Cappadocia to Sanliurfa (Urfa)

We get up early to start our long journey east out of Cappadocia via Gülagac, Nevesehir and Kayseri, crossing the endless flat plains of the 'step' with Mount Erciyes (3916m) looking down on us.

We stop to make lunch in the middle of nowhere and are approached by a stray dog followed by two guys. One of the men acts quite intimidating and confrontational with us but in fact we think it is probably more a show of small town machismo and in fact harmless. Nevertheless we are glad when they finally leave.

We continue to Pinarbasi and then south to Göksun where it becomes much more picturesque and mountainous with lots of rivers and streams crisscrossing the valley. All the houses now have corrugated metal roofs rather than mud (as we had seen in Cappadocia) due to the increased annual rainfall and the preferred form of transport is now motorbikes with customised side cars carrying people, animals, wood, shopping or a combination of all 4! We are stopped by traffic police who don't speak any English, they soon let us continue. We spend the night in a pine forest near Cardak.

We drive to Malatya hoping to be able to reach Mount Nemrut but the tourist office tells us that due to higher than normal snowfall this year the roads are still impassable. This is a big disappointment as we had been recommended the drive to the mountain, as there are many abandoned and semi-abandoned villages, we are also keen to see the magnificent ancient statues at the summit. Nothing to do but change our plans.

Before leaving the city Julia goes off into the backstreets to find somewhere to fix her boots. A shopkeeper leaves his shop unattended to lead her deeper into the alleyways where a cobbler is hidden. She then shares a çay with the shopkeeper whilst Geppe is also consuming lots of çay with the car park attendants. Julia buys Geppe a MP3 player as an early birthday present...finally we shall have music again, no more listening to random Turkish radio stations!

The price of diesel is now changing massively between petrol stations, from 2.97 to 2.62 TL per litre. This is still much more expensive than in Europe but at least it's getting cheaper as we head east. We are offered çay and coffee at each petrol station even when they have run out of diesel!

The landscape changes every 30km or so as mountains become hills become gorges, lakes, cliffs, rivers often connected by tunnels. We have lunch overlooking one particularly high gorge. There is a persistent haze in the sky that gives off a very surreal light. It is as if the air is heavily polluted (yet we are far from any city) or that there had been a massive sand storm. We can barely make out the sun for days. The roads get worst and worst as we leave Western Turkey behind with more and more potholes and the tarmac often disappearing all together. Driving is not helped by Turkish drivers who tend to move into the centre of the road when they see that you are about to overtake.

We pass the huge Atatürk dam and reservoir. We stop for a 'pide' (Turkish pizza) at a roadside 'pide' oven and then find somewhere to park for the night hidden down a small country lane. Before long there are flashing lights and the Jandarma are knocking on our window. This time there is a whole minibus of them, most of whom are very young (clearly doing their military service) and giggling in the background. Their leader tries to be serious and keeps pointing out his Jandarma badge but then turns to his group laughing too! None of them speak English but finally after using our Spanish - Turkish phrase book we deduce that they are trying to tell us that it is dangerous to sleep there and that we must move. We think they are just looking for justification to harass us but we agree to leave and to find a petrol station for the night instead. We find one just outside of Sanliurfa (Urfa) where they are very friendly and invite us to share çays. There are 2 Turkish men, a Syrian lorry driver and a young lad from Azerbaijan.

The following morning we have more çays with our new friends and explain our problem that we have no more gas to cook with. They immediately take it on themselves to resolve our problem and refill our empty bottle with auto-gas direct from the pumps and proudly state that this is Turkish style!

13/03/2010 Sanliurfa (Urfa)

We drive onto the city of Urfa and we are immediately struck by the great mix of cultures and its Arabic feel due to its close proximity to Syria. The Arab men are wearing 'salvar' (Arab baggy trousers), suit jackets and lilac turbans whilst many women are dressed in full-length gowns in deep coloured velvets, with gold trim and lilac headscarves. They all look very elegant and exotic. We presume the popular lilac colour must be a certain tribe's trademark but we later discover that it is in fact just a recent fashion trend! People are much better looking here than in the rest of Turkey and have real style and look very distinguished.

