We have been in Tblisi for two days and have been treated like Kings. We called David when we arrived and arranged to meet with him the following day. He, like his brothers, took us on a tour of the monasteries of the city.
We first headed out to Mtskheta Monastery which we had cycled past on the way in to town. It was another beautiful building with magnificent fresco all around. Then on to Jvari a little monastery perched on the top of the hill opposite Mtskheta, David doesn't know his way around these parts and I think we missed a turning to the Monastery. Instead of taking a more circuitous route to get there, he decided to reverse for a kilometre and a half up the slip road to get there. You could cut the silence in the car with a knife, Humphrey nor I wanted to speak for fear of distracting David and I think Humphrey had his eyes closed for the whole manoeuvre! The monastery was more basic than the others, no paintings but still with icons everywhere.
I forgot to mention that I had put all my washing in the night before and it wasn't ready in time for our little excursion. So I only had shorts and a shirt to wear. Entering a church here women have to cover their hair loosely with a scarf and they should be wearing a skirt not trousers and certainly not shorts. As all my respectable church going clothes were in the wash, I brought my towel along and was wrapping that around myself whenever there was a need, and also to cover my hair as my scarf was also in the wash I had to put on my rain coat and put the hood up. I cut a rather fine figure!
Then it was onto the fortress above Tblisi that awarded us extraodinary views across the city, even if the health and safety of the place left alot to be desired, I was teetering up some very steep and narrow stairs, wrapped in my towel!
Chinese for lunch a welcome relief from 'local' food, it felt like home! Here we met some friends of David who are from Belorus. They were telling us about Baku and Azerbaijan, and how horrible it is compared to Georgia so we are looking forward to it! They were also giving me tips on what to wear in Azerbiajan. The main thing I took away with me that in Muslim countries women should under no circumstances wear red. Now this poses a little problem for me, I like the colour red, so much so that I have a pair of pillar box red trousers which I use for 'smart' occasions, I have a bright red mac for when it rains. More difficult to overcome is that I have red bags on my bike all four of them are bright red! I am a cycling sex taunt according to them...we shall see how I am recieved over there, but I will be wearing my mac inside out....
The evening was spent outside Tblisi by a little swimming lake drinking fruit cocktails and tea!
The following day Humphrey was feeling a little ill so I went with Sofa and David on a shopping trip to find me some cycling trousers and a smart pair of trus to replace my red ones! We then went for coffee with alot more Belorussians and then walked to a lovely cafe called Cafe PurPur. Very bohemian and arty with the most amazing loos, it was like going into a French renaissance dressing room.
In the evening I went out with them all to Buffalo Bills, as you can imagine from the name this was an American themed pub. There was a huge group of Belorussians most on holiday from Baku and they were all very drunk. The live band started and within minutes they were all dancing on the tables and singing along, the only thing to do was to join in. The band were great but they had one member who stood out as being unique. The drummer, bass player and guitarist were cool, 'down with the kids' guys, bearded, long hair, good looking. Then there was the lead guitarist. A balding, dark haired, middle aged guy, wearing a stripy short sleeved shirt with the buttons open to the top of his rather generous belly which hung over his light blue tight jeans. To adorn the hairy chest he was wearing quite a few pendants that hung down amongst the sweaty hair. His solos were gratuitous, egocentric, love fests. His leg propped up on the nearest chair, in an almost crutch splitting lunge, eyes closed, head rocking back and forth to the music, sweat dripping from his brow...you could almost see the thought bubble above his head imagining he was Jimi Hendrix. Then his piece de resistance, he lifted his guitar to his face and proceeded to play the guitar with his tongue, or that's what he wanted us to think. I felt violated looking at him...it was horrendous, and I don't think any of the others shared my opinion! It was definitely an experience...
Tblisi has been great, we have been truly entertained by everyone here it's been amazing...I have made some good friends and hope to see them in London. We are constantly watching the news and wondering what our next move will be, at the moment it looks like we may have to skip Iran and head across the water to Kazakhstan, but it is all subject to change.
