Author Archives: Chris Desmond

Armenia – Haghpat, 17 – 18 August 2018

Posted on Saturday, 18-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Ganja, Azerbaijan to Haghpat, Armenia involved crossing two borders, first from Azerbaijan to Georgia and 40 minutes later from Georgia to Armenia. I had to visit Armenia after Azerbaijan because if I had a Armenian stamp in my passport Azerbaijan … Continue reading →

Posted in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia | 1 Comment

Azerbaijan – Ganja, 16 August 2018

Posted on Friday, 17-August-2018 by Chris Desmond

Baku to Ganja – this time I took a different route through the hills to avoid the horrendous winds I suffered on the way in over the plains. Good decision hahaha perfect ride in cool conditions around 800m and blue … Continue reading →

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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 →

Posted in Turkey | 1 Comment

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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