We visit the city's famous bazaar, built in the16th century and one that appears to sell everything imaginable. There is an incredible collection of motorbikes parked round the bazaar's entrances that are adorned with brightly coloured tassells, saddlebags, leather and other fabrics. We drink çay in one of its courtyards (Gümrük Hani), which is full of men playing backgammon and negotiating business. We visit the derelict and abandoned hamam called 'Arasa Hamami'.

We go to Gölbasi, which is a park in the city that is a symbolic recreation of a story about Abraham (the great Islamic prophet). In the story Abraham was destroying pagan Gods when the King took offence to his behaviour and put him on a funeral pyre to burn but God turned the fire into fish. Abraham was then thrown from the citadel and where he fell God created rose bushes. The park is now full of rose bushes and 2 large ponds crammed full of sacred carp. Anyone who kills one of these fish is said to go blind. Many people are there buying fish feed that they throw for the carp who come out of the water in their desperation to get the food causing the water to look like it's boiling. It's rather sick to watch as the ponds are very overpopulated with fish but it's a great place to people watch.

13/03/2010 - 14/03/2010 Harran

Harran is situated 50km south of Urfa and 20km from the Syrian border. It is said to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. The book of Genesis mentions it and Abraham lived here for several years in 1900BC. It is where two of the main, ancient, silk routes crossed and was also a centre for the worship of Sin (God of the moon).

When we are looking for somewhere to stay (as we are in need of a shower!) a white Renault 12 car stops with English speaking Ahmet Ozyaur and his friends inside. (About 90% of cars in this part of Turkey are Renault 12s and white ... we never discovered why!) Ahmet insists on helping us to find a hotel and we finally end up at his uncle's place called 'Harran Evi', which is very quirky and is made up of the town's traditional beehive houses. This design dates back to the 3rd century BC and evolved due to a lack of wood in the area and also because the local ruins provided a supply of ready made, reusable bricks. So in effect they are actually made from recycled abandoned buildings. They only became really popular in Harran in the last 200 years. The domes are generally 5m high and the interiors are mild in winter and cool in summer when temperatures can reach 55-60oC.

We drink çay with 3 female teachers who have been sent to Harran from Western Turkey by the government to work for a year and then we are shown to our room in one of the beehives that is decked out in traditional rugs and blankets with a mud floor. The deal includes meals so we are invited to Ahmet's uncle's house. His uncle is very Arabic looking and wears a turban, there are formal photos of him as a younger man on the wall in full traditional wear. We all sit on the floor, supported by cushions and food is placed on a mat in front of us. There are thin sheets of bread, a bulgur wheat dish, beans in tomato sauce with some chicken and yogurt plus a selection of Arabic and Turkish satellite TV to accompany! Back at 'Harran Evi' Ahmet insists on dressing us up in traditional Arab costumes, which we go along with despite both of us having terrible indigestion after eating so much food whilst hunched up on the floor! He then gives each of us a Cappadocian massage but gets a little too intimate with Julia for comfort and although he initially appears to help Geppe's back in the long term he makes it worst.

After eating a breakfast of tomato, cucumber, cheese, egg, flat bread and çay we explore Harran and its many abandoned and semi-abandoned buildings. Ahmet explains that since the building of the nearby Atatürk dam the desert has been transformed into cotton fields and agriculture is now possible. This has brought new prosperity to the region and people are starting to prefer to live in modern, easy-to-clean houses rather than in the traditional beehives, which are now mainly used to house livestock or they are abandoned altogether.

14/03/2010 - 15/03/2010 Harran to Mardin

We visit the Bazda caves that are an ancient quarry, the stone from which was used to build Harran. A group of children decide to be our guides. One of the girls is armed with a Turkish - English dictionary and points at words to explain our tour, although she never has the confidence to say any of them! The cave interiors are 20 metres or more high. We are shown ancient Asyrian script engraved on the walls as well as painted on them.

