At around 11 am I got up and headed for Istanbul from Kapikule border of Turkey, the roads to Istanbul were empty with perfect conditions for speed riding, 3 lanes of motorway all empty this time of the day, I was able to give my bike a good test for top speed which reached 90 mph, the bike I m riding is not a speed bike it has a engine of 1425 cc made specifically for cruising, I have to say.. it is a wonderful bike for cruising and got me here in good time, it’s going to take me some time to clean the bike which has insects stuck in front from many countries.

It was great to enter a country with no Trucks on the road and all 3 lanes at my use.

At around 1pm I entered ring roads Istanbul heading towards Bosporus bridge which will take me from Europe to Asia , this was a hair raising experience, the traffic in Istanbul is not a child’s game, it’s an eye opener, large vehicles overtaking from both sides, you never know where the next car is going to appear from, this was the most dangerous part of the journey by far, there are no rules or regulations obeyed. I felt like I will be lucky to get out of here in one piece, I was also surprised and disappointed with Turkeys approach to Bikers, you are treated same as a 4x driver, there are no special rates or concessions when going through toll charge areas like Bosporus bridge and some motorways, charges even for a bike can be as harsh as £3.00 for a stretch of motorway. I do find this annoying as the Turkish government is making no attempts to reduce the motor car numbers by encouraging bike users.

Luckily I managed to get away from the lawless parts of Istanbul.
I started riding towards Adapazari and Samsun The journey to my final destination will probably end by next day sometimes depending on road conditions as there are large road constrictions going on at the coast of black sea. I reached Samsun at around 2 am really tired, looking for a place to sleep, as usual I could not find a safe place for the bike in any hotel, I then stopped at a restaurant/café setup on a road side where I met some locals, made friends and fell a sleep next to the bike in usual secure style. I usually kip for a couple of hours and continue as I can not getting too comfortable with these sleeping arrangements.

3 hours away from Trabzon 6/7/2007 - 5.56am face fully covered with sunburn.

my first dinner in Turkey with a burnt face but after a good shower and a shave I cleaned up well…


At the Borders of Trabzon

First arrival at Trabzon, I have to say I was pleased to be here in one piece after driving all night and day without proper sleep. I did look a sight !! 9 am 6/07/2007

After arriving to Trabzon I decided to go to Pekun my Village near Gumushane where everybody was, Gumushane is actually on the SILKROAD ROUTE.

On the way to my Village

The roads to Gumushane goes through beautiful mountains of Zigana at 2900m above sea level, it’s a dream to ride on these mountains on a decent bike, enjoying every minute of it.

Zigana Mountains where you can see the mountains of ERZURUM

Zikana snow

 

Pekun (My Village)

Arriving to my village was great, I received amazing reception. I was greeted and received just as I thought, most people were amazed at my journey from London to Pekun, I was also pleased with my self for doing it without any incidents…

No point in hiding anything, perhaps I should share it with you. Approaching Pekun is very rich with fruit gardens. while I was riding I thought I’d move the bike to the edge of where the gardens were. Riding close to gardens I could see if the fruits were ripened so I could stop and eat some, as I moved closer to the edge where it was pure shingles, which bike does not like, I found myself lying flat on the road with the bike.
After all that journey without a single hiccup, I managed to fall off the bike just for couple of fruits, it was difficult to pick the bike back up as the front was facing the ditch where the gardens were, if I lifted it would just slip down to the ditch, it was essential for some one to pull it back as I try lifting it as it’s a real heavy bike, few cars went pass which I tried stopping but I was totally ignored, 30 minutes or so I managed to stop a person who helped me to get the bike up, there was no damage, just a little scratches on chrome safety bars and little aches and pains on my arm and a leg as a result of bike falling on to it.

After a good scrub and a shave at barbers I felt I got back to Normal.

I managed to settle down pretty quick, had a good scrub and a shave, I must say , having a razor blade up your throat at a Turkish barber shop is lot more frightening than the journey I did or sleeping at the dark mountains on your own.

Here you are, restored back to normal I hope!

But not totally recovered, in a few days time I’ll be spending a few days in forests which will do the trick

Pekun is a beautiful part of the world where you can come across all sorts of wild animals and birds including brown bear, people used to go bear hunting until recently I managed to get 15 of the locals prosecuted who shot a Brown bear and declared themselves a hero, Hunting activities no longer taking place thanks to heavy fines, There are times where you can go hunting for wild boars and wolfs,who are considered to be dangerous.

After settling down in alocal café people surrounded me talking about my journey, some called me crazy some called me brave many were really impressed. I felt good,
Feeling like a hero did not last long, just the same day we saw a cyclist riding through the village on his own with loads of gear attached to it, My brother Suleyman suggested weStop him and offer him a drink which we did, I wish we hadn’t , it turns out this 22 year old chap called Erique had left Salzburg/Germany in April 2007 and aiming for Iran/Pakistan/Tibet cycling through our Village on his own, and has been cycling since april, (No Engine) that’s just my luck I thought I did something, but this young German chap has stolen all the attention that was given to me!

Erique and me with the Village in the background

Erique with my Brother Suleyman

I had a feeling this chap must be real tired, we asked him to stay if he wished and he grabbed the offer and stayed in the village for 4 days, majority of the villagers has worked in Germany spoke German, so Erique did not have problem communicating,
After 4 days Erique has left for Trabzon then Iran.

A collective of Insects and fly’s from all the countries I drove through.

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