave with a full belly and in great spirits.

My couchsurfing hosts this evening have told me they will be visiting their parents till 8pm so I'm in no hurry and take my time, stopping regularly. The service station staff are looking after me extremely well today with plenty of tea, baklava (mmmm mmmmmmm!!!) and even a hat! :)

Arriving at the meeting place a couple of hours early I sit down for another fermented carrot juice (yes, sucker for punishment I know ;) ) and catch up on my blogs.

Omer soon shows up and guides me back to his apartment which he shares with his wife Havva. The two of them are great and are extremely eager to make me comfortable and enlighten me on the subtleties of Turkish culture.

I find out the white berries I've taken a liking to are called dut and the best in Turkey come from Ayas, the village I passed through yesterday. Omer goes on to explain the best nagile comes from Beypazari, the best manti (what Havva is preparing us for dinner) is from Kayseri and the best girls from Izmir...

Bugger!!! Should have taken the coastal route after all ;)

Dinner is awesome and after a little raki its time for bed. Thanks guys, wonderful evening! :)

Writers Block :)

Hey everyone...

Well, as you can see from the title I have been having a bit of trouble getting pen to paper recently...or fingers to keyboard anyway...

I promise some new blogs will be up shortly. And don't worry, I've been taking notes so nothing will be left out ;)

Take care and see you all soon...

Ben :)

Pilgrimage from Akkaray to Basbereket 18/06/08

Waking early in a farmers field I get straight into it, arriving shortly at Akkaray. Sitting drinking tea at the local cafe I'm amazed at the constant stream of people coming and going from this tiny little village. One bus after another stops with passengers getting on and others jumping off...what are they all doing???

I don't find out before making my move and as I wasn't able to get breakfast in Akkaray I'm happy to stop a short while down the road at the first restaurant I find...

"Pide please"

The guy walks over to the clock and points to the "6", a thirty minute wait...

"What about salad, can you do a salad?"

He looks at me like I'm being a stupid impatient Westerner (I don't know why ;) ), then points at the "6".

OK, OK, I get the picture...I don't really feel like walking anyway.

Going next door to buy a drink I'm once again surprised that they don't have Sprite or 7-Up! Seems to be a bit of a scarcity around these parts. As I'm searching for something else to quench my thirst I spot what looks like vegetable juice. Picking one out I turn to the shopkeeper...

"Good???"

He pulls a funny face and shakes his head but now I'm curious so I buy it anyway. On my first sip I could tell what he was on about...tastes like drinking sea water, only more salty! On closer inspection the label tells me it's "Fermented Carrot Juice". Must be good for me!!! ;)

Sitting waiting for my pide a guy pulls up in a car and takes a seat at my table. He can't speak much English but keeps me company for about 15 minutes, then before he leaves goes and pays for my meal! Champion :)

By the time I leave it's 11am and starting to get really hot! Slogging away for two hours I spot an empty shed and take cover, soon to fall asleep, waking two hours later to find the temperature has only increased. I'm sure Ayas must be close, it was only 23kms from my starting point so I set off with thoughts of a cold beer driving me on. A couple of kilometers down the road a sign appears "Ayas 10"!!! Still ten kilometers!!! How did that happen? I know I've been walking slow but that means I have only covered 13kms in the last 8 hours!!! Not impressed :)

The only thing to cheer me up is that cherry stalls starting appearing with super happy owners eager to load the funny looking tourist up with more cherries than he'd be able to eat in a lifetime. Keeps me going :)

Finally hitting Ayas at 5pm I don't even realize I'm in town. For some reason I thought it would be quite big but I stop at a service station for a drink and ask one of the workers...

"How many kilometers to Ayas?"

Looking slightly confused and pointing to the ground "Ayas, Ayas"

OK..."How far to the town center?"

"500m"

I can see 500m down the road and it looks like that's just about where the town ends. Oh well...

It turns out Ayas is slightly bigger than I could see as the town center is located down the hill from the main road. But As there is internet and restaurants close by I have no need to walk down and have a look.

Over the few hours I get a continuous stream of tea and cherries. The funniest moment comes though while eating dinner. The guy sitting at the table next to me hasn't said a word to me or even looked my way. But then he gets up, pays his bill, walks across the road and comes back with a handful of cherries which he proceeds to dump on my table and walk off...still without saying anything! Takes the cake for the most random act of kindness for the day :)

But I have to admit it's times like this I get the feeling someone is playing a practical joke on me. Like the kid who has "Kick Me" written across his back, maybe someone has taken the time to tatoo "Feed Me" on my forehead without me realizing... :)

Making a move around 21:30, with the full moon guiding the way, I make another 12kms before calling it a night.

Pilgrimage from Cayirhan to Akkaray 17/06/08

One of the best things with sleeping under a bridge is that there is no sun to wake me up in the morning. Eventually dragging myself out of bed around 9am my bread and cheese stays in it's bag, still not doing it for me. Maybe there is only a certain amount of bread and cheese one person can consume in a lifetime and my quota is already up... :)

Beypazari is 20kms away and I still hope to be there for lunch. Already it's bloody hot though and the going is hard. Over every rise I eagerly search for signs of habitation, a restaurant, a service station, anything at all that will offer me a place to sit and rest...but all I am greeted with is endless fields of wheat!

