After our fantastic experiences in Sanliurfa as well as Harran we set out on a convoluted journey to Mt. Nemrut. just like a lot of of our backpacking days, it was a extremely long travel day! It took us 4 sweltering hot buses to get to our hotel near the summit as well as thankfully at 2150 meters above sea level the ruthless warm cooled off a bit as well as we were able to stop sweating.
Right away when we got to our hotel we put our bags in our space as well as caught a trip to the begin of the path where we hiked a short 30 minutes to the summit. The views from atop Mt.Nemrut were breathtaking as well as the rocky mountains as well as river cut valleys were spectacular. however the genuine star of the show, as well as maybe a few of the most recognisable sites in Turkey, were the massive, 2 thousand year old statues of Roman Kings on the top of Mt. Nemrut.
Most of the rock cut behemoths stand headless since many earthquakes have considering that severed these 2 meter tall heads as well as they now sit at the king’s feet, looking out over the valley. The stone heads glowed a golden color as the sun set on the horizon as well as the very complex carvings of their features ended up being a lot more visible later in the day. When we were made with the heads we went back to our hotel as well as immediately passed out, exhausted. Another excellent travel day in Turkey.
Walking to the summit at Mt. Nemrut, Eastern TurkeyAmazing views from the top of Mt. Nemrut, Eastern TurkeyOne of the most popular sites in Turkey, the heads of Roman Kings at Mt. Nemrut, Eastern TurkeyCute bit ladybugs at Mt.Nemrut, Eastern Turkey
The next day we were on the road once again at 6 am. like I stated in the last blog, Turkey is as well huge to stand still for as well long, if you want to see a great deal in 5 weeks you have to step every couple of days. considering that we are budget plan backpackers, we are always on the regional deliver instead of flying. Of course, there is a trade off to this: if we were to fly, we would make it out our destination a great deal faster; on the other hand, we would have missed out on a few of the very best regional people experiences we’ve had. Mingling with the people of Turkey during our travel days has been a highlight.
The constant bus rides as well as early mornings were starting to wear us out though so we understood we couldn’t go at this speed for as well much longer. We stopped in a city called Diyarbakir to break up the 16 hour journey to Van on the far end of Eastern Turkey. other than the old walled city as well as a few mosques, there wasn’t much to see in Diyarbakir however we stayed for 2 nights anyway just to try to kick back a bit before the 9 hour bus to Van.
One thing that truly stood out in Diyarbakir was channel 11. HUSTLER! I never believed I would see the day when there was American porno at a hotel in an Islamic country, however it occurred in Diyarbakir! I don’t understand if they were tapped into a European satellite feed or what however we were shocked when we were flipping with the channels, seeing soap operas as well as news casts with women totally covered using head scarfs, as well as then channel 11 appears as well as there’s some naked blonde girl! Turkey is full of surprises.
Entrance to the walled city of Diyarbakir, TurkeyTurkish guy sitting on bit stools (very normal here), enjoying the day in Diyarbakir, Eastern Turkey
Our fantastic dinner being cooked up ideal before our eyes. Diyarbakir, Eastern Turkey
The next day we left Diyarbakir as well as took the most agonizing 9 hour bus trip to Van. I don’t understand if we just have poor luck with buses however it seems that the A/C is always off as well as we sit in the back sealed in without any breeze sweating for hours up until we reach our destination. This is most likely part of the reason we were feeling so used out on travel days. thankfully the extraordinary scenery on the method as well as friendly locals made the sweltering journey bearable.
Crossing a little lake by ferry to get to Lake Van, Eastern Turkey
For the final 2 hours as we ascended to Lake Van, the air cooled as well as we stopped sweating. The bus drove with tunnels as well as rimmed cliffs as well as snaked its method with sensational rich valleys with rivers as well as waterfalls everywhere. The scenery driving with Turkey is genuinely a few of the most lovely we have seen, as well as Van was no exception. The very first sight of the large lake was a relief as well as we would spend the next 3 days here.
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