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From Hull to Everywhere Else
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From Hull to Everywhere Else

My trip from Hull heading eastwards. The aim is to reach Turkey overland, then into the 'Stans. Thence to India and further east. . After that who knows? But I'm not overplanning. Just going to see what happens. Baca lagi
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    Ankara

    23 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    On the Sunday got the bus from Avanos to Ankara. Had hoped to get the midday bus but it was full so got the 5pm bus instead. Hung around the town killing time during the day. On arriving at Ankara got a taxi to the hostel Deeps 2 Hostel. Very basic. But only a one night stay. All the taxi drivers. Or at least the two that I have been on do nothing but talk on their phone all the time. Driving one handed. Glad I’m not riding around these areas.Baca lagi

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    Avanos doing the Red Tour

    22 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    So having enjoyed the green tour yesterday I am doing the red tour today. This time it is more concerned with the rocky valleys - the ones that you see in the tour brochures and photos.

    Had a great group - Dasha from Russia (a fellow skydiver!!!), Rodrigo from Brazil, Shin from Japan and Nom from Ethiopia.

    Went to the Love Valley, Imagination Valley and a number of others too. My brain is too hot to remember them all. But we had a great time with great company. Unfortunately I cannot remember the named of the tour guide!

    Tour is thoroughly recommended!    Baca lagi

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    Kavlaki the underground city

    21 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After lunch on the green tour we hit the underground city at Kaymaki. There are a number of underground cities in the region where people hid from invaders. This one had 8 underground levels and held up to 5,000 people. Small people if the size of the tunnels are anything to go by. Lovely and cool inside. As with most caves they hold a constant temperature. In this case about 15 degrees. So a welcome respite from the heat. Tip for cavers. On the way in make sure the fat people are in front of you. Coming out, the opposite.Baca lagi

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    Avanos, Cappadocia - the green tour

    21 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    First full day in Cappadocia and I’m on what they call the green tour. Apparently because it goes through a more lush Mediterranean valley. ie is green. After a quick photo stop we stopped at one of the churches carved into the rocks. Early Christians bid here from the Romans prior to the empire converting. Then down for a half hour walk through the valley and then lunch. Also on the tour were two South African couples from Johannesburg. After lunch the highlight of the tour - the underground city at Kaymakl (separate entry). After that a few more sites and a visit to a local shop where we had the opportunity to spend our cash on tea coffee Turkish delight and the rest. Managed to avoid that. I’m pretty good at not shopping. Anyway there is no space in my rucksack for ephemera.

    A full day in the heat. Got back and laid in the bed before food and then bed proper. Red tour tomorrow.    Baca lagi

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    Avanos, Cappadocia - Quad biking

    20 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Having arrived in Avanos mid morning I arrived at the hotel and was blown away by how good it was. Had a quick kip which turned into a longer kip and then organised an evening of quad biking in the valleys.

    Set off at 5pm and arrived at the centre where they supplied us with a hairnet and a helmet, showed us how to use the quads and then we rode off without a safety briefing. However speeds were very low as there were 20 or so of us in a row.

    Spent about two hours riding around and stopping at various places to take photos. All good. The only drawback was the guides who seemed more concerned with showing off their quad bike skills than doing their jobs which presumably was to keep everyone safe. This led to an “incident” when the wife half of an American couple in their 70s I guess in front of me seemed to zoom off at high speeds. I was two bikes behind so could see it. I thought she’s not doing that on purpose. Maybe her throttle had got stuck open? Turns out she felt she had to as she was being overtaken by one of the guides at a place where she felt unsafe. She had a right to at them afterwards. But no injuries so all ok. Wonder if they’ll sue?    Baca lagi

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    Avanos the Sofa Hotel

    20–23 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    While in Cappadocia I am staying at the Sofa Hotel in Avanos. It is definitely the best hotel I’ve stayed at. Check out the videos - it’s like walking around some ancient market in itself. Add to that a great room, a lovely host and Tarçin the dog and it’s perfect. They organised the tours that I went on and laid on magnificent breakfasts. Couldn’t recommend more highly.Baca lagi

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    Istanbul

    17–20 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Spent three days in Istanbul. Stayed at the Cheers Lighthouse Hostel which was a mere 5 minutes walk from the Blue Mosque. I was surprised to find that the Blue Mosque, the Sofia and Topkapi Palace were all on the same stretch.

