Of all the milestones on this trip, reaching Istanbul has to be the biggest. I remember seeing the very first sign for Istanbul right as I was about to cross the border out of Georgia. 1264km. Half a life-time away. Since then the signs have been slowly ticking down, 45 kilometers at a time, as I crept closer and closer to the end of of my time in Asia. A whole continent, spanning thousands of kilometers of desert and plains and mountains and rivers, Conquered in a 6 month pilgrimage west.
So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople.
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks
ISTANBUL
The last 600km have been absolutely wild, but I really want to get on to the Asia Awards, so will tell the story through a big dump of photos.
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| Day 174 - A Tea break after escaping the up and down of the coast from Sinop |
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| Day 174 - The View of Amasra before dropping into Bartin |
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| Day 175 - My boy Shener, who spent his youth travelling round the world on shipping tankers. Has had a far more interesting life than I could ever hope to have. Took me out for dinner and had a great chat in Bartin, then he saw me off the next day |
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| Day 180 - After 3 days stuck in Zonguldak by the snow, the sun came out enough for me to brave the roads. Made this snowman in the break. |
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| Day 180 - The bus stop at the top of the pass from Zonguldak to Akcakoca |
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| Day 180 - Decided to camp on the beach, which was half covered in snow. Last day on the coast of the beautiful Black Sea. |
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| Day 181 - Woke up to a beautiful sunrise, but turns out I'd somehow become dehydrated and given myself heatstroke despite cycling through snow. Made it 10km up the road before stopping at a hotel to rest up and rehydrate. |
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| Day 183 - Made it over the climb to Duzce |
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| Day 183 - As I pulled into Duzce, a car pulled over and this whole gang jumped out. Turns out it's the Duzce Cycling Club, plus two lovely cyclists from France heading to Mongolia |
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| Day 183 - The Cycling club took us out to lunch, and gave us a great place to stay |
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| Day 183 - But not before interviewing with a local TV station. After hearing I went through China, all the questions were about the Coronavirus. Thank goodness I got out before that started. |
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| Day 183 - Ozman is an absolute pro. My bike feels good as new now |
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| Day 184 - The gang heading out, with me heading west to Istanbul, and the rest of the gang pushing through the snow to Bolu. |
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| Day 184 - The Duzce Cycling Club also put me in touch with the Cycling Clubhouse in Sakarya where I stayed the night. The sign reads "Cyclists Only!" |
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| Day 186 - With no where to stay in Izmit, I was starting to get worried as the sun went down. But these lovely students saw me cycling, stopped, and offered to let me stay. Ended up staying 2 days, they cooked for me every day, and wouldn't take a penny. |
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| Day 187 - On the advice of the two french cyclists, I decided to go to Yalova, then take the ferry from there into the city center. Perfect way to skip the traffic into Istanbul, which is especially bad on the Asia side. |
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| Day 187 - The late ferry. Ended up arriving at my hostel at 1 am. |
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| Day 188 - Hagia Sophia, minutes away from the hostel |
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| Day 189 - Posing in front of the impressive Blue mosque |
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| Day 189 - The ceiling inside of the mosque |
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| Day 189 - Spent the day hanging out with Sebastian and Dana who I met at the hostel. Here we are navigating the narrow streets around the spice bazaar. |
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| Day 190 - The view from outside Suleymaniye Mosque |
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| Day 190 - Wet and rainy view from the top of Galata Tower. |
Standing On the Shoulders of Giants
Istanbul is such a significant milestone because it's traditionally the point where Asia stops and Europe begins. Here they very casually say, Oh yeah I'm just popping over to Asia for lunch, taking one of the multitude of ferries over the bustling Bosporus strait that runs between two continents.
There seems no place more fitting to sit and write a big farewell to Asia. But I've had so many crazy experiences and thoughts and feelings that it all seems too much to reduce down to a few paragraphs. Instead, I've taken inspiration from the blog that inspired it all, which I read many moons ago at my desk in Japan while pretending to do work, daydreaming of the faraway lands I now find myself surrounded by.
An American couple did the same Japan to the UK journey back in 2012 and their blog, West from Japan has essentially been my bike touring bible for planning this trip. When they got to Istanbul they gave out the 2012 Asian Awards.
To carry on the tradition I have taken it upon myself to be the sole judge in the 2020 edition, using my extremely coincidental personal experiences to make sweeping generalisations about entire countries. The nominees are Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Turkey, with Kyrgyzstan making their debut appearance at the Asia Awards (because I took a short cut through there whereas they took the long way round.)
So without further ado, the 2020 Asia Awards.
