Iran and back in a month on a 650.
- Thread starter Drumacoon Lad.
- Start date
redmarcus999
Registered user
On your way back already, seems like it was last week you departed! Dont rush back weather is crap here
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Well I started yesterday in Zanjan, Iran, with the intention of riding to Tabriz and stay in a better hotel than last time and visit the basaar again. The first thing I noticed was the temperature, 20C, a real contrast to the day before where it started at 32C. This was a much better riding temperature. I had also slept well and felt rested and very relaxed heading down the motorway. Pretty soon there were signs flashing up the distance to Tabriz and then one later showing the distance to the border. This sign started me thinking. Feeling refreshed as I did and in these temperatures it seemed possible to ride to the border but I also needed to get through the border and on to the next place to stay, Agri in Turkey. So what did missing out on Tabriz mean. I would not get back to the basaar, but I'd been before and I think all I bought were some Persian Delights. The night in the hotel was no loss and apart from a little coffee shop I had no other places to visit. So I could miss out on Tabriz, so was it practical to get to Agri. The big uncertainty was the border, and if course part of the attraction of going to the border today was to get it over with. I hate borders, I may have mentioned that before. So Tabriz was 300km, a further 300km to the border and then 130km to Agri. A long day, and I had not started early, with an uncertain delay at the border, the sensible answer was wait in Tabriz. This debate took up most of journey to the outskirts of Tabriz. I did notice the Iranian mountains as I went along and some of the shapes and colours were great.
I know a big part of me likes to move on, and it is a biking holiday and I love the freedom of these holidays to just change plans in flight and move to another area or country. It would be a long and tiring day but I'd get a real kick out of doing it. Once I passed Tabriz, then I was committed. It was the last town I wish to stay in but I also knew that once I'd passed Tabriz I'd go all out to get to and through the border. Then the uncertainties crept in, say there was a delay at the border, maybe a hold up on the road, but still I kept going. What time did the border close? What I'd not though of was a deterioration in the weather. I noticed some clouds building up and then getting darker, then there was clearly rain ahead. I was stopped at a security check so took the chance to put on waterproofs and the rain hit soon after. There wasn't a lot of rain but it slowed my progress and the dark clouds seemed to hasten evening and I thought again about the border being closed. These conditions, riding hard, poor weather, rushing for a deadline and getting tired are classic conditions for making a mistake and so I did what I could to keep focused. The hardest bit was when we went down to a single carriageway where everyone else seemed to be in a hurry. One thing which ocurred in my favour was I remembered that as I was now heading west I would gain some time, at least on the Turkish side of the border, 1.5 hours in fact. So I was still hopeful the border would be open, and it was when I finally arrived, around 17:00 Iran time. Before entering the border I stopped on the side and relaxed a bit. Got my papers ready, had a drink of coffee from a flask and had something to eat, as I was not sure how long it would take to get through. Unbelievably I was through both borders in 45 minutes.
I had some help on the Iranian side and I exchanged some money with him at a favourable rate to him for his services. It is hard to describe the process, which I'd like to try and do for other travellers. Like most borders it starts with the police and passport and there were 2 sets of police. Then you take the Carnet to a single guy at a desk. He looks at it and signs the back. The process seems to rely on accumulating these signatures, many of which are gained from guys walking around in civies. With this guys signiature on the Carnet we went to the formal Carnet office and you hand the Carnet, passport and bike registration document through a glass wondow. This guy take a bit of time and completes the Carnet and returns all with a white sheet. This white sheet is shown to a couple of other people walking around and finally to the guy who waves you forward to the gate, simples. You then wait for some army guy to come and check your passport and finally open the gate.
Now you are in Turkey and the process happens again but is simpler. First the police, who are inside the building and processing all the people on foot or in coaches. There is no time for politeness here you just march to the front and stick your passport in. It seems accepted that vehicle travellers get preference. The Turkish police guy took ages looking at my passport and even made a phone call about it but finally stamped it. Then back to the customs with insurance, registration document and passport and finally a search of the bike, which amounted to asking me to open the topbox and he looked less then impressed with the few bits of food I had on the top and waved me on.
Again I stopped on the Turkish side just through the border, took out the Iranian GPS map card and resisted throwing it away. It will be a relief to be on proper Garmin maps again. Had something to eat and drink before heading off to Agri. The weather had really closed in and I looked up at the mountains behind the border post and lightening was crackeling. Time to move on, not before a lorry driver shouted over and asked where I'd been. I feel for them sitting in a 4 or 5 mile queue. Mount Ararat stood out again but of course covered in clouds.
There seemed less snow than last time I saw it about 2 weeks ago. I must check how Martin got on. Before I arrived at Agri I stopped at a service station and filled up. Much more expensive than in Iran where you pay less than 25 pence for a litre. To have a look at the hotel options in Agri I got my 2nd phone out and installed my Turkish sim and set it as a WiFi and connected my main phone. Hope you are keeping up! This was a tricky process with cold fingers and I needed to get a sewing kit out for a pin to release the phone sim. The guys in the garage were fascinated and offered me cay. Once connected the phone went mad with Facebook and other updates which were not allowed in Iran.
The result of the hotel search was I needed to go back to the poor hotel I used last time. The guy recognised me and gave me a cheaper price and a better room. However it did have a couple of funnies, when I switched on the shower the head(with the holes in it) shot across the cubicle so I showered with a flow of water and last night I put the security chain on as well as locking the door and this morning forgot to release the chain but the door still opened, as the wooden frame on the side simply came away from the wall, you got to laugh. I spent some of the evening looking at what route is possible in Turkey and have a rough plan which starts with going up to the Black Sea.
If yesterday's ride had started pleasantly cool today started unpleasantly so. It was about 14c and even with my waterproof jacket over the main jacket I was cold. I should have put the waterproof trousers on too but expected it to warm up, it didn't, not for a few hours anyway. The route took me up into the mountains and at times it dropped to 12C. Around this time I had some of the remaining Persian Delights and was surprised to find it hard to bite into. Then I remembered the temperature and realised its all physics. The coefficient of jelly softness is inversely proportional to the ambient temperature. I remember the experements in school. We used jelly babies, all boys (sorry Roddy). Moving on, the mountain scenery was good and the winding road through the valleys was a joy to ride.
I stopped at one point for fuel at a largish service station boasting a restaurant and a mosque, but was told they had no petrol. As I rode away passing the mosque I said a silent prayer that the next station will have petrol. This road is quite closely checked by police and army. In fact there are number of army forts, with manned guard towers, along the road. I was stopped by a few checkpoints with a mixture of army and gendarmes, all heavily armed, including backup from an armoured landrover with a conning tower with a machine gun. They were very plesant to me and I concluded they were not interested in tourists.
