Author: ivo

Traveling the world with a GS: a GlobalSmile
By ivo

Wonder in Qazvin

There is a lot to see in the city of Qazvin so, hop, get out there. First to the Chehel Sotun Palace, which is somewhat disappointing. The palace must have been huge but was largely demolished in 1945 to make two schools and a sports building. What remained is now a museum with a lot of…

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By ivo

dusty storm

When I leave the hostel in Aqbolagh-e Humeh there is a strong wind and as soon as I have left the mountains and hills behind to go to Qazvin it even gets stormy. The sky is dark gray, not from the clouds, because there are hardly any, but from the sand. A sandstorm might be…

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By ivo

I'm in Iran!

The evening before the day I drive into Iran, I receive a message from 2 Iranians via Instagram whether they can help me with anything. One is a motorcyclist who would like to meet me if that suits the route, the other has a commercial slant as he helps travelers with the paperwork…

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By ivo

Tasting the fruits of Armenia

When I drive around the corner from the hotel in Martoumi in the morning, the road is immediately broken. And after that it doesn't get much better and the asphalt is a huge cheese hole on which I can drive max. 30 km/h. I'm holding my breath because if it's the 265 km I have to do today…

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By ivo

Windswept plateaus

Fortunately, it is faster to leave the city of Tbilisi than to enter. The landscape quickly changes into vast dry plateaus. There is a strong, fresh wind and the temperature only just reaches 20 degrees. There is a lot of dust in the air and despite the wind a lot of dust collects on the visor…

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By ivo

On the way to the city

On my way to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, I make contact with a French couple to meet. Since we both make about the same journey on the motorbike, we have been in contact several times and now that we are both in the same city we would like to meet up to see each other. They camp at…

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By ivo

Gray Georgia

When I leave the hotel in Ardahan, the sun is shining against the weather forecast. And that's a good thing, because the road to the border with Georgia is high. The highest point today is no less than 2,250 meters and that is not comparable to a mountain pass in Austria, for example. Here it is…

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By ivo

Rainbow Mountains

The guys from Bros Motorcycle in Erzurum did a great job and luckily I'm back on the road. Taking a break for a few days is nice to update my reports, but I still prefer riding my bike. For today's route I have chosen Ardahan as the end point. The last town of significance…

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By ivo

Take a break

The next day, I stop along the way just for a beautiful viewpoint signposted along my route. A restaurant under construction, with a partial glass floor overhanging a canyon. It's a bit messy and deserted and I'm the only visitor, but the view is beautiful and the coffee…

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