Angrı Dagı and the stone throwers

The road I took past Mt Ararat was quite spectacular to say the least.  It's hard to apprieciate just quite how amazing the mountain is from photos so I made sure I took enough - to be fair it was hard not to!

Well, I have passed by Mt Ararat and ıt really was worth the detour. It really ıs an amazıng mountaın. When we arrıved ıt looked as though ıt was floatıng on a bed of cloud..really great. Kurt and I both had stomach problems which made rıdıng very slow and hard goıng. The hıll before Ararat was very dıfficult. I consıdered gettıng a lıft but had a go and slowly crept to the top nearly vomıtıng and faıntıng all the way there. A km from the top a kınd truck drıver towed us the rest of the way and then some Kazak truckdrıvers called us over for cay and water melon that helped raıse our spırıts.

Agri Dagi and a traditional village

Round the corner we saw the mountaın and felt well agaın. We then passed to Dogubayzat and used the ınternet whıch left me feelıng draıned agaın so Kurt and I saıd our goodbyes and I headed to Igdır. It was a great rıde wıth some lovely vıews of Ararat. Unfortunately I was chased a long way out of the town by a very angry and determıned dog whıch I managed to out run.

The wild flowers are prolific all through Turkey but around Ararat was one of the best areas to see a profusion of species.

The day after, ıt hıt home that I was now alone and thıngs became much harder. I stıll felt very ropey and a headwınd dıdn't make the gentle 40km clımb very easy. I hadn't eaten much but managed to carry on and get near the 100km mark before fındıng a lovely campspot on top of the mountaıns surrounded by flowers and twıtterıng skylarks.

Sheep and goats on the way to the Georgian border.  And where there  are sheep goats in Turkey big mean  looking sheep dogs aren't usually far away.  My dog stick was always at the ready and now I was alone the risk of getting robbed by roaming shepards seemed greater.
I had stopped for a siesta at a petrol statıon run by a gıant, a humpback dwarf and a freak. It was really one of the most bızzare places I have stopped at. It was ın the mıddle of nowhere and no cars seemed to stop for the 2 hours that I rested. The three of them seemed to just sıt and admıre the vıews as the dwarf read a dıctıonary out loud. I was happy as they sold peach juıce but threw the coffee away that they gave me as my ımagınatıon was workıng overtıme. Very weird.

Taking a rest on the way around Mt. Ararat. a long long downhill awaited ahead....

At this point there hadn't been any need to pedal for a long long while..

Poppies and other wildflowers drift across the lower slopes in late  June

Traditional village in Eastern Turkey, complete with huge amounts of shit for winter time fuel.

The first tortoise came in the outskirts of Istanbul and after plenty were seen right across the country.

I was more worried about the kids throwing rocks than one rolling down the hill.  

At the bottom of the long downhill heading in the direction of Igdir.

A rocky desert emerged as I followed the road along the Armenian border in the direction of  Kars.

Colourful desert landscape, North Eastern Turkey.

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On the way to Mt. Ararat

We´ve made ıt to a small place called Solhan whıch ıs south of Erzerum. Lovely place that doesn´t have anythıng goıng for ıt apart from being sıtuated ın some rather pleasant mountains.

Kurt surveying the road ahead. Like the rest of Turkey towards the east  was great  uninterrupted cycling through beautiful rolling landscapes.

We had a 10km pass thıs mornıng wıth a stıff headwınd that proved slow goıng. As I reached the top I saw Kurt sitting wıth some army guys next to theır tank drinking cay and eatıng a tomato and chocolate sandwıch. Obviously these guys had some time to experıment wıth sandwich fillings! Kurt assures me ıt was very good. After some photos we pushed on and had a few more passes, luckıly the clouds have made it cooler than the last few day whıch have been incredibly hot.

By the time I had caught Kurt at the top of a big pass he had befriended the  local army who seemed pretty bored scoping out the surround hillsides with their tank. They told us the surrounding land was full of militants, some as young as fifteen years old., and that we should be careful. Well we luckily didn't see any but did enjoy the rest stop and the sandwiches.

Yesterday we came to a dam tucked in a beautiful valley so we stopped on the bridge to take some photos but soon heard someone shouting so we thought we should move on. We spotted a soldier posted on the hill and saw a barracks at the end of the bridge and thought we would just scoot past. Of course we were pulled over for what we thought would be ınterrogatıon but turned out to be tea on the the sun terrace overlookıng the lake! Photos ın due course!

These kind (and slighty bored) guys invited us for tea on their sun terrace overlooking a beautiful dam. there was no end to the cup of tea we were offered in Turkey and any keen touring cyclists should bear this in mind when planning to ride through the country. for each day cycled at least one should be set aside for tea stops!

Sınce Cappadocıa the landscape has been rollıng hılls wıth some decent mountaın ranges thrown ın for good measure. We´ve been tryıng to average 130km per day so ıt has been hard goıng with all the hills. Of course we have had some lovely long downhılls to enjoy after the long climbs. We´ve passed many aprıcot and mulberry groves along the way so some good fruıt ıs about along wıth very tasty watermelons.

