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 colder down to 16c and after 30 minutes of freezing I stopped and put my jacket on hahaha, the 4 lane road was replaced by a bumpy 2 lane road winding through the mountains great ride, no time to fall asleep. Arrived at the border and there were only a few buildings with immigration just a shack and there was no one else there so I got my passport stamped straight away, rode to Customs and one guy ahead of me, again my papers were checked and I was through to Georgia in 15 minutes, what a change from the last border crossing. Georgia took slightly longer, immigration 5 minutes and then the Customs guys were standing right there out in the open and asked me if I had any drugs hahaha. I opened up my panniers and top box and they looked at what was on the top without touching anything or rummaging around and said Go. Next stop was the Insurance shack at the LUK Oil Service station about 500m up the road, visible from the Border crossing to buy Insurance for a month, cost 35 Lari, 15 days is the minimum, all up I was on the road again after about 45 minutes.

From here the road is 2 lanes and follows a river until about 130 km from Tbilisi when it becomes a new 4 lane concrete freeway.

Tbilisi – a city of contrasts, an old town, modern buildings and buildings left over from the communist era. The Metro feels like you are back in Moscow buried deep underground with escalators going 90 mph. Taxis are very cheap here (no meters) about 2 lari per kilometre so you can travel anywhere in the tourist area for less than 10 lari or 2 euro (usually only 5 lari). The metro and busses cost 0.50 lari a ride. Get a Metromoney card from any Metro station for 2 lari and load it with some credit. You will need it for the cable car ride (2.5 lari) to the castle on the hill other wise you will have to wait in a long queue to buy a ticket, with the card you walk straight through the gate. Wifi is provided by the city in most tourist areas and is free, most restaurants have wifi as well.

I visited the Georgian National Museum and it was very well laid out. A short walk away is Liberty Square and the Galleria Shopping Mall. From there I took the Metro to Avlabari station and walked up the hill to the Sameba Cathedral.

I went on a wine tour which turned out to be more of a sightseeing tour, cost 60 lari. There was 6 of us in a mini van and we travelled as far as Sighnaghi starting at 1025 and returning to Tblisi at 2130, a distance of 280 km. It was supposed to be an English tour but the driver only spoke 3 words of English.

First stop Kakhetian wine factory, where a big group was taken around the stainless steel vats and given a taste of raw wine from them. Next a village cheese and bread stop where bread was made in a Naan like oven, very interesting and they also had home made cheese. Then on to St.Nino’s monastery for 30 min, had a Georgian coffee there, church closed for renovation good views then back to Sighnaghi to have a look at the castle walls, its up on a hill. Also stopped there for lunch and had chicken with a garlic sauce, very good, left there for a short wander around the town square. Then we drove to Tsinandali where a Prince in the past had vineyards and a winery still making famous Georgian wines, big house and gardens, paid 7 lira for a museum tour and access to the park and a glass of white wine, The museum was a tour of the house. Next to Telavi to see the 900 year old Plane tree and then headed for home over the mountains. A long day.

Today I went for a ride on the cable car to the top of the hill overlooking Tbilisi and walked back down. If you don’t want to wait in a long queue go there at 10 am with a Mertomoney card.

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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 narrow bumpy 2 lane road on a high plateau with coloured mountains and amazing landscapes, all the way to Kars, absolutely brilliant ride.

Ride Elevation Graph

Kars – the main reason for coming here was to visit the Ani Ruins located 45 km east near the Armenian border. Not much else here and it rained every day.

Kars Museum, free entry, very small but well laid out and it has English translations.

 

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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 the Kurdish side took about 20 minutes and some of the Kurds actually speak English whereas there was only one guy on the Turkish side that spoke English. Two hours later, my bike getting X-rayed and I had to empty my panniers before they could do it and then repack after they had finished and riding around in circles, everyone in the Customs area including all the truck drivers probably knew who I was by the time I left hahaha.

I actually started this ride dehydrated, discouraged and feeling mentally drained after going through the Turkish wringer. Well Murphy had not finished with me yet, a few road closures and wrong turns kept me on my toes hahaha. Finally onto the scorching highway felt good with a hot wind to keep me company.

My first stop was Hasankeyf another ancient place, did not do too much, too hot, took a few photo’s and had a Doner, a Magnum and a litre of cold water and I was on my way again.

