Touring - Istanbul - Tblissi (+Caucasus) in summer 04

so this time it's Turkey and Caucasus...

as i did Berlin-Kyjiv (Ukraine) last year i'm planning my summer-exp for this years.

so far the plan is to get of in Istanbul, avoid the tourist south, not to do an "alp d'huez" every day but see some of the inner parts of turkey, then further east through Capadokia, round Mount Ararat twords newly liberalized Georgia. Instead of taking the awfully busy road to Batumi along rainiy Black Sea and due to the remainingly unclear political situation in the southern province of Ajaria there's the option of crossing the border at Posof which means more climbing.
Do have lots of travelling exp and had former trips to former SU (not so with Turkey, but I'll get my first course in turkish till then) no breakneck-sort of a person know'in what i'm talkin about (doin' well in russian).

Impossible to do Turkey in August?

Did you had any SERIOUS trouble down there (trucks/thugs)?

Wanna join me?

till.rumohr@gmx.de

so this time it's Turkey and Caucasus...

as i did Berlin-Kyjiv (Ukraine) last year i'm planning my summer-exp for this years.

so far the plan is to get of in Istanbul, avoid the tourist south, not to do an "alp d'huez" .....Did you had any SERIOUS trouble down there (trucks/thugs)?

Wanna join me?



till.rumohr@gmx.de
I did Turkey for six weeks from Aug 1 1999 to Sept 17, 1999. This included seeing the total eclipse in a small town in the north called Kastamanou; getting rocked and rolled in the earthquake a few days later!. From Istanbul I went counterclockwise along the coast till I came to the eastern portions, where I headed up and inland so I could cross at Dogubeyazit, near Mt. Ararat,

I talk alot about it in my website. A couple guidelines: the Turks are among the friendliest people in Europe. The Mosques and Moslems are among the most tolerant: many would run to the roads' edge and shout: "one God! one God!" German is spoken throughout the country, as is English.

Now...draw a line due north from the eastern meditteranean coast to Trabzon. East of this line--the "Kurdish regions" but not just those--it becomes far more dangerous, especailly in the towns but rural areas as well. I ran into alot of hostility, from kids and not-so-small kids. Be careful of groups who want you to 'help them with their english' and are setting you up for a ripoff. You will often run into police roadblocks where they randomly check cars; get to know the folks at these roadblocks. Get a name; get a officers' rank etc and if you get into trouble on the roads later (ie. all you stuff is stolen and/or you get beat up) these are the folks to go to. They are VERY MUCH feared and odds are you will get your stuff back.

I loved Turkey, but only Pakistan (in my opinion) was more dangerous than the eastern part.
I found almost all small towns had a bike shop with mechanics who could wrok wonders.

Good luck!

roughstuff