Sleeping on the moon

I write tonight from the shores of a lake in a crator. The moon is high above and fairly full and the rocks around us look like we are ON the moon. Another stunning site to camp, although a little to cold to sit out and appreciate the lanscape for too long.

Our hosts of last night served us a lovely breakfast in their own sittingroom this morning while they watched a Turkish comedy on TV. I assume it would usually be in the sun outside in warmer months but being inside their home seemed like a real treat, especially with their wood burning stove and there and an unlimited supply of really good tea.

Before getting on the road we stopped off in town for supplies. I tried again to post Aaron's Christmas parcel but the post office was randomly shut. We found everything else we needed. The plan today was to continue east via an off roading track Alex had gleaned the details of. As we headed out of town and up into the high hills we kept on seeing enormous piles of pomegranites- the only thing I can think of that I have seen in piles this high before is sand and gravel deposited by dumper trucks. It really was an impressive sight but I didn't really get a good photo. We found the preposed route no problem though were a little disappointed to find it all tarmaced. It took us through lots of moderately rermote rural ares we wouldn't have seen otherwise though and it was interesting seeing the unusual wood and stone design- all of them had the wooden 'Ottoman' roofs with curved corners, now being preserved for show in Albania and Greece. The road led us up to a pass at about 1850m and, inspired by the brilliant picnic facilities we found up there of tables, chairs, drinking water and barbecues we stoped for lunch, with the awesome view of gogeous valleys on either side of us.

The road after here got a little more exciting- they were in the process of building a bigger new one and while there were warning signs at each end of the extensive stretch affected, eveyone still seemed to be using it anyway and the diggers and trucks didn't seem phased at all- occasionally getting out the way if needed and trusting the car drivers to act sensibly and safely enough. Refreshingly there were no piles of cones or signs or people directing us onto one path or another and the beautiful thing is people just worked it out and it all worked like clockwork.

I felt quite sleepy after this after too much of the excitingly cakey buns we had found for for lunch. I drifted in and out of sleep to behold quielty impresive, and colourful landscapes at each waking. Alex pointed out that what Turkey is, is a landscape of contrasts- in the same view; an almost endless grasy plain, rugged rocky hills, even a snow capped peak or two and maybe a large lake thrown in for good measure. We drove around the outskirts of the pilgramage town of Konya, a littel disgusted to find that the plain in which it rests coverd by a thick layer of smog and on eastwards towards out crater lake. It seems odd that it's so cold tonight as it's only a few meters above the wide, flat, dry plain we crossed to get here but when I remember the plain it's self is at 1000m, (the height of a Scottish Monroe), it makes sense. It is a large country indeed.