İsmet ŞAHİN | Tours

The route we have planned for July 2018 is passing from Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. In our first study, we wanted to transit Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan and return to Iran, but Turkmenistan did not give a visa. Turkmenistan does not give a visa to anyone, not just us. Even a transit visa cannot be obtained. For this reason, we decided to enter Kazakhstan again, cross the Caspian Sea by ferry and return to Azerbaijan, Georgia. Below is the photo we took from the boulevard on 6 July.

I stayed one night in Moldova-Balti. In the evening I watched one of the world cup quarterfinal matches in a beautiful venue. I got up in the morning, I got my credit cards, the euro and the dollar. I want to buy donuts and coffee. But they do not take credit cards and also do not take the euro and dollar. I don't have the opportunity to change money because I'm in transit and my time is always on the roads. When I failed to pay, the baker offered me my breakfast. They don't speak English, but I was able to communicate with one of the working young people. After breakfast, I left for Kiev in Ukraine.

Ukrainian customs have not been as troublesome as last year. There was a young officer, soldier, questioned me why I was traveling, etc. then showed me the way and completed the transactions. They kept me waiting in the office again. I was exposed to the coy behavior of the officers. But they hit the seal and I left. While traveling in Ukraine, I crossed a railroad track and wanted to record when I heard the sound of the train coming from afar. The machinist greeted me.

If we ask where is the last place a person might want to go by mistake, I'm sure most of them will call Chernobyl. Google Map is taking the road from Kiev to Minsk via Chernobyl. Because I was addicted to navigation, I was surprised to find a military barricade on my way. They cut the road. I thought it was customs at first. When he stopped in front of the barrier, the soldier was surprised and made a hand sign as if to say no. When I looked around, I realized there was something weird. A tourist shop buffet, an old tank, informative panels around. It says Chernobyl everywhere. Radioactivity warning. I was shocked. Anyway, I read the boards, I took pictures, I bought little things, and I set up a new course again and continued on. I finally got to Minsk. Ercan came a few hours after me and we met. The grand plan was starting. We slept that night because we could meet late at night. I thought I'd get up early and go back to Ercan without waking up to two places where I planned to go and then we could go on the road together. I went out around 7 o'clock before I visited the Victory Monument.

As usual, because of impatience and excitement, I set out in the afternoon one day before I planned to leave and rode all the way to Shumen. I settled in the hotel around 12 a.m. So I took advantage of distance I rode and time, because my travel plans started in Belarus. Ercan had left 10 days before me and we had planned to meet in Minsk. The next day I got up again early in the morning and rode from Bulgaria to Romania and from Romania to Moldova, Balti. The border from Romania to Moldova was separated by a river and I crossed on a raft.

I was a little concerned when I went to Ukraine from Balti. Last year, Ukrainian customs had been a nightmare. I wanted to enter a different customs this year. Again, a river set the boundary and crossed with a raft-like vessel. On the way people are interested in my bike and me. An old man and a handsome bike :)

It was a nightmare to ride up the raft. 3 or 4 pieces of moving pontoons are connected to each other. These pontoons are flat metal and wet in some places. Moreover, they do not clamp together and act independently. When one moves up and the other down, it is possible to encounter a 20 cm step in front of the bike. There was no choice, I rode up by jumping off the pontoons.

Together with Ercan Sadık, we have planned bigger dreams, more distances and more brave steps. Our target is Central Asia, Russia, Altai. Ercan is more experienced than me. He traveled in Europe and made the route of Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan before. His profession is teaching and traveling on motorbikes every summer vacation.

It was my second trip to Kiev. I settled in the hotel. Right next to the hotel, there was a nice cafe named “The Dubliner ”, I ate my dinner and drank there. I contacted Yuri from Only Metal Cycles, who helped me when my bike caused a problem last year. I wanted to meet him the next day, I wrote to ask if he would be in the garage, but unfortunately he went to Poland. I had bought him some authentic gifts from Turkey, I met his wife the next day to give them. I took photos at Only Metal Cycles and continued on.

After I finished the Stalin line, I returned to where I parked the motorcycle. At that time, a shuttle came and the staff landed. The cafes were opened. I didn't have breakfast, so I headed to the cafe for a donut and coffee. Then a man came and asked me where I was from. Then we broke up and I went to the café, had coffee and donuts. The same man came out and invited me to the flagpoles. They had a Turkish flag on one of the poles. You came here before everyone else, we took the Turkish flag to the post and said that this flag will wave in your honor all day. I was very surprised, very happy. I want to thank the man, but I can't find the right words to say. What a delicacy.

We reached the Russian border around 10-11 in the evening. We couldn't take too many breaks on the way and couldn't eat anything. We were both tired and hungry. Getting out of Latvian customs was a problem. We waited for a busload of people first, then when it came to us the customs officer caused trouble. We have green passports (special passport) and it says "special" on it. He did not understand the word “special passport”. He asked what a special passport meant. He asks why you have a special passport. To me, he knows the meaning of a special passport, but he did it specifically to make trouble. He asked us to wait. We thought he would question and we waited. One hour, two hours, three hours. By the way it was almost morning and we were very tired and hungry. We bought chips from the vending machine in the customs office, but not enough. Eventually I could not stand and go to the man and asked “why do we wait". “How long will we wait?” The man said you could have taken your documents and go. Oh my God, he made us wait for hours, he did not say anything. Then we went to Russian customs. Russian customs need to fill out a lot. They don’t speak English, it took long but we filled the forms and left. By the way they gave us a kind of immigration paper and some more forms and told us to keep them as long as we leave their country. It was 4-5 o'clock in the morning and we've been on the road and hungry for almost 20 hours.

