Turkey Review
The people
I met all different kinds of people and maybe also peoples. This is one point which is difficult to say, because I understood a difference in Turkish people and the Kurds or let’s say Kurd-friendly living in this East Anatolian part. I got to know some old generation Turks that went abroad, usually to Germany and came back to Turkey where live is more convenient nowadays in budgetary terms. In the eastern part there is also no heavy industry which means on the one hand cleaner air but on the other hand fewer workstations.
People here themselves say that they are rich in culture but poor in money.
I understood a new movement in young generation Turks. They go back to old manners, being more “islamic” and also more nationalistic using more flags being proud of the power of their strong army and mean that everybody who lives in Turkey is turkish, which is by the way a law in Turkey.
The real “European minded” people are very roughly speaking just the one generation of around 30 to 40 year old. Of course I also met a lot of turkish young people for example from Istanbul or Ankara who are open minded enough to understand that living together with minorities protecting and nourishing them is something which makes a country just richer in all its aspects.
So the “unity” the government claims to want for all Turkey is I think not possible this way building dams and dislodging whole peoples letting them live in other buildings according to the urban transportation program where they have to pay 1200% (!!) of their income. Maybe this does not fit to all the government programs but this is what I heard from serious journalists.
There where some real outstanding people I got to know, who were extraordinarily friendly giving me loads os information and connecting me to a lot new places. Filled with idealistic activism they are probably the exception of the standards but I was lucky enough to meet this persons. There will be further contact in future and maybe even sometimes working schedules together..
Ecological aspects
Very difficult theme here in Turkey. There are so many aspects they could probably profitate from rules in European Union.
Starting with exhaust fumes from cars. They never heard of Katalysator or fine particle filter blowing dark heavy fumes out of their plate pigs.
Driving is cruel, just honking without cutting speed and everybody who is weaker (me for example) has to make way then passing fast and almost overbalancing you. Honking is something which I don’t like anyway, it’s affrighting me, though they don’t mean it, it’s their way of greeting. This won’t get better arriving in more eastern countries.
Waste management, what? never heard of it here. Çöp even if collected, of course not separated is thrown on a place, in the best case pressed and burned or just right away. Of course there is waste all next to the driveways and beautiful places loose a lot of their beauty when you don’t know where to sit down because of cullet all over. For them it is normal just to leave the packages or the things you consumed on this place where you consumed it. This means a long learning procedure possible starting only with the very young generation and mostly in wealthier places, in poor places their are other priorities, like where to get the next meal. Doğa Derneği is dealing also with this aspect and that’s one more reason why they are so likable to me.
About dams I already talked a lot, I just want to add that Turkey would be predestined for using the sun as energy resource. They have water heating systems on very many houses.
Landscape
Entering Turkey from Greece landscape didn’t change a lot. Just the vehicles produced even darker fumes that the view seemed to be under some curtain of smoke but generally hilly, dry on mainland areas except next to the streams and still green at the coast.
Istanbul was normal like you imagine a 16million metropolis. There were some poor parts with eastern atmosphere and garages with bogglers and the normal European parts with bars and alternative shops and of course the real fancy ones with expensive cars, villas and neat surroundings.
Kurdistan is mostly a very mountainous region, where even if flat you are not under 1000 metres above sea level. In this valleys it’s usually dry except again next to streams or watering systems, as I mentioned already. At some mountains climate is wet enough to be green all over.
Equipment
My bicycle had some severe problems I was trying to solve along the way but I was just able to find some short term solutions. So I put my third rim right now in Tehran and will finally find the hopefully final solution in Bangkok.
I will hopefully find a change for the outworn screw to fix the crank levers inside the bottom bracket, doesn’t make it loosen every half day.
28 inches is nice for making kilometres but spare parts are not so easy to find, I knew this from the beginning, but usually with good equipment you also can be lucky enough.
I thought of a lot changes on my bike that would be more suitable for a trip like this, but that’s it for taking hastened semi-sponsored solutions where I changed anyway more than half the parts. Anyway, I really got used to it now and like the view after almost 3000 km in the saddle.
Passing Van Lake and high mountains
Leaving Tunceli was the first step towards the border to Iran without any more specified places in between. There was beautiful landscape and many mountains to pass. Military was not omnipresent anymore.
I saw one of these eight dams in Aktuluk on Munzur river further down not harming Tunceli or the national park, just one village that will be evacuated at the end of the year when they will start flooding this area.
This pictures of this dam which is considered to be a small one shows the upper part, the area that will be flooded and from below.
Going on there where some sticky roads, some of bad quality, some very steep, but also with some luck I had really good wind conditions and passed some uphills with last gear.
I passed Van Lake which has the size of a sea and is sourrounded with really high mountains.
I experienced my first sandstorms, was almost every afternoon or evening confronted with some thunderstorms or at least rain. I slept at beautiful places like the the big lake or at a waterfall..
I met nationalistic young Turks and some more friendly Kurds.
I saw the highest mountain so far in my life the mount Ararat with 5165m.
I made a record in cycling the highest pass with 2644m and in downhill speed with 84km/h fully loaded.
Munzur and the Kurds
Today I was in Munzur National Park and this was definitely the greenest spot so far in Turkey. This amazingly beautiful river has its source in Munzur mountains which are all about 3000 metres high or more. There is still snow on the tops and the water is accordingly icecold which is sourcing as always as a runlet and just after around 50 metres already become a river with. Munzur water factory is taking their water right from there and selling it all over Turkey. There is a lot of water and there is also the myth about the honourable shepherd with a milk can in his hands who while running away from pilgrims that wanted to kiss his hands spilled the milk over Munzur mountains and wherever a drop fell down a water spring rose.
in Greece. In 1936 under Atatürk the name was changed, so where all the kurdish names in Turkey. This was turkish development as they called it. There where also in 1938 a huge genocide taking place in some rocks 20km from Tunceli called Dere Laç, I passed there just today and when I was told that about 100000 Kurds where killed there I had some same feeling coming up like I had when I was in Mauthausen in Austria.
flood the whole area with building dams again and gaining energy which lacks anyway. Some Austrian banks also give some credits again and the thing is done, 2 from 8 dams are already built, not yet in National Park area but not so far. People here really like this area for hiking and even more for picnic, which we did by the way today and it was really lovely. I saw the river and its picturesque landscape. There is also a rafting school in Ovacık and I am sure that kayakers would really enjoy it. This is maybe a solution, at least to safe the most beautiful spots. There should be an international kayak or rafting event, which is for sure really difficult to impossible to organise especially in this region but it´s definitely worth it. Actually if there would just be an EIA (Environmental Impact Assesment) made before building any dam it could safe not only some animals.
