In June 2009 it happened. This is that trip.
The country is huge and unless you have been here the scale of it is difficult to comprehend. Road connections are in the main good and with the current level of investment in infrastructure this is only going to get better.
It was decided that a motorcycle trip to the East of Turkey to see some of the more famous archaeological sites would be a very different way of seeing the country in company with our friends Phil and Angela. We already owned the motorbikes so it was an easy decision to make. It was left to working out the logistics of the journey and ultimately, when. This was determined in the main by two very dear friends, Jan and Karen from Denmark, who have a holiday home in the town where we live. They offered to look after our cat for us for the duration of the trip so we coincided our trip with theirs. We additionally had others waiting in the wings if we did not make it back in time due to accidents, breakdowns, weather, etc: We had to plan for every eventuality!
The motorbikes are both Honda's. A Shadow 750C4 (called the Aero in the USA) and a VTX 1300S. Both purchased locally and equipped with many extras to individualise them. They are both equipped with Mustang seats and windshields along with side panniers and a rear bag. Recently serviced they were ready to go.
Honda Shadow (Aero) 750C4
Honda VTX 1300SOn Monday 22nd June 2009 at 6.30am we set off on what was going to turn out to be a 3128 kms adventure over 12 days and with most of us going down with D&V along the way. The first stop was 6kms from home. The local belediyese (council) had decided to sink an aircraft just off the beach for the local diving trade. They had just mounted the engines so we knew that it would not be there when we got back, and we were correct!
The aeroplane on the beach in Kas, waiting to be sunk
Our main priority was find to find accomodation that had secure parking, which was the criteria for all the accomodation throughout the trip. We managed to find a small hotel right in the city centre where parking was secure. After a shower we then set off to explore Konya, or, more precisely, the little bit around our hotel.
Konya as a city is huge and a large amount of industry is there. It is also Turkey's most religious city and the home of the famous "Whirling Dervishes", a unique order of Mevlevi only found in Turkey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervish. The temple is a major tourist attraction and has the most fabulous blue covered dome. We enjoyed a good meal right opposite the temple, but in Konya it is completely "dry" so a beer was off the menu. Strangely, I was told later, that Konya as a city is one of the largest consumers of alcohol in Turkey. Mmmmm.
Outside the Mevlevi Museum, famous for its blue dome, in Konya.After staying overnight we were up at 7.ooam and the job of loading the bikes again began. A typical Turkish breakfast was consumed, nothing to write home about, and then we set of to the next stop point in Capadoccia.
Now, this was the place that had actually started the idea for the whole trip. We had for ages talked about going there, but had always envisaged we would go by car. The idea of the using the bike was something that was spawned a long time ago but only as a fanciful whim, but here we were on our way to what is probably one of the most famous destinations in Turkey. The journey was utterley boring after leaving Konya. The road from Konya to Nevesehir is straight and featureless and the evidence of the speed traps along the way was indicative that motorists get bored and put their foot down. Many were caught and for the first time I saw the use of a floating camera car that radioed ahead to the patrol of the speeding motorists.
The journey took around 5 hours and the first place we stopped at was Ugrup. This where the cave houses are and the underground cities, but it was a bit uninspiring.
Our first views of Capadoccia
Breakfast was on the roof top terrace with a wonderful view over the main street.
Down the centre of the street is the main water run off and along either side of the "canal" are all the restaurants.We wandered down the street and found ourselves in Nazars. The owner, Refik, spoke perfect english and was a real charismatic character. You read about the Turks being warm and welcoming. This chap embodied everything you have read. The food was good, company was good, and we found ourselves enjoying his company for hours. He even played music for us!
Refik playing music for us in Nazars 
Behind our hotel, if you wanted to splash out, you could stay at the Anatolian houses for between $200 and $550 a night.Attached to the hotel was a huge carpet shop and the looms where they actually made them. We were given a guided tour by the General Manager, Zac, who was from Istanbul and spoke impecable english.
Dying the wool with natural materials
It takes on average a couple of months to make a carpet and in the main all the weavers are women. Their dexterity was amazing The following day Refik invited us to visit his parents who still live in a "Fairy Chimney". Their english was very good and we were invited to take tea and were offered cherries, in season at this time of year.
Refik, his mother and Angela We later discovered that he, and his parents had been featured on a "Simon Reeves" BBC2 programme. Refik took the time out of his day to show us Goreme, and the sights were amazing, for which we were truly grateful.