Along the road I met another cyclist. Not your all geared up cyclist with all the proper kit but Ascan(?) from Tehran on his mountain bike and a rucksack on his back and a few bits on the back of the bike. I asked him where he's heading and he said Venice, for the film festival. It seems he's a film maker on his way to the September film festival. Good for him. I gave him my card and I hope he contacts me.
For those who have been with me for a while, you'll remember the diggers throwing the stowns down to the road. Well I passed the spot again today and parked next to one of the stones, pretty big.
As I approached Erzincan my destination I could see dark clouds on the mountains either side of the road and the town and I hoped the road would remain dry. I stopped to take a photo of this massive shower on the right of the road
and glanced back at the bike and saw it set against the dark mountains on the other side and thought it looked good.
Oh and we had cattle today on the dual carriageway...
I know a big part of me likes to move on, and it is a biking holiday and I love the freedom of these holidays to just change plans in flight and move to another area or country. It would be a long and tiring day but I'd get a real kick out of doing it. Once I passed Tabriz, then I was committed. It was the last town I wish to stay in but I also knew that once I'd passed Tabriz I'd go all out to get to and through the border. Then the uncertainties crept in, say there was a delay at the border, maybe a hold up on the road, but still I kept going. What time did the border close? What I'd not though of was a deterioration in the weather. I noticed some clouds building up and then getting darker, then there was clearly rain ahead. I was stopped at a security check so took the chance to put on waterproofs and the rain hit soon after. There wasn't a lot of rain but it slowed my progress and the dark clouds seemed to hasten evening and I thought again about the border being closed. These conditions, riding hard, poor weather, rushing for a deadline and getting tired are classic conditions for making a mistake and so I did what I could to keep focused. The hardest bit was when we went down to a single carriageway where everyone else seemed to be in a hurry. One thing which ocurred in my favour was I remembered that as I was now heading west I would gain some time, at least on the Turkish side of the border, 1.5 hours in fact. So I was still hopeful the border would be open, and it was when I finally arrived, around 17:00 Iran time. Before entering the border I stopped on the side and relaxed a bit. Got my papers ready, had a drink of coffee from a flask and had something to eat, as I was not sure how long it would take to get through. Unbelievably I was through both borders in 45 minutes.
I had some help on the Iranian side and I exchanged some money with him at a favourable rate to him for his services. It is hard to describe the process, which I'd like to try and do for other travellers. Like most borders it starts with the police and passport and there were 2 sets of police. Then you take the Carnet to a single guy at a desk. He looks at it and signs the back. The process seems to rely on accumulating these signatures, many of which are gained from guys walking around in civies. With this guys signiature on the Carnet we went to the formal Carnet office and you hand the Carnet, passport and bike registration document through a glass wondow. This guy take a bit of time and completes the Carnet and returns all with a white sheet. This white sheet is shown to a couple of other people walking around and finally to the guy who waves you forward to the gate, simples. You then wait for some army guy to come and check your passport and finally open the gate.
Now you are in Turkey and the process happens again but is simpler. First the police, who are inside the building and processing all the people on foot or in coaches. There is no time for politeness here you just march to the front and stick your passport in. It seems accepted that vehicle travellers get preference. The Turkish police guy took ages looking at my passport and even made a phone call about it but finally stamped it. Then back to the customs with insurance, registration document and passport and finally a search of the bike, which amounted to asking me to open the topbox and he looked less then impressed with the few bits of food I had on the top and waved me on.
Again I stopped on the Turkish side just through the border, took out the Iranian GPS map card and resisted throwing it away. It will be a relief to be on proper Garmin maps again. Had something to eat and drink before heading off to Agri. The weather had really closed in and I looked up at the mountains behind the border post and lightening was crackeling. Time to move on, not before a lorry driver shouted over and asked where I'd been. I feel for them sitting in a 4 or 5 mile queue. Mount Ararat stood out again but of course covered in clouds.
There seemed less snow than last time I saw it about 2 weeks ago. I must check how Martin got on. Before I arrived at Agri I stopped at a service station and filled up. Much more expensive than in Iran where you pay less than 25 pence for a litre. To have a look at the hotel options in Agri I got my 2nd phone out and installed my Turkish sim and set it as a WiFi and connected my main phone. Hope you are keeping up! This was a tricky process with cold fingers and I needed to get a sewing kit out for a pin to release the phone sim. The guys in the garage were fascinated and offered me cay. Once connected the phone went mad with Facebook and other updates which were not allowed in Iran.
The result of the hotel search was I needed to go back to the poor hotel I used last time. The guy recognised me and gave me a cheaper price and a better room. However it did have a couple of funnies, when I switched on the shower the head(with the holes in it) shot across the cubicle so I showered with a flow of water and last night I put the security chain on as well as locking the door and this morning forgot to release the chain but the door still opened, as the wooden frame on the side simply came away from the wall, you got to laugh. I spent some of the evening looking at what route is possible in Turkey and have a rough plan which starts with going up to the Black Sea.
If yesterday's ride had started pleasantly cool today started unpleasantly so. It was about 14c and even with my waterproof jacket over the main jacket I was cold. I should have put the waterproof trousers on too but expected it to warm up, it didn't, not for a few hours anyway. The route took me up into the mountains and at times it dropped to 12C. Around this time I had some of the remaining Persian Delights and was surprised to find it hard to bite into. Then I remembered the temperature and realised its all physics. The coefficient of jelly softness is inversely proportional to the ambient temperature. I remember the experements in school. We used jelly babies, all boys (sorry Roddy). Moving on, the mountain scenery was good and the winding road through the valleys was a joy to ride.
I stopped at one point for fuel at a largish service station boasting a restaurant and a mosque, but was told they had no petrol. As I rode away passing the mosque I said a silent prayer that the next station will have petrol. This road is quite closely checked by police and army. In fact there are number of army forts, with manned guard towers, along the road. I was stopped by a few checkpoints with a mixture of army and gendarmes, all heavily armed, including backup from an armoured landrover with a conning tower with a machine gun. They were very plesant to me and I concluded they were not interested in tourists.
Along the road I met another cyclist. Not your all geared up cyclist with all the proper kit but Ascan(?) from Tehran on his mountain bike and a rucksack on his back and a few bits on the back of the bike. I asked him where he's heading and he said Venice, for the film festival. It seems he's a film maker on his way to the September film festival. Good for him. I gave him my card and I hope he contacts me.
For those who have been with me for a while, you'll remember the diggers throwing the stowns down to the road. Well I passed the spot again today and parked next to one of the stones, pretty big.
As I approached Erzincan my destination I could see dark clouds on the mountains either side of the road and the town and I hoped the road would remain dry. I stopped to take a photo of this massive shower on the right of the road
and glanced back at the bike and saw it set against the dark mountains on the other side and thought it looked good.
