Day 626: Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Roy didn’t want to go the famous underground cities so I took off without him with the plan of meeting up at our hotel in Ankara in the evening. The underground city at Kaymakli is only about 25 kilometers from Goreme and is one of the 2 most popular ones to see. I was not expecting much but since I was so close I thought I really should see it. I am glad I did. The underground city is a huge complex of tunnels and living quarters that span multiple stories. It is said to be capable of housing thousands of people. A couple of times I even felt like I got lost and even though I was trying to follow marked signs of the route. It is amazing people actually lived that kind of life. They must have been hiding from some seriously bad people.
From there I headed north towards Ankara. At Sereflikochisar I got off the main highway and headed west. The map showed a road that went straight through a high salt content lake. The lake was supposed to be similar to Uyuni in Bolivia which was one of the highlights of my trip in the Americas. This lake however was nothing close to Uyuni so was a disappointment in that regard. Despite that it was a fun road to take. To access the road that crosses the lake I had to talk to a guard that was at a gate for the salt mining operation. I just said I wanted in to take some pictures. He motioned me through. I wonder how long he was waiting for me to come back out.
The road was a dirt road built up to be above the lake bed. On the other side the road remained dirt for about 10 kilometers before getting back on pavement. It was a very rural area and made for really great riding. It is so nice to get off the highway and take back roads.
In Ankara I found my hotel and got settled in by 5pm. Roy showed up about 9:30pm.
Salt production at Turkey’s Salt Lake. Seventy percent of Turkey’s salt production comes from this one lake.
Riding across the road that transverses the salt lake. About 8 kilometers across.
Day 627: Thursday, June 2, 2016
The first order of business today was to go to the Triumph dealership to see about the problems I have with the steering on my bike. Communication was very difficult but we finally got things worked out with the help of Ali at the Triumph dealership in Istanbul who helped translate. They asked me to come back tomorrow morning so the work could be done.
Next we went to the Uzbekistan Consulate this morning to pick up our visas that we applied for in Istanbul and arranged to pick up here in Ankara. We were told to come back tomorrow. After trying a few more consulates for countries that we need visas for and striking out we found a Subway and got lunch there. I was so excited to have something different for a change. But it is kind of funny because every time I go to Subway I order the exact same thing. In this case though I am so sick of the fact that 95% of all Turkish restaurants serve the exact same kind of food. So a Subway was just what I needed.
The rest of the day was spent at the hotel doing some work.
Day 628: Friday, June 3, 2016
In the morning it was back to the Uzbek consulate to try and get our visas. When we got there we were told to come back on Monday. Since I had to wait for the part to arrive for my bike which meant I was going to be stuck in Ankara until at least Monday anyway it was not a big deal other than just wondering if it really was going to all work out.
From there it was back to the Triumph dealership to get my bike worked on. I spent most of the afternoon there waiting while the bike was fixed. By the end of the day all my problems, except the alternator of course had been resolved. The steering was much improved but not perfect. Apparently the front tire wore unevenly because it was not balanced properly when it was installed so I am going to have to live with it the way it is now until I get a new set of tires.
This sign is found on the wall at Triumph Ankara. It seemed fitting.
Day 629: Saturday, June 4, 2016
Today I didn’t do anything of much note but by evening both Roy and I were getting restless so we rode into the city and walked around. We found a place that served hamburgers and it turned out that it was really good. From there we went to a pub around the corner and had a beer. They also had 6 dart boards and it seems like this is the place for darts in Ankara as all the boards were in use. I guess we stayed long enough though because just when we were going to leave a dart board became available.
It sounded like a fun idea to play so we ordered another beer and played a few games of darts. It was a good time although it was really tough suffering through all the cigarette smoke swirling around us.
Enjoying a beer at a pub in Ankara.
Day 630: Sunday, June 5, 2016
I finally gave in today and agreed to go to a museum with Roy. After several days in Ankara it was time to see a few of the touristy places. We went to a museum related to all the archeological sites around Turkey that we had seen. It actually turned out to be a pretty good museum and held my attention for almost an hour. Having said that I still found myself sitting outside the museum waiting for Roy for another 45 minutes. The weather was perfect though so I enjoyed just sitting in the sun as much as I did seeing the museum.