Our next stop is Han El Bárur, which is a caravanserai built in 1128 to serve local trade caravans. It is now totally abandoned and much of it is in ruins. There is Arabic script engraved on its entrance and a variety of farm animals grazing inside.

We stop for lunch and are accosted by a white Renault 12 full of young men who Geppe entertains! We later see them with engine problems and they are all still smiling despite going nowhere. We wave and continue on our way!

Soon we arrive at the ancient abandoned and ruined city of Suyab. Again we are mobbed by children, some older lads come to our rescue and get rid of the kids but are then just as bad by following us around. They do however show us some ancient Asyrian script painted on walls in some of the underground burial chambers. Much of the ancient city's buildings have been used to construct houses nearby but there are still huge stonewalls and doorways amongst the remaining stones and underneath lies a large network of subterranean rooms.


Our final stop for the day is Sogamatar, which is an isolated village surrounded by a very barren landscape with several high ledges and rock formations. On top of one of these ledges was once an open-air temple where sacrifices were made to the sun and moon Gods. You can still see their effigies carved into the side of the ledge and Assyrian script. Like Harran Sogmatar was once a centre for the cult worship of the sun and moon Gods. Some villagers show us some ancient coins that they have found in the area and ask us what we think their value is. Obviously we have no idea but they could be worth a fortune so tell them to take care with whom they sell them to, as they could be very valuable.

It is dark now and after leaving the village the road keeps splitting, there are no signs to guide us, our map is useless and although we have a basic GPS system and compass we get quite worried that we shall never find our way back to civilisation. Eventually we find a main road and a petrol station in which to spend the night.

The road across the Mesopotanian Plain to Mardin is terrible; it is as if someone has stretched tarmac fishnet tights across the road's surface. Finally we get there and the city is bathed in the same sunless haze that we have been experiencing since before Urfa.
Whilst Julia uses the Internet Geppe goes to post a parcel of backup DVDs back to Spain but has a total nightmare with Turkish bureaucracy and a 'Mr. Jobs-worth'. After being made to wait in 4 different queues he is finally told that it is illegal to post so many DVDs at which point he explodes with frustration at the silly, pompous, little man!

Mardin is a mixture of Kurdish, Yezidi, Christian cultures and each ones influence can be seen throughout the city. There are many beautiful mosques including the 12th century Iraqi mosque that we visit, which has stunning designs intricately carved onto its minaret and entrance. We are given strange wooden 'clog-type' shoes to wear inside. The interior is very plain in comparison to the mosque's exterior.

We explore the small back streets from which there should be wonderful views across the plains below but unfortunately visibility is very poor. We wander through the bazaar and buy a herbal remedy for constipation and 'coca-cola' flavour nut powder among other things. We briefly visit a very male çay house where Julia is probably the only woman to have entered in several decades!

15/03/2010 - 16/03/2010 Savur and Dereici

We drive 60km to Savur passing through many police checkpoints. We are nearing Kurdish territory and security is getting tighter and tighter. We give a young lady a lift to help guide us to nearby Dereici, which the Lonely Planet guide book tells us is famous for it's wines. She cannot understand why we should want to go there but we persevere regardless and drop her off at Savur on the way. We arrive at Dereici and find that most of it is abandoned and there is certainly no chance of sampling and buying their wine. However what we find instead is far better ... it is a Syrian Orthodox village that has mostly been abandoned. It is full of beautiful golden coloured buildings, many of which have Arabic inscriptions and designs carved on them as well as Christian crosses. It is set in the most beautiful rural setting and we decide to spend the night there next to the church. There are 2 churches in the village that have been restored.

We are a little nervous, as we have no idea if this is PKK territory and if we will be welcome in such a place. That night Geppe wakes Julia as he can see what appears to be torch lights flashing across the skylight and ceiling. The flashes of light are quite sporadic and we are convinced there must be one or more people outside trying to unnerve us or to signal to others. We end up really freaking ourselves out until we realise it is just the MP3 player projecting lights whilst on standby mode!

