26 - 29 May 2012

Hi to everyone.

Thanks for all your messages. Sat in my hostel room chillin out and listening to some music at the mo.  Should get my Azerbaijan visa tomorrow and hit the road agin on Friday morning.  Here are some excerpts from my diary for anyone interested.

By the way, if I wasn't here I would be getting packed for the IOM TT.  First race is Saturday so good luck to everyone involved and fingers crossed for a Guy Martin win.

Saturday 26 May, Day 23 – Batumi, Georgia

Got up early again, made easy by the local cockerel, and on the road to Tbilisi by 7.30am.  Saw a couple of the locals I had spoken to last night and said goodbye, shook hands etc. Great people!

Made my way to Tbilisi through heavy rain for the first couple of hours. At one point I overtook a slow moving Transit van only to look in my mirror and see blue lights flashing. Oh s**t, so I slowed down to stop and was amazed when he just went past again. I think he must have been delivering a prisoner or something. I overtook him again and the car in front also had lights flashing.

I stopped to brew up in a small town and was befriended by a curious school kid called Beka. His mates soon gathered and they all waved me off when I left.  Continuing towards Tbilisi I saw dozens of blacked out 4x4s with blue and red lights flashing in their grills.  Mostly these were going the other way.

About 10 km outside Tbilisi I came up behind 3 touring cyclists and slowed down to say hello.  I asked where they were from and the front one said England.  I couldn’t believe it so I stopped for a chat. The English lad was called James from Durham and was only about 24, the other two were a young Belgian couple. We had a good chat and then said our goodbyes.

I reached Tbilisi and decided to have a hotel for the night if I could find one.  My gear needed to dry out and I reckon I needed a good nights sleep.  I found a row of hotels and booked into one called the Iceberg Hotel.  It cost 50 Euros but I was too tired to go looking for an alternative.  This was my first bed for 16 days and so i made the most of the facilities and did some washing of socks etc.

Once settled, I went out to look for electrical shops to try and get my laptop fixed but it was too late and I ended up taking photos of the Cathedral.

I got talking to a guy who was looking at my bike and he said there was a PC shop on a road called Rustavelli Ave. I went shopping for some provisions then went back to the Hotel, ate well and crashed out.

Sunday 27 May, Day 24 – Tbilisi, Georgia

After an early night, I got up at 6.30am and went down to reception to see if there was a monitor I could use.  The receptionist must have heard me and came out from her room.  I showed her my broken laptop and she let me plug into the reception monitor so I could pick up my emails etc and look for a repair shop.

Found one on the internet on Rustavelli Ave as the guy had told me last night outside the cathedral. I also took the opportunity to do some online banking to get ready for Turkmenistan etc so at least if I couldn’t get my laptop fixed I could get cash out of the ATM.

Their website said they were open on Sunday so I went to track it down. When I got there it was shut so I hung around for a while just in case.  While I was waiting 2 bikes with British number plates went past.  I waved and they waved back, I couldn’t believe it and whistled but it was too late and they were gone.  I went to ask in the shop next door and the girl said the PC Store would be open tomorrow at 10am.

I was disappointed but decided to press on and head for Baku. I had great fun trying to find the route. Very confusing signs, and after riding in circles for ages I bumped into the three cyclists I had met yesterday at a petrol station.

We exchanged email addresses etc and took a photo. They were splitting up and the Belgians were going to Baku while James the English lad was heading for Tbilisi followed by Armenia and on into Iran.

I went off to try my luck at the border and eventually found the correct road which went over some really barren landscape. It was pretty much how I was expecting Siberia to look. I got to the border and two Azerbaijan men, who just seemed to be hanging around, told me that I needed a visa to get through and that I could only get this in Tbilisi at the Embassy.  I went to the border checkpoint and the Georgian guard confirmed that I could only go through if I already had a visa.  He told me the name of the street in Tbilisi that the embassy was on. 

This was disappointing and I decided to head back to Metshekta, outside Tbilisi, to see if I could find the campsite the Belgians had mentioned.  Had no joy finding a campsite so parked up on some waste ground and made some dinner. It wasn’t a very nice spot so I headed out into the country to find a free site. After 5 miles or so I pulled off down a track and came across 2 men and 4 boys with 2 dogs sat at the side of the road tending their cows.  I stopped to say hello and asked if I could camp.  One of the boys spoke a little English and they said it was fine. 

The farmer took me down towards his house and invited me to stay with him but I declined as graciously as I could and explained my tent was fine.  His dogs were great, one was a huge 4 year old male and the other a gorgeous pup.

One of the boys helped me pitched my tent in the shade of an 800 year old oak tree while another  made a camp fire from its dead branches. The father of the 2 young dogs came to investigate and was large, loud, and fierce looking.  The boys told me not to go near him as he bites, I decided to give him a wide berth.

The boys took me down to the cattle shed to see the young calves and it was obvious they were all very proud of the herd. I went back to sit by my camp fire and one of the boys brought me a branch of cherries and a bag full which were superb. Then they all came over very formally to say goodbye.  I had a fantastic night with the tent left open so I could see the moon and stars.

