After I choose the correct border crossing between Syria and Turkey I can ride inside Turkey. The first thing that strikes and repeatedly confirmed, the good roads and the huge infrastructure works carried out to improve and expand the road network. Some won't like to hear it, but driving into Turkey from the Middle East feels really like driving into Europe, once in Turkey you find modern infrastructure, supermarkets, modern tank stations, cars, ... same as in Europe. The roads are so good that our flemisch minister for infrastructure Hilda Crevits there could learn something from here, despite the extreme climate there are fewer potholes here.
The journey from Syria to Gaziantep is not too long and I arrive easely the city, according to Lonely Planet it is the 'Barcelona' of Turkey, so that's promising. I'm looking for a not too expensive hotel, after two weeks of invitations at peoples places, I just needed time for myself and I want to hide a few days in the anonymity of a hotel room. I find a hotel in the center of Gaziantep that fully meets my expectations. My next challenge is buying a netbook. When I left I vowed to travel as light as possible and minimal electronics to carry around ... but writing this blog takes so much time and that time I no longer want to spend in an internet cafe, and I've discovered that there are very cheap and small netbooks on the market, equipped with WiFi and a normal keyboard, I do not need more ... So in Turkey looking for a netbook. At first, I learned that you should ask for at least three prices to know the marketprice. Such a quest makes it immediately clear that In Turkey people speak mainly Turkish and computer distributors are no exception. With the necessary gesture, Google translator, and a Turkish dictionary, ... I manage to collect my three prizes. The price is decisive, and I purchase myself a Turkish computer ... everything works like any other computer except the Windows is in Turkish. Converting to English does not seem possible ... At home I start writing my blog. The next morning I come to the conclusion, after using the Google translator, that the battery is not good ... Damn, my nightmare scenario ... How does this end. So I returned to the store and explained my problem, now a little bit Turkish richer ... The problem quickly becomes clear, but as quickly it becomes clear that the other computers in stock suffer the same shortcoming. With three man they try to do everything to get my computer and battery fixed, but in vain. Eventually another computer by the supplier can be delivered within 2 days ... But I want my blog to write, and I do not have the time, so I decided to be firm and I want to have the day itself is a solution ... They understand my position and go on searching until the shop owner brings me to a big electronics store, a little further and buy me another computer ... My surprise at the service and friendliness are great and I must remember experiences I've ever had in Belgium with warranty claims ... provide discussions and friendliness is often the last thing you can expect ... So my nightmare scenario in Turkey turns into a pleasant introduction to the great Turkish nature and their will and their success in providing an excellent service ... Thanks to the team calendar Elektronik!
The purpose of my stay in Gaziantep was writing my blog, I spend the most time there than also on terraces, baklava shops, in my hotel room, always on my computer and a cup of tea or coffee and sometimes a baklava ... I want my report of the last days in Jordan and of my journey through Syria and I also want to translate everything into English, ... but the city, the sun, the atmosphere ... All this makes the work quite pleasant and a nice variety of cycling.
Gaziantep is famous for its museum with the world's most beautiful mosaic collection ... this art form has never really convinced me, but I now have to revise my opinion. The collection moved to a new museum show. When I get there the building process is still ongoing, anyway I try to go inside ... doing so I have been asked for my profession ... Engineer ... the answer opens the door anyway, later I realized that they probably understood me as an engineer that was involved in the construction of the museum ... No matter, I have a scoop to visit the new mosaic Gaziantep museum and it is just wonderful ... Gaziantep is also famous for its Baklava ... The typical sweet cakes you find in the Middle East and Turkey ... often a combination of puff pastry, nuts, and sugar ... a true energy booster and I have so far avoided wherever possible ... I Gaziantep I have tried a few times and it's really nice, but it remains an energy booster ...
My blog is completed and the legs are revovered ... I leave for my passage through Turkey ... If you look at the map and the Middle East overland links with Belgium, you'll find out automatically that Turkey is the largest country on the track. This method seems simple, but the way I've mapped out my trip ... a major drawback of this way of working is that a map is flat ... There are some relief lines on the map, but I considered not important. I wanted to see Capadocia and the Black Sea ... So roughly from Gaziantep north west to capadocia and then to the North, and once reached the Black Sea, to the west along the coast ... That would be flat was my idea ...
