Small Helper
On the road, heading south from Van and fast approaching a new tunnel opened in a timely fashion by the government of Turkey just prior the National Referendum. At the entrance to the new tunnel a lone flagman waves us down and indicates that we cannot proceed through the tunnel but must take a detour. A dirt road snakes off to the right, potholed and rough. Our van is followed by two trucks that we passed just prior to arriving at the tunnel. They are packed to the gunnels with family members, animals, household possessions and farm implements. Either they are returning from the yayla (summer pastures) or in fact are itinerate workers off to the next crop waiting to be harvested. The detour leads us into a back street of the village of Bitlis. High above the small city we are overlooking an ancient fort, mosques and the sprawl of old buildings surrounding the more recent apartments. We disembark the minibus for a view over the city and then proceed to walk down the hill entering the city by a back door. The street is lined with old homes and we are in women’s territory. There are women hanging the wash on the outdoor laundry lines, another woman in a courtyard cutting up chicken parts, a young boy wobbling along on what is obviously a very new bike. An elderly man is climbing a hill beside a graveyard his hands open, palms raised in a posture of prayer. Women watch the street from their windows and doorsteps and children run and play. Several women and children sit on a curb outside of a small corner store. One couple in our group is travelling with a sack full of small koala bears and the small children in the group are delighted recipients of these cuddly small foreign creatures.
At work in the courtyard
Cuddly Toddler and Koala
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