We made it to the Black Sea! Today we rode the longest distance in one day yet ... through the real heart of central Turkey. Everywhere we stopped, people would offer us tea, cake, water, maps, tools ... they just loved the idea of our trip and being able to help their new friends somehow. Humankind is alive and well.
We traveled through vast plains, rivers, mountains, high mountains, and really high mountains right before going down to the ocean ... including rain, lots of rain, fog, long stretches of dirt, and temperatures that ranged from 65 down to 48. Alexandra had 4 layers of clothing to keep warm. Still, she needed 2 hot showers at our hotel to regain consciousness : )
Interesting to note that all throughout Turkey there is no real poverty (a la Latin America). It is even more interesting when you realize that Mexico has a slightly higher GDP per capita than Turkey ... why?
The road infrastructure is really being upgraded across the entire country ... road expansions, tunnels, bridges, bulldozers everywhere, etc. There is a real sense of forward movement ... similar to what we saw in Brasil last year. It is also noticeable that there is a real unique pattern in the colors and color combinations used throughout the country to paint apartment and office buildings and houses ... strange, a bit off, muted, socialist, old ... who knows, but certainly unique.
Ordu is a nice small city by the sea. Today is Sunday and the whole town is out walking on the promenade, children playing, stores are open, families are out, and there is a telepheric that takes you from the beach to the top of the mountain that adds to the fun atmosphere ... very family oriented, very traditional, no tourists ... very different from the swinging south coast full of Europeans ... although there is a massive wedding going on right outside our hotel window.
Tomorrow, on to Georgia. Border crossings ... always interesting and unpredictable : )
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