Planalto Cycles

Well, what should i say? It was about going up the (for me) highest pass ever and I waited for the first steep bends, but for long it was just going up a bit, not too exhausting. But I knew that within 35km 1700m had to be done and after 16km I “had” only ~450m.
So I knew the rest would be harder. Of course it was, but only 4-5 times for several 100m it was very hard.

As the view a great I had good excuses to pause for photos.

I saw horses, later their footprints and I guess these are wild horses.

I had reduced my fig ration to one per hour but at 11h I had my last one.

And then I stood on top! No food stand of the like was there (on Transfargasan it was half a village and a hotel etc) but at least there was a sign.

Going down was partly nice, as the street was brand new and sometimes I didn’t have to use the brakes for several minutes, as the wind helped ? and with every 100m it got warmer. Until it was hot. But as I met my first fig tree I ignored heat and sun and ate only 5 and another. Ok a last one. And only this one. And then i saw some on a broken branch – who would take care of them if not me?

I only went through Meghri, as I wanted to stay in Hostel Samuel in Agarak. The owner is a very friendly man. He showed me his garden with figs, grapes etc.
Later I wanted to get some presents and invest my last Drams but was only partly successful. Additionally, I tried to challenge me by going to a cafè by myself. I had been eating alone in diverse street food places, but you do it on purpose of eating. A café in my understanding is a place for recreation, meeting and conversation.

grand pose before realizing the cafè was closed

…but for a few minutes I enjoyed the view and the music (on although no one there)

When I wanted to by bread and cheese for 1000 + coins for another 900, the owner gave me much to much cheese and didn’t take the coins.
So I gave them later to Samuel-host to give me more figs.
The bought cheese was not only too much, but much too salty. So, I drank 2 litres and was completely full, but still thirsty. And in this situation, I was invited to barbeque.
The family sat there, with 3 children and grandparents and two friends. They were nice and funny but I couldn’t avoid eating again and even had Cognac

It was hard to leave, but in the end I simply was tired enough that they let me go ?

The night before, I slept badly, because I felt cold under the cover without blanket. I took what I could find on the bed to warm me up, but I didn’t want to get up and hope to find sleep. (Not too much.)
Last night in “Lovely Goris hostel” there was a blanket in the cover, and a bedspread. After showering I felt cold and stayed cold while I talked with Paulo and when I did my “homework”. And, again, I could not sleep, because of feeling cold, after a while my hands became warm but from the knees downwards I stayed cold as before. Finally, I took my sleeping bag and after long time I could sleep. And after another short time, the first dogs barked, the first roosters crowed, and my stomach became nervous. (Meanwhile, I gave up the idea that this trip would change me in this essential aspect.)

So, I had another early start. First there was a fast downhill-passage over 13km. Then again up to 1500m, 500 down, up to 1700, down, up and finally down to Kapan. All in all, 1400 up on 65km. It was not bad but shows me what will come tomorrow: 1800m up in one piece over 35km. Up to the highest pass in this country of high passes, 2535m. So, even when I don’t feel cold this night, I will for sure sleep not too long.

On the way, a German talked to me at a resting place. They had rent a car with local driver. For sure he and I would not have too much in common in normal life (he is CEO of a big textile company) and, also his way of travelling as “motor alpinist” as he called it, is quite different, but still, here in this situation, we could easily focus on the common. He took photos of me and sent them on the spot.

on top of the last pass before Kapan is a beautiful viewing platform, with flags and watertab, and monument stone and roofed sitting area.

But when you look down, you get the feeling that some people cannot cope with the idea of beauty & nature.

On the way down to Kapan, you have a great view, e.g. on that partly pink lake, the Artsavanik reservoir) (but even by some editing I could not catch these colours)

if normal blue is out of stock in Armenia, lakes have to turn pink and green

In Kapan and even before, you could see how near Iran is. More and more signs are in Arab writing and many of them point on strip clubs, casinos and the like.

On the maps, you could find Camping sites. One was marked more or less in the city, but this was clearly a failure, the second was marked 7km outside. I made the first incredibly steep 500m and gave up. Then I looked for a B&B and a guest house, both non-existent. As I wanted to give up and just go on in direction Meghri and take a hostel or not and sleep in the tent, I looked for the way back to the M2. A man talked to me in Armenian and Russian, but we understood that I look for a less expensive hotel (In my back was a big one!) and that he new where to find. Here I am now ?. A hotel called Hotel.

