Turkey #part 2 of our adventure

Two days further, and we’ve met a dozen of Turkish Belgians!

What’s more; we’ve been offered twice an ample meal and slept with a Turkish-Belgian family in the village.

While cycling at noon we met Eray and his family. They lived 15 years in Belgium and then came back to Turkey. Eray is now a professional football player and at the same time studying history at university. His brother is as lovely and a very talkative person – they tell us they are happy to finally meet up again with Belgians, as it has been such a long time. Being 15 when they moved again to Belgium, they needed time to adapt to the Turkish language and lifestyle. And still they feel as split between two countries or cultures – not the first time that I hear such a story.

That same evening, we are just about to finish setting up our tent – when a car is bobbling over the grass to reach our camp place. For a minute we’re afraid it might finally be some police guy (although the car doesn’t seem that fancy) but the woman that comes out of the car is broadly smiling and reveals us that she comes from Kortrijk. Sofie is married to a Turkish man and they are staying with his family for 3 weeks in this village. They invite us to their house and we spent a warm evening together. The rituals are repeating themselves – caj, lovely dinners and baklava, and more caj. We meet grandmother, who has problems hearing as she suffered from meningitis as a child. All goodbyes are goodbyes that we wish aren’t forever – there are so many people we would love to invite back home!

This counts as well for Aishe and Mahmoud the next day. After cycling 90kms in the sun, we’re exhausted. We look for a place to set up the tent, but at the same time the tiredness makes me feel weak. They see us on the street and immediately take us in; give us again all the lovely food, a place to change clothes, they want to wash our clothes, they give us advice on where to put the tent, …

Are Turkish people really born to be so helpful and problem-solving? I don’t know anymore what they could do more.

We talk with them about the bad economic situation in Turkey – they’ve both studied and even lived one year abroad. Mahmoud is a lawyer and might even apply for a job in Belgium. We really hope he will get that one!

A big contrast with this hospitality, is the attitude towards the Syrian and East-Turkish guest workers who live in shabby camps outsides the villages we pass. “They work too less, maybe they steal, …” we hear our hosts or other people say. Nevertheless, these people seem to work hard and live in very needy conditions. What to think about this?

After 2 days of cycling, we finally arrive at Tuz Gölü, the second biggest salt lake in Turkey! Mahmoud had already told us there is a factory that asks for a permit to what was once a free entrance to the lake. But as we pass the road to the factory, a factory laborer invites us in his truck which is heading into the factory.

But ‘helaas pindakaas’; at the entrance we need to get out of the car and the labourer has to tell us – much more stunned then we are – that we may not enter. He is sent away by the gatekeeper who asks us to wait for a while. Then the top engineer of the factory arrives in his car and offers us a ride to the salt lake. Strange but yes – we receive a guided tour from this engineer, who again is happy to fire a bunch of questions upon us in his best English. The view from the factory side is quite industrial, but the next day we definitely fall in love with Tuz Gölü, thanks to Mehmet and Bilal.

While entering a pharmacy, Mehmet takes interest in us. He is the coordinator of the pharmacy and wants to drive us to Tuz Gölü by using backroads (I even didn’t find them on google maps). 5 years before, his car got stuck in the salt but luckily, his friend Bilal came to save him. Since then, they always go together.

They both smoke ‘as a real Turk’, even in the car. They are not the only ones; smoking is widespread everywhere in Turkey. Likewise, the coughs afterwards are often heard on streets. I wonder what steps the Turkish healthcare takes to stop smoking, but still a lot of work to do it seems…

It becomes a wonderful trip with a walk on a deserted salt lake with unforgettable views as far as we can see. There is now one here except us four. A black crowd at the horizon reveals to be hundreds of flamingos with their babies! We smell salt, we taste salt, and we feel the salt crisp under our feet, while the flamingos are twittering.

Tired but more than satisfied, and so grateful, with this safari offered by Bilal and Mehmet. As if they didn’t offer enough they also give us the best Bibek coffee we can imagine in their Kurdish traditional house, while Illmur – a niece of the family who studies in Germany – proudly shows us the 100% organic Turkish garden. A lot of Turkish people have such a garden and use it to produce 100% homemade food. And – we have to admit – you often really taste that it’s homemade!

The following days we enjoy the landscapes of Illara canyon. We hike at the bottom, where the river has made a beautiful oasis. The Greek-Byzantine monks knew this, and built 1000nds of cave houses and more than 105 churches in the canyon rocks.

More than once we are invited at a Turkish picknick. We see Turkish picknicks everywhere on beautiful nature spots.

We visit Derinkuyu, an underground city of various levels which could host more than 30000 inhabitants, mostly used in times of rallies.

Every day in Turkey is a surprise, and we are curious about what Cappadocia has to offer!