I ahve uploaded some pictures. It takes so long to upload them on to here so the link below should take you to the album I have put on facebook, even if you are not a member. I will be adding some more when I get hold of Humphrey's pics.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2321032&id=61201566&l=5bd6dc3c08
Monday, 22 June 2009
Gori to Tblisi - 88km
We got to Tblisi in good time the road was fast and the wind was kind and I think was helping us along.
As we got deeper into the city we got a real taste of Georgian drivers and the lack of rules of the road here. I found my time in Amsterdam dodging traffic and people came in useful here, the trick is to be bold and behave like a car, if you take up as much space as a car then they have no choice but to go round you all be it very closely. They have no qualms about driving the wrong way up a street, speeding at pedestrians to get them to move out of the way, speeding in general, they take no notice of the lines on the road. The one thing I will give them is that they stop, begrudgingly, for red lights, a rare chance for pedestrians to run across the street. In every car they have an icon or cross, so I suppose they think that God is on their side!
We made it to Dodo's guest house, we pushed our bikes through into a little courtyard I checked that there was hot water and a toilet and we were in luxury and could relax. It was great to meet some other travellers, people who had been to Iran and Central Asia who could give us advice and places to go. We spent a lovely evening with a Dutch girl Lotte who took us round the city before she caught her plane at 0300.
As we got deeper into the city we got a real taste of Georgian drivers and the lack of rules of the road here. I found my time in Amsterdam dodging traffic and people came in useful here, the trick is to be bold and behave like a car, if you take up as much space as a car then they have no choice but to go round you all be it very closely. They have no qualms about driving the wrong way up a street, speeding at pedestrians to get them to move out of the way, speeding in general, they take no notice of the lines on the road. The one thing I will give them is that they stop, begrudgingly, for red lights, a rare chance for pedestrians to run across the street. In every car they have an icon or cross, so I suppose they think that God is on their side!
We made it to Dodo's guest house, we pushed our bikes through into a little courtyard I checked that there was hot water and a toilet and we were in luxury and could relax. It was great to meet some other travellers, people who had been to Iran and Central Asia who could give us advice and places to go. We spent a lovely evening with a Dutch girl Lotte who took us round the city before she caught her plane at 0300.
Khashuri to Gori - 42km
We made it to Gori where our main objective was to find the Stalin museum on Stalin Avenue!!
It is a very grandiose building, and as soon as you walk through the door it has an eerie feeling and Stalin is everywhere, watching you. We got a guide as part of the ticket price, and she took us up the red carpeted stares into the first of four great halls filled with Stalin memorabilia. She spoke as if reading a script with almost no expression on her face. She told us of how Iosef Stalin was sent to Siberian jail 6 times and escaped 6 times, our great leader!! And then went through his whole life until his death, with no mention of any of the atrocities. There was a whole section on the industrial progress and it was filled with Soviet propoganda pictures; happy, smiling faces!
There were many pictures and the various conferences during the war, with Churchill and Roosevelt...and countless pictures of him in a variety of military uniforms! It was incredible, it was like a This is Your Life moment, with none of the bad bits. One room we walked into and the lights were dimmed and in the middle of a circle of columns was Stalin's death mask, a bronze cast of him soon after death!
Outside there was a sort of mausoleum protecting the house in which Stalin was born...the rest of the neighbourhood has been destroyed, most likely to build to Stalin Avenue and there alone surrounded by gardens and a roof over the roof, are where Stalin made his humble beginnings and from here rose to become the great man of Georgia...
We also managed to get a little tour on his train carriage. Not as spectacular as you'd imagine but Humphrey did get a shot of his loo!
We went to find a homestay that was in the guidebook, and were shown into a garden shed, with planks as beds and a concrete floor. We were too tired to worry and it cost 2pounds, but I was determined to get to Tblisi early the next day, I had only had two showers since entering Georgia and I was in desperate need.
It is a very grandiose building, and as soon as you walk through the door it has an eerie feeling and Stalin is everywhere, watching you. We got a guide as part of the ticket price, and she took us up the red carpeted stares into the first of four great halls filled with Stalin memorabilia. She spoke as if reading a script with almost no expression on her face. She told us of how Iosef Stalin was sent to Siberian jail 6 times and escaped 6 times, our great leader!! And then went through his whole life until his death, with no mention of any of the atrocities. There was a whole section on the industrial progress and it was filled with Soviet propoganda pictures; happy, smiling faces!
