WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe

Overall definitely worth the time to stop here and have a glimpse at the past, researches are still trying to figure out its exact purpose, which we may never know. But we, as professionals… think it may have been a school, hence all the animals, and alignments to aid in teaching the new civilization in order to farm and succeed in the adaptation from a hunter gatherer civilization.

Or… were we visited by aliens and given advenaced technology before the Younger dryas impact event??? Hmmmm….

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About halfway we pull off the main road and go find an empty field to stop in and let Pina out for a run, and so we can also relax, the weather is perfect, the sun is shining, the chairs are out and we have a cold beer and sunflower seeds.

Our peace is interrupted shortly after by a flock of goats, quite normal here, and of course the sheapard comes up for a chat, god bless google translate, with a few extra hand signals tosse din for good measure we are asked if we would like some fresh milk. Now I am not one to say no, and Asareh is very excited, so we spend the next 5 minutes chasing a goat down. And like magic, a cup of milk is produced. It doesn’t get any fresher than this that’s for sure. It had a bit of a sweet flavour to it and was still warm. Back at the car we also gave Pina a share, high fat, so his fur is soffttttt.

Arriving in town, we are in for a struggle our hotel is in old town, and those roads are tight.. I actually end up having to reverse back out of a street as it gets so tight we just cant get through. A few more struggles later and I find parking. At the hotel Pina is let free to check the room out and we head for dinner, winner.

I also find a shoe repair shop right next to the hotel and get my shoes fixed, new soles, perfect, I walk home in socks. Lol

We spend the full next day on foot checking out old town and hitting up the shops. Which luckily included a stop to buy new sticks for the mangal to hold meat. The loudest area of town I have ever been in, with all the metal working going on. No ear plugs to be seen let alone safety glasses.

Our night ends with discovering what we though was an abandoned kitten crying on a fence, we sit and think.. and think some more. Will Pina be okay with this? Anyways.. Pina was most definitely not okay with this, so feeling guilty we take the kitten back to the fence, now we’re having a moral issue as I feel terrible leaving it. Luckily this moral dilemma takes a solid 10 minutes. Then finally the mom arrived, all is okay in the world again, and the kitten got a free meal out of it. Tomorrow we go visit the aliens…

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It sounds cool, but we didn’t really burn, more like a 3 point turn at the border then slowly worked our way home starting with a mangal on the way to Van, the road started nice, then got wild. And by wild I mean narrow with a few 100 meter drop off the side, there was no way to even “film” it for Instagram it was so shit. But with the decision to turn around we found a small stream and parked up.

The road in question:

During lunch we heard some weird noises, which happen to be a pair of tortoises mating. Surprisingly loud for small creatures, but all the power to them.

After a night in Van we headed back to the border and wound our way through the lovely road retracing my steps on the way in.

Of course, since we now had a few extra days to kill Asareh may have suggested turning to go to Iraq, I mean the road sign was there, we didn’t need visas. So why not? We drove for an extra 45 minutes to the border crossing, only to be denied crossing due to, for once not us, but the L200, with the setup and canopy it is considered a weapon of war, therefore is only eligible to cross at the main border. So with that plan out the window, mangal, of course without the local knowledge we actually parked on the edge of an unsigned mine field, but luckily a local came quicky and informed us, we were still safe for lunch, the main concern was actually Pina going for an explore. So with him under close watch we enjoyed some time before heading back to the main highway.

Our stop for the night is in Mardin as I need to collect my new car parts.

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Day 1 begins with heading out of Antalya and making a pit stop for lunch at the Meke crater lake, normally there is some water in the bottom, but I am there out of season, a few nice areas to camp around but some of the bigger areas are littered in glass which is a recurring theme here. Pina is limited on where I let him run. I stop in Adana for the night.

The next day we visit some early early civilizations, 12000 years ago possibly. And obviously there will be more on this later. But for now the road is open and the sun is out. We make a few stops to stretch our legs before arriving at Karahan Tepe.

The area is still under excavations, and some are estimating it to be actually 15000 years old, some of the earliest signs of civilization and worship or teaching areas/ schools. No one really knows yet.

The final day seems me starting my drive from Mardin after ordering some parts for the L200 to stop the rattles on the calipers. The drive I have chosen will take me right against the borer with Syria, which is heavily fortified, has spot lights and the army is everywhere.

