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Interview mit dem shz - Weltreise mit dem Fahrrad – Christopher Fritze hängt wegen Corona in Laos fest

18/4/2020

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Interview mit dem shz über meine Erfahrungen während des Corona Virus-Ausbruchs in Vietnam und wie ich den Lockdown in Laos aussitze.

Vielen Dank für deine Zeit Helga und danke shz fürs teilen meiner Geschichte!

Bleibt gesund!

>>> Zum Artikel <<<
>>> Zur Spendenaktion <<<
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Turkey I - Istanbul traffic madness and entering Asia

17/4/2020

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Location: Ankara
Km on the clock: 4,425
 
I discovered another cyclist resting next to a water fountain on the other side of the road as I was riding towards the Turkish border. It was Becky from England. We already cycled together for a day a few days earlier but split up again due to my detour to Thasos Island. She looked up and waved at me. I didn't expect to see her again since she usually covered longer distances each day than me.

"I thought you'd be already in Turkey by now", I said as I crossed the road.
She laughingly answered: "Oh well, I just took it easy the last days."
Approximate scribble of my route
We teamed up again and pedaled to the Turkish border at Ipsala. After four passport checks we finally entered Turkey. One of the border guards held one bicycle after the other as we were taking pictures. In his other hand he held his gun.
We turned into the village Sarpdere just a few kilometers behind the border to find a place for the night. There was an empty plot in the middle of the village with hay bales piled up next to a house. The owner affirmed our request to pitch our tents there. He looked confused for a second when I asked if it was even okay to sleep on top of the hay. He laughed and affirmed. A few minutes later his two young daughters and his son came out to bring us a cup of tea. The next morning they brought us more tea plus bread for breakfast. What an incredible kind gesture!

Since both of us had already some nasty experiences with street dogs on our trips it turned out to be a good idea to sleep on top of the hay bales. Street dogs loitered and sniffed all around us during the night. We were very glad that the hay stack was too high for them to climb up.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Sep 4, 2019 um 3:15 PDT

Becky and I split up again the next day. She wanted to go south to Antalya and I east to Istanbul. This time I was sure that I wouldn't see her again since her plan was to cycle across central Asia to South Korea and I planned to go into Iran and to the Arabian Peninsula next.

It was a rather monotonous ride to Istanbul and it still wasn't flat land as people in Greece assured me. The straight roads were hilly but not steep. There were no cycling lanes so I cycled on the motorway's side strip. It was a strange feeling to do so and I was nervous that the police would pull me over. However, after numerous police cars passed and some of the policemen even waved at me I was sure that I'd be fine. It was very comfortable to cycle on the side strips since they're three meters wide and as a cyclist you've the whole space for yourself. Every now and then I had to share it with tractors, moped drivers or pedestrians. However, the heavy traffic noise was stressful over time and strong head winds coming from the Black Sea blew into my face until I arrived Istanbul.

I camped on the beaches of the Marmara Sea. It was very comfortable since there were parks on which it was okay to pitch my tent. There were even free shower cabins. The few Turkish campers around me made barbeque and smoked shisha.

I met Nikolas, another German cyclist, outside of Istanbul. We teamed up and maneuvered through Istanbul's crazy traffic. When there were three lanes, car drivers made it five. And when there were five lanes, they made it seven. The road markings seemed to be just a suggestion. I never experienced such heavy traffic before. Any gap to make it through was ours. Riding through this madness was stressful but also exciting. I felt the adrenaline kicking in as we rolled into the city.
I passed the Galata Bridge and saw Asia on the other side of the Bosporus strait. "Soon I'd leave Europe", went through my mind. I pushed my bike up one last hill and checked into Neverland Hostel. My buddy Matt, who I already met in Prague, welcomed me with a big ole hug.

I took a ferry across the geographical border between Europe and Asia after a few days of exploration and bike fixings. I expected more traffic madness in the eastern part of Istanbul but got surprised. Although the majority of the city's population live on this side, the traffic got less after a few kilometers and there was even a wide cycling lane alongside the sea.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Apr 15, 2020 um 10:16 PDT



I took the direct roads to Ankara because I had to catch a flight to my brothers wedding in a few days. Near Gerede I turned south and pushed my bike through a forested, mountainy and quiet area. Every now and then there were tea stand aside of the road. The fresh brewed black tea was a great source to keep me warm from the inside in this shadowy, chilly region.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Sep 16, 2019 um 4:02 PDT

A few days later I rolled into Ankara. I passed president Erdogan's palace and was lucky to end up in a boy's student accommodation. The majority of students were gone due to semester holidays. The few guys who stayed welcomed me with open arms. They couldn't believe that someone would cycle all the way from Germany to Turkey. Fahrt, a Turkish-German guy, laughingly said: "The others usually make fun of me because I often travel by car between Turkey and Germany instead of taking flights. I'm sure this will stop now since they know you now."
The guys showed me around Ankara, introduced to some delicious Turkish food to me and I even got the opportunity to participate an evening service in the National Mosque. My accommodations hosts kindly allowed me to leave my bicycle basement while I was gone for my brother's wedding.

Thanks again for everything! You guys are awesome!

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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Apr 16, 2020 um 10:41 PDT

If you enjoy reading this blog then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school classrooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!

And if you enjoy reading it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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VIDEO: EUROPE I - Germany - Turkey

10/4/2020

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I put together an eleven countries fast forward video of cycling across Europe on my cycling the world journey.

I started in my home town Flensburg, Germany and pedaled all the way across eastern Europe to Istanbul, Turkey. It was about 4,000 kilometers and took me a bit more than two months.
I cycled across Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey.

Don't forget to turn up the volume and get ready to dance before start the video. It contains some catchy music.

Have fun!
If you enjoy watching this video then please support my fundraising campaign to equip school class rooms in Darfur, Sudan. Thank you!
 
And if you enjoy watching it a lot, then I'd appreciate if you'd support me with a virtual cup of coffee on Ko-fi. Cheers! :)

Click here if you want to take a look at my equipment.
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