    Mixed feelings about the city. Very touristy, at least where I was, which meant a fair bit of hassle. But nothing like as bad as Egypt.

    Third evening went on a Bosphorus cruise. Ventured into the Asian side for the first time.    Baca lagi

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    Thessaloniki again

    13–16 Jun 2024, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Back to Thessaloniki at the Stay Hybrid hostel (not sure about the name there) before heading towards Turkey. A fair bit to do, the main thing being to put the bike into storage which I mange to do. I am recommended to put it into a car park by the local bike maintenance and repair shop which I manage to do so on the Saturday night.

    So I’m now all set to head to Turkey now. Into Asia!    Baca lagi

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    Matala, Crete - Bloggers Anonymous

    13 Jun 2024, Greece ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Hello. My name is X and it’s been 13 days since my last blog entry. I have spent a week in Crete in the tiny village of Matala. Not a huge amount to report. Spent the mornings working before heading down to the beach to spend 2 or 3 hours sunbathing. I’m not a natural sunbather so spending 2/3 hours lazing in the sun doesn’t come naturally to me. But one should try new things. So after a week I am mainly red but a little brown too.

    Went to the red beach. Not the main beach in Matala which was a little crowded. The hike to the red beach was over a very steep and rocky hill/mountain. The hike was 25 minutes and had to be conducted in extreme heat. But arriving at the red beach was lovely. The swimming there - the sea was crystal clear.

    The rocks at the end of the beach had many carvings on them. Didn’t get many photos as it would have meant taking the phone into the sea.

    Met a few new friends. Maya and Ronnie - a couple of Israeli girls. Lucas an Argentinian. Gloria, a Chilean. And Peter an American who was an itinerant guitarist who entertained us with his singing on my last night there.

    Other things of note. I’m not a huge fan of Geeek food. I think Moussaka is just a rubbish lasagne but here at the beach there was seafood. Freshly caught and excellent. I found a place that served a combo of squid and octopus. Octopus if cooked poorly is rubbery and horrible. But if cooked well is excellent. That’s what I had here. I feel a bit bad for the octopuses given they are supposedly so intelligent. But they died in a good cause.

    Also had a variety of sea bass. First night raw in a ceviche. The next grilled. Fabulous.

    Stayed at Matala hostel. The first hostel with a pool. Very friendly laid back atmosphere. And Mino a lively puppy.

    In the news. Michel Mosley of “Just One Thing” on Radio 4 died after getting lost on a hike on another Greek island. So hot I can understand why. The temperature was off the scale. Apparently the earliest heatwave they have had in Greece.    Baca lagi

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    Thessaloniki

    3–6 Jun 2024, Greece ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Decided to head to Thessaloniki en route to Istanbul. But have also decided to have a bit of a “holiday” so am booking a week on the island of Crete. Going to head to Matala where I went in 1996 with Rod. Have also decided to put the bike into long term parking here. I don’t want to ride all the way round Asia. Also on YouTube Itchyboots has just had an accident travelling round Africa. Quite a serious one apparently. Three nights here and then onto Crete.Baca lagi

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    Bear Sanctuary, nr Pristina

    3 Jun 2024, Kosovo ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    In the morning went to the bear sanctuary where bears rescued from show and what not are now recovering. Apparently it's not that long ago that they were kept in pretty cruel conditions. So sad. But they seemed a lot happier now although apparently some of them are still traumatised.

