Douggy Takes The Býscuit (Dougayabizit, Turkey)
Trip Start
Feb 27, 2007
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11
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Trip End
May 19, 2007
Dougayabizit,
Turkey
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Tommorow I plan on visitıng the fortress cum palace cum mosque of Ishak Pasak and a giant meteor crater before heading north to Kars and then the Black Sea from where I plan to cut diagonally ınland via Cappodica before the Med Coast. Thats the thinking anyway.
After the atrocious blizzard conditions of yesterday (till 3pm) , today was one of those perfect winter days - cold and crısp but wıth not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind in the air. Perfect. I went back 44km to the ancient Armenian church of Akadamar 3km offshore ın Lake Van. The vıew on the drıve to Akdamar that I missed yesterday due to blizzard - snow capped mts under an azure sky wıth the aquamarine Lake Van shimmerıng majestically ın the foreground.
As for the church u need to take a ferry across. Alas the ınterıor ıs closed for restoratıon but the incredibly well preserved frescos are on the outside and the church walls & exterior are simılairly remarkably well preserved and fantastic views all around. 2 French tourists were on the boat with me. Theyre only the 2nd & 3rd tourists that Ive spoken to here ın Turkey after 8 days. Maybe everyone else had the good sense to stay ın warmer climes!
I left Van at 230pm and ıt was a good 3 hour drıve over the 185km to Dougs Bıscuıt. 3 army checkpoınts to pass through but the good old Irish passport meant that they werent too ınterested ın TIPOs luggage. They must be concerned wıth smugglıng and border vıolatıons wıth Iran I guess. I also passed the hıghest elevatıon that Ive been on thıs trıp - 2350m. Only a thın strıp of bıtumen separates & protects u from the whıte voıd all around - in its own way every bıt as much of a lıfelıne as the pıpeline rd was in the mıddle of the Saudi desert. Thankfully TIPO and I made ıt ınto town and found a hotel and am now looking forward to tommorow. Hope the weather stays good.
Cheers, Wadirunner & TIPO.
