Iran II, Tehran

Teheran
On my way from Zanjan to Tehran, I was accompanied by Mohammad's friend Masoud. He had spent the weekend in Zanjan to visit his friends. After a nice bus ride to Tehran, Masoud accompanied me to the meeting point with my cs (CouchSurfing) host Masoud. The two Masounds already knew each other. My first night in Tehran I spent with the two of them.
The next morning I drove to the Turkmen Embassy. Since Tehran is a very big city, the ride there almost took one and a half hours (two taxis, a bus ride). The visa process is started and if everything works smoothly I can pick up my visa on June the 6th.
Since I was in the embassy district I wanted to apply for the Kyrgyz visa (Joe told me to skip Kazakhstan and go via Kyrgyzstan to China, instead) as well. The only thing that was standing in the way of me applying for the visa was the broken arm of the Kyrgyz ambassador. He offered me to come back in two weeks, or to use another representation of Kyrgyzstan.
The next day I wanted to start sightseeing. Masoud explained the route (shared taxi and then take the subway to the vicinity of the bazaar) to me.
The sightseeing has been postponed unexpectedly after the taxi driver spoke English. Nima, the taxi driver is actually an engineer and very frustrated with his government. Moreover, his girlfriend was at this time in Canada, so he insisted to invite me for a drink in a park. A little later, I sat with Nima in a quiet corner of a park and drank moonshine.
After we had emptied the bottle Nima invited me for lunch. A taxi ride in Tehran can be classified as dangerous due to the driving of taxi drivers there, riding with a drunken taxi driver in Tehran is just madness. After we had picked up a friend of Nima, we went to lunch at a sandwich shop. There I met the Iranian movie star Amin Hayah. However, since I have no connection to Iranian films, we simply shook hands. Later in the day Nima took me to the bazaar.
The next day I spent with a number of organizational and other tasks, as well as relax. Because in the late evening I was going on a trip to northern Iran. When I asked Alireza whether I could stay with him in my travels to Kashan, he replied that he would not be in Kashan at this time. But invited me to accompany him and his friends on a trip to the North of Iran. Following this invitation, I changed my plans for Iran for the third time.

Azadi Square

Iran I, Orumiyeh and Zanjan

Orumiyeh
The border post between the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq and Iran, is beautifully located on a mountain pass. My fears of a strict border control on the Iranian side has not been confirmed. After my visa was stamped, I was waved through. In less than ten minutes I had reached the Iranian side of the border.The only problem was that my bus needed about one hour for the border crossing.In Orumiyeh my lack of planning was revealed. After a long bus ride I was convinced to arrive at 20.00 at my destination. The local time, however, was 1.5 hours later.
After I checked into my hotel I wanted to find an Internet cafe and buy an Iranian simcard for my phone. At half past ten local time, I would still have been able to buy fruits at the bazaar, but I could not realize any of the things I wanted to do. In the next morning I tried to correct the deficiency of the previous evening. The problem with this project, however, was that on Friday all shops are closed. I had no other choice than to go to Zanjan with a these things undone.

Zanjan
I reached Zanjan on Friday evening. As had my communication situation (no working phone, no internet) had not improved, I decided to spend the night in a cheap hotel and trying to contact a potential couchsurfing host at the following day.On Saturday morning I was finally able to work off my list. I got me a SIM card and was looking for an Internet cafe. During my search for the Internetcafe, I was approached by a young man, where I come from and whether I could use some help he asked. Even before he led me to the next Internet café, he offered to show me his city.After having my sent my phone number to my potential couchsurfing host and doing some other things online (facebook, google services, including blogs are blocked in Iran), I spent the afternoon exploring Zanjan with the young man and his friend.
In the early evening I went to university where my couchsurfing host Mohammad completes his master. I was received very warmly, introduced to his friends and integrated into the group. In the course of the evening I was invited to traditional Iranian food in an old caravanserai. The food was excellent and the place very atmospheric.During my stay I was able to look behind the facade of the strict Islamic society forced on the people by law. The people of Iran shift a large part of the forbidden things in the non-public area of ​​their lives. With this workaround, however, few people are happy.

