On The Road

I get a very early start and return on the same road I took yesterday to Ahlat.

Just on the outskirt of town is a large, if not the largest, Seljuk cemetery. There are hundreds of graves.

After getting gas I head straight North toward Kars. Well, I could try to describe the ride but I think I let the pictures speak for themselves.

At times the road is sealed, with or without potholes, gravel, under construction, dirt, deeply rutted or anything in between. You don’t want to do this road when it’s wet. At one point I take a wrong turn but I think the road I’m on will take me back to the “main” road. I get off for a bit of scouting and run into a farmer who tells me it’s OK for a motorbike. A few minutes later I find myself stuck on steep climb. No way I can get up there and I can’t turn around either. Slowly I inch my way backwards. There is barely enough traction to stop my from sliding own.

Just one checkpoint near Kagizman but they didn’t even want to see my passport. I roll into Kars late in the afternoon. Most hotels are full. That’s a first on this trip! I have to settle for a place where I have to leave the bike on the street.

It’s been a long tiring day but what a ride! The most amazing landscapes and no traffic to speak off.

Forty odd kilometers East of Kars is Ani, the capital of the medieval kingdom of Armenia.

Nowadays Ani is just west of the Armenian border in Turkey. In the pictures below Turkey is on the right, Armenia on the left of the river.

History hasn’t been too kind on the Armenians and there is not much left of the ancient city. A few ruins remain standing and its in a beautiful lonely location. (Unfortunately Armenians try their best to ruin the countryside with ugly quarries directly opposite Ani. What a strange move). The guards let me drive right in and park next to the ticket booth.

I take a little pre lunch nap in the Cathedral and I’m woken up by an old woman peeing in the church! She’s not the least bit embarrassed and I act like nothing happened.

Although the border between Turkey and Armenia remains firmly closed there is a four lane road between Kars and Any. Not surprisingly there isn’t much traffic on this road. Just the odd tourist or horse cart.

You never know when you need a washing machine.

Kars is a surprisingly sophisticated town with a few smart restaurants.

Near my hotel I found an Armenian church converted into a mosque.

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.