Settling down onto the saddle after two rest days I followed Jim out of Kartal ( more or less an outer suburb of Istanbul on the Asian side). The first hour was peak hour traffic and we didn't get above thirty kilometres per hour.
The weather has been hot between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius. Time to change to lighter riding gear.
The vast majority of roads are very good and there is a choice of two main roads heading south east towards Ankara, the capital of Turkey. We started on the 'free' road but swung onto the toll road when we got sick of the diesel truck fumes.
The toll road have overhead sensors similar to our roads and read transponders fitted to vehicles. We had trouble finding where we could pay a daily toll as there was no information anywhere that we could see. Just outside Ankara we saw a small office in a truck rest stop - we checked and sure enough that is where we purchased our transponders. Job done - why I mention this is because during an earlier conversation someone told us that foreigners are often caught out at the border when unpaid tolls are levied along with a fine.
Three hundred and fifty kilometres of ever changing scenery. At one stage the country looked like a scruffy Austria especially with the snow capped mountains in the background. Rich green farm land intermittently interrupted by arid zones with red or white soil. We are not in a hurry so we took our time and absorbed as much as possible.
Ankara itself is the capital and it appears to be a Turkish 'show piece'. Everything looks new, spick and span. The hotel is one of the cheapest so far priced at 100 Turkish Lira ($50 divide that by two because we are sharing the cost) BUT we have been given a brand new suite. Very flash.
The fuel prices in Europe and now Turkey are not cheap. Today I paid $2.50 for a litre - ouch. Australians stop complaining or else someone might start looking into our prices more closely.
Tomorrow we ride to the Cappadocia region and will stay overnight in the town of Goreme. Our room apparently is cut out of the rock so first night in a cave.
Link - where I have been so far. Click on the link
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=218394844954211932906.0004dad0ae1226c50260f&msa=0&ll=40.313043,30.234375&spn=74.409942,173.144531
The weather has been hot between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius. Time to change to lighter riding gear.
The vast majority of roads are very good and there is a choice of two main roads heading south east towards Ankara, the capital of Turkey. We started on the 'free' road but swung onto the toll road when we got sick of the diesel truck fumes.
The toll road have overhead sensors similar to our roads and read transponders fitted to vehicles. We had trouble finding where we could pay a daily toll as there was no information anywhere that we could see. Just outside Ankara we saw a small office in a truck rest stop - we checked and sure enough that is where we purchased our transponders. Job done - why I mention this is because during an earlier conversation someone told us that foreigners are often caught out at the border when unpaid tolls are levied along with a fine.
Three hundred and fifty kilometres of ever changing scenery. At one stage the country looked like a scruffy Austria especially with the snow capped mountains in the background. Rich green farm land intermittently interrupted by arid zones with red or white soil. We are not in a hurry so we took our time and absorbed as much as possible.
Ankara itself is the capital and it appears to be a Turkish 'show piece'. Everything looks new, spick and span. The hotel is one of the cheapest so far priced at 100 Turkish Lira ($50 divide that by two because we are sharing the cost) BUT we have been given a brand new suite. Very flash.
The fuel prices in Europe and now Turkey are not cheap. Today I paid $2.50 for a litre - ouch. Australians stop complaining or else someone might start looking into our prices more closely.
Tomorrow we ride to the Cappadocia region and will stay overnight in the town of Goreme. Our room apparently is cut out of the rock so first night in a cave.
Link - where I have been so far. Click on the link
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=218394844954211932906.0004dad0ae1226c50260f&msa=0&ll=40.313043,30.234375&spn=74.409942,173.144531
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