After Hasankeyf I passed through the metropolis of Batman, quite a big city. The best part of the ride was after this through the mountains, some rough and some smooth roads, very little traffic as has been the case throughout Turkey. Then I reached my destination Tatvan and checked into my hotel and Murphy said Chris has been having too much fun, time to let him know who is Boss. When I arrived after 8 hours in the saddle it was 41c and my room was not air-conditioned even though the room description on Hotels.com said it was and no one in the hotel spoke English. I got on the phone to Hotels.com and after 90 minutes and speaking to 4 different people, no result. The hotel does not have any air-conditioned rooms at all and it was too late to organise another one and the best they could do was give me a fan.

Tatvan Walkabout

 

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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 too far inland as the roads are not safe especially for foreigners. So I thought why not hahaha. A quick ride in and out before anyone realised I was even there. The ride was in +40c temperatures and the border crossing going and coming was a nightmare in the heat. Traffic across this border is mainly trucks with only a handful of cars and they have not got it organised, no signs at all so you have to ask and be directed to numerous offices to get various papers stamped.

For the Turkish side you must have a “Passenger List” which is simply a form with your Vehicle Plate Number, Name of Passenger and Passport Numbers but they do not hand out these forms, its BYO hahaha. I was given a form by one of the other travellers in both directions. Everyone was as helpful as they could be while speaking only a few words of English. The Kurdish Customs guy was out to lunch so that added another 30 min to the procedure. On the return journey Turkish Customs wanted to X-ray my bike, apparently the computer told them to do it. The X-ray building is huge and meant to X-ray trucks and when I took my bike there the guys laughed and called someone to make sure it was not a joke. Also at one Booth the Automobile lane was not manned and I rode through without getting a stamp or something and this caused another round of confusion and I had to ride back and forth getting it sorted out. The Turkish side is where the bureaucracy has gone crazy. One advantage with riding a bike is they tell you to ride to the front of the queue.

Once I finished with the border its only 16 km to Zakho and at the first roundabout (Barzan) as you enter the town, it is also the main roundabout you will see the Hotel Nobel. According to the reviews on Google its the best and most expensive hotel in town at US$40 a night. I was given a suite with a Living room, Bedroom and a Kitchen, air-conditioned and the guy at reception spoke English. I was completely worn down by having to wander around in +40c temps when I arrived. I paid for everything in USD which is accepted alongside the Iraqi Dinar.

The main attraction in Zhako is the Dalal Stone Bridge. It has an interesting story, read the Wikipedia article.

 

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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 a million questions using Google Translate and had a cup of tea inside with the guys. There is a significant military presence in this area with checkpoints entering and leaving towns and armoured cars stationed at various points inside the towns as well.

Filling up in Turkey is different to anywhere else I have been. All service stations are attended, you cannot fill up yourself. First the attendant notes your Plate number and enters it into a terminal at the pump, next he fills up the vehicle, next he prints off a receipt and hands it to you and you take it to the counter and pay with card or cash and get two receipts which you take back to the attendant and give him one receipt and you get to keep the other cash receipt and the petrol receipt hahaha. This is big brother at work, every time I fill up my location is recorded.

Mardin – an ancient city perched on a hillside with a commanding view of the plains. I came here to visit friends who were the perfect hosts and took me sightseeing over the weekend I spent there.

Deyrul Zafaran Monastery or Mor Hananyo Monastery

From the monastery we drove to the Syrian border, both sides of the border are inhabited by Kurds so its quite safe except when its not hahaha, there was conflict here a few years ago.

Next we drove to Midyat stopping along the way at a river picnic spot, very nice. After that we went to a pizzeria in the bush run by a group of Assyrians who have created their own little township here called Elbegendi. On the return journey we had to go through a checkpoint and I was asked a few questions about where I had been in Turkey etc, usually the police do not speak English.

Mardin Walkabout

Dara – an ancient city of Mesopotamia.

Diyarbakir – A stop at a viewpoint on the way to Diyarbakir saw us witness a couple of weddings, here for their photographs.

 

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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 entered the freeway there was a gate I had to ride through, no indication at all just rode through slowly and kept going. Good 6 lane road, hardly any traffic except through the mountains where there were quite a few trucks travelling at walking pace with slow trucks overtaking even slower ones. This must be the only way they can get through the mountains. Then from cold temps to sea level and 37c hahaha. Went through 2 more Toll gates and at the first one an orange light came on and a siren sounded, kept going hahaha, next one I watched the car in front and he got a green light but when I went through I got an orange but no siren, on exiting the freeway same thing. It must be because bikes do not have a front number plate and they have to verify it later some other way.

