Day 8 - Blogabond

I began my morning by sitting alongside the river reading a book (Anne Rice's latest Vampire tale, Memnoch the Devil) while Mark slept in. At 10 a.m. the rafting guide came by and we walked together to a dolmus which had a deflated raft tied to the top and paddles, life vests and helmets shoved in the back. After picking up two of his friends who would accompany us in the raft and a guy with a video camera (who was making a "Come to Yusufeli for a great vacation"-type of video to be sent god knows where), we began the drive further into the mountains on a dirt road that offered yet more incredible views of the mountains, farmers plowing rice patties with oxen, donkeys laden with hay, and old men hunched over walking sticks. After about three hours we got out and proceeded to inflate the Russian-made six-person raft . . . with a hand pump . . . slowly . . . discovering a host of leaks as the raft inflated. No question, this raft had not touched water in quite a while and the patch kit got plenty of use. But eventually the raft was ready and we took off down the river.

Although the river was somewhat low and thus the rapids not as challenging as I had hoped, it was still a great day. Rafting through gorges in the mountains of Eastern Turkey--what more could one want out of life? We stopped twice at small villages for tea and so it took us about six hours before we arrived back in Yusufeli. Best of all, Mark, who had dreaded this part of the trip (rough and tumble Mark is not), had a blast. We hadn't even pulled the raft out of the river before he started asking the guide if there was any way to do the other river the next day. Alas, it was not to be.

After a brief early evening nap, the standard trout dinner by the river, and the familiar stroll up and down the main street eating ice cream and saying our names and where we came from over and over again, we called it a very satisfying day.

written by

shoshtrvls on June 9, 1996 from Yusufeli, Turkey

from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece (1996)

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