Nemrut

and like all these adventures, this one too starts totally umprepared: a late wake up, an oviparous breakfast (eggs and sucuk, thank you Kurdish hospitality), morning spent lolligaging around the area... and in this perusing ever winding road, a fork comes up, and with it, a man with a piece of advise: "this way is 40km to Nemrut, this other 20, but it's a little uphill..."
I chose the short ride.
(unknowingly)I chose the difficult ride.
I chose the beautiful ride.

2 hours later I was but half way up. Hunger and heat play an  important role on every ride, but on this one more than ever before... the entrance to Nemrut moutain lies on the edge of the Adyaman district, at least from the road I came in. I had spent 6 days already in Adyaman seeing beautiful sights but more than that, meeting great people. People that from the very beginning showered me with smiles and stories...

...so maybe I am wrong in saying I wasnt prepared for the ride, my mind was full of nice memories, my heart was full of joy and my bags exploding of parting gifts: tomatoes, onions, peppers, almonds, pistachios, bread, grape bread, nar, cookies...
This time was a great chance to put it all to good use. A small picnic, an even smaller nap and up we go. Up the other half of the mountain... Great views going up with the peak getting closer everytime, closer and closer but not quite.

What was to come was totally unexpected end: a road that went round the mountain to take us to the beginning of the next one, and from there, just there, Nemrut.
Knees and legs were weak, heavy as lead even. I'm sure it was the memories and the joy of the people met from Adyaman that carried me the rest of the way....
up up up


And from the top, the rewards dont make themselves be waited for: the view and more freat people that care enough to share their stories:
An older couple buys me a coke. He was a biker. She was a hitchiker. He gave her a lift 50 years ago, now they travel together in a caravan.
A villager coming for the 5th time to Nemrut. why? to show it to his new born grandchild.
Colombians on honeymoon and Japanese on holidays....

The view is magnificent. With the whole of Adyaman region below you is no wonder everyone comes here for the sunset/sunrise... camping there, I even got to enjoyed the night....

7hr going up, 1 hour going down. Then 2 more to reach the city limits, then a ferry across the Euphrates.
Joy....