16 August, by bus to Barhal
Karahan Pension 130TL (dinner and breakfast included)
Tired from our long ride yesterday, we did
not do our homework about our planned side trip until after 08:00 this morning,
discovering then that we had to board a bus at 09:00 if we wanted to make it to
Barhal before nightfall. Super quick showers and packing – panniers to stay
behind with the bikes and daypack to go on the bus – and a taxi from
immediately outside our hotel got us to the bus on time. What a lovely ride,
first by bus to the town of Yusufeli, then by smaller dolmuş to the village of Barhal.
We are in the mountains of northeast Anatolia. At times our road ran beneath
towering cliffs, with room only for it and the river. At times, the valley
opened up a little making room for cultivation and hot houses beside the river,
farm houses and villages perched precariously on the inclines just beyond. At
times the mountains were covered in pines, miraculously clinging to
inhospitable rock; at times the tortured, textured, striated rock was exposed,
telling a story of upheaval and violence. Our dolmuş had deliveries to make and
passengers to collect, so took two hours or so to complete the 27km journey
between Yusufeli and Barhal. The driver unboarded us in a small village and
told us to have tea in a spattering of rain while he delivered some packages;
and later took a 40 minute detour up a frightening but exhilarating dirt road
to collect a family en route the festival taking place this weekend in tiny
Barhal. Our hotel is sited 1km from the village up a steep hill next door to a
Georgian monastery.
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal
Between Erzurum and Barhal