Thankfully it was a fairly quiet Sunday in Istanbul when we arrived. We found our way into the city teaming up with 4 Spanish cyclists who were on the ferry with us. We found an apartment to stay in but it was just available for 2 nights. Monday morning we visited the Iranian embassy to finish our visa application. We had sent off the initial information required and payment to an agent when we were in Serbia. They do whatever is necessary (not sure how much) and then send back an approval number. Once you have the number the rest is quite straight forward. Passport photo for me with my hair covered, more form filling, a whopping 100 euro visa fee for NZ ders payable at a specified bank. Then it was "Come back on Wednesday" Exciting. So a couple of days sightseeing and a change of hotel for the final two nights. A big busy touristy city but nice with the water and bridges, we stayed near the centre and hung about there so it didn't feel too big. We visited the big bazaar and picked up some warmer clothes and baggy shirts and pants for me to wear in Iran. Plus a dog dazzer! Could have done with it 16000 kms ago.
Lots of mosques and lovely old buildings to see. Narrow streets. And of course tourist scams. One shoe shine guy dropped his brush right beside us. Trevor picked it up and called out to him. Thank-you thank-you... Let me clean your shoes, (like our sandals need squirted with water and scrubbed with a grubby toothbrush) then its the please give me money story... he had obviously dropped the brush on purpose.
And more violence than we have seen anywhere else, guys losing the plot and starting a fight, all of a sudden there are so many men trying to pull them apart but it seems to escalate and carries on down the street for ages like a violent rolling maul. One lot was heading my way so I ducked into the nearest shop, the guy in the shop hurried me behind the counter then picked up a huge bollard ready to defend himself if needed. Scary to watch.
Since we have visited Turkey before and winter is coming, we decided to get to Iran as quickly as possible. Oct/Nov is the best time to visit there weather wise. Not too hot.
We wanted to go direct to Van on the Dogubayazit express but the train line there had been sabotaged (PKK or kurds, who really knows) so the only option was a sleeper train from Ankara to Erzurum, further north in Eastern Turkey leaving Ankara on the Friday night at 6pm. The travel agent told us we could take the fast train to Ankara, (with bikes) it takes just 3.5 hrs but currently it leaves from the Asia side of Istanbul and with bikes we needed to take a boat then the metro then ride 6 km. So, luckily as it turns out, we set off Thursday morning having decided we would suss it out and maybe stay over the otherside and go to Ankara the next day or all going well go to Ankara and stay overnight there. The boat trip was fine. Survived the access to the metro, the elevators were not working so we had to take the loaded bikes down 3 narrow steep escalators. We have done it before but these were particularly dodgy. A bit like water skiing, if you get the start right and balanced properly then its all good but if you don't then everything turns a bit pear shaped and the bike becomes a bucking bronco! Unfortunately the escalators are always crowded which does not help the nerves.
Two hours after we left we reached the fast train station and - Absolutely no way were we allowed to take our bikes on the train. Fullstop... Hmm off to a bus station, No, absolutely no, sorry don't do bikes here... Hmm
Maybe if you go to the main bus station - 40 km back where we had come from... Hmm, don't think so.
We found a travel agent and he sent us to another travel agent. No problem...
Now 3 pm. Suddenly without much discussion we were stuffed into a minivan thinking we were off to Ankara. But no, it was just a taxi picking people up to drop at a bus station. Then we waited and waited in the cold, we discovered 6 pm was departure time but that came and went, finally at 7.30 a bus arrived. The bus driver threw up his arms at the sight of the bikes but by that time we were 3 cups of Chai friendly with the bus company fella and he sorted it so they were loaded and off we went. 6 hrs later we arrived at Ankara bus terminal. The metro had stopped running for the night and there was no way we were cycling in the middle of the night so we dug out our sleeping bags and joined everyone else sleeping on the bench seats for a few hours... while the cleaners sloshed water and mopped the floor around us. Hmm.
We met a friendly young guy about 6.30am, he was there to meet his dad off the bus. He decided he had enough time before school to escort us on and off the now running metro and into central Ankara. We met 'dad' as well, he was left to make his own way home and off we went. Fantastic. Then Feud showed us where the train station was and left us enjoying breakfast and coffee at a nice cafe. We organized to meet him and a friend after school.
So a day in Ankara, can't say we were feeling that chipper but we did manage to look around a bit and visited Ataturks memorial (Ataturk being the founding leader of modern Turkey) definitely a man ahead of his time, and a place worthy of a visit (photos)
We met up with Feud and his friend later, had time for an ice cream in the park then we were off on the overnight train. Phew. Time to relax. 21 hours to relax to be precise. But it was a nice trip. We were comfortable in our own cabin. (Scenery photos from the train) Vast expanses of nothingness, sheep and goat herders, haphazardly built, poor villages. I am glad I didn't find out until we had nearly reached Erzurum - the train schedule had recently been changed so it crossed a particular area of Eastern Turkey in daylight, there had been a number of incidents recently on this line as well where explosives had been put on the tracks...
Erzurum is the hub of Eastern Turkey and a nice city. Loads of hotels. Not long after we arrived we learnt of the terrorist attack that happened at Ankara railway station that morning. Just a few hours after we had left there. Truly awful.
