Trabzon itself is a large city and port and I parked up alongside a huge new shining mosque under construction and disappeared in to the central bazaar of the old town - the Carsi quarter where I nosed around the lively and well stocked fruit and veg market and bought some delicious looking roundbread.
Under an hour north I pulled in at the Otopark for the Sumela monastery which lay in a side valley past Macka where the snow had obviously fallen heavily a few days earlier. I was directed to a ticket office which turned out to be for the shuttle bus to the monastery, itself a further 3km uphill. I could have walked but was glad I didn't as the wooden pathway was still a foot deep in snow so I would have had to follow the road which snaked uphill. At the top carpark a few stalls had fires going for tea and the usual souvenirs were on sale. The actual monastery is built under a huge cliff overhang and was reached by a 300m track which was extremely hazardous as the deep snow had been compacted in to ice and the path rose steeply which put a few people off right away.
I gingerly made my way to the entrance, paid the €20 entrance fee and climbed another set of steps to enter the remarkable complex.
Built over many levels it has of course seen many changes over the years and for a long time was in disrepair and subject to vandalism but a restoration programme is well under way and the place is still stunningly beautiful with amazing frescoes and many more rooms and spaces than you first realise. The huge overhang has been heavily rock bolted and netted which must have been a hell of an undertaking but the heavy snow was lying on the nets and as things thawed huge lumps came crashing down. A flying fox has also been installed to get materials up from the valley floor and then across to the various restoration areas around the site which for the time being does intrude a little on the photos, as did the security guy absorbed in his phone.
After a good spell there I watched an informative video with English subtitles about the history of the place before carefully returning to the minibus where I wondered at the nationality of some of the fellow passengers. Back at the carpark all was revealed as half a dozen cars were displaying Iranian plates....
Returning to Macka I then turned south in to the mountains where Turkey's longest tunnel (9 miles!) took me under the snowclad range and avoided a previously very serpentine route. The south side of the range gives way to the high arid Anatolyian Plateau which sits at around 5,000' and whilst I checked out a few possible park ups none really appealed or were no longer accessible as new roads had been built. One approach to a park up by a castle was on a steep and muddy track and I made sterling progress with the Michelin Cross Climates until after rounding a bend a shaded section was too steep and snowy given my low speed, reversing back was 'interesting'.....
Thus a large parking and picnic area in Bayburt became the better option and I arrived as dusk fell. There was a lot of lying snow and the forecast was for lows of -6 so I fired up the heater which faltered a little as the 1500m altitude was near the point where Eber recommend a high altitude kit but as in Morocco at similar altitudes it eventually settled down.
Overnight was cold enough to freeze my short length of exposed pipe solid (matron!), something that has not happened since France in January. I should have thought to move the water through a couple of times during the night. Fortunately I always have full drinks bottles so was OK until it thawed out after some driving as ironically it runs very close to the exhaust pipe's heat shield.
I decided to try the mountain road across to Rize and at a police check asked if they knew if the road was open and they just said it would be very difficult but I decided to try anyway. A few miles further on in a simple village a large red sign subjected to Google Translate declared that the road was closed so I backtracked a little and took the road east that ran parallel to the mountains that reach 10-12,000'. This became one of the most memorable drives so far and very reminiscent of the High Atlas and whilst the main route had been cleared the side roads to remote villages were still blocked. Eventually at Pazaryolu I joined the Coruh valley that is the location for several projected and some already constructed hydroelectric dams which has flooded the long steep sided gorge. As a result the town of Yusufeli has been completely relocated to above the water line and the road now comprises mostly seemingly endless tunnels and viaducts which avoid issues with snow and rockfalls. I was hoping to get to a valley with an aire but the lower reaches of this one had also been flooded and the alternative route involved quite a detour so I will head there another time. Deep in one mountain the tunnel split and as the sat nav had lost signal I bore right and was ejected right at the foot of Turkey's largest dam : the Yusufeli. Security directed me to turn round and although they were friendly I knew that a photo of the infrastructure might turn their mood so left well alone. After more tunnels and a few unappealing park ups I found one high above the valley on a side road with a few villages indicated some 20 and 30 miles further along so again another reason to explore the area more thoroughly. I parked up with a good view of a bridge leading in to yet another tunnel with to my surprise a good internet signal. So far Vodafone has been a reliable network provider. The odd passing pick up hooted and waved but after dark all was quiet and the stars superb.
Down at Artvin I pulled in to do a quick shop and then grabbed a rather severe hair cut before carrying on north to the coast. Just outside the town a picnic area had an accessible tap which I used in conjunction with my Moroccan washing machine adapter to fill my tank.