Where his parents lived was an old church cut into the rocks. He has a key and took us in there to see the most amazing frescos.
Unfortunately, Turkey has the same problems as the rest of the world with mindless vandalism and grafiti and a lot of the frescos was damaged. Interesting was the fact that when the religion changed from christian to muslim a lot of the eyes of the icons were gouged out by the religious zealots of the time to deface the icons.
This is a typical Capadoccia scene with the chimneys dotted everywhere
This is the interior of a cave and although it looks as if the arches are cut from limestone/marble they are are actually part of the cave itself. The space around it was removed to resemble a church. Truly amazing!
On day 4 we set off towards Nemrud Dagi. Unfortunately, Maggie was the first to pick up the dreaded D&V, from where we do not know, and in the first 3 hours we did 20 kms due to bathroom breaks. How she did it I do not know, but she stayed on the bike and for some hours was asleep back there. I realised this when periodically she would bash into my helmet and wake up.
A refreshment break. Maggie may not look it but she is suffering badly.
This was one of the "bum breaks". At this point the roads were melting in the heat and it was slow going. Important to keep fluid levels up and concentration at the maximum, so these breaks were frequent. When you ride with someone you get to know their riding style and can read when they are tired and in need of a break.
A refreshment break. Maggie may not look it but she is suffering badly.
Road works, the first of many.
As we got nearer to Kahramanmaras the roads just got worse with the amount of road works they were doing. We did not know it at the time, but it was going to get even worse. The East of Turkey is one giant road works that go on for kilometres. The cost must be in the billions of euros. It will certainly be an impressive road network when it is finished. Even though Maggie was very ill she still managed to keep photographing!
We finally pulled into Kahramanmaras and went looking for a hotel. Not the easiest thing to find with secure parking and the more East we went we felt it getting higher on our must have list. As we drove through towns and villages and filled up at petrol stations everyone just stopped to look at the bikes. Big bikes are very expensive in Turkey and these people had obviously not seen them in the flesh before, so to speak, and it was very evident. The next day we headed onwards to Adiyaman. It was an easy ride and Maggie after a good nights sleep was back on top form but a little sore. The purpose of going to Adiyaman was to visit the heads at Nemrud Dagi. We found a hotel with really secure parking and checked in. Within minutes of our arrival we had arranged a private minibus to take the four us to Nemrud, about 80 kms away.
On the way up Nemrud Dagi
One thing you cannot count on is the weather and the cloud was going to ruin the sunset.
For us it was not a problem as we saw what we came to see and then after a couple of hours headed back to the hotel for a shower and something to eat.
The summit of Nemrud where the burial chamber is located. It has not been unearthed yet, but a lot of research has been going on using ground radar etc; to see what is underneath the rocks.
The Roman bridge at CendereThis bridge is on the road to Nemrud. It was built during the period of the Roman Emperor Sentimius between 193-211 A.D. The bridge has had some minor repairs to keep it servicable, but in the main remains original.
The heads at Nemrud date date back to 62 BC and all the heads were once mounted with the names of who they were. Then they were all knocked off and scattered around the site. It is believed this deliberate damage, particularly to the noses, was due to iconoclasm, greek for "image breaking". The heads have not been restored to their original settings but were stood upright after they were found in 1881 by a German, Karl Sester
The famous heads of Nemrud Dagi
Typically each head is around 2 metres high. When the age of the stones is considered and the remoteness of the location they are an incredible piece of sculpture, even by todays standards.
After arriving back at the hotel we changed and went in search of a restaurant. Here we encountered aggressive youths, learing women and downright rudeness from nearly all we encountered. The only reason it appeared was that we were dressed as westerners. One group of youths deliberately tried to provoke a fight. The best way to deal with this was attack. If you are quick and aggressive they run. It also helps being 1.86cm and 98 kgs. It was a real shame, as we had never encountered this before and we would think twice about going back to Adiyaman again.
The next day we set off again and headed down towards SanliUrfa. Unfortunately, Angela now went down with the dreaded D&V, so progress was slow for us and painful for her, but like Maggie she just kept on going, stopping as necessary. On the way we stopped at the very controversial Ataturk Dam, also know as the GAP project. This will generate hydro-electricity but it will flood some villages, some of which are valuable archaeoligical sites. We encountered more roadworks so progress was again very slow and what looked an easy journey took hours. Finally as we neared the Syrian border the roads dramatically improved. They were superb and empty. We were able to make up some time and finally pulled into SanliUrfa in the late afternoon. We settled on the Grand Urfa as they had security guards and cameras, so the bikes would be very safe. We also managed to pull onto a sort of mini carpark by the front door so they were off the road under the scrutiny of a CCTV camera. Once we had parked and unloaded the security guards now flexed their muscles and kept all away from even getting near the bikes.
