Author Archives: Chris Desmond

Azerbaijan – Baku, 11 – 15 August 2018

Posted on Wednesday, 15-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Ganja to Baku, good 4 lane road all the way and not much traffic but not a nice ride, very strong gusting winds blowing me all over the place, requiring a real effort to hold the bike in a straight … Continue reading →

Posted in Azerbaijan | 2 Comments

Azerbaijan – Ganja, 10 August 2018

Posted on Friday, 10-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Tbilisi, Georgia to Ganja, Azerbaijan, rain predicted so dressed in my full riding suit, left at 0920, Garmin playing up, marked a POI close to the border and got it going in the right direction. Garmin does not have maps for … Continue reading →

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Georgia – Tbilisi, 05 – 09 August 2018

Posted on Thursday, 9-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Kars to Tbilisi, I started out with just a long sleeve shirt on, no jacket, temp was 19c and I expected it to warm up as the day progressed, guess again, altitude rose to over 2,000 metres and it got … Continue reading →

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Turkey – Kars, 02 – 04 August 2018

Posted on Sunday, 5-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Tatvan to Kars via Dogubayazit, first along the shores of Lake Van which is over 1,600 metres next past Mount Ararat, it really stands out among the other mountains and is visible from a long way off. After that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Turkey | 1 Comment

Turkey – Tatvan, 31 July – 01 August 2018

Posted on Thursday, 2-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Zakho to Tatvan, crossing one border which I thought would be a breeze as I already had Turkish Bike Insurance and I only came through this place yesterday hahaha. Today was the day when Murphy had his way. Getting through … Continue reading →

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Iraq – Kurdistan Region, Zakho – 30 July 2018

Posted on Monday, 30-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

I was told by my friends in Mardin that it was possible to visit the Kurdistan Region in Iraq without a visa. As both sides of the border are inhabited by Kurds it was quite safe but not to stray … Continue reading →

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Turkey – Mardin, 27 – 29 July 2018

Posted on Sunday, 29-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

Short ride from Sanliurfa to Mardin with temperatures hovering around the 44c mark hahaha, road works and traffic through the towns meant slow going. I stopped to fill up along the way and could not leave until I had answered … Continue reading →

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Turkey – Sanliurfa, 25 – 26 July 2018

Posted on Thursday, 26-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

Longer than usual ride from Goreme to Sanliurfa through the mountains so decided to hop on the freeway and see how the toll system works. Besides Istanbul this is the only other part of Turkey with a freeway. When I … Continue reading →

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Turkey – Goreme, 22 – 24 July 2018

Posted on Tuesday, 24-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

Ankara to Goreme, once again 4 lane roads that got a bit rougher when I turned off the main highway to Goreme. The whole distance was above 1000 metres so fairly cool. There were some big salt lakes on the … Continue reading →

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Turkey – Ankara, 18 – 21 July 2018

Posted on Saturday, 21-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

The ride so far, 6,000 km. Eskisehir to Ankara, another easy ride, rising in altitude from 788m to 938m the high plains, vast open areas with farms. Its also cooler around 30c instead of 40c. There was a police presence … Continue reading →

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