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.