There were many pictures and the various conferences during the war, with Churchill and Roosevelt...and countless pictures of him in a variety of military uniforms! It was incredible, it was like a This is Your Life moment, with none of the bad bits. One room we walked into and the lights were dimmed and in the middle of a circle of columns was Stalin's death mask, a bronze cast of him soon after death!
Outside there was a sort of mausoleum protecting the house in which Stalin was born...the rest of the neighbourhood has been destroyed, most likely to build to Stalin Avenue and there alone surrounded by gardens and a roof over the roof, are where Stalin made his humble beginnings and from here rose to become the great man of Georgia...
We also managed to get a little tour on his train carriage. Not as spectacular as you'd imagine but Humphrey did get a shot of his loo!
We went to find a homestay that was in the guidebook, and were shown into a garden shed, with planks as beds and a concrete floor. We were too tired to worry and it cost 2pounds, but I was determined to get to Tblisi early the next day, I had only had two showers since entering Georgia and I was in desperate need.
Kutaisi to Khashuri - 112km
We left Kutaisi with regret, after another huge feast of a breakfast! Nugzar and Timur led us to the edge of town, and I was racing behind wishing I was sitting in the luxury of a leather seated Jeep. It was flat for 35km out of town and then the 'sticky wheel' syndrome started.
It is very strange how an uphill can look convincingly like a downhill, and it is amazing how frustrated one gets with oneself at not being able to go faster on the downhill. I even stopped to check my wheels and to see that the brakes weren't rubbing. Thankfully Humphrey was going through the same, and I think we had been deceptively climbing a long time.
Many people stop and shout things at us, mainly 'hello' and 'where are you from?' I was racing down, or trying to, one of the few actual downward stretches when a man shouted out, ' Are you from Great Britain?' I shouted back 'Yes!' without stopping, thinking to myself, how refreshing it was to hear someone say Great Britain, most people don't know what it is! He shouted something else, but I just waved and carried on.
I caught up with Humphrey and told him about my 'GB' encounter and he was equally surprised. Then the chap who had shouted pulled up behind us and got out and introduced himself as Temur. And then asked whether I knew Tony. The penny finally dropped...My friend Tony had put me in touch with a friend of his in Georgia, and although we had not actually spoken, I suppose there aren't many cyclists on the roads in Georgia!! It was such an extraordinary way to meet him.
From there the road got worse and we faced a 3km steady climb up to a 1000m pass. I was surprised at how well I coped with it, and it was mainly the boredom that made me stop. We got to the top and raced through the tunnel, and it was downhill from there!!!
We arrived in the town Khashuri as it was getting dark, and asked the police men about a hotel to stay in. They pointed us to one 20km down the road. An impossibility, Georgian drivers in the dark is not a good combination. So we donned our high vis vests, lights on and sped as fast as we could out of town to try and find a suitable camping spot. I suggested we pull over to the left down a lane and there happened to be a farm there. We went to ask whether it was OK to set up a tent there and they invited us in for coffee. We walked up the stairs and were greeted by a very rural scene. It was barely furnished, with just wooden stools and benches to sit on. A wood burner in the corner being fuelled by pine cones, two grubby but beautiful children wandering round one of whom had a book that he was ripping pages out of, both of them scratching their heads with lice...There was no running water which put paid to Brown's statement that broadband was as important as running water and heating! They were wonderfully welcoming, brewing us Turkish coffee and offering us some of their food. Humphrey did a stirling job of communicating in Russian with them and I relied on hand signals. It was quite late and we made signs to go and put up our tent but they said stay here!! We have two beds! It was difficult to refuse at this point. They made us a cup of fresh mint tea, freshly picked from the garden and then we went to bed. It was quite extraordinary to see the huge gap between the rich and poor here.
We got up early and were on the road by 8, but were faced with a horrendous head wind that slowed me down to 15-17kph and made the journey to Gori very tough.
It is very strange how an uphill can look convincingly like a downhill, and it is amazing how frustrated one gets with oneself at not being able to go faster on the downhill. I even stopped to check my wheels and to see that the brakes weren't rubbing. Thankfully Humphrey was going through the same, and I think we had been deceptively climbing a long time.
