Munir, the mountains and the sea

After my long Turkish journey to the east, I finally dive north to reach the Black Sea. These are my last days in Turkey.

From Sivas to Batoumi (Georgia), passing through the mountains.

My entire journey through Turkey took place on a fairly tight schedule. Just like I pushed on my pedals to meet my brother in Istanbul, I have an appointment in Tbilissi with my friend Mathieu who comes from Canada to ride for two weeks with me.

As I approach the mountains that separate me from the Black Sea, I am already exhausted and still do not know if I will manage to arrive on time. But hey, you need what you need, and I start attacking the wall at the end of the day, just to camp somewhere other than on the edge of the highway.

No sooner do I start to climb than a truck stops. Its occupants encourage me to take another path because of the wolves in the mountain. As people on my route are less and less familiar with cycling, I sometimes have difficulty making them understand that a 200 km detour for me is a lot more complex than in a car! Besides, I stopped for a while to tell the people I met that I was heading for Vietnam. It is so far geographically and from their reality that they often cannot understand what I mean. So I say most often now that I'm heading to the next big city. In this case, it is Trabzon, on the Black Sea.

Munir, the road tripper

Crossing the mountains.

I continue my journey the next morning, fortunately without having encountered any wolves. I was warned that these mountains were something. And no one had lied to me! It's a cliff on both sides of the road, with no shoulders ... and a drop of death. I have 200 km of happiness to do on that ... Or rather, I would have had.

Indeed, I am at these thoughts when an SUV slows down beside me to take a picture of me. I stop and we start talking. The driver's name is Munir Bhatti and has quite a story. He is of Pakistani descent, has lived much of his life in Dubai, where he built a steel company, and is new to Canada. From Vancouver, where he now lives part of the year, he decided a few years ago that he wanted to get to know his host country better and left on a road trip visit all provinces and territories. From St-John's to Whitehorse, from Yellowknife to Montreal, from Victoria to Halifax, he has crisscrossed Canada in full force. He told me, laughing, that he passed through villages where people had never seen someone of Indian origin. And he only has good words for Canada. Unbelievable but true, he even shared with me that his lessons on "how to be a good Canadian citizen" taught him to be a better husband.

Equip.

And right now, Munir left his house in Dubai with the little truck he has pimped for the occasion. He gave himself the mission of cross 32 European countries in just over two months.

He is so happy to be able to share his Canadian passion and excited about my trip that he refuses to let me go. I accept his invitation to cross two passes with him. A few moments later, my bike is strapped to its spare tire and we continue our conversation to the sound of its engine which forces you to climb the vertical drop.

I always feel bad and a little cheating when I rarely accept these invitations and leave my bike for a few hours. But I tell myself that the goal of this trip is above all to meet interesting people. With Munir, it's mission accomplished.

From Trabzon to Georgia

Trabzon.

After leaving Munir, I complete the route by bicycle and reach the Black Sea at Trabzon. It's not a very big city, but Trabzon has a very rich history. Built on a mountainside and founded in the 7th century BC. AD, it was part of several empires and kingdoms. Like several Silk Road merchants, Marco Polo is said to have even passed there on his return from China.

Moreover, the route options to the east are starting to be scarce and it seems that all the traveling cyclists are converging on this city. From here, I will meet more on my way. It's still just a few here and there, but it's more than zero!

The Black Sea Road.

The following days are not too exciting. I drive on a highway following the sea. I eat, I bathe, I continue. The water is warm and delicious, but the beaches most often consist of large rocks which I slide into the water. Slipping is going well, but climbing back on slippery rocks after swimming is more complex!

As difficult as the mountains inland were, I'm happy with my choice not to have hugged the coast for all this distance. Towns and villages all look the same and there is a lot of traffic. The camping possibilities are also much more limited because of the density of the population, the sea on one side and the cliff on the other.

Finally, 1 km and a month after entering Turkey, I see the Georgian border. No visa is needed, and I quickly pass under the amused and friendly gaze of the customs officers.

- Welcome to Georgia Mr. Roy ! Where are you going?
- Oh not far, just the next big city.