money, money, money...

i need to save a few dollars as i go through turkey, and was wondering if it was worth picking up a tent before i get there. are there many camping grounds? i'll be moving over from syria within the next couple of weeks, and will likely take about a month to get to bulgaria so any penny pinching tips are more than welcome.

i was looking at starting from mardin, but the lp suggests there are no budget options there. could someone please prove the book wrong and let me know?

has anybody any experience of passing over from syria near mardin or urfa? that would probably make the most sense for me, after that i can begin to move west.

and finally, is there a cheap way to get to mt nemrut? i mean, if it's so popular and there are a lot of people on their way there and back, what are the chances of hitching a ride? or am i taking my wallet a little too seriously over this one?

thanks for any and all of your help...

Hi!

Don't know about crossing from Syria, but maybe I can help.....

There are two budget places in Mardin, however, they are amongst the worst hotels I've ever seen - in the one we stayed in (I've forgotten the name), the bed collapsed after I sat on it.......they are both along the main stretch from what I remember.

I had a tent with me, but I only used it at the camp sites at Lake Van (for Akdamar Island) and at Ishak Pasa Palace in Dogubayazut. These are both in east Turkey, so are not on your route to Europe. I really don't know about camping in the west.

For Mt. Nemrut, yes you have a good cance of hitching a ride once you get near the vicinity. Most people take a tour, but it's not absolutely necessary, you can also take a dolmus most of the way (except Sundays).

The book is right, and actually, you may find that Mardin hasn't even got non-budget options available for you as the city has become very popular for internal tourism recently. The cheap stays in Mardin are easily amongst the worst inns in the world.