We set off by car and, naturally, passed by the road that brushes past Burj Al Babas again. A final look at the repeated little castles, which are still there as if nothing had happened. Then, we headed southeast.

We passed through Nallıhan without stopping. Today was about making progress, but with a surprise included. Just before reaching the Nallıhan Kuş Cenneti bird sanctuary area… we drove onto a road that made music.

Yes, music.

At first, I thought Papi Edu had put something on, but no. It was the road itself. It has special strips on the asphalt, and when you drive over them at a certain speed, it vibrates and sounds like a melody. In this case, Mozart's Turkish March. I don't know whose idea it was, but hey, it works. Stranger than a cat keeping the beat… but quite fun.

We continued and entered the so-called "Rainbow Desert", which is actually the Nallıhan Peri Bacaları. We already knew it from the 2023 trip with Uncle Javi, but it’s always worth coming back. Those colourful formations, with reddish, ochre, and grey layers, look like they came from another planet. As if someone had mixed sand with paint and left it to dry in the sun.

This time we didn't stay the night. A technical stop: lunch, a bit of rest, and a maintenance session. Papi Edu in barber and shower mode, because one has to look after their image too. I was supervising, of course.

Afterwards, we crossed to the other side of the road, towards Çayırhan and the Sarıyar Barajı reservoir. It was time to find a place to sleep. We tried a few that appeared on Park4night by the lake… but they didn't convince us. Either too exposed or not very pleasant.

Then we saw another spot marked only as a water tap, at the end of a track. We went to take a look, thinking about refilling… and surprise.

The place was perfect.

Nice, quiet, well-located. One of those that you don't expect and that makes your day. So not only did we get water, we stayed.

And then the spectacle began.

We are right under a bird migration route. Every few minutes, groups flying in V-formation, from a few to entire flocks. One after another, as if someone had organised the traffic in the sky.

Papi Edu wouldn't stop taking photos. I looked up, trying to understand how they coordinate so well. Because that really is teamwork, not like when I try to get the ball to go exactly where I want it.

So here we are staying the night. With the lake nearby, silence… and birds passing overhead like silent aeroplanes.

Not bad at all.