Bamboo Odyssey » Turkey | Bamboo Odyssey

Off to great places

Jules — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 00:44:58 +0000

While I have been tardy and behind in updating the blog….Thanks to The Star newspaper in Malaysia….href=”http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Features/2014/03/28/Wheely-good-fun-Two-women-cycle-across-the-world-on-bamboo-bikes/”>an update on Bamboo Odyssey

Traveling by bicycle

Jules — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 11:20:05 +0000

Have you ever been painfully attracted to someone…..but don’t particularly like them…..blissfully enthralled by their company.? That feeling for me, i can liken to the feeling of hill climbs when on my bicycle. But in between the lust there is the whole journey,….euphoria. A feeling so strong it can be like marriage, like being with someone You can not be without. I am in love…..not with Thailand which is beautiful, desirable, full of passion….. colour, taste, touch and smell….a country and people that can fulfil many persons dreams. Thailand is indeed wonderful.
But I am in love….. in love with riding my bicycle…..Travelling by bicycle. It is a difficult relationship….but in contrast….so easy. A country changes as you pedal with your own steam, while you don’t always have the time to see the “must” see tourist sights. The bleak and unmajestic becomes alive, blowing through your hair (when I am fast enough) blowing through your hair ( if the headwind is horrible enough) , muscles, joints, skin, mind, tingling with effort. And the people you meet….they all appreciate the effort. And You….you appreciate the effort so that everything is new, the unseen, forgotten or just ignored is in full bloom, vibrant and alive. One moment in the middle of undocumented nowhere becomes more impressive, more magical than any “wonder of the world”.
Sometimes I listen to music to help with the climbs….or take me from my monotonous mind…..so that when I pass a bar, cafe, blazing stereo from a car…. Or more likely rickshaw…when I hear a particular tune I am taken back in time. Once apron a time to the dance floor, a euphoric moment with friends, loving, happy memories…but now these memories are intertwined, I am taken back to a mountain pass in Turkey…..a desert plain in Kazakstan….I am taken back to a different, more lonely, individual but equally euphoric moment, a moment i will forever treasure of traveling on my bicycle.
I am still not particularly good at climbing, dreading the climb until I love it. I am not particularly good at riding long distances, just many, many short distances…..but what I am good at….I am good at….loving what I do….Yes, travelling by bicycle.

We are in Thailand

Jules — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:26:44 +0000

So we are in Thailand. On a cycling adventure there are no rules….we have almost come to accept there are no rules…setting off from London it was so very easy to say there are no rules. We would ride while we are happy……and when we don’t ride? Our rules are in our head, our achievements, our dreams.
So we are in Thailand after a giant flying leap from sub zero Almaty, extended hop into Hong Kong, and then landing on the runway in Chiang Mai in very warm northern Thailand.
It was strange not using our legs to traverse such a large distance and with us not being in the saddle for 24 days. In that time we continued to eat like touring cyclists, put on weight, nursed our bruised ego, missed our bicycles, enjoyed not being on the bicycles, applied for visas, I went into China overnight…..by myself, and Li researched our future options…..and of course….we ate some more and drank like everyone should over Christmas holidays…..Or one should on extended bike tours. Oh….and we disassembled our bikes, put them in bike boxes, assembled them….did not ride them….disposed of the boxes….went in search of new boxes…..disassembled and boxed the bikes…..and assembled them again.
So what are our rules? Our goals, our dreams….our next destination, transportation? ….we have a very loose plan….we will attempt to travel in the saddle, we are riding to Sydney, SE Australia. From Chiang Mai we rode North.
We acclimatised in Chiang Mai for 4 nights…..the rise in temperature far easier than expected. I guess high 40’s in Turkey was not that long ago when constantly on the move and my body craved this climate above the minus 16 of Kazakhstan. Hong Kong tempered our bodies us at 14-25 degrees and thus 18-35 in Thailand is perfect.
Acclimatising to the Western tourists was somewhat more difficult……They are everywhere. We have not been around Western people in large numbers in many months and unaccustomed to the tourist trail. The excitement, vibe, buzz and party atmosphere is not overly unwelcome in small doses…..but the sleaze, searching for sex, hunters and hunted?…..but no rules and if I chose….western food which on previous travels would leave me personally appalled…..but coming up to 10 months on the road. (Taz, thanks for the vegimite!)
Finally in the saddle the initial 20km were a diddle. Both of us having fattened up over Christmas (thank you Helen and Lawrence in HK), this was promising. Then the climbs began. How much condition have we actually lost? But the landscape…… Tropical, vines, thick jungle, mosaic of hill upon hill, small unvisited villages and hopeful road stalls, this riding was a pleasure. The tourists whizzed by, day trips that would take us 3 days. They do not stop….we stop….frequently.
3 days to Chiangrai, new friends, fellow cycle tourists, with no rules, reminding us there are no rules ….but to live day to day…..Happy! Now we go south…..south west, Myanmar……North…..Northern Myanmar….at some stage…..Sydney…..Australia.