Oh and we had cattle today on the dual carriageway...
BigRedUn
Registered user
Another cracking report 
Yes, the likkle 650 looked good against that skye 
We always aimed to be at a border crossing in the morning, never ever in the late afternoon, when they were ready for closing, had other things on their minds, AND if you did get through then you're in a new country late in the day ...
So we always found a watering hole during the day, to stay, in the last town before attempting to cross the border
It became a game, an enjoyable game ... took it in turns. Sue would say "four hours" I would go under or over ...
I might say two and a half hours ... Sue would say "Over'
Good one DL ... thoroughly enjoying
We always aimed to be at a border crossing in the morning, never ever in the late afternoon, when they were ready for closing, had other things on their minds, AND if you did get through then you're in a new country late in the day ...
So we always found a watering hole during the day, to stay, in the last town before attempting to cross the border
It became a game, an enjoyable game ... took it in turns. Sue would say "four hours" I would go under or over ...
I might say two and a half hours ... Sue would say "Over'
Good one DL ... thoroughly enjoying
Fatblokeonabike
Registered user
Good on ya Jim,
Keep it safe
Keep it safe
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Today started on the cool side but not freezing so put on my gortex liner as we would probably cross some mountains on the way. This proved to be the case and it got down to 11C at one point. The scenery through the mountains was great and I don't remember noticing it on the way through, must have been tired.
The temperature warmed and there were no sign of officious policemen so I made reasonable progress. I was heading for the Black Sea and did have the though that I could have ridden towards Trabson directly from Agri. I'm not sure it would have been any quicker but it would have been a different road and close to the sea. However my route was to Samsun on the coast and I just had to get on with it. I rode for about three and a half hours with hardly a stop and fueled up just after I had left the main road. It was a friendly station, as most of them are and after petrol, I pulled the bike to the side and took my helmet off. The attendent immediatly came over and offered cay, which I accepted. They were interested in the bike and asked how much it is worth and were surprised at the low figure. The bike in fact is 9 years old and is only worth a few thousand pounds, priceless to me though.
After a long stint in the saddle and with a fair few hours still to go, I got to thinking about managing long days riding. Everyone has their own solutions but I'll tell you what works for me (non bikers can skip this bit if you like). It starts with the bike, it has to be comfortable, and you need to be able to sit on it without cramp for 8 to 10 hours. You need some wind protection too, naked bikes are hard work at speed, I have a screen and an added wind deflector on top. Good footpegs are important as you will need to stand up on them now and again to help streatch and ease cramp, this usually done in towns going slow. A good GPS is important, at least to me, as stopping to read maps just reduces your riding time(but I should have read the map better before setting out today). Being able to hear the GPS commands is a real help too and this also allows music to be heard, from MP3 files loaded on the GPS. Some people load audio books too, but never tried that. The GPS can also be used to do resesrch as you ride along. Are there any hotels, campsites at your destination? Supermarket nearby? Where is the next fuel station on your route? There is more info in the GPS than I initially realised. I also mentioned the Camel Back drinking bag which helps with keeping hydrated but it also helps with managing the boredon of riding long days. I quick drink of water is refreshing and helps your concentration. I also keep a bag on the handlebars which contains sweets, a visor cloth, small wet visor sponge in a bag and lip balm etc. I can also keep a passport in the flap if I'm likely to be stopped often by the police. A couple of sweets can be a real help with keeping the blood sugar up when you begin to tire. Make sure the sweets are those you can eat as you ride along. Unwrapping a sweet with your teeth is no fun and what to you do with the sweet paper after. Unwrapped sweets in tubes are good and easy to feed into your mouth. To help with getting things out of the handlebar bag and controlling GPS I tend to wear fingerless gloves when in warm climes. I realise they don't offer the same protection if you fall but there is always a risk/reward decision to make. Try picking sweets out of your handle bar bag wearing mittens in the rain, its quite comical but not very effective.
OK back to today's ride, after the petrol and cay stop I rode off along this small road, smaller than expected and we soon began to climb. Not the gradual climbing we had earlier on the dual carriageway, where you hardly notice, this was proper hairpin corners up a mountain, climbing. It seemed the GPS had found a shorter route, over the mountains and I had not checked. I considered going back to the main road but I quite like these little roads and this was the first proper riding I'd done on the trip. Riding on dual carriageways and motorways is not "riding" it's just sitting on the bike and not falling off or asleep. There was no danger of falling asleep on this little road. Initially the surface was good quite grippy and no gravel, it then went to a tarry surface which I didn't like and finally as we got higher, to partly filled potholes with gravel. Finding one of those gravel potholes in your cornering line sure gets your attention. While I like this kind of riding, having it in the middle of a 600km ride I could have done without. It was also giving the bike more work than I would have liked, having already done 5,000+ miles on the trip, however it was coping admirably and the tyres seemed OK. Anywah, I eased off a little after a one too many of those gravel potholes and took some pictures. We eventually got down to the coast and I picked up a new dual cariageway road not on the map or GPS. It was really quiet which was surprising as it must have cost a fortune to build this road right along the coast.
I saw a few storks and managed a picture of one, but the picture I would have liked was a nest on a busy bit of motorway, with a stork and chicks.
I'd booked a hotel in a small town and town and using the new road got there without problems. The hotel was like the Marie Celeste. It is right above a small harbour at the edge of the town, in an ideal spot and this was the view from my terrace.
Maybe it is out of season or is this a symptom of a failing tourist industry in Turkey. I think this area was popular with Russians however I believe they are encouraged to use the recently acquired Crimea, just acress the water from me now. For what ever reason this place is dead and only used by locals. I'll move on along the coast tomorrow. I did find a little food place with a view over the harbour and was surprised to find there was beer on the menu, my first since Mainz in Germany.
The temperature warmed and there were no sign of officious policemen so I made reasonable progress. I was heading for the Black Sea and did have the though that I could have ridden towards Trabson directly from Agri. I'm not sure it would have been any quicker but it would have been a different road and close to the sea. However my route was to Samsun on the coast and I just had to get on with it. I rode for about three and a half hours with hardly a stop and fueled up just after I had left the main road. It was a friendly station, as most of them are and after petrol, I pulled the bike to the side and took my helmet off. The attendent immediatly came over and offered cay, which I accepted. They were interested in the bike and asked how much it is worth and were surprised at the low figure. The bike in fact is 9 years old and is only worth a few thousand pounds, priceless to me though.
