Ioana, told us that we should get in touch with her family when we got to Kutaisi and we should stay with them. We got on the way and were 6km ish from the city when the heavens opened and it would have been silly to cycle, so we sheltered for 40 mins or so until the sheets of rain stopped and it was just pouring and we made a break for it to Kutaisi.
We arrived soaked to the skin and not knowing where to go. We tentatively rang the number and spoke to Nugzar who doesn't speak very good English, and we started to worry slightly! We got a call from his brother who gave us directions to their house. Off we went, the wrong way, and the police who are always curious started driving behind us...we stopped and showed them the address of the house, to which they took the number rang it and spoke to David. They then proceeded to escort us to the house!! We had a police escort across Kutaisi!!! Three police cars, one in front, one behind and one to the side of us, and whenever we came to a junction they started shouting over the loudspeaker for the cars to stop. Timur, the other brother, had not told them about the police so I think Ioana parents were a little shocked to see them all and apparently it caused shock waves with the neighbours as they all thought they were in trouble with the law!
We got in and as ever were ushered quickly into the shower, we must really smell! I was very grateful for it though, as I was absolutely soaked. Once we were clean the family we were offered a huge meal and we had a bedroom each...it was wonderful! The family are all great, the father is a retired pilot, and the mother is an accountant in Tblisi. They have 6 children with two of the brothers living at home; Nugzar and Timur, Ioana in the Monastery, David in Tblisi, a daughter who is married and lives in Kutaisi and the oldest son was a pilot but sadly died in the Abkhazia conflict.
We were treated so kindly. The rain continued the next day so we took an enforced rest day, and the brothers took us on a tour of Kutaisi. We visited Galeti and Motsameti Monastery, both perched in the most beautiful locations in the mountains. We also saw dinosaur footprints and a wonderful cave. Being driven everywhere in the most luxurious jeep!!!
For lunch we had a Georgian feast. Xinkali, like Chinese Wanton which you have to bite and then suck out the juices, then Sashlik which is huge hunks of barbequed pork. It was great to get a taste of good Georgian food.
The afternoon was relaxed and Humphrey was subjected to game after game of backgammon with their father, and he won maybe two games out of twenty!
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Batumi to Sameba Jikheti - 92km
We set off from Batumi very late as we were trying to sort out our Azerbaijan visa. The cycling was easy, we were on the main road for a long time and have quickly learnt that Georgian drivers are crazy and there are no rules on the road, so that adds a little extra spice to the day. We turned away from the Black Sea rather unceremoniously considering we had been following it for the last three weeks! In land we met with the most idyllic rural scene and I saw my first pig since leaving home. We passed a field that was a little like animal farm, horses, cows, goats, sheep and pigs all living harmoniously together, but the pigs having a rather more stately waddle.
This area was true rural Georgia and the poverty was striking after the relative modernity of Batumi. One thing I have noticed after Turkey is that the attitude to hygiene is slightly different. We passed through very rural areas in Turkey and the loos were bad but there was always somewhere to wash your hands with soap. I stopped to go to the loo in one little village and asked for a loo and she led me through the market to an outhouse. I walked in and closed the door and I was in pitch black and was suffocated by the smell...I made the executive decision not to go and held my breathe for a polite length of time and then went out and thanked the lady for showing me to such a lovely place! I have learnt not to ask now.
We carried on cycling and time passed by quickly, so quickly we found ourselves in a bit of a pickle as to where to stay that night. Camping seemed to out of the question as there were people everywhere and there was not a hotel or guesthouse to speak of. We carried on with our eyes pealed and we saw a sign to a Monastery, the Sameba-Jikheti Monastery. We weren't sure whether it was still in use but we turned off and started climbing in the hope that we would find somewhere to camp.
The hill turned out to be enormous. Humphrey raced on to check that it was OK, and I plodded on behind until I heard some music up ahead, thinking I was near the top I left Whinnie and carried on to find a bus full of children dancing to some very loud music. They said that the monastery was still a long way off! But the teacher sent five little boys to pick my bike up and push it for me, I protested but not too much and enjoyed the freedom of walking up a hill.
They didn't go all the way up unfortunately but I managed to cycle alot of the rest. It was dusk by the time I saw Humphrey talking to one of the Sisters from the Monastery. She led us in and we said that we just wanted somewhere to camp. She gave me a headscarf and an overskirt to cover my legs and after talking to the Father said that we could stay there! The evening service was due to start but she said we should have some food and join later.