A couple of hitches

Jules — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 04:32:07 +0000

Christmas came early in the form of Nick, bearing replacement credit cards, new hole less, clean and well fitting clothes and bicycle bits and bobs for our onward journey. Nick joined us in a ride from Kars in Eastern Turkey to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
Li and I had arrived in Kars with 3 days to while away before Nicks arrival from London. We were in a quandary. Ani on the Turkish, Armenian border was a must visit……did we sight see in these few days or wait for Nick, but risk not enough time to back track back and pedal back into Georgia for Nicks return flight home.
We were told Ani was absolutely not to be missed. Nick should also see Ani as we were so close….ok…..we wait for Nick……also persuaded by the throbbing ache in my legs and Li’s dodgy elbow. I sat, legs throbbed, Li moved, elbow stabbed, results of the worst roads, constant vibrations and toughest climbs we had just and so far experienced.
The plan was to start early, see Ani, the ruined Armenian city and make haste towards Georgia. On a high due to having Nicks company the road to Ani was not difficult. We stopped several times to tweak Li’s bike set up following the replacement….new tyres….and to ease pressure on her elbow. We travelled at an easy and relaxed pace. Nick and I shared a tear in the eye as the skeletal, in in parts, fully intact ancient capital came into view. Ghost like and set amongst little inhabited steppe, we wandered the outside museum with only 3 other couples of tourist popping in and out of view. We camped, enjoying the view of the crumbling wall, castle, churches and mosque, and again as the sun rose highlighting our vista before we rode away. Nick had 3 punctures in close succession……then a headwind from hell…..slow progress….my legs had not healed and the 3 days rest I had considered sufficient was a fallacy. We should have cycled well beyond Kars however we made it no further, contacting our couch surfing host who was kind enough to let us stay despite not being home herself. We were becoming anxious about arriving in Tblisi on time and discussed our options….if need be we would have to hitch.
Another day……another strong headwind. Road works and the slow pace being the deciding factor in ditching the option of an unridden route. We would continue the way we had come. Temperatures were dropping quickly and we woke to a temperature of -5 degrees and frozen water in our containers. Like our first week on the road…..what feels a life time ago….condensation on the tent had turned to ice.
Quickly the sun provided warmth and no wind signalled perfect riding conditions…..however Li and I were familiar to what beast, the mountain, that lay ahead and realisation dawned that we would not be able to make it to Tbilisi. It was our preference that we hitched now in Turkey on a road we had already traversed rather than a panic hitching the last leg in Georgia and miss cycling a section of our journey. How did Nick feel not climbing the beast…..thankfully he had nothing to prove…..Li and I were physically knackered and Nick was carrying some of our luggage in an attempt that we would keep up.
30 kilometres in the back of a pick up truck was a breeze…..very breezy in fact, and as the incline increased, we covered a days ride in less than an hour. Next we flagged down a bus. 45 kilometres……and rather than feel disappointed at having to take transport, gazing at what we had climbed…..I was impressed. No wonder our legs were becoming increasingly sore. The bus struggled, we looked down in awe…..where we had ridden about a week previously was now covered in snow. The gradients were taking my breath away……and these mountains may be small in comparison to what will eventually come, but I felt on top of the world.
In the saddle again we crossed the border shortly before the sun set. then Li’s second puncture for the trip. A quick repair. We camped in Georgia, confident we would make Tbilisi and with a brief visit from the border police before a restful sleep.
Our legs still ached…..increasingly. But we had bursts of energy, spurned on by great company, incredible views. 2 1/2 days more days riding, no killer gradients, ruined castles, churches, snow capped mountains, a final push and thanks to a tail wind we actually flew into Tbilisi. Our reward some of the most scrumptious food, wine and equivalent of Turkish baths. Legs will have time to heal and…… unfortunately, time to say good bye……but I have nicked Nicks, very good pair of winter riding boots!