Julia gets up early to take photos around the abandoned village. As she steps out of the van loads of goats come charging through and nearly knock her over. There must be at least 100 of them accompanied by a teenager with two very young children. Two billy goats with long, curly horns take a particular liking to the bicycles at the back of the van and Geppe thinks someone is trying to steal them!

Many of the abandoned houses were built in the fifties and have dates carved on them, the years 1958 and 59 in particular. There are some very large and grand houses and many of the interiors have beautifully crafted shelving and designs of Arabic origin. The ground floor was generally used as stables whilst the upper floors are where the family would have lived. One house looks like a bomb must have hit it, as the way it has collapsed does not look like a normal ageing or erosive process.

We meet an old lady who is collecting firewood and mushrooms and she invites us for a coffee at her home. She lives in part of an otherwise abandoned and semi-ruined house, which she shares with several birds that have their nests there. She tells us that she is not married, has no children and is a Roman Catholic (despite it being an Orthodox village). She informs us that most of the village's residents have now left and live in USA, Istanbul and Europe (in particular Germany). She says that an earthquake caused damage to the village, which is strange as most of the village is structurally OK and it looks more like a bomb has hit in a couple of places. Unfortunately language problems mean that we do not understand much of what she says but she is very friendly!


We return to Savur, which is full of old, honey coloured and beautifully carved stone buildings that are mixed in with more modern structures. We get invited onto someones roof to take panoramic pictures. The haze has finally lifted and we are able to see the wonderful views. The town has a very laid back atmosphere and everyone is very friendly. The children continuously try to practise their English on us.

16/03/2010 - 19/03/2010 Hasankeyf

We have a picnic near Midyat not far from a restored monastery and then continue on to Hasankeyf with the landscape changing constantly and boasting some amazing rock formations. We arrive at Hasankeyf just as it is getting dark and find ourselves somewhere to sleep near some abandoned cave houses. Before long a car pulls up outside and it is an undercover policeman. He is very friendly but after checking our passports and visas he tells us we must move and find an official car park or petrol station in which to spend the night. So it's back to our usual spot on the forecourt of a petrol station! As always the people working there are very friendly and welcoming.


This part of Turkey feels very different and very Kurdish. The majority of people are speaking Kurdish and they look different, better looking in general with larger eyes and we see fewer women in headscarves. On our first day we explore the local abandonments by bicycle and visit many cave houses ... some with people living in them, many housing livestock or storing hay whilst the rest just lie abandoned.

We visit an abandoned, semi-ruined mosque that lies on the site of an old church. It has many beautiful stone carvings and its stunning minaret is covered in carved, Arabic designs unfortunately its top disappeared years ago. There is another splendid minaret in the village with similar designs and a stork's nest at the top.

We explore a valley that is riddled in caves and cave houses, none of which are inhabited except for one where we find a donkey! The valley gets narrower and narrower until it is only a crevice.

Our Lonely Planet guide talks about an old castle, palace and ruins of a mosque up some steep steps in the village. The author clearly had never been there because we discover (to our delight) at the top of the steps is a whole abandoned town in the most stunning of locations perched high above the Tigris river. We both agree that it is one of the most beautiful places that we have ever been to.

We meet a Kurdish guy called Ali  who invites us for a çay in his cave house in the abandoned town and tells us about the town. His family along with 6,000 other inhabitants once lived there until 40 years ago when the Government relocated the whole town to the banks of the Tigris below because there was no electricity, running water, sewerage system etc in the old town. There were 2 other families still living here until 5 years ago but now Ali is the only one and he is only allowed to stay because he is a musician who writes, sings and plays music to entertain tourists. The paradox is that soon they will begin construction of a huge new dam nearby, which will flood the whole area so the new town of Hasankeyf will need to be relocated again whilst the old, abandoned town will be untouched as it is at such a high elevation above the river. Over 200 villages and countless important archaeological sites will be lost along the Tigris when this project is completed and it has caused much condemnation in local and international communities.

