On The Road

Ankara

By pure accident I ended up in a nice lively neighborhood of Ankara. Just around the corner are a bunch of used book sellers. This finally gives me the chance to update my treeware.

I see a couple of outdoor places where people play PS3, mostly football, on huge flatscreens.

Others play the old fashioned way.

The next day I pick up my brake pads. When throttling off, especially when down shifting in low gear the engine died quite a few times recently. They diagnose a broken throttle sensor and they don’t have a replacement there. I’ll have to have this taken care off in Istanbul. Another customer on a TDM takes me to a muffler shop where I have my pannier rack welded. Only five minutes and five liras. ADVRider.com inmate strommer, who has helped me quite a bit on this trip, meets at the shop and takes me out for lunch and real coffee. Thanks for everything strommer!

In the afternoon I make a trip to Anitkabir, the Atatürk mausoleum. There is a steady stream of visitors and it is most interesting to see how the Turks react. Atatürk is still much loved and respected although he died more than 70 years ago. If you travel in Turkey you see his image everywhere. Inside the museum are some panoramas of battle scenes with battle noise from speakers. It is realistic and gruesome enough that many of the smaller kids start crying.

Later, I wander around Ankara some more and come across the new Kocatepe Mosque.

Published:: July 6, 2009 – 21:13
Tags:: Ankara, Turkey
Comments:: None

Göreme to Ankara

In the morning a chat a bit with my new neighbors, a couple on a GS. We talk about tire karma and I admit that I haven’t had a flat yet. I say me goodbyes and start breaking down camp. As usual I do a quick inspection of the bike and notice a missing screw on an purely ornamental piece of plastic, a broken weld on one of the pannier racks, and a flat rear tire. So, sheepishly I go back to my neighbors and ask if we can use their side stand to unseat the tire. Sure glad I had some help and a could borrow a longer tire iron.

The tire won’t reseat properly and we decide that “more air faster” is what is needed. Luckily, there is a big German overland truck around with a big compressor, which does the trick.

With the tire fixed I have a start much later than usual and it’s plenty hot by the time I roll out of the campground. Advrider.com inmate strommer suggested a more scenic route to Ankara.

I stop to look at a Seljuk bridge near Ankara..

On the way into town I look for the Yamaha dealer I need to see the next day to pick up new rear brake pads. After I find the dealer I look for a reasonably priced hotel, which takes me quite a while. I eventually score with underground parking and double glazing in a vibrant neighborhood.

Published:: July 5, 2009 – 23:14
Tags:: Ankara, Göreme, Turkey
Comments:: None

Cappadocia II

Cappadocia was an early center of Christianity and many of the early followers were forced into hiding in underground cities at times. I visit a large one in Derinkuyu, which consists of eight levels. The doors could be closed from the inside by rolling huge grindstones in front of the opening.

The smaller underground city in Mazi isn’t really touristically developed. It’s a matter of finding a villager to show me around with a gas light. He pantomimes some explanations and this works surprisingly well.

The area has an amazing number of churches from different periods of time, decorated in varying styles

Benches and a table are cut into the rock.

Some of the best preserved frescoes are in the dark church,

but there are many other churches in the area.

Published:: July 4, 2009 – 23:06
Tags:: Cappadocia, Turkey
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Cappadocia I

My favorite döner kebab place in Christchurch has a very faded poster of Cappadocia. I’ve stared at it many times and dreamed of going there while munching a döner after a night out in town. I’m a big believer in using cheesy tourist posters in fast food joints to guide your travel decisions My favorite Lebanese food stand got me riding a snowboard in Lebanon earlier this year and many years ago I decided to go to Thailand in the same way. I haven’t been disappointed yet.

So here I am in Cappadocia, enjoying life. I found a nice spot, overlooking some nice rock formations, at the top notch, yet cheap Kaya campground. I leave my panniers at the campground and explore the area for several days. Cappadocia is riddled with often very sandy dirt roads, which just beg to be explored. There is a particularly nice one starting just outside the campground. At one point it becomes a narrow twisting channel, not unlike a bob sledding track. So lots of fun here. There is also a big pool and cheap cold beer.

So, here are, in no particular order, a few pictures from my time in Cappadocia.

Published:: July 4, 2009 – 20:40
Tags:: Cappadocia, Turkey
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Kemaliye to Göreme

I start the day by riding the Tasyol once again and continue on to Divriği,

where I visit the Great Mosque and Hospital (Divriği Ulu Cami ve Darüşşifa), a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built in the 13th century under a Seljuk ruler. Outside shots would have been great in the evening sun but I have to make the best of it.