After a long stint in the saddle and with a fair few hours still to go, I got to thinking about managing long days riding. Everyone has their own solutions but I'll tell you what works for me (non bikers can skip this bit if you like). It starts with the bike, it has to be comfortable, and you need to be able to sit on it without cramp for 8 to 10 hours. You need some wind protection too, naked bikes are hard work at speed, I have a screen and an added wind deflector on top. Good footpegs are important as you will need to stand up on them now and again to help streatch and ease cramp, this usually done in towns going slow. A good GPS is important, at least to me, as stopping to read maps just reduces your riding time(but I should have read the map better before setting out today). Being able to hear the GPS commands is a real help too and this also allows music to be heard, from MP3 files loaded on the GPS. Some people load audio books too, but never tried that. The GPS can also be used to do resesrch as you ride along. Are there any hotels, campsites at your destination? Supermarket nearby? Where is the next fuel station on your route? There is more info in the GPS than I initially realised. I also mentioned the Camel Back drinking bag which helps with keeping hydrated but it also helps with managing the boredon of riding long days. I quick drink of water is refreshing and helps your concentration. I also keep a bag on the handlebars which contains sweets, a visor cloth, small wet visor sponge in a bag and lip balm etc. I can also keep a passport in the flap if I'm likely to be stopped often by the police. A couple of sweets can be a real help with keeping the blood sugar up when you begin to tire. Make sure the sweets are those you can eat as you ride along. Unwrapping a sweet with your teeth is no fun and what to you do with the sweet paper after. Unwrapped sweets in tubes are good and easy to feed into your mouth. To help with getting things out of the handlebar bag and controlling GPS I tend to wear fingerless gloves when in warm climes. I realise they don't offer the same protection if you fall but there is always a risk/reward decision to make. Try picking sweets out of your handle bar bag wearing mittens in the rain, its quite comical but not very effective.
OK back to today's ride, after the petrol and cay stop I rode off along this small road, smaller than expected and we soon began to climb. Not the gradual climbing we had earlier on the dual carriageway, where you hardly notice, this was proper hairpin corners up a mountain, climbing. It seemed the GPS had found a shorter route, over the mountains and I had not checked. I considered going back to the main road but I quite like these little roads and this was the first proper riding I'd done on the trip. Riding on dual carriageways and motorways is not "riding" it's just sitting on the bike and not falling off or asleep. There was no danger of falling asleep on this little road. Initially the surface was good quite grippy and no gravel, it then went to a tarry surface which I didn't like and finally as we got higher, to partly filled potholes with gravel. Finding one of those gravel potholes in your cornering line sure gets your attention. While I like this kind of riding, having it in the middle of a 600km ride I could have done without. It was also giving the bike more work than I would have liked, having already done 5,000+ miles on the trip, however it was coping admirably and the tyres seemed OK. Anywah, I eased off a little after a one too many of those gravel potholes and took some pictures. We eventually got down to the coast and I picked up a new dual cariageway road not on the map or GPS. It was really quiet which was surprising as it must have cost a fortune to build this road right along the coast.
I saw a few storks and managed a picture of one, but the picture I would have liked was a nest on a busy bit of motorway, with a stork and chicks.
I'd booked a hotel in a small town and town and using the new road got there without problems. The hotel was like the Marie Celeste. It is right above a small harbour at the edge of the town, in an ideal spot and this was the view from my terrace.
Maybe it is out of season or is this a symptom of a failing tourist industry in Turkey. I think this area was popular with Russians however I believe they are encouraged to use the recently acquired Crimea, just acress the water from me now. For what ever reason this place is dead and only used by locals. I'll move on along the coast tomorrow. I did find a little food place with a view over the harbour and was surprised to find there was beer on the menu, my first since Mainz in Germany.
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Thanks for the comments folks, I appreciate them. I agree with Mikey about getting to a border early and I was luckey to get through from Iran as quickly as I did. I see at least one new member to the forum and local to me, good to see.
Sandtribe
Registered user
Loving reading this! Inspiring for me as having returned to biking after a long absence, you have inspired me to take a trip this summer - likely to be more modest but from little steps etc....
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The first thing a biker on a trip does when he wakes is look out of the window at the weather. Today it looked good and there was a pleasant "put put" sound of small fishing boats going in and out of the harbour. I had not planned a big day today, just to move along the coast and to find a hotel suitable to work on the bike. It was running OK but not starting as sharply as I'd like. The breakfast in this funny resort hotel, with no tourists, was surprisingly good, for all of the five guests. No boiled eggs to borrow for lunch though, so it would have to be a cheese sandwich, and some little cakes. There was no rush today and it was good to pack up in a leasurly way for a change. As I left town I deliberately picked up the small coast road out of town but it was soon joined by the dual carriageway. This dual carriageway is a major investment and still being worked on with viaducts and tunnels. Clearly Turkey is investing to improve its infrastructure. After Sinop the road became a single carriageway again. This was the road I had read about and wanted to ride. Firstly it is not as close to the coast as I expected and meanders mostly inland with occasionally streatches near or at the coast. The countryside is lush green and wooded so they clearly get a fair bit of rain in this area. Today it was sunny and just over 20C, good riding weather. In places this road is fun to ride as it climbs and decends in twists and turns. The problem is the surface. Some places are great but it suffers from the tar coming to the surface and to counteract that they have scarrered fine grit snd sand on the road to absorb the tar, not an ideal biking surface. I'm glad I have ridden this road and I was in a better frame of mind than yesterday, with no pressure to get anywhere in a hurry. If you are in the area it is worth a go but I would not travel a long distance just to ride it. Here's a nice piece of road by the sea.
Mind you I was better equipped to tackle it than the poor cyclists I met. First a Swedish guy, Rob, with his partner. They were suffering, with a slow puncture and his partners bike had Deraillieur (gear change) problems and they were having parts sent. Rob did say he'd seen other motorbikers and wondered if they should go that way next time. He looked rather enviously at mine so I made a hasty exit, he was not in a chatty mood. They were heading for Singapore. The next couple were from Heidelberg but had flown their bikes in to Istanbul and were riding the coast road in two and a half weeks and flying the bikes back. They had not expected it to be so hilly. I was a recumbent bike and here is one of them heading off up the hill.
And one of the bike admiring the view.
I'd picked out another resort hotel but did not book it, hoping for a deal on arrival, knowing they were quiet. This proved to be succesful and I have a lovely room with a veranda overlooking the black sea for little over £20. I did have a problem when I arrived though I could not turn on the hot tap in the shower. The maintainence guy came along and turned the tap the other way, ooops!