Monday 28 May – Day 25

Up early and broke camp to be in Tbilisi by 9am.  I went down to the farmhouse and thanked everyone and shook hands.  I rode straight to the PC Store in Tbilisi and was told they could not repair my laptop but they could sell me a new one for 560 Lari plus 400 Lari for Windows. I declined and they gave me an address for a laptop repair shop and pointed me in the right direction, so off I went.  I found the laptop shop with help from the locals and the guy took my machine and said come back at 18.00.

Finding your way around Tbilisi on a bike is very difficult and one thing that strikes me is that there are very few other bikes or scooters around.  A small consolation is that the many of the locals seem to be just as lost as I am.  Riding here is perilous to say the least and there don’t seem to be any rules. Bikes are firmly at the bottom of the pecking order in traffic which probably explains why there are so few around.  Pedestrians are given even less consideration than bikes. 

Went off to find the Azerbaijan embassy, the border guard had given me the name of a street and the girl in the laptop shop had given me very vague directions.  Eventually found it and was told they were on holiday but that the application would take a minimum of 4 working days and I would need a letter of introduction. The embassy official also told me there was an agency nearby who could arrange this.

I stopped at a Travel Agency and asked if they knew of an agency that could help with visas. They gave me an address or an agency called Xtours, which turned out to be just around the corner from the Azerbaijan Embassy.  The girl there spoke English and told me they charged $130 to get me a 30 day visa and that it could be ready for Thursday. I told her I needed to check out the Kazakhstan situation first.

I asked if she knew the Kazakhstan Embassy address and she gave me the name of a street but couldn’t give directions.  Eventually found the Kazakhstan embassy up a winding bumpy road only to find it was shut and the next opening time was Wednesday at 11am.

On the way out of Tblisi I found an electrical shop on main road which sold portable DVD players and had the same laptop I had been looking at earlier but the assistant said they would load Windows for 20 Lari (about $10).

Went back to Meketsha to hopefully stay at the same camp site as last night. The farmer seemed reasonably pleased to see me and I explained that I could not get a visa.  He said I could stay again no problem.  Made some mushroom soup and collapsed. Long hard day! A thunder storm was brewing and there was plenty of lightening. Luckily we only got some light rain and I was asleep in minutes.

Tuesday 29 May – Day 26

Overslept a little but was still in town for 9am.  Waved goodbye to the farmer on my way past and headed for the main shopping area of Tbilisi that I had seen yesterday to see if there were any more electrical shops.

Found a shop that had an English speaking pretty assistant and also had the same laptop I had looked at yesterday for the same price. Luckily this one had Windows 7 Ultimate and Office 2007 pre-loaded. I bought the laptop and went to find an internet connection to check out the info about visas for Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. I also looked for campsites near Tbilisi and found one at a place called Kojori.

Went back to Xtours and paid $130 for a one month tourist visa for Azerbaijan, including introduction etc.  I will go up to the Kazakhstan embassy tomorrow.  Walked outside and bumped into James from Durham.  He was on his way to the docs and had spotted my bike.

Went back to the square I had found yesterday to update my diary on the new laptop. Hell of a hail storm and my bike was marooned where I had parked as the road was now a river.  Went and sat in Costa Coffee to dry off and use the internet. I found a couple of hostels in Tbilisi for around 10 Euros a night and decided to track one down.

Then I realised the girl at Xtours had short changed me so I went back to their office and picked up the $30 I was owed. 

I set off to look for the Old City Sololaki Hostel and found it with the help of a taxi driver who pulled over and asked if I was OK.  I had only just stopped to look around and try to get my bearings. These people really are so helpful. I showed him the address I was looking for and he told me to follow him. We went up 2 or 3 side roads and then he stopped and asked some men at the side of the road.  They said the address I was looking for was just up ahead up a steep cobbled road.  I thanked the taxi driver and made my way up the hill.  I found the hostel with more help from the locals and the guy running was great and allowed me to put my bike inside the gates. He spoke no English but we got by.

The room was a dorm with 3 beds but it looked as though I was the only occupant.  I paid $40 for 3 nights and this included free internet access.  You can email the hostel at oldcitysololaki@gmail.com or call +995 77 94 44 46.  The best way to find it is to get to Freedom Square and ask around for the address which is 19 Sergo Meskhi Str, Tbilisi, Georgia. 

There was a Dutch guy called Babek in the single room who was on his way back from the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan. We got talking and I found out he lived in Uganda so we had plenty to chat about as I explained I planned to be in Africa by the New Year.  I gave him my email address to pass on to one of his friends who was on a similar route to me. It was good to get a shower after 2 nights free camping and lie on a comfy bed.

Went out to get a drink and found a cafe that served beer at the end of the street. There was an American sat there from Columbus Ohio.  His name was Dave Finks and he was working for an electrical company near the airport.  One of his team had been killed in a taxi crash in Tbilisi recently and the funeral had been yesterday. We had four or five beers and talked about travel etc.  Dave was 55 and obsessed with young girls. He was trying to strike up conversations with every girl that walked past the cafe but they didn’t seem to mind.

23 - 25 May 2012

Wednesday 23 May, Day 20 - Turkey

Left Panarama Campsite at around 9.30am after having breakfast with Rudie and Fabienne, the Swiss cyclists, and taking a photo with them.