The 2020 Asia Awards
Best Food
I wish I could say I've eaten every local delicacy each country has to offer. But when it comes to food, you have to remember I'm travelling on a tight budget, and I need a butt load of calories to make it through each day cycling. But I also can't spend time searching for the perfect place, so usually just go for somewhere that looks cheap, fast, and local. As I result I have a very unique specialized knowledge of the best cheap traditional fast food throughout Asia. It pains me to have to pick one, but for me it's the noodles in China. By the end of it I was sick to death of them and so happy to eat bread again, but for variety of flavors, price, and calorie count, China can't be beat.
Runner up: Georgia on the strength of one dish I had in Batumi which is mind-numbingly good. Cheese butter and egg baked on the top of fresh bread, which you mix together and eat in the most satisfying mess.
Worst Food
For me there was no worst food. Every country has had its own flavors and unique recipes, each with it's different strengths and weaknesses. If I had to choose, its a split between any time you try to eat western food in China, and a plate of dumplings at a gas station restaurant in Kazakhstan, which was literally unflavored mince meat in doughy dumplings, covered in pepper and unsweetened mayo.
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| "Pizza" |
I really really wish I could give it to Turkey. I've been staying in such bizarre places - Camping here there and everywhere, found a bunch of people willing to let me sleep on their floor, the amazing time I had at the hotel in Sinop. But the winner is Kyrgyzstan for the most home-away-from-home hostel in Bishkek (Imagine Hostel), where I first began to feel like I was part of this greater community of backpackers and cyclists travelling the world, and my very favorite home stay with the Duishenbiev's in Kara-Balta. Georgia also comes in at a close third, quite possibly the most consistently cheap and nice places the whole way.
(I'm gonna stop adding photos because I've posted them all before in previous blogs, but you can click on the hyperlinks to see the full stories.)
Worst Accommodation
China. No doubt. The constant struggle to find a place to sleep, only to be turned away because they can't take foreigners. Unable to camp because of nosy policemen shooing you away. Kicked out of my room twice in the middle of the night when the police showed up, moving me to a more expensive "foreigner friendly" hotel in the back of a police van. Then there's the half-collapsed "hotel" I stayed at in Bozhou for 40 yuan which was the most disgusting place I've ever been. The shower was a cold bucket of water, the toilet had never been cleaned I'm pretty sure. The sheets were full of cigarette burns, and the third floor was half caved in after never being completed. And I still stayed for two nights because it was so cheap and the owner didn't seem to mind I was foreign.
Best Cycling (Scenery and General Mood)
It turns out I love mountains. I love seeing them. I love the challenging climbs. I love the sense of accomplishment you get from reaching the top, and the hard-earned euphoria you get when whizzing down the other side in a cloud of adrenaline-fulled glee. It's difficult to pick out a favorite. The road from Xi'an to Pingliang in China, where I did my first 100km+ day. The whole way from Tblisi to Batumi across the beautiful mountains of Georgia. Maybe even the stunning coastal climbs on the cliff road from Joetsu to Toyama on the very first day. But the winner has to be the road from Sinop to Bartin in Turkey, which may just be the most challenging and beautiful tour cycling anywhere.
Worst Cycling (Scenery and General Mood)
The wind. The harrowing, soul destroying wind. And the worst wind was in the desert at the end of Gansu in China. It's flat and dry and cold, with 50kmph winds that whip unpredictably across the narrow road, throwing you into the giant lorries who are the only other passengers on the road. I'm so glad I caved and got on the train to Urumqi, I doubt I'd have made it on my own.
Best Road Conditions and Drivers
Here we have a tie. China surprisingly has the best roads for cycling on. The cities are newer, and designed with wide lanes on the side that only bicycles and scooters can use. The drivers, while extremely unpredictable, are used to having all kinds of craziness going on, so seem to be paying more attention. However, they NEVER look when merging, and I was constantly forced to stop for them despite me being on the main road and having right of way.
Turkey has the best roads so far, which I hope is a taste of how things will be in the rest of Europe. Well maintained at least on the major roads, almost always a big hard-shoulder, and clear traffic signals which almost everyone follows. However the drivers here hardly notice you're there, drive past way too close and way too fast.
Worst Road Conditions and Drivers
Basically every major city I've had the misfortune of cycling into has been an absolute nightmare. The road systems just don't take into account how a cyclist might be able to get around, especially in countries that don't have much of a cycling culture. Specifically the ride into Almaty in Kazakhstan, Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, and Tashkent in Uzbekistan. I think Uzbekistan just about sneaks it, because not only did I almost die 3 times pulling into the city, but also the roads are an absolute mess outside of them. My arse will never be the same again.