From there we walked up the street to the old fortress that overlooks the entire city from the top of a hill. The fortress itself is nothing but the views of the city are the best you can find. The city though is pretty bland compared to most major cities so really wasn’t all that interesting.
We went back to the pub to play more darts thinking that a Sunday evening would not be so crowded but we were wrong. The place was already packed so we called it a day and headed back to the hotel.
Proof I entered a museum!
Nothing like leaving a museum…for me.
One of the views from Ankara castle overlooking the city.
Day 631: Monday, June 6, 2016
Today was a good day after a slow start. To begin with we were to go back to the Uzbek Consulate at 9:30am as we were told to do on Friday. Once there we thought we would get our visas. After a while of not really knowing what was going on we discovered that our visas were indeed approved and waiting for us in Istanbul. The guy there said we should go there to pick them up. Of course when we submitted the visa applications in Istanbul we said we wanted to pick them up in Ankara.
Admitting it was their mistake they agreed to fix it so the guy in Ankara could make the visa for us but that we would need to tomorrow. Oh well. What is one more day after so long? With that news we thought we should try to get our Tajikistan visa. Until Friday we did not even know we needed one but we heard it only took a day to get.
At the Tajikistan Consulate we were greeted with good news. Indeed we could apply today and get it tomorrow at 4pm. That sounded good to us since we were going to need to be here in Ankara anyway.
Now for the really good part. My alternator arrived! At 2pm I went to the Triumph dealership and they started work on the bike right away. They said it would be 3 hours so I just stayed there, made myself comfortable, and got a lot of work done on my computer. At 5pm it still wasn’t done but no sweet, I was content working on my computer. Finally at 7:30pm they had it finished. The bike sounds great now! I couldn’t be happier. After nearly a year of having that bad noise in the engine it again sounds like it is brand new.
At 9:00pm we decided to go into town and have a rematch of darts since I lost both games on Saturday night. Well we had a good time and a few beers but the darts didn’t work out any better for me as I got stomped even worse than on Saturday.
My new alternator straight from the factory in England!
This is the surgeon that conducted the 5 1/2 hour surgery on my bike.
Day 632: Tuesday, June 7, 2016
The big day. We have been “stuck” in Ankara for nearly a week waiting on our Uzbekistan visa. Yesterday we were told we could pick up our visas at 10am. On Thursday we had been told Friday and on Friday we were told Monday so was today really going to work out or not?
At 10:15am we showed up at the Uzbek Consulate and sure enough we got our visas. In Turkey you can’t do any banking without a tax id number so a Turkish guy at the Uzbek Consulate also getting a visa was kind enough to go with us to the bank to help us make the visa payment. Back at the consulate with receipt in hand the guy gave us back our passports.
It was still before noon so we decided to go back to the hotel and checkout instead of staying another night as originally planned. We really were feeling desperate to get out of Ankara.
We went to the Tajikistan Consulate about 2pm to see if maybe we could get our visas right then instead of waiting until 4pm as we were told yesterday. That was a no go but he did reiterate that when we came back at 4pm they would be ready. It was a nice day so I just sat on the grass outside the consulate, read a book and waited. At 4pm we got the visas and we were off, before rush hour traffic set in.
We put in 200 kilometers and found ourselves in a small city called Alaca. Pulling in there at dusk we found that we were the star attraction in the town. Literally everyone turn to look as we passed by. Stopping in front of the cities only hotel we were immediately surrounded by people. It seems that all the older men there had lived and worked in NYC at one point or another so it was actually easier to communicate in the out of the way place better than it was in Ankara. Go figure.
Uzbekistan visas in hand! It feels good.
Day 633: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Today was a travel day and after 3+ weeks of incredible weather in Turkey the weather turned cool and cloudy. The road between Alaca and Ordu is mostly a rural road the entire way. After several hours heading east the road takes a jaunt to the north and crosses a significant mountain range the runs right to the Black Sea. Going over the mountains the cloudy weather turned to dense fog and the temperature went from 19 degrees to 6 degrees. Since large trucks also use this road there were times when I was very nervous I might get hit from behind as I slowed down considerably in the fog.