I headed across central Turkey for Malatya and got as far as Gurun by lunch where I stopped for a rest and did some shopping after the compulsory Chai with the locals. I have seriously lost count of the number of times I have been taken in for Chai with café owners, petrol attendants, etc, etc. The hospitality and welcome here is fantastic.

I asked about buying camping gas cannisters and was sent to a shop called Isktanbul where the owner offered me more tea and insisted I sit down and explain where I was going etc.  He was great and advised me not to continue to Malatya because the road afterwards was really bad.  He told me the best route to Batumi was via Sivas and Trabzon then along the coast.  I took his advice and headed for Sivas. Shortly after leaving Gurun I met three Germans, two on a tandem, and slowed down to say hello.

I headed a place called Erzincan where I knew there was a campsite but it was getting dark and my lights let me down again on the last mountain descent so I stopped to fix them and ended up having tea with the patron followed by a Kebab. I camped round the back of the shop in an empty half built campsite for 10 Lira.

Thursday 24 May, Day 21 - Turkey (Black Sea Coast)

Up early again and on the road at 6.30am.  Had some great mountain riding as far as Gumushane.  Awesome scenery with plenty of snow on the peaks. I stopped outside a bakery and once again was dragged inside for some very welcome chai.

I finally reached the Black Sea coast and passed a cyclist just after Trabzon. I looked him over as I went by but guessed he was probably European because all the previous ones had been. By chance, I looked in my mirror and could see him waving at me. I stopped and he caught up. To my surprise his name was Mark from Oxford.  He was just as surprised and glad to meet a fellow Brit. We agreed to meet for tea at the next stop which was only 5 mins. We had a great chat, he was on a three year trip around the world.

We had 2 cups of tea each and a plate of pastries and when we went to pay the attendant she wouldn't take a penny off us.  We said our thanks and goodbye and hit the road.

 

Stopped at a town called Pazar and with the help of the locals, I found a shop that sold the gas fitting I needed for my stove. Result! Then I was befriended by a guy called Biercan. He spoke pretty good English and took me looking for shoes and of course we had to have Chai with his seven friends. Great stuff, we talked about football as usual.

Set off again and just up the road I caught up with 4 Yamaha XTs with Swiss plates so I slowed and said hello.  I reached the last town before the border called Sarp and stopped to spend my last Turkish Lira.  Then I noticed the Yamahas had pulled in so went to say hello properly.  Turned out they were delivering the bikes to the Kyrgystan tourist agency to be used as hire machines. Lucky sods.

Managed to find an abandoned place right on the beach to bed down and I started cooking up some sausage on my new gas stove.  The owner of the next house came over and I thought he was going to move me on but he was really helpful and said it was ok to camp.  I showed him the maps and he said the coast road I was intending to take through Georgia into Russia was a problem.  He didn’t speak a word of English, but we got by.

He told me the best way to Russia was to go via Azerbaijan and ferry top Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan.  I hadn’t realised there was a ferry to Kaz so this was valuable info.  The problem with going that way is that I will only have 5 days (exactly 120 hours) from the minute I enter Azerbaijan until I leave, and the ferry schedules are completely random to my knowledge. I will sleep on it.

I explained I needed some water and he took me to his house to fill my bottle. He had 2 lovely dogs, one an English Setter and he explained he was into shooting. I went back to my tent and some kids who were hanging around came over so I took some pictures with them on the bike. They seemed ok.  Next thing, the bloke from next door turned up again with a plate of pasta and cheese for me.  Fell asleep to the sound of the Black Sea waves crashing on the beach.

Friday 25 May, Day 22 - Turkey to Georgia

Up early and decided to have a go at changing my front tyre this morning.  If that goes OK I will have a go at the rear.  Made coffee and ate the second half of last night’s cake. Managed to get the front tyre changed without too much trouble but I had a feeling the rear was going to be a different proposition so I made a brew and sat down to think about it. 

Got the rear tyre off without too much effort but couldn’t get the new one on to save my life.  I just didn’t have the technique so I decided to take the wheel and tyre into town to try and get some help.  Luckily my camp site was just on the edge of town so not too far to walk.

I asked for directions from a group of blokes and one of them gave me a lift to his mates workshop where a young lad made short work of getting the new tyre on using my tyre levers.  I got a lift back to the site and got it fitted.  Went for a test run and everything seemed fine.

Another 2 young couples showed up followed by a 4x4 with 3 lads in it. I was starting to think that too many people knew I was camping there now so decided to up sticks and head for the border.

I crossed into Georgia with no problems and headed for Batumi where I changed some money. 2.25 Georgian Roubles to the Euro, then got some fuel at 1 Euro a litre. Thats more like it!  Batumi was chaos and there were loads of cows, horses, etc just wandering the streets. Don’t know how they knew whose was whose. Had a nightmare trying to find the road for Tbilisi so gave in and just took the first decent road I saw heading into the hills.

My new tyres are great and I was enjoying the reduced weight aswell. Stopped in a village and asked if it was ok to camp.  This caused all sorts of confusion and the cops turned up to sort it out.  When I showed them the map to explain I was going round the world they couldn’t have been more helpful and one of the young lads helped me put my tent up.

