Hurriyet, Turkey
May 23 2009

Dutch Ambassador proves a true trekker

SASON, Batman – Former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Mark Parris, who
served in Turkey between 1997 and 2000, was known as the first trekker
diplomat. Parris in fact climbed Mount Ararat, Turkey’s highest
mountain. Now it seems another diplomat, the Dutch ambassador to
Ankara, Marcel Kurpershoek, will be challenging Parris’s reputation.

Kurpershoek walked northeast from the southeastern city Batman’s Sason
district to MuÅ?’s Hasköy district on Thursday. He was
accompanied by Ã?akırpınar village’s headman
Mehmet Sait Arslan and translator Bilal
Alıçdalı. He returned to Sason by car.

Kurpershoek said he was very much affected by the book "Xenophon" and
was inspired to walk from Sason to Hasköy. He added that he had
"a nice adventure."

"This trip was good exercise for me. We walked for six hours, came
across some very interesting people; we met them and spent time with
them. Hospitality, people’s sincerity, and nature Ã? Everything
was very beautiful. We met an 80-year-old Armenian gentleman; he
offered us cheese and bread," said the diplomat. Kurpershoek added: "I
would prefer coming to Sason over going to Antalya; I like Sason more
than Antalya. I plan to come again and climb the Mereto Mountain."