I departed Sinop for Kastamonu on a Dolmus that traveled through the rainy, foggy mountains. The three days after Ramadan is a holiday and the Dolmus was over packed. A Dolmus seats about twenty people that includes the front seats—including the children, I counted 35 people riding in the Dolmus. The children always sit on the parents lap that is cost effective. The Dolmus always has small stools added in the aisle, there was some people standing during the ride, I didn’t mind, I just rock out with my iPod shuffle and enjoyed the ride.
I transfered onto another Dolmus in Doyabat that demanded that I stood for the first twenty kilometers, no big deal, it’s all about the moment. Many Dolmus’ the son of the father is helping out collecting money and helping with the loading of baggage and such things. I think I am the first foreigner that this fourteen year old kid had ever met, his constant fixation of curiosity was comical and intriguing. There was a couple of nice girls on the bus and we all had a bunch of laughs.
Kastamuno is your basic Turkish town that is embedded within a forest and mountains that claims the fame to chickpeas and a ruins of a castle, like most towns the castle resides on the highest hill. The cool air changed into a cold air in Kastamuno, although dry compared to the coast.
Arriving in Arnaka is quite nice, the pullman bus station resembles a airport. The subway into the town center is cheap and very clean. The area I am staying is close to the museum called Ulus, this area is known to be somewhat shifty. Riding on the subway I visited with a guy who was telling me how dangerous (his perception) the Ulus area is, most likely there is crime on a domestic level, although it doesn’t define a personal concern. I walked around the neighborhood and didn’t notice any difference than any other big city, on the contrary, Anarka is quite clean compared to other large cities including Ulus.