Mai i te Tonga ki te Rawhiti ma Turkey

Konya releases us further east via a expressway.

Although the area is not very exciting - industry and large-scale agriculture dominate the landscape - and heavy traffic shares the road with us, we enjoy fast progress on smooth pavement. On this day, we cover another 110km.

We say goodbye to our French companions of the past few days, Malie and Yann, at some point, as our travel rhythms are different.

The goal of these days is Cappadocia.

We can leave the expressway after a night in a remote volcanic landscape. We make our way through the Central Anatolian Plateau via dirt roads. The fields we cross are being prepared for cultivation. A large amount of plastic pipes are being laid. Irrigation seems to be necessary for most of the year.

But spring is slow to arrive this year. Rain often interrupts the sunny hours for days. Nevertheless, you can feel the dryness in the air. The world up here looks completely different to me. A vast plain stretches to the horizon. Somewhere, one or more mountains rise up majestically. We pass through tiny villages from time to time. Big dogs - beautiful dogs often accompany our passing with barking.

We reach Ürgüp in a few days by bike and hitchhiking. A small town in Cappadocia. We stay here for almost two weeks. This bizarre area is our travel highlight here in Turkey. The region includes several provinces in Central Anatolia. The soft tuff stone takes the form of cones, towers, and phalli. Small valleys constantly run through the landscape. Another, warmer microclimate can be felt here. People from past eras settled in these rock formations - entire cave cities can be found here. Even today, the caves are sometimes used for agriculture and tourism.

Spring and winter often alternate in these days. We spend the time here walking, eating, and marveling.

The prospect of snow in the mountains on our further route to the east prompts us to buy a bus ticket to Samsun on the Black Sea coast. We hope for an early spring in the lowlands. And we do get spring in the form of lots of rain. At least the nights are warmer now!

The landscape has completely changed. There is the sea on one side and the entire coast is lined with lush green hills and small mountains. There is not much space in between. So we have no choice but to cycle the entire route to Georgia (about 600km) on the only road there is. We share it with all the small and large vehicles heading in the same direction.

In these days, Turkish hospitality greets us almost daily with invitations for tea or other culinary treats. Experiencing this humbles me and in my mind, the image of Turkey that I know from the news does not quite align with what I experience and see.

In Trabzon, where we take another rain break (at this time - it's April - the weather is pretty much the same as in Austria - a cold, rainy spring with few sunny days), we meet two Spaniards - Camilla and Pol - whose paths will cross ours again in the next few weeks. Two cheerful, curious, and spirited cyclists who are looking for their way to China.

The constant riding on the busy expressway makes us a bit tired. To say farewell to Turkey in a worthy way, we want to take another trip to the mountains. Rivers from narrow valleys flow into the sea over and over again. We choose one of these valleys to go inland.

We leave the bikes at the campground. Together with our Spanish companions, we take a minibus to the heights. It feels good to walk up here and briefly escape the road noise.

The next day we continue. Two days later, on May 5th, exactly two months after we set off from Crete, we ride across the border into Georgia. It all goes pretty quickly and smoothly.

Thank you Turkey! You have shown yourself to us in such a beautiful way! We have fallen in love with you and want to see you again someday.

Thank you for all the tea, for the birthday cake, and the other culinary delights. Thank you for your diversity and your hidden warmth. Thank you for your lovable dogs that you mostly treat well. Thank you for completely changing our perception of you! We wish you success in overcoming the upcoming challenges and that you make room for those to whom you currently deny it.

We roll into the city of Batumi 30km further. We stay here for a few days before finding our way to the capital city of Tbilisi in the interior.

For now, this country feels very good as well. The landscape here is also lush green. The people we meet in the first few days are friendly. There are cakes and pastries to die for! And it rains. Often and a lot...