Best Dogs
This could go to Georgia or Turkey. Both really take care of street dogs in the cities, to the point where the dogs in the center of Istanbul are all actually super chunky. They aren't TOO aggressive outside of it either. Georgia just sneaks it though cause of the dog that followed me for over 40km. I almost considered trying to take her the rest of the way with me.
Worst Dogs
In Azerbaijan they have these absolute units that guard the flocks of sheep. These things are trained killers, who just about lose their mind when they see a bicycle. Apparently they regularly take down wolves. As soon as you see a flock of sheep in Azerbaijan, even far in the distance, start sprinting as fast as you possibly can. Soon enough, 3 or 4 hell hounds in the throes of blood lust will come streaking across the field at you, spit flying from their open snapping jaws, and they'll keep chasing you for a good 2 kilometers just looking for a good opportunity to get your ankle in their mouth. I've definitely become more of a cat person on this trip.
Most Hospitable
This is so hard, because everyone has been so kind. There have been innumerable times when I've thrown myself upon the mercy of the universe this trip, with no idea how I'm gonna get out of the bind I'm in, and each time it's people, ordinary everyday people, who are there to catch me. People are good. Humanity is tender and giving. Give peace a chance, and all that jazz.
Japan, multiple people treat me to dinner and the onsen. China, there was hardly a day I didn't get free things. Kyrgyzstan, a family took me in when I had no where to stay. Georgia, every farmer and shop owner from Tbilisi to the border called me in for wine and cakes. Turkey, where I've had more free cups of tea from friendly passers by that cups I've bought, and more floors to sleep on than anywhere else. Even Uzbekistan where I was having a terrible time, a kind restaurant owner let me sleep the night.
The winner though is Kazakhstan. These people have very little and will give you everything they can with no questions asked. I slept in peoples homes. I ate for free. I even had a guy I met at a train station for no more than 30 minutes spend his whole evening arranging my transport to the Uzbek border through messenger, and stayed up to 1 am to make sure I arrived at my hotel ok.
Least Hospitable
Uzbekistan. I may have been a little harsh when I wrote about it last, and it just so happened I was in a low point with my mental state. Lots of other people have had a great time there, don't let my bad experience put you off.
Best All-Rounder
This is the big one. It's gotta be Turkey. The food. The cycling. The people. The culture. It's got it all. If you go tour cycling in one place ever in Asia, Turkey is the place to do it. However, each country I go to feels like the best I've been to. China was probably the wildest experience, it just feels so long ago it's already turned into a set of stories I tell, losing that excitement I feel every day of riding from A to B, discovering hidden depths of the culture, and meeting brilliant people.
Miscellaneous Awards
Most Macabre Experience
I'm powering through the rain in Turkey on the side of the motorway, when I notice a dead dog. There's a lot of dead dogs when they run free all over the place. As I get closer I realise there is another dog who has torn open the road-kill's stomach and gorging himself on his former pack-mate. As I pass, he looks up at me, muzzle covered in blood, before going back to his revolting dinner. The closest I've come to vomiting while cycling.
Best Tea
People drink a lot of tea in Asia. Like a lot. In Japan it has become the refined art of the tea ceremony. In China it's much more working class. Workmen put a bunch of tea leaves in a flask, and fill it up again and again with hot water, so that they're never without. In the "-stans" they drink it weak with milk and sugar. But by far the best is Turkey, with it's whole culture revolving around men sat about chatting in tea houses. You go through small villages in the middle of nowhere with one shop, and three tea houses, and all three are packed.
Best Coffee
If you like coffee, don't come to Asia. It's been a constant battle getting my preferred source of daily caffeine. It's basically just granulated nescafe all the way to Turkey. Even then, it's the Turkish coffees, which are delicious, but more like an espresso, with a thick coffee grounds sludge at the bottom. Honestly I haven't had a really good Americano other than in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the parents and I found an amazing coffee shop while shopping.
Most Helpful Police Officers
Definitely China. They're everywhere, and more like community wardens that will go out of there way to help you out. As long as you aren't in a hotel you aren't supposed to be.
Best Border Crossing and Visas
I showed up at a deserted border crossing station from Azerbaijan to Georgia. Didn't even have to unload my bike, was through in less than 30 minutes, and they took one look at my passport before giving me a stamp for a ONE YEAR visa, no questions asked. If I ever have to flee the UK for whatever reason, Georgia is clearly the place to go. Runner up goes to the Kazakh side of the China-Kazakhstan crossing, where after more than 3 hours of intense interrogation by the Chinese, the Kazakhs were overjoyed to have a tourist come through. Everyone was smiling and happy. It felt like I was a celebrity.
To Home
The posts won't be as exotic as the Asia ones, but if you guys will keep reading, I'll keep writing. Here's to the last three and a half months. Cya soon.