Returning to Turkey

Jules — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 08:13:31 +0000

The easy part is being delayed leaving Batumi. Monday morning Li struggles to walk to the consulate with me to collect our Azerbajan visas, having suffered server stomach aches for two days. We opt to remain in our super hostel D’vine another night……also avoiding a days riding in a sub tropical downpour. Tuesday is my birthday and Li suggests an impromptu treat at the 5 star Raddison hotel. After a 1 km ride to our new home for one night we bask in luxury and watch the sun set from the 19th floor overlooking the Black Sea and moody cloud encased mountains to the East. This goes down nicely with Georgian Sparking Wine gifted to us from our neighbours at the next table. We share the cake gifted from the hotel and listen to horrors of the Georgian roads we are about to embark.
Wednesday after a slow start making the most of a bathtub, again overlooking the sea, we set off at noon. 40 km not bad for half a days riding and the roads reasonable with the exception of the hazards of cows that are more interested in diverting traffic than eating grass. They stand in the centre of the road staring into oblivion an almost constant of the landscape, city, towns, villages and in between.
Thursday is slightly more challenging, more cows, higher gradients, but the roads are only slightly pock marked and stopping at 42km is due to the convenience of finding a perfect camp spot rather than fatigue.
Friday is challenging. The crash barriers cease to exist. Li is terrified of heights, feeling sick at the closeness of the precipice with the ravine on our side of the road. We stop at 7km to rest. A man approaches us, picking grapes, that proves also a challenge. Incredibly sour but we do not want to offend and consume our gift…..next comes ‘cognac’. Li says no……I always say yes…..it’s 9.30am……a very long toast which I assume is to Maria his wife in the grave site close by….down the hatch…..quick succession…..another glass…..Li says ‘small’…gestures ‘small’…3 large glasses down the hatch. We thank the man ready to leave…..he motions us to wait, comes back with fruit and the bottle magically full……3 glasses, down the hatch. We all go collecting walnuts, at this point Li is very much enjoying cracking them with her bicycle lock…..sometimes too enthusiastically…..3 more glasses, down the hatch. I think we consumed a litre between us before wobbling on our merry way…..Li is not so frightened of the road any more. At 6km we need to rest and let the alchohol abate. Sitting overlooking a village, some children bring us grapes…..and we are invited to lunch. In the early afternoon, feeling rather full, and with a slight hangover we make it less than a kilometre and spot a wonderful welcoming flea bag hotel…….actually we don’t know what bit us…..maybe fleas? I have a cold shower…..Li does not.
Saturday…..ah…..that’s what they meant by the treacherous roads……cows….of course…..renegade cow gangs….pot holes …..gravel ……sand ….loose ….rocks …..mud. When we were lucky not to be consuming dust and grit from passing vehicles, the vehicles too were struggling and we consumed black exhaust fumes. Don’t believe all you hear about Georgian drivers…..on this road they too must be terrified and drive with extreme caution and courtesy. The drivers were the least of our worries…..all up, up, up we did a full day and completed an entire 20 km with only one fall on my behalf. As I picked myself up I noticed a person appearing nonchalantly oblivious to my predicament……perhaps I should be worried…..the incarnation of death for he carried a scythe? The road was certainly perilous.
Sunday…….it got steeper…..we became tired of getting on and off the bikes…..tyres skidding, jumping, bumping, rotating, but spinning to nowhere. Li’s mud guards caked with mud….each time getting on the bikes it became harder to lift leg over the saddle….eventually legs hitting luggage….saddle….we pushed upwards13km. Altitude 2025 meters on a road designated a highway and major Georgian artery. Down another 13km at a snails pace, brakes squealing, arms aching, tension and concentration….even resting, coasting legs taught in anticipation. Close to 7800km since we departed and I am still crap at controlling a bicycle, track stands and “look mum no hands” beyond me….this road is for mountain bikers. After 26km the road miraculously became bitumen and we felt we were flying a final 11km before calling it a day.
Monday….after camping in a football pitch entertained by well mannered, hilarious children we continued on what I call a real road. Up, down, up , down, up…..but bum in the saddle and we finally put in some distance crossing back into Turkey at the Vale, Posov border without a hitch. 48km felt measly before leaving Batumi but with these few days experience have greatly lowered our expectations. Getting tired we find a perfect camp site just shy of a village…..before spotting tomb stones. Not sure of how offensive this may be we ask a local and are given permission to spend the night…..no problems from the past or present inhabitants of the area and we have a good nights sleep.
Tuesday….Down….bloody well means up! We have to tackle our highest mountain pass yet. The nights are cooler, about 5 degrees which aids a good nights sleep but sleep is not helping the legs one bit. -At least since riding in Georgia I can now keep up with Li on the inclines….or she is more knackered than me? We climb only 27km…..realising if we make the pass it will be dark, and flat, safe camping is appearing limited. We request water from the Jandarma base, and camp at first opportunity 6km before the top.
Wednesday we reach an altitude of 2550 meters, magnificent colours of the waking sun and views of mountains, lilliputian villages and clouds scattered bellow. We enjoy coasting for 6km before rolling mountains, following a picturesque river, resting watching fishermen, gifts of freshly cooked fish and a completion of 54km. We make camp in a pine forest consumed by rain, lightening and thunder claps. It is the first time we are caught out, wet on the bikes in months. I am stinky, sleeping bag sandy, gritty and pine needles stuck to my bum.
Thursday brings another mountain pass off 2200 meters. We ride mostly upon steppe…..beautiful to me….mundane and unchanging to Li. Progress is slow and we are exhausted. I push up where once my legs should be able to pedal. Then we resort to our earphones…..music….endorphins….becoming euphoric. I was beginning to lose pace with Li but now I overtake, mysterious energy and legs in time with the beat….61km we are so close to Kars…..more lightening, taunting head wind….I become spent. Li’s elbow has a shooting pain, possibly due to accumulative vibrations…..we need to stop. Desperate as we enter a village, open fields, no shelter, we see a bee keeper and request camping in his yard…..thankfully pitch our tent….pull down our tent as we are invited inside. The honey is glorious!
Friday……15 km to Kars……and rest till Tuesday when we ride back into Georgia accompanied by Nick who we are exited to have joining us.