I follow the direction Karhamanmaras ... The expectation and desire was that I could ride in the sun ... that was the intent of my trip planning. Turkey clearly does not meet these expectations. It is chilly, windy and cloudy ... all it promises nothing good. As long it is not raining, I get it warm from the cycling itself and I'm love it to be back on the bike. I also enjoy Turkey ... all around I see quiet spots for a picnic, a campsite ... I've missed this a bit in the Middle East, I can camp, wash in a mountain river, picnic in peace ... it's all there. I pass Karhamanmaras meanwhile, the sky looks black, and gives some beautiful, ominous views of the city and surrounding hills ... I met a Canadian long distance cyclist, Jeremy, in the opposite direction. I'm lucky in his eyes, as the weather in Turkey would improve in the coming days, he is enthusiastic about Turkey, but the weather last weeks apparently was especially cold and wet.
I start my first climb in Turkey ... Late in the evening I start looking for a campsite along the way and I pitch my tent for the first time, on Turkish soil. The next day, the climb still continues ... The clouds continue to define the view, and it keeps going uphill for the rest of the day ... In the afternoon, when I am still driving uphill, the first drops begin to fall. I'm cold and rain I can miss, so I decide to put up my tent in the mountains ... a river thunders down next to the campsite I have in mind ... Time to wash off dust and sweat, put up the tent and a few clothes to wash ... At 16 PM I lay in the tent and read about the history of Jordan, "King Hussein of Jordan Lion" while outside a storm breaks out. The river flow temporarily doubles ...
The next day, the ride continues ... the days that follow I will go towards Capadocia. I see the first snow, at first above me, further and higher, the snow fields are more and more on the same height as myself ... What further I go, the more I am surrounded by mountains. Every uphill is fortunately followed by a downhill, ... but also each time followed by a new uphill. The flat pieces are rather the exception, as the sun ... I am particularly pleased with my wool sweater that I have, and also my raincoat proves its services.
I drive through the real rural Turkey ... here they definetly don't speak or understand English, and I'm happy with the English / Turkish dictionary that I bought for one and an half euro. It is not resulting in easy communication, but at least I can make the necessary things clear. When I arrive Hosgeldiniz and make clear that I am looking for a 'Ekmek', I got offered the most delicious bread I've ever eaten, ... Paying is excluded, instead they still give me a tea on top ... The friendliness and hospitality of the people all the way compensates for the lack of warmth the sun gives me. All those mountains around me ... There is one waiting for me, 2000 meters high , a climb of 700 meters ... warm up the legs ... Damn ... you would think that the legs get used to it after a mote than three months on the bike, its nothing ... every time it's a struggle to push the bike and luggage, all together 50 kg, meter by meter to the top. Oce on top ... I am rewarded on a magnificent view.
The last days I've won mostly potential energy, in other words, it's been mostly uphill ... and today will end in a huge downhill .... that ends in a plain area that I can follow up to Capadocia. Jeremy told me that there is a a tight wind in the plain, but that played to his disadvantage. So that's good news for me. Here we go...!!! The first 5 km the main aim is to avoid the holes in the road. (Indeed, here is the road also of lower quality, but the road here is at 2000 meters, slightly different conditions than in Flanders I would say) once a few hundred feet under the top the road is again quite nice and I fly into the plain. I get a tea offered in Develi. A meal and a night I turn off however, I would as far as possible today so that I will reach Capadocia early the next day. I drive through the city. The map indicates that I drive through wetlands, and just before the sun goes down I put my tent between a number of poplars in the middle of these wetlands. I am accompanied by a local fisherman. When he arrives on a motorbike with a truck tire around his waist, I can not imagine what is meant ... later he is balancing on the tire and a plank on the water and with a stick he is retrieving a fishing net. As he wades through the reeds, he suddenly dive down and then shows me a twisting and hissing snake. I'm surprised. My Turkish is still not perfect, but I understand that you should not be bitten by that beast ... The day before, I was washing myself on a similar spot ... I didn't see any snake ... luck on me.
At night it rains for the change again, I heard afterwards that I've escaped the worst storm, which has played one valley further. The morning was cold, surprise, surprise ..., and it rains the first hour of the day ... during a temporary break in the rain, I break up my tent and got back on my bicycle. Capadocia is my goal. The legs are just warmed up when I meet a French / Swiss couple ... They come from Goreme, a small pitoresque place in the center of Capadocia. It must be worthwhile, and the recommend me to go to a hostel called "Anatolia cave' there I would find a pleasant atmosphere and a fantastic breakfast buffet, you can guess what impresses me the most ... I adjust my originally planned route and brave the elements towards Goreme.