In the evening I made a short walk, buying street food (Triangles with vegetables and cheese), walking along the river and in the end buying yoghurt in a supermarket. But at least 3 persons wanted to help me and as they knew too little English they consulted even more people. So, in the end I bought also chocolate (of course Armenian: grand candy!) and fruit yoghurt, as they only call it yoghurt when it is with fruits (and all other stuff…)
On the walk I was impressed by the buildings clinging to the mountains, by spectecular examples of cloth lines and depressive flower pots.

The chocolate will serve as reward on top of the pass, the (Fruit) yoghurt will be breakfast and the pure yoghurt with the other name was last part of the dinner. However, I would not have needed anything, as I still have my “Yerevan-belly”. I ate too much and moved too little. But bodyfat is a very efficient storage for food and calories as 1kg has about 9000 kcal, enough for some days of cycling!

At 6:40 I sat on my bike and was prepared for a mountain. Thought I…

The start was nice, along the river, along nice hotels (as I had slept in Vayk, they had not disappeared) and then it went more and more up. But this was not the main problem – it was the heavy front wind!

I was glad that in Yerevan my lowest gear was repaired I needed it most of the time, sometime even cycling standing. The Transfargasan in Romania was 1500m elevation and I could do it with 2^nd and 3^rd gear. It would be comparable in the dimensions but the wind made it so hard…
Anyway, the first mountain had a highest point to reach and when you go on, you reach it.

the pic (from this peak) should not give the impression of weakness or so, it is just blurry 🙂

After some ups and downs there was another 500m climb and the wind had not stopped and gave me another lesson in endurance.

after first try the mountain was not high enough, he got a topping

On the way I had to of the worst dog encounters:
The first dog couple attacked my bike, biting in my bag (but not destroying it). My fear turned in self defending rage and as they were apparently impressed, they let me go. But it was not funny at all.

The second was even much scarier at first. Again two dogs. The saw me coming and without hesitating the crossed the street diagonal and ran towards me. They had a short look to each other and split, so one came more from left, the other from right! Again, the self-defence-mode started semi-automatic. I raised my hand menacingly and bellowed at them. They were a bit irritated but in that second a car approached, blowing the horn. Maybe scared by the car that they hadn’t noticed or in combination of my reaction, the surprise and the horn, anyway, the ran away.

here, the Spandaryan Reservoir is in the back 😀

Between Gorayk and Tsghuk is the Spandaryan Reservoir which gives a nice view for a while 🙂

After 10 hours for 100km I reached Goris on a spectacular downhill ride on a brand new road, on the way back from Karabakh (9days earlier) it was not there. You had a good view on Goris!

There, a group of 5 guys around 16y blocked my way and wanted to greet me. And 3 of them tried to ride my bike. Then 3 kids between 8 or 9 talked to me in English! They guessed that I looked for a hotel and gave me directions (ok, it was only 150m).

There I met Paulo from Italy, also on his way to Iran and on to Singapore, not clear how. He saved money by working as an English teacher in Xiamen ?

who wants to know the reason for this pic, could get info on day 035

We talked for a while, exchanged some information and experiences, both most impressed by the strong winds on the last to mountains. His dog-approach is based on the theory that dogs don’t chase him but the bike. So he gets of and walks a bit. One time he had an encounter with two dogs running towards him and one was hit by a car. And the driver didn’t even stop.

The hilly surface allowed to have more than one sunrise, on my way i filmed several 🙂

When I planned the route from Yerevan to Goris I saw on the map the Azerbaijanian exclave Karki (now called Tigranarschen) and first was worried if I can pass. But I learned that Armenia had occupied that territory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karki,_Azerbaijan

But only after the night I realised that I had made my night stop there. Now I am not sure if I regret that I had ignored the detour of komoot that would have led directly through the village.

I preferred the main road, as anyway it goes up, but the road is much better (not: good). So I made 500m and more than once was happy about my stop last night. On top, it was time for breakfast.

