Anatolia

At breakfast, I met the American motorcyclist again. He used to be a foreign language teacher before his retirement, which is probably why I could understand him quite well. He spoke simple and easily understandable English. The rest we communicated through a translation app.

Our conversation also turned political. He didn't understand how Erdogan became president again, and he was gleeful that Trump was being charged. I wasn't really comfortable with the whole discussion. You never know who is sitting at the next table and listening in when you're abroad. I try to avoid it, and I think he noticed and changed the topic.

It was time to start. We set off at a pleasant 19 degrees Celsius and an altitude of 2000 meters. A well-built road meandered through the Anatolian wilderness, sometimes very curvaceous. Occasionally, there were actually a few villages along the way.

I was stopped a total of 5 times at military and police checkpoints, as I am in the Kurdish region. Heavily armed personnel and spikes on the road were quite intimidating. But once they heard that I was from Germany, their stern faces turned into smiles, and they wished me a safe journey without inspecting me.

There were occasional parking spots along the road, often equipped with a covered seating area and table. I stopped to take a slightly longer break. Shortly after, a Kurdish family arrived, laid out a tablecloth, brewed tea, and quickly uncovered food. Suddenly, a cup of tea was placed in front of me, and I was invited to share the meal. Oh man, such hospitality. That would never happen in Germany. I gladly accepted the invitation. We couldn't communicate verbally at all, but it was still amazing.

The altitude decreased, and the temperatures rose. I arrived at the hotel at 34 degrees Celsius. I took off my motorcycle gear and turned on the air conditioning.

After a shower and replenishing fluids, I went into town to get some food. It was too expensive for me here at the hotel. I like strolling through these cities, I love this southern way of life. As soon as it gets cooler, people sit outside. Well, it's not really people, in these Muslim-influenced countries it's often just men. The women are at home taking care of things.

Tomorrow, I'll continue on. Let's see where it takes me.