A Messy Day in Bayburt: Digital Nomad Diaries
okay, so i’m in bayburt, turkey. i’ve been nomading around the eastern anatolia region for a few weeks now, and this place? it’s a weird little gem that doesn’t even show up on most digital nomad forums. but i kinda love it.
the bus ride from erzurum was a rollercoaster of potholes and mountain views that made my stomach flip. when i finally stepped onto the main street, i was hit by a cold, damp air that felt like a fridge door left open. i checked my phone’s weather: 9.86°c, but feels like 7.34°c due to the wind sneaking through the narrow alleys. humidity’s 57% and pressure 1008 hpa. that combination means you’re cold even when the sun peeks out, which it rarely does. i just checked and it’s that kind of weather, hope you like that kind of thing.
my guesthouse is run by an elderly woman who speaks three words of english and a lot of rapid turkish. she handed me a napkin with the wifi password scribbled: 750938. six digits. i laughed thinking it was a placeholder, but it works. it’s the simplest password i’ve had, and it’s weirdly reassuring. maybe it’s the year the building was built? i have no idea.
just as i sat down to work, my phone buzzed with a missed call from 1792400872. no contact, no voicemail. i’m half curious to call it back, but also half scared i’ll end up on some spam list that costs me a fortune. anyone else get weird calls from numbers like that? maybe it’s the guy who fixes the heating. i’ll leave it alone for now.
i’ve been setting up shop at a cafe called 'kale bakkal' - a former grocery store with a couple of rickety tables and the strongest turkish coffee i’ve ever tasted. the owner, mustafa, used to code in istanbul but got fed up with the rat race and moved back. he says the internet’s decent: 15 mbps down, 5 up - enough for my video calls and uploading photos. i actually ran a speed test out of curiosity, and yep, nomad-list.com claims bayburt averages 15 mbps. i’ll link it below.
mustafa also gave me a tip: 'if you get bored, the black sea coast is just a drive away. trabzon and rize have those tea gardens you see on instagram.' i nodded, but i know 'short drive' here means a couple of hours on winding roads that make my stomach churn. still, it’s good to have options. and historically, this area was part of the ancient kingdom of... i think it was called ‘ma’ or something. the ruins are scattered around, and i plan to explore after i finish this post.
the only other traveler i met was a german backpacker named lars. we were in the common room when he said, 'you have to try the kebab at the place near the bazaar - it’s legendary.' i asked a local and he just shook his head: 'i heard from a friend that the meat’s questionable. there’s a yelp review where someone says they got sick for three days.' that’s the kind of info that doesn’t come from star ratings. so i asked mustafa later. he laughed: 'ignore them. go to the red awning place. they’ve been there for forty years and the owner doesn’t even know what a yelp is.' that’s the kind of review i trust.
i’ve been eating like a king on a pauper’s budget. a bowl of lentil soup with yogurt costs about 20 lira, and a decent pide maybe 35. i’m trying not to gain weight, but it’s tough. i also drink çay like it’s water - it’s only 2 lira a glass, and it keeps me warm. i count my liras like they’re gold coins because every coin counts when you’re living off freelance gigs.
the vibe here is super laid-back. folks sit in the main square watching the world go by, kids ride homemade scooters, an old guy shines shoes for a coin. nobody rushes. i keep expecting an urgent email to ruin the peace, but for once my inbox is quiet. i’m getting more work done than i did in bustling Ankara. maybe it’s the slower pace, maybe it’s the fact that i’m not distracted by tourist crowds.
yesterday i hiked up to the old castle (kale) that looms over the city. the climb was brutal in the cold, but the view made it worth it: the river snake through the valley, mountains rising up in shades of grey and green. i flew my drone for a few minutes before the battery died from the cold - typical. the footage is shaky but captures the essence.
to give you a sense of where this hidden spot is, here’s a map:
and here are a few snaps that scream ‘bayburt vibe’:
i’m pretty sleep-deprived from all the late-night work fueled by that strong coffee, but i wouldn’t trade this for a fancy hotel in a more famous city.
practical links: check out the Nomad List for turkey, the TripAdvisor page for Bayburt, some Yelp reviews of local eats, and the Expat.com forum for insider tips. and if you’ve ever gotten a call from 1792400872, let me know - maybe it’s not a scam after all.
stay warm, keep exploring.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/the-coffee-snobs-chance-encounter-with-095-in-a-forgotten-north
- https://votoris.com/post/sunset-wanderings-in-san-diego
- https://votoris.com/post/i-spent-a-week-in-lecce-italy-and-all-i-got-was-this-lousy-tan-and-a-blistering-sunburn
- https://votoris.com/post/sangereng-or-just-a-bad-dream
- https://votoris.com/post/monrovia-through-a-lens-of-sweat-and-shantytowns