Have now made it as far as Baku, on the Caspian Sea - or lake, depending on whether your country has discovered oil (in which case it is a sea and you are entitled to everything in your sector) or not (in which case it is a lake and all spoils must be shared equally between the littoral countries). We're in Azerbaijan, so it is a sea. The northen part of Azerbaijan is stunning. Rolling, grassy hills leading to tree covered hills which climb up to the snowy ...

Have arrived in Tbilisi after a snowy journey through northern Turkey. Our highest point was a pass at 2300m, crossing the mountains on our way down to the black sea. We camped at 1500m and were snowed on throughout the night. Pictures to follow when I manage to sort out the associated technology (Georgia is not as advanced as Turkey in this respect!) We visited a hanging monastery in Sumela (Norhtern Turkey, just south of Trabzon). It was cut into a cliff 3...

We left Istanbul at 06:00 for our drive to Goreme. Waking up at that time is easy when you are staying in a place that is spitting distance of the Blue Mosque and a stone's throw from the Red Mosque (although I suggest that you don't try either, or you'll find yourself in custody before you can say 'Midnight Express'). We reached Goreme after a twelve hour drıve from İstanbul through some pretty stunning scenery - lush rolling hills with jagged sno...

Have just been watching the eclipse. Could not get down to south=eastern Turkey in time, so had to be content with 90% totality in Istanbul. Spent the morning uploading photos, so should now be up to date. One of the Bulgarian photos refers to the Beer Index. I've instituted this on a whiteboard in the truck to track prices as we move from country to country. The rules are: 1. A standard beer shall be 500ml 2. A standard beer shall be betwee...

Now here in Istanbul after an eventfuljourney from Sofia, which included being locked into an underground room at a service station by a little old lady while she went in search of change. Fortunately I was rescued after 15 minutes. Finally arrived in Istanbul just before dusk and, as we were driving along the Bosphorous we saw about twenty dolphins playing in the water. A nice introduction to the city. Have seen many mosques and am now suffering from "...