Malatya

Malatya - you know the feeling when you enter a city and you just like it.
Happened to me here. Good inexpensive accommodation; smiling people on the street; women on the street; shops; restaurants; everything - even a cinema.
İ decided to finally sleep twice in the same bed and did a day tour to "Old Malatya" - Battalgazi.
Turned out to be 50km/430m with the little detours İ included.
İ really like it here.
Unfortunately today was loosing day - tore my trousers, and somehow managed to loose my spare chain - which is very bad. Hope it turns up otherwise İ will have to find a local spare.
Well don't ask how it happened - İ still have no clue and have been cursing myself for the whole evening.
İ got a nice computer virus (which İ know from SE Asia - fortunately no pictures were lost; but İ have to say again: İ hate Windows! Thank God İ am still good enough in the DOS shell - even in Turkish:)

On the way to Malatya

İn the Seljuk Mosque with the local kids - great fun :)

the dome...

İ guess that is what the İmam is preaching from :)

the old parts of the building

taken by one of the kids

on the way back to Malatya

The mountains in the back are in my way to Nemrut Dagi :(

my bike is soooooo beautiful

want to have a weekend home ??

Divrigi II

Divrigi

Divrigi World Heritage Site - not more.
İ spent most of the day in two buses and on the bus stop in Sivas. So not much to post.
İ will take pictures of the mosque tomorrow - promise!!

Tokat

Tokat Castle

Tokat

After yesterday İ had an easy day planned. Zile - Tokat around 80 km flat - well as flat as it gets here. Until Pazar that is exactly what happened. Exiting Pazar there is a Seljuk Caravansary which İ wanted to see. There where three guys working there (turning the place into a restaurant). İ was invited for lunch and then the boss kept on telling me how İ can not miss Ballıca Cave.
İn the end İ gave in, left my luggage there and went to the cave. İ planned to miss it because of the 20 km detour (uphill).

When İ came to pick up my luggage İ again was invited to numerous cays and a ride for the last 25 klicks.
Tokat itself is so so. Admittedly it is raining now and it was dark when we arrived. The hotel sucks and İ did not see any of the sights which according to the lonely liar are plenty. (btw)






PS 55km /570mAscent

Zile

Amasya to Zile turned out to be a wonderful stage! İ am sorry to bother all of you with this beautiful, wonderful, super stuff but there is really little to complain about.
İf you look at the map you will notice the big fat road from Amasya to Turhal/Tokat. İn the spirit of my dear friend Alex İ did not go for that. İ chose the little one leading into the mountains. İ did not end up where İ planned but the landscape and the people on the way more than compensated.
Even the town of Zile is not a bad place to be. İ got directions to the hotel (İ guess there should be more though) directions being: head for the highest building! And for sure that worked!
İ stay in a little suite with two! TVs for less then İ paid for a rotten hole in another town.
İn the mountains İ looked for shelter from a upcoming rainstorm. İ ended up with and invitation to a marvelous lunch - thanks! The guy was staying with his parents - his mother unfortunately is ill - he is normally working in Almaty. İ guess İ was lucky!

Still everything is blossoming and it is just wonderful to glide down a narrow road after a hard day with bloomy trees left and right.

on the way up

the village of Akyazi

Marble

on the way down

And now turn on the speakers!

Filmed from my hotel room - İ could identify at least 4 different mosques

PS: 60 km / 970Ascent

Sinop - Samsun - Amasya

Mad some kilometers - with the bus. İ wanted to stay in Samsung initially, but the town (at lest what İ saw) did not look tempting. So İ continued to Amasya. İt turned out to be a good J-choice! This is a fantastic little city with lots of history. Ancient tombs, a castle and a lot of really pretty houses on the edge of the river in midst of lots of rocks! Tomorrow is bike day again though.

Sinop

One week into the journey it is time to recapitulate.
The weather was perfect, the hospitality is unprecedented, the scenery it unbelievable, the roads are a pain! Still İ shall thank all these wonderful people on the roadside who invited me for tea, for conversation, were cheering when İ passed were offering accommodation and many things more.
Today's stage (Türkeli-Sinop) was a bit of a stretch - İ knew that in the beginning but you know - one always hopes :) 93 km 1302 m Ascent. Which makes it 350 km for those who care and want to give me a hard time about it :) İ would have opted for a bus the last 20 klicks but there simply was nothing. No houses (well some) no town, no nothing!!
Sometimes the map is telling the truth after all. Somehow though İ managed the insanely steep ups and downs along the coast. İ miss a honest mountain pass (x km up and then x km down) but this up down up down drives me nuts.
Well İ shall not complain - the first 30 km İ had exactly that but the rest...
One thing that kept me going today was the wildlife! İ saw about 30 turtles trying to cross the road ( İ nearly drove over one). Unfortunately some of them die trying to do exactly that. Guess turtle is on the road - car is coming - what happens?? Turtle stops of course. İ feel somehow attached to this weird animals. İ guess it is because my sister long long ago had one.
Tomorrow İ decided to take a rest and a bus to Samsung from where İ will head south away from the coast.

Typical coastal Town view

unbelievable colors which do not translate into a picture

My roadside friends...