That only lasted for about 30 minutes though and then the ride out of the mountains down to the coast was pretty quick. By the time I got to Ordu it was nearing sunset and I was tired and sore so I found a hotel and called it a day.
Day 634: Thursday, June 9, 2016
I started off the day by getting my first speeding ticket since somewhere in South America over a year ago. Being my last day in Turkey I just let the cop write out the ticket without any complaints. I just had a friendly chat with him as he was interested in my bike and my trip. Of course I had no intent of paying the ticket as I don’t plan to be back in Turkey on my bike.
Today I was a few hours behind Roy and after reading his post on Facebook I am glad I was. As I was riding the 7 hours from Ordu, Turkey to Batumi, Georgia I was flirting with rain the entire way. I could always see it up ahead of me. I would catch up to the rain and when I did I pulled off into gas stations for breaks that were much needed anyway. Once I finished each break the rain had moved on ahead of me and I stayed out of it for the most part. Expecting Roy was out ahead of me I was wondering how he was faring.
At one of my stops the guy at the restaurant next to the gas station came over with a cup of tea and offered it to me. I had stopped and bought a can of Coke Zero and some crackers at the gas station and was sitting by my bike at the time. I hadn’t even patronized his store. This just reiterates what Roy has described about the Turkish people. They are just so kind and friendly.
At every gas station I stopped at a crowd gathered. The station employees, customers, and anyone else who happened to be there were huddled around the bike. I have maps on my pannier of where I have been and where I am going and it is always a great visual aid. They must not get many of my type in this neck of the woods.
My luck avoiding the rain ended right when I hit the border crossing. It started out to be just normal rain so I was sitting in the line of cars in the direct rain but not worrying too much about it. I can handle normal rain with the gear I have. After going through the 4 (count them, 4) Turkish checkpoints I headed to the one Georgian checkpoint to get my passport stamped. This was under cover and as the lady was stamping my passport the heavens opened up. Have you ever stood behind a waterfall? Well that is exactly what this looked like.
I asked the lady if I could just pull off to the side and wait out the torrential downpour. She wanted to say “yes” but her male colleague said “no”. So much for that. I figured I’d find some cover quickly so boldly pulled out and into a river of water from the sky. I was literally 20 kilometers from my destination. No sweat, right? Wrong. The roads quickly started flooding. Trucks traveling the opposite direction would pass me and spray a wall of water over me to the extent that I almost got thrown off my bike a few times due to the force of the water. Okay, this is no fun I was thinking. And in all that there was no sign of shelter. After 10 kilometers I final found the first shelter in the form of a bus stop. I pulled in and made myself comfortable.
A few minutes later a bus pulls up. The driver gets out. Here is where I am thinking he is going to tell me I can’t do that. Born and raised in America you understand why I would think that way. But not in this part of the world. After talking for a few minutes with the very few English words in this guy’s vocabulary he makes a phone call and after talking for a minute passes me the phone. On the other end of the line is someone who speaks just a little more English than he did. I was told that the “man standing next to me” wanted to invite me to his home. I was surprised to read Roy’s post a few hours later and see that he also had the same offer earlier in the day. That is just the way people are here. It is quite amazing actually.
I politely declined (I was very wet and tired and would not have made good company that night). The rain was not letting up so I got back on the bike and continued on. I stopped 2 more times at gas stations in just 10 kilometers distance just to regroup and hope for some change in the damning sky. Eventually I did make it to a hostel glad that the day was over.
Turkish life seems to revolve around tea. Similar to green tea in Japan.
Torrential rains welcomed me to Georgia. Only shelter was a bus stop.
Day 635: Friday, June 10, 2016
Woke up with a cold this morning and the forecast was for more rain until midday so I just took it easy. I did a load of laundry. In the late afternoon I went for a walk. There is a huge waterfront area that stretches for several kilometers I am guessing. There is a lot of new development here. I walked for a long time actually and ended up at a waterfront restaurant for dinner about sunset. The reason I ate there is because it was geared towards tourists and they had a varied menu. After a month in Turkey without any variety in food I was craving something different.