After two hours I top a rise and see a patch of trees below. Three woman come into view, hurriedly working there way around one of the trees like busy ants. Drawing next to them I drop my pack and collapse in a heap. One of the woman tries to communicate with me in German but we don't get far. She hands me one of the berries she is collecting and indicates I should eat it...

Now, I have seen these trees many times before laden with berries but I have never seen anyone eating them. They look like big white blackberries and I have been tempted to try them on numerous occasions, but then hear Sabine's story in my head of a guy who did a pilgrimage around America, got lost and died after eating berries. She had seen a movie about him and that was all the warning I needed to stay away from strange looking fruits...

But surely this woman isn't trying to knock me off so I give it a go. WOW!!! Boy have I been missing out! They are great!!!

So now there are four busy bodies working their way around the tree. The women call it a day and drive off leaving me to gorge myself stupid...which I do :)

Not long after they leave I get a visit from the local ferret/mongoose/prairy dog community. I don't really know what to call them but all these types of creatures fascinate me. The best thing is they are not too worried about my presence in their yard and as long as I don't get too close, are happy to play around in front of me.

I get moving and 5kms later come across another of the same type of berry tree. I know realize how much of a good job the three old ducks did of stripping the last one. Even though I still got a good feed, the berries I was eating were only half the size and half as juicy as the ones now in front of me :)

The walking is hot and the country dry but I eventually drag myself into Beypazari. Heading straight to a restaurant then to an internet cafe, it isn't long before it's six o'clock. I better get moving. Unsure as to the facilities ahead I stock up on some nuts and water...

Everyone I've talked to in this town has pointed West making "guzel, guzel" (beautiful, beautiful) noises and the guys in the nut shop are no different. Asking if I have been up that way I indicate a negative and that's that...there not letting me leave without seeing the pride of their town!

So after being bundled into their car we head West and five kilometers later the road gets engulfed in a huge canyon. Very impressive! The guys take me to a restaurant, lead me right to the back of the garden where we have a great view of the cliffs, sit me down and then excuse themselves to go talk to a couple of friends that were out the front.

My tea arrives, then some rice, then a salad. I suddenly realize the table has only been set for one and I start to wonder what has happened to my "mates"???

A sinking feeling comes over me as I notice all I have with me is the video camera and still camera, everything else is in their car...computer, the other video camera, passport, credit cards, money... :(

Ten minutes has already past since they left so I figure if they have ripped me off there is not much I can do now. Without any money this might be the last meal I get for a while so I might as well enjoy it. Once again it's the type of situation where what's done is done and I just have to hope it all turns out fine...

And it does, just as I finish the food they turn back up apologizing for taking so long. Ordering an absolutely superb dessert to finish off they then refuse to let me pay. Champions!!! Thanks guys :)

It's 8pm, but being close to a full moon I'm not worried about walking at night. I grab a couple of beers on the way out of town and start walking. The moon is directly in front of me and as it starts to get dark I have a incredible feeling of contentment with where I am, what I'm doing and with life in general :)

Stopping to get out my head lamp I crack open a beer. There are few things better than sitting in the middle of the desert completely alone and just enjoying the silence.

The guys at the nut store warned me about the big dogs over the next 30kms so I prepared the only real weapon I have with me...my torch :) Toby in Amsterdam had a dream where this torch saved my life, so last time I was there he gave it to me as a present. Now you are probably thinking to yourself "what the fuck is Ben on about here???" but this isn't just any old torch. This is €200 worth of power stuffed into a penlight! Even if you shine this thing at your face with your eyes closed it still hurts :)

And now I'm about to get the chance to test it out! I hear a dog start up in front of me and after spotting it with the headlamp it attacks. I let it get within a few meters before letting loose with my secret weapon...

The dog doesn't know what hit it and quickly scuttles back up the hill :) It works...I'm impressed!!! Cheers Toby :)

In all the commotion the owners of the dog appear. Waving me over I'm happy to sit and have a chat for a while, really funny guys.

Passing through the next town the stray dogs are roaming around but with my new found confidence none are willing to get very close. I end up making 17 kilometers from Beypazari and around 12:30, after finishing my second beer, call it a night...

Pilgrimage from Narlihan to Cayirhan 16/06/08

The cheap hotel also has cheap curtains and I wake with the Sun beaming in my window :( Eating more of the left over rice from yesterday's lunch I get straight into it.

On the way in to Narlihan the road was lined with restaurants and service stations so I figure the way out should be pretty much the same. I couldn't be more wrong! Luckily I filled up with water before leaving because from the first step out of town there is nothing. NOTHING!!!

Nothing that is except amazing views. It's one of those days where I walk for a couple of hundred meters, stop and take a photo, then walk a couple of hundred more before stopping again...Beautiful!

The reds in the soil I was seeing yesterday are now highlighted by the sun giving an awesome contrast with the rocks and trees. The mountains are rocky with steep cliffs in abundance. A truly magical landscape!

Ten kilometers out of Nalihan I finally stumble upon a little service station. Hoping for a restaurant I'm disappointed with their selection of food. Chocolate bars or biscuits...or chocolate bars :( Looks like this is lunch so two chocolate bars and a can of Pepsi later I'm ready to get back into it.

Making another 10kms I start feeling slightly worried with the lack of shelter, there is nothing out here offering any shade at all! Spotting a dry creek bed passing under the road I go and suss it out and find a great little cubby house to relax through the heat of the day.

