Restoration day in Igdir : a quiet day and washing up. A short visit to the cemetery, which includes Armenian stelae, and the park next door, which is open from 7am to 11pm to welcome people and their children who want to enjoy the fresh air.
The next day I took the bus to Rize, which was due to leave at 11am, but I was asked to be there at 10am, so it actually left at midday... And again the bus driver asked for a price for the bike. We had a chat with the young man from the agency who sold me the ticket and the driver, and I halved the price of the bike. Good haggling, I’m not used to it ^^
The bus arrives late in Rize, so from the otogar I rush to the café where I’m supposed to be staying and phew, it’s still open pretty late.
So I sleep in the café, relatively well.
Saturday morning : mixed skies, which means I have to wear rain gear for a while.
But the problem was the accommodation. In the morning I’d opted for an apartment that wasn’t too expensive. I asked them to send me the GPS coordinates but they didn’t reply, so I had to rely on the booking app, which sent me google maps. I’m worried about the route because I think it takes a lot of twists and turns and it’s a steep climb at over 15%, but above all the road doesn’t end. I asked people, sent back a message which again went unanswered, called the telephone number I’d been given without any answer, and the booking service told me they’d get back to me within 24 hours... great. After a while of filming, I’d had enough and asked for the first hotel I could find, which was no more expensive than the ghost hotel and included breakfast.
I’ve wasted a lot of time and I envy the people swimming on the beach, but I’m too lazy to go back and get my swimming costume. I end up joining the onlookers who have come to have a picnic and watch the sunset over the black sea.
Beautiful.
Tomorrow Batoumi and Georgia.