The expectations are high. Stories and pictures that I've seen are fantastic. My 'Capadocia'-experience is a bit like a party where you'ree expectations are high. Stories and pictures that I've seen are fantastic. My 'Capadocia'-experience is a bit like a party where you're going to with high expectations. The expectations are not completely filled and it afterwards gives me a slight disappointment. The region itself is not the cause of this disappointment, but the weather throws yet another spanner in the works. The landscape in Capadocia is so unique because the country was formed by the erosion of the lava rocks. These rocks are very soft and therefore very susceptible to erosion from wind and rain. This gives spectacular shapes and colors in the landscape. Also, the region is known for the many villages and cities that are fully carved into the rocks. One of the most spectacular examples known is Derinkuyu, an entire city carved into the rock, 5 floors and 60 meters deep, with a network for water supply, sanitation, ventilation, ...
"Anatolia cave 'fills all odds. The three nights that I stay are just amazing ... just a few days for a dry and warm place to relax. A delicious breakfast and nice people. The lack of sun and the cold make that the landscape and the colors are not as amazing as the should normally be ... However, I had a good time. I use the opportunity to explore the area running wise ... the most blissful training sessions I have ever had. Great. I visit the nearby open air museum with a number of old churches, completely carved in the rocks with beautiful frescoes still in decent condition. Given the weather did not positively affect the view I decide not to do a tourist trip along the underground cities. I prefer rather to spend the money through a culinary expedition of Goreme. During my stay there I met a few times a French group of mountain bikers who are cycling aroud in capadocia ... seems to me highly recommended.
After the break I put my journey on towards Kayseri. My odometer has gone in the rain. So I buy myself a new in Kayseri, a chinese copy. It costs me almost nothing, and more features ... doubly won. Soon it also appears that it is Chinese-made, with the occasional failure that typically results from a lack of quality ... but not complaining, I can read my speed again and the distance I made, anyway nice when you are the whole day on the bike.
From Kayseri I drive north, towards Sinop, a small 600 km through the mountains. I drive a few days through the mountains, small villages, a delicious meal in a small restaurant, free bread at the bakery, Turkish hospitality ... and many uphills and downhills here and there. Cold and rain are also regularly present. On the way to Amasya a van of the Turkish television passed by and they asked me for an interview. Two cameras and a microphone under my nose and an interview in German. I do not know if and when it is broadcasted, but it is an interesting experience. I fly into Zile, and at three hours in the afternoon, I start for my last climb of the day, towards Amasya. Possibly, I will camp, if possible, I drive through to Amasya. Climbing, I see the sun slowly disappearing behind thick clouds. An hour later, the complete sky is nearly black and my desire to camp disappears with the sun, despite the beautiful mountain scenery where I am now. By the time I've reached the top the first drops begin to fall, and soon I'm wet and I laver between the lightnings downhill ... I try to go down as quick as possible to disappear between the mountains I don't like to be once more the highest point of the landscape in a hellish storm ... I speed downhill, as fast the mud flooded roads allow. Regularly my front wheel slips away, then it's time to just go into the brakes ... I pass a few villages in the infernal rain, but the few who are still outside, stares at me if they see a ghost flashed. Drenched and covered with mud my hope for an invitation to hide somewhere disappears ... The last 20 kilometers are flat, first I take refuge in a shed to escape the worst storm. I dry myself, eat something and try to warm my blue hands. Finally I reach Amasya in the dark. I am covered with mud and it surprises me not that in the first hotels, when I ask for a room they are "supposedly" full. I find it a hotel where I am still received with open hands ... First rinse my bags and clothes here, I wash and try to warm up again ... and then I go to bed ... exhausted.
Amasya is an idyllic town that lies hidden between the mountains on the shores of an impressive mountain river. I stay here for 2 days to wash and dry, and just relax. I wander around in the town, and enjoy the town. In my hotel, I meet a Canadian couple Chris and Donna. We eat together and hang around until the night falls ... Meanwhile, it is seriously raining again.
The day after the route goes to Catalzeytin. The legs are in the mountains again to the test ... but eventually I reach Catalzytin and I see the black sea for the first time ... I'm quite early and have the afternoon to explore the coastal town and sit on a terrace to enjoy a tea and a baklava. I sleep in a little pension so I can wash a few clothes and hang them to dry.