Just back from working on the bike, so the non bikers may want to skip this. The bike has now done 5,500 miles since I left and is running fine, steady tickover, so not much is wrong, and maybe I should not touch it. However what I've noticed in the last few days, is that sometimes it will turn over a few times before firing. So I decided I would have a go and check the air filter, throttle bodies and maybe plugs. This means taking off the complete false tank and air filter chamber. I use a heavy duty Touratech oil impregnated air filter which I got for the Sahara trip. In addition I have a course filter strip on top of the air filter to keep sand etc out. The filter was a bit dirty but there was nothing concerning and I cleaned it up and put it back. Again the throttle body was OK but the little solonoid was a bit carbonated as was it's seating hole, which I cleaned off. I finally found a use for the cotton buds they keep providing in these hotels, result.
So next to the plugs, which are Brisk plugs, which are sold on ebay and come from Slobenia. They work very well in the bike but I was wondering how they had dealt with the low grade fuel in parts of Iran. They were a bit carbonated and I carefully cleaned them off. I was cautious as I'd broken one before leaving by wire brushing one too vigorously. I did have one spare just in case. Putting the plugs back, I was surprised to find one of them quite stiff to screw in. Normally plugs screw in easily and tighten up suddenly. This was strange but I did not expect to be able to cross thread it. This was an anxious moment and I unscrewed it again and out came a chewed up rubber grommet with it. I remembered that my new plug wrench had a rubber holder to retain the plug when you unscrew, and this had gone missing when I put the new plugs in. I'd assumed it had fallen on the garage floor but it seems it had dropped in the plug well and then got in the way when I put the plug in today. Once removed the plug went back in smoothly and as did the second plug.
While I had the covers off this gave me access to the comms electronics which were getting a little noisy again so I got my switch cleaner out and was disappointed to find it had lost it's spray and just dribbled out, clesrly been pressed in the luggage. The dribble was enough to coat the jack plugs and reassemble. At the same time I checked the oil and topped it up. I carry a 0.5 litre container with spare oil and it has used about half so far, which I think is OK. Lastly I adjusted one flat on the chain and sprayed it. The key result was that the bike started first turn and seems to be running OK but tomorrow will tell if it is really any better. The important thing, when you are 2,500 miles from home, is I did not break anything. Working on the bike so far from home is a whole different ball game to at home, where Halfords is 10 minutes up the road and the BMW dealer is 20 mims away, all adds to the spice of the trip.
My less than ideal working environment, but it was the only shade.
Mind you I was better equipped to tackle it than the poor cyclists I met. First a Swedish guy, Rob, with his partner. They were suffering, with a slow puncture and his partners bike had Deraillieur (gear change) problems and they were having parts sent. Rob did say he'd seen other motorbikers and wondered if they should go that way next time. He looked rather enviously at mine so I made a hasty exit, he was not in a chatty mood. They were heading for Singapore. The next couple were from Heidelberg but had flown their bikes in to Istanbul and were riding the coast road in two and a half weeks and flying the bikes back. They had not expected it to be so hilly. I was a recumbent bike and here is one of them heading off up the hill.
And one of the bike admiring the view.
I'd picked out another resort hotel but did not book it, hoping for a deal on arrival, knowing they were quiet. This proved to be succesful and I have a lovely room with a veranda overlooking the black sea for little over £20. I did have a problem when I arrived though I could not turn on the hot tap in the shower. The maintainence guy came along and turned the tap the other way, ooops!
Just back from working on the bike, so the non bikers may want to skip this. The bike has now done 5,500 miles since I left and is running fine, steady tickover, so not much is wrong, and maybe I should not touch it. However what I've noticed in the last few days, is that sometimes it will turn over a few times before firing. So I decided I would have a go and check the air filter, throttle bodies and maybe plugs. This means taking off the complete false tank and air filter chamber. I use a heavy duty Touratech oil impregnated air filter which I got for the Sahara trip. In addition I have a course filter strip on top of the air filter to keep sand etc out. The filter was a bit dirty but there was nothing concerning and I cleaned it up and put it back. Again the throttle body was OK but the little solonoid was a bit carbonated as was it's seating hole, which I cleaned off. I finally found a use for the cotton buds they keep providing in these hotels, result.
So next to the plugs, which are Brisk plugs, which are sold on ebay and come from Slobenia. They work very well in the bike but I was wondering how they had dealt with the low grade fuel in parts of Iran. They were a bit carbonated and I carefully cleaned them off. I was cautious as I'd broken one before leaving by wire brushing one too vigorously. I did have one spare just in case. Putting the plugs back, I was surprised to find one of them quite stiff to screw in. Normally plugs screw in easily and tighten up suddenly. This was strange but I did not expect to be able to cross thread it. This was an anxious moment and I unscrewed it again and out came a chewed up rubber grommet with it. I remembered that my new plug wrench had a rubber holder to retain the plug when you unscrew, and this had gone missing when I put the new plugs in. I'd assumed it had fallen on the garage floor but it seems it had dropped in the plug well and then got in the way when I put the plug in today. Once removed the plug went back in smoothly and as did the second plug.
While I had the covers off this gave me access to the comms electronics which were getting a little noisy again so I got my switch cleaner out and was disappointed to find it had lost it's spray and just dribbled out, clesrly been pressed in the luggage. The dribble was enough to coat the jack plugs and reassemble. At the same time I checked the oil and topped it up. I carry a 0.5 litre container with spare oil and it has used about half so far, which I think is OK. Lastly I adjusted one flat on the chain and sprayed it. The key result was that the bike started first turn and seems to be running OK but tomorrow will tell if it is really any better. The important thing, when you are 2,500 miles from home, is I did not break anything. Working on the bike so far from home is a whole different ball game to at home, where Halfords is 10 minutes up the road and the BMW dealer is 20 mims away, all adds to the spice of the trip.
My less than ideal working environment, but it was the only shade.
Ha ha ... just loving this DL, but why on earth would you want to use nondescript spark plugs (Brisk, Slobenia, eBay) when the original Bosch are so much better 
Great reports DL.
I'm sure I speak for all when I say I feel like I'm there.
Travelling back is always a different experience. The sense of trepidation felt on the way out is gone and with it a bit of the excitement, returning brings a feeling of familiarity that is less exciting but with it comes a kind of relaxation that is also nice as you tend to notice things more - that's how tend to feel anyway.
I'm back in UK for Ramadan and planned to go to Norway with misses Bam because we thought time would be a factor. We might venture further afield now after following your trip and seeing how far you can get in a reasonably short time.
Safe continuation sir.
I'm sure I speak for all when I say I feel like I'm there.
Travelling back is always a different experience. The sense of trepidation felt on the way out is gone and with it a bit of the excitement, returning brings a feeling of familiarity that is less exciting but with it comes a kind of relaxation that is also nice as you tend to notice things more - that's how tend to feel anyway.
I'm back in UK for Ramadan and planned to go to Norway with misses Bam because we thought time would be a factor. We might venture further afield now after following your trip and seeing how far you can get in a reasonably short time.
Safe continuation sir.