I offered to pay and one of the men laughed and said no no no.  It had started raining and one of the cops joked that the stream was going to flood and wash me away.  

Later on I was crashed out when I heard a Georgian voice calling ‘my friend’.  I got up and some local lads had gathered for a chat.  I took them for a spin on the bike and they took me to their bar for a beer. Excellent! I took a photo of us all and got the impression none of these boys owned a camera.  I gave one of my old LFC fan cards to one of them. He was chuffed.  I retired to my tent and then disaster struck, I managed to smash my laptop screen by leaning on it in the dark.  Absolutely gutted!

21 - 22 May 2012

Monday 21 May, Day 18 - Cappadocia, Turkey

Got up with the lark to get moving before the farmer turned up.  I stopped at the first village to get some water and ended up having Chai with the locals.  I enjoyed fantastic scenery all morning but I was running low on fuel, not quite on reserve,  and in the middle of nowhere.

I pulled up to check the map and the moped behind me stopped to say hello. I asked him directions and was relieved to find I was on the right road and fuel was not far up ahead.

I found the garage, filled up, and made some coffee on the garage forecourt and finished the cake from last night. A young lad on the forecourt had shredded a tyre on his van and I helped him remove the wheel using my tools.

The weather turned nasty with heavy rain so I stopped to dry off in a village.  I was offered more Chai and eventually ended up having breakfast consisting of omelette with spicy sausage, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, leavened bread, followed by local honey. The waiters told me that Chelsea had won the Champions League. The young owner was a Fenerbahce fan and his side kick was Galatasaray. We joked about the famous Graeme Souness flag incident.

I arrived at Cappadocia about 1.30pm to find the most amazing looking place I have seen for a long time. The town is half buildings and half caves. I decided to stay for a while and found a camp site called Panorama. Booked 2 nights for 20 Lira a night. Good site with pool and free Wi-Fi.

Had my first ever encounter with a proper wild snake. It seems to be living behind the wash house and is about 4 foot long, green, and only ten yards from tent. There are also quite a lot of lizards roaming around.

Just met a Swiss couple staying on the site who have come here by bicycle and are on their way to Ulan Bator in Mongolia. Had a good chat about visas for Turkmenistan etc.  These touring cyclists are something else. The mountains out here are tough on the Tiger never mind pedalling. I take my hat off to them.

Tuesday 22 May, Day 19 - Cappadocia, Turkey

I was woken by the sound of hot air balloons inflating overhead and when I looked out of my tent I was amazed to see about 50 balloons hovering over the caves.  The views from the camp site are fantastic. It is red hot and I can see a snow capped mountain in the distance.

I made some coffee and then went shopping to Nevsehir for 12mm hex keys to get my back wheel off in case the tyres pack up before I get them changed. Got two for 13 Lira. Absolute bargain!  I have seen so many tyre fitting workshops in one place. There must have been fifty of them. No exaggeration!

Also got a new relay switch for my indicators for 5 Lira but managed to blow 2 main fuses before I realised it was wired up differently from the original switch, durrr!.  I will have to take the wiring apart a little more to get it to fit but it should be ok.

Went in to Uchisar to take a couple of photos of the caves.  Amazing to think that at some point in history the whole population here lived in these caves.  Some of them go seriously deep underground.

This afternoon I went for a swim in the camp site pool.  Fantastically refreshing and probably the last luxury I will have for a while as I am leaving for Russia tomorrow.  My facial hair is getting out of control and I am not sure I can put up with it much longer.   

Ran out of solid fuel for my stove so went to try and buy some fire lighters. No joy with these, but did manage to find some gas canisters that look like they will fit my gas stove.  Bought 2 but when I got back I found they wouldn’t fit. Gutted!  Had to boil water by making a proper fire. The smoke stank my tent out for hours.

I did some more research on the internet for my route over the next few days.  I looked into going into Armenia but it looks impossible as the border with Turkey is closed.  It looks as though I will have to settle for going straight into Georgia and on to Russia.  I should make the Georgian border tomorrow.  Later on I can go into either Kazakhstan or Mongolia, but not both.      

18 - 20 May 2012

Friday 18 May, Day 15 - Guverncilik, Turkey

We had heavy rain during the night and up till midday. I rigged up my ground sheet as a cowling for the tent using the guy ropes. I contacted Carl Howard’s friend Sylvia by text message.  It turned out she is in Gumbet, ten miles back down the road I came up last night. We arranged to meet around five for a coffee.  I will be interested to ask her about the location of a good camping shop so I can get a water purification bottle. The good news is that there are no mosquitos here. 

   

The call to prayers is quite loud and will take a bit of getting used to. Checked my luggage and water has got into the panniers for the first time.  Not too bad but I will have to get some plastic bags to use as liners.  More good news, I have found the cowling for my tent, it was in the bag all along. Wally!

A motorhome arrived on the next pitch with a Turkish couple.  I spoke to the guy and found out he was here from Istanbul to meet some friends and go boat fishing.