The main reason for stopping at Sanliurfa was to visit Gobeklitepe, a site that has the oldest known temple dating back to 9000 BC, older than Stonehenge or the Pyramids, quite amazing. Sanliurfa is also home to Balikligol where Abraham turned fire into fish or something like that making it a holy place. People are very curious and I am constantly being asked where I am from and offered a glass of tea which turns into a Google translate exercise that last half an hour hahaha.

Balikligol.

Gobeklitepe – 30 min ride from Sanliurfa, 25 lira entry, a short movie produced by National Geographic and a few artefacts from the site, everything immaculately presented. You have to walk 700 meters uphill to the site from the gate, I started walking and got picked up by a shuttle bus when I was half way there but on the way down, even though there were two busses at the top, they were not moving and there were two more at the bottom, must have been the hourly tea break, hahaha.

 

 

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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 way.

Goreme is the town you stay in while visiting Cappadocia the area where there are many weird and wonderful natural rock formations. People have lived in caves in this region for thousands of years and there are a few underground cities as well which were used to escape persecution. But I think going up in a balloon before dawn was the highlight of my visit, a magical experience.

Goreme Open Air Museum – located not far out of the town is where there are a number of churches carved into the rock, the monks used to live here as well, interesting place with many steps, 30 lira entry.

Balloon Flight –  I booked this flight with Kapadokya Balloons for 150 Euro and I booked it through my hotel and paid cash. It was for a 12 person balloon which costs more. This is something you have to have on your bucket list.

I went for a ride around the area to look at the various rock formations. Some of them have names but I did not keep track hahaha.

 

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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 at the outskirts of Ankara with an armoured car.

Ankara – capital of Turkey, population 5 million, an ancient city that has been modernised, it has 2 metro lines, the only ones in Turkey. Good roads and impatient drivers hahaha.

Most of Turkey does not have freeways (toll roads) but there are some around Istanbul and Adana in the South East. In order to use the freeways you have to register your vehicle at the PTT or Post Office. The minimum cost is 50 lira, 20 for the registration and 30 lira credit, you will need to show your passport and your vehicle’s documents. I also gave the lady at the counter my Turkey Insurance document because it is in Turkish and made it easier for her to read and then enter the details into the system. You also get given a card which has your registration number on it, you will need it to add credit to your account. The tolls do not cost much except for the bridges in Istanbul which are expensive. I have not used any freeways as yet but got the card just in case, there is no expiry date. If you do happen to go through a toll plaza without enough credit, you have 7 days to add credit to your account, the fine is 10 times the toll and customs checks for violations when you leave the country. Apparently when you go through the toll gate it tells you how much toll you got charged and flashes if you do not have enough credit. The lady at the counter said that I do not have to display the Registration card anywhere because the system reads my number plate.

The next bit of useful information is about getting around Ankara. The Metro is convenient and there are machines at each station where you can buy a ticket but its best to get an Ankara Kart which can be used on the busses as well from the machine for 6 lira and add credit. A singe fare then costs 2.50 lira whereas if you buy a separate ticket it costs 4 lira.

Taxis are cheap and cost less than 4 euro for a 5 km journey, they always use the meter and do not try and rip you off.

Ataturk Mausoleum, the complex is called Anitkabir. He unified Turkey, changed to the Latin script, introduced Surnames and gave women equal rights among other things. He was 57 years old when he died of Cirrhosis of the liver. There is a shuttle bus from the gate to the Mausoleum otherwise its about a 1 km walk uphill.

Genclik Park – popular with the locals

Ankara Castle – Good views all round. Do not walk up like I did unless you want to end up a cripple. Take a taxi from Ulus metro station and it will cost about 3 euro. Even then once you enter the castle there are still many steps to go before you get to the top hahaha. “And Cafe”, yes that’s what its called at the top is a good place to stop for a rest with views of the city.

Ankara Aviation Museum – worth a visit if you are interested in aviation. The best part is outdoors where there is a collection of retired air force planes and a few MIG jets. Take the metro to the last station Batikent and then a taxi from there to the museum will cost you 3 euro. Getting back you just have to wait on the main road until a taxi comes along.

Republic Museum – the original Parliament Building, 5 lira entry.

Roman Baths – the biggest complex I have ever seen, 5 lira entry.

Ankara walkabout

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Turkey – Eskisehir, 17 July 2018

Posted on Thursday, 19-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

I stopped in Eskisehir just for the night, arrive, eat dinner and ride on the next morning. The ride was in fine weather, good 4 lane roads all the way, uneventful except I forgot to take a turnoff and nearly ended up on a toll road going the wrong way but just before the toll plaza there was an escape route that took me over and back around to the other side of the road, very good. Eskisehir is 788m above sea level.