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Yes Bam, going back is different. I would not have come up here to the Black Sea on the way down I was so focused on getting into Iran. The downside of the return is you feel you have achieved your goal and the return can be a chore, so I'm trying to keep doing interesting things and stop at nice places.
Micky, don't knock my plugs, they are great! Had them a few years in the 650 and in the 1200GS. Would not want them to hear your comments and sulk, they need to get me home
Micky, don't knock my plugs, they are great! Had them a few years in the 650 and in the 1200GS. Would not want them to hear your comments and sulk, they need to get me home
Manifold_Burrito
Registered user
Really enjoying the thread. Just picked up my first adventure bike and this is motivational stuff. Good luck and keep on rocking!
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The breakfast was excellent with both scrambled eggs and boiled and a good range including fresh fruit. I packed up and headed off from Abana along the last bit of the coast road before I turned south at Inebolu. The coast road was some of the best I had ridden and typically dived off into the hills and returned to the coast ocassionally. Once I turned south we began to climb and before too long got up to 1,000 meters. The bike coped well and I hoped that the work yesterday was helpful. This road was single carriageway but wider than the coast road and was plesant to ride. The countryside was lush and green as seen here.
Later on the road I came upon road improvements which resulted in riding on potholed gravel, standing on the footpegs for about 15 mins. There is a lot of road improvement going on in Turkey and I suspect I've spent a 1/4 of my riding in contraflow. The road topped out at 1,200 meters and then we decended to the main town where the road became a dual carriageway, leading to the motorway west. Along this streatch I could see what looked like a shower ahead and I kept an eye on it. It took a long time to get closer and finally I stopped under a bridge and put on waterproofs. By this time it was dead ahead and darker. Almost immediatly the rain arrived and then the hail. I only had my fingerless gloves on and the hail pummeled my hands. Luckly a service station appeared, well this is Turkey, land of the service stations, and I pulled in. I did want petrol but the guys assumed I was just sheltering and brought me cay and invited me into the office. The rain and hail confinued.
How ever miserable I was, I felt for this French family, having their Espace transported away.
When it eased I gestured again for petrol but they clearly did not understand, so confident there would be another service station along soon, I left. I had now put on my waterproof mittens and caught the edge of a couple of more showers before it cleared up. I recommend carrying mittens as they take up so little room and avoid the need for heavy gloves. I even took a pair when I went to Dakar and was very glad of them riding up Spain in the rain in December. The rain may stay mainly on the plain in Spain but I had it, on the plain, mountains and coast. Anyway back to Turkey and riding along the motorway west when I spot a bike ahead. It looks well loaded and I womder if it is a fellow traveller. Strangely I'm catching up with it and I'm not going too fast. What looked strange as I got closer was the rear wheel was quite narrow, a small bike. I closed up to try and read the number plate which was very dirty but finally I saw it's a Turkish number and the guy is on an MZ. These are old 2 stroke bikes made in East Germany I believe. The rider was very animated, waving and I overtook him and he overtook me and soon after a service station appeared and I indicated I was puling in, he followed. Ahmet was beaming and immediatly treated me to cay, in fact two cups. It soon became clear that we did not have a common word of understanding betwen us. So we gestured, I got a map and showed him where I'd been, he the same. Then there were bike questions, so we went out to the bikes and pointed. He had canvas panniers with sports holdalls jammed in sideways, but it seemed to work. We exchanged cards and afterwards I thought how futile, but I can send him a photo of himself leaning on my bike like he owns it, which should give him a smile. It was a very pleasant exchange and these are the encounters which make these trips worthwhile.
I carried on with a plan to stop in a small town 200km short of Istanbul. I'd not booked anything but looked up a well rated hotel in Booking.com, which was not expensive. The GPS led me to the spot, I saw the name I was looking for on the building and a friendly looking guy at the hotel door. The price was cheaper than I thought and I went for it and paid up. It was only as I walked up the shreadbare stairs I began to suspect there may have I been an error. Booking.com would not rate this so highly but I went up to the room which was big and in reasonable condition. Ah well, it would do, and was only costing £14. Once I got my luggage in, the rain started, and for 3 hours a storm raged, thunder and lightening and hail stones the size of marbles. I was glad I had stopped here and not ridden on to Istanbul in this. Later after the storm abated I went out for a walk. The hotel name I was looking for was on this building but for another business and the hotel I was looking for was a 100 meters away in a side street and looked very nice. Well I had made my bed and would have to lie on it.
The weather today promped me to look a the forecasts for this area and on into the Balkans. Lots of thunder showers for the next three days, what fun. I then looked to see if taking a ferry to Italy would help, but nothing fitted well. The Igoumenitsa to Ancona was the most promising but still it seems the overland route will be best and hope the weather is not as bad as forecast. I'll reflect on this over the next 24 hours before finally deciding but that's where my thinking is at the moment.
Later on the road I came upon road improvements which resulted in riding on potholed gravel, standing on the footpegs for about 15 mins. There is a lot of road improvement going on in Turkey and I suspect I've spent a 1/4 of my riding in contraflow. The road topped out at 1,200 meters and then we decended to the main town where the road became a dual carriageway, leading to the motorway west. Along this streatch I could see what looked like a shower ahead and I kept an eye on it. It took a long time to get closer and finally I stopped under a bridge and put on waterproofs. By this time it was dead ahead and darker. Almost immediatly the rain arrived and then the hail. I only had my fingerless gloves on and the hail pummeled my hands. Luckly a service station appeared, well this is Turkey, land of the service stations, and I pulled in. I did want petrol but the guys assumed I was just sheltering and brought me cay and invited me into the office. The rain and hail confinued.
How ever miserable I was, I felt for this French family, having their Espace transported away.
When it eased I gestured again for petrol but they clearly did not understand, so confident there would be another service station along soon, I left. I had now put on my waterproof mittens and caught the edge of a couple of more showers before it cleared up. I recommend carrying mittens as they take up so little room and avoid the need for heavy gloves. I even took a pair when I went to Dakar and was very glad of them riding up Spain in the rain in December. The rain may stay mainly on the plain in Spain but I had it, on the plain, mountains and coast. Anyway back to Turkey and riding along the motorway west when I spot a bike ahead. It looks well loaded and I womder if it is a fellow traveller. Strangely I'm catching up with it and I'm not going too fast. What looked strange as I got closer was the rear wheel was quite narrow, a small bike. I closed up to try and read the number plate which was very dirty but finally I saw it's a Turkish number and the guy is on an MZ. These are old 2 stroke bikes made in East Germany I believe. The rider was very animated, waving and I overtook him and he overtook me and soon after a service station appeared and I indicated I was puling in, he followed. Ahmet was beaming and immediatly treated me to cay, in fact two cups. It soon became clear that we did not have a common word of understanding betwen us. So we gestured, I got a map and showed him where I'd been, he the same. Then there were bike questions, so we went out to the bikes and pointed. He had canvas panniers with sports holdalls jammed in sideways, but it seemed to work. We exchanged cards and afterwards I thought how futile, but I can send him a photo of himself leaning on my bike like he owns it, which should give him a smile. It was a very pleasant exchange and these are the encounters which make these trips worthwhile.
