Across the sole and then over to the top of the boot

Day 235 - 241

After a coffee and focaccia, I manage to leave town at about 11. It's a lovely ride down to the coast, blue skies, windy downhill run through green fields, quiet roads and then a tail wind along the flat. It doesn't get much better than this. 

Until I end up on a busy highway with no alternative.  I turn off soon enough into a beachside town.  In the evening I eat dinner on the beach before setting up my tent in the pine forest. Eating dinner is a little tricky - my spoon has joined my missing sock and lost towel. I manage not to cut my face off and eat spaghettie with a knife. 

After finding a new spoon in town I head west, with a tail wind! The road is busy but eventually I find a secondary road. I turn away from the coast to cross over to the top of the boot. 

I have to hide in a cafe for a couple of hours to hide from a creeper that was stalking me for about 10km in the countryside. Seriously, I am so over this harrasment. He must have gotten bored of waiting for me and when I reemerge from my hiding spot I can't see him. 

I find a nice spot amongst some olive trees to camp. My tent is covered in frost in the morning. 

I continue up hill, crossing over a pass at 700m. The climbing is nice and steady, not too steep.  I still stop often to 'admire the view' (not that my legs need resting *cough*).  There are rolling hills and snow capped mountains in the background. It is chilly up this high, the raincoat and winter gloves come on for the descent. 

Despite the tunnels this was one of the best descents I have had for ages. The road zigzags down the side of the mountain, through a tunnel, across a very high bridge contecting the ridges, switchback and repeat. 

Once back at sea level I speed along the flat road with the help of the tail wind. As I am looking for somewhere to camp I cycle past an older man with his pants down that seemed to be enjoying showing everyone what's on offer. I cycle into the next village, find a shop keeper that speaks English, tell him about the flasher and ask if he wants to call the police. 'No, he is probably just bored'. Right. I keep cycling. 

I find a caravan park that is closed for winter and sleep in an unlocked caravan. Nice and warm. 

The following day I continue south. The cycling is fairly unintersting unfortunately. There is a train line blocking my view of the ocean most of the time. I am in my own little world, listening to a podcast, spinning the pedals and in the distance I spot another cycle tourist. The first one I have met since Turkey! Dazzla is from Cornwall, heading to Istanbul and then back to England. He is also sick of all the rain and cold weather.  

As the afternoon wears on the sunshine and blue skies are replaced by very ominous looking clouds. I finally make it to Tropea and call my warm showers host, Salvatore. Only about five km and a steep hill to go. I am starving. As I start cycling up the hill I spot a sign with a picture of chocolate. I get very excited at the prospect of a quick chocolate stop. As I get closer it turns out that it is a picture of bricks. I am very disappointed. 

Just as I arrive at Salvatore's house it starts pouring. I am put in front of the fire place, given some tea and a plate of bread, cheese and ham. A perfect welcome. 

Dinner is soup and pizza. Very tasty. My home for the next few days is a self contained bungalow in the back of the garden. Salvatore and his wife usually rent it out during the summer. 

On Sunday Salvatore takes me for a drive to some scenic sights in the area. We visit and old ruin, buy some locally made cheese and salami from the back of a van and admire some great views. It is drizzly and windy all day. I am glad I am not on the bike or sleeping in my tent. 

Despite the best of intentions of leaving today, I don't. The weather is horrible. Very windy and gusty and raining off and on. I do a little work in the garden during the not so rainy periods but most of the day is spent drinking tea and reading my book. 

The next day it is the same. Salvatore is very kind and tells me it is ok for me to stay until the weather clears. 

18/2 Matera - Nova Siri Scalo: rode 75km

19/2 Nova Siri Scalo - Before Tarsia Nord: rode 78km

20/2 Before Tarsia Nord - Before Cerocea: rode 93km

21/2 Before Cerocea - Caria: rode 87km

ODO: 7085km

Aksaray - The coast

Day 143 - 149

After a terrific sleep in my warm hotel room I continue on to Konya. The road is still flat and straight and fairly unintersting. I have two days of this before I arrive in Konya. 

It's starts getting late and I go through the usual routine of finding somewhere to sleep. There aren't many wild spots to camp - most of the land I have been cycling past is taken up by ploughed fields. 

I head down a dirt road to a little building next to a ploughed field. There are a couple of trees I can camp next to. As I get closer it turns out that the hut has no door. There is a water pump for irrigation in there and just enough room for me to lay down my sleeping pad inside. 

I sit around, have some bread and cheese for dinner and read my book. The farmer turns up. 'No problem' he says when I ask if it is ok to sleep there. 