St.Petersburg is a magical city. History and art are felt all over. I really like. Always lively during the day or night. Day and night the streets never empty. It is also an attraction for many tourists. The streets are exactly like an art center, musicians, painters, dancers, everywhere. Moreover, they all perform very effectively. It was also a privilege to visit Dostoyevsky at home.

Bilinen en eski atalarımızdan birisi

Daha çok kazakların atasına benziyor

Lion tattooed man mummy below. He has various tattoos on his body. The mummy stayed protected for thousands of years. He is short like us. Facial features can be selected. It is a different feeling to see the people we call our ancestors after thousands of years. There's just another mummy's head down there.

It was fun to watch the match that will determine who will be the 3rd and 4th of the World Cup with the British and the Belgians at the Fan Festival area on giant screen projectors.

Then I visited the open-air museum on the Minsk front of the Russian German war front Stalin line in World War II. However, I went so early that the museum was closed. In addition, the museum is 30-40 km outside Minsk. The caretaker said it has an hour to open, I said I'll wait, then he said wait inside. This meant “come and visit” so I did. Very impressed. There were many exploded, tank, gun left exactly where it was in the war. There were also other remains and vehicles around. I was visiting one of the fronts that was effective in defeating the Germans. Thousands of people lost their lives here 70-75 years ago. Not being touched. Naturally, local people and Russians are proud of their victory. Because they won a war that changed the fate of the world.

We followed the navigation from Minsk to Russia. We went up 100-200 km on a road that is not very good but unfortunately we are in the wrong place. This border was a duty-free border, so the people of the two countries can easily enter and leave each other's countries, but foreigners cannot cross this border. I asked where the nearest border was. In Latvia! At least 300km. First we will go to Lithuania, then we will go to Latvia and then we will enter Russia. It's a joke, but there's no other choice, we're back and we're on the new course. By the way, I recorded the video on the left as I entered Minsk.

I'm finally in Russia. I wanted so much to come to Russia last year and before, but it never happened. We passed a mountain, it was very cold and the rain drizzled. Very tired and hungry. The day had just begun. You can watch the first kilometers in the video above.

We stopped at a gas station, got gas, found something, like a food sandwich. We rested for 10-15 min and we asked for a hotel to stay. Because we have no power to go. unfortunately no hotel soon. We went on. Now my eyes close and I can't help but stretch, one ends and the other begins. My eyes close when yawn is over. I've never had anything like this in my life. Eventually the day was dawning, the air warmed up a bit, but sleep pressed more. We stopped in a cafe to see if we could sleep, but in vain crowds and smells bad. We wanted to eat. Ercan suggested a soup called Borcka. Looks like tomato soup with noodles. A famous Russian soup. I wanted that soup. The soup came, I didn't like the taste of the water, then dipped into soup to see what's in it, my goodness, as if an ox eye came from the bottom. It's like a horror movie. I left the spoon. I think it's a piece of bony meat, but I can't eat anymore.

We asked for a Hotel. They led us to a hotel where truckers stayed. We hardly reached the hotel. The bed and pillow smelled greasy and soot. But we slept. We were only able to sleep for 2-3 hours. We rested a bit and continued on. We were in St. Petersburg in the evening. White nights started.

Visiting the Pushkin museum and learning about his life, his wife's relationship with Monet, and his duel with Monet developed my magazine culture.

I was most impressed with the Hermitage Museum. Particularly the Pazirik section. The section where the oldest findings on the history of Turks are exhibited. In the Altai mountains Aktash, Ulagan and Baliktuyul region, the Kurgans and the archaeological artifacts of these Kurgans were exhibited. Among these findings dating from 300-600 BC, the Pazirik carpet, which is said to be the oldest carpet in the world, the mummy in gold dress, mummified horses, clothes, arrows, deer harnesses and much more. All the findings and the information given were like history lessons for me about our own history.

World Cup final match was on July 15 in Moscow. I wanted to catch up with it and watch the match with thousands of people at the Fan Fest and attend the celebrations. How many times can we have such an opportunity in life? So I wanted to leave very early on the morning of July 15th, ride 870km and be in Moscow near the evening time. I did too. I rode on a newly built highway with very long and very little break. There was no petrol station, they put automatic pumps on the side of the road every 200km and the pumps are working in Russian language using credit cards. No cafe or restaurant at all. I went very hungry and thirsty. Every time I bought gas, I needed the help of an English-speaking Russian, and I arrived in Moscow about 11 hours later, around 5:30 pm. First, I left my belongings and bike to the hostel and I took a shower and then I reached the stadium (the festival area just above the stadium) with the oldest and systematic subway in the world, but the match had already started and I reached the second half. The match was earlier than I thought. But I was there. I watched the match with thousands of people from all nationalities. Most of them didn't watch the games, just having fun. Croats and French in particular were watching the match with rampant screams. Amazing ambiance. It was a long and difficult journey, but it was worth it. Just above the stadium, the Fan Fest match ended and the rain broke down. Then there was a nice cafe right on the hill, I went there because I could eat something and watch the celebrations as well. It was full, but when I asked, they let me in. I watched the celebrations that took place in this place. The fireworks show was incredible.

I wanted to eat in the cafe and sat down somewhere. I dsat near two guys. They said hello, we met and started chatting. One Russian, one Mexican. I had ordered food but the options were limited. The meatballs were terrible tasted as if they had mixed meat and fish and put a few pieces of chips on top of it. I had to eat.

Meanwhile, the conversation with me proceeded. We are joking, laughing, having fun. Russian on the left, Mexican on the right. When the celebrations started in the stadium I got up on the balcony to watch. After a while I looked back and pointed at the Russian and Mexican going away and waving. I waved. The celebrations are over. I wanted the bill to leave but they asked for a lot of money. I objected. The Russian and the Mexican said I would pay for their own accounts. I said no, but it's futile. In short, they made me pay for the entire account. I've been conned. As far as I remember, I paid around 400-500 TL.

