Bush camps, Trabzon and Sumela

Our last night in Goreme was spent in a restaurant eating a traditional stew. The stew is cooked in an individual clay pot and then the pot is brought to the table and you crack the top off with a knife. Fun was had by all. A few drinks in the Flintstones cave bar and then a huge walk uphill to the campsite completed our stay in Goreme.

We had 2 planned nights of bush camping as we head into the mountains. We had a short stop in the village of Zara and passed our first planned camping location too early to camp (we don't want the locals to know we are camping there) so we drove further to find a spot later in the afternoon. After driving up and down the mountain passes we stopped to camp on the snow line (2200meters) in a little patch at the side of the road. It was getting dark and thick mist was blowing in so I was pretty glad to stop. Freezing night but I think that everyone appreciated the views in the morning!

The second bush camp was in the back garden of road side restaurant near Giresun. We only drove 2 hours in the morning so some of us headed out for a stroll by the river. On our way back we passed a little village. The locals were fascinated by our presence and invited us to join them for tea. We accepted and joined them outside. The post office man even brought me out a chair to sit on. It turned out that it was the owner of the cheese shop that we were talking to. We tried some sheep's milk cheese and decided to buy some for lunch. He was so generous and gave us it as a gift. I reckon that it will be the last blonde haired girl he'll come across in a while!

I am currently in Sumela where we arrived yesterday. On route we stopped for the majority of the day in Trabzon. Trabzon is a typical Turkish un-touristy city so it was nice to not be hassled walking down the street by people trying to sell you tourist tat. There wasn't much to do but it gave us chance to stock up on some bits and bobs before Georgia. This side of Turkey it seems that Westerner are a bit of a novelty. The amount of kids that walk past you and giggle and point. Even the road users will give a wave.

This morning it has been hot and we visited Sumela monastery which has been carved into a cliff face. 30 minutes of uneven walking uphill and I nearly killed myself- must cut out all the cake! It was nice to get out for a walk but I was a little disappointed by the monastery itself as you couldn't walk around much of it. The fresco's were beautiful though despite being grafittied. This afternoon I've carried out my job of truck cleaning and cleaned the fridge...exciting stuff! Probably an early night as we head to the Georgian boarder tomorrow.

Oh, this campsite has the oddest bathroom. A shower over a toilet...not too convinced how clean you get.

Photos: Snowy bush camp, Ned and girlfriend enjoying the snow, Sumela outside and inside.