Many people stop and shout things at us, mainly 'hello' and 'where are you from?' I was racing down, or trying to, one of the few actual downward stretches when a man shouted out, ' Are you from Great Britain?' I shouted back 'Yes!' without stopping, thinking to myself, how refreshing it was to hear someone say Great Britain, most people don't know what it is! He shouted something else, but I just waved and carried on.
I caught up with Humphrey and told him about my 'GB' encounter and he was equally surprised. Then the chap who had shouted pulled up behind us and got out and introduced himself as Temur. And then asked whether I knew Tony. The penny finally dropped...My friend Tony had put me in touch with a friend of his in Georgia, and although we had not actually spoken, I suppose there aren't many cyclists on the roads in Georgia!! It was such an extraordinary way to meet him.
From there the road got worse and we faced a 3km steady climb up to a 1000m pass. I was surprised at how well I coped with it, and it was mainly the boredom that made me stop. We got to the top and raced through the tunnel, and it was downhill from there!!!
We arrived in the town Khashuri as it was getting dark, and asked the police men about a hotel to stay in. They pointed us to one 20km down the road. An impossibility, Georgian drivers in the dark is not a good combination. So we donned our high vis vests, lights on and sped as fast as we could out of town to try and find a suitable camping spot. I suggested we pull over to the left down a lane and there happened to be a farm there. We went to ask whether it was OK to set up a tent there and they invited us in for coffee. We walked up the stairs and were greeted by a very rural scene. It was barely furnished, with just wooden stools and benches to sit on. A wood burner in the corner being fuelled by pine cones, two grubby but beautiful children wandering round one of whom had a book that he was ripping pages out of, both of them scratching their heads with lice...There was no running water which put paid to Brown's statement that broadband was as important as running water and heating! They were wonderfully welcoming, brewing us Turkish coffee and offering us some of their food. Humphrey did a stirling job of communicating in Russian with them and I relied on hand signals. It was quite late and we made signs to go and put up our tent but they said stay here!! We have two beds! It was difficult to refuse at this point. They made us a cup of fresh mint tea, freshly picked from the garden and then we went to bed. It was quite extraordinary to see the huge gap between the rich and poor here.
We got up early and were on the road by 8, but were faced with a horrendous head wind that slowed me down to 15-17kph and made the journey to Gori very tough.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Sameba Jikheti to Kutaisi - 68km
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!
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!
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.
Amasra to Sinop and the Hamam
We set off from Amasra quite late, it seems to take us a long time to get ready in the mornings! The climb out of Amasra was as hard as I had expected, I had been gazing at the road with terror for the whole of my rest day. But it didn't stop there, the hills seemed to get worse, climb 4km and descend 4km, always being able to see the hill ahead and always wondering 'Why didn't they build a bridge!!!' There was alot of pushing Whinnie up the steepest bits, they change is as good as a rest, and my thighs needed a rest. I was pleased when we had a long lunch break whilst Humphrey tried to sort out his Rohloff gear hub which now makes an interminable clicking noise but is meant to be indestructible...
The worst dog encounter happened today, I had been lucky up until now. I was plodding along, head down, heart pounding, Humphrey was far ahead. I rounded the corner and so a family with their donkey and three dogs, a safe scene in the UK. Not in Turkey, the dogs rushed towards me barking and growling, I got off my bike and they surrounded me baring their teeth and growling. With me frozen to the spot, it took the little boy to come running down to scare them off and the woman to tell me to keep going! Terrifying, when I saw Humphrey he said he had screamed blue murder and thrown stones at them...next time I will remember my war face!
We arrived in a place called Kurucasile, the Black Sea coast is not renowned for it's beautiful architecture, among non-Turks at least (they think it is the most beautiful place in the world, I liken it to Slough with lots of hills), so this little place did little to inspire us. Humphrey managed to convince a hotel manager to let us camp in his grounds and use the hotel facilities all for four pounds. We headed into 'town' to try and find some food and stopped at a little bakery. A very sweet family ran the place and we attempted to communicate with them, us with the phrase book and them using the, not so exclusively, British trick of repeating themselves louder and more slowly to make themselves understood. I have begun to notice that the hand signs we consider universal as a way of getting a point across are often met with a blank stare, this happens both ways as the Turkish signs are equally baffling. It would be useful in phrase books for these to be translated too...
