One Day I’ll Be a Shepherd Too

“But that’s the glory of foreign travel… Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.”

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Though we have seen (and slept in) shepherd’s huts before here in Turkey, the dozens of small stone huts all clumped together like villages really got my attention throughout this vast and desolate area. Though we have seen a few of these nomadic “villages” near the road during the past few days, today we were able to stop and sleep in one of these huts as they provide a wonderful wind shelter. After ditching our bikes we walked for half an hour up the nearest hill and what we saw on the other side amazed me – village after village of these makeshift stone huts scattered throughout the area. Though the (predominately) Kurdish people who inhabit this area are no longer full time nomads as they once were, they still travel for months on end with their sheep, a few donkeys, and their large sheep dogs for protection.

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Wind, Cows, and a Whole Lot of Nothingness

“Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.”

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For the past few days we have been passing through a whole lot of nothingness, up and down through treeless landscapes with an unfortunately strong headwind.

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Our Favorite Stick

“I was never a cyclist. Merely a person with a bicycle.”

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You may have noticed by now that Kevin and I both carry sticks with us which serve three purposes: to scare off dogs, to play with the GoPro, and most importantly, to use as a kickstand. The kickstand thing is pretty self explanatory, but what you may not realize is that you also need a break because if not the bike will just slide out and fall. Kevin, being the practical thinker he is, made us each brakes once he realized why our kick stands were so finicky.

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The PKK: Who, What and Why

“We reached the point where weapons should go silent and ideas speak.”

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is a Kurdish militant organization which fought from 1984-2013 against Turkey during its unsuccessful struggle for independence and quest to create Kurdistan, a state which would unite the thirty or so million Kurds throughout Syria, Iran, Turkey, and Iraq who make up the world’s largest stateless population. This bloody struggle which has killed over 40,000 people “ended” on March 21 2013, when Öcalan, the captured leader of the Kurds, declared a ceasefire and with it a new goal for the Kurds: a peaceful fight for some sort of autonomy within Turkey instead of its own state (Kurdistan). “We reached the point where weapons should go silent and ideas speak,” Öcalan exclaimed, beginning a ceasefire that lasted until just last week when Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish PKK rebels near the Iraqi border. The Kurds, who have faced unimaginable oppression and maltreatment throughout recent history are currently extremely angry at Turkey for not helping to save Kobane, not arming them against IS, and not allowing them to fight alongside their Kurdish brothers just across the border in Syria and Iraq. The brutal history between the Kurds and Turkey has created a rough road which they must now navigate together as they struggle to unite against IS.

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A Glimpse of Fall in the Turkish Mountains

“Your legs are not giving out. You head is giving up. Keep going.”

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Though our second pass was difficult – 2,500m of gain plus a fifteen kilometer extra climb up and down somewhere in the middle – the mountains and valleys all around made the steep climb worth it. Our favorite part of this pass was when an older couple invited us into their home for tea and fresh pastries that she made right there in front of us. The village was near the top, 2,000m high, and already had a tiny bit of snow on the ground (and was below freezing every night). In fact, all of the surrounding houses were already abandoned for the season, and our lovely couple was headed out to their winter home for the next eight months the very next day. Though we had never really pictured Turkey to be a cold and snowy place, we are quickly realizing that it’s a good thing we started on these passes when we did because a week or two later and we could have easily been trudging through snow. In just one week Turkey has bumped it’s way up to our favorite country this trip as the paved quiet roads, beautiful scenery, and hospitable people have made every single day wonderful.

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It’s All Uphill From Here

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

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Our first few days through the northeastern Turkish hills proved to be our wettest days yet as we found ourselves in an unrelenting storm for days (and nights) on end. In fact, for eight hours one day I sang this song (to the tune of “Mister Sun”) –

“Oh mister wind, wind, mister abnoxious wind, please go home sick todayyyyy.”

– which probably gives you an idea as to which part of the storm was getting on my nerves the most.

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Welcome to Turkey

“Destined to be an old women with no regrets.”

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When we got to the “baggage check” station between the boarder of Georgia and Turkey we were prepared to laboriously take off every bag, put them on the X-Ray, and then repack our bags on the bike on the other side because that is what everyone else was doing. When the man in change of the station saw us though, he waved us through while ignoring our passports (which he was suppose to check as well), asked us half-heartedly if we were carrying alcohol or cigarets (no), and then, without missing a beat, asked us if we wanted some tea. So as everyone else was waiting for their passports and bags to be checked, we stood off to the side with our first cup of Turkish tea. Welcome to Turkey as a cyclist.

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Behind the Scenes: Kevin’s Side

“A society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.”

Though we are traveling as a couple, you really only hear one side of the story since I happen to be the one recording it all. Because of this, Kevin decided to write a post for y’all to enjoy, a sort of insider look into a few funny stories I may have left out.

You have heard our stories, seen our pictures, and experienced our adventures through the words of Shirine, but there is another side to our trip which has been left out. By giving you a glimpse of our life through my eyes I hope to bring to light some comical and interesting behind the scenes information.

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Dispelling Myths About Cycle Touring

“Not all those who bicycle are lost.”

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The other day I read an article by a fellow Eugenian who is also cycling around the world, and I couldn’t help but laugh because every single myth she busted is true for us as well. In honor of that, I’ve decided to dispel many common myths about cycle touring from my own perspective.

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Call Out to Turkey!

“A wise person knows there is something to be learned from everybody.”

It’s incredible how many people – from Bulgaria, to Thailand, to France – have emailed me inviting us to stay in their homes when we pass through their country. These invitations, and staying with locals in general, is definitely our favorite part about the way we travel but unfortunately I haven’t kept a comprehensive list of where the people are who have offered. Because of this I’m going to start giving a little shout-out before each country, and since we will be entering into Turkey in a week, here is the Turkish shout out! Kevin and I would love to cook you breakfast, do the dishes, or work in the garden (etc..) as a thank you for your hospitality, in fact, we insist! Feel free to comment on this post or send me a private email letting me know where you guys are at, and after looking at a map, I’ll get back to you with an approximate about when we will be there.