Attempting to read, it isn't long before I pass out cold...

It's still bloody hot when I wake and I find it a bit hard getting going. My bread and cheese isn't looking so appealing so on an empty stomach I make a move. I'm really not feeling like walking anywhere, but there's not much else to do ;)

With only a slit in one eye open, following the white line on the side of the road I pretend I'm somewhere else and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Making five kilometers like this I turn on my mp3 player, this always makes the walking easier...

"This is the end...."

Nice choice God!!!

First song up is the Doors and really doesn't do much for my mood. Walking around in the desert listening to this seems a bit silly and I only manage to get half way through before searching for something a bit more upbeat :)

Passing the next rise my spirits get a lift anyway, finally I can see some civilization! It's still 7-8ks away but with it in sight the walk is all of a sudden a lot more enjoyable.

I had been told yesterday there was a bird sanctuary in this area but I wasn't expecting to pass it. I havn't seen a drop of water all day but rounding a bend I'm greeted with a huge lake. Spending five minutes getting some photos I'm too hungry to hang around any longer and keep going.

Suddenly the top of my tripod falls off and I watch in horror as my video camera bounces along the road. FUCK!!! In over 4500kms this is the first time I've dropped it!

Taking a deep breath I go and collect it...luckily it's still all OK, making a few funny noises now and again but still OK :)

A town comes into sight and I eagerly search for a restaurant...but no luck :( I try to think back on when I took my last break and realize it was 14kms ago! I must be hungry!!! Normally 10kms is the maximum I like to walk without stopping.

After a brief rest I keep going, knowing that Cayirhan should only be 6kms away.

Arriving around 8pm, as soon as I enter town I get an invite for tea, then another, then another! I find a restaurant, have dinner, then head out of town to camp. Remembering I still don't have any water I stop at a service station. Checking if they have wireless I get a pleasant surprise :)

So two hours later, about 23:00, I finally make a move and realize that even though I didn't start drinking tea until 8pm, I've still managed to consume five cups in the last three hours! None of which I ordered :)

And, as is always the way, I had 36kms of nothing all day, and now I want to find a camping spot I get 3kms of industrial area! But oh well, it's just kilometers I don't have to walk tomorrow...

The industrial area finishes and spotting another dry creek making a tunnel under the road I call it a night.

Pilgrimage from Sarilar to Nallihan 15/06/08

I know I have 39kms today so I'm keen to get an early start but I was lucky enough to receive an invite from last nights family for breakfast as well. Packing my things I wait for the knock at the door.

The knock comes at 08:30 and I'm glad I made the effort to wait. Breakfast is an amazing feast of home-made cheese, yoghurt, butter and jam with fresh bread. Superb :)

As I head out of town last night's spiked collar rat-bag makes another appearance, but this time, like all naughty teenagers, he is looking a bit meek while his parents are around. There is no snapping at my heels this morning :)

A little down the road some kids spot me and call out. Running towards me when I stop I hold up the camera...

"Photo, OK?"

Like most people in these parts at the mention of "photo" they snap to attention so fast it would make the Army proud. Their mum, seeing what's going on, looks slightly panicked runs over. I hold off on my photo as I think she is coming to drag them away but as she arrives she proudly stands in between, not to be left out :)

She thanks me profusely then invites me for tea. The kids think it is incredibly funny having me sitting in their garden and the little boy is stoked to be able to play with the camera.

Making great time, by 1pm I only have 21kms to go...time for lunch. The clouds have been threatening to rain again and after yesterdays experience I don't want to take any chances. Finding a bus shelter I set my self up and just as I get comfy and start into my bread and cheese a car drives past then reverses back...

"Hey mate! Where are you from?"

"Australia"

"Australia! I'm from Germany...there's a party on down the road if you want to come?"

Party!? Of course! :)

The party turns out to be a village festival and is quite a big event. The whole town has turned out and we all get a big lunch before retiring inside for tea. The locals are very proud of their region and take me through some guide books and tourist pamphlets. There seems to be a lot to do here. Offering to let me stay the night, they inform me that there are some great walking tracks around the village where I can get nice photos. They even have the biggest nut tree in the world! This I would have liked to have seen but if I am going to take half a day off the last thing I want to be doing is walking in the rain :)

So after finding Faruk again to say "thanks, and good bye" he offers to take me to Narlihan, 20kms down the road. I decline his offer but am happy to get a lift back to the bus stop. The locals load me up with a huge bag of leftover lunch, which I gratefully accept and off we go.

Lightning and thunder start up all around us and I think I'm going to have to jump out of Faruk's car while it is in full motion. Faruk has decided that there is no way I will be walking in this weather and that since I'm only going to hitch anyway he might as well take me all the way...

Laughing "No, seriously...I will be walking. The only reason I'm going to be hitching is to get a lift back to the bus stop after you drop me in Narlihan..."

He shakes his head laughing "You are one crazy fucker!"

He's probably right :) but finally he gives in and takes me back to our meeting place. Cheers mate! You are a champion :)

So donning all my rain gear I head off into the storm. The lightning and thunder turn out to be all show as there is hardly any rain at all. My pants get wetter from sweat than they do from the rain...

The forest starts to give way to steep rocky hills and soon enough Narlihan comes into sight. I get adopted by a local teenager on a bike who takes me through town and finds me a hotel. The best part is I don't even have to bargain! Fifteen YTL straight off the bat for a clean room and a comfy bed. Perfect!