Kids noisily play catch inside the mosque.

There are also plenty of other ruins around Divriği.

Pretty nice landscape between Divriği and Kengal,

where I’m greeted by a whimsical statue of the famous Kangal dog.

I have to say that the Kangals and I are not the best of friends. I used to think that Turkish sheep dogs are incredibly stupid because they can’t tell the difference between a sheep and a motorbike, whereas the New Zealand sheep dogs clearly can. Many a Kengal has chased me here. Well, it turns out they are not sheep dogs in the sense that they are herding their charges. Instead they are livestock guardian dogs and thus try to protect their charges from real or imagined threats, i.e. me on a motorbike. You just don’t want to hit a Kangal when it runs in front of you. Not good for both of us. They are huge and they can be incredibly fast.

It stays nice and quiet

until I hit Kayseri. I get a bit of a reverse culture shock. It’s a huge modern city with all the modern trappings like shopping malls, car dealerships, and fast food places. Oh, and heavy traffic. Welcome back to civilization!

From Kayseri it’s just a quick hop to Göreme, where I plunk myself at the pool and do nothing for the rest of the day.

Published:: July 1, 2009 – 21:45
Tags:: Divriği, Göreme, Kangal, Kemaliye, Turkey
Comments:: None

Kemaliye

Kemaliye is obviously named after some very famous Mustafa Kemal and was formerly known as Eğin. The reason I chose to come here is the Kemaliyeliler Tasyolu, the “Rock Road”. The road was cut by the locals with no government support over a 130 period. By the time it was finally opened in 2002 it wasn’t technically needed anymore because there are now other roads to the town. The story goes that the locals decided to finish the road anyway out of respect for their forefathers, which leaves us with one hell of a road to ride a motorcycle on. For the most part it’s a long tunnel cut close to the Euphrates. There are openings in the side of the tunnels, which where used to push the debris down into the river. The narrow tunnels have a great acoustic and if you hit the revs just right you will hear, or shall I say feel, a very deep roar. Before I even got a room I rode the Tasyol twice. I got some last minute information at the local store. Some old geezers where hanging out and when they found out I was German they pushed one forward. His German was a little rusty and he didn’t say much. I went outside to eat my ice cream and the old fella came out to chat. Now that the others weren’t looking on his German was actually quite good. He told me his story, how he worked in Germany for a long time and came back here to his local village for retirement. He seemed a very happy man.

Anyway, here are the pitures of the “Rock Road”

I eventually got a very nice room. This is the view from my hotel balcony

Kemaliye is a fun town to walk around in. The locals are friendly and for the most part the houses are very nice to look at. Just walking up the narrow winding streets there something new to be discovered around every corner.

The Kiwi in me gives three cheers for using corrugated iron as an architectural feature. They even have a corrugated iron minaret!

One of the many water fountains

Before I can see it I hear the distinct sound of a watermill. The guy invites me in and gives the grand tour.

He even gets me a walnut paste sample from next door, telling me that it is an aphrodisiac. Well, that’s a bit of a lost cause.

I always thought rear view mirrors are purely ornamental in Turkey. This guy has a lot.

Still not convinced.

Published:: June 30, 2009 – 22:23
Tags:: Kemaliye, Turkey
Comments:: None

Erzurum to Kemaliye

The Ten and I check out of the holy Kral hotel in the morning .

It’s fast going on a four lane highway all the way to Erzincan. The landscape isn’t boring but it’s hard to stop once you get going fast. In Erzincan I fuel up again and have a lunch for champions

I continue on minor roads and it gets more interesting.

I stop again for tea at a Seljuk cemetery

before I tackle the last few kilometers

Not far from Kemaliye I spot a village with the architecture that is typical for the area: lots of wood and corrugated iron.

The bridge over the Euphrates

gets me to the tunnel leading to Kemaliye

Published:: June 29, 2009 – 22:29
Tags:: Erzurum, Kemaliye, Turkey
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Yusufeli to Erzurum

Near Yusufeli is the 8th century Georgian church of the Mother of God. A 7 km dirt road forks from the main road and leads to village of Ishan in which the church is located.

As I ride the dirt road back down I realize I left my phone in Yusufeli. So I ride back and the owner of the place hands me the phone when I pull in. It’s pretty late and hot by now and I know I won’t make it as far as planned.

Near lake Tortum it starts to rain. I pull over and have some tea while I wait for the rain to stop. A few kilometers on I make a very brief stop at the Tortum waterfall.