At Borcka I crossed over the Coruh beneath a huge dam and a few miles further on its tributary the Murgul heading for a P4N listing that promised a small campsite which I fancied a couple of days on. As it turned out I was nearly there a lot longer as a steep rough track took me down to the water's edge where what had obviously once been a very rudimentary place had been overcome by a landslide with any infrastructure now demolished. There was only just enough room to turn round, anything bigger than my 5m wheelbase would have been stuffed and I reached the tarmac with some relief.
Earlier I had passed a sign over on the other side of the reservoir indicating Karavan Park so from this side I got the binoculars out and saw that it was actually a series of terraces below the road culminating in a jetty where two small passenger ferries were moored up.
I arrived in due course at the top level by the main road and a friendly guy pointed over the railing to show me where to go : two caravans were parked down there but didn't look occupied. I asked what the fee would be and he said it was free which seemed unusual, nevertheless I dropped down to the terrace and was soon set up almost opposite the spot I had been earlier.
Sadly this place, which had so much potential and obviously seen a lot of expense incurred was a tip : rubbish everywhere, bins overflowing and many partially set alight and a toilet block that presented an obvious biohazard to all who ventured in.
Again grateful for the independence of the van I settled in and began cooking up a few meals to freeze or for later as I wanted to use up my Aygaz bottle and get a refill before Georgia. This also meant I could enjoy a very long, hot shower and after another this morning and boiling some eggs the cylinder was just about empty. Using the twin pole technique to support the tailgate I swapped cylinders and then dealt with the cassette in the loo block, leaving both far cleaner than they had been on arrival. Too much information perhaps but with only solo use and that restricted mostly to #2s it had lasted 10 days since the last emptying and would I reckon have gone at least another fortnight...
Down on the outskirts of Hopa I pulled in at a small store that had cylinders chained up outside and received a full one for about £4, again using the CG bung to ensure the right thread size. I also saw an old lady being lowered on a homemade lift outside her flat that accommodated her wheelchair.... remarkable.
Out on the coast road and turning east a huge queue of HGVs were parked on the inside lane including through the tunnels and the verges were a mess of discarded plastic water bottles and other trash like you wouldn't imagine. Number plates from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and of course Georgia indicated that this is an important border crossing but fortunately non freight traffic was unhindered and I was soon at the Turkish exit point which I passed in a few minutes after customs and passport control. Friendly guys on the Georgian side were interested in a good look round the van but I was soon on my way to passport and vehicle control. I didn't spot the camera or booth window so had to back up a bit but they were fine and at pains to distinguish between the 0 and O on my number plate again to get the documentation in order. I was asked if I had insurance so said no and he pointed towards a fixer hovering further along who beckoned me over. I nearly had immediate need of it as for some reason the barrier began to descend as I passed under it (on later reflection I wonder if the black roof had fooled it) but fortunately I jammed the brakes on and a claim was avoided.
I've been at this game long enough to know that anything obtained at a border will come at a mark up but also, as for example in Mauritania last year, sometimes the very few pounds it costs are well worth it. Thus within ten minutes I had a month's cover and a local SIM also valid for a month and with apparently (but to be confirmed) unlimited internet access, both for the same price. I paid in lire as I'd yet to get any currency and they wouldn't take a card - a good sign that they were taking a cut...but the policy was essential and the SIM guy made sure it was all working well before taking payment - both cost £20....
I then changed 5000 lire in to 300 lari - again not brilliant but it was only a £100 and I didn't want to be totally stranded if my cards failed at an ATM later.
So within an hour I was out, in and online much to my amazement so stopped to make sure I had retrieved all my documentation, safely stored my Turkish SIM which has data until mid June and then tackled the rather hectic traffic of Batumi soon realising that some Georgians displayed some of the worst driving I have ever encountered...
I emerged north of the city unscathed and in quieter Kobuleti stopped to try a Bank of Georgia ATM. The first machine was out of order but the second happily switched to English and gave me £100 worth of Lari with a £1 fixed fee. I then nipped in to a takeaway for a delicious and huge chicken wrap paying the £3 by card to ensure that all was well. Finally I took my Visa based card to the ATM and took out 800 Lari, about £220 with again the £1 fee so all was well on all fronts.
So here I am still on the Black Sea coast which I will follow north for a day or two but the area of Abkhazia on the Russian border is out of bounds so I will then head east in to the mountains before returning to the centre.
I'd like to get a paper map for planning otherwise I will have to plot things on Google maps which will make the internet essential. Fortunately and unexpectedly my Garmin Sat Nav European maps cover all 3 countries and there is even coverage on my Satmap Eastern Turkey card of most of Georgia and all of Armenia.
Parked up on the coast under pine trees after an busy day so time to bring this post to an end.....
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