This past weekend Ash had two friends that he met while in Turkey visit.  One was from Italy and the other Poland and both were studying abroad in Turkey for the year.  Ash had planned on taking them to Girne and Karpas but due to the limited bus schedules, they decided they would rather try hitchhiking.  Somehow on Saturday we were able to hitchhike to Girne and back.

It was amazing how simple and how nice the people were and how varied the types of people that we met were and how varied the cars that stopped were.  Our drivers varied from workers driving trucks, a college girl with a compact car (somehow managed to get all 5 of us in the back seat still), and yet another driver in a BMW 7-series (~$100,000 car).  Once in Girne, we visited the castle and a monastery up on the hillsides (hitchhiking again to this).

Right before we got a truck to stop (nice ride in the bed)

View from the Bellapais Monastery

Mohammed

Ash whining about how he is afraid of heights

Where we just climbed up from (realized stairs right on other side as well)

Girne Harbor

Sunday the girls decided they wanted to hitchhike again isntead of trying to get a bus to Karpas.

I had assumed this would be more difficult because the further you go towards Karpas, the less roads and villages there are.  Somehow though, we still managed to get to the furthest building - the monastery (the last leg in a tire repair van).  We then hitchhiked back from the monastery to the Golden Beach part, although we did not stay long because it was cloudy (just one small strip of clouds but looked as it stretched all the way back to Famagusta). 

Famous Wild Donkeys of Northern Cyprus
(supposedly the only thing Cyprus is known for in Iran)

Donkey Tour Bus

Shore line below the monastery

The Golden Beach

The fields around the area (completely undeveloped except for several cabin areas)

When we started our trip back from Karpas, we did not see a single car for quite some time.  The first we did see we thumbed only as a joke to start..... 

But if quickly became the funniest and most enjoyable ride we had.  We ended up in the trailer full of some seed being pulled by a tractor.

We also passed several shepherd and their flocks. This particular one had a minimum of 6 dogs that I saw.

One of our final drivers of the weekend (after stopping at a market to buy us snacks (people are ridiculously nice to students here)) made a slight detour after hearing the two girls were traveling to the Greek side the next day.  When we got out of the car, we found ourselves at the memorial for one of the small villages.

The notice at the entrance to the memorial

The list of those slaughtered in this village. Aylik means months. Gunluk means days. Also notice the last names.

We had the privelege of meeting a survivor of the massacre at the site.  He told us of how he was spared only because he was at work at a British site when it occurred.

So as I was walking to class I saw frames being put up and that was how I found out that the university has a annual festival.  The amount of people at the festival was astounding to me and was the most people I had yet to see in one place in Cyprus.  The festival went for 5 days, had concerts, a couple rides, a bunch of stands selling random stuff, and a bunch of different food (also first ice cream truck I have seen here).

I managed to have the opportunity to travel to Karpas (the northern peninsula of Cyprus) with a class field trip.

Since the area is the furthest north point, it means we got to pass through most of the country.  The best part about the northern part of the island not being very developed is that the majority of the island is still in its pristine form.  The drive was beautiful and amazing. Just a couple of the photos and the rest will go on facebook.

Ash and our bus (had two for our group)

Ash, his friend from class, me and my Kosovo friend

This part of the island is still the purest part (least development, smallest villages, and northern tip is a national park) and is a protection area for the wild donkeys which almost went extinct.  The furthest point before the national park is an old monastery which was right on the sea (also large gathering spot for the donkeys).

Apostolos Andreas Monastery

We then ate lunch and spent a couple hours at the Golden Beach which is famous as one the cleanest beaches in the world.  There might have been more photos except I was teaching most of the engineering students how to play volleyball when I only know the basics.....the team that then had never played before beat everyone continuously.