Ali explains that this site had been inhabited for well over 6,000 years and had 360 mosques some of which were part mosque and part church, both religions sharing the same buildings and living peacefully together. The town is at the top of very high, vertical cliffs and enclosed by fortifications with only one access gate making it impossible to attack. There is a large Byzantine palace within the walls. We decide to return tomorrow to film the old town and arrange to meet Ali for breakfast after filming.

We go for lunch at Yolgeçen Hani where you eat on platforms in the river Tigris. We feast on fresh bar-b-qued fish from the river and salad whilst lounging on cushions in the river Tigris and enjoying the first proper rays of sunshine of 2010 ... one can't complain!

We explore the area further with the camper van and discover many more abandoned cave houses and other abandoned buildings. The scenery is spectacular and we film the abandoned town of Hasankeyf from a distance and enjoy the most beautiful of sunsets. Although we are in the middle of nowhere Ali suddenly appears jogging along next to his friend who is on a donkey...very surreal! We spend the night at the same petrol station.

The following morning is very grey so we postpone filming and drive to one of the cave valleys for breakfast and Ali pops up again, this time on a donkey! Later we have a picnic at the top of a hill where there are ancient stairways, paths and water cisterns carved in the rock. The views are extraordinary. There are other Kurdish families picnicking nearby and at times Kurdish men (including Ali) appear singing their hearts out. The echoes are incredible and it is very moving to be in such a beautiful place listening to their music.

The weather breaks late afternoon so we climb up to the old town again. We stop for çay with Ali and his friends who are playing instruments on top of his cave house. They are all very talented. There is much excitement as a famous Turkish footballer is visiting and is in the castle surrounded by paparazzi. We leave them so we can profit from the incredible light as the sun starts to set and photograph the abandoned buildings. Later we have to drive around endlessly to recharge the battery so that we have enough electricity for the night. We again stay the night with our friends at the petrol station and their very cute and friendly dog!

The following day it is sunny again so we enter the castle as soon as its gates open at 8am to film the old town. After filming Julia goes off to take more photos and keeps getting startled by the village's crazy man who keeps appearing, muttering or singing to himself. In fact he is perfectly harmless but he does look and act very mad! We meet Ali for breakfast at his cave house. This takes forever as there are many tourists that he has to entertain and we end up eating most of the breakfast alone. We film him singing 2 songs ... 1 in Turkish and 1 in Kurdish and then say our goodbyes and leave. As we leave Hasankeyf Geppe buys Julia a beautiful sheep's wool blanket as a present for 'ladies day', which had been celebrated in Turkey the previous day.

19/03/2010 - 20/03/2010 Lake Van

We drive to lake Van via Batman, Sirit and Bitlis. The landscape is continuously changing from plains, rivers and agriculture to mountains and waterfalls to huge quarries and more. At times the roads are terrible and there are many military and police check points although they always wave us straight through. Lake Van is huge (3750 sq. km) and was formed when the volcano Nemru Dagi blocked its natural outflow. It is now half of its original size. By now the temperature has dropped to below freezing. We stop for supplies in Tatvan and then drive around the lake's northern shoreline and witness a stunning sunset behind the snow-covered mountains that come down to the water's edge. Much of the north shore is occupied by the military so we have to find a petrol station in which to spend the night. The petrol attendants are so friendly and invite us to the next-door restaurant for çay, and honey dripping doughnut fingers whilst huddled around their wood-burner...it's freezing!

We wake at dawn and drive around the lake where there are nearly no inhabitants or buildings. We stop at Ahlat and visit an old Seljuk cemetery where there are large tombstones made of red and grey volcanic rock. They are covered in intricate carvings and calligraphic designs (kufic lettering), some of them are very tall. We then visit 'Sagirt Kümbeti', which is a large 13th century Seljuk tomb and is the biggest in the area.

We continue around the lake and see Mount Süphan, which is Turkey's second tallest mountain (4053m) before heading inland to Muradiye and Caldiran. The landscape changes dramatically and becomes very inhospitable and full of jagged, black, volcanic rocks and little vegetation. There are a few small, single-storied houses with corrugated metal and sometimes mud roofs.