The Monastery is set on the top of a small mountain thickly covered in forest. It is a small and basic Monastery with very few buildings that we could see to start with. Ioana, the Sister, led us to the dining hall and I was taken aback by the scene, it was getting dark and the whole place is lit by candle light so the windows glow with the light inside. Through the window I could see a large group of men, perhaps 14 all eating a huge feast. I felt like I was walking in on the last supper, and lo and behold the mural behind the men was of the last supper. The nuns laid out the most beautiful feast for us as well; chicken, roast potatoes, cucumber with coriander, honey, bread, cakes and tea. It was just what we needed. Whilst we were eating a thunder storm began, it was just drizzling but the flashes of lightening were huge! It all added to the beautiful atmosphere of the Monastery. We finished our meal and it was dark outside, so my eyes took a little while to adjust, I kept seeing these little dashes of light and thought I was dizzy. On closer and longer inspection, this involved me staring into space for a long time, I realised that there were actually hundreds of fireflies everywhere. It was glorious, the lightening, the drizzle and the fireflies combined to make the most eerie atmosphere.
We went through into the service, again the Church was all lit by candles. For those that don't know Icons play a very important role in the Orthodox Church so to see the gold paintings of the Virgin Mary and Saint George lit by candle light was quite beautiful. The whole service was sung, or chanted, with one of the Nuns speaking the words of the bible in Georgian very fast. I felt very privileged to be there, the Nuns have prayers twice a day and only they attend, so it is a private service so I felt very lucky to witness it.
After the service it was straight to bed, Humphrey was in a room on his own and I shared with Ioana, the only Nun who spoke English and who was nominally in charge of us. Each of the Nuns have their own private little hut to live and hers was down a path in what felt like a secret garden. I could make out the rose bushes all along the path. She has a balcony at the back completely surrounded by trees so private and serves as her bathroom. Ioana's room was lovely and cosy, it was completely covered in icons and pictures of Fathers, and she had the most beautiful silk bed spread which she said she had found in the Monastery! She also had tucked away a computer and mobile phone, so well connected.
I had a sponge bath on the balcony outside which felt very surreal and then lights out. I thought we would go to sleep, but Ioana took the opportunity to ask alot of questions. We had a discussion long into the night about faith in the West and in Georgia and we spoke of each others faith and dreams, hers is to come to England, although her main dream is to become closer to God. It was very intense, a conversation I have never had with some one who feels so close to God themselves. It was certainly a learning experience, although it was very difficult trying to explain to her why I was travelling! All this in the pitch black with only the faint glow if lightening flashes through the window.
There were morning prayers at 0430 which are signalled by the slow funereal toll of the bells. Ioana before the bells, dressed and was out the door before I had even opened my eyes. She said don't go out because of the dog, it will bite! I lay there debating whether to get up and go, but due to my bad experiencese with dogs so far I decided to heed her advice which I am glad I did when I met Bebe a vicious little sheep dog. All the Nuns carry sticks to fend her off when she is out of her pen!
Ioana took us on a tour of the Monastery afterwards, the Father has been very industrious and three more chapels have been built and he is building a new accomodation block for the Nuns although this won't be ready for a long time.
It was then time for the Sunday service, to which people from the surrounding villages attend. I stayed for the whole 2 hour service although most didn't as it is acceptable to wander in and out as you please and there are no pews to sit on so none of the embarassment of shuffling past people. The Orthodox Church is very physical in their worshipping, they make the sign of the cross often and whenever they pass an icon it is made, they kiss the icons and they light many candles in front of all the different icons. It was fascinating to watch, especially when the Father walked around with the incense. We attended the lunch after the service with all the congregation, men and women sit separately and Humphrey had the honour of sitting opposite the Father. Another delicious meal and the food kept on coming, so delicious. One of the women spoke very good english and asked me whether I was Christian and I said yes, and then she said I think Catholic yes? I said no, Protestant. At which point there was alot of murmuring among the women and I could hear them all saying the word Protestant under their breath, I was wishing that my Grandmother had managed to convert me, it would have made it alot easier!!!
After long goodbyes, and alot of photos, the Nuns getting out their mobile phones to take photos, we left the Monastery absolutely speechless at how lucky we were to experience Georgian Orthodoxy at such close quarters.
This area was true rural Georgia and the poverty was striking after the relative modernity of Batumi. One thing I have noticed after Turkey is that the attitude to hygiene is slightly different. We passed through very rural areas in Turkey and the loos were bad but there was always somewhere to wash your hands with soap. I stopped to go to the loo in one little village and asked for a loo and she led me through the market to an outhouse. I walked in and closed the door and I was in pitch black and was suffocated by the smell...I made the executive decision not to go and held my breathe for a polite length of time and then went out and thanked the lady for showing me to such a lovely place! I have learnt not to ask now.