The believe that I can now simply follow the coast towards Istanbul and I would be free of difficult mountains seems to be soon a wrong idea ... The opposite is true ... I never had such a demanding journey on the bike as the upcoming days would be. The next day I drive on a winding coastal path, the windings are mostly up and downs. Steep climbs followed by steep slopes, a valley surrounding the village and back uphill ... The slopes are such style that it is always an uphill struggle, and in the runs is all energy lost in braking ... Exhausting.
Meanwhile, I still have contact with Najah from Jordan, she left the hospital and I am quite happy with this news. Like I have promised her, I order a return ticket to Amman from Istanbul for May 24. Najah, Jordan, Sun ... It is good to have a nice prospect along the coast of the Black Sea ... The sea itself has been hidden from view due to thick fog ... all the time. When I drive along the coast, I see no more than 10 yards from the sea ... pppfffff.
More than 650 km to go ... soon apparent that I won't be in Istanbul on May 24. If I arrive in Eregli, again soaked and cold to the bones... it is enough. I book a hotel to return to dry and I book a bus to Istanbul. I do the last 250 km in a bus. The legs just don't want to pedal anymore ...
Through couchsurfing I have met Tugba. She lives in the Asian part of Istanbul and I can leave my bike at her appartment while I'm in Jordan. In any case one worry less. Arriving in Istanbul is arriving in a different world, after weeks of cycling through rural Turkey. An immense metropolis, a city on the border of two continents, divided by the Bosphorus, modern, sexy dressed women, terraces everywhere, ... I book for the first two nights in an hotel. So far my most expensive hotel, but I do at this point just do not care much about, I need rest. The first nights I barely sleep ... my legs feel heavy. The first day in Istanbul I meet Tugba in real life, and she shows me the Asian part of Istanbul. It is mainly a relaxing day, we enjoy a meal, relax in the park, and in the evening a movie. The day after I visit the highlights of the European part. The Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, the cisterns ... Tugba also comes in the afternoon to the European part. We meet Donna and Chris, a pleasant reunion.
Istanbul is definitely a city I have to go back again, there is much more to see than the few places I've visited, but I just do not like rushing around to see all the tourist highlights ... I especially enjoy the city life and peace. The next day I'll take my flight to Amman. About one week I return to Istanbul, but if I want to be mid-July in Belgium, no time remains for me any longer in this wonderful city to linger.
The journey from Syria to Gaziantep is not too long and I arrive easely the city, according to Lonely Planet it is the 'Barcelona' of Turkey, so that's promising. I'm looking for a not too expensive hotel, after two weeks of invitations at peoples places, I just needed time for myself and I want to hide a few days in the anonymity of a hotel room. I find a hotel in the center of Gaziantep that fully meets my expectations. My next challenge is buying a netbook. When I left I vowed to travel as light as possible and minimal electronics to carry around ... but writing this blog takes so much time and that time I no longer want to spend in an internet cafe, and I've discovered that there are very cheap and small netbooks on the market, equipped with WiFi and a normal keyboard, I do not need more ... So in Turkey looking for a netbook. At first, I learned that you should ask for at least three prices to know the marketprice. Such a quest makes it immediately clear that In Turkey people speak mainly Turkish and computer distributors are no exception. With the necessary gesture, Google translator, and a Turkish dictionary, ... I manage to collect my three prizes. The price is decisive, and I purchase myself a Turkish computer ... everything works like any other computer except the Windows is in Turkish. Converting to English does not seem possible ... At home I start writing my blog. The next morning I come to the conclusion, after using the Google translator, that the battery is not good ... Damn, my nightmare scenario ... How does this end. So I returned to the store and explained my problem, now a little bit Turkish richer ... The problem quickly becomes clear, but as quickly it becomes clear that the other computers in stock suffer the same shortcoming. With three man they try to do everything to get my computer and battery fixed, but in vain. Eventually another computer by the supplier can be delivered within 2 days ... But I want my blog to write, and I do not have the time, so I decided to be firm and I want to have the day itself is a solution ... They understand my position and go on searching until the shop owner brings me to a big electronics store, a little further and buy me another computer ... My surprise at the service and friendliness are great and I must remember experiences I've ever had in Belgium with warranty claims ... provide discussions and friendliness is often the last thing you can expect ... So my nightmare scenario in Turkey turns into a pleasant introduction to the great Turkish nature and their will and their success in providing an excellent service ... Thanks to the team calendar Elektronik!
