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"Urfa, Adiyaman, Kahta, and Nemrut... What a day" Jaredwall's photos around Kahta, Turkey

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• published: 16 Nov 2010
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Preview of Jaredwall's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaredwall/istanbulu_life/1179250800/tpod.html This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Kahta, Turkey Entry Title: "Urfa, Adiyaman, Kahta, and Nemrut... What a day!" Entry: "Tuesday, May 15, Gaziantep to Urfa: Today was the most frustrating day. I got up early and went to the Gaziantep Otogar, where I caught a 3 hour ride to Urfa. I had extensively searched Internet websites for information on tours to Mount Nemrut, one of the most famous mountains in Turkey, from Urfa. Everything I knew pointed to Yes. But really, this was not an option, as I was to find out. I got to Urfa and spotted Metro Turizm, a familiar name in a sea of unfamiliarity. I learned where to catch a bus to Balikli Gol (which means the Lake of Fishes), Urfa's main tourist attraction and pilgrimmage site. Usually the good hotels and travel agencies ring around the most popular tourist sites of a city. I was wrong. Urfa only had one travel agency that I could find. I located it after walking a half hour uphill in the burning sun toting my big bag. I found the Hotel Ipek, which I knew from the Internet as an upscale establishment, and asked about tours. "We run tours to Nemrut every Sunday," said the gal at the desk with a smile. "You can go and arrange it with our tour manager." 'Yeah, right, I'll just wait here 'till Sunday,' I thought bitterly. I took off back to the Otogar, still hoping to find a tour agency. I went to Metro and they sent me around the corner to the local mini-bus stop. Mini-buses run from Urfa to Adiyaman every hour, and thereafter to Kahta. The cost for a trip is 7.50-10 lira and is about 100 kilometers from Urfa to Adiyaman , which can take 2 hours as the bus picks up and drops off numerous passengers along the way. The little man at the mini-bus stand called up a friend and gave me the phone. We talked and agreed on a 70 lira stay and tour. After the ride to Adiyaman I was put on another mini-bus bound toward Kahta, which is 30 kilometers from Adiyaman and is the main springboard town to Mount Nemrut. On the way I talked to a nice old Kurdish man who I couldn't convince that I wasn't from Germany. "Where are you from?" he would ask me. "Canada," I would say. "Alimanya?" he asks (which is the Turkish word for Germany), and I say, "No, Canada." "Italya?" "No, C..." "Alimanya. Slovakia. Austria. Albania..." He was listing more than asking, now. "No, no, K-A-N-A-D-A. Canada." "Sprekin ze Deutsch?" The tour bus dropped me at a small tourist office of Kommagenetour, and I must explicitly state right now, I do NOT recommend this tour agency, not it's tours nor it's accomodations. The operators charge twice the price of many other tour agencies, and for a tour that they boast shows you more than Nemrut (by more they mean an old bridge and a statue). I was told that 140 YTL got me a hotel, a tour, and I didn't have to pay any entrace fees, of which there were two at 10 YTL each. "But I just talked to another man who quoted me 70 YTL, with breakfast included," I said. "Yes, but with me you can go tonight and see the sunset. The weather is beautiful today. It was bad yesterday. Who knows what it will be tomorrow? And, my friend, listen. This man... may I see his card please?... this man will make you pay the entrance fees, which are 10 lira at the bridge and 10 lira at Nemrut Dagi. And you won't get to see this bridge," he said with a smile. Since I was on a very tight schedule, I agreed to a 125 lira deal, which hurt me deeply since it was more than a third of my entire budget. It hurt me even more deeply after I saw how dirty and poor the room was. On the up side, my driver magically showed up right as the money brushed the guy's palm, and off we went to catch the sunset on Mount Nemrut. Now usually for 140 lira or so, which is an extraordinary amount for a tour in Turkey, you get a guide who speaks your own language and knows the history of the area. Not so with Mehmet, a Kurdish guy with a lot of energy and a lead foot. "Cabuk cabuk!" he would hollar as we flew past the first few sights that I was apparently paying extra to see. "Quick quick! The sun sets in 2 hours. You came late. It's better to come early and go slow." Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/jaredwall/istanbulu_life/1179250800/tpod.html Photos from this trip: 1. "Cendere Bridge" 2. "Cheers at Sunset" 3. "Kurdish Goatherds" 4. "Seated Kings" 5. "Snow on Nemrut" 6. "Sunset on Nemrut" 7. "Sunset on the Mount" 8. "The Best Head on the Mountain" 9. "The Heads" 10. "The Landscape" 11. "The Lion" 12. "The Old Bird" 13. "To Nemrut Summit" See this TripWow and more at http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-00af-d20c-1766?ytv4=1