Iraqi Kurdistan II

Erbil
The capital of the Kurdish autonomous zone was my last stop in Iraq. Erbil is around for over 7000 years. In the years following the war in Iraq Erbil has partaken heavily on the economic success of the Kurdish autonomous region. The economic power and high safety compared to the rest of the country helped to establish a certain share of foreigners in Erbil.
While in the city center, a conservative lifestyle is practiced (a Turkish friend asked me: "How do you like the Kurdish women?", my answer: "I haven't seen many women.") Ainkawa, the suburban town in which most foreigners live, provides a Western lifestyle .
While in Erbil I moved between these worlds. My hotel was directly below the citadel, and definitely not a place for women (not my point of view, but social consensus). A bed on the terrace or in the hallway outside the rooms cost 5,000 Iraqi dinars (about 4 USD), including half-hourly wake-up signals starting at 5am. Most of my time I spent in the vicinity of the city center. It is very easy to move in these circles as man, one is frequently invited to a tea and involved in mostly short simple conversations, because of the lack of a common language.
On my second evening I met with three local couchsurfers (Leah, Joe and Akam) for tea. I am very grateful to the three that they have spent some time for a deeper conversation. The extensive knowledge of Joe concerning Central Asia will be beneficial later on.
After I had bought my bus ticket for Iran, I spent the majority of the third day around the city center of Erbil. In the evening I had arranged to meet Leah for my last beer before the dry season (Iran). We met in Ainkawa and as my taxi driver did not know the place and was not willing to ask someone for directions, I could take a superficial impression of Ainkawa.
The lifestyle is westernized: single-family houses, playgrounds, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. In my opinion, the place looks very artificial and misplaced in Kurdistan. However, I can see its use as a retreat and connection to their own culture for foreigners in Erbil.
I spent the evening in a very relaxed atmosphere. Under the stars I enjoyed cold Heineken and the company of very nice people.
After I had shared a taxi with Leah on my way back home, I arrived to loud Kurdish music and partying people in the park outside of my hotel. The music would come handy later on, when I wanted to climb up the stairs to my hotel, I stood before a locked door. I was banging against the door and someone, who was kept awake by the loud music, opened the door.
The next morning I took the bus to Orumiyeh, Iran. This road is among the most spectacular, I have ever traveled. It winds through valleys and over mountains in a beautiful alpine environment.

My hotel, notice its terrace

My bed is the last one (further pics will be added later on)

Iraqi Kurdistan I

At 8.00, I could go with Naim to the border town of Silopi. He had to deliver a load of gas bottles for Iraq. In Silopi I took a seat in a taxi and drove towards the border.
The borderpolice was very friendly. After I was asked about my travel plans in Iraq and warned explicitly to avoid the Arab part of Iraq, I got my free 10 day visa.

Zakho
I realized I need Iraqi Dinar as soon as possible, when I could hardly satisfy the taxi driver, who had brought me from the border to the nearby city of Zakho, with the rest of my Turkish Lira. After asking around for some time, it turned out that there is no place in Zakho to get money with my cards. Consequently I had to sacrifice a part of my dollars.
Zakho is a nice city with an old stone bridge and a bazaar, where the main trades are cigarettes and tea for smuggling to Turkey. Furthermore, it appears that most visitors to the Iraqi Kurdistan drive straight to Dohuk, because the reactions of the locals on me were very pronounced. This was most evident, as a whole busload of school children turned to me, some waved, and one said to me the almost obligatory "Hello! How are you?".
The highlight was however, that I could watch the game of Borussia Dortmund against Frankfurt and the subsequent championship celebration live on Dubai sports in my hotel room.

Dohuk
I took the only affordable transportation in Iraqi Kurdistan, a filled taxi, from Zakho to Dohuk. Dohuk is a similar unspectacular town like Zakho, but unspectacular is not necessarily a bad thing in a country still plagued by suicide bombers and car bombs.
Even after thinking a long time about my stay in Dohuk, I can't come up with something worth writing.

Southeast Anatolia II

Nemrut Mountain
From Urfa I went towards Mount Nemrut in the megalomania of an ancient ruler, huge sculptures had been created close to the mountain peak (2150m). My starting point for visiting the sculpture should be the city Kahta. After 10 minutes in Kahta I decided against that and for a village close to the summit.
As it happens I was just at the bus station as Murat, a pension owner in said village was over. He was in town to pick up his daughter from the doctor. I took a chance and drove the 50 kilometers with Murat to his village and then a few more to a pension close to the summit.
After I had given the nod to the price and condition of my room, Murat offered me to drive me to the summit that evening. In the remaining hours I found that I was the only guest. As the room was neat and the view spectacular, I could live with that. However the enduring sound of the water running in an open channel was considerably worse.
At 18.00 Murat brought me to the summit. It was very windy and the final ascent from the parking lot was steep. However, the sight of the sculptures in a high alpine environment was worth it.
Back in the pension I asked how to leave from there on the next day. The answer was, that a minibus is going  to Kahta at 6.30. I wasn't very pleased with waking up at 5:30.