Moscow and stadium view from where I was. I'm glad I came and I'm glad I'm here.

Mokova’da gün batımı

It was important to visit the Darwin Museum in Moscow. We went and toured. You can't help but be surprised to see how the same species change according to different environments. It is impossible to disbelieve when we see hundreds of examples that form the basis of micro-evolution and macro-evolution.

Then we wanted to visit the Lenin mausoleum in Red Square, but we have at least 2.5 km queue. If Ercan didn't insist, I wouldn't get into that queue. But we got in line and waited. I wrote the following note to Facebook: "I entered the 2.5 kilometer queue for the Lenin mausoleum. I would not be surprised if Lenin got up and celebrated." Lenin didn't, but it was nice to see him.

The Red Square was in a mess in the morning. Fan Fest areas were being dismantled. So we went around first. On the opposite bank of the river just behind Red Square was the museum of “Fallen Monuments. There they gathered the monuments of Soviet Socialist Russia. We went there. They beat Stalin a little bit. The most impressive was “Victims of Totalitarian Regimes.. Each stone was embroidered in the form of a human face, and dozens of people of every color were symbolized in each cell.

The next day I took my motorcycle to the service. Maintenance of the motorcycle, oil change and minor problems was repaired. The Grand Motor is sparkling and they serve quite well. All care was done at short notice and it wasn't too expensive either. From there I went to the house we rented. I wanted to settle in, wait for Ercan. Ercan was on a different route from St Petersburg to Moscow and arrived the next day after me.

I went home, the landlady still hadn't finished cleaning. She said “wait a little.” I carried the bags home from the motorcycle. Meanwhile, I took off the heavy clothes. The landlady, Ksenia, finished cleaning. I asked where I could eat and shop. Because we were going to stay in Moscow for four more days. Ksenia said, "Let me show you, I'm going that way." We went to a shopping mall nearby. Ksenia attended the dinner, we chatted. She showed us where to shop. Then I came home. Ercan came after a while. We rested well at night. The next day we were planning to visit Red Square, the mausoleum of Lenin, the Kremlin and the surrounding area.

Then, in the park next to the Kremlin palace, we met the ”Children of Victims of Adult Minds” monument. It really impressed me. The message that the artist tried to give was very remarkable and instructive. In this monument there were two children playing in the middle, painted in gold, with a lot of gray sculptures around them and each of them had a symbolic meaning. The message was that we've darkened the lives of our children with our superstitions, fallacies, witches, jinn, wizards, wars, poverty, drugs, fears and pressures . I thought children who grow up in a world without these bad effects. How happy they would be?

The next day our plan was to visit the Space Museum and the tomb of Nazım Hikmet. In the morning, we worked on a little laziness, a little cleaning and laundry. Then we turned on navigation to see which one is closer. Surprise! Nazim’s grave is 3 minutes, 500 meters. We couldn't believe it, we checked again. Yeah! I mean, we've been sleeping with Nazım for three days. The Novodevichi Cemetery is almost like a museum, every monument is a sculpture, a monument carefully processed. Nazım’s grave is also beautiful with its place and its silhouette carved on stone. The cemetery is full of graves of famous people. It wasn't hard to find Nazım's grave. I had in mind reading his my own favorite poems to him. For me, Nazım's poems are like valuable gifts. His style of expressing his feelings and thoughts in a literary way is unique to me. So I wanted to thank him for each of those poems. I thought this way of thanking, even if 50-60 years have passed, I wanted to have a way of saying that there are people who love their poems and read them with pleasure. My reading of poetry in a grave surprised Ercan. Other people in the cemetery thought I was praying. Looking at Nazim's tombstone's silhouette, reading his own poems to him, a gentle breeze, the rustling of tree leaves dancing in the wind, made the environment more magical for me. Naturally touched.

We had a plan to visit the Space Museum on the last day in Moscow. We went but there were renovations and some parts were closed. We visited the open sections. It is difficult to express my feelings in words, it is a mixture of jealousy, anger, anxiety and hopelessness. What kind of society has developed such a technology culture? moreover, they mock Russian technology, while mockers do not have the slightest cultural contribution to technology development.

They made almost one copy of each spacecraft, one in space and the other on earth. Replicas of some of the spacecraft they exhibited in this museum may be circulating through space.

Not only the spacecraft itself, but support products, infrastructure technologies, everything is interesting and impressive. I liked it and I was so jealous.

The next day I left for Kazan. Ercan set a route further north and I chose Kazan, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Ufa, Omsk and Novosibirsk. 5 days later we set out to meet in Omsk. It was a long and difficult road. I reached Kazan in the evening and settled where I would stay. The next day I will visit the places I want to visit. Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan Kremlin, Kul Sharif Mosque and Temple of All Religions are some of the places to see. I wandered one by one. I was most impressed with the Temple of All Religions.

I also visited the Soviet lifestyle museum. I saw here that the 60's and 70's are actually the same everywhere in the world. They listened to the same music, used the same style of clothes and accessories.

My favorite piece was the following motorcycle. Isn't it cute?

Below the temple of all religions, no matter which religion or belief you belong to, you worship together in different parts of the same building. I think it could even contribute to world peace.

I travel on such a place that it is like an endless plain, not even a small hill 100’s km.

I had a beautiful day that day. I was in the Altai Mountains and everything was glorious, so big and beautiful. The valleys are so big, the rivers are so big, everything looks glorious to me. The roads were very nice. Ercan had described a café, an Azerbaijani called Hüseyin was running. By chance I stopped there to relax. I met Hüseyin and his wife. We chatted, offered coffee with a bagel and went on.