The weather throughout Turkey was great as there was no rain.  Often very hot  through the day, nights were comfortable without putting the tent up although towards the east a cold nip started to be felt. With the open landscape we had to take any cover we could find to avoid unwanted attention and this was another reason to avoid setting up the tent.

Kurt on the road east

The turkısh dogs haven´t been such a problem as most have been chaıned up. One got after me as I cycled past a lone farmstead. It was a very large and ferocious looking Turkish sheep dog which upon first inspection seemed to be tied up with a long length of rope. I must have had a smug look on my face as it rushed towards me viciously growling and bearing its teeth and gums. Any second I knew the rope would pull tight and jerk the dog back but it kept coming at an ever increasing speed. The rope was broken and the dog was unhindered. Quickly my smugness left and I jumped from my bike and stood behind using it as a shield. With my free hand I unclipped my 'dog stick' from the top tube and smacked my opponent over the head as he came in for the kill. This was enough for him to turn back to the safety of his garden. It was closest attack yet and made my heart pump a little faster than usual. Without the stick I things would undoubtedly have turned out differently

Another Tea stop and some more friends made in eastern Turkey. Slightly overwhelmed sometimes we made our excuses and left but generally we tried to stop and share our stories with the locals.

On the quiet open road in central Turkey with plenty of time to  think about  what lies a head on the journey.  I still had a long way to reach India and in a few weeks I'd cycle alone for the first time since leaving apart from the couple of days before Istanbul.

Whenever we stop small kıds gather like bees around honey and before we know ıt there are hundreds, which gets a tad annoyıng when we want a relaxıng tea. We´ve had a few throwing stones and targeting us with their catapults but after a bit of a chase they vanish at high speed. I can't waıt to catch one and confıscate hıs catapult! The turks are stıll very frıendly and the tea ıs flowıng nicely.

A long downhill after a tiring climb up the other side;  Kurt can be seen at the bottom.

The fuel for our ride across Turkey. Tea is served black in small tulip shaped glasses and is usually somewhat bitter. As you head east the recipe slowly changes eventually to the chai of India, complete with spices milk and vast quantities of sugar.

It was often a considerable distance between town and villages through central and eastern Turkey which made a pleasant change from the more densely populated Europe.

Lunch time view

In Eastern turkey secluded camping spots were hard to find. Here the only cover available was this oak bush  in a valley floor. The hills were crawling with shepards and early morning we were woken by their shouts coming across the valley towards us.  This area is known for robberies, and often cycle tourists are targeted so a lot of the time we were slightly on edge.

On the way to Malatya we wondered what lay down the  road to Gucuk!

Nearing lake Van we were pleased to see a resort of large tents on the shoreline which definitely needed investiging.  The guys that ran the place were friendly and allowed us to sleep on the couches in one of the tents.  The place was quiet apart from a couple of Turkish tourists who soon left, leaving us with the place to ourselves. I fished for the evening after being assured there were plenty of fish in the lake. The only problem was our host insisted I put bread on my spinner! when we left in the morning I found twenty three tortoises on the short track up to the road. In one place Nineteen grazed in a small area on a mustard like plant. 

Nearing our intended target of Agri Dagi

On the road to Ararat we met a local with a flat tire and stopped to help  him repair it as there was a lengthy push ahead.  Being a bicycle mechanic Kurt had it done in a jiffy. As I still hadn't had a puncture since leaving England I didn't fancy jinxing myself by joining in so acted as photographer.

Kurt riding something else for a change, possibly because he was excited to be nearing Mt Ararat.  

As Kurt and I approached Mt. Ararat we both struggled with stomach problems. It was now nearing the end of  June and finally we made it to see Ararat on the 24th after a long slow climb up the pass. I felt sick as i gradually climbed the never ending road and many times was on the verge of throwing up. Kurt seemed to be in the same state but had been suffering for a few days longer than me. I just started to feel bad the day before but we had still managed to clock up 115km mainly thanks to Kurt grinning and bearing the discomfort. of course there had been many unplanned stops along the way! the other problem I faced was the need to be in Azerbaijan by the 29th June otherwise i would miss the visa window to enter.  this meant I had to still cross the rest of turkey and cycle through Georgia to the Azeri border in just four days. things weren't looking good as it was a long ride and soon it was time to say goodbye to Kurt.  A km from the top of the pass a Kazak truck driver invited us to grab the back of his slow moving lorry for a free lift to the top.  there we joined another truck driver for chai and watermelon. It was exactly what we needed and couldn't have come at a better time.

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Frogs and Thunderstorms

It took me a little while to begin to like Istanbul after arriving in the tourist area of Sultanhamet. After a stay of around nine days it was a shame to leave. The road I stayed on was much like any other backpacker centre that I have been to before, but had redeemed itself with great views of the Bosphorus, Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. After seeing more of the city while chasing visas I began to like the place, particularly the area close to the Bosphorus.

