The Regroup

24 Years, 11 Months, 10 Days....Yeah Baby!<

Pulling into Istanbul a few days ago we arrived as Ramadan was wrapping up. The stores are bristling with people, the malls are full, food courts are standing room only...(its almost like these folks hadn't eaten in weeks).
We are getting our feet back under us...great trip but we came home a bit beat up. Today was my first full day of work and I have been busy trying to decide whether I like my brown sweater or my blue one better...believe me, I'm wiped out.

Lake Van

Ann is washing and airing out all the gear and clothes; sleeping bags, backpacks, jeans and jackets are all in various stages of cleaning, repair or repacking.
Stanley has every socket in the apartment hooked up to some battery, camera or charger. We have stacks of DVD's from his camera to view and edit. Elle has pages of notes, sketches and thoughts she is sorting through. Even though we are still regrouping...the map is out and plans for a January expedition are firming up.

Space, Distance, Danger

“I wanted space, distance, history, and danger, and I was interested in the living world”. (Coast of Incense, Freya Stark).


An Imam's Family Prayers

Near Edremit

Ann in Caldiran

Walking the Silk Road Near Kars

Borrowing a Bike in Dogubeyazit

Ann & Elle at a Village Well

Playing with the Locals

Stanley, His Coffee, and Ararat

Village Vignettes

The wireless gods are in a good mood today so it seems that we may be able to proffer a number of prints for your peckish palates. We cut our day short and returned to the Grand Derya (now day 3 with no or little water) after the rains began to make the remote roads too difficult for our little rental to navigate. We will spend the afternoon getting our notes in order and planning tomorrow’s journey towards the southern regions.


The Plains of Ararat


Ararat Village


Views From Our Trek








Mosque With A View

Worshipper In A Village Mosque

Our Early Wake Up Call

Dogubayazit

This is our 8th day on the road and our 5th without an internet connection. We ran across a rogue wireless signal last night and we have been trying to “borrow” it to update…but the signal fades every time we try to upload. We will give it another whack and see what happens.
Mountain Ridge Near Iranian Border

This View Of Ararat Makes Our Dingy Hotel Worth It

The last few days have been overwhelming. We are just a few miles from the border of Iran and spent today hiking and driving off-road through the mountains that define the Iranian/Turk border. Over the last few days we have visited a dozen remote villages high in the mountains of the region and have been received with amazing hospitality and affection.

Iranian Border...Traded Pomegranates With Murat

Trekking Along The Euphrates


Nomadic Goat Shepherd's Village

High On The Ridge

Village Near Ani

The Climb To The Ridge


We have walked with nomadic shepherds as they move their flocks to lower pastures, sat in stone huts covered with earthen roofs, traded pomegranates and gifts with boys and girls tending goats miles from their family’s camp, visited on the roadside with gun toting teens, and hiked through stunning mountain passes and high steppes of eastern Anatolia. Our boots carry the dust of the ancient Silk Road on them for the first time. Life, my friends...is good, on the Far Side of the World.
More…when the internet gods smile again.

From The Road

Four days into our road trip we found internet service in an unusual location…a small town in Eastern Turkey with a special hotel just for teachers. Since we are foreigners…they have allowed us to stay with them for a few days.

Bridge to Villages

Tomorrow we hope to make it into The Republic of Georgia to take care of some paperwork and then back to this same hotel for the evening. Here are a few pics of our time in the villages the last few days.
E-mail is down, phone is up…give us a call.


Scootin Along

Great Little Village High In The Mountains