In addition to wanting something different I was also really hungry. I have been eating very little of late. On riding days I usually just have a light breakfast and then start riding. I then don’t eat again until dinner. In addition, the portions in Turkey are very small compared to the States. So I ended up ordering a pizza and a chicken curry salad along with a Georgian beer. The food was good and I took my time just enjoying the wonderful waterfront scenery, the sunset, some live music that was playing at the restaurant.
Sunset at the “Pier Batumi.”
The Pier Bar at sunset in Georgia’s popular resort city of Batumi.
Day 636: Saturday, June 11, 2016
I met Roy at my hotel about noon since he rode in from Turkey. From there we took off west towards Yerevan, Armenia which we think is a 2 day ride. Wanting some adventure we decided to take the less traveled road, Route 1 and not the one recommended by Google Maps. The road we went on took us through the same mountain range that we crossed the other direction a few days previous in Turkey.
About 2 hours into the ride at Khulo we stopped to grab lunch at what looked like the only restaurant in the town. The wind was blowing and we were getting covered with dust as we stood talking to a few guys from Germany that were there and had just eaten at the restaurant. It seems the town is a destination for hikers and mountain bikers.
Although the Germans did not highly recommend the restaurant we went in anyway as we were hungry and there were no other choices. In addition the road ahead was long and very rural. Lunch in our opinion turned out to be really good. We had something like Chinese shumai with a meat filling.
After lunch we pushed on and immediately the road turned to dirt. That made for a fun but slow ride for the next several hours as we made our way to Akhaltsikhe for the night. The scenery along the way was spectacular. At Akhaltsikhe we found a nice guesthouse and got settled in.
Goderdzi Pass, Georgia along the Batumi-Akhaltsikhe “highway”.
We came across a few river crossings making for fun riding (and wet feet).
Day 637: Sunday, June 12, 2016
This day started out late but still with the plan of making it to Yerevan. We thought it was about a 4 hour ride but we did have plans to see a few archaeological sites along our route. In addition, when we pulled into town last night we caught a glimpse of what looked like a pretty significant fortress overlooking the city.
Our first stop was the fortress. It was a very well preserved fortress and the first time I have seen one where the inside was all modernized. It was so cool. There was no ruble lying around. There were gardens, fountains, and new and nice facilities. It made it a really nice place to be and was packed with tourists.
After filling up with gas we were heading off in the direction of Yerevan but a lot of Georgia still ahead of us. After an hour of riding we got to the first of our planned archaeological sites. It is called Tmogvi Fortress. To get there we pulled off the main road and onto a dirt road. The road was 6 km and pretty steep uphill and windy. It was a good challenge to ride but we are getting pretty used to this off road stuff. This fortress is night and day from the one we saw in the morning in Akhaltsikhe. There is really nothing left of it but after parking the bike we walked along a very narrow trail on the ridge of the mountain which forms a sort of peninsula in a fast flowing river deep down in the canyon. The view was pretty spectacular and it was not hard to imagine when this was once an important point on the map.
Riding back to the main road we then headed another 10 kilometers south to a site with cave homes carved in the cliffs rising above a river. We took a good look from the parking lot, had an ice cream bar and since we had already seen lots of places like this in Turkey we got back on our bikes and were off.
From this point on the road turned really nice as it wound through a river valley gradually increasing in elevation along the way. I really enjoyed this section of the road. It was perfect for riding and the scenery was a beautiful combination of green trees, a fast flowing river, and steep, red canyon walls with interesting formations. At Akhalkalaki (try saying that even 1 time fast) that all changed. There you break out into this barren plateau sitting at about 3,000 meters. A nicely paved road turned to probably the worst type of road; a road that was once paved but is in a state of disrepair with bike eating potholes everywhere. It was hard to maintain any kind of speed so the road to the border seemed to take forever.
Once at the border we thought we might still make it to Yerevan but that changed when getting into Armenia turned into a very long process. We had to pay a couple of fees and then also required purchasing of liability insurance. The sun was setting as my insurance policy was printing out. I told the guy that because all this took so much time I now have to ride in the dark on a pothole laden road so there is a good chance I’ll be making a claim against the insurance policy he just sold me. I don’t think he understood my English.
