6 July, Malatya to Doğanşehir, 58km
Öğretmenevi 30TL (down from 50TL)

We had been assured there was a hotel in Doğanşehir, but this has in fact closed down. We are ensconced, therefore, in yet another Öğretmenevi, this one more of a doss-house for men than a formal hotel. We have been given a three-bed dorm, which I think the manager said we could have to ourselves. We are a little unsure about this as there are clothes in a plastic bag beside one of the beds and a toothbrush on the windowsill. None of the beds have been freshly made; on all the duvets have simply been flung back by the previous occupant and left as is. When I tried with sign language to persuade the manager to change the bedding, he shrugged, but later reduced the room price from 50TL to 30TL, more realistic given the room condition and the shared cold shower. On the plus side, I have a key to the single female squat loo, which is unused and clean. Charl will share this with me. Not mad about squat loos when my knees ache from cycling, but clean is good. We had not planned to be in Doğanşehir at all, but in Çelikhan. Our route there took us through the very pretty village of Yeşilyurt, hidden and sleepy in its valley southeast of Malatya. Our enquiries about the road out to Çelikhan elicited such a strong response from the çay evi (tea house) clientele, that we were persuaded by them to take the longer, flatter route to Adiyaman, our next major destination. “Problem, problem”, they cried, showing steep inclines with their hands, “bisiklet problem!” Again with their hands they showed the road via Doğanşehir as being flat, and yes, some sections were indeed flat!

Between Malatya and Doğanşehir

Doğanşehir - buying spokes for Charl's bike