Turkey is playing the Czech Republic in a must win for them to stay in the European Cup. A good excuse to go for a beer so I track down a bar and join in the fun. Well, it turns out the first 75 minutes weren't much fun at all as Turkey was playing like crap and the score showed it, 2-0. The mood in the bar is pretty dismal as everyone seems to have given up hope but then Turkey scores! We all watch in amazement as Turkey makes a comeback and manages three goals in the last fifteen minutes! Quite a game!!!

Suddenly the streets fill with cars, horns tooting and even guns firing...you would think they had just won the bloody World Cup! It was pretty funny. I'm now really hoping Turkey can get it together and win the tournament. If this is how they celebrate winning a normal game it's going to be pretty wild if they can win the whole thing!

Pilgrimage from Gonluk to Sarilar 14/06/08

For some reason even with a comfy bed and all the beers last night I wake early this morning feeling great! Checking my phone I'm surprised to see it's only 06:50. So having a shower and packing up I head back to last nights hotel for breakfast.

Surprisingly they are happy to see me and I get a good feed before trying to set off. The one thing I really need to do here is buy a hat. All the stores open except the one that I've been told is where the hats are :( After loitering around town for over an hour one of the shopkeepers invites me in for tea and his friend comes and joins us...

Pointing at me "Muslim?"

Smiling "No"

"Catholic?"

Smiling "No"

"Christian?"

Laughing "No"

This confuses him a bit and he starts again repeating the questions again...

"No Muslim, no Christian, no catholic, no protestant..." I say smiling.

The shopkeepers daughter understands a little English and is looking slightly amused. Her look of amusement soon turns to embarrassment though as he tries again...

Pointing between himself and the shopkeeper "M-U-S-L-I-M..." Then pointing at me...

I just laugh shaking my head and shrugging.

The shopkeeper tries to put him out of his misery and seems to do a good job of explaining, the guy stops talking for a minute...

We all go back to our small talk before he starts up once again...

Pointing at the sky "Allah" Then pointing at his head.

I get the feeling he is asking me if I believe in God. This is a question I have a hard enough time answering in English and I'm certainly not going to try now with grunts and hand gestures....

I just smile and shrug

The guy isn't happy but the shopkeeper smiles at me, says a few words to his friend, who then excuses himself and leaves. Maybe sitting with an infidel was a bit much for him this early in the morning ;)

Finally my hat store opens! The choice is limited but beggars can't be choosers and I make do with this beauty here. Perfect :)

The road out of town is straight uphill which is always a good way to start the day. But my body is feeling great and I make good time before stopping for a picnic lunch 10kms later.

Finding a shady spot I set myself up and start writing on my computer...

tap tap...

Was that rain? The sun is still shining and looking up I see a small cloud which seems pretty harmless. Mustn't have been...

tap...tap...tap, tap...tap, tap, tap, tap, tap tap tap tap...

Suddenly it starts pissing down! Where the fuck did that come from??? The sun is still shining, the cloud above me still looks harmless, but me, and all my electronics, are suddenly becoming extremely wet!!!

I have shit strewn everywhere and I have a moment of panic trying to bundle everything up safely. Getting out my poncho I sit on my pack trying to cover as much stuff as I can. It seems to be doing the trick but if this rain lasts any more than five minutes I think I'm going to be in big trouble!

Luckily it doesn't and as quickly as it came it disappears. Just like that...

The mountain walking is brilliant. Quiet roads, great views, friendly people! Wonderful :)

Even though I didn't get going till after 10am this morning, by 21:00 I have still made 35kms. Days like this are great. I'm feeling good so I figure I'll take a rest, then try to make another 7-10kms before calling it a day. This will give me around 27kms tomorrow...

Arriving in a tiny village called Sarilar I get a bad feeling about the group of dogs up ahead. Most dogs in these parts have been friendly but for some reason I can tell these ones aren't. There are about six or seven in view and as I get close the leader starts up barking and running towards me. Normally more than one or two dogs attacking me at the same time scares the shit out of me but today I don't seem to care. I am even slightly looking forward to the challenge as I speed up my pace towards my adversary.

Not willing to tackle me head on he swings around to my back and has to go wide to avoid my boot. He has a collar on with HUGE spikes which in any other situation would look extremely comical. I wonder who he had to mug for that???

His barking and carrying on excites the others and I start to get a bit worried as more and more dogs start appearing from everywhere. There are now around 15-20 in sight but luckily for me only 5 or 6 are actually trying to do me harm.

With boots flying and tripod swinging I manage to keep them at bay. After a couple of close calls I bend down and pick a a big rock. This does the trick and sends them all running! Just then a truck comes around the corner and sounding his horn scatters them further. This gives me the break I need and before they can regroup I'm 50m down the road.

Passing the local Mosque two old guys come out to have a chat. It's just on dark and after finding out what I'm doing they invite me to stay the night :) The Mosque has accommodation next door and they show me into a great little apartment.

And then to top the hospitality off I get an invite for dinner as well. Champions :)

Pilgrimage from Tarakli to Gonuk 13/06/08

Sleeping in again I head back to the restaurant for a sausage and eggs breakfast. As I sit there catching up on my blogs I absent mindedly demolish an entire Toblerone! Probably not the nest idea before starting to walk...