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Turkey – Eceabat, Gallipoli Peninsula, 12 – 16 July 2018

Posted on Monday, 16-July-2018 by Chris Desmond

When I arrived at the hotel in Svilengrad there was only street parking for my bike and they wanted me to park it securely but it would not fit through the door from the street into the garden. It became a big production with a police car stopping and 2 police offering their opinion then the neighbour said I could park in his driveway which had a gate, problem solved hahaha, all this in 40c heat. When I went to pick the bike up at 0900 to leave, the guy asked if I would like a cafe (coffee) and I politely said “yes”, this turned into a breakfast with pancakes and the grandson being called to translate (he spoke excellent English learned from YouTube) and look at my blog. The guy then gave me a signed copy of his book about the village he grew up in and I departed at 1000. This is an example of the kindness and hospitality I have encountered around the globe.

Short ride to the border which I arrived at feeling slightly apprehensive but it turned out to be a breeze. There was the usual queue of Turks returning home for the holidays, first exit Bulgaria, stamp passport and check Bike papers. Next a bigger queue on the Turkish side because the returnees had their cars loaded up with gifts (I suppose) and all had to be checked by Customs. My turn came and I showed them my eVisa which I had saved on my phone, (cost US$60 applied and granted online instantly the previous day) no paper necessary. Then move on to Customs and the girl asked if I had Bike Insurance, she pointed to Building D3 and said buy insurance there. Rode to the building, parked and waited in a queue of half a dozen at a counter that was unattended hahaha. Finally the guy turns up and I pay 28 euro for 3 months which is the minimum. Move to the next counter which is Customs I think and he checks all the paperwork and says report to the inspection bay. Back on the bike and thought I would have to open my panniers up but the guy had a look at the paperwork and waved me on, all up it took 1:20 hrs and it was easy.

Straight onto a very smooth 4 lane highway which took me almost all the way to Eceabat, the last 20 kms was a 2 lane road, speed limit 90 kph hahaha. There were several police cars parked on the side of the road watching traffic but they turned out to be fake wood cutouts with flashing blue and red lights hahaha. They do actually slow traffic down until you get close enough to see them for what they are.

First thing I did after I checked in was to get a SIM card. I went into a Vodafone shop next to the hotel and they sold me a TurkCell card which is the only network that works throughout Turkey, 6GB data, 1000 min calls and 250 SMS for 100 Lira (18 euro) valid for one month and you have to show them your passport.

The Gallipoli Peninsula – a beautiful place marred by an unnecessary war that killed or wounded over 200,000 soldiers on both sides. A grim reminder of power hungry politicians at their worst. But the bright side as pointed out to me by a Turkish biker I met, is that it is now a National Park and cannot be overrun by commercial developments. Pristine beaches, small towns and local farms, Cemeteries and Monuments scattered around, all immaculately maintained. The same biker also showed me a couple of app  VPN’s that overcome the censorship that blocks Wikipedia and some other sites, browsec and turbovpn.

Canakkale Epic Promotion Centre – a must see and the best place to start your tour of Gallipoli. It is a sight, sound and movement simulation on big screens (with headphones for various languages) of the naval and ground battles fought, very good, cost TL 13

Cemeteries and Monuments

Kilitbahir Castle built in 1541 has a 3 leaf clover shaped tower which I have never seen before, some very steep and tall steps to get to the top of the walls.

I visited Troy which is across the Strait, there is a ferry every hour from Eceabat (30 min crossing time) and one every half hour from Kilitbahir (15 min) and there is a queue of cars for every one. Ferries are the only way to get across the strait without travelling back to Istanbul to drive across a bridge. Cost 10 lira, and you buy your ticket at a booth before you board the ferry.

After Troy which only took an hour I decided to see if I could get to the coast on this side of the strait even though there is no road, interesting ride especially as I was wearing a short sleeve shirt and normal pants, no protection from gravel rash in the event of even a  minor fall. The first bit of road was cobblestones, very rough which ended at a military installation. The guard pointed out a dirt track that would take me to the coast and I followed it very slowly and carefully, took a few pictures and headed for home. Once you get off the highway, roads become rougher and rougher the further you travel away from the highway.

I took the ferry back to Eceabat instead of Kilitbahir and when I got off I noticed a memorial park with a very lifelike diorama of trench warfare, amazing.

 

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