I just slept on Ufa, then I went on my way, until Kurgan. By the way, the distance between my location and my house is 7000-8000km. Very large geographies Russia and Kazakhstan. I think that a person's home and country have an attraction. As you move away from home, the power of gravity increases. I'm not kidding, as long as the distance is opened, yearning and anxiety increase. Because as the distance between us and everything we have in life increases, the feeling of emptiness increases.

Finally, I am in Omsk, the second largest city in Southern Siberia. On arrival the air was 10 ° C. Unexpected cold for July. The cold got into me. I was surprised, but now I get it. Good thing we've migrated here :) On the way I met the following friend. Traveled the world. He came to Turkey a few times. He said, "I'm going to Magadan, 30000km." The map looked like hell away. I wished him a good trip.

I've been on the road for the last 4-5 days. I just walked around Kazan for a few hours. Other than that, traveling, dining and bed routines continue. Even after Moscow, I have reached at least 3500km. We met with Ercan again in Omsk. Arrived late at night. We rest and leave again early in the morning, this time on our route to Novosibirisk.

I went to the garage early in the morning. The boss didn't show up, but they talked on the phone. They told me that if I paid 1700euro, they could remove the starter from a new tiger 800xr motorcycle and put it in mine. A lot of money. It costs 800 euro in Turkey. But there are two works here, and they take risks. I bargained and agreed to 1450 euros.

First they dismantled the other engine because the starter is in a troubled place. They took the starter off and put it on my motorcycle. When they first hit the starter, you understand the problem was solved. I'm so glad. It hurts a little while paying the bill, but the motorcycle is complete. The adventure would continue.

In the afternoon, the motorcycle was completed. It was cloudy, but I was gonna go where I could go. I set out and completed my gasoline at the nearest petrol station. I was happy and I took a picture saying, "I'm on my way again." I had to save time because I had 2-3 days left for my visa. I must have visited Altai. In the evening I went to Biysk under dark, fog and rain. Every time I start, I feel a relief in my heart. I've gained confidence in the bike again. Losing time for 3-4 days in Novosibirsk, motorbike failure and a sense of having no solution demolished my psychology. I think I just wanted to get away as soon as possible. The video below is proof of how I left.

First, I had to find a place to stay in Aktas. There were a hotel but there were no free rooms, others were places like campsites. After a little walk around, I found a room in a campsite with mini log houses. I stayed at the Avalon Guest House on the side of the road at the exit of Aktaş. I parked the motorcycle, took my bag into the room, changed. I asked for a place to eat or a supermarket where I could shop, there was a Russian family, and they were going to the supermarket. I followed them. I bought cheese, bread, tomatoes, etc. to make myself a sandwich. Something to drink and I'm back. I ate my sandwich right in front of the shed.

It was very early in the morning and I stopped to take pictures. When the campers saw me, they invited me, they were having breakfast. They offered tea. It was Mihaylovic's camp and the others were guests. All Russian. They asked where I came from. They were shocked to hear the answer from Turkey. How did you get that way! Here I am! They asked why you came. I wanted to see where our ancestors lived and then migrated to our present lands. They were even more surprised. Then we said goodbye and left. I kept riding the motorcycle. In the meantime, navigation didn’t not show the Pazırık valley, I asked them, they directed me the road to there. I went on.

I went half an hour, and I heard the horns. I stopped. Those in Mikhailovich's camp got in two cars and came after me. They said we'd go with you. Glad, I followed them as they went ahead. We visited the valley together. Work was still going on in one of the fiction. I think the closure was in progress. I look around and imagine, what kind of life was lived here 2000 years ago. Obviously, we've migrated because of fear. I think the Mongols attacked a lot and made us uninhabited. There are beautiful valleys, forests and rivers around. I think that cultures like Indians, Aboriginals, Turks, Shamans, who love nature and all things that are natural, are attached to each either even if they are not relatives. Being on the this spot meant reaching the goal for me. On the bottom side there is the speech I made and on the right side there are the photos I took.

In the meantime, while walking in the Pazırık Valley, a motorcycle came, The rider can not speak a word of English, I do not know Russian, but we communicate with body language. I said I was going to go to Balıktuyul, so he joined us. We went on together. His name is Alexei.

It is one of the vast valleys between the Altai Mountains. I've seen such great and exuberant rivers, so wide valleys that I admire each of them. For thousands of years, rains, winds, snow fed giant rivers, rivers carved mountains created valleys.

This is the view I come across in one of the places where I stop to rest. Dozens of old Russian engines, dozens of cars, the owner of the facility bought what he found and made a museum of his own. In addition, houses and spaces symbolizing the old Russian culture were created. I spent about two hours here.

I was excited to pass through the Ural Mountains, but it wasn't what I expected. I've had nothing but a soft climb and descent. I think the road was passed through the easy route of the Ural crossing.

The following photo shows one of the rare, powerful and agile Ural Tigers, a monster of endurance and performance: P

We reached Novosibirsk, the capital of Southern Siberia. It was very cold yesterday. It's a little sunny today. We had a very difficult journey yesterday. We drove for 12 hours in heavy truck traffic and cold in the rain. We're so wet. We came to the hotel at night. The hotel was on the edge of the motorway and it felt like trucks ran over me all night. I still couldn't sleep at 5:00. During the day I went to the Novosibirsk Triumph service. I changed the engine oil and rear wheel pads. They did the chain maintenance and general checks and I set out for Barnaul. I want to walk around Barnaul, stay in a hotel and relax. I came to Barnaul. I stopped the engine and turned off the ignition switch. I looked at the navigation, then I started, but no clicks. The lamps are on but the starter does not start. I have had the same problem several times before, but I ran it on an external battery.