So after once again indulging myself to excess I hit the road. There is not much in these parts and I'm left to walk in peace, just enjoying the views with my shadow, Moby, Dire Straights, Portishead and of course my Turkish lessons keeping me company...

A car pulls up next to me and the guy offers me a lift. I indicate that I am just walking and he looks slightly concerned. reaching into the back of his car he comes up with a bag of the biggest, reddest, juiciest looking cherries I have ever seen.

"Here, here" He says smiling.

"Thank you" I reach in to grab a couple...

"No, no!!! Complete, complete" :)

So before I have even finish yesterdays cherries I have a whole new bag to enjoy as well...awesome! :)

Around lunchtime I come across a tiny little village and some guys are sitting out the front of a factory. I get waved over for a cup of tea and it turns out it is a cheese factory. Within five minutes I have a huge block of the freshest cheese you can imagine, bread, butter and jam all piled in front of me with the manager looking on eagerly as I try a his produce...

"Absolutely superb!!!" :)

I make good time and by 19:00 I can see the magical little town of Gonuk wedged in the gorge below. Even though the town is once again a couple of kilometers off my road I need food, water, a hat and a shower. It has to be done and when I hit the town center I'm glad I made the effort. Beautiful!

Stopping at the first hotel the price starts at 40YTL. I tell them if they do it for 20YTL I won't bother to look around but 30YTL is as low as they go. The next place starts at 15YTL and for good reason. It is pretty dodgy so I offer them 10YTL. They accept, which says to me I now have 20YTL to spend on beer ;)

The guys at the first hotel were pretty cool so I head back there. They have wireless internet and the European Cup on TV so there really isn't any excuse to go anywhere else. I get chatting to some of the other customers and drink the night away.

Asking for the bill I get a shock when it is 30YTL. I'm not sure how many beers I've had but it's sounding expensive. I ask how much one beer is and they all shake their heads...

"No, no...no beer" They then make sleeping motions...

Shit! They think I came back to stay the night and now they are not charging me for my drinks! We have one of those embarrassing moments...they don't understand that I already have another hotel and they keep refusing when I want to pay for my beers.

Finally they get the picture but after making such a fuss about giving me my beers for free they don't want to accept my money. Oh well, good excuse to come back for breakfast and try to give them some business then... :)

Pilgrimage from Alifuatpasa to Tarakli 12/06/08

Still feeling a bit dazed and confused when I wake I realize that in all the fun yesterday I lost my hat :( Luckily it's still early so I will be able to get some kilometers in before it gets too hot.

Geyve appears after 15 minutes, but it's 2kms off my road. I don't have any food and only a little water, but I still don't feel like making the extra hike. According to my map Tarakli, the next town, is 28kms away and as I'm looking up the valley I get the feeling there isn't going to be much else. yesterdays walk was full of abundance, walking through a land of milk and honey, but today I have the feeling it's going to be a lot different.

I sit down in an orchard to contemplate my options and realize the battery is flat in my video camera. Replacing it with one of the spares I find the spare is broken! Lucky I have a spare spare as well :) Much to my horror this one stuffed too! Electronics!!! After using these things for a year they both decide to die on the same day! Why does this happen??? :) it's looking like one of those days...

After stealing a couple of sour cherries I decide to keep going. Twenty eight kilometers is doable on an empty stomach...

The Turks love these little fruit which they call "little apples" but in reality are more like unripe plums. Actually, I think that is what they are, but because the Turks think they are fine sour they never get a chance to ripen ;) Anyway, I soon spot one of these "little apple" trees and load up. It might be the only thing that saves me from starvation. I grab about 15 of them thinking that would be plenty but after 5kms I have demolished them all and feel slightly ill...

With the sun beating down on my face I'm sweating like a pig and wishing I had some battery power to film myself. Then I remember, I have the other video camera in the water proof casing which has a full battery. Perfect :)

Stopping to do the change I doze off as my body tries to deal with not getting any caffeine. The only disturbance is the occasional fly crawling up my nose or ant crawling in my ear. Two hours later I emerge from my slumber a new man. Everything is feeling great!

As I set off I run into two of the unsavory characters that must give this road it's bad name. They pull over in a big black van, looking rougher than I do after a week in the bush and drinking beer at 11am...

"Where are you going?"

"Tarakli"

"Where are you from?"

"Australia"

Big smiles "Aaaaah,, Australia!!!" One of them hands me his beer. "Here...drink, drink"

Perfect ;) It tastes great and luckily we are in the middle of nowhere or I would be quite happy to go grab some more and spend the day getting pissed with these two...

After a couple of minutes talking I continue on. Rapping a T-shirt around my head to get some protection i still have to walk with my head down to keep the sun off my face. It makes for hard going...

A man selling cherries appears in front me, looks like this will be lunch :) I get out 1YTL and indicate that I want that much worth of cherries, from the signs of seen previous probably about half a kilo. He grabs handfull after handfull and I finally have to ask him to stop! His smile just broadens he continues to fill my bag :) I end up with almost 3kgs and he doesn't even want my money!

I try to stop myself from eating too many but it isn't possible. I'm pretty hungry from walking and it isn't long before the bag is half empty...and I'm feeling sick once again... :)

Around 1pm I start to look for a place to wait out the heat and right on cue a restaurant appears! Magic :) I don't have to live on cherries after all.

