U2's trip
Topic: Travel
Okay, I'm posting today for someone else. I should add, I haven't gotten permission but I think that it is worth putting this online for the friends of his who care about him and want to know how he is doing.


Hmm, at the moment I'm in Artvin for the night. spent the day first walking to some remote castle near ?amlıhemşin, then spent the first half of the afternoon hanging out with this retired guy hitchhiker, who wanted to show me the local sights. I thought he was going somewhere, but he was just killing time. Interesting conversations ensued, and the guy wants me to come back next summer to hang out at the local spa and the nomadic pasture lands up in the mountains above town. He made me drink a glass of the local water, and I am eagerly waiting to find out if it gives me dysentery.

Yesterday evening, though, I think I set a new record in crazy driving. I got caught after nightfall in a fogged-in mountain pass, on a totally crappy dirt road. I couldn't see more than six feet ahead of me; at one point, a stream crossed the road, and the road made a ninety degree turn right there, so I started driving up the stream by mistake... didn't look very different from the road, but after ten feet or so, I had a bad feeling and spotted what turned out to be the road. Of course, as I was reversing back, the car stalled, and I thought that I was a goner. Got it going again, though, and was able to continue on the road until it was blocked by snow drifts. Had to backtrack to the last split, about ten km back, to take another route down the mountain. Damn, the thing was marked as a major road on my map, but it had grass growing on it. Anyways, I don't think I saw another car for about 2 hours in total. If they could make a video driving game that wild, it would be amazing.

Funny though, and hour before that all happened, I was drinking tea with a bunch of ladies and their kids on the side of the hill outside Bayburt where the Bayburt fortress is. They were knitting lace, and as I walked by, they enthusiastically called me over for tea. They proceeded to quiz me about my life... I followed that up with running along the rampart of the fortress... the only person up there. It was amazing.

Tomorrow I'll make it to Kars (also),which isn't that far a drive, but the highway may just be a dirt road, so it may take a while to get there, who knows. My major goal for this trip are the ruins of Ani, just beyond Kars, and then if I have time, a castle at the foot of Mount Ararat, where Sultan Beyazıt the first was held captive by Tamerlane.

My last hitchhiker this evening told me, whatever you do, never drive at night, and don't pick up hitchhikers...

This is fascinating stuff. U2 is in the region below circled in blue. Our thoughts are with you my friend!