Back on the road the wind was blowing cold and the road unforgiving. We had 50 kilometers to go to the first hotel in a city called Gyumri. After about 20 kilometers at least the road became a little better and most of the potholes had been filled. I must stress the word “most” and therefore it was a stressful and tense ride all the way to the hotel.
At Gyumri we found a hotel with the help of a local dude who lead us there with his car. He was so excited to see us on our bikes and went out of his way to make sure we were taken care of. At the hotel they wanted us to park the bikes in their “garage.” Really it was just a vacant, unfinished building. The building was elevated so they put a couple of boards up to make a ramp. Stupid me, I actually tried to go up the ramp into the building. It was a bad idea. The 2 boards were uneven and weak for my bike. Halfway up the ramp the bike tilted to the right and being elevated I could not use my feet to steady the bike and over it went. The only thing that broke was my right rearview mirror but that now means I have to travel all the way to India before I can get it replaced. Not good.
Bedtime did not come soon enough.
The view from the inside of Rabati Fortress.
Tmogvi Fortress or what little is left of it. You can’t deny the view though.
Sunset on the border between Georgia and Armenia near Bavra, Armenia.
Day 638: Monday, June 13, 2016
After a short 2 hour ride to Yerevan we went directly to the Iranian Consulate to get started on our visa. We already had our authorization code which is required to start the process. We submitted our application form and other documents and were told that we needed to go to a certain bank to pay the 90 Euro fee (for 1 day express processing).
We found the bank but only after a bit of searching. It was not close to the consulate. After paying the fee it was back to the consulate before it closed at 1pm and handed over the payment receipt. We were told to come back the next day at 10am to pick up our visas.
By now we were hot, tired, and famished so we found a nearby donair shop for lunch. Once we forced ourselves out of our seats we made our way to the hostel we had decided on, JR’s House. We got there and checked in without any issues and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.
At night we headed to Freedom Square to see the sights and get a real meal. We landed at a Chinese restaurant and had Chinese food for the first time on this leg of our journey. It was a good ending to the day.
The view coming into Yerevan from the north. Just amazing.
Day 639: Tuesday, June 14, 2016
It was off to the Iranian consult first thing in the morning to pick up our visas. When we got the visas it was a good feeling. I remember first starting work on it when I was still traveling through the Caribbean back in early April.
From there it was direct to the Turkmenistan consulate to apply for a transit visa. To do that you first need visas stamped in your passport from the country you are entering Turkmenistan from and the country you are going into from Turkmenistan. With both Uzbekistan and Iranian visas now, we can do that, or so we thought. We were told that without an invitation letter we could only apply for the transit visa from Iran because it borders Turkmenistan, obviously Armenia does not.
So we ended up going to Yerevan early to get the process going which was not necessary and a waste of time. I guess you can only do so much research and then just have to learn for yourself along the way. Now we know.
The weather was perfect today so in the afternoon Roy and I took a ride to the nearby Aragats peaks. The road ended at a small lake just below the mountain peaks and at the very high altitude of 3,200 meters it got quite chilly.
Tonight Roy and I went out to play billiards. It is always nice to do things like that because it feels like something familiar to us; just as if we were in the States living normal lives.
Riding high on Mount Aragats.
Classic Roy as we stop for a chat with sheep farmers on Mount Aragats.
Mount Ararat in Turkey as seen from Mount Aragats just north of Yerevan, Armenia.
Day 640: Wednesday, June 15, 2016
I expected to go to Tbilisi today but Roy was having a hard time deciding whether to go or not. By 11am I realized there was no way I was going to be able to see the sights I wanted to see around Yerevan and get to Tbilisi before night so I decided to stay.
I am an avid fan of The Amazing Race. Just this past season The Amazing Race was in Yerevan, Armenia. Today’s mission was to search out the places the race went to and get some video of us at those places. The first place is where there was a challenge to make Armenian flat bread which is very similar to Indian nan bread but bigger and fired in a kiln-like oven. The place was only 5 minutes from our hostel! When we got there we showed them the episode on Roy’s tablet and of course they remembered. They said we could come back at 7pm and make bread. I was pretty stoked by that.
