Roadtrip ended

Mardin

Urfa

We have survived back to Ankara. Before going we were afraid that roads might not be good but the roads in Eastern Turkey were good. We had some problems with one rental car because few times it just stopped on the road. We learned that it is not a good idea to rent a car which has been driven more than 300 000 kilometers. Each person of our group had to put 65 euros for gasoline. Average price what we paid for sleeping one night was 11 euros. We did not have problems to find sleeping place for 15 people. Only for Memrut we booked our sleeping place 5 hours before our arrival.

Second roadtrip update

Sunrise from Memrut mountain

Dressing style in Eastern Turkey

Harran

I am writing this update from near Memrut mountain. Road to Memrut was not in bad condition even the guides warned that roads might be in very bad. Before arriving to Memrut in various cities you could also see men wearing scarves and trouser like in the picture. This kind of dressing cannot be seen in Ankara. Especially in Diyarbakir the locals were very keen on getting to know us. All the time somebody was saying hello or asking how are you or what is your name. People joined us to get to know us better in our sightseeing walk.

First roadtrip update

Road from Kahramanmaras to Gaziantep

4 people on one motorbike

We have now arrived to Urfa. The trip has been going well so far and roads have been in good condition. Eastern Turkey I have seen more women with scarves than in Ankara. In the cities you can see more motorbikes and wearing helmet is not very common. Usually there is more than one person going with a motorbike like you can see in the picture.

Roadtrip to Eastern Turkey

Roadtrip plan

Today early on the morning we will start a roadtrip to Eastern Turkey. We have rented two cars for the trip. The planned route is 2035 km and estimated time for driving is 30 hours. We have nine days to complete the planned route. Our destinations are: Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakır, Malatya and Sivas.

I hope to be able to make blog updates on the road.

Bazar

Bazar hallway

Turkey is well-known for bazars. One big building with many different little shops or one neighborhood with many little shops. You can find many pirate products. Clothes from Adidas, Nike and from other famous brands. Also pirate video games are available, electric domestics, tailoring services and many other things. Sellers try to speak to you to make you enter their. When thinking about buying it is common to negotiate the asking price in bazar.

5 attractions for tourists in Ankara

I have heard people saying that there is nothing to see in Ankara. Here is five destinations what you can visit when you come to Ankara.

Castle of Ankara

From the top of Ankara castle you can see the poor old part of Ankara and the new part of Ankara. On the way to the top you can see old houses and a museum.

Attraction park

Ankara there is an attraction park with many different attractions. Around the attraction park is a nice park with a lake.

Mausoleum of Atatürk

The most important person of Turkish history is Atatürk. There is a war museum and Atatürks contribution to the Turkey is explained.

Atakule

From Atakule you can see how big is the city of Ankara. Downstairs is situated a shopping mall what is almost completely abandoned. Many empty stores available for renting.

Hamamönü

Hamamönü is an old nicely restored neighborhood. You can stop for a lunch/dinner or take a coffee.

Language thoughts

Mountain in Cabbadocia

At the moment I am using four languages everyday: Spanish, English, Turkish and Finnish. I speak the most Spanish after that English and Turkish about the same amount. Mostly I read in English and Finnish. People speak often about mixing the languages but I have not found switching between different languages difficult. Sometimes the words what I want to say in one language comes to me mind in another language but after thinking I can remember the word in the right language.

Turkish coffee

I have not drank a single cup of Turkish coffee. I have taken just a little sip. Turkish coffee is served with water and after Finishing the cup of coffee there is a tradition to predict future from the cup. This video demonstrates how it looks like.
 

Hairless

We already know that Spanish women have hairy arms because they do not remove the hair. In Turkey I have noticed that women tend to remove hair from their arms therefore here you do not see many hairy arms like in Spain.

Virgin

I thought that maybe in Turkey you would not be able to see kissing couples in nightclubs but you can see them. In Turkey women are expected to be virgins when they get married. That does not mean that all Turkish would be virgins. Some exchange students have been able have affairs with Turkish women. Also in Turkey couples get divorced and married again.

Walking on the street

Demonstration with my flatmate

In Turkey you can see men walking on the street like I am demonstrating in the picture with my flatmate. Walking this way in Finland or in Spain would be considered gay but in Turkey it is even possible to see men walking hand by hand which is not a sign of a gay couple either. In Spain you could see often women walking like this or man with a woman. Also in Turkey it is common to see women going together or a man with a woman.