I went into Gumbet to meet Sylvia and looked for a place to use the internet. I settled on a place called Cool Breeze and ordered a coffee after being told the Wi-Fi is free.  Gumbet is a bit of a culture shock after Paros and there are the usual 'overly refreshed' tourists wandering around even this early in the season. One in particular was causing a  right nuisance and the bar owner showed remarkable patience dealing with him. Plenty of practice I imagine!

Sylvia showed up with a friend called Sue, from Liverpool, and we started to chat about all sorts of stuff.  We moved on to a restaurant called the Parrot for dinner and were joined again later by Sue. Sue had very kindly bought me some provisions for my larder which I gratefully accepted.

I was waved off by the staff of the Parrot who all seem very nice, and rode back to Guvercinlik about 11.30pm and turned in straight away.  

Saturday 19 May, Day 16 - Guverncilik

The first call to prayers woke me up at 4.50am.  I got up around 6.30, packed up camp. I was ready to leave at 7.30 but it was Saturday and the owner must have a lie in at the weekend.  Went for a walk along the quay with the dog to kill some time.  A Turkish lady from one of the caravans brought me Chai while I was waiting.

About 8.30 I knocked on the door and managed to get an answer. I paid the 30 Lira fee (about £12) for the two nights and said goodbye.  The Turkish lady from the caravan brought me some fruit and nuts for my journey and waived me off.

I had decided to head for Cappadocia so aimed for the South coast road. The roads are pretty good but the progress through the towns is very slow. At a fork in the road I decided to head inland for a while and was soon to regret the decision.  The road went up and up into the mountains and onto a high plateau that stretched for miles.  It was very cold and the rain made it worse.  My hands were frozen to the bars and I couldn’t wait for the descent.  Finally it came and I managed to pull over at the bottom and warm up.
From now on I stuck to the coast road even though it was slower.  I stopped at one point to buy bananas and honey. The seller was a little too friendly for my liking and I was glad to get moving!

After much searching I found a camp site East of Manavgat, right on the beach, and was charged the extortionate amount of 35 Lira for one night.  A Czech guy, and his wife and their poodle were the only other occupants.

Sunday 20 May, Day 17 - Manavgat, Turkey

Got up early and stripped the panels off the bike to taker a good look at the electrics. The problem with my lights seems to be a bad connection on ignition key unit and I made a temporary by snipping a couple of the cable ties to allow better movement of the wiring loom.  This seems to have done the trick.  I couldn’t fix the indicators and think it must be the relay switch.  The camp site staff were great and made plenty of Chai.

I put everything back together and got moving at about 10:00am and was determined to make it to Cappadocia. The going along the coast road was slow because of the huge seaside towns without bypasses.

Finally got to Tarsus where I need to head inland but I got stuck on a toll road and couldn’t get through the barrier because I didn’t have the necessary pass card.  Pete on Paros had warned me about this buit I hadn’t seen anywhere selling them. I turned around and after looking at the map and decided to try and find the minor road route. At least I didn't get fined this time!

Eventually I found road for Camliyayla and made some slow progress north along a very windy road.  The scenery was great so I decided to free camp if possible.  Spotted a farm track about 7.30 and pulled up it at dusk. I put the ground sheet down and my sleeping bag and made the Mexican rice Sue had given me using my small solid fuel stove. I slept under the stars to the sound of the crickets. Tip top!

16 - 17 May 2012

Wednesday 16 May, Day 13 – Paros – Syros – Kos

Up early and broke camp. Heading for Turkey today.  Had to give my gear a good shake to get rid of all the earwigs.  There was one in my boot.  I ditched some bits and pieces in the camp site bin including the Hi-Viz vest I had to wear in France but didn’t think I would need again.  Sat down with Paul and Linda for a chat, they had been to Mykonos and Delos the day before and enjoyed Delos where no-one is allowed to be born or die.

Went into town and changed all my UK Pounds to Euros.  I need to spread these around in my gear in case I get turned over but think I will put them all in one pocket at the border in case the customs officials will go through everything. I don’t want them finding hidden money while I am not there. Sticky fingers!
 

Paul asked if I was going to Cappadocia on my way through Turkey.  Apparently there are some great caves and the remains of an underground city.  This would be a great place to visit and I am looking for something to break up the trek across Turkey.

Boarded the 16.30 boat to Syros and John came along to see me off. He took a couple of photos and promised to email them to me.  Had to hang around Syros harbour until 23:10 for the boat to Kos so cooked myself some Batchelors chicken noodle soup on the dockside and did some minor maintenance on the bike. Still got a problem with an intermittent electrical fault on the ignition. I think this is just a dodgy connection or earth and tried playing around with the cable running to the ignition key.  This seemed to improve it but it’s still not right.   The ferry to Kos was the Blue Star 2 and is possibly the biggest ferry I have been on in Greece.

I was slightly concerned to see that the garage crew weren't intending to tie the bikes down but I guess this meant we were in for a smooth crossing. The crossing to Kos is approximately 8.5 hours so I found a good spec and settled down for a long night. 
Thursday 17 May, Day 14 – Kos – Bodrum – Turkey

Arrived Kos about 7.30 am and met an English guy called Paul Moody, and his stepson Connor, in the queue to get off the ferry. Paul had been a pro footballer back home and knew a couple of faces I knew. They had driven down from the south coast of England and were heading for Paul’s place at Altinkum.   

