After four days of equipment preparation, today we finally set off from Istanbul and start our Eurasian Silk Road ride. In this 55-kilometer warm-up ride, we watched many locals relaxed along the coastline of Turkey; when we reached our destination in Gebze, the magnificent pinkish sunset marked the perfect end for today’s warm-up ride.

Travel has just begun and the discovery will not stop. 2018 Silk Road Biking, we are ready!

Today we leave the city Gebze on the crowded highway entangeling our way on a very busy street, very efforttaking but worth it! The incident of a flattened tire could be fixed quickly thanks to the turkish kindness. On our way to Sakarya we succesul see the sea in front of us. When the sun goes down and people are heading home with cheerfullness we can feel the rythm of our surrounding. Entering our destination we can smell fresh bread, lured by it we stop in front of a small café in the periphery of Sakarya. Old men inspect the bikes with curiosity and smile when we tell them our goal. We feel so welcomed. By our friends which invite us to their home but also by all the great people we met on the road: a men driving us to the bike repairing shop, a men which refills our waterbottles when we ask him only to throw the empty ones away, by all the people that made the riding so much better through their kindness and and their interest in our project.

Magdalena @ Sakarya Province

We leave Sakarya on a wide road in the green nature.

Today was going to be more challenging 120 km and a more mountainous area.

Therefore we had to go by full speed. After a short lunch break we enter the small city Duzce and by coincidence happen to be in the parade of the prime minister Binali Yildrim. After escaping the crowd we cycle until a small gas station where the men offer us tea

The next part of the road was the hardest for both of us. To enter the town Bolu we really had to climb for a long time (around 600 meters in height) for the first time. The peaceful nature and the beautiful sunset we encounter in the mountains near the peak payed the struggle back.

Finally when the sun goes down and having surmounted all the elevation we can let go to drive into the city Bolu. Everything seemed to be bathed in purple and the prayer of the mosque started.

Magdalena @ Gerede, Bolu, Turkey

Today we try to leave early without much success. We leave our accomodation in the mountains in Yuva and say good bye to the owner an old men which tells us to come back soon and to be carefull on the road. We got used to the biking in the meantime and extend our way beyond the planned destination and arrive in a hostel next to the road together with the sunset. We have the chance to join the Iftar (fast breaking) meal in the only restaurant where we attract the attention as foreigners.

In the morning we wake up early since we want to cycle 150 km today.

To have a quick lunch we stop in a small woody hut at the side of the road.

It is a family business where every member has there task.

We stayed for some time together and take a rest in the garden behind it.

When they have break from the work we sit together for a while and talk especially with the youngest sun, who was very eager to host us.

When we are about to leave strong wind which blew the dust on the street up.

Regardless the recommendation to stay we decide to leave quickly until the rain would come but once started riding we decide to stop and take a rest.

Unpacking the saddle bags at the end of the day I find a loaf of bread and two lemonades which make me remember the places with been and the people with met. Cycling in the day seems so much longer because of the distance we leave behind us and the people we encounter.

We arrive in the small town Gumushacickoy where we carry out a quick check up of the bike. Then we try to find our place to stay a bit bewildered at first since no one is in the reception of the big building. Later we learn that it is a teachers accomodation house. For sure more simple than the previous accomodation we had but it served its purpose. By now we got used to really positive reactions while going out to eat so we are a bit disappointed that this time the vibe seems rather heavy.

But now back to the lemonades. When we stopped quickly at a rest stop to buy some water an energetic young woman with vivid blue eyes welcomes us quickly deposes our luggage and supplies us with lunch and tea. She is very curious asks us many questions and we try to communicate a bit in bosnian with the elderly men sitting with us. Since we refused all presents they wanted us to offer..v.

When I asked him his opinion on an advise on the road he says. "Now go quickly otherwise you won't make it in time" he said and laughed as we take a last picture together and head off and find astonishing beauty in the nature which is refreshed by the rain where we find all shades of green yellow ground with daisys and the mountains seem blue and purple.

This morning, it’s the farewell time for Magdalena. I went through the memories we have in the past 16 days: we have biked in the mountains, in the tunnels, on the wet road… we have interviews in the hotel, restaurant, bakery, bar… From Istanbul to Samsun, from Marmara to Black Sea, we have cycled so far, and learnt many things about this great country. It’s just an incredible trip for both of us.