We climb higher and higher and there is more and more snow. At one of the highest point there is a Jandarma checkpoint. No one speaks English but eventually they let us pass through. We cross the ridge at 2655m and the temperature drops to -8.5oC and this is at midday. We pass close to the Iranian border.

20/03/2010 - 21/03/2010 Dogubayazit and Mount Ararat

We book a night at the soulless and very mediocre Golden Hill Hotel on the outskirts of Dogubayazit. We negotiate the price down over 50 liras and get a room with a perfect view of Mount Ararat, which is Turkey's tallest mountain at 5,137m and is a magnificent sight. Geppe discovers a licensed bar (unheard of in this part of Turkey) and he orders a bottle of wine thinking it cost 17lira only to discover it's 70lira (more than the hotel bedroom!). So much for travelling on a budget! Unfortunately we are unable to leave the room to use the hamam as planned because Julia absent mindedly lets a man from the hotel see inside our room where we have all our computer, camera and video equipment laid out, so we are worried about security if we leave the room unattended. The hotel agrees to wash our clothes but when they are returned they have all been scrunched up into small bags, leaving them unwearable we complain and they offer to redo them but there is no time.

We cycle into Dogubayazit, and find this border town to be oozing with testosterone and full of army personnel, policemen, moustaches and young lads, not a woman to be seen. There is a Kurdish festival in full swing with several roads blocked off and a stage set up with music and dancing, later it gets more political with speeches so we try to avoid the area as we have been told that such events can flare up violently. There are many police on standby with riot shields and fully armed. There is a massive army barracks in the town with many tanks and artillery that gives the town centre rather an oppressive atmosphere.

We pick up the camper van and drive 6km to the nearby Ishak Pasa Palace. The palace was built between 1685 and 1784 by a Kurdish chieftain. It is in an incredible setting, perched high above the plains with Mount Ararat to one side and different coloured volcanic rock formations all around. The entrance is very elaborate and throughout the palace there are wonderful stone carvings. There is a very large harem area that intrigues and excites Geppe The views are breath taking. There are remains of an ancient fortress nearby and a beautiful mosque.

We picnic overlooking the vast plains and Mount Ararat. Although it is sunny before long we are freezing. We photograph the many abandoned buildings below the palace. This is where the old town of Dogubayazit used to be until it was moved down to the plains in 1937. A crazed looking German hippy finds us and asks if we want to go to Iran!

We leave Dogubayazit for Igdir and drive around Mount Ararat as the sun is setting. The views and colours are spectacular.

21/03/2010 - 22/03/2010 Igdir, Kars, Ani

We find a petrol station on the outskirts of Igdir in which to spend the night. There are 3 very friendly Kurdish men there who insist we join them for çays. The main guy shows us a video on his mobile phone of his dog competing in a dogfight. It is horrible to see and very gruesome. He proudly tells us that his dog won.  The same dog is tied up near to where we are parked. we give it a wide birth! On the TV is a Kurdish festival that is on in Turkey with over 3 million people present. It looks mental!

Our Kurdish petrol station host invites us for breakfast on a sofa and table set up in front of the petrol station.  We all get on famously despite no mutual language and it is great to have breakfast surrounded by mountains even if it is on a petrol forecourt!

We drive onto Kars and from there to Ani. The landscape is stunning. Ani was once the most important city on the silk route of the Middle Ages with a population of over 100,000 people and only Constantinople rivalled it in importance. It was built in 961 as the Armenian capital and has also been ruled by the Byzantines, Great Seljuks and Kurds until the Moguls arrived in 1239 and cleared everyone out. In 1319 there was a massive earthquake, which flattened much of the city. At the same time trade routes were changing and the Moguls who were largely nomadic were uninterested in rebuilding the city so Ani was abandoned. Now all that is left are the ruins of several churches and mosques, a temple for the worship of fire and a very impressive cathedral. Ani is situated above a beautiful gorge with a river running through it that separates Armenia from Turkey. We are told that under no circumstance must we take any photos in this direction especially not of the river or the fenced off military area or we might cause an international incidence! There are a large number of abandoned cave houses near Ani.