Diyabakir
After a short odyssey through southeast Anatolia, three mini-bus (on the last one a shepherd brought his dead sheep along) and a ferry, I arrived in Diyarbakir.
The city is known for its massive basalt walls and a bustling life in the tangled streets of old town.
If it is stormy and rains, there is not much bustling life left. Despite the storm and rain I've seen a bit of the city, with a slightly better weather I would have called the center of Diyarbakir beautiful. Not much happened during my stay.

Cizre
When buying my bus ticket and while asked where I was going, I have clearly demonstrated that I am not able to pronounce this city.
After I had arrived at 18.00 in Cizre, I was really set on a quiet evening. However, I met Naim, a local taxi driver, as I wanted to get something to eat. Naim invited me to be his guest at the festival of the Kurdish Democratic Party. I accepted his offer.
Ninety minutes later he picked me ​up at my hotel. The festival was less of a political event, as all those present agreed in their strive for Kurdish independence, but rather a patriotic festivity. The festival lasts three days and during that time people hardly sleep.
After we had some time at the festival, I was asked to pose for a few photos with Naim's friends (the more I travel east, the more often I am asked to pose for photos or watched with curiously). Shortly thereafter, I was glad I had not taken my camera because I've tried Kurdish dancing. The relevant images should be available on various Kurdish phones.
At around 22.00 we left the festival to drink tea in the restaurant of Naim's uncle. Again, I was received with exceptional hospitality. During my short stay in Cizre, I learned a lot about the Kurdish culture and made friends with great people.

Southeast Anatolia I

Antep 

Actually, Gaziantep, but I skip, as indeed for most Turks, that later added Gazi (heroic). The Status of heroic, was awarded to the city in the seventies by the Turkish Parliament. It results from the resistance of the population Anteps against the French occupation in 1920.

Today Antep is known in Turkey for its pistachio sweets. That fame is definately earned. But not only the sweets characterize the city. Antep is a city with many trees and greenery (shadow is important in this latitude), an old town and a bazaar that is operated not only for tourists.

 Urfa  
Actually, Şanlıurfa (glorious Urfa), but as with Antep I use the short variant.
After I was lost at first (my map had the old location of the bus station), I was kindly directed to my hotel.
Urfa is well represented in the Bible and the Koran. Abraham and Job spent there days in Urfa.
In addition, the Urfa kebab is due to its delicacy worth to get mentioned. All in all Urfa is a good city but I don t feel like blogging, right now.

Göreme, Cappadocia

The consequence of my spontaneous bus ride to Göreme, was that I had to find affordable accommodation by 22 clock. This was surprisingly easy. The reason for this is that Cappadocia, and especially Göreme is a center of tourism in Turkey.
The landscape and how people transformed it, is the reason for tourists to come to Cappadocia. For over two thousand years people live in caves, that were carved in  strange volcanic rock formations.
Because of the variety of sites (at least two Unesco world heritage sites) in a radius of 100 miles and my tight schedule (two days) I booked a tour for the second day.
The first day I explored the surroundings on my own. After a short visit to the open-air museum of Göreme (world cultural heritage, early Christian cave churches, many bus tours), I wandered through the red and the rose valley to Ürgüp. After all the cities I have visited since the beginning of my trip, the empty valleys and spectacular scenic variety was more than welcome to me.
The next morning we went by minibus across Cappadocia. The tour was despite the usual problems (overpriced drinks at lunch and a product demonstration at the end) good. This was due to the imposing monuments, the aggressive driving style of the bus driver and not least to the guide. Most attractions were created from the plight of the early Christians emerged to hide from their enemies . Highlights of the tour were the underground city Derinkuyu and Ilhara valley. The underground city is a man-made tunnel and cave system that extends on multiple levels to a depth of 70 meters. There were 2,000 people using the shelter for up to four months. The tunnels are designed for people up to  1.70 meters. The Ilhara Valley is the deepest valley of Cappadocia and on this ground, the early Christians hid from their enemies. It is an idyllic valley with the characteristic Cappadocian caves carved in the sheer cliffs of the valley.
Fortunately, the tour ended in Goreme half an hour before my bus left for Antep.
If you travel to Cappadocia be advised to carry a flashlight, as some of the caves are very poorly lit or not at all.