SanliUrfa is for a lot of people coming from the Middle East a bit of a pilgrimage. It is alleged that the prophet Abraham was born and lived in a cave, which is now a place that those who believe feel the need to visit. The tale goes that he was flung off a cliff after being set on fire by Nimrod and then God created the water to quench the flames. The "lake", it is very small, is full of carp and it is said that he who kills a carp will go blind. There are a lot of them and they really need to be culled. Enterprising children try and sell you fish food to feed them.
The protected carp
The entrance to the cave of Abraham.
A typical refreshment vendor in the gardens. He was popular.We were only going to stay one night here but, Phil now had the dreaded D&V so we had to stay 2 nights as he was confined to the bathroom! We did however, before he went down with it, manage to ride out to Harran. This was famous for its beehive houses, which the locals used to live in, but now they are only really used for animals and storing animal feed etc. They are made of mud and brick. Harran is very close to the Syrian border and arab influence was everywhere. Some of the women had tattooed faces and we found them rude and aggressive. They also tried the traditional game of rip off the tourist in the local shops, but as we speak enough Turkish to get buy it was not possible for them, much to their disgust.
One of the famous beehive houses at Harran
Note the satellite dish on top of the mud walls. Technology finally arrived!
After the second day Phil had recovered so we set off to Antakya. This used to be part of Syria until it was taken off them by the French and given to Turkey for helping them out in the war. You drive through what are called the "Gates to Syria" and this is a sort of large hill. On the other side is a plateau and the wind howled. It was quite difficult to hold the bikes at some points, especially as all the extra luggage gave us extra windage. Antakya was as far East and South we were going to go. It is a very cosmopolitan place and we booked into a hotel with underground parking.
Two views of Antakya from our hotel window. They are developing the area and the artists impressions showed Italian Gondolla's cruising the river!
Once we were showered we set off to explore. Behind the large shops was an amazing bazaar and no, we did not take the camera! You could buy anything there and the people did not hassle you. It was lovely. I bought a pair of jeans for 15 TL. That is £6! We spent hours in there wondering how we were going to pack even more stuff on the bikes after our shopping spree. Then off to get some food. It was really surprising for us to see things on the menu that we had eaten when we were in the United Arab Emirates, such was the influence of being so close to Syria, and it was really cheap to eat out.
The following morning, after breakfast we went straight to the archaeological museum, where they have some of the finest Roman mosaics in the world today on display. Anthony and Cleopatra were married down the road from Antakya and the wealthy Romans had summer villas there, hence the mosaics and magnificent tombs etc.
Some of the mosaics exhibited
A beautifully carved tombThat morning we finally checked out, and then headed West again. We quickly picked up a new road, which led us onto a toll road. The road was wonderful, some of the best I have been on anywhere, and so we opened the bikes up and were making great progress. We decided that we would head for Mersin, a very large town on the Mediterranean and according to one of the travel guides, a soulless, modern town.
Along this road we encountered a problem. Phil was the lead bike and suddenly he pulled over to the hard shoulder. He had been struck by a rock the size of a tennis ball on the inner thigh that had bounced off of him, hit his petrol tank and then struck Angela in the foot. This was whilst we were doing about 110 kms per hour. Judging by the number of rocks on the road this had been going on for some time and was some sort of local sport. After making sure everyone was OK, we went back down the hard shoulder to the point where all the rocks were. Parking the bikes at the side we saw two youths, about 16 years, some 5 metres below the road just hurling rocks at anything blindly. We gave chase and then called the Police. They did nothing. They did not even send a unit out to the scene. A local man called the local Zabati, a kind of local council enforcement people. What for we do not know, but after driving around for around a couple of hours it was determined they were long gone through the labrynth of fields and orchards.
So now we have a bike with a dented tank and a very badly bruised Angela. We had taken iboprufen with us so were able to make her comfortable and set off again.
