Do You Want To Die?
03. September 2008 | en
Then go for a ride in a Turkish city.
GAAAAAAAAAAAA
On this one I am so glad that I took the back seat. We were debating moving into Ankara. My bike needed some minor tweaking (I busted out one of my indicators when I dropped the bike and the other one was not signalling, not that it mattered for Turkey, but I figured since we are heading into the homeward bound portion of our trip it would be good to have, since the German speaking countries tend to be partial to their safety rules). Also Patrick´s seal has broken on his fork, which means leaked oil. But that also meant getting two bikes in, and also OUT of Ankara. So we are staying outside the city and driving in on one bike, with me on back. And on this side you will hear no complaints. :P Stress is a big city with no traffic rules, including completely ignoring the idea of lanes and be sounding your horn you are signaling not just your intention to cut in front of someone but your right.
sigh
But we did make some awesome new friends! Puppies!!! We pulled into a little area to have our break and breakfast on the way to Ankara and out bounded two of the cutest puppy babies ever. On the way home they were still there. Which makes me think that they live there, depending on the kindness of those who drive by to feed them. We go back to Anakra tomorrow, and I hope to visit them again! :)
I also had myself vindicated a little when we went to a motorcycle shop to pick up knee protection. This is the area that I am not proud of myself, but I have been stupidly riding this entire trip in borrowed pants that have no knee protection in them. I, ahem, gained a couple of pounds during my year and a bit in Germany, and my old pants with protection no longer fit. The leather pants fit nicely. And I figured I would lose weight on the trip. Which I have…..but still riding without protection is just STUPID. (even if the Turkish mock us, why I have no idea, these roads are not the safest).
And while buying my moto cross knee guards I began to talk with the guy who ran the store. He said the roads in Turkey are particularly dangerous due to the way they pave the roads here, or basically some tar with rocks on some mountain roads. A lot of accidents happen this way. I don´t understand why there can no be signs before you come around a curve and hit one of those roads. Apparently motorcyclists here have been lobbying for better roads, or at least signs, for a long time without success.
sigh.
Tags:
ankara
Turkey
roads in Turkey
Map:
N 39° 94.387
E 32° 85.603
Created at: 04. September 2008
Comments:
Robin says:
I don’t ride, but I did spend about 8 months living in Ankara, so I can definitely agree with the dangerous driving. Unfortunately the most dangerous element is the drivers themselves – once in Istanbul I was in a taxi that cut BETWEEN THE BUS STOP AND THE CURB! While people were getting off the bus! I’ve never been more terrified in a vehicle in my life as I was in that cab, and Ankara drivers aren’t much better.
