In the sunlight of travel...

Let us say something very shortly about our trip. We will start in our home country, Slovenia, riding from in front of Zoran's workshop in Ljubljana towards India. We plan to start between 15.8. and 20.8. 2010. On our trip we will pass Croatia (planning to do very quickly), Bosnia (our first destination, 1 week), Serbia (only cross it), Bulgaria (maybe 1 week or so), Turkey (1 month), Iran (1 month), Pakistan (1 month) and India (?). This is as far as we know it at the moment. We will do everything to visit also Nepal, but it depends mostly on weather.

Yamaha 750 XTZ Super Tenere – blue gazelle

Timed passed very quickly last weeks and our moment has arrived before we could really realise it. Today we hope to pack most of the luggage and tommorrow we start the trip.

We crossed the border between Croatia and Bosnia at Kamenica on the road Sinj - Livno and then continued towards Bugojno, crossing the beatiful Kupres field.

We crossed the border between Serbia and Bulgaria after Pirot, this is the main road to Sophia. Crossing was fast, nobody really looked at us. We stopped just after the border to buy a vinieta, but a good thing - you do not need it for motorbike. First we drove across hilly landscape with extensive yellow fields full of sunflowers, but approaching Sophia the landscape got more boring and dirty.

From west coast to PamukkaleWe entered Turkey at kap. Andreeevo, between Svilengrad and Erdine. Luckily the visa was suppressed just a week or two before our arrival, so it all went without too much waiting and bureaucracy; all they wanted to know was a motorbike registration number. Already at arrival a big mosque awaits you, letting you know which country you have come to. We stopped in Erdine to have a kebab. People are immediately so different from Bulgarians... friendly, curious, hospitable and helpful.

Not much to say. Very beatutiful, although very turistic. We approached Pamukkale by side roads from NW direction (from the road Sarigon - Buldan we turned left from the main road a little before Buldan) and found a nice small camp in a small unspoilt village Develi (10 eur for a tent and 2 persons).

More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/118443212147267278768

More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/118443212147267278768

From Alanya we follow the road inland which takes us through beautiful mountainous area. The road is built in steep cliffs and the views are fabulous. At places the road is being repaired and the parts are not in very good condition. In a nice town Sariveliler we stop to buy some food. People are kind and curious. You can see this is not touristic place. We have a quiet sleep in a hillside not far away from the town.

Some hundreds of meters before the border we drive past long column of trucks and reach the first hatch, where they only check the bike number plate and tell us to park in front of the terminal, near the border gate. We go inside, get a stamp in our passports and then they separate us without explanation (they only say – drivers go there and passengers here).

We continue east along a very boring straight road towards Ghazvin. Stay overnight in a nice guest-house Abrisham with kind and helpful staff, walk through city bustling streets and visit bazaar... it’s kind of strange feeling walking around, everybody stare at us like we are from another planet. We don’t feel very relaxed. Beside they cheat us in one of street kebab restaurant, where we pay 10 USD for, i’d say, nothing.