Garry McGivern is in Turkey, cycling to Australia on the 30th-November 2011 Uzuntarla to Duzce 51 miles. There was no breakfast at the hotel this morning, so I was on the road nice and early. I’ve been receiving plenty of messages from friends and family telling me how bad Iran is at the moment, particularly if you’re British! That’s one of the pitfalls of being on the road, especially when abroad. You don’t get to hear too much news. It’s also a good thing sometimes! After receiving so many messages, I decided I’d better look for myself to see what was happening and maybe change my route!
I passed my first hotel just before 1 pm and decided that if they had wifi, I’d stop! They did, but didn’t have a bar, oh, well! But then, I suppose I am in a mostly Muslim country, so it’s not too surprising! This Iranian situation was bugging me too much to worry about beer! (Blimey, have you listened to yourself!) I needed to see what was happening and check out my options!
I spent the afternoon texting friends, looking at the news and looking at my options! Iran is definitely somewhere to avoid! And from what I could see, there’s only one route open to me! And that route might not be possible! Because of the time of year, I can’t head north through Georgia, Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea. Apart from being too cold, I think many roads would be impassable! Syria’s out of the question. So, as far as I can see, my only option is to head to the south of Turkey. Get a ferry to Cyprus. I’m pretty sure there are boats from Turkey to Cyprus! But then, and this is where it might all fall down! Cross from Northern Cyprus to the south! Which I’m not sure can be done!
If I can make it to southern Cyprus, I can get another boat to Egypt, then cycle to Saudi Arabia and Dubai and fly to India. I’d already looked at flying from Dubai to India before leaving home, as Pakistan was already looking doubtful after I was unable to obtain a Pakistani visa! I was hoping to pick up a visa in Iran; visas are often easier to obtain from connecting countries! And if I still couldn’t get a Pakistani visa, I would cycle down to the bottom of Iran and get a boat to Dubai.
I’ll stop off in Ankara to pick up Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai visas. I’m feeling a lot more relaxed, having sorted my route out. I’d feel even more relaxed if I could have a beer!
Subscribe to Garry’s blog and follow Garry’s journey around the world. Plus, you’ll receive news and updates on future tours.
