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After we left Goreme we were hitting to Nemrut Dagi but before that we found out that driving smaller roads give us more fun. What we didn't knew was that in Numrak the road changed in a unpaved road straight trough the mountains. Lucky we; Barbara and Martin have much more experience driving mountains and unpaved roads then we. It was a road for 50 km. complete with our first river crossing. It was not a deep one (knee high) but still 30 meters wide. It was great fun to take the luggage to the other side. The stream tried to take us down but we managed, than the motorbikes Martin told us how we have to handle. He put the machine in the first gear and with using the clutch and the front break and walked beside the running machine. Barbara walked behind him on the opposite. The stones and holes give it a second try to get them down, but they succeed and the first bike was across. Tree to go.
Martin and Barbara did also the second bike, and off course nothing happens. Now it was time for us to get our bikes across. Leon did the handling and Jolanda was beside and together we where a real team, all off the bikes across. This till great amusement off the locals, the old man had the time of his life, he was carrying a picture from a English girl and himself he also helped trough the mountains we all have to see the picture and the smile on his face he was so proud. The man,72 years old, climbed in a tree to get us apples, so you will understand we had a great time. Naturally we had to takes pictures and we have to send them to the family.
The next challenge was a crossing over a very little stream just 100meters away the wide off the stream was only a 3 meters, but the gravel road uphill makes the driving to it unsettled. Over the crossing where only tree small beams of concrete. Barbara and Martin stands beside to give any help if necessary, Jolanda did the first try and because of the big stones she and the bike where very out of balance it was a real risky business to do but she managed very well. Leon was next and because he was seeing Jolanda he stopped just before the stream found back the balance and went over it. The Swiss couple also made it, but later when we talked about it, we also have to do this by foot.
The Turkish road workers where so friendly to put new asphalt on the last track of this trip so we and the bikes looked very awful. The moment we arrived to the campsite Leon didn't get his shoe from the step and fall down with the bike and he was pissed off. We had to clean the bikes, put up the tent so maybe you can imaging how we felt. Specially Leon had a bad day: he was tired, hungry and last but not least he felt down from the stairs and gets a bad wound under his feet.
21 sept. we arrived at Nemrut Dagi.
Nemrut Dagi is a mountain in Nemrut milli park nearby the place Kahta. The summit was performed hen a megalomaniac pre Roman local king cut two ledges in the rock, filled them with colossal statues of himself and the gods ("his relatives)", then ordered an artificial mountain peak of crushed rock 50m high to be piled between them. The king tomb and those of tree female relatives may well lie beneath those tons of rock. Nobody knows for sure. The area just before the mountain is stunning. We found a really cheap campsite just 10 km under the top of the mountain.
The road to the top was a mixture of Flemish brick and small gravel so, kind of slippery. Martin and Leon went to the top to check out the road. It was dangerous but still able to drive, we get the information we want and went back to pickup the girls, they where so nice to build up the tent in the mean time. With four of us we drove to the top to see the sunset. Jolanda don't want to drive such a road in the dark en Martin was so friendly to take her behind of the bike!
The sunset was nice to see, we took some pictures with the blowing wind around us; it was quit cold on top of the mountain. In just 15 min it was dark so we have to go down the slippery road. The next morning we wake up round 5.00 to go back to the top again for the sunrise what we didn't know that there was still a climb to make from 15 min al the way to the top and tree of us are smokers so we had a good time. On top it was worth the money, a miracles place to be. We took many pictures from the statues, the fowling down heads and the view to the other mountains. (the pictures you see on the photo page comes from the internet and will be replaced if we have our own)
23 September The kilometer counter has past the 4000 km. One month on the road. Now the feeling of traveling has become for real.
24 sep. we drove to Sanli Urfa
Better know as Urfa, should also be a good place to spend a few days but we didn't agree at all. It started to find a hotel. Barbara and Leon went for the search and Jolanda and Martin stayed with the bikes near a petrol station. Leon found a cheap but good hotel Barbara was really busy to get rid of the thatching street boys and it was hard working! Later I found out Jolanda has the same job by the petrol station and send a boy away this till annoys of a older man. Boys are almost holy in this country. The hotel was all right and the bikes could park on the local parking place down under.
We asked for the price and the boy told us in Turkish $1,- for four bikes 24 hours. So we agreed and parked the bikes, then he started to argue about the price it was not $1,- for four bikes but $1,- for one bike. He offered us a garage and the same thing started al over again. Martin went with the manager of the hotel to other parking place and with the manager at the scene everything was all right he wrote the price down but without the manager trouble started again . The whole thing took us more than one hour but finally we found a solution. We have since that time a new word in our slang dictionary: Urfaans, that means: swindle or rip-off!
In the hotel there was some redecoration going on the old floor-covering was outside so we put some cardboard on the floor, the redecoration is fun to see they do some painting to the wall and the windows but also to the glass and the outlets on the wall. The rooms on the other side of the hotel where ready to get some new windows and some bricks has to be set. But before bricklayers can start there jobs the old floor-covering came back to the rooms. Martin and Barbara went to a other restaurant than we did and Martin get poisoned from bad water and felt sick afterwards. Stomach pain, throw up, diarrhea and fever was the result. The bazaar and the internet café across kept us in the city.
Hassan key
Not in one travel book something written about Hassan key, we heard from Martin that this was a real nice place to visit. Hassan key lays on a mountain near the river. The locals offered us a sleeping place in the river on some wooden terraces but afraid of the mosquitoes, we prefer to sleep in the tent. In front we could see the river and in the back a huge mountain looked as been cut off with a ax. In the cut of mountain we saw still traces off habitation. From the ancient time. It was a real peaceful place we cooked some vegetarian macaroni and eat it in the dark.
Martin still felt ill and he has to go to the bathroom quit often. The next morning police arrived at the scene. They told us to move on, it was not allowed to camp over here, nobody knows why. Martin and Barbara want to go to Batman anyway but Jolanda and Leon wanted to stay another day to visit some places, this was allowed by the police and we also had to go. This was also the last year off checking the place out because next year no more Hassan key. The government has decide that this place has to be flowed with water for electrical use. To bad for us but more for the people who as lived here maybe for ages.
In Batman we split from the Swiss couple we had a very good time together but we don't want to stay in a big place so close to Hassan key we went to Tatvan a place on the lake Van. It was a short trip only 200km. From here we can decide what to do, we can go to Ani a place close to the border of Tetchenie .
Tatvan is a good place to be, no tourist, a cheap internet cafe and we could do some work on the bikes. The boxes on left side of the bikes where to close to the axle of the rear wheel so Leon went to a woodworking place to get a peace of wood for extra distance. Tatvan was during the night really cold and we have to put the motor jackets over the sleeping bags. We found out that Ani much more colder was than Tatvan so we skipped it and went from Tatvan to Dogubayazit.
Dogubayazit is really Kurdistan and close to the Iranian border only 30km to drive. As we where looking for a hotel a man approached us and told us the campsite with rooms in the mountains. It should be cheap so let's check it out. The campsite (camping Murat) had still some rooms left and for only $1,5 we had a room. We send a e-mail to Barbara and Martin if they want to join us to cross the border, and they did. On the campsite we met other travelers to do the same route also motor bikers, a few 4x4 drive cars and some guys with a camper. We celebrate the last evening with a few drinks and the next morning we took the border Turkey Iran, but more off this in the next page.