The real win came as I hit the mountain canyon that runs along the Iraq border, now this road is like something out of a movie, the mountains towering above me, the snow, the rivers. Just an amazing area for a drive. I did have a slightly interesting moment, as a Kurdish family was very interested in me joining them for lunch, but I had already eaten, as a last ditch effort, they sent there 2 single daughters over to try to convince. Bold strategy cotton, lets see if it pays off? Not quite, back on the road we get stopped by the army at the top of the pass, now the l200 has a front tinted window, and these guys are on edge to begin with. No real issues but I did get told to stop well before the actual stop point, once the side windows were open all was okay.

My final stop for the night is near the border for Asarehs arrival tomorrow.

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On arrival it was once again empty allowing some pose up photos, plus great parking for the lunch time meal, some meat and veggies on the mangal. Just as the doctor ordered. The area slowly filled up as the afternoon went on so soon enough it was time to bail.

But luckily, we had some left overs and that meant another test drive to ensure the L200 was ready to go for its next big adventure. With a quick run to Candir stream me and Pina quickly setup and got to cooking. This area is very quiet on week days so we had zero visitors today.

Pina found a nice little cave to hide in.

And of course, since we are all about being green, I even took the train to see Perge ruins, same story as before, been by it many many times and just never stopped in, in general for ruins in Turkiye it rates a low 5 outta 10. If you are short on time, and want to see ruins near Antalya it’s the best option if you don’t have a vehicle as the train will take you directly to it. Maybe after a little more restoration it will be better.

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Todays goal is to cross over a powerlines track from north to south, so lets get into this. My first give away should have been the 500 meters of river I have to drive through to get into the valley, followed by meeting up with a horseback rider. Hmmm. I make it maybe another 1.5 kms to a rough boulder field, and of course, being unsupervised this round I get into building a road for the drop off to avoid rolling the car. In theory this works, in practice I start the drop and the wagon slips of the rocks and punches the fuel tank through the rear floor. More on this later.

In low range I clamber through the boulders before a steep exit and stand proud. Which is promptly killed as another 200m ahead I have to turn around as the next wash out is a 2-meter drop which is just not possible alone. Turning around I squeeze back up the track no problem and hit the highway after a quick airing up.

Not one to give up, I find a camp site on the southside, but upon arriving it’s not what I want for the night, so I keep going and end up at the south end of the pass, well up and up we go. Till maybe 200 meter of altitude from the top, wash outs, I figure with a shovel you could cut a ledge for a set of tyres, but once again, maybe not alone. But lucky for me, just a few meters back is a great flat spot with a killer view, perfect place for a birthday meal!!

So.. backtrack a bit, the rocks I slid off, I didn’t find this damage till arriving at camp. A hammer sorted it, but I will need to sort something out later on. Fuel tank is fine at least.

More pork for dinner, plus some whiskey to celebrate. I use coals once again to heat through the night but there is no wind and I watch the sun drop behind the mountains.

The morning has that light cloud around the mountain tops and creates a great overcast for photos. Once again, eggs and bacon, cause everywhere I seem to stay I can never get it. Working down the mountain I find a lake that will be perfect for camping, this is after a 2 hour delay of traffic through Tbisli. Rough.

Almost

At least the lake it is quiet and a good temperature. With wood collected, I settle in with my newly hired security, I have found (4 times so far) if you feed the stray that is friendly enough to pet, they will not let anyone or anything remotely near your car. So that means a peaceful sleep.

Sadly, this leads us to me heading back to Armenia to pack up the wagon for another long sleep while I head to work.

Back in Istanbul:

I do get to hit up the illusion museum in Istanbul though! Always fun. Till next time!!

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We enjoyed a great meal at the lake with our host and I spent the next day with everyone relaxing and doing a nice bbq at night of perfectly cooked pork. Just fabulous work I would say.

This blog will cover a few days as I moved quite quickly and didn’t take a heap of  photos, But with the sun rising on day 3 I am packed, fed, and ready to roll. Motoring to Georgia I get across the border without issues, well I mean a few questions about me being refused entry last time. But eventually everyone came to the party and they let me through. Fun fact though, If the customs guys see that you are taking ages to get through you bet you will be pulling every item out of your car for inspection. Luckily its no issue and motoring into Tbisli I find parking and get out for the standard requirements, a sim card, some food, and a new radiator.