But this time it doesn't work. I pressed it one last time, but I must show it to a mechanic. I searched a mechanic in Barnaul, but he wasn't interested. Another person suggested I went there, he tried, but in vain. I have no choice but to return to Novosibirsk. I'm back 250km. I rested at the hotel at night. I went to the service early in the morning. The starter is broken. The new one does not exist in Russia. They come in three weeks. The starter motor is their chronic problem. They’ll try to get it fixed. Because I don't have that much time. In the meantime, my visa expires in 5-6 days. The starter went to repair, came in the evening. I sit in the ward and surf the internet with my computer. I'm depressed and I don't even want to go out. In the evening I went to the hotel, had dinner and slept. I took a taxi early in the morning and went to the triumph service again. They put the starter in, it worked, I'm glad. They started picking up the engine, but when they started again, they saw that the problem persisted, so the problem persisted, the repair didn't work. I literally lost 3 days for today. However, I would be traveling in Aktaş or Ulagan in Altai. There's a Tiger 800 waiting in the garage for repairs, and I'm staring at him. I said put this starter in mine. I'il pay you. Bring a new starter to it. But they refuse. I insist you will solve it, no matter how you solve it I can not wait 3 weeks because I have a visa problem. Employees phoned the boss but unfortunately no solution. I said, "I can't go anywhere, I'll sleep here, you have to solve this problem."

They said, "Come in the morning, the boss will come, we’ll talk to him again." They're gonna ask the boss if we can remove the starter from one of the new motorcycles here and put it on your motorcycle. For me, this is over. I absolutely want this solution. There is no other way. I'il come in the morning and make a grekoromen with your boss if necessary. Otherwise, I'il burn the garage. I'm in that mode. The night I went to the hotel, I don't even go out. I am depressed. Ercan, meanwhile, set out for Kızıl. We will meet him in Semey, Kazakhstan in a week

I came to Biysk around 12 midnight. I found the house I booked, but it's closed, nobody's there. Someone speaking very little English calling over the phone said no place. Apparently they sold the place I booked. Then I found a hotel and went there. The hotel had empty rooms. I stayed there. But the bed was filthy and smelly. I wrapped my own towel on the pillow and I was able to sleep. I had a nightmare in my dream at night. I was paralyzed with my head to the right, I could hear a being that I couldn't see from a distance, and he said why did you come in a threatening and authoritarian tone? Why did you come here? I said I won't be back. I was resisting. I woke up in fear as I was paralyzed and trying to move towards him. I slept again. In the morning I woke up to a sunny, warm weather. I was very happy. Small breakfast and way. The target is Aktaş. I will stay there for the night and the next day I will visit Ulagan, Baliktuyul, Pazirik valley, Kat’ul Yarik and return to Kazakhstan on the last day.

In the afternoon I reached Aktaþ around 3-4. The names of the places here are Turkish, Aktaş, Ulagan (meaning ulu hakan) Balık Tuyul, Koş Tree, Kat’ul Yarık. I am now in the land of my ancestors. In the meantime, I met a lot of people, some just wanted to take pictures, some chat.

When I first stopped in Aktaş, I met Ivan again. Ercan and I met Ivan in a cafe on our way to St Petersburg. Maybe 6000 - 6500 km ago and almost 20 days have passed. We met again in Aktaş. "The world is small" really. Ivan went to Ulagan and Balık tuyul the day before. He crashed, damaged the rear wheel of the motorcycle, fairings, chains, etc. He told me not to go, the roads were so bad. But I came 9500km, I'll go another 50-60km, how not to go!

At that moment the previous family came and invited me to join them for dinner. I was very happy, I had already eaten, but I said I would join in for a chat. There was a Dutch Hilti operator and his Russian wife, as well as his newlywed brother and his wife. They fried sausages, sausage-like things in a barbecue. The conversation was very nice, we talked about countries, traditions, travel.

The conversation of people from different cultures is a bit difficult when they do not fully understand the gestures and expressions. You can capture universal messages, arrogance, subtlety and so on. I had a very pleasant evening. I was so tired and sleepless. I wanted to wake up very early in the morning, complete my final destination trip tomorrow and return here in the evening. Then I would go back to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia. I woke up early in the morning, rested. Ivan said the road was bad. So I took out the side bags. I left my soft bag and side bags at Avalon. I just decided to go with my topcase and my tank bag. I'm on my way. I gave a stopover in every nice place. The road is broken. A little bit of asphalt, some dirt, some mud, and plenty of pits. There was a camp on the way. The photographs can be seen below.

One of the valleys in which our anchestors rode horses 2000-2500 years ago.

Pazırık Tiger

By the way, Gopro's battery is dead and I turned it off. Suddenly I remember that the motorcycle slipped, suddenly I found myself on the road and I felt my foot stuck in something and a noise “tık” I said something bad happened to my foot myself. Everything happened in a second.

I created the video at the top right by combining the cross-section from the journey until the pazırık in Altai. Please watch in full screen and HD. 11dk. This place is towards Aktaş-Ulagan and Balıktuyul.

We continued on the road, Kat’ul Yarik. A very large and deep valley. The road is very bad, the road is relatively hard mud on the way up and down, but because the water does not flow on the plains, the road is full of soft mud and pit. I'm riding very carefully. Sometimes the rear wheel slips. Tires are Michellin Anake II. It's not exactly the tire of this road, but it's ok! Although it is difficult to make a proper tire description for this road.

Meanwhile, in shock of falling, the discharged camera recorded a few seconds, starting from the moment of the fall. I was surprised to see this on the record. On top you can watch the video recording of the state of the road and the moment of fall. On the left there is a photograph of the fall. My body hasn't touched the ground yet, but it's the opposite side of the motor, that is, the motor turned under me, but my body couldn't turn.

