I had hoped to be able to leave Van through the far southeast of Turkey, Hakkari Province. It was described as being very scenic and rugged. I wasn't surprised, however, to be told by the locals that the road past the village of Hakkari would be difficult to travel because of military checkpoints, and potentially dangerous because of Kurdish rebels sporadically fighting with the Turkish military and police. After being assured that the road was safe as far as the village of Hakkari, I made a trip towards the village to at least get a taste of the scenery. Hopefully one day things will quiet down in the province and tourists can enjoy more of it.