On The Road

I get up at sunrise

to catch a glimpse of Mt Ararat from the edge of town.

Unfortunately this is as good as it gets. More clouds move in later.

I leave Maku after breakfast

and fill the tank with the world’s cheapest gas one last time.

The Iran/Turkey border with Mt Ararat in the background

is not far away. There is complete mayhem at the border. Many bus loads of people, whole families sleeping on the floor, some of them looking more dead than alive. On the Turkish side I have to talk to a gorgeous nurse, who just wants to make sure I don’t have swine flu. I realize that I’m just not used to seeing women’s hair anymore. I can only speculate what impact she has on Iranians crossing the border. I make it through in a little more than an hour. Again, nobody actually looks at the bike.

Just as last time there a cow just outside the border compound..

I ride straight to Ishak Pascha Palace near Dogubayazit.

There is a nice view from the palace and

a mosque is nearby.

When I leave the palace it starts to rain. I pull up at a construction side outside Dogubayazit and put my rain gear on. As soon as I’m done it stops raining. No complains though. Better than the other way around. The road climbs to 2600m and it gets pretty cold as I ride through a cloud layer around 2400m. Could enough for me to turn my heated grips on. What a difference to the desert heat from a few days ago.

Near the lake the wind gets very strong and gusty. I also have to force myself to slow down for the 70km/h speed limit in Turkey. Coming from Iran the traffic seems very civilized now. It’s all a matter of perspective. Coming from Europe it seemed crazy.

It feels good to back in Van.

Next day I take care of my 10,000km service at Mesut’s Yamaha shop.

A couple of bikers show up while I’m there. You wouldn’t get away with a plate like this back home.

The local bike cops make an appearance as well.

They are shopping for new bikes and the Tenere is on their short list. They try sitting on it two up.

Mesut and I later discuss different bikes with the police over tea. I can’t recommend the Tenere as a police bike for two up in good conscience. COG is just a tad bit too high.

I just take it easy in Van, enjoying the food and drink. I’m clearly not in Iran anymore

My new boots arrive quickly and I’m all set to head out again.

Well, I stayed in Van a little longer than planned. It’s the sort of town that grows on you, plus I waited for a package from Germany, which despite the longish stay didn’t arrive in time. A Belgian guy on a Ural with a sidecar also stayed at my hotel. He is on his way to Vietnam. We swapped maps, SIM cards, and stories and had quite a few drinks together. He decided to go to Iran despite the current situation.

This time I take the Northern route around the lake.

The farmers are out in the fields.

I stop for a great lunch in Adilcevaz

and take the route to Nemruth Dagi shortly after Ahlat.

It’s 30 km to the top and the road looks like it was just repaired (it was closed in early May). Some of the switchbacks are badly washed out. The road takes me through the huge crater, which has a couple of lakes.

The view from Mt. Nemrut toward lake Van is amazing.

I ride back down into the crater and find an idyllic campsite at one of the crater lakes.