At the first moment there is no one, I pulled my foot under the motorcycle, I straightened up and looked at my foot. My God! My leg is looking in one direction, but my foot is in the other direction. I hope my foot is dislocated. Because they put my feet back on so I can continue traveling. Then a car arrived. A man landed and helped. I sat on the motorcycle. Soon the camp crew came from behind. Confused and upset they took care of me. Alexei picked up the motorcycle. There's nothing on the motorcycle, the mirror arm's just broken. They look at my foot and grimace. They sat me on the side of the road and started talking to each other.

Then it was decided that we will go to the village hospital in Ulagan for check up and first aid. Then we will decide on a case-by-case basis. In the meantime, I said I have health insurance so I can cover the costs. But then I saw how meaningless the health insurance was in our location and environment. Because I'm in a village hospital at the top of the mountain, in the Altai mountains, in Russia. Maybe it works in big centers, but it's obviously not going to work here. :) They put me in the famous Russian van (I'm not sure whether it is read as UAZ- Kaz) and we went to the hospital. The nurses put me on a stretcher and took me down the narrow stairs to the second floor. When the doctor came over and examined it, said it looks broken and dislocated, I need x-ray to make sure but no electricity. We’ll wait for 8:00 in the evening. The camp crew took off my clothes and said we put them in the van. In the meantime, Mikhailovich rode my motorcycle and took it to the camp. Each one is interested in me. Meanwhile, they constantly consult among themselves. They inform me once in a while. I had a sense of confidence, I let myself go, I'm happy. I took a nap, by the way. The team went to camp, everyone returned at around 8 pm. The film was made. Fibula fracture and my foot came out of the heel-leg junction. Unfortunately, I can't continue. Triumph and BMW services have an application. If the motorcycles have an accident or breakdown, they send the motorcycle to your country. Provided you cover the cost. I would like to go back to Novosibirsk and try this method.

I couldn't make sense. After a while, the drill came, you know, the construction drill or even the hilt of something like that. Then various key etc. None of it is hygienic. They only brought a 30cm long, half-cm drill bit. It was hygienic. I asked what they are. They said we're going to pierce his heel and fix it to the bed base with a metal rod. I said, why, how. But as I understand it, they said if we didn't do it, it would come back again, and it had to stay steady until morning. They said we'll take an x-ray in the morning and take it to the plasterboard if it's fixed. They said no fear. You won't feel pain. They shot almost 10 drugs in my leg and leg. I didn't feel anything, but I'm conscious. I also felt a state of happiness. They drilled with a drill, starting from the outer skin, crossing my heel and tearing out on the other side. I look at my eyes from time to time. No pain but I feel somehow what is going on. They put a stick in the hole where they pierced, made an upward addition on both ends, and put a small bottle of medicine on each end, I think it will slowly drop in. Then they fixed my foot to the apparatus they put on the bed base and it was over. They will wait 12 hours like this, then take an x-ray and check it out, if everything is fine, they will cast you in the morning and we will discharge you. They had injected so many drugs that I didn't even realize how I slept at night. The doctor came and took an x-ray again. He showed, the foot was in place, the fibula was end to end, he said fine. I'il get it in a plaster, then you can go. In the meantime, I filled out and signed forms. Cops came in and asked about the accident, routine procedure, paperwork. Russian bureaucracy is as heavy as ours. They gave two documents at the exit, a hospital report and a police report.

The camp team picked me up and we went to the camp. A friend of Alexei’s, Anya, gonna drive my bike and his wife, Sasha, drives their car. I'm going to travel in the back of the car. At least 700km. We’ll change cars in Barnaul. Alexei will leave his motorcycle and drive mine, and another friend will drive me to Novosibirsk for another 250km. How grateful I am. Otherwise, I would have to rent a minivan for my motorcycle and I would ride the minivan and go 1000km. I'm saying I'm gonna pay for the gas. But in vain they don't even take my motorcycle's gas money. They pay for food. Inexplicable support. The only problem is we can't communicate at all, and I keep quiet like a mulberry-eaten nightingale. We reached Novosibirsk in the morning. I set up a house, but we didn't, Alexei said let's go to the service and wait there. We went and waited as the service opened at 10 o'clock. We talked, they searched for a few hours, but in vain Russian bureaucracy is very heavy. When I realized that I could not, I asked to send me to the nearest border of Kazakhstan. We'il hire a car, load the motorcycle and leave me and the motorcycle to Semey.

This is the condition of my foot before it is intervened yet, but it slowly began to swell. They gave me painkillers. I didn't feel much of a pain. The hospital building is large, but the interior is falling apart like our health centers or family medicine. The beds are old, the walls are unpainted, the doors are neglected etc. But people are concerned. In the meantime, they served milk soup, dinner. I was so happy because I was drinking my grandmother's milk soup 9500km away in the Altai Mountains. By the way, I have three more people in my room. They are chatting behind me and I can understand a few words. They speak Turkish but we are so alienated that only a few words can be understood. The numbers are the same. If I understand it, I repeat it to indicate that I understand it aloud. They are very sweet. One of the guy’s name is Jena or Gena. It can also be Yena because J is often used for Y. They don't say “yedi,” they call it Jedi. Yena was very interested in me, straightens my pillow, makes me tea all the time. At one point he wanted to offer something by saying "cookie, cookie". Pieces of meat in a plastic bag. Dry meat, but it was like horse meat. I ate with pleasure. I will never forget that day. After the diagnosis was made in the evening, the doctor said we should intervene. I thought they'd fix it for a fracture and get it in a plaster. I figured they'd pull it for the dislocation and put it back in. So I approved the operation. This is not something that requires special expertise. I thought they'd done it hundreds of times. After a while, They brought an iron apparatus, they said it’s for fixing my foot to the bed base. In the picture above that apparatus can be seen.

