We have already driven some 4,000 kilometres and surprisingly, we have not been pulled over by the cops yet! And the first border guard post to take any interest in our big roof box was the Turkish one.
We have learned that in order to speed up border checks, the best answer to the question “where are you heading?” is simply to reply “to Nepal”. This will allay the suspicions of even the strictest border guard.
So far, we have not had to pay any fines and bribes yet. We have decided to invest this unexpected budget surplus here in Turkey – in iskander kebabs and the local ayran yoghurt drink.
Much of our down time in Turkey has been spent drinking tea (caj) with the locals and talking with them about our respective lifestyles and values. It is fascinating to see the differences among people we meet in applying Islam in practice.
Here in Central Anatolia we are finally enjoying some nice weather. We had great fun scrambling in and around the cave towns of Cappadocia. The guard at the open air museum in Zelve must have been really glad when we finally left and he didn’t have to use his whistle any more!
During our very first breakfast in Capadocia, it was clear to us that a short mountain stop would be necessary for us to ski down Erciyes Dag – the 3,900-metre-high extinct volcano which towers over this spectacular landscape.

Flatland in front and behind us – that´s ideal for our „car office“ #SkiToCloud

Capadocia

Göreme village and Erciyes Dagi (3900 metres) in the background

Could you recognize one difference between these two pictures?

Let´s go to Erciyes Dagi (3900 metres)!