Hello Georgia

Jules — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 12:07:14 +0000

Feeling immensely happy, feel like i am glowing….despite being covered in mud. Sitting in a cafe in Batumi, Georgia. Life is treating us so extremely well. We have located the Azerbaijan consulate and will shortly book into a hostel, get passport photos and apply for Visas for this, our following country…..after a brief detour back into Turkey.
Riding across the border from Turkey the change of culture, architecture, is immediate. So is the driving style! The driving is more chaotic than any I have encountered and to make sure we don’t get bored, the road surface has also deteriorated drastically. There are traffic lights…..round abouts…..but apparently no rules. Maybe, red, means go?……..Fortunately the drivers are kind and every now and then one lets us merge into the non existent lanes. Others toot and wave and hopefully continue to keep one eye on the road. It is strange for me to view women with short skirts, without head scarfs.
So we are back at the Black Sea, this time pebbles instead of sand, more ramshackle charm than the built up sterile resorts we witnessed in Bulgaria. Last night, rather than ride into Georgia, in the dark, we camped meters from the sea, still in Turkey, in a muddy but secluded area hidden from the road. We were also meters from the road, but confident not to be disturbed, as no one in their right mind…….would tramp through the bog…..to our refuge……
I am drinking coffee…..but have dully noted on the menu a huge drop in the price of beer, compared to Turkey…..ok…..shortly I will be drinking beer……and later I intend to sample the wine Georgia is renowned for. We have been relatively dry in Turkey, because of the heat, and often because of its absence in rural areas. It is only 10.30 in the morning but of course we are celebrating country number 12 so it must be close to beer o’clock.
I look forward to parking the bikes…..after our dry ish spell one beer has an effect. Gamarjoba Georgia……oh….can anyone tell me if I am back in Europe, or still in Asia?

Today we leave Erzerum

Jules — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 04:59:11 +0000

Today we leave Erzerum after a days rest……well sort of…..a day of phone calls and the Internet after the bank made a mistake. Cancelling my credit card, they left Li’s stollen card active for a week.
We are heading north to Batumi on the Black Sea coast in Georgia. After much procrastination we have decided to skip Iran. The visa process is tricky, expensive and there are rumours we need a guide from border to border if entering by bicycle. Thanks to other tourers blogs it appears some cyclists are being let through but frankly we don’t want the head ache and are reading, hearing rave reviews about other possible routes. Skipping Iran means we don’t need to enter Turkmenistan on a transit visa, dashing across the country, around 500 kms in 3-5 days dependant upon the visa they bless you with.
Batumi is apparently, hopefully, a laid back easy destination to arrange visas for Azerbaijan and beyond…..a ferry across the Caspian Sea looks promising. So we head to Georgia, back to Turkey to meet a friend who will cycle with us back into Georgia as well as bringing us replacement items and thank goodness…..our credit cards.
On our rest day we also discovered you can not courier cards at all into Georgia, the bank will not courier cards into Turkey, and after the banks mistake, at least another week before the most important card arrives at our UK address. Thank you base camp Battersea!
So after riding our highest altitudes to date, 2190 meters and more mountain passes there about, we are going down hill. Then Back into Turkey, up again to higher passes on our way to Kars……Then the rest of Georgia, we will again be contemplating our winter clothes.