We carried on cycling and time passed by quickly, so quickly we found ourselves in a bit of a pickle as to where to stay that night. Camping seemed to out of the question as there were people everywhere and there was not a hotel or guesthouse to speak of. We carried on with our eyes pealed and we saw a sign to a Monastery, the Sameba-Jikheti Monastery. We weren't sure whether it was still in use but we turned off and started climbing in the hope that we would find somewhere to camp.
The hill turned out to be enormous. Humphrey raced on to check that it was OK, and I plodded on behind until I heard some music up ahead, thinking I was near the top I left Whinnie and carried on to find a bus full of children dancing to some very loud music. They said that the monastery was still a long way off! But the teacher sent five little boys to pick my bike up and push it for me, I protested but not too much and enjoyed the freedom of walking up a hill.
They didn't go all the way up unfortunately but I managed to cycle alot of the rest. It was dusk by the time I saw Humphrey talking to one of the Sisters from the Monastery. She led us in and we said that we just wanted somewhere to camp. She gave me a headscarf and an overskirt to cover my legs and after talking to the Father said that we could stay there! The evening service was due to start but she said we should have some food and join later.
The Monastery is set on the top of a small mountain thickly covered in forest. It is a small and basic Monastery with very few buildings that we could see to start with. Ioana, the Sister, led us to the dining hall and I was taken aback by the scene, it was getting dark and the whole place is lit by candle light so the windows glow with the light inside. Through the window I could see a large group of men, perhaps 14 all eating a huge feast. I felt like I was walking in on the last supper, and lo and behold the mural behind the men was of the last supper. The nuns laid out the most beautiful feast for us as well; chicken, roast potatoes, cucumber with coriander, honey, bread, cakes and tea. It was just what we needed. Whilst we were eating a thunder storm began, it was just drizzling but the flashes of lightening were huge! It all added to the beautiful atmosphere of the Monastery. We finished our meal and it was dark outside, so my eyes took a little while to adjust, I kept seeing these little dashes of light and thought I was dizzy. On closer and longer inspection, this involved me staring into space for a long time, I realised that there were actually hundreds of fireflies everywhere. It was glorious, the lightening, the drizzle and the fireflies combined to make the most eerie atmosphere.
We went through into the service, again the Church was all lit by candles. For those that don't know Icons play a very important role in the Orthodox Church so to see the gold paintings of the Virgin Mary and Saint George lit by candle light was quite beautiful. The whole service was sung, or chanted, with one of the Nuns speaking the words of the bible in Georgian very fast. I felt very privileged to be there, the Nuns have prayers twice a day and only they attend, so it is a private service so I felt very lucky to witness it.
After the service it was straight to bed, Humphrey was in a room on his own and I shared with Ioana, the only Nun who spoke English and who was nominally in charge of us. Each of the Nuns have their own private little hut to live and hers was down a path in what felt like a secret garden. I could make out the rose bushes all along the path. She has a balcony at the back completely surrounded by trees so private and serves as her bathroom. Ioana's room was lovely and cosy, it was completely covered in icons and pictures of Fathers, and she had the most beautiful silk bed spread which she said she had found in the Monastery! She also had tucked away a computer and mobile phone, so well connected.
I had a sponge bath on the balcony outside which felt very surreal and then lights out. I thought we would go to sleep, but Ioana took the opportunity to ask alot of questions. We had a discussion long into the night about faith in the West and in Georgia and we spoke of each others faith and dreams, hers is to come to England, although her main dream is to become closer to God. It was very intense, a conversation I have never had with some one who feels so close to God themselves. It was certainly a learning experience, although it was very difficult trying to explain to her why I was travelling! All this in the pitch black with only the faint glow if lightening flashes through the window.
There were morning prayers at 0430 which are signalled by the slow funereal toll of the bells. Ioana before the bells, dressed and was out the door before I had even opened my eyes. She said don't go out because of the dog, it will bite! I lay there debating whether to get up and go, but due to my bad experiencese with dogs so far I decided to heed her advice which I am glad I did when I met Bebe a vicious little sheep dog. All the Nuns carry sticks to fend her off when she is out of her pen!
Ioana took us on a tour of the Monastery afterwards, the Father has been very industrious and three more chapels have been built and he is building a new accomodation block for the Nuns although this won't be ready for a long time.
