Kappadokia, Aladağlar, Istanbul (the end of my journey)

After Kayseri I finally reached the tourist s wonderland of Kappadokia. Very amazing rock formations, but of course one is not alone there. I wondered why I had to wait in queues to enter some rock hewn churches which were rather disappointing considering the entrance fee of 9 euros and why a nearby castle, which I,ve found much more interesting, was not even open for visiting (but somehow I entered there). The whole area is full of churches with hidden entrances, just where there is a little better preserved fresco, somebody is standing in front of the entrance to demand a fee.

From Güreme, the main city there, it was only 2 hours to the mountains of Aladağlar, a ridiculous distance in Turkey. There I made a very beautiful and challenging trek through a breathtaking rock massif. The only people I met on the way were a group of rockclimbers from Iran. From further away I heard the bells of herds of sheep and cows and one night I spent in a left alone tent, so some people are living up there.

Later on the way back I met a taxidriver from Hamburg, who spent his childhood as a nomad in these mountains and told me how much he'd like to return to this life free of stress.

I also thought about to visit the mediterennian coast around Antalya, but the far distances and high costs scared me off. I also have to admit that I'm already a bit tired from travelling. So I took the next bus from Kayseri to Istanbul. Here I'll spend some days with my friends, relax and finally make the last stage home to Austria.

Syria

If there is anything positive about the war in Georgia, it is that only then I got the idea of coming to Syria. The landscape there is not much interestıng and also it is pretty hot there, so I only stayed in the cities. But they were really worth to see. After two days in Aleppo I went for another two days to Damascus. I could have stayed much longer, but I also want to see Turkey and don´t have much time left.

I met quite a lot of people here, that don´t really fit into islamıc society like gays, metalheads,etc. A very nice farewell was the jazzfestival in the old castle of Damascus with syrian and international groups.

Now in Turkey I was very warm welcomed by a family who picked me up on the border and insisted to invite me to their last meal before ramadan. They called me 'mujahed' because I look like an Afghan, as they said. From their home near the border I had a long bus drive untill now. Last nıght I spent on the bus station in Kayseri and now I wait there for the bus to Güreme (Kappadokia). However, here in Turkey it,s very expensive to travel. In just one day I´ve spent exactly 37 euros only for food and transport,nothing else. I still didn´t see anything here. In Ethiopia such an amount would last one or two weeks.