We enjoyed looking around the sights of Erzurum the next day, noting all the flags were half mast (photos) and booked seats on a bus to Van which is the closest city to the border where we wanted to cross into Iran. Info from where we got the ticket - It leaves at 7 am, takes 7 hours and the bus terminal is 2 km from here.
We thought we would wander to the station to see for ourselves as we didn't want any surprises early in the morning. It was not 2 km, after 5 km we found out it was almost 12 km and way out of town on the main highway.
Nothing was happening at our hotel the next morning, we woke the guy sleeping on the couch to unlock the door and left in the dark intending to have a cuppa at the bus station. A fast cycle, we arrived at 6.15, were quickly escorted to a bus, bikes loaded and ready to depart at 6.23 while I'm thinking - Are we on the right bus going to the right place? Where is English / Turkish Google translate when you need it ? Yep apparently we were on the right bus.
The driver gave new meaning to the terms Express and Direct. No toilet stops, no food stops, 5 hrs total not 7.
Hot, hungry, thirsty, bikes reassembled and bags on ready to head into the city when an old guy, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, approaches us and asks for our passports. Initially we kind of ignored him until he produced his police badge. Then he decided to search all our panniers. No, 'let's go inside or into another room', just right where we were on the pavement surrounded by a huge number of curious Turkish males, every one of them sucking on a cigarette.
Eventually satisfied that we were not a threat he shook our hand and we were able to leave. We stopped about 5 km down the road at what we thought was a cafe but it actually sold lollies, dried fruit and cakes. The father and his daughter were delightful and so happy we had stopped. We downed 4 glasses of tea each and a heap of food. They kept bringing more out for us to try and would not accept payment for it. They directed us to the hotel area and once we sorted that we headed off to suss out how to get the 100km to the border.
There was some kind of rally going on in the square and a huge riot police presence to go with it. Police wagons with water cannons, police all well armed as well as many army vehicles.
This is Kurdish territory and although most of the trouble hotspots are further south Van also has its share of incidents.
We didn't hang around.
But we did find out at the tourist office that the border between Turkey and Iran was closed as was the one further south and the only one open was back up north around 400 km!
So another bus ticket booked for the next morning. Far out.
With a couple of hours to spare we took a taxi van out to visit the big fort that over looks Lake Van, it was dark by the time we finished and flagged down another van back. The usual donor kebab for dinner.
There is definitely an uneasy feeling here. Tension among the people and they are quick to tell us they are Kurdish, not Turkish. Hotels are doing a starve and dropping their prices as no tourists are visiting.
Public transport is vital to this country as not many people own cars. The buses are pretty cheap and very modern. Main roads are at least two lanes each side straight and buses travel kms quickly.
Except today.
Off again early. And I was not feeling at all well. Last nights dodgy kebab...This time a local bus, really slow, through a gorge, stopping everywhere and then we had to change buses halfway. The bus stopped at a police check point, there was even one of those armed vehicles where the guy pops out the top and swivels the gun around! They came on and checked everyones ID and took one guy off. It was about then my illness peaked, I will leave it there!
I must admit its all a tad nerve racking and unfortunately we have started to look at everyone and wonder if they are potential suicide bombers.
A night in Agri, nothing to report there as I was too sick to go anywhere and then to Dogubayazit (commonly known by tourists as Doggy biscuit) the next day just 35 km from Iran, a great hotel and a great view of Mt Ararat. Photo-Think Noahs Ark. Also very chilly. Dogubayazit - Maku in Iran - 65 km
Yay next morning we were back on the bikes and on our way to the border. Half way along Trevor stopped to find his gloves, I continued on then spotted a young boy up ahead, looked like a goat herder and had a big stick with him. I slowed down to wait on Trevor just as this kid decided to run towards me. When he reached me he started yelling and screaming and whacking the back panniers on my bike with his stick. I would say he was about 11 or 12 and what struck me most was the look in his eyes. Such total absolute hatred toward me or more to the point what he perceived me to represent.
Astonishing how someone so young can get to be so misguided and evil.
I just yelled at him, changed down a gear and bolted just as Trevor arrived to give him a barrel. At the same time 2 army vehicles just happened to be cruising by and also saw what happened, turned on their sirens and tooted and the kid scampered off into the distance.
We had heard about the kids over this way and yesterday when the bus we were on stopped at a red light 3 really young kids came over begging. The bus driver basically told them to go away and then they proceeded to throw stones at the bus. Little urchins, not at school, wearing rags. Sad, there is not much hope of a good life for them.
On we went to the border, just one minor issue as we wheeled our bikes the final 100 metres surrounded by more Turkish urchins. One of them suddenly spotted a huge piece of wire wrapping itself around Trevors wheel. As he removed it a number of the kids indicated he should pay the guy for noticing it... We are fairly certain they deviously put it there to begin with.
We exited Turkey and then no problems at all entering Iran. Immediately we felt the different atmosphere. Here it was calm and peaceful and lots of friendly people saying - Welcome to Iran. So looking forward to the next month.
A pretty character building and frustrating week getting across Turkey but that's what 'adventure' is all about.
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