Asian leg of the journey part I

Due to the interest of my brother, here is the first part of the Asian leg of my journey. Starting in Istanbul to the Turkmenian border:


View Asien I in a larger map

Ankara

I took the night train from Istanbul an extremely comfortable way travel to the Turkish capital. Before I start to criticize cities, that have been planned on the drawing board, I must explain the nature of my stay in Ankara. The reason for my visit to Ankara was only to get another visa. After all, I have been successful, the visa for Uzbekistan fills another page of my passport. I also had some privacy for the first time since the beginning of my journey, a separate hotel room. Most of my stay in Ankara, I spent thus in the embassy district and my hotel room. My point of view concerning Ankara is in any case, as already indicated above is not particularly good. Besides the old citadel, a number of museums and a comprehensive Attatürkcult the city stands only out from their capital status. At least the Ankara chapter, for me, fortunately for the time being is closed.
Currently I am on the way to Göreme in Cappadocia. If you got a bit of time to spare, look it up in google picture search. Otherwise it means waiting for the next post.

View from Ankara Citadel

Istanbul

The arrival in Istanbul had a high symbolic value for my trip. I had reached the edge of Europe, and although Turkey and its culture and language for Europeans in particular Germans are relatively familiar, it is a transition to the unknown (from my point of view).Istanbul is a bustling metropolis with a long history. Therefore the possibilities to spend the day or night and are extremely diverse. Unfortunately I was limited in my seven days stay somewhat, because I wanted to at least get the Iranian visa in Istanbul. I have done it.While I was sidelined from the reason stated in above I had to skip a club tour with a bunch of Australians, still I had enough time to do a few other things. In the following I will confine myself to the highlights, either positive or negative. On Tuesday I had been thinking that after my visit to the Iranian consulate, I didn´t want to spend my time queueing for the major sights. Therefore, I selected a stop on the map, that was far enough away from the most touristic parts of town, I went there by the outstanding public transport. The original plan was that I walk from the bus stop down to a pier and go back near the Spice Bazaar from there. Since none of my maps presented the district ın a decent way, I went in the direction (downhill) where I assumed the Golden Horn (bay) and thus the pier. After a long walk, a resident involved me in a conversation and asked what I'm doing there. I couldn´t really explain it. First, due to the scarce knowledge of English of the local on the other hand I did not know exactly why I had been out there. Then I was invited to play cards in his favorite cafe. After two cay and me winning two rounds (I was mainly there to hold the cards and had to deduce the rules from the actions of my opponent and mentor), I was invited for a beer in the next liquor store / kiosk. A few more beers and a couple of snacks followed the first. Also, I was able to outclass the owner of the liquor store in another card game. To sum it up, I met many nice people and seen a glimpse into the everyday culture of some Turkish men. 
The 1st of May is celebrated in Turkey as a day of work, apparently in a big way. When I was on the way towards Taksim Square, the location of the central rally, in the early afternoon the masses of the disintegrating demonstration scattered in my direction. On my arrival Taksim Square was still filled to one third with the remaining protesters, every square inch  that they didn´t occupy, was full of empty plastic bottles. On my way back I was witness to scenes that are known in Germany at that time of the year in Berlin or Hamburg. A group of teenager took advantage of a gap in the police fence to get out of an alley and throw stones and bottles at a group of demonstrators. Police reacted fast with a large number of units. The fascinating part in this situation was the reaction of the journalists. Cameramen, photographers and reporters with gas masks on their belts positioned themselves next to and some even in front of the police forces to deliver pictures for the news and newspapers. However, the massive police presence led to fleeing stone throwers, and thus a bad day for the journalists.
The negative highlight of my stay in Istanbul was the Saturday evening. On Saturday I already spent six days in Istanbul and had not participated in the night life (my definition is for that is later than 1.00), it was time to change that. What started in a pleasant round in the rooftop bar of my hostel, should turn into a disastrous evening, soon. The first mistake was that we departed from the hostel as late as 0.30. Rather than going directly to the center of the nightlife, the Taksim Square, we followed our bartender to a local bar, half an hour later we took a taxi towards the clubs. The second mistake was made by someone from the first taxi, instead of giving clear instructions the taxi driver, the driver was instructed to take us to a good club. As you can imagine the club was a flop, just like the taxi ride there, one of the Kiwis vomited out of the taxi´s window. The third mistake was to listen to the rumors an American heard. He had heard of a club that was a great place to party. Our taxi parade sat in motion to go there, but not for long. On the way to the club we spent thirty minutes in traffic (from 2.00 - 2.30). After most of the group was in the club, someone had realised that not all of us were admitted. The consequence was that we ultimately tried to go to a club at Taksim Square. At 4.00 we tried hard to get in a club. In third attempt, we succeded. However, the club was really not that much of a party heaven -  sparsly crowded, only Turkish music playing and overpriced drinks selling. At 4.30 most of our group, including myself, were done with that night.Obviously, I've also seen a couple of sights. Since they should rather be seen than described.

View from my hostel`s terrace