In the afternoon I am riding alone on the Black Sea. Sometimes the children on both sides of the road greet me with excitement. The pleasant sea breeze even made me sing: “decisions as I go, to anywhere I flow. Sometimes I believe, in times of rational”!

Later I finally arrived at the accommodation before sunset. The boss invited me to a buffet dinner for free. I hope that such good luck can continue for the next few days.

Jerry

In the morning, the most startling thing was a 3820-meter-long tunnel. Despite the lights in the tunnel, it is still scary that the big trucks in the tunnel still blew a deafening roar of the engine, feeling like a giant monster gradually approaching me from behind. But fear is not a way out, only to continue moving forward. In fact, the more confident oneself is, the less scary those fears are. This is also true in life.

At 12 o'clock, I sat down at a pide shop on the roadside. Pide is known as Turkish pizza, but unlike Italian pizzas in the shape of a circle, pide is ship-shaped and there are various fillings in the cabin. Today I ordered beef and green peppers. And inside the pide it is brushed with cheese. It is crisp outside and soft inside, what a delicacy!

In the afternoon, I met a few teenagers who ran from behind to take a picture with me. It is really cool to be like a “star” Lol…

The beams of dusk dyed the road into purple. At 19:30, I waved down to the destination - Görele. This is a very lively city: The fruit shops next to the guest house are colorful; many advertisements for the elections are on the street; people are coming out for dinner after one day of Ramadan.

Later I spotted a Kofte restaurant. The appetizers are thick and smooth soup. The roasted Kofte was really a paradise for meat lover; later, baklava uses sweetness to draw a happy ending for today’s 145-km trek.

In the evening, at the guest house, a group of old men were drinking tea and chatting. It reminded me of my hometown - Chengdu. I wanna go back home…

From the beginning to the present, I have been riding for 960 kilometers, and it is to be over 1000km tomorrow!After two days the Ramadan is coming to an end. I will also arrive in a new country - Georgia. Please follow us on Facebook and instagram. There is so much more to share our journey with you.

Jerry

1000 kilometers — finally achieved! At present, the cumulative distance for riding is 1086km, and the accumulated climbing height is 6700m. After 11 days of riding, we have crossed the hills from Istanbul in Turkey and will soon come to the Turkish-Georgian border. After so many days, I am reluctant to say goodbye to Turkey.

One of the events that took place today can also be regarded as the climax of our 18 days in Turkey. It was seeing the President—Erdogan, when I passed by Trabzon.

I first realized from the roadside parking lot when many people distributed Erdogan’s propaganda banner to hang behind the car. From the parking lot to Trabzon I saw hundreds of vehicles hanging the banners of Erdogan, some of which were based on the Turkish national flag, and some were based on AKP propaganda posters. The whole feeling was like believers going to pilgrimage.

At the Ataturk square in Trabzon, all the people waved their flags and shouted: "Recep...Tayyip...Erdogan", "Recep...Tayyip...Erdogan" with the music… But two banners were taken away since they had some “unpleasant” message to Erdogan.

Later the sky was a bit gloomy and after riding on the coast, I finally found a place to stay. Sun is like a high red ball facing in the sea. Today was exhausting, but hopefully I can recover after some sleep.

Jerry

It was really hot at noon, the temperature was over 35°C. The most annoying fact is that when sweat flows into the eyes, it is forcing me to secrete tears to neutralize the hyper-salt sweat. It really hurts.

When passing through Rize, where Erdogan’s family is from, there stands Erdogan University now. It got less hotter afterwards. In order to avoid a tunnel, I chose another path by the sea. Her tranquility and beauty surprised me: the sea flaps the stones, some people swim below, a seagull flies over the sky, and the sky meets the sea in blue. My heart slowed down with the spring flowing behind me.

Then, in order to reach the last city in Turkey, Hopa, I accelerate the pace. A more important reason is that today is the last day of Ramadan, for Muslims who have been fasting for one month, today's sunset will mark the end of Ramadan and the arrival of Eid al-Fitr. Watching the sun falling into the sea, listening to the mosque praying from all directions, it’s my honor to share this joy with these devout people.

Tomorrow, farewell to Turkey and salute for Georgia!

Jerry