I got lost in the hold of the ship looking for the bike and started to panic a bit as these ferries are very quick turnaround and I had visions of being on my way back to Syros without getting off. This was a seriously big boat, and I was relieved when I found the bike and she was still upright and safe and sound.

I rolled off and made my way to the harbour front.  I thought it was best to get booked on the boat to Bodrum asap as I wasn’t sure how big it would be. I was pleased to find I could by a ticket in the first office I walked in and paid 55 Euros for a passenger with moto. Nikos on Paros had got the price spot on. The boat didn’t leave until 16.30 so I had a good few hours to waste.  I spent some time wandering around the ancient ruins of Kos Town and went for some lunch.

I had another go at getting my indicators working and had the bike stripped down on the harbour front working on it.  This got a bit of attention and I handed out a few of my cards. I made my way back to ferry terminal early and it was just as well because the agent I had bought my ticket from had not let the operator know I was coming. Luckily there was space on the boat.  I met up with Paul and Connor again on the jetty and they were booked on the same boat.  Paul was panicking a bit about the height of his camper van as the ferry had a sign saying maximum height 2.05m but there was plenty of room.

He went and got a tape from the office and we reckoned the van was about 2.01m. It wa going to be close.  Went through passport control and customs with no problems but I knew the interesting bit was going to be on the Turkish side. We loaded the vehicles on board and I was a bit concerned to see there were no ropes for tying the bike down.  I spent quite a bit of time standing next to the bike when the waves got a bit choppy, just in case.

Got talking to Paul and found out their route was across France and Italy and then 24 hour ferry from Ancona to Patras. Paul reckoned their mileage getting this far was only about 1000. Arrived Turkey and went to passport control but was told I needed a visa.  I could buy one there and then for either £10, 15 Euro, or $20. I had converted all my pounds so had to go for the Euro option.
Anyway, I got through passport control and went to see customs about temporary import of a vehicle. This was the part I was dreading, I had heard stories about bikes being stripped on the quayside.  It turned out to be a formality and once they had seen my green card insurance I was waved through without an inspection. Result!

Customs had asked where I was staying and I just said ‘on a campsite in Bodrum’. I took a look around Bodrum and decided to get out of dodge.  I joined the main road north and found a great site at Guvercinlik, right on the sea. The owner was so friendly, and we managed to communicate conversed using the little German that we both knew. I set up camp and went shopping in the local mini mart. I was made up to see that prices here were considerably cheaper than Greece. I bought some essentials and went back to camp to munch and turn in.
       

11 - 15 May 2012

Hi everyone, hope you are all well. It's been quite a quiet week for me really, after the fun and games of the previous week, but still plenty to talk about. Thanks to everyone for your donations and please keep spreading the word.

I am writing this sat in my tent on a superb campsite about 10 miles North of Bodrum. I am off to meet a friend of my mate Carl Howard called Sylvia later on in Gumbet but will be pushing off tomorrow for a place called Cappadocia in central Turkey where there are some excellent ruins of an underground civilisation. Check it out on Google.
You may well see some adverts starting to appear on my blog soon. Proceeds from the advertising will also be going to the Anthony Nolan Trust unless the trip starts to get mega expensive and I need to re-coup some costs. The following are excerpts from my diary for the last week…

Friday 11 May, Day 8 – Paros, Greece

Woke around nine and took another hot shower to get rid of the road grime then walked round to the campsite. The place was empty apart from one guy on his own and I walked up and asked if he spoke English.  He turned out to be from Lee On Solent in Hampshire and was there with his push bike.  We got talking and I found out his name was John Matthews. A great bloke of 73 years and had completed several charity bike rides. Lands End to John 0 Groats twice!

John was in process of moving to a room and said I could have his spec if I wanted. I tracked down the campsite manager and we agreed a price of 6 Euros per night. Not bad! Moved my gear from the hotel and set up camp then went back to the Livadia for a coffee and used the free Wi-Fi internet access to update my blog and send a couple of emails.  Enjoyed my first pukka Greek salad for a few years.

Got the bike running and went to the port to speak about ferries to Turkey.  No joy!  It seems there are less boats on than last year. Might have to go back to Piraeus after all and may even have to ride around the coast. If I do this then I might be able to pop into Bulgaria to add another country to the itinerary. Always look on the bright side hey!

Went for a quick spin and was not too happy with the front end of the bike even with the luggage off. Stopped at the supermarket and bought some tinned meat balls for supper. Spent the evening at the campsite playing chess and listening to the World Service on my radio. I am particulary interested in news from countries in Africa that I will be travelling through. If I get that far! The meatballs were just about edible but a welcome change from fish!

Saturday 12 May, Day 9 – Paros, Greece

Got up early, about 7.30, and freshened up before walking across the road to the beach for a swim. The water was bloody cold and I only lasted 10 minutes or so.
Did some routine maintenance on the bike and rigged up my cigarette lighter type charger. Tested out the charger for my laptop by going for a quick spin to Naoussa and it seems to be working. It does need a fuse fitting to the power line and I will try and find one later today.

