Passing Van Lake and high mountains
Leaving Tunceli was the first step towards the border to Iran without any more specified places in between. There was beautiful landscape and many mountains to pass. Military was not omnipresent anymore.
I saw one of these eight dams in Aktuluk on Munzur river further down not harming Tunceli or the national park, just one village that will be evacuated at the end of the year when they will start flooding this area.
This pictures of this dam which is considered to be a small one shows the upper part, the area that will be flooded and from below.
Going on there where some sticky roads, some of bad quality, some very steep, but also with some luck I had really good wind conditions and passed some uphills with last gear.
I passed Van Lake which has the size of a sea and is sourrounded with really high mountains.
I experienced my first sandstorms, was almost every afternoon or evening confronted with some thunderstorms or at least rain. I slept at beautiful places like the the big lake or at a waterfall..
I met nationalistic young Turks and some more friendly Kurds.
I saw the highest mountain so far in my life the mount Ararat with 5165m.
I made a record in cycling the highest pass with 2644m and in downhill speed with 84km/h fully loaded.