I ask for a menu but the boy taking my order just keeps saying something over and over. Judging by the table next to me it must mean "fish", so I just smile and nod. Fish it is and it turns out to be a wonderful choice.

After three hours of gorging myself I set off, hoping to make Tarakli by dark. The walk is great with one amazing view after another.

At 20:30 Tarakli comes into sight, tucked away in a big basin. Finding a restaurant still on the highway I get a great feed of sausage and eggs and as I go to leave the young guy working there asks...

"Are you camping tonight?"

"Yes"

"If you want you can camp next to the restaurant, probably safer"

Sounds perfect to me!!!

Pilgrimage from Sapanca to Alifuatpasa 11/06/08

Feeling much better after a good sleep, around 8am I make a move. The road leads me straight to Lake Sapanca and for the next 30 minutes I have a a beautiful view.

Stopping at the first cafe, they have a sign up indicating they have toasted sandwiches...

"Good morning, tea and toast please"

The guy looks slightly distressed and turns to one of the customers for help. It turns out he doesn't have any toasted sandwiches...

"No problem, just tea then"

The owner still isn't looking so happy, indicates for me to wait, then runs next door. When he returns he is smiling broadly and proceeds to set up a feast on the table. He has just bought two cheeses, bread, cucumber, tomato and olives! The two of them join me for breakfast and the customer turns to me...

"Where are you from?"

"Australia"

"Aaaaah, Australia" He grabs the salt shaker and plonks it down on the table in front of him "Australia!". He then grabs the pepper and places it a small distance away "Japan!" I'm thinking he is just trying to confirm I'm from Australia not Austria as he starts making motions like they are close...

"Yes, yes...Australia"

"Nihongo wakarimasuka?" (Do you speak Japanese?)

Laughing "Hai, wakaru!" (Yes). "Demo doshite anatamo hanaseru?" (But why do you?) Finding someone in the middle of Turkey who can speak Japanese but not any other language is not something I was expecting :)

It turns out he works for Toyota and has made a couple of trips to Japan. I spend the next half hour chatting away before taking my leave. And once again they don't let me pay :)

Twice more on the way through town I get stopped for tea, and then when asking for directions on the road out of town get invited in once more, this time to a barbers shop. The barber is super friendly and has a slightly crazy look in his eye. Sitting me down he pulls out a magazine and shows me an article of him shaving someone while hanging upside down from the roof. I've gotta get one of these!

I point to the picture and then to my face, indicating I want the same. Everyone in the shop starts to get excited and within a minute he has taken of his belt, climbed onto a pipe hanging from the roof and tied his legs on!

So here goes nothing!!!

I have to exercise a lot of self control not to laugh with his head floating before me and I'm surprised at the speed he gets the job done! Now I've seen everything :)

My road turns south and the people become friendlier and friendlier. I can't walk past a single cafe without getting waved inside! It's just one of those amazing days!
Sometimes there is even people waiting on the road for me to finish in one cafe so they can drag me straight into another! Awesome hospitality!

I get bought lunch, given fruit and shouted tea and coffee the whole day. It's great but it makes for slow going! By 5pm I have been walking constantly, when I can, and have still only made 10kms!

Finally I get a break in the shops and for the first time all day make a 5km stretch without stopping. The river valley I'm heading up is beautiful. Then in the middle of nowhere I guy comes out of a tin shed, spots me and waves me over.

He also makes me a pot of tea and I find out that he lives here driving the big machine in the picture. He use to live in town with his family before they were killed in an earthquake (probably the one in 1990) or possible a car accident. This is the story I came up with anyway after our 30 minute conversation, but he was probably just talking about his pet dog going for a swim last week... :)

Once again I only make it 100m farther before the guys at the truck checkpoint drag me in for tea as well. The police officer speaks some English and after five minutes of small talk he pulls out his pistol...

"Do you want a go?"

Do I want a go?!? Fucking ay!!! I smile like a five year old let loose in a candy store as he cocks it and hands it over. Knocking a round into a nearby tree gives me a huge amount of pleasure. I don't know what it is with boys and guns??? ;)

This draws a crowd and the cop quickly puts the pistol safely away. But now all the bosses are here and they sit down to listen to my story. They must be impressed because they soon invite me to stay for dinner. I get a huge meal of soup, beans, pasta and watermellon. Awesome!!!

But once again they don't let me leave without having another tea! Must be my 20th for the day!!! I can feel my eyeballs starting to swim ;)

Saying my "goodbyes it's now 20:30 and I still want to make the 10kms to Geyve. I can't believe it as another 100m down the road someone else comes out of a shed and waves me over! Here I am, literally in the middle of nowhere, no houses to be seen anywhere and I get three invites for tea within 200m! Unbelievable!

I then do something I try to avoid and that's turn down an offer of hospitality. The main reason is that I really don't think I can stomach another cup of tea without some serious side effects. Even now I'm feeling like I won't sleep for a week!!!

I stop and talk for a couple of minutes and after apologizing profusely excuse myself. Darkness soon sets in and I start to hear all the warning I've received over the last few days playing around in my head. I'm well aware that it is probably just the caffeine sketching me out, as this is the first time I have felt unsafe while walking on the whole pilgrimage, but it's best to listen to my intuition. I give myself until 22:30 to find a camping spot, and right on time locate a great paddock just out of Alifuatpasa.

