Frozen Frets and Funky Gigs in Eastern Turkey
well, here i am again, fingers numb on the fretboard, trying to tune in this arctic blast. just checked the weather and it's hovering around -0.42°C outside, but feels like -4.5°C. brrr, hope you enjoy that kind of thing. our van's heater decided to take a permanent vacation, so now we're huddled near whatever radiator we can find between gigs.
found this spot by pure chance yesterday when we got lost chasing a sign for 'cheap tea'. turned out to be a crumbling ruin with perfect acoustics - just played a whole set to the rocks while the wind howled like a backup singer. someone told me this place was once a caravanserai where traders swapped stories and spices. now it's just us and the ghosts of oud players.
if you get bored, van is just a short drive away. heard their bazaars have this insane tea that'll warm your bones better than our broken van. but honestly? this frozen outpost has more soul. found this tiny teahouse where the old guys argue politics over glasses of çay like it's a contact sport. the hum of conversation and clinking glasses beats any amp we've got.
gig last night was... something. played in a basement where the ceiling leaked onto our drum kit when it rained. crowd was three dogs and a guy who fell asleep standing up. but hey, free dinner! i heard the owner's cousin runs a place with actual heating near the iranian border - might check them out if our van doesn't freeze solid overnight.
been surviving on instant coffee and hope. found this place that sells boiled eggs for pennies - protein when you're too broke for kebabs. someone raved about their mantı on yelp, but the writing was all in cyrillic so who knows.
for real though, if you're wandering these parts, check out the reviews on tripadvisor for hidden hot springs. and this local tourism board has decent maps of the hiking trails - eastern anatolia tourism. we might actually try those tomorrow if the van starts.
so yeah, fingers crossed for less arctic temperatures. next stop: wherever the broken radiator takes us. peace out from the frozen frontier.
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