It was then time for the Sunday service, to which people from the surrounding villages attend. I stayed for the whole 2 hour service although most didn't as it is acceptable to wander in and out as you please and there are no pews to sit on so none of the embarassment of shuffling past people. The Orthodox Church is very physical in their worshipping, they make the sign of the cross often and whenever they pass an icon it is made, they kiss the icons and they light many candles in front of all the different icons. It was fascinating to watch, especially when the Father walked around with the incense. We attended the lunch after the service with all the congregation, men and women sit separately and Humphrey had the honour of sitting opposite the Father. Another delicious meal and the food kept on coming, so delicious. One of the women spoke very good english and asked me whether I was Christian and I said yes, and then she said I think Catholic yes? I said no, Protestant. At which point there was alot of murmuring among the women and I could hear them all saying the word Protestant under their breath, I was wishing that my Grandmother had managed to convert me, it would have made it alot easier!!!
After long goodbyes, and alot of photos, the Nuns getting out their mobile phones to take photos, we left the Monastery absolutely speechless at how lucky we were to experience Georgian Orthodoxy at such close quarters.
Cayeli to Batumi - 110km
We were on the road by ten and made very good time to Hopa, the last major town in Turkey. This had been our stop for the night, but we decided to push on to the border and try and cross it that night. The border crossing was extraordinary, as we approached the language, money, people all get a little hazy and mixed and things become alot grottier. We cycled past a long, long line of lorries all waiting to cross, and I felt quite smug to be feeling the wind in my hair (through my helmet) as I whizzed past them.
We arrived at the first border post amid a mass of confusion which I now think is a permanent feature although we were a little surprised. We then found ourselves in the middle of a quite few angry words and gestures being passed between a truck and a car driver over a what seemed like a tiny scratch on the truck, punches were thrown and an Eastenders type brawl ensued, during which we slipped past to the last point in Turkey and into no man's land. We made it to what looked like the place to get stamped into Georgia, but it was a complete free for all, there were no signs or white lines to stand behind while you wait for the person in front. I was cheek by jowel with a fat sweaty Turk and a toothless Georgian, with only Whinnie for protection.
We made it though and as we cycled off into Georgia we looked back and saw the last mosque clinging to the side of the mountains, and then Georgia stating it's faith also with a massive Cross perched on the side of the road for no apparent reason! We raced to Batumi as it was getting dark, and found the grottiest, cockroach infested place to stay there. The chap seemed quite shocked that we both wanted showers after a day cycling and he reached for his screw driver and started poking around in the shower. He couldn't get it to work, so he sent us to another room. It was an electric shower and the worrying thing was that when you turned it on, the overhead light dimmed, I kept my flipflops on in the shower!
Batumi is a crazy place to arrive in after Turkey. I hadn't realised how accustomed to the conservatism I had got, and it was a shock to see men and women kissing in the streets and the women wearing very skimpy clothes, but it was also a welcome relief! Batumi is in the middle of a massive regeneration and they seem to be doing it all at once, so one whole area is a building site but you can still walk around it using planks of wood as bridges no health and safety here. There is a huge boulevard on the sea front and the most prominent feature is the dancing fountains. There is a huge fountain lit up and loud speakers pump out varying types of music to which the fountains dance, we were treated to a little bit of Carmen and then Chicago on our first night.
We had a rest day and the highlight was eating my supper in front of the fountains, it was music from Fantasia that evening! I also tried my first Khachapuri that day, a calory injection, it is bread stuffed with cheese, topped with a runny egg and in case your arteries are still alive, they load a massive knob of butter on top just to finish them off. I had two, one for supper and one for breakfast the next morning.
We arrived at the first border post amid a mass of confusion which I now think is a permanent feature although we were a little surprised. We then found ourselves in the middle of a quite few angry words and gestures being passed between a truck and a car driver over a what seemed like a tiny scratch on the truck, punches were thrown and an Eastenders type brawl ensued, during which we slipped past to the last point in Turkey and into no man's land. We made it to what looked like the place to get stamped into Georgia, but it was a complete free for all, there were no signs or white lines to stand behind while you wait for the person in front. I was cheek by jowel with a fat sweaty Turk and a toothless Georgian, with only Whinnie for protection.
We made it though and as we cycled off into Georgia we looked back and saw the last mosque clinging to the side of the mountains, and then Georgia stating it's faith also with a massive Cross perched on the side of the road for no apparent reason! We raced to Batumi as it was getting dark, and found the grottiest, cockroach infested place to stay there. The chap seemed quite shocked that we both wanted showers after a day cycling and he reached for his screw driver and started poking around in the shower. He couldn't get it to work, so he sent us to another room. It was an electric shower and the worrying thing was that when you turned it on, the overhead light dimmed, I kept my flipflops on in the shower!