Then we headed towards Garni Temple about one hour out of town. Along the way there was a place that a car oil change challenge was held on The Amazing Race. I found the exact spot on the map and sure enough we found it. The place was deserted. We pulled our bikes up onto the ramp which was a bit scary since the ramp is built for cars and relatively narrow for our bikes when you consider we needed to put the kickstand down to park it. Despite that we got both bikes onto the ramp and got some good pictures. Again, it was exciting for me to think that just 3 months prior The Amazing Race was there filming.
Garni Temple is really nothing special other than it was the pit stop for that leg of the race so we ponied up the couple dollars to get in and took the pre-requisite pictures and video. A little further up the road is a monastery at Geghard. The road going there was short but really nice and once there the monastery was actually worth the visit. The monastery is set into the base of a high rock cliff of red color that made for a great setting. On the way back just a few minutes from the monastery we stopped at a restaurant with a great view of the river valley and they also had the same bread making ovens that we saw earlier in the day in Yerevan. We got some pictures and had a good time talking with the people there.
By the time we were done with “lunch” it was already 6pm and we needed to be back to the place from this morning by 7pm so that meant going directly there. We arrived at exactly 7pm. When we arrived though we were immediately surround by several guys all interested in our bikes and in talking with us. After 15 minutes we finally made it into the place to get to the task of making bread. Unlike on the show The Amazing Race they only let us roll out the dough. We did not get to place the bread into the hot ovens. Darn. But they were so hospitable to us it was amazing. They gave us some vodka to wash down the bread we ate and all for no charge. One lady working there was really taken by Roy and wanted him to help her get a visa to America. When it was time to go Roy disappeared early leaving it to me to tell the lady it would not be possible. Even then she sent me away with a bag full of freshly baked bread and a bunch of greens and cheese to go with it. What an awesome ending to a great day.
The site of an Amazing Race oil change challenge.
Standing in front of Garni Temple. We got to the Amazing Race pit stop 3 months too late.
Armenian bread straight from the oven. So, so good.
These 2 ladies were stars on the Amazing Race. They were great to us.
Day 641: Thursday, June 16, 2016
For the second day in a row this is the day that I was supposed to go to Tbilisi. I woke up with that intent but as happens, plans can change quickly. The weather forecast had changed and was now calling for widespread rain and thunderstorms between Yerevan and Tbilisi. Sure enough the skies turned dark and the thunder began at 9am making my decision to stay another day in Tbilisi easy.
I spent the whole day in front of my computer working on this blog and trying to get caught up. It is so easy to get behind.
About 10pm Roy and I decided to pull out the rum from my panier, make rum and cokes and watch a movie. I’m surprised I saw the first hour of the movie before falling asleep only to wake up long enough to see the ending of the movie. As it turns out I had seen the movie before but I slept through even more of it the first go around.
Day 642: Friday, June 17, 2016
Today I left Yerevan for Tbilisi on my own. Roy decided to stay another day in Yerevan. It was my hope to get to the Azerbaijan consulate in Tbilisi in time to submit my visa application before they closed. I was expecting a 5 hour journey but that ended up not being the case.
Two things made the journey 8 hours instead of the expected 5. About 1 hour out of Yerevan I got stopped for speeding. The speeds are not posted so it is impossible to know without asking and as you will see not even that matters.
The cop said I was going 92 kph in a 60 zone and said the fine is $200 USD. I did have him clarify that the speed limit on the open highway is 90 kph and in towns/cities it is 60 kph. But the catch is that the only indication of where a town starts and stops is signs with the name of the town on it when you enter or exit the town. As you exit there is the same sign but with a red, diagonal line through it. The problem is that they use a totally different alphabet than in English and there are many signs. It is not easy to identify the signs because of this. Many times the signs are hidden behind trees and bushes. Signs indicating you are leaving a town are often just not there so it is any ones guess as to when the town official ends.