The purpose of my stay in Gaziantep was writing my blog, I spend the most time there than also on terraces, baklava shops, in my hotel room, always on my computer and a cup of tea or coffee and sometimes a baklava ... I want my report of the last days in Jordan and of my journey through Syria and I also want to translate everything into English, ... but the city, the sun, the atmosphere ... All this makes the work quite pleasant and a nice variety of cycling.
Gaziantep is famous for its museum with the world's most beautiful mosaic collection ... this art form has never really convinced me, but I now have to revise my opinion. The collection moved to a new museum show. When I get there the building process is still ongoing, anyway I try to go inside ... doing so I have been asked for my profession ... Engineer ... the answer opens the door anyway, later I realized that they probably understood me as an engineer that was involved in the construction of the museum ... No matter, I have a scoop to visit the new mosaic Gaziantep museum and it is just wonderful ... Gaziantep is also famous for its Baklava ... The typical sweet cakes you find in the Middle East and Turkey ... often a combination of puff pastry, nuts, and sugar ... a true energy booster and I have so far avoided wherever possible ... I Gaziantep I have tried a few times and it's really nice, but it remains an energy booster ...
My blog is completed and the legs are revovered ... I leave for my passage through Turkey ... If you look at the map and the Middle East overland links with Belgium, you'll find out automatically that Turkey is the largest country on the track. This method seems simple, but the way I've mapped out my trip ... a major drawback of this way of working is that a map is flat ... There are some relief lines on the map, but I considered not important. I wanted to see Capadocia and the Black Sea ... So roughly from Gaziantep north west to capadocia and then to the North, and once reached the Black Sea, to the west along the coast ... That would be flat was my idea ...
I follow the direction Karhamanmaras ... The expectation and desire was that I could ride in the sun ... that was the intent of my trip planning. Turkey clearly does not meet these expectations. It is chilly, windy and cloudy ... all it promises nothing good. As long it is not raining, I get it warm from the cycling itself and I'm love it to be back on the bike. I also enjoy Turkey ... all around I see quiet spots for a picnic, a campsite ... I've missed this a bit in the Middle East, I can camp, wash in a mountain river, picnic in peace ... it's all there. I pass Karhamanmaras meanwhile, the sky looks black, and gives some beautiful, ominous views of the city and surrounding hills ... I met a Canadian long distance cyclist, Jeremy, in the opposite direction. I'm lucky in his eyes, as the weather in Turkey would improve in the coming days, he is enthusiastic about Turkey, but the weather last weeks apparently was especially cold and wet.
I start my first climb in Turkey ... Late in the evening I start looking for a campsite along the way and I pitch my tent for the first time, on Turkish soil. The next day, the climb still continues ... The clouds continue to define the view, and it keeps going uphill for the rest of the day ... In the afternoon, when I am still driving uphill, the first drops begin to fall. I'm cold and rain I can miss, so I decide to put up my tent in the mountains ... a river thunders down next to the campsite I have in mind ... Time to wash off dust and sweat, put up the tent and a few clothes to wash ... At 16 PM I lay in the tent and read about the history of Jordan, "King Hussein of Jordan Lion" while outside a storm breaks out. The river flow temporarily doubles ...
The next day, the ride continues ... the days that follow I will go towards Capadocia. I see the first snow, at first above me, further and higher, the snow fields are more and more on the same height as myself ... What further I go, the more I am surrounded by mountains. Every uphill is fortunately followed by a downhill, ... but also each time followed by a new uphill. The flat pieces are rather the exception, as the sun ... I am particularly pleased with my wool sweater that I have, and also my raincoat proves its services.
I drive through the real rural Turkey ... here they definetly don't speak or understand English, and I'm happy with the English / Turkish dictionary that I bought for one and an half euro. It is not resulting in easy communication, but at least I can make the necessary things clear. When I arrive Hosgeldiniz and make clear that I am looking for a 'Ekmek', I got offered the most delicious bread I've ever eaten, ... Paying is excluded, instead they still give me a tea on top ... The friendliness and hospitality of the people all the way compensates for the lack of warmth the sun gives me. All those mountains around me ... There is one waiting for me, 2000 meters high , a climb of 700 meters ... warm up the legs ... Damn ... you would think that the legs get used to it after a mote than three months on the bike, its nothing ... every time it's a struggle to push the bike and luggage, all together 50 kg, meter by meter to the top. Oce on top ... I am rewarded on a magnificent view.
