3rd September 2014      33’C      335km
Malatya – Kayseri

2nd September 2014                39℃        306km
Elazig – Malatya

Leaving Elazig, I headed up into the mountains to explore Nemrut Dağı. The ride was pretty much awesome until the last 3km, winding mountain roads, with very little traffic and spectacular views. The last 3km was steep, loose rocks and a bit of effort to climb, especially as I missed the correct trail and managed to reach a dead-end where it was too narrow to turn around.

The peak at 2100M was really quite amazing, huge sculpted heads sitting atop the mountain, facing out into the distance. The heads are believed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. I was the only tourist present, and walking around the ancient site, looking out over the valleys amongst these historic sculptures was simply spectacular.

On descending the mountain, I made my way to Malatya, the commercial hub of a city. Fortunately the traffic was reasonable, and the hotels even more so. I found a great, spotless hotel right in the centre of town for a super cheap price, and settled in for the night.

1st September 2014      39℃        318km
Muş – Elazig

I rode out from Mus, trying to skirt around the areas where conflict with the Kurdish population has flared up over the past few weeks. The eastern part of Turkey has a large number of Kurds, who are fighting for an independent Kurdish state.

I passed a large number of military bases, often situated right on the road, where soldiers were stationed at arms, sitting behind weapons of large caliber. I always slowed right down when passing through, and tried to give them a wave, occasionally I’d get a reluctant wave back.

I stopped in a small village for a drink, and was greeted by a group of men and boys. They were very interested in all the flags on the bike, and one older guy asked which country I was travelling to next. He then asked, “Why are you not going to the country of Kurdistan?”
I showed him my map, and asked him to show me where Kurdistan was.
He responded with “Exactly!!! Where is our country!!!” He was very passionate about this point, almost tense, and I regretted my clumsy stumble into yet another political issue outside my understanding or ability to do anything about.

I powered on to the city of Elazig, and the very comfortable Marathon Hotel, for a good nights rest.