Batumi is a crazy place to arrive in after Turkey. I hadn't realised how accustomed to the conservatism I had got, and it was a shock to see men and women kissing in the streets and the women wearing very skimpy clothes, but it was also a welcome relief! Batumi is in the middle of a massive regeneration and they seem to be doing it all at once, so one whole area is a building site but you can still walk around it using planks of wood as bridges no health and safety here. There is a huge boulevard on the sea front and the most prominent feature is the dancing fountains. There is a huge fountain lit up and loud speakers pump out varying types of music to which the fountains dance, we were treated to a little bit of Carmen and then Chicago on our first night.
We had a rest day and the highlight was eating my supper in front of the fountains, it was music from Fantasia that evening! I also tried my first Khachapuri that day, a calory injection, it is bread stuffed with cheese, topped with a runny egg and in case your arteries are still alive, they load a massive knob of butter on top just to finish them off. I had two, one for supper and one for breakfast the next morning.
Trabzon to Cayeli - 100km
I had another wonderful breakfast, Humphrey went for an egg mcmuffin and MaccyD's! We set off, with regret, at 0930, we were both sad to be leaving the hostel. Our target for that day had been Rize , amazingly the kilometres seemed to fly by and we arrived there at 1430, 75km in five hours! We set off to find somewhere to stay but we both took an instant dislike to the place, I think it may have been the constant calls of 'where are you from', 'what is my name?' (I don't know, what is your name?!!) from little children on bikes. We eventually decided to push on to the next town and made it to Cayeli, we had decided to camp that evening to try and make the remains of our Turkish lira last until we got to Georgia. Humphrey got another puncture just outside Cayeli, so we limped into town. We had been told to ask the Jandarma about a suitable place to camp, which we did with no result, so I left Humphrey reparing his broken bike on the side of the road to try and ask the police. They also had no idea but suggested we go and ask the local hotel if they had space in their garden...I pedalled off as fast as my little legs could carry me, the sun was due to set soon so we needed to find somewhere. I arrived at the smartest hotel we had seen so far on the trip, and I tried to make myself look a little more respectable, but the oil stain on my t-shirt was not coming off and my hair had a serious helmet problem. I went in and tried to explain the situation, when they finally understood they took me round to the scrubland at the back of the hotel out of view of the hotel windows and just underneath the main road...at least it was private and if we put on our best togs we might be able to use the loo!
I raced off to get Humphrey, who had attracted a crowd of little girls and boys. We went back to the hotel and the chap rushed out and said 'no camping, the ground is very bad'!!! My face fell, but then he said, 'but you can stay in the hotel...for free'!!! Woohoo, we were a little cautious as we had been bitten before by this free hotel offer befor, but this seemed a little more genuine. He led us up and showed us into the little room with twin beds and an ensuite shower! It was luxury...when he closed the door we both did a little dance of joy, and then went to watch the sunset from the roof, as I think our rooms were the servants quarters so in the attic! What a stroke of luck, but it got even better, the man came up again and told us to come down and help ourselves to the buffet supper!
At supper we met another cyclist who was coming to the end of his tour of Armenia and Georgia. John was an absolute wealth of knowledge, he had literally toured the world and was now tackling those forgotten corners like the Caucasus. We chatted to him all evening whilst stuffing our faces with the most delicious food we had had so far in Turkey, it is not known for its fine cuisine.
I raced off to get Humphrey, who had attracted a crowd of little girls and boys. We went back to the hotel and the chap rushed out and said 'no camping, the ground is very bad'!!! My face fell, but then he said, 'but you can stay in the hotel...for free'!!! Woohoo, we were a little cautious as we had been bitten before by this free hotel offer befor, but this seemed a little more genuine. He led us up and showed us into the little room with twin beds and an ensuite shower! It was luxury...when he closed the door we both did a little dance of joy, and then went to watch the sunset from the roof, as I think our rooms were the servants quarters so in the attic! What a stroke of luck, but it got even better, the man came up again and told us to come down and help ourselves to the buffet supper!
At supper we met another cyclist who was coming to the end of his tour of Armenia and Georgia. John was an absolute wealth of knowledge, he had literally toured the world and was now tackling those forgotten corners like the Caucasus. We chatted to him all evening whilst stuffing our faces with the most delicious food we had had so far in Turkey, it is not known for its fine cuisine.