It’s Sunday and people are out having fun.

Not far away is the 10th century Georgian Oskvank cathedral.

One last stop at Haho monastery and I’m all churched out for the day.

I make a quick dash to Erzurum

and initially I have a hard time locating a hotel with secure parking until I find the holy Kral hotel. They lower the drawbridge (metaphorically) and let me ride straight into the huge unused lobby.

I take a room on the Seljuk floor, decorated with Seljuk eagles all over the place.

Next I have look at the local sights from the Seljuk era. First up is the Yakutiye Medrese.

followed by the Cifte Minareli Medrese

I watch people washing before prayers

and I peek into Lala Mustafa Pasha Camii

In the park next to it is this industrial strength tea maker, which can barely keep up with demand.

The price for the funkiest restaurant on this trip goes to Erzurum Evleri. They have managed to cram an amazing amount of antiques into this place. The food is great and it’s not expensive.

It’s a balmy night, perfect for sitting outside,

having some corn on the cob,

watching this grumpy vegetable vendor or

these happy fruit vendors

Published:: June 28, 2009 – 22:55
Tags:: Erzurum, Turkey, Yusufeli
Comments:: None

Yusufeli

There are rivers in the mountains all around Yusufeli and it is a bit of a whitewater Mecca in Turkey.

Supposedly the town will go under with a new dam being built in a few years. Opinions about this differ and there is a bit of new construction going on while the majority of structures slowly crumble away.

Be that as it may, I came for a bit of rafting. Based on my previous “experience” I found myself in the front right position, usually the wettest in a raft. I knew what I was getting myself into, it was a hot day and they river wasn’t as cold as I thought. My major challenge was figuring out the commands in Turkish but I got the hang of it quickly. A fun day and the drive to the put in was almost as exciting as the rafting.

Published:: June 27, 2009 – 21:43
Tags:: Turkey, Yusufeli
Comments:: 1 Comment

Kars to Yusufeli

I head North from Kars, riding along the Eastern shore of Lake Cildir.

I have to brake for the odd horse on the road.

I only look at Seytan Kalesi (Satan castle) from a distance. I see some rainclouds moving in and the dirt road leading to the castle looks doubtful even when dry.

I make my way over a pass and all of the sudden it looks very different. The houses are different and the landscape is different too. There are a lot of pine trees suddenly.

This chap doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.

Coming down the pass I spot a nice clearing and stop for a little snack and a quick nap under a tree. Very peaceful until some rifle shots in the distance wake me up.

I’m headed for the Tibet church and after Savsat I turn right just past another castle. The narrow road takes me along the edge of Waragol Sahara National Park. My map isn’t very detailed and I can’t find the old Georgian church. I just keep going though. This is a very nice place to get lost. When the road runs out I turn around and I spot a few people I can ask for directions. They all agree that I have to take a right. That much I know from my map. The question is where. Eventually I see a sign, which I couldn’t have seen coming the other way.

There is not much left of the Tibet church but the Georgian style is distinctively different from the Armenian, which I have been seeing so far.

As I pack my camera away a minibus with Georgian license plates rolls in. I’m very close to the border and they are day trippers. I guess this makes an obvious destination for them. One of the guys comes over and talks to me. He is a biker and offers some help in case I want to go to Georgia. I was playing with the idea but found that there is no unleaded fuel in Georgia and you can’t take the catalytic converter out of the Tenere. The whole exhaust has to be changed for more than EUR 1000. Too expensive for a little side trip. I ask the guy about unleaded fuel but he doesn’t understand the question, neither do any of the other Georgians. I guess this is my answer and I bury my Georgia/Armenia plans for good.

The villages in the area are very picturesque with very interesting wooden houses.

The road near Artvin is along a river in a very narrow canyon. It does remind me of some of the roads in Colorado.

There are a number of self made suspension bridges and cargo is hauled across the river with this kind of contraption.

It is very hot down in the canyon but it’s a dream road. It just won’t be around much longer. The whole canyon will be flooded in a few years time. They are building a new road higher up at the moment. Twice I have to stop for blasts and the cleanup that follows. Not much fun in the heat.

I do make it to Yusufeli before it gets dark and after a few trials I find the Greenpeace camp in a quiet location, next to the river, just outside town. The room is cheap enough that I don’t even have to pitch my tent.

Published:: June 26, 2009 – 22:36
Tags:: Kars, Turkey, Yusufeli
Comments:: None