I carried on with a plan to stop in a small town 200km short of Istanbul. I'd not booked anything but looked up a well rated hotel in Booking.com, which was not expensive. The GPS led me to the spot, I saw the name I was looking for on the building and a friendly looking guy at the hotel door. The price was cheaper than I thought and I went for it and paid up. It was only as I walked up the shreadbare stairs I began to suspect there may have I been an error. Booking.com would not rate this so highly but I went up to the room which was big and in reasonable condition. Ah well, it would do, and was only costing £14. Once I got my luggage in, the rain started, and for 3 hours a storm raged, thunder and lightening and hail stones the size of marbles. I was glad I had stopped here and not ridden on to Istanbul in this. Later after the storm abated I went out for a walk. The hotel name I was looking for was on this building but for another business and the hotel I was looking for was a 100 meters away in a side street and looked very nice. Well I had made my bed and would have to lie on it.
The weather today promped me to look a the forecasts for this area and on into the Balkans. Lots of thunder showers for the next three days, what fun. I then looked to see if taking a ferry to Italy would help, but nothing fitted well. The Igoumenitsa to Ancona was the most promising but still it seems the overland route will be best and hope the weather is not as bad as forecast. I'll reflect on this over the next 24 hours before finally deciding but that's where my thinking is at the moment.
Micky, don't knock my plugs, they are great! Had them a few years in the 650 and in the 1200GS. Would not want them to hear your comments and sulk, they need to get me home
They'll be ready for changing by now then Jim, eh
Safe onwards
Good to see an old MZ still chugging the long haul.
Ahmet should be proudly standing next to his bike, MZ were total two stroke pioneers. The japs copied so much of their work.
German friend of mine had one. He lived near Frankfurt and studied in Berlin, rode back and forth for years without any issues.
Good luck with the weather DL, looks like you'll have your work cut out avoiding the inclement.
Ahmet should be proudly standing next to his bike, MZ were total two stroke pioneers. The japs copied so much of their work.
German friend of mine had one. He lived near Frankfurt and studied in Berlin, rode back and forth for years without any issues.
Good luck with the weather DL, looks like you'll have your work cut out avoiding the inclement.
Safe journey ,very much enjoying your writing style and report.
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Just to let you know that yesterday I came into Istanbul in the afternoon and of course lots to write about, but not yet, was a busy day. Heading for Greece today. Will update more when I can.
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I started yesterday in Duzce, where we had the storm the night before. One of the consequences of me choosing the wrong hotel was that the bike was on the pavement in front of the storm. It should be no problem as the bike can handle rain but in this case the rain was so heavy that it washed everything off the window cills of the hotel, leaves, flower heads and particularly pigeon guano, all over the bike. Now we have established I'm not precious about the appearance of the bike but this was a bit much. I cleaned off what I could but it needs a proper clean to get this stuff out of all the crevices. Well I had to get to Istanbul so I packed up and took the dual carriageway. The GPS kept wanting to send me onto the motorway so I altered the settings to keep me off motorways and it became quieter. I also noticed a few strange messages coming up on the GPS, like " This adapter is not supported". I assumed some water had got in to the GPS holder in the storm, sadly I now think it was more water.
As we approached Istanbul I was waiting with anticipation going over the bridge. I'd been over it a couple of times before but big bridges are exciting. However we never got to the bridge and the GPS directed me down to the shore line and to a ferry. I assume the road over the bridge is a motorway hence the ferry. Well I was beaming from ear to ear. Had not thought of crossing the Bosphorus on a ferry, even more exciting. I was disappointed to find I was placed in the middle of the ferry with no view but once the ferry started, it was so stable I could leave the bike and have a look around. There in front of us was the headland with all the famous building, The Palace, the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya. What a wonderful way to approach Istanbul.
I was booked in to the hotel I had used 3 years ago, the Coliseum. Its a small hotel but in a great position, very clean, small rooms, good breakfast and easy to find. I was immediatly welcomed by a reception committee, the owner and some friends. They asked where I'd been, what was Iran like etc. The owner was embarrassed he had not remembered me from last time. I offloaded and the bike was positioned twice before it was agreed this was the best spot.
The only downside of this hotel for bikers is parking. I've parked both a 1200GS and this one without too many problems but it is fiddly as the kerbs are high and pavements narrow and sloping. I called the lift and had forgotton it is triangular and tiny, the only one I know. With my luggage in there was hardly room to stand. The room was small but a double room, the singles are minuscule, with a view of the Sea of Marmara, and some cranes.
The bathroom was excellent, as before, and I was pleased with my £24 worth and this was before I'd looked at the town.
After a shower and a change i walked uphill for less than 10 minutes and was entering the grounds of the Blue Mosque. There were a lot of people and they had introduced a seperate entrance for non muslems, mostly to ensure women were dressed appropriately and to provide headscarves and skirts where needed, all free of charge. The building is magnificent but for me it had lost some of the power I felt last time. Three years ago it was much less busy and you could quietly reflect without been jostled and of course I have now seen so many great mosques recently in Iran. This building is more understated in its decor than the Iranian mosques. However it was great to see it again.
The dome of the blue mosque.
My expectation was to see this mosque and the Grand Basaar in my afternoon but I could not resist a wander over to Ayasofya just to take in its grandeur,
and to have a peek at the length of the queue. The queue was not too long, about 30 mins, I joined and pretty soon I was back in Ayasofya. May be worth mentioning the building was built as a christian cathedral in about 530 AD and then became mosque whe the muslims conquered Constantinople, so if has both Muslim and Christian decoration. Unfortunately the large scaffolding was still there from 3 years ago, taking up about a 3rd of the building. I had hoped this time to get a better sense of the scale of the building but was not to be. I went upstairs via the ancient ramp
to see the spectacular mosaics, many nearly a 1,000 years old. They are in remarkable condition and I believe quite beautiful even just as pieces of art.
Next I saught out the stone marking the spot the romans used to measure how far places were from Constantinople.