Gerze to Trabzon cont...
I continue my tale, sorry this has taken so long to put up!
The next day was just cycling, we were both eager to put in some miles to get closer to the Georgian border. The most exciting thing of the day was the 4km long tunnel that we had to go through. This is not something I would suggest doing on a bicycle. Thankfully there was some semblance of a raised hard shoulder so we were able to cycle along there. I am not sure whether this was safer or not. My balance seems to suddenly disappear under pressure and I spend all my time concentrating on pointing Whinny in a straight line and end up travelling at walking pace. When I emerged from the tunnel I realised that my hands had been gripping the handle bars so hard I could barely hold my water bottle!
We also bumped into some French cycle tourers who are also heading for Georgia, Pierre and Janie. The first we have met on the trip. It was great chatting to them and you get into the inevitable comparison of kit, each inspecting each others bikes...circling them like vultures seeing who has made the best choice. I of course have no idea what I have chosen and why but I manage to make out that I know what I am talking about. We made it to Giresun that evening, 110km.
The next day our bodies seemed to shut down, we were both exhausted. It took us even longer to get out of bed and mount our bikes, using any excuse to delay the inevitable. Eventually we set off at 1130 and we crawled our way to Besikduzu, only 85km down the road. Arriving late due to the late start and frequent ice cream and cay (tea) stops. We found a beach to camp on for the night, a sort of Blackpool pleasure beach that had not opened for the season yet. We made it in time to watch the most wonderful sunset over the Black Sea, and who did we find there, our new French friends! We had a lovely evening chatting about routes, visas, bikes and the Turkish culture which we all found highly amusing! They also told us we had travelled along The Black Sea Coast route. It is infamous for the hills and the emotional trauma it inflicts on people! I am not sure the latter is true but it makes me feel better. That evening I received my first call from home, which was great! I managed to speak to most of the family; Jenny, Mae, Mum, Alex and Anna. I hadn't realised how much I missed home until I got the call, it was so great chatting to them all. The Frenchies find it hilarious how many phones and 'stuff' we have!
The next morning we woke early and had a very civilised breakfast of bread and nutella and Lapsang tea, the best of France and Britain. We then cycled with them to Trabzon, it was the first time I had cycled with other cyclists and it was great, we chatted the whole way, talking about whether Turkey will make it to the EU! Janie and I were pushing ahead when we noticed that the boys weren't following. Humphrey had got a puncture...of course the kit sprawled everywhere and the bike being taken apart drew a crowd from what seemed like nowhere. 8 chaps all watching and offering advice, much to the annoyance of Humphrey...We pushed on to Trabzon, 52km, where we were going to have a rest day, which was much needed as we were both exhausted. Lunch in the park with the Frenchies and then goodbyes until we meet again in Georgia perhaps.
The guidebook was not particularly helpful with accomodation in Trabzon, saying the cheaper options were also known to be brothels, in which the local 'Natashas' are kept, the name given to them as they mainly come from ex-Soviet reps! Further down the list, however, we found a little gem, Sancta Maria, a Catholic Church tucked away on a steep hill in the centre of the city which has a sort of hostel attached. It was like a little Christian Haven, an oasis in the Islamic desert! It is difficult to describe how many mosques there are in Turkey, there is one maybe every 150-200m along the road, and the effect this has when the call to prayer rings out five times a day for ten minutes. It is like they are all competing to be the loudest and at 0330 this is a little trying. It was a great place to stay, and the best bit was there was a kitchen so I could prepare myself a feast of a breakfast which was a welcome relief from the savoury pastry I begrudgingly have every morning.
On our rest day we made it to Sumela Monastery, clinging to the side of a cliff face this stands at about 1500m above sea level and from most of the windows there is a sheer drop down the valley below. The bus journey back made me thankful that I travel by bike most of the time, as I got a severe case of car sickness!
The next day was just cycling, we were both eager to put in some miles to get closer to the Georgian border. The most exciting thing of the day was the 4km long tunnel that we had to go through. This is not something I would suggest doing on a bicycle. Thankfully there was some semblance of a raised hard shoulder so we were able to cycle along there. I am not sure whether this was safer or not. My balance seems to suddenly disappear under pressure and I spend all my time concentrating on pointing Whinny in a straight line and end up travelling at walking pace. When I emerged from the tunnel I realised that my hands had been gripping the handle bars so hard I could barely hold my water bottle!
