Mardin-Mesopotamia-Melon

It is storming heavily as we wake up on Farid's terrace in scenic Mardin.

Dario staying for free at Darius.

He shows us around his guesthouse and offers a Chai. Then we bid farewell. Thanks Farid for your spontaneous kindness! Your place is a must-see in Mardin. As we stroll along the few streets the sun rises. Only now we see what a spectacular view you have from here: We enjoy the Mesopotamian plain.

Gorgeous view over the Mesopotamian Plain.

Mardin is waking up: Donkeys carrying baskets of fruit and vegetables trot to the bazaar. The structure of the city reminds me of villages in southern Italy.In the bazaar we buy a melon for breakfast. We enjoy it with a nice view over the vast plane down there. Fortunately the melon is so big that we can share it with locals. After a short hike up the hill we get ready to stage the most difficult and supposedly most dangerous leg of our hitchhiking through Asia: South-Eastern Anatolia. We really go off-the-beaten-track hitchhiking through southeastern Anatolia. Let's do it!

No comment.

First we get noticed to be on the wrong side of town so we head back. At the gas station Mehmet with his Caddy invites us to come with him to Cizre - a good deal for us, since it's close to Sirnak. Mehmet doesn't care if we understand or not. He's really talkative. For quite some distance the road skirts with the Syrian border. It's mined and heavily protected by Syrian military.