22 July, Mardin to Midyat, 65km
Öğretmenevi 60TL

It rained yesterday afternoon, which cooled the air and settled the dust and made today a good one weatherwise, cloudy and cooler than it has been for ages, a major plus in hilly terrain. We are looking forward to the end of Ramazan, which, as we travel further east, is impacting us more than it has before. Garage and small shops remain open, so we can always buy snacks, but fewer restaurants are open for breakfast or lunch. Today none are open, even in this town of over 100,000. Our hunger drove us from our room to a small supermarket from which we returned with a strange selection of foodstuffs chosen mainly for the size of the tin or packet. In the privacy of our room we have just devoured tinned corn and tuna and half a chicken salami. I carry a small notebook with me for recording our daily expenses. Today I used the last page, prompting us to shop for another. In the stationery store, three men sat chatting at the till. They refused to take payment for the notebook – a kindness to strangers. Charl dropped a couple of coins into a charity tin on the counter, resulting in huge grins and the classic hand to heart gesture we encounter so often in Turkey

Between Mardin and Midyat

Between Mardin and Midyat