Southeastern Turkey feels more Middle Eastern than the rest of the country. Sharing borders with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, this region has substantial Kurdish and Arabic populations, with Turks in the minority. Most travelers in Turkey skip the area altogether, as it's a long way from Istanbul and its sights may be less compelling than those in more convenient locales. As I planned to cross the Turkish border from Syria, I welcomed the opportunity to walk the road less traveled.

Few tourists are seen here at any time of year; when I went, it was the end of low season. Add on the usual alien-Asian factor and the residents of Sanliurfa and Gaziantep didn't know quite what to make of me. I spent a large amount of the time feeling uncomfortable with the stares, pointing and people in my face crying, "Hapon! Chink. Cine?" Children would follow me on their bikes yelling, "Konichiwa!" And for most of the time, I faced people who were genuinely baffled by English. I appreciated it on one level, as I certainly don't think everyone in the world should be expected to know English, but it did make travel a bit difficult.

But the benefits of exploring the Southeast include lower accommodation prices, cuisine envied by Istanbul natives, some interesting religious sites, bargain shopping, wide-open space as the sole tourist in town, and, of course, proximity to Nemrut Dagi.

Nemrut Dagi is definitely THE highlight of the region. Crumbling monuments dramatically perched at the summit of a mountain, heads fallen from bodies and staring at the sunrise. It's not actually the SOUTHeast but is easily reachable using Urfa as a base. I wanted desperately to travel farther east, but with only 13 days to explore Turkey, Nemrut was the farthest I could go; that alone made the Southeast a worthwhile stop.

On the other end of the spectrum is Olympos. On the Western Mediterranean coast, Olympos is an entirely different world—a world almost entirely populated by tourists. There is a reason tourists come—the scenery is breathtaking, but it's a shock after traveling through the southeast.

Many people come to Turkey and spend most of their time in Istanbul. If you have the time and are tolerant of long bus rides, going south is a fantastic way to see another side of the country.

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