    After the centre four hour ride to Thessalonika via North Macedonia.    Baca lagi

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    Time Travel

    3 Jun 2024, Kosovo ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I have realised that with all this travelling my perception of time seems to have changed. i have done so much and been to so many different places that it feels like a year in Yorkshire yet it's only been two months. I imagine all this brain stimulation is probably good for me. I'm in pristina, kosova right now. not really planning to be here, but it's a necessary stop on the way to turkey. next stop, probably after a day relaxing here is thessalonika in greece and then Turkey.Baca lagi

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    Pristina

    2 Jun 2024, Kosovo ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Spent the night at the hostel here. Hostel was fine but unfortunately there was someone in the dorm who was a snorer and quite smelly. So spent the night sleeping on the balcony to get some peace instead. However, for some reason they had a call to prayer at about 2.45am with two mosques quite nearby. Can't they use WhatsApp to call the faithful? And then about 4am there were a pack of dogs running around outside - quite a noise. Also the call to prayer set off at least one dog howling. Still, preferable to the snoring.Baca lagi

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    Into Pristina, Kosovo

    2 Jun 2024, Kosovo ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Woke up and it was pouring with rain so thought I might have to spend another day in Podgorica. But it soon stopped and before too long the sun came out and stayed out. So on I go. My route from here to Istanbul is, I think, going to be via Pristina, Kosovo, and then Thessalonika in Greece. Today I was booked into Pristina Backpackers (or so I thought - when I arrived it turns out I had actually booked for last night but managed to get sorted easily enough).

    Had a lovely ride through the mountains in Montenegro and into Kosovo. The distance between the exit customs and the entry customs was a good way - I would estimate 10km at least so I wonder what the status of that area is. Can tell I'm getting into a slightly poorer area of the world. Horses at the border crossing. Lots and lots of switchbacks for the bikers out there. Good riding.

    Arrived into Pristina about 4.30. The hostel didn't answer. A series of unfortunate events. I had mistakenly booked for last night. They had no other bookings so the reception staff had gone off hiking to the bear sanctuary - where I think I will go tomorrow. Managed to get in by banging on the door and a guest letting me in. Got in and phoned the number they gave but given that they were all hiking, didn't answer! but once in the reception I was able to charge the phone, sit down, change and relax.

    Eventually they did make contact by phone so I was able to check in, then went to get some food. Very cheap to eat out. 5E for a meal and a drink. Got back and chilled in the upstairs balcony.    Baca lagi

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    Podgorica

    29 Mei–3 Jun 2024, Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    So I planned to have a pit stop here but I have ended up staying for a few days. First day had planned to work but instead was drying off after the thunder bomb event that I rode through on Tuesday. So Wednesday was a bit of a write off. Thursday got a load of work done and had planned to ride off eastwards on Friday. However, did you see the forecast for Friday? No? It was rubbish. I'm sitting here in the pouring rain and had no desire to ride off and get soaked again. Forecast is the same for tomorrow. So I'm here till Sunday. There are worse places to be stuck. I'm staying at Hostel Q, recommended by Danny from Dubrovnik - host at the Anchi apartments where I stayed there. He had worked here previously apparently. Again, I'm being lucky so far with where I am staying.

    The big news today (last night) was Trumpety Trump. He looked like he was going to explode. Could he be any more orange?    Baca lagi

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    Confused crossing borders!

    28 Mei 2024, Montenegro ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Today I rode from Dubrovnik (Croatia) to Podgorica (Montenegro). In the morning I said my goodbyes to Tess, Emily, and our hosts Danny and Don. Would love to see them all again at some point. Then rode back into the old town to look around Fort Lovrijenac - 15 euros was a bit much for the trip. Should have gone yesterday when it would have been included on the Dubrovnik pass. Oh well.

    After that returned to the hostel, packed and set off. Only 120 km to Podgorica but the estimated journey time according the various sat nav apps I use was about 3 hours. So averaging 40kph. Twisty roads were anticipated! Good times.

    After about half an hour I crossed the border into Montenegro. Had to show my passport and bike docs which I was not expecting, having gotten so used to the ease of crossing borders in the EU. Damn Brexit.

