Mountains and the Black Sea - July 7, 2010

My journey north has come to an end at the shores of the Black Sea in the city of Sinop.

Sinop has been a port town for over a thousand years. These fortifications date back before the time of Christ.

Unlike some of the other waterfront areas I've visited, the pace of life in Sinop seems a little slower, and the area seems less developed. There are a lot of tourists, but most, if not all, appear to be from Turkey. It's scenery like this that keeps bringing people back year after year.

Sinop was the last stop of the day. Originally, I took a seven-hour, overnight bus from Kayseri going northeast to Amasya, a site also known for its beauty.

Amasya sits between two rocky ridges with a river running down the middle.

You might notice the holes in these rocks. They were once the tombs of rulers. Now all 18 have been removed.

In addition, there is a citadel perched high above the city,

...........and tourists also come here to see a group of restored Ottoman homes.

It's a great place to stroll with someone special.

While I was strolling, these two high school graduates stopped me because they thought I might speak English. Both plan to study English in college with hopes of becoming teachers, so they asked if I would mind speaking with them.

I felt honored to be giving something back to the Turkish people for a change. Since I couldn't find any formal volunteer work in Turkey, maybe my informal contribution is to help a few people with their conversational English, at least I'd like to think so.

After the chat, I jumped on a bus to travel two hours further north to the port city of Samsun, where I grabbed another four-hour bus north to Sinop.

Every overseas trip has a few long travel days. It's all part of the experience, but I forgot all about it that evening while enjoying the waterfront.

During the last bus ride, I sat next to a boy who couldn't get over the fact that I was from America. Throughout the trip, he kept asking me questions in Turkish, and I kept saying, "I don't understand," but that didn't dampen his enthusiasm or the rate of his questions. That's all part of the travel experience, too.

I am winding up my time in Sinop, and then I'll start heading back west.

That's it. I couldn't find any Couch Surfers here, so I stayed in my third hotel. Last night, I didn't mind because I needed some sleep.

I have to catch a bus in a couple of hours, so I will wrap this up. As always, thanks for reading my blog.

Financial Update

Expenses

Transportation = 251.80 Turkish Lira = $158.32 USD

Food = 106.79 Lira = $67.27 USD

Lodging = 95 Lira = $59.85 USD

VISA = 31.40 Lira = $20 USD

Ephesus Entrance = 20 Lira = $12.60 USD

Underground City = 15 Lira = $ 9.45 USD

Göreme Entrance = 15 Lira = $ 9.45 USD

Exchange Fees = 4.90 Lira = $ 3.08 USD

Internet Fees = 4.25 Lira = $ 2.67 USD

Total =543.64 Turkish Lira or $342.69 USD.

I've had no new donations. That means my total assets were $553.95 USD, and I have spent $342.69, so I have $211.26 left to spend over the next six days.