Aydar Altynbekul was one of my PhD students at Kocaeli University. He is from Kazakhstan and lives in Astana. When I shared my travel plan on Facebook, he realized I was going to visit Astana and wrote me a message: “I will meet you here in Astana and we will travel together. When I realized I could not send the motorcycle from Novosibirsk to Turkey, I called him on the phone. I knew there were a lot of Turkish transport companies working in Kazakhstan. I thought I could send the motorcycle with one of them. Even if I can't send the bike, I can leave it to Aydar. So I could return to Turkey and when I heal up, I can ride my motorbike to Turkey. Aydar said that he would do his best and that there were transport companies and I decided to go to Kazakhstan. I thought that there are close relations between our countries and bureaucracy may be easier. Alexei arranged a minivan, brought me to Barnaul, rode the motorcycle himself, and put it in the minivan. I sat in the front cabin and set off from Barnaul to Semey around 16:00 to 17:00. Approximately 800km. I thanked Alexei and her friends a thousand times. They helped me a lot. Aydar had arranged a hotel for me to stay in Semey. He also arranged a minivan to send the motorcycle from Semey to Astana. I’ll load the motorcycle into the minivan and send it to Astana and I will fly to Astana. The sunset on my right can be seen in the photo above after I set off in Barnaul. I still remember very clearly what I felt as I was traveling from Russia to Kazakhstan, concerned about the shortage of not being able to extend my broken leg in the minivan, and whether there may be a problem with customs.

I got on the plane, and it doesn't give much confidence, but there's no turning back. Soon the engines started. Suddenly, I felt as if the plane was going up from where it was. They put two giant engines in a tiny plane. It took off from the dirt track, not asphalt or concrete. There was dust smoke all around. The engines are so powerful that they give confidence. 800km distance completed in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Including getting up and down. We went to Astana International Airport but this time it was really an international airport. Aydar's wife Asem welcomed me and took me to where I would stay. Aydar came in the afternoon.

On the insistent demands of those who are curious, on the right hand side is horse milk- Kımız and on the left hand side is camel milk-şubat. They are both Ayran, our national Drink :) But the camel's is more sour.

After 14-15 hours, we reached Semey. It was a long and tiring road. We found the hotel. With the help of one person, they got the motorcycle to the ground, but I was afraid it would fall. I parked the motorcycle and took the stuff away. I took what I had to take with me and left some on the motorcycle. Because I didn't want to deal with it in Astana. Even if I sent the motorcycle with the transport company, some of the items would go on the motorcycle. Meanwhile, Aydar's minivan came to load the motorcycle. The photo on the right. We loaded the motorcycle into the minivan, laid it on the rug and tied it up. I said goodbye to Comrade for a while. It was lying on the rug. And I was bouncing on one leg. It seriously touched me. I rode this bike 45000 km until now. Visited more than 50 countries. I bought a ticket to Astana from SCAT Airlines over the internet, arranged a taxi to drop me off at the International SEMEY airport, and when I was done, I went to bed and had a long sleep because I was sleepless and tired for almost 48 hours.

At night I had a nice rest in bed supporting my broken foot with pillows. I got up early and went to the airport after breakfast. We were approaching the airport in navigation but there was no airport etc. in sight. Like all Kazakhstan, the airport is on the steppe. There is an old little concrete hut. Taxi that took me there, open all around, no security etc but got X-ray device at the entrance. They took me in a wheelchair because my foot was broken and they did the procedures. I can't see the runway, by the way. There are also old planes from the second world war, like the museum, there are no planes other than that at the airport. I've waited for the plane to come, but no incoming or outgoing. When the hour came, they picked us up in a van and saw the plane. Antonov 24B. On the left photo. Although it looks affluent in the picture, it is actually very worn. I was worried for a moment, whether I should ride or not. The pilots downstairs were smoking together if I didn't see it wrong. I am disappointed because the name "International Semey Airport" has raised my expectations.

My motorcycle came to Astana in the evening. We parked the motorcycle in Aydar's friend's pharmaceutical store and returned home. I searched some Turkish transport companies that I found on the internet that day but could not reach. Then I called the Embassy Undersecretariat for Foreign Trade. I explained the situation and asked for help. They gave me a few phone numbers. I talked to them for two days, but it's futile. There's a lot of trouble because they've never done this kind of transport before. In addition, they do not work part-load, so they do not take part. Problem problem. Meanwhile, Aydar and Asem invited me to their house for dinner. Asem's mother Mira and her son Cantore were also at home. It was such a nice meal that I can't describe it in words. First of all, they prepared Turkish food thinking that I miss it. They also made samples of Kazakhstan food. It is obvious that Mira contributed to the food as much as Asem.

We had dinner together, sang songs, read poems. Mira works as a literature teacher. It's hard to tell how happy I am. The next day Aydar took me to the most famous Kazakh restaurant in Astana, Arnau restaurant. I've tasted everything. I almost tasted all kinds of horse meat.