22/03/2010 - 24/03/2010 Kars to Göle, Yusufeli, Artvin and the Georgian border

From Kars we climb higher and higher into the mountains. The great Turkish step stretching out below us. We are soon back in deep winter and driving through a vast snow covered wilderness. We see 2 wild boars drinking from a stream. The only houses we see are some small, abandoned stone shacks that we think might be used in the summer. We find a petrol station near Göle and spend our first night surrounded by deep snow. It is very poor, cold and has the worst toilets so far on this trip. It also has a very ferocious dog with no ears!

The next day we drive towards Yusufeli, initially through snow covered mountains and then as we start to descend there are many rivers, gorges and mountain slopes of multicoloured rocks. One of these rocks is iridescent and appears bright green from one angle and dark grey from another. We make a 6km detour to the village of Ishan along a tiny road cut out of the mountain with sheer drops and spectacular views on one side. There is an 8th century abandoned Georgian church in the village. It is very beautiful with high columns and arches. The main dome has caved in but you can still see a smaller one and there are the remains of frescos on many of the walls especially the upper arches where there are many faces looking down at you. There is a huge dividing wall in the church, which was constructed in 1984 when part of the church was used as a mosque whilst the new village mosque was being built. It is a very peaceful place and the air feels particularly clean.

More and more the houses are made of wood now and finally we are seeing mountainsides covered in trees. There has been a distinct lack of trees in much of Turkey. The style of houses has also changed and we now see many where they live on the ground floor and store hay, grain and wood in the open-sided, upper floors. Some of them are built on stilts and many are abandoned whilst others appear abandoned until you see a wisp of smoke rising from them.

We have lunch and use the Internet in Yusufeli. The whole of this area will be submerged and lost soon as they are constructing several dams in some of the nearby valleys. The Government is paying people to move to higher ground and they are saying that none of the beautiful Georgian churches will be lost. We visit some of the small valleys as we are told they are very picturesque and likely to hold many abandoned buildings but they are rather a disappointment. I think we have been too spoilt with spectacular scenery and an abundance of interesting abandoned places.

We drive towards Artvin. By now it is dark and the road is very dangerous at times with the tarmacked surface literally disappearing due to rock slides and the Turkish driving being as terrible as ever! We camp the night at a service area next to the very fast flowing Çoruh River.

We follow the river to Artvin and see much dam and road construction in progress. Artvin is a quite large town that is precariously situated on the edge of a very steep mountainside. We have lunch overlooking a very high precipice with a waterfall and fantastic views. We continue to Hopa and then follow the coastal road along the Black Sea coast to the border with Georgia at Sarpi.

At the border we are singled out by two plain clothed policemen. We presume they are just doing their job and whilst one is being very friendly with us the other acts very cool and professional. They take our documents to be examined and complete all the car's paperwork. When they return they inform us that we must pay a fine of 427 liras for a speeding violation. We want to know where this happened and to see official paperwork for the fine. As they do not speak English they try to avoid these requests and tell us we cannot leave without making a full payment. We insist on wanting to see the fine and to be given more details until eventually when they realise that they are getting nowhere with us they let us go. It was clear the most of the police and customs at the border were in on this scam and if we had more time we would have reported it but by now we're just desperate to leave Turkey and don't want to waste any more time.

In Turkey the reuse of abandoned places has continued for thousands of years. The many different civilisations that have lived there have always reused the buildings left behind by others. It is a shame that the majority of Turkey's current inhabitants refuse or are disinterested in using such abandoned structures and instead prefer to construct everything new in their effort to be modern. These days however the modern trend is to use abandoned constructions because of important ecological as well as aesthetical reasons, so to be constructing everything anew is both out of date and irresponsible. Despite this the Turks do recycle many objects in their every day life so it is inevitable that this trend for modern buildings will change with time.

To discover more about project 'Abandoned?' visit www.wasabandoned.com