Day 68: Göreme to Malatya. 430 km, 6.25 hours, 21.5-38.5°C

Heavy breathing outside our hotel room signalled surprise visitors.

Several balloons were making the most of the wind direction which brought them over Göreme at sunrise.

That was a lovely wake up call. We wanted to pack the bike to be ready for a quick getaway after breakfast.

We headed east. A deliciously cool 21.5°C for the first couple of hours. 

 Rolling hills ahead, terricific roads, some resurfacing going on. A stop to look at a Massey Furguson and for a drink and then through recently  harvested valleys and hillsides, over two mountain passes (1900m).

Then dry desert landscapes punctuated with green apricot trees  as we ride to Makatya in temperatures in the high 30's

If you have eaten dried apricots lately they probably came from this region of the world.

I have included some photos I took from the aeroplane when we flew over Turkey on our way to Croatia.

Malatya and our next destination, Erzurum, are both on the flight map. 

It is really interesting to be riding through places we have seen from above. 

It looked so barren and with very few towns. Although there is desert the tawny colour was probably ripening wheat fields. We rode through  green valleys and could see how irrigation is being used to make the deserts bloom with crops.

A good easy ride today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking cooler over the next few days.

Happy to share some of this sunny largesse!

 

We are riding through these photos of Turkey that we took of Turkey as we flew to Croatia in early August.