#van lake

[marauderfan]

no waves, but drama - welcome back @manoelt-finisterrae

[turkeytrips]

Van Lake: A Cure to Lung Diseases

Van Lake: A Cure to Lung Diseases

Van Lake, sometimes referred to as Van Gölü, is the largest body of water in Turkey and the second largest in the Middle East. Near the Iranian border, in eastern Anatolia, is where the lake is located. It has a total size of 1,434 square miles and is more than 74 miles (119 km) across at its widest point (3,713 square kilometres). Van, or Chauon, the name of the capital of the Urartian kingdom,…

View On WordPress

[moon-of-snow]

Sunset @Van by Ergin Topcu Via Flickr: This is a view from Van, taken during a trip. 

[anlaminedemektir]

Van lake Türkçesi nedir? Van lake ne demek?

Van lake Türkçesi nedir? Van lake ne demek? Van lake Türkçesi nedir? Van lake ne demek?

[lungfishtravel]

A Brief Encounter With the military

"Thomas!" I don't even hear my name being called at first. It's not really a normal occurrence when you're travelling alone in eastern Turkey, so I've learned to ignore most things that I would normally mistake for my name. "Thomas!" Startled, I look up from my daydream not sure what exactly I'm going to see. Will it be someone from my hotel? Maybe someone I've met elsewhere in Turkey has found their way to this off track corner of the world? What I do find worries me. A military vehicle has pulled to the side of the road and a highly decorated officer is waving me over. I think back to my last couple days thinking what I could have done wrong before I notice the climbing permission in his hand, and immediately recognize him as the military commander I talked to yesterday to secure my permit... My heart drops as I realize that this means I probably won't be able to climb mount Souphan like I had planned. I'd spent the verge part of a day trying to arrange the permitting for the climb, and it looked like I gotten the veto at the final step. The officer for me to get in the back of the military vehicle, and in the split second before I do visions of detention camps, and a cold night in a cell flag before my eyes (paranoid much?). Once we reach the military base, the translator (a real nice guy, although I use the term translator lightly) from the day before is brought out to explain the situation almost exactly as I'd anticipated. Due to a "procedural" regulation, they would not allow me to climb alone due to the danger of falling rocks (on possibly the flattest mountain I have ever seen). I don't doubt there was another reason I wasn't allowed to climb the mountain alone (possibly due to security reasons). The guys at the military base though were very friendly though, and even though I'd just eaten I found a heaping plate of deserts and a hot cup of tea stuffed in front of me while the soldiers asked me questions about Canada and about travelling through Turkey. It was quite interesting to talk to these young men who had been posted so far away from home for as long as 15 months and about their experiences in the area. The whole conversation tied in nicely to another one I'd had a few days prior. The politics in this region are a bit of a touchy subject, but I know that soldiers can often get blamed for a lot of situations. Seeing their excitement about going home to see their family and hearing them talk about day to day life in the military really helps to put their life in perspective when they're holding a fully automatic rifle on the corner of the street. Once I'd finished my tray of deserts, I was free to go, but unfortunately I wouldn't be undertaking a key preparation for my attempt to summit mount Ararat. I'm off to Dogubeyazit now for a couple days of rest an laundry before my Ararat excursion. My post about some of the things I've seen in this region will be delayed a little unfortunately, but should be out the second week of September.

[onestepfromhell-blog1]