About half an hour after it gets dark he comes back and tells me it will rain tonight. He convinces me to pack up my things and go back to a village a couple of km away and stay at his house. 

It turns out he has a spare room in a seperate building near some farm equipment. He fires up the stove, makes sure I am comfortable and leaves me be. I have a cup of tea and get settled for the night. About an hour after I arrive it starts pouring rain outside. 

The next morning it is still raining. I want to be in Konya on Saturday evening to catch the whirling dervish show. It is only Friday.

At about 1000 the farmer comes back and lets me know that it is fine if I stay. He returns soon with a bag of coal and another bag of dung and makes a firein the stove. The room soon feels like it is about 30 degrees. 

I settle in for the day, read my book, listen to podcasts, drink copious amounts of tea and hot chocolate, make soup. The farmers wife brings me lunch and dinner. 

I am largely left alone all day which suits me fine. I do get a quick visit from a couple of ladies and we go through the awkward sign language conversation. 

The next morning it is still raining but I really want to catch the whirling dervish show. I pile on some thermals and rain gear over the top, say thanks to the farmer and head off. 

It is super windy and rainy. A small turn in the road the the wind is coming straight into my face. Half an hour later the rain changes to sleet. Joy. 

My hands and feet turn to achingly cold bricks. My cheeks feel like they are about to fall off. After about 30km I manage to flag down a truck and get a lift the rest of the way. The weather is a little better in Konya, still super windy and cold but no rain. 

I meet my couch surfing hosts at the cafe that they own. Later in the afternoon another couch surfer arrives, Meri, from France. 

In the evening we head into town to see the whirling dervishes. We had been told by a few people that the show is quite boring. I didn't think so. I loved watching the ceremony and the whirling.

After the show we hang out at the cafe with some of our hosts friends. I really struggle with adapting my sleep schedule to my hosts. Turkish people tend to stay up late and wake up late. I am the opposite. Since Kyrgyzstan I wake automatically at about 6 or 6.30. When I am camping I am ready to sleep at about 7pm. Staying up until 1 am is tough. It is made worse when I wake at 6am. Obviously not enough sleep. Can someone tell my brain please. 

I spend Sunday being lazy and mooching around the apartment.  In the evening a few if my hosts friends meet up at the cafe and we all hang out. Afterwards Meri and I made dinner for everyone. 

I check the forecast for the next few days and about 10cm of snow is forecast in two days time. I don't want to hang around in Konya and there is not enough time to cycle to the coast. The temperature in Konya has barely reached 5 degrees. A 1800m pass in this weather does not appeal. I am going to catch a bus to the ocean. 

By Monday afternoon I am relishing in the sunny, 20 degree weather in Manavgat. I find a cheap hotel and plan to leave the next day. 

The snow that was forecast in the mountains arrives in Menavgat in the form of pouring rain.  I decide to stay another night. 

I mange to motivate myself to pile on all the rain gear and check out the neighbouring town Side. There are a bunch of old ruins right by the sea side. It's quite beautiful but I don't stop long enough to take photos or admire the view. My hands and feet are playing the frozen solid bricks game again. 

Once I arrive back at the hotel the worker there seems concerned about me. He rushes about, boiling water to make me a coffee. Half an hour later he knocks on the door and presents me with a hot lunch. This is far exceeding my expectations of a stinky $13 hotel room. 

After a few hours of reading and trying to warm up there is another know at the door. This time it's dinner. Bonus. 

Morning arrives and thankfully there is no rain. I have a warm showers host organised in Antalya, 100km away in two days time. I am ready for some cruisy touring. 

Before heading down the highway I go back to Side to check out the ruins in sunshine. Much better. 

The cycling is fairly unintersting, along a busy highway, no ocean views and a head wind for good measure. There is a wide sealed shoulder for me to cycle on. 

The mountains to the north have a dusting of snow, I am glad I am at sea level. In the afternoon I look for a campsite. Options include a cemetery, the dead end of a dirt road protected from the wind but with lots of broken glass and an empty field that is still a little muddy from yesterday's rain. I settle on the field. 

I go for a wander to collect fire wood and bump into some farmer women. They tell me it is no problem to camp in theirfield  which quickly changes to an invitation to sleep in their house. I grab my bike and head off with them. 

I am once again the recipient of warm, spontaneous hospitality. The language barrier still remains but so much can be communicated with body language. 

20/11 Aksaray - Kizoren: rode 89km

22/11 Kizoren - Konya: rode 38km

24/11 Konya - Menavgat: rode 13km

25/11 Menavgat: rode 26km

26/11 Menavgat - Serik: rode 54km, ODO 4926km

Further into Turkey

Day 124 - 130

Thankfully there are blue skies when I leave Severk. I feel well rested after nearly a full day and night tucked away in my hotel room. It was nice being warm and dry but it has ended my run of 42 nights of free accommodation (camping, couch surfing and warmshowers). 

I have now left the main highway and take a smaller road west.  I catch a ferry across lake Ataturk. 

The sun gives way to clouds and then showers in the afternoon. I manage to set up my tent inbetween showers but unfortunately I have only three quarters cooked my dinner when the thunderstorm arrives. I eat it in my tent. 

I am relived it's not raining in the morning and head off.  It's not particularly intersting cycling. I am aiming to sleep just a short distance from Adiyaman so I can use some internet in the morning and head out of town in the afternoon. 

I find a sweet spot inside and abandoned building. I will be dry if it rains. Of course the night I have a dry place to sleep it doesn't rain.  

I have been trying to decide whether to catch a bus part of the way to Cappadocia. I don't mind the cold weather too much as long as I am dry. The problem is that it has been raining on and off nearly every day for the last five days. I figure I will check the weather in Adiyaman and decide. 

I arrive in Adiyaman and ask at a hotel if I can use the wifi. I spend a great couple of hours skyping mum and dad, checking email and of course planning what I am going to do. It looks pretty cold but the weather is great today. I finay decide to cycle to to Malatya and take a bus from there. The people at the hotel don't charge me for the internet. 

I grab a kebab before I leave town and head uphill, out of town. My campsite that night is next to a building on a grape and olive farm. I have a great view of lake Ataturk and the sunset is lovely. 

I have a terrible sleep - it is pretty cd and great bug gusts of wind make my tent flap all night. By the morning the wind has not eased. 

The riding today is tough but beautiful. The quiet road winds it's way up, over and around the tree lined hills. However the wind is biting and relentless. 

At about 1.30 I am invited into a house for chai. The family are tobacco farmers. They want to know where I am going. Malatya I tell them. 'Malatya tomorrow' they reply. Sounds good to me. Çay and gozleme is soon placed in front of me. 

The wind the next day has eased only a little. The family tell me that it is too cd and I should stay another day. At that rate I would be here until next spring. I head off. 

I head towards the highway, stopping briefly in a small town to try and find some internet to check the weather and arrange some couchsurfing. A man that owns the hardware store kindly let's me use his computer for a little while. 

I decide to push on for Kayseri and not catch a bus from malatya. The weather forecast shows cold nights, cool days and sunshine. Shouldn't be too bad right?

I camp in an orchard of apricot (I think) trees. The leaves are chades of yellow and brown. It looks as though it will only take one big gust of wind to make the branches bare. 

It's cold tonight. I can't keep my toes warm. One pair of socks. Nope, not good enough. Add another pair of socks. Toes still freezing. Wrap both my feet in my jumper. Bareable, but still not particularly comfortable. There is a heavy frost on my tent in the morning. 

The road north brings more beautiful autumn colours and little traffic. I grab a kebab in town and push north. It says cool all day. I camp on the edge of a hill, surrounded by trees with very brown leaves. I prepare for another cold night. 

In the morning I have to smash the ice in my water bladder and melt it to make my tea. The sun stays behind my hill for longer than I like and it is past 9am by the time I hit the road.

I make it over a 1800m pass before lunch time. I road keeps undulating, past a brown land.  By 2pm I have barely made it 40km. I am tired. I haven't had a decent sleep since my hotel stay in Severk. I stop in a town and ask about a hotel. 30km further on to Darende I get told. I ask someone else. Same reply. 

I decide to go for it, see how far I get. I do not want to sleep outside tonight. Thankfully I lose much of the elevation I gained in the morning. I cycle the 30 km at a cracking (for me) pace and make it to town by 3.30pm. I find a hotel and negotiate a reasonable price. I am staying two nights. I need a rest. I haven't had a proper day off the bike since I left Van.

1/11 Severk - just before Narince: rode 58km, ODO 3919km

2/11 just before Narince - a bit before adiyaman: rode 45km, ODO 3965km

3/11 a bit before - after adiyaman: rode 28km, ODO 3994km

4/11 a bit after adiyaman - house in the middle of nowhere: rode 38km, ODO 4034km

5/11 house in the middle of nowhere - a bit past dogansehir: rode 56km, ODO 4089km

6/11 a bit past dogansehir - past develi: rode 49km, ODO 3138km

7/11 past develi - darende: rode 64km, ODO 4203km