This is the end of our first week here in Turkey. So far we have covered over 400km this week.
Its been a long hard slog not only getting used to the country but also with the routines of cycling. We get up early, about 6am, and eat a quick breakfast before making off about 7:30. We have to get out early, as the heat during the day now is so great it kills us.
Today for example we were climbing over 2 smallish passes to Marmaris a very popular tourist city, which should have been easy, but at over 30 degrees Celsius and no wind, sweat runs off you like water, the 70km trip left us exhausted. The heat may be a deciding factor in how we proceed with this trip I think. We may have to change our plans and move north faster.
( I availed myself of a Turkish car wash. With water so plentiful you just drive, or as I did, run, under the fountains to get clean.)
Our diet during the day is minimal, mostly water, and at almost every petrol station we have something cold. So today we had Muesli and banana for breakfast with a coffee. During the day I had a Lemon tea (really nice cold drink), 2 cokes, at least 1 liter of water, an awful panini, and a packet of Turkish biscuits which are really quite good, to munch on during the day. That’s it!
So getting to Marmaris I am starving, but can't eat a meal as its too early for dinner so munch on some bagel type Turkish bread that’s become part of our staple diet. Believe it or not I don't seem to be losing any weight or anything from my pot belly! Beate is still her usual slim athletic self as well.
Until now we have bought our food but for the first time here we will cook our own dinner, as we just bought a gas cooker. We couldn't get cylinders for ours so had to purchase another one.
We are using an expensive Euro map of Turkey only to find it has mistakes! We were expecting 2 big passes today as they show on the map but they were easy, and on the second day we had a massive climb that just wasn't listed. People in cars need to get out more I think.
We have seen no other touring cyclists, and very few cyclists at all. Usually the odd local on a very old bike going to the shops. As a result there locals don't seem to have any understanding of our feat. When we had just finished one 80km day someone asked us if we were going on to another city over 100 km's away! When we ask for directions or route information (is it hilly?) we have grown wary of explanations as they are given with a car in mind.
As a trip I totally recommend it to anyone who wants to try it. The only change I would make would be to have it more into April instead of now. We are only 1 or 2 weeks ahead of the main tourist season, although that means the roads and places are still relatively empty in the future we will have more people to cope with.
At present in Marmaris, a major tourist stopping place, it feels empty, with only clusters of middle aged British holiday makers (some of whom shouldn't be allowed out of the country on the grounds of embarrassing the United Kingdom). One local thought the lack of tourists was owing to the World cup in Football on in Germany at the moment. Another thought it was because of the bird flu scare. BTW the bird flu fears are nonsense, I have never seen so many happy chickens anywhere.
Last night we stayed in an empty campground surrounded by chickens, ducks, and tame rabbits. Even the local police cruised by to make sure we were all right, that’s how empty the small town we were in was. Spooky. You can imagine how excited the locals are when they see potential money riding in. We are a magnet for every street hawker and salesperson in the town, heck we may be the only outside customers they see all week, let alone today.