At a nescafe i say goodbye to this nice and symphatic family. According to Babis i should go to Serres for a coffee. Everybody does it there, Greek traditıon. And it's only 30 minutes away. I park the GS first to a little pole, clumsy of me.... :-S and later on the square. I was lucky, they serve ''pita'' the Greek word for pie, puff paste wıth: Spinage, chıcken, muchroom,....everything you want. I was a little scared of Turkey, so i stayed ın Greece as long as posible. In the north of Greece there not so many mountains and passes. The best they can do is road nr: 14 from Drama over Stauroupoli to Xianthi. It should give you enough motorcycle pleasure if you want to lay off Turkey a little bit. It was inevitable. the last straight line to Turkey on the motorway. Riding out of Greece is easy. But into Turkey is something else. Both borders are strong protected by the Greek and Turkish army. I pull up to the first of the many controles: Pasport, vehicle registration. Than to the Police: Pasport, vehicle registration and incurance. Than buy a vısa. Back to the police for a stamp on the visa. Than costums: Pasport, incurance and registration, across the lane for another stamp on your visa. Ride for 100 meters and the whole controle starts again.... After 1 hour i was clear. Agents and staff where nice and friendly, everybody shakes your hand and i even got menthol candy from the visa guy.
Turkey here i was than: Lets see what happens............ At the border i've met another Belgian guy with his wife. He told me not to worry about a place to sleep. Hotels and pensions genoeg. It was already late and the only thing i saw where roadhotels. Do i realy have to leave my bike outside here? Out of my reach??? I take my chance, and the hotel manager conforts me not to worry about the bıke. There is a constant eye on. (i know, but i better ask)
Last nıght i got to much money out the cash machine ın Ohrıd. 10 000 of there money is about 170 euro's. I thought i wıll need it for roadmaps food tomorrow, petrol,....... I had a compleet meal down the restaurant and ıt was only 750 Macedonian money, so i went for ice cream. only 20 of there money. (0,30 eurocent for a bıg ice cream????) What am i gonna do wıth all that money? So i decided to stay another day ın this magnıfıcent country, wıth very frıendly and helpfull people, Not to forget that woman are absolutly pretty here,..... But so unreachable... I bought a roadmap, and there was a mountain pas trough a national park, I had to try that one. It has become a sport to do a pass in every country i go to. The road up gıves view to the complete shore of the lake of Ohrıd, and over the hıll ıt gives view to another lake. On the map there ıs another road marked that looks a bıt curvy. Its the old road to Bitola, That has not been used for over 10 year i thınk. Complete wildernes. For the fırst time i am happy to have a ''dual sport'' bike. It leeds me to a town completly isolated from modern times. I don't realy know ıf they like me hanging around here. And some of the buıldıngs mark bulletholes at chestheıght..... Scary!! Enough wıth the touring, I set the GPS for a town right before the Greek border, Somewhere on the way i see a cople of motorbikes by a roaddıner, at the terras some blokes where waving at me and there thumbs where high up in the air. If you travel alone you get a down feeling sometimes. I feld a little bit sad and ın need of a good conversation, maybe it was time to stop for some soup or salat..... I am introduced to: Adrian, Geoff and Pavlo. 3 Bikers from Camebridge England, Who where doeıng the same tour as me, but ın the other direction. Came ın handy for the both of us! After the good coversation and dıner, i made a left turn and they a right! I does not have to more than that. THE ROAD GİVES AND THE ROAD TAKES. I arrıve at the Macedonian bordertown where i hoped to fınd accomodation as fast as the night before. But no! Only a fancy hotel and casıno. Ok to Thessaloniki 83km, In Thessaloniki İ found out that there's no boat to Turkey anymore. It was already 17u00 and i had no place to sleep. It seems like all the luck i had before turned against me. I don't know why i set sail for a north-east direction. Desteny? I just pick a exıt on the motorway randomly ın the middle of nowhere. Everybody speaks Greek here, not a bit Englısh. Some locals poınt me to a hotel 25km away. Sudenly i see a sıght: Welcome to white village, western ranch. I was saved!!! How lucky can a man be? Just after nightfall i made aquantance with the owners, who where amazed by the way ı got there, and they showed lost of interest for the bıke and journey i make. I'ts already late when we talked about: ranches, horses, motorbikes, food,..... Agaın a perfect closing for a perfect day.
Oef the bike ıs still there. I'm already up early, Today i was gonna see the black sea. But fırst i had to pass Istanbul and survive the Turkish traffic. And you think that Albania was a nightmare........! I can't count how many times i almost got run'd over. If you are tyred with life? I advice you to take a motorbike and ride it trough Turkey. They just don't care about bıkers here! Istanbul was close, appartment buildings and houses on hills where the only thing i saw. I look between them and the horizon ın search for the Aya Sofıa, but i don't see it. Just like passing by Dubrovnik i feld a little disappointed. About 100km after the massive bridge that connects Europe with Asia i was in need for petrol and there was a Burger king. I deserved a good menu after my achievement. And if i was gonna die, i can better do it wellfeeded...... I park the GS next to a few Turkish GS riders, but they didn't talk to me, showed any interesse or even said hallo to me! Even bikers do not care about bikers here.
Then i left the motorway i drove straight to the nearest black sea town. I was constantly looking at the distance on the GPS. 20km,15,10, and than... there it was. My fırst glimp at 10km from Karasai, I drove to Karasai but it took some time to actualy was close by the water. A lıttle bit later on the bıg road i turned left to a bar. And parked e few meters from the beach.
The black sea: the thing that was on my mind and where i talked about for the last year. And in a way what i promised you all a bit. And now that i'm here i don't realy want to be here. Again it feld a little disapionting. Now what? All the way to Trabzon? And than the same way back? I shure do not have the days to go to Görerme and Pamukkale. I'm already tyred dealing with the Turkish drivers. I just go a little further till i am in the mountains (hills) fınd a hotel, see if i can get my swimm. And that i get the hell out of here.... I kept on riding on the big connection roads between towns. And so i didn't see all the nice towns. Pensions and hotels enough, now i know!
I arrive at Zonguldak, and the first sign ''hotel'' i jump in to ask. It's still ın renovation and i get a room on the 4th floor with the look out on the sun setting down on the sea. This was the last thing (accept for a swim) i wanted here, Tomorrow i was gonna run for the border.
Belangrijke data in mijn agenda
-09,10,11/07 International motorbike rally @ Hoeselt (B). Everybody welcome to join me. All info @: www.mchoeselt.be/DemeRRock
-27,28,29/08: International motorbike rally @ St-pieters-leeuw. Everybody welcome to join me. All info @: www.phantomsmc.be
-08/09: Leave home for the annual big trip. This year: Around the Black Sea.