Along this road we encountered a problem. Phil was the lead bike and suddenly he pulled over to the hard shoulder. He had been struck by a rock the size of a tennis ball on the inner thigh that had bounced off of him, hit his petrol tank and then struck Angela in the foot. This was whilst we were doing about 110 kms per hour. Judging by the number of rocks on the road this had been going on for some time and was some sort of local sport. After making sure everyone was OK, we went back down the hard shoulder to the point where all the rocks were. Parking the bikes at the side we saw two youths, about 16 years, some 5 metres below the road just hurling rocks at anything blindly. We gave chase and then called the Police. They did nothing. They did not even send a unit out to the scene. A local man called the local Zabati, a kind of local council enforcement people. What for we do not know, but after driving around for around a couple of hours it was determined they were long gone through the labrynth of fields and orchards.
So now we have a bike with a dented tank and a very badly bruised Angela. We had taken iboprufen with us so were able to make her comfortable and set off again.
On the way Angela's sunglasses broke but she kept on smiling.We arrived in Mersin, this souless modern town, as described in the guide, at around 5.00pm. We were so surprised. It was modern OK, clean, smart and so well thought out. We rode along by the coast and next to the road was an exercise/running track, all beautifully laid out with palm trees and shrubs etc. We were impressed. If this was what these well known tour books decried, then they needed to go in the bin because they must be fans of back packing!!
We had already been recommended a hotel by the manager of our hotel in SanliUrfa, so we sought it out. It was excellent with a massive pool. Guess where we went straight after checking in? Dinner that night was in a local restaurant and it was superb and great value so we decided to stay 2 nights in Mersin and look around a bit. The following day we headed out and went to what are known as the blood caves. This was an old settlement, obviously sophisticated judging by the architecture and building quality, built around a large gorge. Apparantly if you were a naughty boy you were executed and then your body was thrown into the gorge. Hence the name. Nice!
Looking into the gorge
The quality of the building was astonishing when considering the age and tools they had in those timesFurther down the road we visited another ancient site. These were known as Hell Hollow and Heaven's Cave. Hells Hollow is 30 metres wide and 120 metres deep. It is legend that a fire breathing dragon with 100 heads imprisoned Zeus in Hells Hollow after a fight. Hermes rescued Zeus with the help of Pan. He follows the dragon and finally when he catches up with him he throws Mount Etna on top of him and prisons him deep in the ground. So now you know all about Mount Etna, it is actually a trapped dragon!
Heavens cave was reached by walking down 459 steps and in 35 degrees that was no mean feat. There was a church built at the bottom and before the entrance to the cave.
You can see the church at the entrance to the cave and also how wet it was. Extremely slippery under foot and many people came up covered in mud, evidence that they had taken a tumble.
Another cave further down the road was named "Asthma Cave". It is thought that asthma sufferers benefited by going into the cave due to the damp conditions hence its name. For us, this was the best of all. Covered in stalactites and stalagmites it was reached by going down a spiral staircase. The colours and forms were amazing. Nature in the raw and at its best.
This was taken without flash and the colours are pretty accurate.
Heavens cave was reached by walking down 459 steps and in 35 degrees that was no mean feat. There was a church built at the bottom and before the entrance to the cave.
You can see the church at the entrance to the cave and also how wet it was. Extremely slippery under foot and many people came up covered in mud, evidence that they had taken a tumble.
This was taken without flash and the colours are pretty accurate.
The size of the cavern was impressive
The height of the ceiling was impressive
They just hung there, like in an Indiana Jones movies waiting to impail someone who tried to steal the hidden treasure
Back to the hotel for a swim and and our second night in Mersin. Then in the morning we loaded the bikes again and set off. We were heading to Alanya and our last stop on the journey. Three years ago we took the bikes along this road to catch the ferry to Northern Cyprus. It is the main road to the sea port of Tasucu from this part of Turkey. I knew that we would pass through the town of Anamour, which had a really impressive castle situated right on the sea front. So that was our next natural big break from the journey. The riding between Mersin and Alanya was going to be taxing. The road was only completed in the 80's and now they were doing roadworks to widen it and straighten it out. You are up and down the gearbox every 200-300 metres, going from 2nd to 3rd, down to 1st, and rarely ever getting out of 3rd for over 4 hours. I finally got into 4th and ultimately 5th as we approached Alanya.
Accidents are very frequent, mainly lorries take the hairpins too fast and then they roll over. Unfortunately, the Turks have some of the worst driving skills I have seen. Did I say skills? Their accident rate is one of the highest in the world. Enforcement of road traffic regulations are non existent, except where it can raise money for the Police ( both collectively and personally).
The main road from Mersin to Alanya.
Up and down the gearbox.