We also bumped into some French cycle tourers who are also heading for Georgia, Pierre and Janie. The first we have met on the trip. It was great chatting to them and you get into the inevitable comparison of kit, each inspecting each others bikes...circling them like vultures seeing who has made the best choice. I of course have no idea what I have chosen and why but I manage to make out that I know what I am talking about. We made it to Giresun that evening, 110km.
The next day our bodies seemed to shut down, we were both exhausted. It took us even longer to get out of bed and mount our bikes, using any excuse to delay the inevitable. Eventually we set off at 1130 and we crawled our way to Besikduzu, only 85km down the road. Arriving late due to the late start and frequent ice cream and cay (tea) stops. We found a beach to camp on for the night, a sort of Blackpool pleasure beach that had not opened for the season yet. We made it in time to watch the most wonderful sunset over the Black Sea, and who did we find there, our new French friends! We had a lovely evening chatting about routes, visas, bikes and the Turkish culture which we all found highly amusing! They also told us we had travelled along The Black Sea Coast route. It is infamous for the hills and the emotional trauma it inflicts on people! I am not sure the latter is true but it makes me feel better. That evening I received my first call from home, which was great! I managed to speak to most of the family; Jenny, Mae, Mum, Alex and Anna. I hadn't realised how much I missed home until I got the call, it was so great chatting to them all. The Frenchies find it hilarious how many phones and 'stuff' we have!
The next morning we woke early and had a very civilised breakfast of bread and nutella and Lapsang tea, the best of France and Britain. We then cycled with them to Trabzon, it was the first time I had cycled with other cyclists and it was great, we chatted the whole way, talking about whether Turkey will make it to the EU! Janie and I were pushing ahead when we noticed that the boys weren't following. Humphrey had got a puncture...of course the kit sprawled everywhere and the bike being taken apart drew a crowd from what seemed like nowhere. 8 chaps all watching and offering advice, much to the annoyance of Humphrey...We pushed on to Trabzon, 52km, where we were going to have a rest day, which was much needed as we were both exhausted. Lunch in the park with the Frenchies and then goodbyes until we meet again in Georgia perhaps.
The guidebook was not particularly helpful with accomodation in Trabzon, saying the cheaper options were also known to be brothels, in which the local 'Natashas' are kept, the name given to them as they mainly come from ex-Soviet reps! Further down the list, however, we found a little gem, Sancta Maria, a Catholic Church tucked away on a steep hill in the centre of the city which has a sort of hostel attached. It was like a little Christian Haven, an oasis in the Islamic desert! It is difficult to describe how many mosques there are in Turkey, there is one maybe every 150-200m along the road, and the effect this has when the call to prayer rings out five times a day for ten minutes. It is like they are all competing to be the loudest and at 0330 this is a little trying. It was a great place to stay, and the best bit was there was a kitchen so I could prepare myself a feast of a breakfast which was a welcome relief from the savoury pastry I begrudgingly have every morning.
On our rest day we made it to Sumela Monastery, clinging to the side of a cliff face this stands at about 1500m above sea level and from most of the windows there is a sheer drop down the valley below. The bus journey back made me thankful that I travel by bike most of the time, as I got a severe case of car sickness!
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Gerze to Trabzon 467 km (not all in one day!)
The hotel was not for free, they made us pay!! We were incredulous, but in true British style did not complain...I guess we have been very lucky so far and it certainly didn't break the bank despite the luxury. The day perked up later, though, when the road became flat and it has been ever since!!! All my dreams have come true!
Once the morning of hills from Gerze were over, we flew to a little place called Derekoy we were doing 26km/h on the flat it felt amazing. In the morning I didn't think we would make it past 80km...and we did 100km that day.
It was dusk when we finally reached a reasonable place to camp, on the beach. We set up camp and had supper, Humphrey was settled in his sleeping bag and I was on the phone, when I saw a dog. Panic struck I rushed back to the tent, the dog by then interested and heading in our direction, I brandished my rolling pin and tried to make myself as big as possible! Thankfully the dog was a friendly one and brought with him his owner, Hamit, who happened to speak great English...What a turn up for the books. Hamit is a true eccentric, we exchanged numbers and as we were ringing his it started playing lovely classical music, he said that most of the time he doesn't answer his phone because he likes listening to the music too much!! We chatted to him for a long time and then he invited us for breakfast the next morning.
