17/1/25
Our leaving day was upon us. It was weird the way time moved much faster when you had a comfortable bed. The little hotel courtyard, surrounded us with plants and trees and was calling on us to stay longer. We had a lazy breakfast. No reason to hurry. İsmail had laid out all the (vegan) food on our table as we were the only guests.
After breakfast, and our multiple coffees that İsmail was now used to, we sadly had to leave the peaceful Amazon Antik. We were now using a EuroVelo again, our friend the ‘8’. It was a little foray of Europe into Asia. It seemed very unlikely that Turkey would be joining the EU anytime soon, but there they were, the little blue signs with stars around them. We naïvely wondered for a moment why anyone wouldn’t want to unite the world.
We had started out leaving Selçuk on the wide highway but then we must have been on the best secondary road in Turkey. It was quiet and smooth. We rode along, surrounded by both orange and olive groves. A lot of the land was flooded. We weren’t sure how long the trees could survive like that. Still it was meant to be sunny for a few days which the trees would surely enjoy.
After passing through a couple of small villages, we went up a little slope to join the larger, but only single carriageway, coastal road. It was busier than before and the cars and trucks seemed more impatient. It felt more like Italy the way they were passing us so closely.
There were a couple of steeper hills but they were short and nothing major. It was a bright and sunny day, although a little hazy, but there was a brisk northerly wind in our faces so it felt cooler. Also, every time we got to the top of a hill we met the wind. We weren’t complaining, it was much better than rain. Down below we could see endless gorgeous beaches.
Are we hot or cold? Tired or rested? Is this is a hill or not? For some reason we were having an odd day on the bikes. When we reached Ahmetbeyli we bought a kilo of mandarins from a street seller. As we rode off the road immediately went up an incline, so we stopped at the top of the hill to munch them all. A few were a little suspect, Jonathan was too trusting in letting the seller pick, but they only were like 50p a kilo.
Before the next and last big hill before the expected flat coastline, a guy passing in his car gave us a fist pump for encouragement. This wasn’t actually that uncommon. We often got waves of support although usually Turkish people would toot their horn for everything. From ‘hello’ to ‘go to hell’. It was amazing what they could convey so effectively with a monotone sound.
Then we were by the coast in very built up areas. It was flat and boring and camp spots looked few and far between. There was a woodland that seemed to be part of a national park. Not clear, but we weren’t going to risk it. It was easy to ride the miles, though there were still more shitty drivers than we were used to. One was even overtaking as they were oncoming. There was lots to look at going on, an endless stream of shops. It wasn’t clear how so many supermarkets could be supported.
Eventually we stopped at one ourselves. It was blazing hot in the Sun out of the wind. There were loads of bicycles here. A couple more people turned up with them. Six others in the end. Okay, not loads but more than usual. We weren’t sure where we would camp in such a busy place. There were a few promising suggestions from google but they looked to be in the middle of built up areas. Probably late night ‘party zones’ but hopefully not.
There was a big open area between two sets of houses with a muddy flooded track down the middle. It was navigable and there were several caravans hiding in the trees. They looked to be permanent lodgings. At the end, through a large puddle and over a bump was the coastline. It seemed hard for cars to get further which suited us. There was a path that only cyclists and pedestrians could use, but also mopeds.
We immediately found one place but walked around and found a more hidden spot in the tall, feather like, plants. Better to be a little more discreet. Fisherman and children were zooming around on their mopeds. No one seems to wear a helmet here.
We sat in the warm rays of sunlight eating our dinner, but it got colder and colder. When the Sun sunk behind the hill it felt freezing almost immediately. Maybe we’ve finally adapted because it was still at least 10 degrees C.
A fisherman started setting up down the coast. He had a fire and a beacon of light. Sitting on the beach all night fishing didn’t seem like an appetising idea to us. The sky was clear all night, so it was beautiful, but chilly. We were plenty warm enough in our sleeping bags though.
Surly They Won't Make It 