Walking around the road. Different smells, lot of trash everywhere. People looking at us, pointing on us.
Good weather with nice looking sky. some kid wanted some change. Some taxi driver stopping for us for same reason. We left Agri. I immediately felt better.
We got ride by a bank clerk who moved to Agri from some city on west coast few months ago because his bank opened new branch office in small city close to Agri. After few weeks his wife and kids moved out to different city because they couldn't stand people living there. Kids were afraid to walk around. They had same feelings as I, which proved my senses. He told us that we were lucky to stay in Teacher's house. We knew that.
He left us next to turning, wished us good and safe trip and went for his daily routine.
Some locals and taxi drivers had been waiting there. They immediately offered us ride.We didn't feel like paying them so we walked slowly away. But just in few seconds some car stopped for us. We didn't hitchhike but it was nothing extraordinary in Turkey. Driver was a man in his late 40s and wanted to take us with him. His car was dirty truck with cabin for two people. There were three of us. He didn't want to let us go by walking. He insisted on taking us even at behind the cabin on the truck. It was too dirty and he acted quite suspicious. The people standing with taxi drivers were also shouting all the time, telling us not to go with him, so we decided to let him go and walk further. He jumped in to the truck and drive slowly next to us, insisting to take us. After while he speeded up and left us on the road.
Then we got another ride to Dogubayazit which was our final destination in Turkey. During the ride Tony told us that these people standing with taxi drivers were telling us that the guy is a terrorist and he wanted to cut our heads. We will probably never know if it was real or they were just trying to persuade us to get some taxi. Anyway he was strange and all of us had mixed feelings about him.
We stayed in Dogubayazit just a while. It was enough for some tourist office managers to invite us for tea and propose us some trips on Arrarat and nearby. We refused and continued out of the city and towards border with Iran. Then we met some traveler passing by us, after few minutes we got acquainted. He was 27yo Czech tourist who was coming from Armenia and went for trek to Arratat for few days. He made some friends from the city and before we went with him to the road, he went to say goodbye to old man from some shop who invited him for tea. It was interesting to see their conversation. They didn't speak the same language but shared the same emotions, like when old friends are saying goodbye to each other.
Just few minutes later we found the road again and when Czech guy continued back home, we were slowly walking to the border. We got ride from Iranian truck driver and he took us few clicks to the border.
There were tens of trucks waiting in line to get through. When we passed Turkish control, we found a bottle of beer which we forgot to drink before. So hidden behind some truck we drank it and went to Iranian border control.
All soldiers with guns were looking at us. It's the place where you are afraid to walk faster or take a photo.
We came into the building which looked like departure hall from airport and were told to wait till someone will come to check our passports. Tony went first, for him as a Turkish national it was easy. Then it was our turn. We had our visas checked, they asked us some questions like "how long are you planing to stay in Iran?" or "which border crossing are you going to use on your way back"? And for some reason we could cross the border only together.
Good weather with nice looking sky. some kid wanted some change. Some taxi driver stopping for us for same reason. We left Agri. I immediately felt better.
We got ride by a bank clerk who moved to Agri from some city on west coast few months ago because his bank opened new branch office in small city close to Agri. After few weeks his wife and kids moved out to different city because they couldn't stand people living there. Kids were afraid to walk around. They had same feelings as I, which proved my senses. He told us that we were lucky to stay in Teacher's house. We knew that.
He left us next to turning, wished us good and safe trip and went for his daily routine.
Some locals and taxi drivers had been waiting there. They immediately offered us ride.We didn't feel like paying them so we walked slowly away. But just in few seconds some car stopped for us. We didn't hitchhike but it was nothing extraordinary in Turkey. Driver was a man in his late 40s and wanted to take us with him. His car was dirty truck with cabin for two people. There were three of us. He didn't want to let us go by walking. He insisted on taking us even at behind the cabin on the truck. It was too dirty and he acted quite suspicious. The people standing with taxi drivers were also shouting all the time, telling us not to go with him, so we decided to let him go and walk further. He jumped in to the truck and drive slowly next to us, insisting to take us. After while he speeded up and left us on the road.
Then we got another ride to Dogubayazit which was our final destination in Turkey. During the ride Tony told us that these people standing with taxi drivers were telling us that the guy is a terrorist and he wanted to cut our heads. We will probably never know if it was real or they were just trying to persuade us to get some taxi. Anyway he was strange and all of us had mixed feelings about him.
We stayed in Dogubayazit just a while. It was enough for some tourist office managers to invite us for tea and propose us some trips on Arrarat and nearby. We refused and continued out of the city and towards border with Iran. Then we met some traveler passing by us, after few minutes we got acquainted. He was 27yo Czech tourist who was coming from Armenia and went for trek to Arratat for few days. He made some friends from the city and before we went with him to the road, he went to say goodbye to old man from some shop who invited him for tea. It was interesting to see their conversation. They didn't speak the same language but shared the same emotions, like when old friends are saying goodbye to each other.
Just few minutes later we found the road again and when Czech guy continued back home, we were slowly walking to the border. We got ride from Iranian truck driver and he took us few clicks to the border.
There were tens of trucks waiting in line to get through. When we passed Turkish control, we found a bottle of beer which we forgot to drink before. So hidden behind some truck we drank it and went to Iranian border control.
All soldiers with guns were looking at us. It's the place where you are afraid to walk faster or take a photo.
We came into the building which looked like departure hall from airport and were told to wait till someone will come to check our passports. Tony went first, for him as a Turkish national it was easy. Then it was our turn. We had our visas checked, they asked us some questions like "how long are you planing to stay in Iran?" or "which border crossing are you going to use on your way back"? And for some reason we could cross the border only together.
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