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VIDEO: MIDDLE EAST & CAUCASUS | Turkey - Oman

4/12/2020

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A fast forward about cycling four months across six countries in the Middle East and Caucasus region.⁠
⁠
After I already cycled from my home town Flensburg, Germany all across eastern Europe to Istanbul, Turkey, I continued my way to Oman.⁠ On this leg of my cycling the world journey I faced challenging steep mountain roads in the freezing cold Caucasus region and also had to push myself through some extremely hot and windy deserts of the Middle East. I was lucky to meet Patrick the way. So we teamed up and pedaled together across the Emirates and Oman.⁠
⁠
I came across Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Oman.⁠
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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Turkey II – Spectacular Cappadocia and becoming a hawk hunter

8/5/2020

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Location: Arhavi
Km on the clock: 5,421
 
As I pedaled out of Ankara, I had to think about my mum and how sad she looked at Hamburg airport the previous day. Going home for one week for my brother's wedding was planned from the beginning. However, saying good bye again was more difficult than at the beginning of this journey because this time I didn't know when I'd see my family again.
Approximate scribble of my route
A guy on a motorcycle passed in the late afternoon and stopped about 200 meters in front of me on the side-strip. He gave me a sign to stop, lifted his visor and asked where I'd stay tonight. I pointed to the bag on the back of my bicycle and answered: "I've a tent and will most likely end up camping somewhere in the wild." Bulent, an elderly man, spoke only little English but with the help of Google Translate he let me know that I could pitch my tent in his garden. I gladly accepted his offer and followed him a couple of kilometers to his house in a quiet neighborhood where his wife and a neighbor welcomed me.

"So, you can pitch your tent wherever you want in the garden or even stay at our guest house tonight. It's up to you", Bulent said after showing me around.
I thought: "Did I really just hear guest house?"
"Guest house would be amazing!" I replied excitingly.
It was a cozy two room house which provided all amenities you can think of. This place was basically ready for someone to move in. Bulent brought me a set of bed sheets and made even sure that there were a few tins of beer in the fridge. Absolutely amazing!
After having dinner together we shared stories until late in the evening - mainly with the help of Google Translate. I started to realize that I was probably about to enter regions of the world in which communication will become a challenge. Luckily it wasn't an issue that night.

Both, Bulent and his wife, made sure that I was full and happy after dinner but also after breakfast. We spent the morning together, chatted and enjoyed the mountain range view from his patio until it was time for me to continue. Spending some time with them helped me to get the image of my mum's sad face out of my mind and not to look back anymore. Instead I looked forward to visit Cappadocia soon now. Thanks again for your incredible hospitality!

I spotted a remarkable looking fort on top of a hill as I flew down a road after a long right curve. Now I knew I was in the heart of Cappadocia, just outside of Goreme. I followed a dirt track and pitched my tent on the edge of Love Valley.


I got up before sunrise and could observe the hot air balloon operators getting ready on the other side of the valley. As soon as the first sunbeams appeared over the mountains the first balloons set off. It didn't take long until was surrounded by countless colorful balloons. The ones maneuvering through the canyon were that close to me that I could almost touch them. The passengers waved at me and I waved back at them. At some point there were so many balloons in the air that I didn't even know where to look at. I kept rotating and tried to fill my mind with as many spectacular images as possible. Watching this symphony of hot-air balloons is probably one of the coolest things that I ever experienced for free!
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Okt 3, 2019 um 6:56 PDT

Originally I wanted to cycle straight into Iran after Turkey but it was a spontaneous decision during breakfast during my visit at home to make a detour via Georgia and Armenia.
Two weeks later I pedaled alongside the Black Sea coastline. Here I made my first Warmshowers experiences. One night I stayed in a room above Mustafa's cafe. He was a very kind guy, provided me breakfast the next morning and made sure that there was always some of his delicious Rize tea in my cup. I'm actually not a big fan of tea but this one I liked a lot. Thanks again for your hospitality!

Murat flagged me down the next day. He invited me stay with him in his small beach house just outside of Arhavi. He lives in this small one room house with his cat Nina and his bird Ratcho and created us a delicious dinner on the stove which was the center of the room. We talked about everything and nothing until late in the evening. Again, with the help of Google Translate.

Murat invited me to stay another day with him and to hunt atmacas (hawks). Now I had to find out that Ratcho wasn't just a pet he was the bait for the hawks.
Patience is needed to hunt an eagle. We sat in a tiny cabin aside of his beach house for a while, moved a stick diagonally through the air on which Ratcho was leashed and waited until a hawk would try to catch Ratcho but actually end up in a spanned fishing net.

Everything went so fast when a hawk was finally caught in the net. I didn't even know what to do. Murat sprung from the bench to the net, grabbed the hawk by its legs and handed it over to me like a trophy. It didn't even try to resist as I held it. Instead it was totally calm and stared at me. A few minutes later we set it free again and it winged back into the woods on the other side of the road.
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Ein Beitrag geteilt von Chris Fritze (@fritzechris) am Mai 7, 2020 um 9:03 PDT

I couldn't believe that we really caught one! So cool! I never even imagined to try to hunt a hawk. I think I can officially call myself a real hawk hunter now. Thank a lot again for this awesome experience!

After about six weeks of cycling across Turkey from West to East, I found myself on the coastal road again the next day, heading straight to Georgia!

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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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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