The world is full of good people, and thanks to them the world becomes a more livable place. On August 5, I returned to my country by leaving my motorcycle to Aydar. I hadn’t told my family about the accident. They had a little shock when they saw me at the door with crutches and casts. Then I went to the hospital, my intention was to get dressing, but the doctors said that we should operate immediately or it will not heal. Suddenly I found myself in a hospital bed. About 1 week or 10 days after the accident, they implanted a plate and 8 screws into my fibular bone. Then I never stepped on my foot for two months. I had a painful recovery. And as soon as I started walking slowly, I went to take my motorcycle from Kazakhstan. Aydar sent my motorcycle from Astana to the Kazakh city Aktau on the Caspian Sea. So I flown to Aktau. It was a sentimental moment when I was able to meet my motorcycle again. The engine did not start at the first time, which had been lying for more than 3 months. The battery was completely discharged, but I had a spare battery with me. There was the mud of the Altai mountains all over my bike. My motorcycle was looking a little tired like me. First I took it out of the warehouse. I tidy up, rounded up the mirror, the gripper guard. I shared this note on Facebook “I will never forget today and this moment. After 5,000km and 3 months between us, we met with comrade in Aktau. I was very touched. And the engine didn’t star and you should have seen the rush and effort in me. My hand trembled until I got it started. - Aktau, Mangghystaū, Kazakhstan. ”

I got on the motorcycle and rode cautiously to the center of Aktau. I didn't know where to go. I must have first got gasoline and the engine must not stop because it may not be possible to start again before the battery gets a little full. After about 5 km, I approached a gas station and said to fill up the gasoline. I opened the lid of the gas tank with a spare key. The man said stop the engine but I said I can’t. Then, I convinced him to refuel with the engine running. Then I wanted to find a motorcycle garage, have the engine serviced and have the mirror welded. There is a place like an industrial area at the entrance of the city, I wandered there but I couldn't find a mechanic.

My motorcycle chain was maintained but it took 3 hours. The Russian cleaned the pods one by one and lubricated it drop by drop. All controls were performed. It felt as if comrade began to smile. I think I paid 6000 rubles, so it's close to $ 100. I was staying at the Aktau Hotel in the city and had the Bukowski Bar underneath. They made a very nice place. I sit and rest, drink coffee. I became friends with the manager Nabi. We're chatting.

Meanwhile, I was in Aktau for 4-5 days. My motorcycle was already ready, and I packed my stuff. I said goodbye to Vusal and Nabi. I got up early and left for Kurik harbor where the ferry would stay. Kurik port was a newly opened port. There was no record in navigation. I would go to Kurik town and ask about the harbor. On entering Kurik, I saw a Kazakh cemetery. Photo on the right. The tombs are domed, room to room made. I came to Kurik, but nobody speaks English. I can't find the harbor. There are no signs on the way. I finally found it instinctively. Trial and error :)

I've entered a Nissan authorized dealer. I chatted with a few people who spoke Turkish, called their boss, the man came and I explained the situation. He made a few phone calls, said “follow me”, He found a welder, but he had to find someone to weld aluminum. We went somewhere but it was off, we went to another place, we got an Azerbaijani welder, he did the welding. he put the mirror on and it was ok. The tire pressures were a little low, I needed air. The engine was OK, I just wanted to have the oil checked, but I’d just had it put in Novosibirsk. It was not worn, chain maintenance, linings should be checked and a general check was needed. First I found a tire shop and pumped air. Then I found a car wash to wash the motorcycle. When I was washing the motorcycle, I met Vusal on the right photo. He speaks Turkish very well. I asked him a mechanic for the motorcycle, he called a friend and made an appointment the next day. He invited me to dinner. We went and had dinner together at Bereket Döner :) The food was delicious.

I was relieved when I got aboard. It takes about 24 hours to reach Azerbaijan. This is the first time I've ever been on a cruise this long. If I arrived Azerbaijan, I could sleep that night and arrive in Georgia Tbilisi on Tuesday. I would have missed some of my lessons anyway. So I called and canceled my classes. Boarding is complete, hatches closed, but ship does not move. Time passes, but the ship stops. When I asked why we were waiting, they said there is wind (Külek). I feel a kind of breeze but the ship waits. The ships and ferries in Istanbul sails in any condition but here no. Later. we learned that the bottoms of the ferries here in Caspian are flatten. so it's dangeorus for them to sail in windy sea. Once a ferry had sunk just because of the wind they said.

Aktau is a large city which was developed later. Nur Sultan Nazarbeyev built a beautiful coastline. There are many traces of Soviet Russia in the city. There is also a large Russian population. You know the Russians they have a generic look. The motorcycle mechanic down there is Russian.

No word from the ferry. It's been three days now. I have to go back. I have classes at the faculty and I should be there on Tuesday and today is almost Friday. Vusal and I went around town on Friday. He left me at the hotel late in the evening so I could have a drink and then go to sleep. I went to the Bukowski bar. The bar was crowded, there was no place to sit, there was a small table on the edge of the stage and Nabi put me there. At about 12 o'clock, a young man and woman appeared on stage for live music, and as soon as the music started, all the guests started to dance on stage. It was nice, people really enjoyed it, and nobody cared about anyone, except for fun. 70-80 years ago was the case in Turkey. It's like I miss those years. Then I went to sleep. The news arrived on Saturday, the ferry will arrive on Sunday.

It was very hard to find the harbour. Custom paper work was also difficult. Because they asked a document given to me at the entrance to Russia months ago and I did not have that document. They asked for the certificate of the engine to be given at the entrance to Kazakhstan, but they had not given at the entrance. Because the motorcycle entered in a minivan. But I couldn't tell. No documents, no go! I paid $150 fine. They wrote something on a blank sheet of paper and asked me to sign it. I agreed because if I missed the ship, I might have to wait another week. I finally got out of the customs and took happy pictures when I boarded the ship. Unaware of what will happen to me :) I hooked up the motorcycle. So it doesn't fall if he swings. Meanwhile, I met Benjamin Redd and Kumar Prashant. One is Indian and the other is a British activist. They deal with asylum seekers who have had to migrate from their countries and provide them with voluntary training. There are also other people from different countries.

In the meantime, I was waiting for the ferry from Azerbaijan. There was no timeline for the ferry. Whenever the work of the ferry was finished in Azerbaijan, it was moving to Kazakhstan. It doesn't stop very much in Aktau. It takes the passengers and returns to Azerbaijan. Vusal showed me around Aktau in the evening.