Then I went for a Turkish coffee and baklava (little honey soaked cakes of various kinds) which was excellent, before taking on the bazaar. The bazaar is a delight. It is a bit more touristy than those in Iran but still caters for locals needs. Some stall holders are a bit pushey but not on the Marrakesh scale. They play a game of guessing where you are from as a hook to getting you chatting. I won most of these games. Of course if you are a couple they listen to the language and mimic that to get you to stop. Many years ago my sister and I confused them in the souk in Tunis by chatting in Irish (Gaelic), but they still kept guessing. This time I had a little exchange with a guy and left saying I may be back and he got upset and said "Don't tell lies". I had a go back and said he did not know it was a lie. Later I returned to look at his goods again and he noticed me and apologised and we did a deal. I also got completely lost and had to ask someone which way was the exit I wanted. I had gone around and around these little alleys of the bazaar I was disorintaged. Luckily I had noted the gate number as I came in and was told which way to go. Some adventurer, eh, navagates all the way to southern Iran, but gets lost in a bazaar.
Space is at a premium in the bazaar so a folding ladder helps.
So I'd shopped in the Bazaar and visited two of the great buildings, had a Turkish coffee and baklava then the only thing left was a meal with local music and perhaps whirling dervishes. Not the same Dervishes as Corporal Jones fought in Sudan, but the two groups are linked. The Whirling Dervishes in Turkey use music and a rotating dance to achieve a state of religious trance. This practice is mimicked here in Istanbul for the tourists but still fun to watch. What a great afternoon and evening.
I then went to the hotel to do some planning. I been thrown a curve ball the day before and needed to make some decisions on my return. The curve ball wasn't one that would take your head off if you didn't hit it, but more the fast one on the limit of your reach, where the pitcher believes that with your best shot you could hit it. This was about a family event back home that I would like to attend but to get there I'd need to get my skates on. Earlier in the holiday I could not contimplate a definate return date but nearing the end it was easier than before. It would mean just one night at every stop on the way back and includes a ferry trip from Greece to Italy, which is why I'm in Thessaloniki tonight and will be at Igoumenitsa tomorrow evening, for the ferry to Ancona
As we approached Istanbul I was waiting with anticipation going over the bridge. I'd been over it a couple of times before but big bridges are exciting. However we never got to the bridge and the GPS directed me down to the shore line and to a ferry. I assume the road over the bridge is a motorway hence the ferry. Well I was beaming from ear to ear. Had not thought of crossing the Bosphorus on a ferry, even more exciting. I was disappointed to find I was placed in the middle of the ferry with no view but once the ferry started, it was so stable I could leave the bike and have a look around. There in front of us was the headland with all the famous building, The Palace, the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya. What a wonderful way to approach Istanbul.
I was booked in to the hotel I had used 3 years ago, the Coliseum. Its a small hotel but in a great position, very clean, small rooms, good breakfast and easy to find. I was immediatly welcomed by a reception committee, the owner and some friends. They asked where I'd been, what was Iran like etc. The owner was embarrassed he had not remembered me from last time. I offloaded and the bike was positioned twice before it was agreed this was the best spot.
The only downside of this hotel for bikers is parking. I've parked both a 1200GS and this one without too many problems but it is fiddly as the kerbs are high and pavements narrow and sloping. I called the lift and had forgotton it is triangular and tiny, the only one I know. With my luggage in there was hardly room to stand. The room was small but a double room, the singles are minuscule, with a view of the Sea of Marmara, and some cranes.
The bathroom was excellent, as before, and I was pleased with my £24 worth and this was before I'd looked at the town.
After a shower and a change i walked uphill for less than 10 minutes and was entering the grounds of the Blue Mosque. There were a lot of people and they had introduced a seperate entrance for non muslems, mostly to ensure women were dressed appropriately and to provide headscarves and skirts where needed, all free of charge. The building is magnificent but for me it had lost some of the power I felt last time. Three years ago it was much less busy and you could quietly reflect without been jostled and of course I have now seen so many great mosques recently in Iran. This building is more understated in its decor than the Iranian mosques. However it was great to see it again.
The dome of the blue mosque.
My expectation was to see this mosque and the Grand Basaar in my afternoon but I could not resist a wander over to Ayasofya just to take in its grandeur,
and to have a peek at the length of the queue. The queue was not too long, about 30 mins, I joined and pretty soon I was back in Ayasofya. May be worth mentioning the building was built as a christian cathedral in about 530 AD and then became mosque whe the muslims conquered Constantinople, so if has both Muslim and Christian decoration. Unfortunately the large scaffolding was still there from 3 years ago, taking up about a 3rd of the building. I had hoped this time to get a better sense of the scale of the building but was not to be. I went upstairs via the ancient ramp
to see the spectacular mosaics, many nearly a 1,000 years old. They are in remarkable condition and I believe quite beautiful even just as pieces of art.
Next I saught out the stone marking the spot the romans used to measure how far places were from Constantinople.
Then I went for a Turkish coffee and baklava (little honey soaked cakes of various kinds) which was excellent, before taking on the bazaar. The bazaar is a delight. It is a bit more touristy than those in Iran but still caters for locals needs. Some stall holders are a bit pushey but not on the Marrakesh scale. They play a game of guessing where you are from as a hook to getting you chatting. I won most of these games. Of course if you are a couple they listen to the language and mimic that to get you to stop. Many years ago my sister and I confused them in the souk in Tunis by chatting in Irish (Gaelic), but they still kept guessing. This time I had a little exchange with a guy and left saying I may be back and he got upset and said "Don't tell lies". I had a go back and said he did not know it was a lie. Later I returned to look at his goods again and he noticed me and apologised and we did a deal. I also got completely lost and had to ask someone which way was the exit I wanted. I had gone around and around these little alleys of the bazaar I was disorintaged. Luckily I had noted the gate number as I came in and was told which way to go. Some adventurer, eh, navagates all the way to southern Iran, but gets lost in a bazaar.
Space is at a premium in the bazaar so a folding ladder helps.
So I'd shopped in the Bazaar and visited two of the great buildings, had a Turkish coffee and baklava then the only thing left was a meal with local music and perhaps whirling dervishes. Not the same Dervishes as Corporal Jones fought in Sudan, but the two groups are linked. The Whirling Dervishes in Turkey use music and a rotating dance to achieve a state of religious trance. This practice is mimicked here in Istanbul for the tourists but still fun to watch. What a great afternoon and evening.
I then went to the hotel to do some planning. I been thrown a curve ball the day before and needed to make some decisions on my return. The curve ball wasn't one that would take your head off if you didn't hit it, but more the fast one on the limit of your reach, where the pitcher believes that with your best shot you could hit it. This was about a family event back home that I would like to attend but to get there I'd need to get my skates on. Earlier in the holiday I could not contimplate a definate return date but nearing the end it was easier than before. It would mean just one night at every stop on the way back and includes a ferry trip from Greece to Italy, which is why I'm in Thessaloniki tonight and will be at Igoumenitsa tomorrow evening, for the ferry to Ancona
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