The last days I've won mostly potential energy, in other words, it's been mostly uphill ... and today will end in a huge downhill .... that ends in a plain area that I can follow up to Capadocia. Jeremy told me that there is a a tight wind in the plain, but that played to his disadvantage. So that's good news for me. Here we go...!!! The first 5 km the main aim is to avoid the holes in the road. (Indeed, here is the road also of lower quality, but the road here is at 2000 meters, slightly different conditions than in Flanders I would say) once a few hundred feet under the top the road is again quite nice and I fly into the plain. I get a tea offered in Develi. A meal and a night I turn off however, I would as far as possible today so that I will reach Capadocia early the next day. I drive through the city. The map indicates that I drive through wetlands, and just before the sun goes down I put my tent between a number of poplars in the middle of these wetlands. I am accompanied by a local fisherman. When he arrives on a motorbike with a truck tire around his waist, I can not imagine what is meant ... later he is balancing on the tire and a plank on the water and with a stick he is retrieving a fishing net. As he wades through the reeds, he suddenly dive down and then shows me a twisting and hissing snake. I'm surprised. My Turkish is still not perfect, but I understand that you should not be bitten by that beast ... The day before, I was washing myself on a similar spot ... I didn't see any snake ... luck on me.
At night it rains for the change again, I heard afterwards that I've escaped the worst storm, which has played one valley further. The morning was cold, surprise, surprise ..., and it rains the first hour of the day ... during a temporary break in the rain, I break up my tent and got back on my bicycle. Capadocia is my goal. The legs are just warmed up when I meet a French / Swiss couple ... They come from Goreme, a small pitoresque place in the center of Capadocia. It must be worthwhile, and the recommend me to go to a hostel called "Anatolia cave' there I would find a pleasant atmosphere and a fantastic breakfast buffet, you can guess what impresses me the most ... I adjust my originally planned route and brave the elements towards Goreme.
The expectations are high. Stories and pictures that I've seen are fantastic. My 'Capadocia'-experience is a bit like a party where you'ree expectations are high. Stories and pictures that I've seen are fantastic. My 'Capadocia'-experience is a bit like a party where you're going to with high expectations. The expectations are not completely filled and it afterwards gives me a slight disappointment. The region itself is not the cause of this disappointment, but the weather throws yet another spanner in the works. The landscape in Capadocia is so unique because the country was formed by the erosion of the lava rocks. These rocks are very soft and therefore very susceptible to erosion from wind and rain. This gives spectacular shapes and colors in the landscape. Also, the region is known for the many villages and cities that are fully carved into the rocks. One of the most spectacular examples known is Derinkuyu, an entire city carved into the rock, 5 floors and 60 meters deep, with a network for water supply, sanitation, ventilation, ...
"Anatolia cave 'fills all odds. The three nights that I stay are just amazing ... just a few days for a dry and warm place to relax. A delicious breakfast and nice people. The lack of sun and the cold make that the landscape and the colors are not as amazing as the should normally be ... However, I had a good time. I use the opportunity to explore the area running wise ... the most blissful training sessions I have ever had. Great. I visit the nearby open air museum with a number of old churches, completely carved in the rocks with beautiful frescoes still in decent condition. Given the weather did not positively affect the view I decide not to do a tourist trip along the underground cities. I prefer rather to spend the money through a culinary expedition of Goreme. During my stay there I met a few times a French group of mountain bikers who are cycling aroud in capadocia ... seems to me highly recommended.
After the break I put my journey on towards Kayseri. My odometer has gone in the rain. So I buy myself a new in Kayseri, a chinese copy. It costs me almost nothing, and more features ... doubly won. Soon it also appears that it is Chinese-made, with the occasional failure that typically results from a lack of quality ... but not complaining, I can read my speed again and the distance I made, anyway nice when you are the whole day on the bike.