We woke early, 0615, and Hamit came and took us to his home. A place with a view of the sea and very strangely an array of ancient pottery on the balcony, all dating back to Byzantine, Roman or Greek times and all registered with the government! Breakfast was wonderful, he knows his food. Two types of honey one of which was honey comb, beautiful strawberry jam, three cheeses, and the most delicious halva I have tasted. Every bit had a story or was locally produced. There was also brown bread on the table, the first time I had seen it in Turkey and a real luxury. Hamit seems to know everyone and he spent alot of time trying to get in touch with some local press friends of his. We set off not really thinking much of it and continued to enjoy the flat road.
We were just outside Samsun, the next big city when Hamit called and said someone was coming to meet us. A very bizarre few minutes flashed past as we were asked alot of questions about why we were doing the trip and then asked to pose for photos, (these will follow shortly). There are not very representative as we are cycling side by side and we both have huge grins on our faces!
After our brief media interlude we realised we still had a long way to go to our next stop so we put our heads down and cycled to Unye, making it a 120km day. Both very tired and hungry we ate and then went to bed.
It's bed for me now. We are in Trabzon at the moment on a rest day and we are two days from Georgia, we are both looking forward to a change. I will update more later...
Once the morning of hills from Gerze were over, we flew to a little place called Derekoy we were doing 26km/h on the flat it felt amazing. In the morning I didn't think we would make it past 80km...and we did 100km that day.
It was dusk when we finally reached a reasonable place to camp, on the beach. We set up camp and had supper, Humphrey was settled in his sleeping bag and I was on the phone, when I saw a dog. Panic struck I rushed back to the tent, the dog by then interested and heading in our direction, I brandished my rolling pin and tried to make myself as big as possible! Thankfully the dog was a friendly one and brought with him his owner, Hamit, who happened to speak great English...What a turn up for the books. Hamit is a true eccentric, we exchanged numbers and as we were ringing his it started playing lovely classical music, he said that most of the time he doesn't answer his phone because he likes listening to the music too much!! We chatted to him for a long time and then he invited us for breakfast the next morning.
We woke early, 0615, and Hamit came and took us to his home. A place with a view of the sea and very strangely an array of ancient pottery on the balcony, all dating back to Byzantine, Roman or Greek times and all registered with the government! Breakfast was wonderful, he knows his food. Two types of honey one of which was honey comb, beautiful strawberry jam, three cheeses, and the most delicious halva I have tasted. Every bit had a story or was locally produced. There was also brown bread on the table, the first time I had seen it in Turkey and a real luxury. Hamit seems to know everyone and he spent alot of time trying to get in touch with some local press friends of his. We set off not really thinking much of it and continued to enjoy the flat road.
We were just outside Samsun, the next big city when Hamit called and said someone was coming to meet us. A very bizarre few minutes flashed past as we were asked alot of questions about why we were doing the trip and then asked to pose for photos, (these will follow shortly). There are not very representative as we are cycling side by side and we both have huge grins on our faces!
After our brief media interlude we realised we still had a long way to go to our next stop so we put our heads down and cycled to Unye, making it a 120km day. Both very tired and hungry we ate and then went to bed.
It's bed for me now. We are in Trabzon at the moment on a rest day and we are two days from Georgia, we are both looking forward to a change. I will update more later...
Sinop to Gerze 40km
Again a late start, I think we need to get a little more militant about our morning routine, the snooze button is used far too often. It was a short day today because we were only trying to get to the hotel stop. If you remember from previous posts, a man in Zonguldak gave us details for a hotel in Gerze. The journey there was much better, the hills are mere slopes in comparison to before and I have started to enjoy the process of travelling by bike, I even look up now when I am travelling up the hills rather than down at my legs willing them to keep going.
We stopped on the way at one of the many roadside cay houses for some supplies and an icecream. Tea was offered and as always it goes straight through me and I needed the loo, the loo I went to has never seen a loo brush and the stench was something else, I tried to hold my breathe for the whole procedure...I came out gulping for breathe and the chap, obviously knowing that his toilet gives the nose a pounding, gave me the sweetest smelling rose I have ever smelled.
We arrived at the hotel and it was pure luxury, an evening of backgammon, Al Jazeera tv and gazing at a thunderstorm over the Black Sea followed.
We stopped on the way at one of the many roadside cay houses for some supplies and an icecream. Tea was offered and as always it goes straight through me and I needed the loo, the loo I went to has never seen a loo brush and the stench was something else, I tried to hold my breathe for the whole procedure...I came out gulping for breathe and the chap, obviously knowing that his toilet gives the nose a pounding, gave me the sweetest smelling rose I have ever smelled.
We arrived at the hotel and it was pure luxury, an evening of backgammon, Al Jazeera tv and gazing at a thunderstorm over the Black Sea followed.
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