More roadworks and it make the riding really tiring. Remember, this is the main road to the port.
We finally stopped at Anamour and had a wander round. In my opinion, a magnificent castle, and you can climb all over it. That for me sets Turkey apart from other countries where everything is so sterile. Don't touch this, Don't touch that. Here you can touch it, climb on it, and walk all over it. Unfortunately the locals leave their marks and rubbish all over it as well.
The height of the ceiling was impressive 
They just hung there, like in an Indiana Jones movies waiting to impail someone who tried to steal the hidden treasure Back to the hotel for a swim and and our second night in Mersin. Then in the morning we loaded the bikes again and set off. We were heading to Alanya and our last stop on the journey. Three years ago we took the bikes along this road to catch the ferry to Northern Cyprus. It is the main road to the sea port of Tasucu from this part of Turkey. I knew that we would pass through the town of Anamour, which had a really impressive castle situated right on the sea front. So that was our next natural big break from the journey. The riding between Mersin and Alanya was going to be taxing. The road was only completed in the 80's and now they were doing roadworks to widen it and straighten it out. You are up and down the gearbox every 200-300 metres, going from 2nd to 3rd, down to 1st, and rarely ever getting out of 3rd for over 4 hours. I finally got into 4th and ultimately 5th as we approached Alanya.
Accidents are very frequent, mainly lorries take the hairpins too fast and then they roll over. Unfortunately, the Turks have some of the worst driving skills I have seen. Did I say skills? Their accident rate is one of the highest in the world. Enforcement of road traffic regulations are non existent, except where it can raise money for the Police ( both collectively and personally).
The main road from Mersin to Alanya.
Up and down the gearbox.
A welcome break.
We finally stopped at Anamour and had a wander round. In my opinion, a magnificent castle, and you can climb all over it. That for me sets Turkey apart from other countries where everything is so sterile. Don't touch this, Don't touch that. Here you can touch it, climb on it, and walk all over it. Unfortunately the locals leave their marks and rubbish all over it as well.
Anamour CastleA magnificent castle built in the 3rd century AD by the Romans. It was then used by the Byzantines until 1221 when the Seljuks took control. They constructed the mosque in the centre and a Turkish bath. The mosque is still available as a place of worship today.
The inside of the main tower. The wall on the left contains the spiral staircase that leads to the top.
After our very welcome break we continued to Alanya, a very modern Mediterranean seaside resort, extremely popular with German's and as we found after we booked into a hotel, now Russian's as well.
Completely rested and after an enjoyable night sampling all that our "All Inclusive" hotel had to offer we finally set out on the last leg of our journey, from Alanya to Kas. A journey we have done before and a road we know very well. We had an appointment with Jan & Karen to enjoy a beer together and say our brief hello's and our goodbyes until their next visit as they were leaving for Copenhagen in the morning.
At around 7.00pm we arrived home to be reunited with our cat, who was not that enthusiatic to see us in the beginning, but she is a Burmese! Haughty or what.
After 12 days and 3128 kms it was very strange to be home. All of us felt somewhat deflated and it took around 4 days to get back into normal life.
For me personally the trip was brilliant and we are planning the next ones for the future. Riding in company is the best way to do it, but choose your companions well. We did, and we were very lucky. Phil & Angela are a great couple and Phil's riding style is very similar to mine. We compliment each other. Cautious and safe, so we always have a very good chance of arriving safely.
As for the womens ability to stay on the bikes, even though suffering with all their ailments, was great and through it all Maggie kept the photographs coming. They are accomplished pillions, something that is often forgotten when riding bikes. Having a pillion who knows exactly what you are doing and what is expected makes our job so much easier.
For the technical, Maggie was using a Nikon D70, with the standard DX 18mm-70mm lens. Night shots and museum shots were taken using the nightshots program that cancels the flash.
For the bike buffs the following stats:
On the VTX 1300S
Distance covered 3128 kms
Average price per litre 3.08 TL (current 2.512 to the £, as of June 22nd 2009)
Average Kms per litre 18.65
Total petrol consumed 167.72 Litres
Total fuel cost 517.90 TL
Minimum hotel cost per room including breakfast was 75 TL. The maximum was 140 TL. Most of the time we were paying around 120TL per room but these were in 4 star hotels and with secure parking or patrolling security. No bike, No holiday!
Best place : Capadoccia
Worst place : Adiyaman
Left to right, Phil & Angela Bloomsmar , Maggie & Paul HaddonThere are other trips listed here
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