4 August, Van to Muradiye, 88km
Öğretmenevi 50TL
The road to Muradiye rises and falls to
the east of Lake Van for around 70km, then splits, the left fork travelling
west along the lake’s north shore, the right fork turning northeast toward
Iran. Despite three punctures and a gusting, dusty, stormy headwind for the
last 8km or so, we enjoyed our ride. I have had four punctures in our three
months in Turkey; Charl countless punctures. More often than not the culprit is
a 3mm length of wire around 1mm in diameter. Too small to see and therefore
avoid; quite difficult to find and remove from the tyre – essential to prevent
it puncturing the replaced tube. We have become an efficient puncture-repair
team, each with an assigned task that gets us back in the saddle in as little
time as possible. Muradiye is a small town sporting a hospital and no accommodation
other than the Öğretmenevi, which as usual is a welcome haven
and good value for money. Unfortunately, just as Charl was finishing his
shower, the power went off and with it the water. Hope it comes back on soon as a shower after a
long ride is not only pleasant, it is essential!
Between Van and Muradiye
Between Van and Muradiye