    Anyway, about an hour later I was surprised to find myself at another border post. I wasn't expecting this. I actually thought it was a toll road, so the customs officer looked at my like I was an idiot when he asked for my passport. It turns out my satnav had taken me through Bosnia and then into Montenegro. I had no idea. It might be a good idea if the developers you know told you when you were entering a new country and even told you what country that was. To be fair to the developers, they didn't seem that keen on advertising it at the border either. No "Welcome to Bosnia" or even, "You are now entering Bosnia, but you are not really that welcome. We will however put up with you because you bring tourist money". Just a barrier and customs post. Basic stuff really. Anyway, I was now in Montenegro. The first 80-90 km of the journey was in stifling hot sun but as I neared my destination I could see a mountain on my right and a valley on my leftt and a curtain of cloud/rain across the whole vista that I was approaching and had to ride through. No avoiding it. Then there was the lightning. Then there was the thunder. Then there was the rain which felt like bullets on my jacket it was so heavy. Got stuck behind a car doing maybe 30 kph and was happy to follow it as couldn't see well enough to safely do an overtake. Big, big puddles. Lake sized puddles. Then arrived into Podgorica. Big sigh of relief. Check into hostel. Private room. Lie on bed for rest of evening and watch netflix. Heaven.    Baca lagi

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    Dubrovnik

    27 Mei 2024, Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Spent most of the day working but squeezed in a visit to the beach and a quick swim at lunchtime and a ride, then a walk up to the fort at the top of the city in the evening. Hung out with Tess, Emily and Danny (the host) in the evening. Had to move to the spare bunk in Danny's room tonight as the hostel was otherwise full.Baca lagi

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    Dubrovnik, Lokrum Island

    26 Mei 2024, Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Spent the morning wandering around Lokrum Island. The 15 minute ferry trip out to the island runs from the old city. Again a number of Game of Thrones scenes were her including Earth and some of the garden scenes I think. There was another Iron Throne. How can there be two? There was one in Split as well. Perhaps one of them is a fake? What else? A number of very loud peacocks, a walk round the circumference of the island - a lack of a sandy beach so no swimming unfortunately.Baca lagi

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    Dubrovnik, Old Town

    25–26 Mei 2024, Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    25 May

    So after my arrival in Dubrovnik at what was a really friendly hostel I decided to spend a few days here exploring. Initially I had planned two nights but it expanded to four. The day after I arrived I spent the day exploring the old town with Tess and Emily - my new friends from Oz. The old town was beautiful - unsurprisingly. Again lots of scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed here. We got a Dubvrovnik pass which entitled us free use of the buses and free or reduced entry to various places - including the city walls. The old town was beautiful and after we had spent an hour or two walking around - and having lunch, the most memorable part of which was being charged 10 euros for a bottle of water - we went and toured the city walls from which it's possible to get great views of the city itself. Also, there was a photographic exhibition showing scenes from the war in early 90s. It seems almost unbelievable now that it could have happened here.Baca lagi

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    Into Dubrovnik

    24 Mei 2024, Croatia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Departed from the lovely Wonderful World hostel in Split around lunchtime. It was probably the least "proper" hostel that I have stayed at so for but that led to an intimacy that made the place very special.

    Rode to Dubrovnik on a lovely summer's day. The first half of the ride was along motorways. The second half was along a winding road along the coast. One of the best rides I have done so far since I got back into biking. Made having the bike with me worth doing.

    Arrived at the Achki Apartments - yet another hostel with a vibe of its own. Sharing a room with Kayla, from Inverness who has just turned 18 and is touring by herself. I'm so impressed. One feature of this place is that they had a communal barbie in the evening which meant that everyone staying here had the chance to meet up and get to know each other. Had a great evening with about 10 others. It is lovely to constantly be meeting new people,

    Tomorrow I plan to go into the Old Town of Dubrovnik, also known as King's Landing    Baca lagi

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