I have refrained, up until now, to talk about my health on this trip. Up until Kurucasile I had had 5 days of bad tummy problems, which is tad difficult to cope with on a bike and didn't seem to go away over my rest day of eating and drinking all the right things. After an agonising decision making process, I decided to get a bus to the next town, Sinop, and meet Humphrey there while I recover. I arrived there late and very tired on Sunday but secretly quite pleased that I wouldn't have to cycle on my birthday.
I awoke to a phone call from Mum singing Happy Brithday to me, which made me miss home. I decided in the afternoon to go to the Hamam to try and relax. It took a little while to find but the recognisable domes came into view and I went in. A young chap came out and gave me a towel and asked if I wanted to be washed and I said yes and went to get changed. I thought it was a bit strange that I hadn't seen any other women there but carried on. He took me through to the baths and started showing me round, alarm bells started ringing as men and women are NOT meant to be in the baths at the same time. As if on cue, the fattest, hairiest bound through the door and took a comical leap back when he saw me standing there. The young chap spoke to him quickly but not so quickly that I couldn't understand the words 'english,' 'tourist,' and 'no problem'!! He turned to me and said 'no problem,' a little nervous I went to sit down, but promptly got up and ran out telling the man in quite clear hand signals and some Turkish dropped in that it was NOT ok for men and women to bathe together and this is a muslim country!!!! So not the best start to my 24th year.
The worst dog encounter happened today, I had been lucky up until now. I was plodding along, head down, heart pounding, Humphrey was far ahead. I rounded the corner and so a family with their donkey and three dogs, a safe scene in the UK. Not in Turkey, the dogs rushed towards me barking and growling, I got off my bike and they surrounded me baring their teeth and growling. With me frozen to the spot, it took the little boy to come running down to scare them off and the woman to tell me to keep going! Terrifying, when I saw Humphrey he said he had screamed blue murder and thrown stones at them...next time I will remember my war face!
We arrived in a place called Kurucasile, the Black Sea coast is not renowned for it's beautiful architecture, among non-Turks at least (they think it is the most beautiful place in the world, I liken it to Slough with lots of hills), so this little place did little to inspire us. Humphrey managed to convince a hotel manager to let us camp in his grounds and use the hotel facilities all for four pounds. We headed into 'town' to try and find some food and stopped at a little bakery. A very sweet family ran the place and we attempted to communicate with them, us with the phrase book and them using the, not so exclusively, British trick of repeating themselves louder and more slowly to make themselves understood. I have begun to notice that the hand signs we consider universal as a way of getting a point across are often met with a blank stare, this happens both ways as the Turkish signs are equally baffling. It would be useful in phrase books for these to be translated too...
I have refrained, up until now, to talk about my health on this trip. Up until Kurucasile I had had 5 days of bad tummy problems, which is tad difficult to cope with on a bike and didn't seem to go away over my rest day of eating and drinking all the right things. After an agonising decision making process, I decided to get a bus to the next town, Sinop, and meet Humphrey there while I recover. I arrived there late and very tired on Sunday but secretly quite pleased that I wouldn't have to cycle on my birthday.
I awoke to a phone call from Mum singing Happy Brithday to me, which made me miss home. I decided in the afternoon to go to the Hamam to try and relax. It took a little while to find but the recognisable domes came into view and I went in. A young chap came out and gave me a towel and asked if I wanted to be washed and I said yes and went to get changed. I thought it was a bit strange that I hadn't seen any other women there but carried on. He took me through to the baths and started showing me round, alarm bells started ringing as men and women are NOT meant to be in the baths at the same time. As if on cue, the fattest, hairiest bound through the door and took a comical leap back when he saw me standing there. The young chap spoke to him quickly but not so quickly that I couldn't understand the words 'english,' 'tourist,' and 'no problem'!! He turned to me and said 'no problem,' a little nervous I went to sit down, but promptly got up and ran out telling the man in quite clear hand signals and some Turkish dropped in that it was NOT ok for men and women to bathe together and this is a muslim country!!!! So not the best start to my 24th year.
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