Visas for central Asia proved fairly straight forward to obtain once I had sussed out where all the embassys were and was really a matter of hanging around drinking cay while details were processed. I managed to obtain an Uzbek, Kyrg, Azeri and Tajik visas. All I need now is a Kazak and Chinese visa that I should hopefully be able to get in Baku. The trickiest part was trying to judge when I will arrive in all the countries as most of the visas have fixed entry and exit dates. So hopefully I will not be too rushed trying to jump from one country to the next. Cost added up with Kryg being the most expensive at 120 dollars. Considering I only need two days in the country, this is rather pricey. I asked for a transit visa but they couldn't be persuaded to drop the price. Maybe I can stay longer and get my moneys worth.

The Rivers and sea front in Istanbul is extremely busy with fishermen. Most guys were catching small fish on hokkai lures but many other species are about including bass, albacore, bluefish and an array of others. Theres even a good lot of spear fishermen around the golden horn who seem to have some success.

I couldn't leave the city without having a quick dangle. Ivor the crazy Serbian guy from the hostel and I headed down to the sea front one evening and bagged around 15 small fish that we later ate. I tried livebaiting but with no luck. It was a really busy area right in the centre of town so the next day we tried a little further down the coast and again had goodluck. Unfortunately while we were both fishing an alley cat raided our bag of fish and took at least half of our catch. We still ended up with around 30 fish which we had cooked later. I managed to catch 5 on one cast but this was no match for the old boys who I saw catch up to 11 on one chuck.

Istanbul was also a good stop off as there are many other cyclists coming through the city. I met 5 or 6 other guys and ended up leaving with Kurt, an american guy and Mirjam, a dutch girl. Kurt has been touring Europe and north africa for the last 8 months and Mirjam is also on her way to Australia from Holland.

We headed up the Bosphorus to the black sea coast which we followed for the first few days. We climbed some of the steepest hills so far on the trip and had some of the best camping. We stayed a few nights on beaches and fished and snorkeled. I was pleased my leg seems to have healed and apart from a little pain seems to be ok now. For the first few days we cycled through beautiful forests and countryside full of walnut, apricot, cherry, hazelnut and mulberry trees. We saw many tortoises and meadows full of a great variety of flowers and insects.

The landscape gradully became drier and the tempertaure incresed as we headed inland towards Ankara. One road was melting badly and proved to be slow going, it was as if we were cycling in glue. The forest gave way to dry rolling mountains which meant many hills to climb but also some great downhills.

Kurt and I split from Mirjam and headed into Ankara to look for my Tajik visa and get a mozzy net. We planned to meet again in Cappadocia, south of Ankara in a few days. We managed to get into the city around lunch time and high tailed it out the next morning around 9.30 so it went pretty smoothly all in all. We even managed to find a great camping spot in the centre of the city in a small valley that hasn't been built on yet. It was an incredible view of the city at night and was very special when the call to prayer came from all the mosques across the city. A sight I think not many tourist will get to see.

The turkish people have been incredibly friendly and have plyed us with free tea and food whereever we have stopped. The guys at one petrol station gave us fruit juice, tea, biscuits, ice cream etc and even air freshners for our tents and bike cleaning towels. Mirjam even got a rose!
In Ankara we planned to cook but we left the supermarket so full we could hardly eat the turkish pizza given to us by the kebab guys up the road. We had to start refusing tea offers as we could easily end up only cycling 10km per day.

We left Ankara and got chased to Cappadocia by big thunderstorms that we somehow dodged for the two and a half days that it took us to arrive here. One day we cycled through a swarm of aphids that left our arms and clothes coated. A little later the road was covered in thousands of small frogs. There were so many that some inevitably ended up squashed under our wheels. After the frogs the storm caught us and sent us scurrying into a storm drain under the road. We brewed tea and ate biscuits before we both agreed that the storm had passed. At that moment we both nearly died of shock as a lighting bolt touched down just outside our shelter. The blast up the drain left us with ringing ears and stupid grins on our faces!

Again later we were chased by a storm and had to cross an unmade piece of road that was unbelievably muddy. After a km we both had lovely coatings of mud all over our legs and bikes. A truck driver pulled up beside us and offered us a lift to the next town. We refused and he seemed to think we were crazy and kept asking us to jump in the back but we pushed on to the hill on the far side of the mud bath. Passing cars and buses kindly splashed us with mud if we cycled too close. I managed to cycle up the hill in record time as the thunder rumbled behind me reminding me of the quickly approaching storm. We stopped in the town for cay and a small 3ft tall menace bothered us until a turkish guy chased him away for the 10th time. Of couse the storm turned and missed us so all that effort was for nothing.

We made it to Cappadocia in two and a bit days from Ankara, with one day being a new record distance for me of 152km. We passed through some beautiful mountains made up of layers of rock of many different colours including lovely pinks and greens. Cappadocia is really as nice as everyone keeps chirping on about and is full of caves, perfect for sleeping in. The area was once covered in volcanic ash that has now weathered to leave many crazy shaped landforms. Its a great place for a holiday if you have a a few weeks to spare and like walking.

We met Kokoro a Japanese cyclist in the hostel in Cappadocia who had just arrived from Japan. 23.000 km. well done!! Its been great talking to him as he has come on the same route that I'm taking. From here I will head east, possibly to Nemrut Dagi and then on to Central Asia. I'm very excited but also a little nervous!

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