From Kayseri I drive north, towards Sinop, a small 600 km through the mountains. I drive a few days through the mountains, small villages, a delicious meal in a small restaurant, free bread at the bakery, Turkish hospitality ... and many uphills and downhills here and there. Cold and rain are also regularly present. On the way to Amasya a van of the Turkish television passed by and they asked me for an interview. Two cameras and a microphone under my nose and an interview in German. I do not know if and when it is broadcasted, but it is an interesting experience. I fly into Zile, and at three hours in the afternoon, I start for my last climb of the day, towards Amasya. Possibly, I will camp, if possible, I drive through to Amasya. Climbing, I see the sun slowly disappearing behind thick clouds. An hour later, the complete sky is nearly black and my desire to camp disappears with the sun, despite the beautiful mountain scenery where I am now. By the time I've reached the top the first drops begin to fall, and soon I'm wet and I laver between the lightnings downhill ... I try to go down as quick as possible to disappear between the mountains I don't like to be once more the highest point of the landscape in a hellish storm ... I speed downhill, as fast the mud flooded roads allow. Regularly my front wheel slips away, then it's time to just go into the brakes ... I pass a few villages in the infernal rain, but the few who are still outside, stares at me if they see a ghost flashed. Drenched and covered with mud my hope for an invitation to hide somewhere disappears ... The last 20 kilometers are flat, first I take refuge in a shed to escape the worst storm. I dry myself, eat something and try to warm my blue hands. Finally I reach Amasya in the dark. I am covered with mud and it surprises me not that in the first hotels, when I ask for a room they are "supposedly" full. I find it a hotel where I am still received with open hands ... First rinse my bags and clothes here, I wash and try to warm up again ... and then I go to bed ... exhausted.
Amasya is an idyllic town that lies hidden between the mountains on the shores of an impressive mountain river. I stay here for 2 days to wash and dry, and just relax. I wander around in the town, and enjoy the town. In my hotel, I meet a Canadian couple Chris and Donna. We eat together and hang around until the night falls ... Meanwhile, it is seriously raining again.
The day after the route goes to Catalzeytin. The legs are in the mountains again to the test ... but eventually I reach Catalzytin and I see the black sea for the first time ... I'm quite early and have the afternoon to explore the coastal town and sit on a terrace to enjoy a tea and a baklava. I sleep in a little pension so I can wash a few clothes and hang them to dry.
The believe that I can now simply follow the coast towards Istanbul and I would be free of difficult mountains seems to be soon a wrong idea ... The opposite is true ... I never had such a demanding journey on the bike as the upcoming days would be. The next day I drive on a winding coastal path, the windings are mostly up and downs. Steep climbs followed by steep slopes, a valley surrounding the village and back uphill ... The slopes are such style that it is always an uphill struggle, and in the runs is all energy lost in braking ... Exhausting.
Meanwhile, I still have contact with Najah from Jordan, she left the hospital and I am quite happy with this news. Like I have promised her, I order a return ticket to Amman from Istanbul for May 24. Najah, Jordan, Sun ... It is good to have a nice prospect along the coast of the Black Sea ... The sea itself has been hidden from view due to thick fog ... all the time. When I drive along the coast, I see no more than 10 yards from the sea ... pppfffff.
More than 650 km to go ... soon apparent that I won't be in Istanbul on May 24. If I arrive in Eregli, again soaked and cold to the bones... it is enough. I book a hotel to return to dry and I book a bus to Istanbul. I do the last 250 km in a bus. The legs just don't want to pedal anymore ...
Through couchsurfing I have met Tugba. She lives in the Asian part of Istanbul and I can leave my bike at her appartment while I'm in Jordan. In any case one worry less. Arriving in Istanbul is arriving in a different world, after weeks of cycling through rural Turkey. An immense metropolis, a city on the border of two continents, divided by the Bosphorus, modern, sexy dressed women, terraces everywhere, ... I book for the first two nights in an hotel. So far my most expensive hotel, but I do at this point just do not care much about, I need rest. The first nights I barely sleep ... my legs feel heavy. The first day in Istanbul I meet Tugba in real life, and she shows me the Asian part of Istanbul. It is mainly a relaxing day, we enjoy a meal, relax in the park, and in the evening a movie. The day after I visit the highlights of the European part. The Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, the cisterns ... Tugba also comes in the afternoon to the European part. We meet Donna and Chris, a pleasant reunion.
Istanbul is definitely a city I have to go back again, there is much more to see than the few places I've visited, but I just do not like rushing around to see all the tourist highlights ... I especially enjoy the city life and peace. The next day I'll take my flight to Amman. About one week I return to Istanbul, but if I want to be mid-July in Belgium, no time remains for me any longer in this wonderful city to linger.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten