I want to be beside the seaside

Day 163 - 165

During the night I am woken up by a very strong thunderstorm. I am so happy to be inside and with a solid roof over my head. It is still raining when I wake in the morning. By the time I get out of bed and go to breakfast it has almost stopped. A quick discussion and the four of us decide that it's definitely time to leave. 

By the time we pack our bags and bikes the sun is trying its best to peek out from behind the clouds. A few photos and hugs goodbye to other guests and saff and we cycle down the street, only to stop after 10 minutes to remove our jackets. The sun has fully emerged from it's hiding place. 

A morning of riding up and down hills takes us through villages, past olive and citrus orchards and finally delivers us to the ocean just in time for lunch at the beach. This would be a perfect campsite but alas, time constraints mean we need to be in Kas in three days time so the rest of the crew can bus it to Istanbul. The Belguims have a boat to catch to France and Neil needs to sort out his life maintenance before his wife arrives. 

We push on and travel along a very scenic road, right next to the ocean. The sun is out, perfect temperature, no wind, easy cycling and I have wonderful company. 

When I was planning this trip back home this is just what I imagined cycle touring would be all about. It's easy to forget the struggle of Eastern and Central Turkey, long freezing nights, constant harrasment from men and loneliness. Or maybe it's the previous challenges that make the highs all the more special. I can't wipe the smile off my face. 

Our progress is slow due to constantly stopping to admire the view and take photos. A quick stop in town for dinner supplies and wine and we continue on, hoping to find the perfect beach campsite. It doesn't appear. A carob orchard up the hill a little provides enough flat spots for our tents and just enough dry wood for a small fire. A restaurant by the highway happily let us use their sink and water. 

Hadeil and I head down there to do the dishes and are invited to share some kebab. The boys wander down to see what is happening and none of us can refuse a second dinner. The Turkish hospitality continues to deliver. 

In the morning the five of us cycle along some more scenic ocean side road. Eventually the road turns inland and we head up some very steep hills. We make a last minute decision to turn off and make our way to Uçagiz and try and get a boat to Kas. 

In Uçagiz we manage a drive a hard bargain and stay in a fancy pension for a pretty good price ($15 each including breakfast - there is even hot water!) and arrange a boat tour for the afternoon. Unfortunately there isn't a boat that goes to Kas in the winter. The owner of the pension kindly arranges for the bread truck to take us to Kas the following morning. 

The five of us jump onto a small fishing boat and are taken out over a sunken city. Apparently it sank in 200AD due to a large earthquake. From the boat we can see flights of stairs leading straight into the ocean, walls and archways. In the water there are outlines of rooms and buildings. 

We hop off the boat at another village, very quiet in the non touristy season, wander past an old castle and back to Uçagiz. 

We cook dinner together and indulge in beer and wine. Although Neil and I only met Haldiel, Joachim and Lhasa less than a week ago I feel like we really got to know each other. I wish we could spend more time cycling together. This is also the last time Neil and I will hang out, after Istanbul he heads to Egypt to start the Africa leg of his trip. 

My head is a little sore in the morning and I am sure that the others must feel the same way. By 9.30am all our bikes and gear are loaded in the bread truck, boys in the back and girls up the front. The weather is not as bad as predicted but it is nice not to be struggling up the hills. I think the ride back to Kas would have taken all day. 

We are dropped off a couple of kilometres from town and roll down the hill. 500 vertical metres for free. 

Kas is a touristy town, very close to a Greek Island - Kastelorizo - my first view of Europe. After arranging a bus for the other guys we cycle around the peninsular - more speccy riding. 

Whilst at a cafe having lunch a Aussie notices my fully loaded bicycle and comes over for a chat. It turns out he is also a cycle tourist, house sitting in Turkey for the winter with his wife. He offers me a couch for the night. I can not refuse. 

After a wander around town (very quiet and lots of shops shut for winter) it's time to say goodbye to the crew. I always find this hard. I had a wonderful week with this group of people and I wonder when I will find someone else to cycle with. I sometimes enjoy being by myself but definitely like to meet up with people and share the journey now and again.

10/12 Olympos - Fineke: rode 41km, ODO 5165km

 11/12 Fineke - Uçagiz: rode 46km, ODO 5213km

12/12 Uçagiz - Kas: rode 28km, ODO 5239km

Into Olympos

Day 158 - 162

By the eighth day in Antalya and the seventh in Hassan's tiny apartment I was definitely ready to hit the road again. 

The cycling along the coast was undulating but not too bad. The weather a little grey, but warm enough. Neil is stoked to be in a place so warm that he can wear shorts and sandals. 

By early afternoon we had a decision to make. The offlinemaps that Neil and I both use showed a dirt road alternative that leads to Olympos. We checked with a local and were told 'no problem' for the bicycles. 

A quick stop in a village for some beer and food for dinner and we set off. Although the road was a little muddy we had no problems. The hills were a little steep and I had to push in places. 

A couple of hours of very scenic riding later and I found my self skinny dipping at a very secluded beach. Dinner that night was pesto chicken pasta - quite possibly the greatest camping meal ever, made even better by the ideal beach campsite and pairing it with an Effes Malt - my favourite Turkish beer. 

After our morning coffee and porridge we packed our tents and headed up hill. The Turkish coast was proving to have some very tough cycling, climbing steeply before descending back to sea level and repeat. To make matters worse the road quality was declining. On one particularly steep section I found myself walking my bike downhill, glad I wasn't going the other direction.  

At about lunchtime we make it to another beautiful beach and only about three kilometres from our destination. Unfortunately it was also a dead end. The map definitely shows a road but all we can find is a hiking trail, too rough and steep to even wheel the bicycles along. An old row boat offers a tempting solution to our predicament but is nixed when we find a massive hole in the bottom. 

Finally we decide to turn around. No cycle tourist likes doing this and the thought of going back up those hills made me feel a little sick. We are urged to make haste by the forecast of rain tonight. The terrible roads will be much worse once they turn into sticky mud. 

Of course this is when things start breaking. Neil's rear rack has broken, been welded and broken again. Now it has decided to completely give up. We spend half an hour figuring out the best way to tie his panniers onto his trailer. Now we are off. Only for 100 metres though before his trailer tyre gets a flat. 

We set off again and push our bikes up the hill. It is tough. This is one of the worst roads I have 'cycled' on. Super steep and large loose rocks. Sweat drips from the end of my nose. 

Despite the terrible road we are making ok time and should be back in the village on pavement by the time it gets dark. Then Neil has another flat tyre. We fix it and move on thinking, it's ok, we will get there tonight. And then it starts raining. 

The light drizzle gives us a sense or urgency. I do not want to get stuck in the mud. Unfortunately by this stage we are all out of snack food, thinking that we would be in olympos by lunch time. Hunger has set in and before long I will be Hangry. 

Despite these challenges we make it to Tekirova just as darkness falls. We go straight to the supermarket, grab a loaf of bread, dip and some soft drink. As we sit on the step outside, shovelling food into our mouths it starts pissing down rain. We made it just in time. 

The willingness to camp has been washed away in the downpour and we find a cheap pension to stay in for the night. It's a total dive but at least we have a solid roof over our heads. 

The weather is still dismal in the morning.  We only have to cycle about 30km to get to Olympos, where we can stay in a nice hostel until the weather clears in a few days. 

I layer merino thermals under all my rain gear and set out into the downpour. This isn't just a light drizzle. Within 30 minutes my 'waterproof' gloves are soaked through. I have a puddle of water inside my shoes. 

A dog has followed us from the village and has a great time playing chicken with the cars on the highway. It makes us very nervous. We do our best to chase the dog away but cycling uphill for two hours means that it can keep up with us easily. 

We turn off the highway and descend down a windy road, there are great vista of steep hillsides, covered in pine forests and patches of mist floating around. 

We continue into Olympos, a village that seems to exist only for tourists. Pensions and 'treehouse' hostels line the road. We head for Kadir's, reccomended to us by locals in Antalya. 

On arrival we are ushered inside to the common room, given a cup and told to help ourselves to çay. We meet a few climbers and hear a rumour from the staff about other cycle tourists from Belgium. 

After settling into our dorm and realising that solar hot water heaters don't make hot water during rainy winter days I wander through the grounds of the hostel and meet Hadeil and Joachim. They have cycled from belguim to Istanbul with their two year old daughter Lhasa. 

Over a cup of tea Neil and I get to know this lovely family better and arrange to cycle together once the weather clears. 

The following day the five of us set off. Not on our bicycles. We pack a lunch and hike past the ruins of Olympos, down the beach, through Caleçi (another village that seems to exist only for tourists) and up the hill to the eternal flames of Chimera. 

These are apparently the same flames used for the first Olympic torch. They are fueled by methane that seeps up through the rocks. It was quite an interesting place to visit and I wished I had some marshmallows to toast. 

The weather prediction or the following day was heavy rain and storms. We decide to stay another day. Apart from fixing my stove, I didn't do a lot. I am sure I drank a few cups of tea but other than that the day is a blur of laziness. 

5/12 Antalya - near Atbuker: rode 56km, ODO 5060km

6/12 near Atbuker - Tekirova: rode 25km, ODO 5086km

7/12 Tekirova - Olympos: rode 25km, ODO 5111km

Antalya

Day 150 - 157

I enjoy breakfast with my host family, take a few photos and head towards Antalya. Despite the head wind I arrive in town by lunch time. 

My host for the night is Bryan, an American that lives with his Turkish partner. He lives in Caleçi, an old area of town full of narrow laneways, bars and fancy hotels. Whilst eating lunch he informs me that it is thanksgiving back in the states. 

Within a few minutes I have convinced him that I will cook roast chicken and veges for dinner. His partner is a little confused about this, I am only the second warm showers guest she has hosted.  In Turkey the guest is usually waited on and not expected to do anything, including help cook, clean up after dinner, make tea etc. Bryan and I let her know that sometimes this is how it works with warm showers. By the time dinner was served she seemed to be a little more relaxed about the situation. 

The three of us enjoyed a lovely roast chicken with baked apples for desert. Not exactly classic thanksgiving but pretty good considering the plan wasn't conceived until late in the afternoon. 

Bryan was busy for the weekend so after a lazy Turkish breakfast - honey, cheese, olives, fresh tomato and bread with a western twist - coffee and OJ, I packed my bike and headed to Hassan's house, a host I lined up through couchsurfing. 

I spent the day lazing around at his apartment before cruising back into town to visit the bike shop. I have had a clicking sound coming from my bottom bracket for the last 1000km. Bryan reccomended a good bike mechanic and I figured it was about time I got my bike serviced. The first thing the bike mechanic said to me was 'you need to wash your bike'. Three hours later I had a new bottom bracket installed, gears tuned, brakes adjusted, wheels trued and drivetrain scrubbed clean. The bottom bracket was only $50 and labour $25. Pretty good value I think.

Hassan is a keen rock climber and on Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to join him and his friends climbing. I havn't climbed for about four or five years so I was interested to see how I went. I top roped a couple of climbs. My arms are very weak but I enjoyed myself. Hassan and his friends are very relaxed and seem to stick to the easier routes which suited me fine. 

One of Hassan's friends invited me out to dinner with her friends for a 'girls night'. We enjoyed delicious Turkish mezze with a little too much Raki (kind of like ouzo - liquorice flavour). The restaurant was full of locals and had live traditional Turkish music. People were dancing inbetween the tables. 

Later on we met up with a few other friends in Caleçi and went bar hopping until 3 am. Definatley not what I am used to! 

Before I knew it Sunday afternoon had rolled around. Hassan and his friends went rockclimbing and were kind enough to drag me along. After another top rope I managed to lead a (very easy) climb which was more enjoyable than I expected. 

I had intentions of leaving Antalya on Monday but with such a busy weekend I really needed a rest. A planned rock climbing trip on Tuesday didn't eventuate and all of a sudden it was wednesday. 

Neil, a cyclist I met in Tajikistan and toured with in Iran sent me an email letting me know he was arriving on Thursdsay. All of a sudden I have been in Antalya for a week! 

Whilst hanging around Hassan's house during the week I did manage to drink beer on the beach, cook dinner, enjoy lazy breakfasts and visit the local museum. The Antalya museum is full of a huge number of marble statues that were found locally.

Once Neil arrived we hatched a plan to leave Antalya on Friday and make our way down the coast at a relaxed pace. He only has a couple of weeks before he has to get to Istanbul to see his wife so we figure we will see how far he gets and then he can bus the rest of the way. 

27/11 Serik - Antalya: rode 51km, ODO 4978km

Antalya cycling total: rode 27km, ODO 5004km