Name change -Türkiye

Göreme in Cappadocia

 This is the sight that greeted me as the sun came up in Göreme in the Cappadocia region of Türkiye, formally known as Turkey. This name change was accepted by the United Nation at the beginning of June.

The Cappadocia region is known for it's fascinating rock formations with churches and cave dwellings cut into the solid volcanic tuff.

Early apartment block

From my hotel rooftop

Oleander

I travelled through a large section of central Türkiye on back roads that seemed to be lined with magnificent flowers like these oleander bushes.

Fields of purple flowers between fields of wheat were a feature in the less mountainous areas in the east of the country.

Stone Road

What would a motorcycle story be without at least a mention of a dangerous road. Not just any dangerous road but " The world's most dangerous road " according to the BBC. Near the town of Kemaliye, Karanlik ( meaning dark in Turkish ) Canyon has been carved out by the Euphrates river. The road was cut through the rock by hand and took the local townspeople 132 years to complete. The numerous tunnels are named for the workers who died building the road.

Thank you Kaya Özgen

A fun ride but I would argue the point about it being so dangerous, especially as the road surface, although dirt, was not that rough. At one point there was even a guardrail, which should definitely be removed.

Ian and Aneta

Leaving the mountains I dropped back to the hot mediterranean coast and what a surprise to find that my cousin Ian and his girlfriend Aneta were on vacation in the town of Alanya just a day's ride from where I was. We had a grand reunion and more than a few cocktails were downed.

I will keep the KTM