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.