As I'm trying to doze off I go back through the amazing day I have just had and am strongly reminded of walking through Albania, right down to the gunshots going off in the hills around me as I'm trying to sleep... :)

Pilgrimage from Izmit to Sapanca 10/06/08

Last night Ahmed pointed out a shop which sells maps but he didn't think it opened till 9 or 10am, so I have a good excuse to sleep in again :)

Heading down at 09:30 I find the same thing I have found everywhere in Turkey, 1:10000 scale maps of the cities, and 1:2500000 scale maps of Turkey...nothing in between :( I already have a 1:250000 map which is good to give me a rough idea of where I should go but it doesn't give me any small roads or distances.

Spotting an internet cafe on he edge of town I decide to have one last attempt at burning my audio CDs. I bought a language program off the internet which Microsoft thought necessary to encode so it can only be played with Media Player. Wonderful idea! And like all software security measures it seems to only cause normal people headaches without achieving much more...

The kids working here speak perfect English and understand my problem straight away. They are more than happy to take up the challenge of getting it to play on my Mac.

So, sure enough, Microsoft's multi-million dollar encoding system takes three kids two hours and ten audio CDs to find away around. Money well spent Bill! ;)

And now I am happy to say I can start learning Turkish! About time!!!

It's after 12 noon before I get moving again and my path is straight down the highway. Feeling a bit peckish an hour later I stop at a bakery for a snack only to be greeted by these two cute young uni students working inside. Now I am really wishing my Turkish lessons started a few weeks ago ;)

They can hardly speak any English so we all just giggle away trying to communicate and after half an hour I figure I better get going...

But God had other intentions...30m down the road I'm confronted by a massive boom of thunder followed shortly by rain starting to bucket down. I run back inside seeking shelter with the two young maidens, their smiles cheer me up immensely.

Now I don't know if it was God trying to strike me down for having impure thoughts or what, but as I go to drop my bag there is a huge flash outside and we are rocked to the bones by a massive bang reverberating through everything. We all just stare at each other, eyes almost popping out of our heads and then rush to the door to see what was hit. The whole village is peering out onto the street with the same intentions, but everything looks normal, whatever it was must now be dust :)

After another couple of hours of giggling with the girls the rain eases off and I once again make an attempt to leave, unfortunately this time successfully.

I make 5kms before the weather turns bad again, this time though I figure I better just keep walking. It's already after 4pm and I have only made 10kms. Getting on all my rain gear I get back into it. The rain is absolutely hammering down and as I reach the outskirts of the next village a guy yells out and waves at me to come and take shelter.

I'm glad for stopping because I get to meet one of the only people so far who fully gets what I am doing right from the start...

"Where you going?"

I point down the road "Sampanca" The next major town, about 15kms away.

"Aaaah, Philistine (Palestine)?" He says while pointing in the same direction...

"Yes, Philistine"

He smiles and nods slightly like he wasn't expecting anything less :) I suppose there can't be too many reasons for someone walking around in this weather, and a pilgrimage makes more sense than most...maybe??? ;)

Five minutes later the rain starts to clear and Ishmail invites me down to a cafe. As soon as I sit down I'm presented with a big cup of coffee to warm my bones. Ishmail looks slightly concerned and disappears with his friend, returning five minutes later he has just bought me a new shirt and his friend is bearing dinner! Champions!!! :)

So, dry and well fed I get back into it. Thanks guys!!!

It starts to get dark as my road leads me into the foothills of Central Turkey. The fields and factories give way to forrest and I can tell it's going to be a nice walk to Ankara. Twice on the way to Sapanca I get dragged in for tea and all the caffein is starting to make me feel a bit wired. The plan was to get a hotel but I'm thinking I won't be getting to sleep any time soon, so I might as well keep walking.
Around 11pm the road starts running along the edge of the highway and is fenced both sides! Not a good sign for camping :(

Spotting a path I go for a look, only to find with all the rain we just had I'm wading through mud! Not very pleasant so I backtrack to the tar. A small dirt road meets mine and I decide even if I have to walk an extra kilometer it will probably be quicker to find a spot than the road I'm on. Once again it is fenced both sides but after 300m I see it ending at a perfect paddock. I'll be in view of the farm house so I will have to get up early, but it's better than nothing...

Dropping my bag must have made a bit too much noise, two farm dogs start up about 100m away. I can see by the street lights they are not chained and are heading my way. Wonderful!

The backpack goes back on and arming myself with a big rock I start to retreat. Luckily this keeps them happy and they don't get too close...

Twenty minutes later this town appears, probably not a good place to camp... ;)

More muddy paths, more dogs and one and a half hours later I still haven't found a decent spot! And I think I'm starting to go a bit delirious. It's 1am and I'm tempted to just sleep in a bus shelter but then as my road crosses the highway a big clearing appears ahead. Thank God for that! :)

Pilgrimage from Hereke to Izmit 09/06/08

Once again I feel no need to get up at 6am when my alarm goes off. I'm just too comfy :)

By the time I get going it's 8:30 and I'm feeling great! A sleep in was just what I needed.

Stopping for breakfast at a service station, the two woman behind the counter take it upon themselves to ensure that I'll be rolling, not walking, out the door. I start with a plate of cheese, tomato and cucumber with bread, then get a bowl of beans and rice, then tea, then fruit, then dessert! Awesome...and then they don't even let me pay!

