Nov 10 - Load up in the breakfast room and flag down a dolmuş to Silifke. Drop off at the otogar, and wait about 50 minutes for our bus to Adana. The route takes us on a road that bypasses the cities of Mersin and Tarsus. We are out of ‘banana’ country now, and fully into orange groves. In fact, the otogar in outer Mersin is decorated with symbols of oranges.
Adana, on a map, looks vast and intimidating. It occupies a flat region at the base of the Tarsus Mountains to the north, and bisected by the Seyhan River. To the south is an extensive flat region that extends to the sea, called the plain of Çukurova, similar to the plain south of Silifke. The Seyhan is dammed a few times to the north, resulting in two large artificial lakes. The creation of huge lakes is a common feature of Eastern Türkiye, and has caused a great deal of dispute between Türkiye and both Syria and Iraq. In the case of Adana, however, the dammed river does not leave the country before draining into the Mediterranean.
At the Central Adana Bus Station, wait for a courtesy shuttle from the bus company (Özkaymak Turizm), and head into the city center. This courtesy shuttle system is a real help, and not something I knew about until it was explained to me when we stayed in İzmir. It avoids having to wander around outside the bus station trying to figure out what local transport is available, since these stations are for the most part miles away from the downtown area.
Get dropped off a few blocks from our hotel, in the Seyhan district. Adana is a busy place, crowded and loud, and it takes a bit of getting used to. It has a very different feel from everywhere we’ve been since Istanbul a few weeks ago. Gone are the tour touts and fancy cafes. Here it is gritty and purely functional. Our hotel is easy enough to find, a bit run down but decently priced.
Hit the busy streets and head to Merkez (Central) Park, on the west bank of the river.
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Walking the streets, I also feel like we are off the tourist circuit. People look at us a bit more, and English is becoming more infrequent.
Türkiye III