My new friend Georgio has guided me to many places and lined up repairs for me in advance. What a fantastic guy. I also drop my head lights off for stripping and cleaning. Gotta get this wagon looking mint. We finish the day at his house enjoying beer and a bbq (well the bbq was the second night) and his wife provided an amazing spread of dishes for dinner.

With the new radiator in, it promptly failed and began leaking again, so after fighting with the shop for a refund, which they wouldn’t do, I ended up back at Georgio’s house to clean the old radiator, we must of spent 45 minutes with the pressure washer and with this baby looking new again in it went, now at idle the fan can hold paper on the intercooler through 3 radiators which is impressive. Now its time to test it!!

Part 1.2:  You Can’t Drive Here

Lets go!! With the wagon buttoned up it was time to head for camp. With a few location changes, I decided to head to Truso valley. The drive was lovely, and I stopped at Georgio’s recommended restaurant for a feed. Khinkali is on the menu, and maybe a beer or 2. I have been told to order 10, because of my body. LOL anyways at max, I power through 7. Like a perogie but with meat inside.

With a climb up the mountain ahead, the sun shining, and that sweet sweet straight pipe singing away I make miles. As I approach Truso, I find there are hikers everywhere. Non stop. I am now beginning to wonder if that no cars sign was for all motorized vehicles, or just small cars, either way I am 5 minutes from camp so continue on, plus there is a ton of 4wd’s out on the track.

Set up for the night I notice it is getting cold quickly, So the heater is hooked up to stay comfy. I enjoy the night with pork, beer and a small fire for warmth. Great views and a good camp is had even its -3 outside.

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We get a wicked cool taxi into Yerevan where we quickly setup at the Airbnb, before stepping out for a cheeky afternoon beer. Then a nap of course, since our flight is at 3am, we know we will have a late night.

Around 6 we head out into town to check out the local art work, The cascade complex is where we start. Super cool and some actually good art work, except for the Subaru… come on man, wrapping a car in silver is not art. The view over the city is fantastic.

How is this art? seriously…

Our second last stop is a cocktail bar, we are given a menu which we promptly refuse, and just tell the bar tender, to surprise us, I want whiskey, Asareh wants vodka, and he’s off, we don’t get run of the mill cocktails either, these are flash ones we have never had. Daboo cocktail bar for anyone who is keen. Prices are very fair for what you get.

Our last stop on this journey, is a burger joint. Asareh proceeds to sorta eat “The worst burger she has ever had” I nibble on mine. Which is a shame as I was looking forward to a nice burger.

Our lap of Armenia to date is below, I will add to it when I got collect the car. After some repairs which are now waiting for shipping form Perth.   

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On our way up we pass a small camp, herders, Asareh wants to see, so I spin the wagon around and drop into the valley below, we arrive to a warm welcome from the men in the area, then the women showed. We are quickly ushered into the main tent, where we are supplied breakfast, they are so friendly, and eventually we find out they are Kurdish, this is after 40 minutes of struggling to translate, one of the mothers dropped a word Asareh knew. Then after that it was smooth sailing. We took some photos, left them with chocolate and whiskey and carried on.

Nearing the peak, we spot a whole crew of hikers, it’s a great day for it. Slight breeze and sorta sunny. We finally do start the downward trek, finding once again, a super cool looking tractor. We end our day arriving at 3g’s camp and immediately begin stripping the vehicle. We have only today to really clean it, and a bit of tomorrow morning. Pina helps by sleeping in the back. Which makes my job easy as I don’t have to worry about where he has gone.

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With our relaxing time complete it is time to slowly work towards the camp to park the vehicle again, we drive by many abandoned hotels and resorts, some look like they ran out of money during construction and others due to age. Either way, we stop for a beer in town with our lunch. The beer is horrid, still drank it, but it was no good.

Our finally camp for the trip, pulling up next to a highly rated restaurant, we find a spot in the trees where we setup, it’s a great spot, heaps of room, and butterflies for Pina. Everybody wins! Everybody continued to win during nap time as well.

Our meal was amazing, except my dessert which I figured would be an actual chocolate selection plate, but instead was a local candy bar. Meh, you win some you lose some. I still sneak some of Asareh’s ice cream.

I agree menu.. the heart is truly a small bbq

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