I experimented with strapping fuel cans to the side of the bike using my Oxford Sports luggage straps.  This will allow me to fit 2 water containers into one of my bags. It looks ok and after the test ride there was nothing dodgy to report.

The speedo clock has come a little loose and I took off the front fairing to tighten this up.  Also, I noticed that I have an intermittent fault on the ignition wiring. If I waggle the handle bars, the ignition and neutral lights go on and off. 

Popped in to Livadia to pick up my emails late morning and found that Di from Denton Clark Rentals had sent an offer for my flat. I emailed back asking her to accept the offer. This was great news as I had been sweating a little about the cost of this trip with no income coming in.

Went back to the port to try asking about boats to Turkey again and tried a different office this time. The young Greek girl was more helpful and confirmed that I could go back to Syros and get a boat from there to Samos which is just off the Turkish coast.  I just need to confirm there is a boat from Samos to Turkey that will take the bike on board.  The cost from Paros to Samos via Syros is 50.50 Euros. This was all good news as long as there is a connection to Turkey.  The windmill on Paros is a well known meeting place for travellers around the islands.

Sunday 13 May, Day 10 – Paros, Greece

Another quiet day relaxing. It’s tough at the top! Got up for an early swim and cooked some breakfast consisting of a noodle soup with sardines. Delicious!  My larder is starting to run low and I am getting fed up of tinned sardines and mackerel, although they do seem to be keeping me healthy and I feel pretty good. I am trying to wait until I get to Turkey to re-stock as the shops on Paros seem expensive.  I still have plenty of Super Noodles left.  I have gone through quite a lot of muesli bars and will be looking to re-stock with these on the mainland, they are really useful for a quick snack when you are on the road.

A couple arrived in a blue VW Camper and I walked over to say hello. They turned out to be Paul and Linda from Petersfield in Hampshire. They had travelled down through Italy and ferried to Corfu. Then Paros via Piraeus.  They plan to hop around the islands for a while and go home through Albania and Croatia so we had a chat about the route.

I spent some time thinking about the fuel carrying arrangements and have come round to the idea that it will be best to put 2 fuel cans in each pannier, they fit quite well, and pad them out with softer stuff. This is safer than strapping them to the bike and retains the security aspect as the panniers are locked to the frame.

Watched the first half of the Man City game in Livadia but was disappointed when the locals demanded the TV be switched over to basketball at half time. There was an obnoxious Spurs fan in the bar who couldn’t put a sentence together without use of the F word. I kept my head down and didn’t speak to him. I listened to the second half of the match on my radio in the tent. Well done City! Amazing last few minutes, but that’s football.

While I was in Livadia I used the internet to do some more checking on the ferries to Turkey. It seems that Chios and Kos are the 2 best bets. Kos is my preference as it only takes 3 boats, one to Syros, one to Kos, and one to the mainland, whereas the Chios option will require one more boat.
The mosquitos are a real nuisance on the campsite and I have been bitten about a dozen times. The bites aren’t too bad and I guess this is good training for Siberia where I believe the mozzies are gigantic.   

Monday 14 May, Day 11 – Paros, Greece

After much deliberation I finally booked my ferry to Turkey via Syros and Kos.  Seemed a bit expensive at 74 Euros from Paros to Kos and I believe it is another 55 Euros from Kos to Bodrum. I booked as far as Kos using Nikos at Polos Tours at the port in Paros he phoned the port authority in Kos to check it was all possible so at least I know I won’t turn up and find I can’t get across.

Bumped into Yannis at Cactus and had a good chat about stuff. He is concerned about the future for Paros and feels some development is needed, such as an airport, to generate economic growth.  Yannis mentioned that there is a motorcycle dealer next to the Dubliner that might be able to give advice on tyres etc.

I went up to the bike shop called Moto Trust and met a great guy called Peter who was also into travelling on is BMW GS800. He had done trips to Turkey and Tunis so I was interested to talk to him about the road conditions and fuel prices in Turkey.  He told me that fuel in Turkey was more expensive than Greece.  He invited me to the Paros Moto Club meeting on Wednesday but unfortunately I will have left the island by then.  The shop had some interesting machines in, one in particular was an absolutely mint Yamaha Tenere 600.

I checked up on fuel prices using www.mytravelcost.com and found that Turkey is currently the most expensive in the world at 1.97 Euros per litre. I have around 900 miles to cover in Turkey so this is going to cost around 200 Euros. The good news is that from there on the fuel can only get cheaper. In Georgia it should be around 1.04 and in Russia 0.73.  The cheapest price I will pay with my current itinerary according to the website is 0.66 in Kazakhstan.  They currently list the UK at tenth highest with a price of 1.76 Euros per litre.

Had a couple of beers in Livadia and then had an early night with the radio. I have got into the habit of turning my sleeping bag inside out before getting in because I am sharing my tent with all kinds of creepy crawlies. It is impossible to keep them out.  

