Western Black Sea & Sümela Monastery

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(To read in English keep scrolling down)

2011/7/29, 30

Itsaso Beltzaren mendebaldeko kostaldean nago. Atzerritarrik ez dut ikusi batere, hala ere oso turistikoa da inguru hau, turismo turkiarra. Itsaso Beltza Bosforoarekin elkartzen den tokia izanda oso militarizatuta dago. Eta puntu batzuetatik ikuspegi apartak lortu daitezkeen arren orokorrean ez zait gustatu. Sukarra eta beherazkoa eduki ditudanez, bi hotel ezberdinetan egin dut lo eta nahiko garesti atera zait. Dena den, pare bat gau autobusez bidaiatzen pasatzeko asmoa dut gastatutakoa konpentsatzeko asmoz.

I am in the western coast of the Black Sea. No foreigners in here, but it is a very touristic area for the turkish. Since it is an strategic area, it is very militarized. Even if some good spots looking over the sea can be found, I have not liked the area. I have slept in two hotels, because of a fever and diahrrea, which ended up being quite expensive. Anyway, I will spend two nights travelling on buses, and that will make up for it.

2011/7/ 31, 8/1,2

Azkenean banoa, eta oraingoan ez dut esperimenturik egingo. Aurretik interesa dudan lekuetara joango naiz: Laz eta Iparraldeko Kurdistan. Dena den, Lazen egun bat baino ez dut pasatuko, Sümelako Monastegia bisitatzeko aski.

I am finally leaving and will do no experiments this time. I will visit the Laz and Northern Kurdistan, spending only one day in the former, just enough to visit the Sümela Monastery.

17 ordu behar izan ditu autobusak Haremetik Trabzonera heltzeko eta bertatik monastegira dauden 60 kilometroak auto-stopean egin ditut. 20 urteko gazte batzuk eraman naute eta bakoitzean batek gidatzen zuen. Hain txarto ere, karneta atera berri zuten galdetu diedala, eta beraiek batek izan ezik besteek ez zutela karnetik erantzun. Monastegira igotzeko bidea nahiko estutzen da azken kilometroetan eta kotxetik jaistear egon naiz, baina lortu dut beldurrari eustea.

It took a 17 hour bus ride to go from Harem to Trabzon and then I hitchhiked for 60 more kilometres to get to the monastery. The 20 years old youths that gave me a ride drove one at a time. Their driving was so hideous that I asked them if they just got their license and the shocking answer was that only one of them had it. The road narrowed as we ascended and I was about to get out of the car, but I managed to stay.

Lurra zapaltzeak eman didan lasaitasunarekin, monastegi armeniar ortodoxo honetara daraman bidezidor aldapatsu eta laburra igotzeari ekin diot. Gerturatu ahala, etortzea merezi izan duela badakit. Metro askoko jauzia duten karezko hormetan dago 1600 urte baino gehiago dituen monastegia eraikita eta erlijiozko eszenak irudikatzen dituzten freskoek apaintzen dute.

Once I had my feet on the ground, I headed up the short uphill track leading to the armenian orthodox monastery. As I approached it, I knew it had been worth coming. The over 1600 years old monastery is built on the walls of very deep cliffs and ornamented with religious motives.

Toki ezinhobea iruditu zait lo egiteko, baina zaintza lanetan ari ziren bi poliziek debekatuta dagoela esan didate. Pena, hain gune berezian egunsentiarekin ezin esnatu izana. Zortea izan dut ordea, beherako bidean gaztetxo hauekin egin baitut topo berriro eta Maçka herrirarte joan gara kotxez (beherako bidean beldur gehiago oraindik). Gelditu eta erreka baten ondoan meriendatzera gonbidatu naute. Bukatu dugunean gazteetako batek erdi hutsik zegoen 2 litroko Cola-Turka botila hartu eta uretara bota du. Harritu nauena ez da bota duela, baizik eta inork ez duela ezer esan. Hau da ez zen 'broma' bat, normaltzat hartu zuten denek. Egia esan, parke natural ikusgarri hau oso zikin zegoen, plastikoa alde guztietatik.

It seemed like the perfect place to spend the night, however the two policemen taking care of the place said it was forbidden. What a pity not having been able to wake up with the sunrise in such an idilic setting. However, I was lucky to find these guys again who took me back down to the town of Maçka (my fear grew on the way down). On the way down they invited me to join them for a picnic by a creek. When finished, one of them threw the half empy 2 litre Cola-Turka bottle to the water. I was not so shocked about the dirtying the place deliberately, but about the fact that nobody said anything. I mean, it was not some sort of 'joke', they just took it normaly. To be honest, this beatiful natural park was really dirty, plastic everywhere.

Autobus bat Maçkatık Üsküdarrera, beste bat Erzurumera (Kurdistanen hasiera batzuentzako) eta azkena Iğdirrera. Eguzkia irtetzen ari zela iritsi gara. Ararat haundia eskumako leihoan margolana bailitzan. Baina Kurdistango istorioak hurrengo blog sarreran.

A bus from Maçka to Üsküdar, another one to Erzurum (for some the beginning of Kurdistan) and one more to

Sumela Monastery 3

Iğdir. The sun was rising as we arrived. Big Ararat on the right hand side window as in a painting. But stories about the Kurdistan in the next blog entry.

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