My bike is covered in dust when I ‘ leave Göreme in the morning. When I drive out of the village with burning eyes, I hesitate to clean my lenses on the side of the road, but that has cost me a lens once and I prefer not to. Fortunately, the tears do their job and a moment later I have a clear view of the wide, empty Turkish plateaus.
And high they are, those plains, because I constantly drive between 1200 and 2200 (!) meters. That also makes the roads a little less boring because they sometimes rise and fall with large percentages. Trucks have a hard time here and sometimes crawl up.
Along the way I made contact with a motorcycle garage in Erzurum that I was already tipped off by other travelers during my preparations. Heavy motorcycles are rare here and further east it becomes increasingly difficult to get parts and tires for them. Once in Iran/Pakistan it is not possible or unaffordable so I want to start that route with a motorcycle that can withstand it again.
During my trip I have contact with a French motorcyclist who had to pay €350 for a new rear tire in Armenia last week and I want to avoid that. The garage and I agree on a price and in a few days the parts will arrive at the garage.
I decide to drive for a few days in a row so that I can stay in Erzurum for a few days to wait for the maintenance of the motorcycle.
Suddenly I see a heavy motorcycle on the side of the road. I immediately throw out the anchor and start talking to the owner. A Turk who is traveling through his own country with his mate and has a flat tire. His buddy left 6 hours ago to have the tire repaired or replaced. That already shows how difficult it is, even for Turks. I have everything with me to repair a tire but am too late to help him and continue my journey.
I sleep in a hotel that is on my route and is used by several Turkish men in transit. It is adequate in terms of amenities, but I do sleep in my own sleeping bag on the hotel bed.
This entry was posted in Azie, Turkije