A long way to go

Jules — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 19:14:31 +0000

Smelly, sweaty, dusty, dust sticking to sweat….clothes full of holes, baggy and now ill-fitting…..hair resembling road kill…..we should know as have seen a lot! …..tired…..cycling practically all day….who has desire….energy for sex? And they still ask! Are these men stupid…..they are certainly desperate.
After some unwanted advances, experiences, we have tried to curb our behaviour, have asked many locals for advice. We are not so smiley, do not offer our hand unless offered first. (A friend commented we are too polite, maybe, but i try to give the benefit of the doubt.) We overt our eyes….avoid eye contact. Place our bodies facing away, from him, them. We cover up more than we did previously when getting off the bike.
I say I am married, no…..no children. Have even said my husband is meeting us further down the track……I do not say, I sincerely hope you are not some poor woman’s husband.
At least the last man was polite enough to “ask” Li for a kiss and left her to depart unhindered when she said no. One man who stopped his car, offering us a lift, turned up hours later, another place on the road, wanting a photo, with a kiss. So insistent, unrelenting, I kissed him on the cheek so he would finally piss off…..photo evidence, no doubt, that he is such a “man”.
As already noted we meet many respectful men, hospitable men, helpful and honest men. Unfortunately too many that need a mighty kick….such behaviour breeds fear, absolutely no respect, shame on their country and their sex the world over. We pedal along , knowing the country is irrelevant…..safety…..joking…safety….black humour…..that we still have sex appeal…..and a long way to go.

Interpreters and the Jandarma

Jules — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:09:32 +0000

There is a machine gun between my knees……a bracket supporting it in front if me from where I sit in the back seat, traveling with the Jandarma to view some videos. I am thinking of the mountain we have climbed, the highest altitude to date and that we will have to climb all over again. I am thinking of how to document the most recent events. It is impossible for the negative stories to outshine the positive. I am somewhat uneasy about the future travels, but put at ease and in perfect company. A really crap day that was full of beautiful scenery, steep but comfortable climbs, bathing in idyllic streams and finally serious looking men with serious weapons that were caring, gentle and resulted in a prelude to more caring and hospitality, the Turkish way.
Yesterday, the usual, waking at 5.30am, mid morning we chose to stop for cay at a petrol station. The usual, curiosity, attempts at communicatio

Gifts

Jules — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 20:10:35 +0000

“Where did you get that!”
“From the man by the side of the road.”
“Did you buy it?”
“No…..it was a gift”
“I wondered why you were taking so long……where did you get that”
“From the man at the fruit stall….the policeman……the woman…..the farmer”.
Li is in a hurry, would not stop for the man at the melon stall…..5 minutes later I pedal along and he rushes out to hand me a honey dew…..lashes it to the back of my bike……it’s somewhat heavy so I can use it as an excuse when Li has stopped….is waiting at the top of the hill for me.
In Sarkisla, I wait with the bikes while Li goes to find an Internet cafe.
“Cay?”
I look at the bikes, back at the man who has spoken to me…..why not….. tea travels mysteriously from the other side of the street, into my hands…..Li comes back see’s me sitting smugly, a chair placed upon the pavement, drinking tea.
Li’s turn to watch the bikes as I go to get fresh fruit and vegetables…….I take a while…..back to Li and the bikes, she is rolling her eyes.
“What?……I was busy……getting hugs…..and the woman choosing my gift, the perfect bunch of grapes. She was only a decade older than me but makes me feel like a gleeful child. Squished and hugged, she is also glowing at my attempts to communicate, with her husband joining in on my welcoming.
Li is always faster on climbs and the past few days I have slowed down more, despite minor gradients. Li is usually waiting at the top of a hill…..sometimes ready to get back in the saddle before I get a chance to put my foot down.
Today was better…..she stopped outside petrol stations…..I arrived…..to tea…..honeycomb, kymak, bread, watermelon……and another stop……more tea…….a rest…..an encounter…..experience…..fuel…..rest…
Now we are in Sivas, I love it, vibrant, alive, full of history, markets that leave Istanbul feeling sterile. We go for a walk….tired….it’s late…..but insistent…..one more gift of tea.