The walk towards Izmit takes me through an abundance of factories and industry but I can still see the Marmara sea which keeps it pleasant. Watching it get narrower and narrower I know Izmit is not too far away.

It always amazes me how much joy I can bring to myself, and to others, with the act of a simple wave or nod. It is wonderful to see someone's face light up after such a simple gesture. It leaves me with a feeling of joy and contentment. I love it!

A teenager jumps out in front of me firing questions at a fierce rate. I don't understand much of what he is saying but get the idea that he is inviting me in for tea, I smile and nod. He runs inside and returns with a stool. Suddenly I have about 15 people in a circle around me all talking at once and kids rummaging through my stuff. It's the type of situation where I just have to take a deep breath and hope everything is returned when I go to leave.

The teenagers are the only people I have a hope of understanding as they are all only about a foot away from my face...

I have my sunglasses staring at me asking if I want tea...
The face under my hat asking if I want coffee...
The kid with my camera, while trying to take my photo, asking where I am from...
And the teenager attempting to figure out my video camera asking if I want some fruit...
All while the group of adults at the back just watch and stare with big grins... :)

Luckily, someone decides to move the party inside and I get some respite. The shop we are in is a hairdressers and I must look like I haven't showered for a week because 30 seconds after entering I find myself head down in their sink getting shampooed :)

A kilometer down the road I get one of those moments where you feel you are glimpsing the future. There in front of me is an entire service station dedicated to pumping water!

Arriving in Izmit around 7pm I decide to get a hotel. Standing at the reception of the first place I come across I have to laugh as the two workers argue over how much to charge me. I can hear the younger guy thinks it should be 40YTL while the older guy is saying 50YTL! They agree on 45YTL and write the price for me on a napkin.

Laughing and shaking my head "No, no, no , no, no"

"OK, how much?"

I smile at the old guy and write down 5YTL. The young guy thinks this is great and cracks up but I can tell the hotel must be pretty cheap because the old guy thinks I'm serious. He wasn't impressed...

"OK, OK..." I write down 20YTL "Finish"

They both look at each other... "25!"

"Done!" And they have free wireless, bargain :)

After catching up on everything on the net I decide it must be time to go find a bar. Downing a few of beers watching Holland wallup Italy puts me in a great mood. I still enjoy watching Italy play but after cheating Australia out of the '06 World cup it now gives me incredible pleasure seeing them lose :)

At the next bar I get talking to Ahmed, a uni student and professional guitar player who was born in Germany but has lived here since he was one. After five minutes he looks around the bar...

"Do you want to go find some girls? This place looks like a gay bar."

I laugh. He is right, there are about 50 guys in the bar to three girls...

"Sounds good to me..."

He explains that there used to be heaps of nightclubs in Izmit but over the last year they were all shut down by the new government. He has heard one that has just opened so we go for a look. Asking at the restaurant next door to where it is meant to be we are disappointed to hear that this club also suffered the same fate, oh well...

So, nothing else to do in Turkey at 1am other than go eat a sheep's guts sandwich :) So we do...

Pilgrimage from Gebze to Hereke 08/06/08

Feeling like I camped in the middle of the highway and spent the night being run over by trucks, there is no way I am getting up when my alarm goes off at 5am. The thought of getting harassed by some locals in a couple of hours seems like a much better option than opening my eyes :)

I wake covered in sweat, feeling like I'm being baked alive...I think it is about 70 deg!!! The sun is shining right on my tent turning into an oven. I glance at my phone to find it is still only 9am, the heat is a bit too much though and I drag myself out into the fresh air...

Everything feels like crap today! My head hurts, my body hurts, my spirit hurts, but there's nothing else to do other than keep walking.

Collapsing at the first shop, I try to pretend I'm somewhere else while the owner and one of his customers are super keen to talk to me. The occasional smile and nod keeps them happy, but I have to try hard not to vomit on his floor :)

Another 8kms down the road a big hotel appears and I'm pretty sure I will be able to stomach some food. It all looks rather posh so I don't want to put myself off my meal by finding out the price first...

Ordering pasta I am well impressed with the size and quality. It is beautiful! Just what I needed! The bill arrives and I get a pleasant surprise. Pasta, water, sprite and bread all for 15YTL! Including the posh surroundings it's a bargain!

Finally starting to feel human again I set myself a goal of reaching Hereke, 15kms away, by 4pm when the final of the French Open will start. It is a really nice walk and right on four I reach the edge of town. My timing couldn't be better, it starts bucketing down with rain just as I reach the main road.

Finding a cafe with a TV, I ask the owner if they will watch the tennis but they seem to be having a bit of trouble understanding me. I start making swinging motions and one of the customers comes to my rescue...

"Yes, yes, the final of the French Open!"

He says a few quick words to the owner and two minutes later I settle in to watch the match. It takes under two hours for Nadal to completely destroy Federer, probably the most unconvincing match I have ever seen him play. A bit disappointing but I suppose no-one can be brilliant all the time...

I have resigned myself to getting a hotel for the night but by 7pm the skies are clear once again. Might as well start walking...

I am greeted with a great stretch of road right on the sea with people picnicing and fishing at regular intervals. Finding an unoccupied gap I wait for dark, enjoying the view over the Marmar sea before setting camp.