Post a Comment. Tuesday, November 23, Kadirli, Turkey. Friends: I was drawn to Karatepe-Aslantas National Park yesterday, not so much to see its 3, year old Hittite ruins, but because it offered camping.
I especially welcomed the side trip when after five miles I turned onto a minor rural road barely two lanes wide with no traffic, well off the beaten path. I could truly lose myself, pedaling away my worries and elevating my spirit. There were small farms and even a village within the park. That was still ample time to give them all the look they needed.
They weren't discovered until One stretch of wall leading up to the entrance had been fully restored. Not much remained inside them, just a few sculptures and reliefs and inscriptions. The two entrances were more restored than anything within them.
Both featured a pair of snarling lions. If I want ruins, there are many more to come, Roman and otherwise, along the coastline. They kept at it most of the night. That was a new sound for these travels. But I wonder at times though how "friendly" those toots are when they are saved until a vehicle coming up from behind me is right on my wheel. We know not everyone is thoughtful and kind. Once we drew the attention of a crowd of teenagers who chose to have mini-party twenty feet away from us on the same side of a gas station we were camped behind.
Both acts were beyond inconsiderate. They were a most emphatic "fuck-you. The continual rejection of Turkey into the EU also is a source of resentment. It's rare for the Turks to have an object to vent their frustrations upon, and we provide it. That too could be at the root of some of the stone-throwing.
