It was still raining as I woke up and Mehmet decided that it wasnt worth trapsing around town to see the Children's Festival tha was happening. So we headed out for a big Sunday breakfast at a cafe round the corner and met up with a colleague of his from the army. Since it was still raining after breakfast we headed to a nearby bar and decided that we might as well have a beer to pass the time and hope the rain would subside.

Eventually it did and I decided that it was time to make a move to Dogubeyazit and try and get there at least before nightfall. Of course the bus there was late again, but Mehmet somehow got me a free ticket so I couldn't complain. We said our goodbye and I thanked him profusely for his hospitality and got on a much less crowded bus.

I was on my way in to real Kurdish heartland. Throughout my trip in Turkey I have had conversations with the various people I have met about the Kurdish situation. Most of the guys I have talked to in the west of Turkey have expressed sheer amazement at the Kurdish demands and continuing violence. I have heard stories that the government had tried to help develop the infrastructure of the would-be "Kurdistan" area but have been hampered by the Kurdish PKK separatist movement. IIndeed when I mentoin "Kurdistan", the Turks seem to get somewhat edgy and irritable about the whole situation. The stories seemed to repeat themselves wherever I went - In particular the one about Turkish teachers being sent who never return. In sum this means that now there are almost no teachers left to teach, decreasing education standards in the area. Another popular story is of thegovernment vehicles, sent to repair power cables or clear snow, being shot at or bombed, meaning that now the employees are too frightened to go. The picture that has been painted by the Turks is of a tolerant government struggling to help an intolerant Kurdish hard core.

Of course the situation is complex, and the Kurds are spread over several neighbouring countries. Most Kurds simply want some degree of autonomy and the ability to learn Kurdish and watch Kurdish television. But there are others with more serious agendas. It has been interesting that the people I have met on the buses as I got further east proudly admit that they are Kurdish rather than Turkish, and many have a poor grasp of the Turkish Language, speaking Kurdish as their first tongue. They refer to the Turkish as though they were foreigners rather than countrymen. Their ID cards state "Turkish" but they feel anything but.

I feel as though I have had one side of the story and so am looking forward to seeing for myself whether what I have heard is true or just media inflated propaganda. It doesn't take me long to find examples or poor roads and broken electricity lines as we drive further east. Even in Erzurum and now in Agri streets leading from the main road are potholed and need repair. My guidebook describes Dogubeyazit as a "Dusty border town", but as I arrive it would be better to have described it as a mud bath. One week's constant rain has turned what appears to be a road, but in reality is more of a dirt track, into one giant mud bath. So far the investment seems to be sorely lacking, but I shall wait to speak further with the Kurdish people here before I make my judgement.

I checked into the aptly named, Hotel Tahran, and found some supper as it was late by the time the bus actually arrived - the bad roads meaning its pace was slowed significantly. But once again the people here are incredibly friendly and already I find I have new friends be they in the restaurant, hotel or at the tourist agency where I sat sipping beer discussing the possibility of touring some Kurdish villages and seeing the famous Ishak Pasha Palace. Of course I am pretty much the only foreigner and the price is astronomically high, but I booked the tour as all the sights are well away from town!

 Ishak Pasha Palace overlooking Modern Dogubeyazit