People are always asking how much it costs to make a trip
like this. Well, it is kind of hard to say. But I have been surprised at some
prices. For example, I paid 20 Lari for a hostel bed in Batumi Georgia last
night. That is about $12. And I paid $30 for a hotel room in Turkey with full
breakfast. But gas in Turkey is right at $10 per gallon. So I guess the money
saving thing to do is sleep more and ride less. I have not figured out the cost
of gas here yet, but I think Georgia prices are also $10+ per gallon. On a per
liter basis the cost is 4.95 TL.
Istanbul does not count on my prices because it is Istanbul,
and I did the full tourist there.
Yesterday I rode my last day in Turkey. And my luck finding
new friends just kept on coming. I was riding down the road minding my own
business headed for Georgia when I saw a single headlight in my mirrors. At a
light a guy on a BMW motorcycle with full adventure touring gear pulled up. I asked
where he was going in German, and he answered “Mt. Ararat”. So I said let’s
ride together and find coffee. About 20 minutes later Josef Wieser and I were
having a Nescaffe and a great conversation in German.
New German Friend Josef Wieser |
It turns out Josef is also traveling alone on his BMW 1150
with all the Tourtech gear through Turkey. And like me he is a retired guy in
what I like to call “early 60’s”, which means under 70 to me. We swapped stories
and invited each other to visit. And then we were on our way.
Later I stopped for lunch at a town about 30 Km from the
border. As I was turning to leave town another guy on a motorcycle saw me and
started talking. I do not speak Turkish, so I asked if he spoke Russian. And he
did. I explained that I was going to Georgia and wanted to get to the border.
He would have none of it and insisted that I follow him. So I did. Turns out
Avni Gulser is a Turk married to a Polish woman. And he speaks Russian.
Avni Gulser at Tea Shop |
I agreed to have one Turkish tea with Avni and his friends.
He would have kept me there all day, and night, if I had wished. And he said “whatever
you need just tell me and I will take care of it.” I am simply amazed at Turkish hospitality. It is more than anyone could ever expect. And Avni is a perfect example.
I finally left and made the border in about 45 minutes. The
crossing was pretty easy. The only glitch was my Irish registration. The
customs agent saw my American passport and assumed the bike and plate were
American. She finally called a supervisor who figured out the bike was Irish,
and then the computer allowed her to put the plate number in the system. All
was well and I was given my Georgian visa stamp and told “Welcome to Georgia”.
I then discovered that I no longer had any gps maps when I
crossed the border. So I rode into Batumi and started asking for directions in
Russian for the hostel. I only had to ask 1 civilian and a cab driver for
directions before I found the Hostel Batumi Globus. It is a very good deal.
Inside parking for the bike and a bed in the 16 bed mixed dorm was the $12 I
stated at the beginning.
But tonight I am in Tbilisi at the home of my friend Derek
Welch. I will spend a couple of days here and recharge before setting out for
Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea crossing.
No comments:
Post a Comment