Tuesday 15 May, Day 12 – Paros, Greece

Went into Parikia and checked out the exchange rates for swapping my Sterling to Euros.  I went to 3 banks and two exchange offices and the deals ranged from 1185 to 1210 Euros for 1000 Pounds. I think it will be best to change my cash to Euros here rather than wait until I am in Turkey. I can spend the Euros in Turkey and then get some Roubles in Russia.  I have read that it can be difficult to change Sterling in Russia once you get outside the cities in the Western part of the country.  I definitely don’t want to get stuck in Siberia with no Roubles for fuel.  Once I get to Magadan I intend to use my credit card to pay for the shipping fees to Anchorage.

Rode out to the point at the harbour entrance where there is a memorial to the Empress Samina ferry disaster which claimed 80 lives on 26 September 2000. The inscription reads ‘their lives in the embrace of the waves’.

Did a little fishing but it was very windy so packed in.  The track out there is a bit rough and it was a good opportunity to play on the Tiger without the luggage on.  I still have a lot to learn about handling the bike on rough roads so I watched a couple of videos on YouTube in Livadia over a cold beer.  The experts make it look easy and I picked up a couple of tips. 

My friend Vanessa finally showed up at Cactus and we had a good chat. Unfortunately she had bad news that her brother had died recently from a heart attack.  She was pre-occupied with Sheffield United as usual and was looking forward to the play-off final on Saturday.

Had a couple of beers in Livadia and got the map of Turkey spread out to try and decide on a route. Finally gave in and decided to implement Google Ad Sense on my blog. Not sure how much revenue this will generate for the charity but it is worth a go.

8 - 10 May 2012

Tuesday 8 May, Day 5 – Croatia – Bosnia – Montenegro – Albania

On the road for about 9am and enjoyed more fantastic Croatian coast road riding. Then passed through the Bosnian coastal stretch, all 8.5 kilometres of it, and on to Dubrovnik.  The border  checks for Bosnia were cursory to say the least. A girl guard looked at my number plate and just waved me through.  On to Dubrovnik...

After Dubrovnik, the road up to the Montenegro border crossing was being re-built and was a nightmare. I nearly came to grief a couple of times and the tyres I had on really struggled. The checkpoint was a formality and there was no entry charge.

The view from the mountains back to the Montenegro ports is stunning and the riding was great.

I reached the capital Podgorica fairly late and was determined to press on to Albania. It was a shame to blast through Montenegro and I will definitely go back for a longer visit someday. Two great guys that I met at a set of traffic lights in Podgorica went out of their way to help me find the road to the Albanian border.

I had a bit of a disaster on the way to the Albanian border and was lucky not to drop the bike. The road was being re-built and some sections were very rough. At one point I had to take the luggage off, dig the bike out, ride it further on and walk back for the luggage.   
Border crossing was no problem and I finally arrived at the Albanian town of Shkoder around midnight. I wasn’t too keen on what I saw so I got a hotel for the night for 30 Euro. At least I got a good breakfast, but I can’t afford to do this very often. 

Wednesday 9 May, Day 6 – Albania – Macedonia – Greece

Had a bit of a nightmare trying to get out of Shkoder, the signs are non existant.  The town is an eye opener and the traffic laws seem to be completely random. You can see on this picture that bikes are going in both directions around the roundabout.

Headed for Tirana and passed a couple of touring cyclists on the road who I beeped and exchanged waves with.  5 mins later the bike started spluttering and came to a gradual halt. Oh s**t!  Gave her a look over but could not see anything amiss and she start up no probs.  Set off again and 5 miles down the road it happened again with a more abrupt loss of power this time.  I coasted to a halt outside a roadside restaurant and got off.  Took all the luggage off, seat and panels etc and started to have a good look at her.  She started up again no probs and I couldn’t see anything wrong so decided to press on and try to get to Tirana.  Three Albanian chaps came over and offered to help any way they could but I said I would push on.  They did say that the fuel in Albania could be dodgy and as I had just filled up I hoped this was the problem.

Then the cyclists I had waved to earlier arrived and turned out to be French lads from Bordeaux heading for Istanbul. Amazing!  We had a good chat and they wished me luck and moved on. I set off again and fingers crossed the problem has not re-occurred so it seems likely there was some c**p or water in the fuel.

I intended passing straight through Tirana but as usual got lost trying to find the road for Elbasen. I ended up in some dodgy slum areas but the people were spot on and very helpful. Eventually found the road and had some great riding through the mountains.  I stopped to buy some cherries at the top of one and had a laugh with the women on the stall who was a proper giggler.

Reached the border of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.) and crossed with no problems and no charges.  They did however ask for my insurance and the green card I had picked up in Altrincham did the trick.

The roads in Macedonia were a bit rough and concentration was needed to avoid deep pot holes. I pushed through the night and entered Greece between Bitola and Florina. A sign said 585 kilometres to Athens.  Had some really bad weather and decided to keep pushing to try and get through it.  Snatched a couple of hours kip at the side of the road and kept moving south towards Athens.

Thursday 10 May, Day 7 – Through Greece to Athens and on to Paros

A long ride down through Greece and finally arrived at Athens around midday.  Made some lunch on the side of the road outside the port gates and got myself a ticket on the 5.30 boat to Paros. Ticket was 55 Euros with the bike. I enquired about getting to Turkey from Paros but was told I would have to come back to Piraeus. Dam!