The cop wanted me to pay him cash but when I refused and told him to write a ticket he said he would but would hold my driver’s license until I came back from a bank with a receipt. Well there was no bank around for tens of miles so that was not a good option. Plus I didn’t want to pay the full amount. In addition I asked him how I could “come back” and find him to show the receipt. He had pretty good English and replied “good point.” Really? At this point I told him I could give him the equivalent of $40 USD in cash. He took my money, shook my hand, smiled, handed back my driver’s license and said “Have a great day.” Yeah, right!
Now being very conscious of my speed I continued on. Literally 10 minutes later I got stopped again by yet another cop car. This guy said I was speeding but did not speak but a few words of English. He understood more than he could speak I could tell that much. I was emphatic that I was being very careful. First he said I was going 10 kph faster than I know was my fastest speed. Second, he says I was within the town limits which I was pretty certain I was not. Again, it is not easy to tell. Of course we went back and forth several times, me telling him I was being very careful and did not go that fast and him telling me he wanted cash instead of writing a ticket.
This time I had given him my old driver’s license (which I carry just for this kind of situation) in case he wanted to keep it. I held my own though and after 15 minutes of conversation he gave in, gave me back my documents and let me on my way. He may have decided that just after I made like a preying gesture saying I promise that I was trying to follow the speed limits religiously (ha ha). Good thing he didn’t know I am an atheist.
Okay, now I am being really, really careful of my speed and any sign of a town whether there is a sign or not made me slow down to 60 kph. But again, 10 minutes later I am stopped again of course for speeding. This cop did not speak any English and was not nice at all. He just said DOCUMENTS! By now I am completely frustrate and am realizing this is just one big scam. I refused to negotiate with this guy. I just said “I did not speed!” and “Write me a ticket!” Of course I had given him my old driver’s license. I said this to him about 8 times over ten minutes as he kept threatening to write a ticket and coming back to ask me for cash instead. I steadfastly refused. Finally he got out his cell phone and made a call. The only word I made out was “motorcycle.” Thirty seconds later he hung up the phone, handed me back my documents, shook my hand firmly, gave me a big smile, and said “Goodbye”. I just know he called the “ringleader” and was told I had already been stopped twice before so I had been harassed enough already.
For the next one hour I don’t think I went over 55 kph even on the open highway. I started getting passed by cars which almost never happens. Once past the city of Vanadzor the road conditions deteriorated and also became windy so speed was not long an issue and of course I didn’t see any more cop cars either. That also means the scenery improved and the ride was finally enjoyable again despite some rain at times.
There was a monetary just about 10 minutes off the highway so I checked that out briefly. It was unique from places I’ve seen before so was worth the visit. Of course by this time I was starving and strongly desiring a Coke Zero but time was not on my side so onward to Tbilisi I went.
The border was my other delay. Really for all of Georgia’s simplicity at the border, Armenia makes up for it. More customs fees to pay, papers to get stamped, and time to go through the process. They are very slow at typing I have noticed. Of course I am at a Georgian border crossing so I could not escape a thunderstorm. It poured rain but at least this time it only lasted 15 minutes and most of that time I was in the building getting the paperwork done. The bike got really wet but for the most part I stayed dry.
I got to Tbilisi by 4:30 and at the Azerbaijan consulate I was told that I was too late to apply today and to come back on Monday. The bad part of that is that I now have to wait a few days in Tbilisi to do that. The good news is that they said I could make the application there. That means I will be able to make it to Azerbaijan. I was not sure that could happen since any other Azerbaijan consulate I went to told me I had to make the application in the USA. I told the guy I would be back on Monday and I am now hoping I will have the visa by next Friday.
From there I searched for a hostel to stay at. My first choice was full up but my second choice had room and it turns out to be a great place so I am happy it worked out like it did. I found a Subway just across the street and at 8pm got my fist food and drink since 8am. I am surprised I did not faint before finding it. After that I found a place to get a glass of red wine which Georgia is famous for and listened to a band playing on the sidewalk next to the restaurant. It was perfect.
Carved out of the otherwise beautiful landscape I found this scourge on the Earth.
I have kind of made a hobby of taking pics of foot bridges and paths. Found this one today.