I didn’t find a better place for long, it was exhausting even today, without 80km before, it was good, not to do it not by night, because of holes and: there was no open hotel to see in Chivas, how would I have felt arriving there in a very bad condition at night?

At least, I found a street market, people preparing their fruits for the day, some waving hello and one shouting hello. So, I made a stop, as I anyway wanted to buy some peaches. But it was again impossible to pay, one guy gave me 2 peaches, another some grapes, so another one, too, and at last I got another peach and was not allowed to pay…

In the next village, at a bus stop, there was an elder couple with big backpacks. We said hello and then changed to German as Rainer and Kerstin are from Berlin. They not even had a phone and so we decided to try a meeting in Tabriz, they new a place, we fixed a day and time we will see what happens ?

I made stops at two places from the Karbakh-Tour, at the (wine) market in Areni and at the food court in Yegneghadzor.

For long times, whenever I saw a rubber band at the street, I had to look harder to see if it was a snake.

and when I finally “found” one, dead of course, as so many animals you find along a street, it came a bit surprising how it looked and what could have happened.

And I made this a short day as I stopped in Vayk as I, first, wanted to have a better rest as a compensation for the last one) and, second, didn’t want to risk missing an available place to stay in favour for more kilometres. I am sure that tomorrow I will find a lot of places to stay but I am also sure there would be not even one, if I would have gone on. This is a kind of miracle showing the importance of my mere existence for the presence and absence of hotels.

As usual in (form me) stressful situations I woke up early. But as I had said that I wanted to set off at 9, also Hasmik and her parents started earlier in the day. They helped me carrying down all my stuff and preparing the bike and we said a first good-bye.

I wanted to be earlier at the airport and so we said we would meet there again to say good-bye to Hasmik who went back to China. Normally, the way to an International Airport is an easy thing along big streets and accompanied by clear signs. With Garmin/komoot it turns out to be an expedition.

At the airport, I fixed some small problems at the bike while waiting for the family. When they arrived, we made it short. The parents will see Hasmik in half a year and so will I, when I come to Shenzhen.

And then, after 10 days of family life in Yerevan, I was on the street. It was early afternoon and a bit hot, but the first 70km should be flat. Garmin made again a strange route, meant as a shortcut to the main road M2.

and suddenly I was in front of many stairs, too many to carry the bike when you want to do 105km. But a man came to help me to find a better way. On the way, he started an intense conversation and 2min later invited me to his home. I couldn’t say no, although my time was short. He offered me everything, from food to shower and we talked – of course – about Armenian political situation but also about other things as he is a studied historian but now a soldier and had been 2x in Afghanistan in the peacekeeping mission. Btw, I ask for his salary. While Germans get some 4000€, Armenians get 1200€ for being in the same situation and doing the same things. When I finally left, we connected at facebook and he gave me a bottle with frozen water which was delicious for my “whole hour break” at 3, 4 and 5.

First, I had to say the final good-bye to Yerevan, although I want to come back again (and again)

The route came quite near to the border to Turkey and there should be Mount Ararat. But as in 2015 I could see clouds, fog, haze and mist.

If you look long enough and know what you want to see, you will the mountain. (I just wonder why a mountain that, evertime you want to see, is invisble, can be so important. Ok, I dont wonder, I know better…)

On the road, I felt again like in the beginning in Austria and after the Burgas+ferry break. After the flat 70km, I started in the mountains but also my knee had begun to talk to me, so I looked for a place for the night and stopped. After a few minutes I could feel that this was the right decisions as also the cramps came back spectacularly. Sometimes I didn’t know how to relax as sometimes simultaneous cramps need conflicting treatment. But at least I know that things get better the next day. ?

Before that, I wanted to buy a small honey (or sugar?) melon, but when you are riding a bike and want only small or few things, it is hard to pay. I got not only this melon for free, but was invited for a big piece of watermelon, too.

I ate the whole melon, maybe 1kg, to the very skin, and still I was thirsty, but there was some hope to get water soon the next day (true, see day 045, when written and uploaded)

Tomorrow maybe I only finish the today part to get to a hostel in Chivas, because otherwise I would have an extra long and hard way to Goris or a second night outside. But all 3 options are available from todays point of view.