I knew it was a risk staying in a hotel and sure enough they told the police I was there. A police car was waiting outside when I left at dawn the next morning. Hoping they weren’t ready, I made a halfhearted attempt to get away, riding down a few side streets but unfortunately they were in fact ready and set off immediately after me.

Continue reading “The Nile” →

I had a few things I wanted to try and purchase in Cairo. My first destination was Decathlon, about 15 kilometres back in the direction I’d entered Cairo.

Continue reading “Cairo, then south” →

I managed to get a couple hours sleep before being woken at 4.30 as the ferry arrived in Egypt. The other foreigners (a group of Saudis) and I were gathered up and taken off the boat first to go through immigration proceedings.

Continue reading “Sinai” →

I woke to find my rear tyre flat. Try as I might, I couldn’t find the leak so in the end I just pumped it back up and set off cycling.

Continue reading “Wadi Rum” →

Like pretty much everyone else in Wadi Musa, I was there for one reason: to see Petra. One of the Seven wonders of the world, Petra is Jordan’s most popular site by far. Hoping to avoid the crowds, I set off early – slightly delayed by finding the hotel locked and having to hunt down a member of staff.

Continue reading “Petra” →

Thanks to the canyon’s steep walls, the road remained in shadow until more than an hour after dawn. I slowly rode my way up the climb, reaching the top of the canyon after climbing about 500m.

Continue reading “Along the King’s Highway” →

My flight landed in Amman on time and without further obstacle. The Jordanian officials didn’t even check my PCR test, presumably confident in the airline’s thoroughness. I collected my bike, put it back together, then set off cycling into Jordan, country number 83!

Continue reading “Amman, the Dead Sea and the Desert” →

Setting off from Beypazari, I passed someone clearing litter off the road. I was surprised – that’s not something I’d expect to see in Turkey. When I saw his strategy, though, it made sense. He was walking along carrying empty bin bags while throwing rubbish from the highway onto the grass next to the highway.

Continue reading “Ankara” →

I continued along the highway, soon reaching the town of Bandirma. I passed through this town last time I came to Turkey, though on that occasion I was riding to the south, rather than east as I am now.

Continue reading “Anatolia” →

My day began with a descent. Over the course of an hour or so I made my way down from the mountains. I dropped from 800metres nearly to sea level, then came to a dramatic stop.

Continue reading “Europe to Asia” →