It was cold. Even with a real roof over our heads, the night was cold. Given that the temperature in Kars was shown as 9 degrees last evening, it might well have been below zero in the night. Without heating, that’s cold even in a house.

So we took our time in the morning, hoping for things to warm up a little before we left. Our hotel didn’t include breakfast so we ate bread with all sorts of remaining things (cream cheese, honey) in our room. The plan was to ride to Ani, the former Armenian capital, about 45km from Kars before heading further north and towards the Black Sea.

Kars, however, had charm when we stepped outside in the sunny morning. What looked grey and dreary in the rain and cold last night, now looked friendly and busy. Flo decided to fix our problem with mobile data right here and then so we searched for a Turkcel shop. Driving up and down one of the main roads, many honey and cheese (real cheese!) shops caught our eye. We just finished our pot of honey this morning and when was the last time we had real cheese? Not cream cheese, not feta, but the real thing? I sent Flo in one of the bigger shops where he purchased a 500g jar of honey and two different cheeses for all of NZ$10. He jumped out once to give me some cheese to try which was very nice and then suddenly, the owner looked out of the door, beckoned to me and said “çay!”. Again, we were invited to a glass of tea after a successful transaction. Slightly odd for the taste, we got more slices of cheese to try with our tea. Buying a fresh loaf of bread at the store on the opposite side, we were all set for a great lunch at Ani today.

Thus, we left Kars with its great food and friendly inhabitants. Ani was not far away but in a rural setting with ducks waddling across the street and a horse-drawn cart as oncoming traffic. With an entrance fee of 8 Turkish lira per person, it was considerably cheaper than the tourist attractions in Iran. In sunshine, we started to explore the ruins of Ani, the former Armenian capital. I am not very knowledgeable in Armenian history but with the important church of St. Stephanos now on Iranian ground and their former capital now in Turkey, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for it.

Many of the outer gates of the city still stand. We entered through one that was inhabited by ravens, which made it feel even more abandoned. Some of the buildings are fenced off as renovations and restorations are going on. The first open building was the cathedral which is now a nesting place for birds but still has an amazing echo. As we were alone, Flo tried some songs for effect from “The rains of Castamere” to “Misty mountains”.

When we got to the mosque, we realized that one spoilsport cloud was hanging exactly over Ani, preventing us from taking pictures in the sunshine while everything surrounding Ani was lit. Well, sometimes, you can’t have it all. The path to the mosque led along a very cool canyon where the remains of a bridge could still be seen. With two sides of the fortress towards canyons, the site was well defendable. The windows of the mosque looked out over one of the canyons.

From here, the actual castle on the hill could be seen. We figured it was too far to walk and only took pictures from afar. Finishing our round, we passed living quarters where the foundations of rows of houses could still be seen and a very pretty building with an unknown purpose. Nowadays, it is completely absorbed by the birds and chalk graffiti on the inside but we couldn’t find a sign for it. Walking back towards the exit, there was a church which had been converted into a caravansary after Ani was taken from the Armenians.

Walking around, we had worked up an appetite so we looked around for a good lunch spot. One of the guards of the place, probably bored, came over to talk to us and then offered that we could use the small table and stools of the coffee shop for lunch. Eating a lot of our bread and cheese, we succeeded in sharing the honey melon which we were given in Maku yesterday so that only half of it remains. A small success.

Flo was keen to get on the road while I wanted to satisfy all primary needs first and walked towards the toilets of the nearby restaurant. Wanting to pick me up from there, Flo actually got there first and was promptly invited by the couple sitting there to have food with them. When I appeared back on the scene, Flo had tried all food already so now it was my turn (despite all the food we had just eaten!) and then çay appeared before us as well. It turned out that Aydın and his wife were on their honeymoon! How nice that they took the time to invite us to tea and introduce us to kuymak, an egg and cheese dish that was delicious.

Overly full with food, tea and happiness we left Ani at about 3pm…way later than we had intended to. Since more rain was forecasted for Kars tomorrow, we actually left instead of staying another night. No need to repeat our freezing on the bike. With the thought of camping tonight in the back of our heads, we set out to enjoy the landscape of East Anatolia for a bit. Taking the long road around Çildir Gölü (Cildir Lake), we did just that: A lake with snow-capped mountains with sheep and cows left and right made for a picturesque scenery. 200 km later, we arrived in Ardahan where we stocked up for dinner and looked at the map to make a real plan. Just north of Ardahan the Karagöl Sahara National Park begins. Flo remembered that it is allowed to camp in National Parks, so we headed that way.

Inclining further and further, we soon were high enough for snow patches to appear all around the road. Our chances of camping here were limited as it was simply too cold. The ride was still gorgeous though. Going down on the other side, the snow disappeared and instead, forests appeared. At maybe 1800 meters, we found a picnic spot in the National Park, complete with pavilions and a kids’ playground. Only one family was around and they were packing up already so this would make the perfect camp site for us. Yes, theoretically there are wolves and bears in the forest but wolves weren’t a problem in Iran and the Lonely Planet stated anyway that wild dogs are more of a problem. I shortly worried before Flo said that nothing will bother us here anyway.

So we put up our tent and started to cook dinner. Just about then, a pick-up with the park rangers pulled up as they saw us camping there. With no shared language, we resorted to hands and feet. The first information that we got across was that we are only going to stay one night which was fine by them. The second information, however, included an unmistakable imitation of a bear. What? Yup, bears come to this picnic spot to go through the trash that day-trippers leave behind. So really, we shouldn’t leave the tent in the dark and keep away from the trash. With the advice that the next village is close by in case of emergency, they left again. Bears? Flo still wasn’t concerned but he had fooled me with this trick in Slovakia already where a bear did appear on our camp ground to go through the trash. If there is trash, the bear will look through it. I, at least, was quite anxious now. In the twilight, a dog appeared. Oh, yeah, wild dogs. The other thing to be wary of. This one was not brave and ran after Flo threw a stone to stop it from edging closer. For a while, we were left in peace.

I made sure I was done by the time it was dark so I wouldn’t have to leave the tent but I was still nervous. To keep my mind off bears, we skype called friends in Germany, which helped. The dog reappeared for a bit but didn’t bother us. Despite my earplugs, I heard animals that night. I cannot say for certain if it was a bear but something went through the trash. It kind of put me off wild camping for now. This is not a restorative night’s rest.