Couple visits 40 provinces in 6 months with caravan

MARDİN

A couple from Istanbul have visited 40 provinces in six months with their caravan after their theatre hall was closed due to the pandemic measures taken by the government.

“We are from Istanbul, and we were going to visit a province only for a week, and then return back to Istanbul. But then we decided to continue our trip,” said İbrahim Yakut, a 39-year-old theatre artist.

Speaking to Demirören News Agency, Burçak Yakut, the 31-year-old wife of İsmail Yakut, said: “We bought a minivan before the pandemic for 46,000 Turkish Liras [$6,482]. Then we converted it into a caravan. It cost around 90,000 liras [$12,600] in total.”

When asked how they decided to travel and live in a caravan, Burçak Yakut said, “When the pandemic started, we decided to adapt to a life on roads, living in our caravan.”

Nowadays, the couple is in Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin.

“Normally, we stay in a province for a week. But Mardin is really different. It has been two weeks since we are here. And still, we cannot leave,” İbrahim Yakut said, recommending the place to everyone.

Of course, the journey will continue, Burçak Yakut said, stating that their next stops would be two other southeastern provinces of Diyarbakır and Hatay, after which they would head to the Mediterranean and the Aegean provinces to spend the rest of their time.

Speaking about their future plans, the couple said, “We want to go abroad with our caravan when the border opens.”