From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace, and spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travelers for centuries.
After a late rich breakfast, we took a curvy road from Lake Van through Southeastern Anatolia to Eruh, with a predominantly Kurdish population that welcomes visitors. Sadly, renewed hostilities from 2015 between the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) and Turkish government forces, along with...
We drove from Kars to Lake Van through several mountain passes (2100 – 2400 m) for the whole afternoon. Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey in the Armenian highlands at 1,640 m above sea level. It is a saline soda lake (pH 9.8), receiving water from many small streams that...
We drove 45km east of Kars to Ani ruins (🎫 50 TRY). We arrived there around 7 PM at large parking near the entrance. To our surprise, nobody was around that time, but to our luck, they left the toilets open. Ani lies east of Kars and along the Arpaçay River, which forms the border with...
Our first stop on our second trip through Turkey was Kars, a city in northeastern Turkey situated on a plateau 1750 meters above sea level on the Kars River, close to the border with Armenia. The city, divided into an older upper section and a newer part to the south, stretches out on...