Turkey

Holiday
“Where are you going next?” (or gestures to that effect)..
When I reply the common reaction is to slide a finger across the throat and make blood gargling noises – then grin at me.
What am I to make of this? Murderous bandits? Dangerous roads?
It fired my interest but further requests to elaborate involved more finger slicing actions. It soon became clear the important festival of Byram, or ‘Festival of Sacrifice’ was to start soon. All those goats and sheep that suddenly appeared for sale in pens at the side of the road had a purpose.
The main focus on the day is for all generations of family to get together, ‘prepare’ food and feast. What’s left over goes in the freezer.
It’s best described with the following photo montage..

Escape from Istanbul
Its more of a cruse from Istanbul. Biking around the centre is safe and fun but trying to cycle out of the city through the suburbs is not. I opted for the ferry from Istanbul to Yalova which is big, fast and modern. Climbing out the Yalova was easy on the wide road and soon I reached a lake whose shore is covered with olive groves.

Central Plateau
At around 1000m above sea level, the temperature is noticeably different. Only one cure, stop for some hot food: Kofte, but look at all the trimmings it comes with!

At this point the temperature really started to plummet, down to the single digits at night.

Another restaurant experience: Middle of nowhere, nobody eating. Taken to the freezer and was pointed at varying slabs of frozen meat. I was asked lots of question I didn’t understand.. Eventually I gave up, sat down made a plate shape with my fingers on the table, indicated I wanted to eat and crossed my arms. This is what I ended up with.

They had a small butcher counter in the corner – order the meat and it get cooked up for you. Simple, if you know how it works. I do now,  although it was rather chewey.

Marble
Eskisehir is well known of the quality of its marble. The blocks I saw being worked on look like slabs of sugar loaf. A photo montage from extraction to final product, gravestone embellishments.

Cold snap
At over 1000 meters above sea level the central part of Turkey is a good deal cooleer than the coast. Temperature dropped below freezing at night and hung around 10 degrees during the day. Experiencing a very sudden drop in temperature towards the end of the day, something told me tonight is going to be colder than last night. Last night I wore everything I had in the sleeping bag and this included 3 pairs of socks, full waterproofs, fluorescent tabard and a towl as an undergarment. I would not describe it as a warm night.
Stopped at at the only mini market in the village. “Pension?”, I enquired.
He fumbled around in a draw and produced a set of keys and unlocked the door to a single room next to the shop. Wow, that was easy I thought. He also indicated he didn’t want payment for it, which I found surprising. I want to buy something from the shop and guessing I was hungry he refused to sell me anything and instead disappeared for 5 minutes to make a full supper of omelette, bread, sliced tomatoes, olives, cheese.. I has hosted in the coffee shop next door also owned by his family and joined to the mini market. Chatted (gestured and drew pictures) with family and customers till early evening. Next day I made a quick breakfast, only to receive a second cooked breakfast. Said my thanks and continued on my way.
On the map the route looked hard and the looks on peoples faces as I continued up the road was a sight. Many people said it can’t be done and I should turn back. I was told emphatically by a villager where I stayed the road was sealed or ‘asphelt’, but it soon became clear it wasn’t. One of the reasons to take it was get an idea of conditions in Cappadocia with sits 1800m above sea level, the same height as the pass. Below are photos of the route from Cay to Yalvac.

Apple harvest
It’s apple growing region here and harvest time has come. Pickers are out and collection points have sprung up around towns.

Pension (guesthhouse)
Fearing another cold night I made enquiries at the mini market. He walked out the door and pointed. “Big building,  Pension”. I walked in met 3 polite lads took me up to the office. I made enquiries about staying, indicated I needed to leave early but all attempts to make payment failed. My room was assigned in this sparking new accommodation block and I noticed I was the very first person to stay in the room. By this time I realised it was the school dormitory accommodation block and maybe they were just too polite to turn me away. After a quick shower I was led to the canteen and I sat down with my students. Everyone was keen to ask me questions with their limited English. All were very welcoming.

To the coast

Camping and fish dinner
“How much is the camping?”, I enquired. “Its free”. In this establishment a fish dinner with all the trimmings and unlimited bread is 15TL or 7euro, cheap by Turkish standards. The fish is fresh because it’s attached to a fishing lake!
Joined by a friendly group and passed the evening chatting, sharing stories and asking questions.

Mamout
Not seeing another brit for weeks, I arrived at a beachside campsite with 15 UK motor homes and a couple who were in the process of moving into their Turkish property. Feasted and chatted into the night. Mamout and Snoopy certainly hit it off too!

Alanya
I have kept in contact with a student I met 7 years ago on my last cycle trip. Güven now works for a prestigious bank managing accounts for many of the hotels in Alanya. We explored the restaurants and cafes. His sizable apartment is in the Norwegian enclave of Alanya, “It’s mostly expats here”, he lamented and it did feel very different from any other part of Turkey I’ve been to.

Coast east of Alanya and it’s Roman remains

Chasm of Heaven

Very much recommended. Walk down over 400 steps into a deep gash in the ground. Then keep descending into a giant underground cavern guarded by a 4th Century chapel. Deeper still following a path warn smooth by thousands of years of footsteps into the bowels of the cavern and you hear the roar of the underworld emanating from the solid rock. It’s infact an underground torrent, but they didn’t know that. It’s a very surreal experience and one to be skipped if you believe in Awks. I had a lovely photo that captured it, but unfortunately a slip of the finger edited it out of existence.

It’s 7 years since I cycled the length of Turkey and things have changed. Construction and road building dominate, even in seemingly remote places. Country lanes I cycled on have since been widened and even in places are being turned into motorway or dual carriageway. I suppose it’s good for the country, but takes some of the adventure out of cycling.

Arrival
Not many people make the short crossing to Turkey from Lesbos to the bustling western coast port town of Ayvalik.
Gone are the coffee and cigarettes that everyone seems to be consuming in restaurants in Eastern Europe and Greece and out comes the food.. Pots of it are cooked up in front of you and there is no guess work. Point, eat and enjoy. There is a lively covered market with a few eateries tucked into one side and from here I sampled the offerings and the wifi that seems to be everywhere.

Pergamon
This ancient town is located on a hill just outside the modern city of Bergama. Campsites are often appended to restaurants and this one was nearly empty other than a friendly German couple, an anaesthetist and an artist. “I don’t get to talk to my patients much at work”, he lamented… {I should think not!}, so I get involved in the art with my wife.
An evening tour of Bergama gives the impression of a noisy traffic clogged place and I found the quite backstreets just as soon as the shutters rolled closed. Food then back to camp to finish off the ferry duty free, which just about finished off all 3 of us!

Next day decamped to a lovely family run guesthouse in a traditional Ottoman house tucked away on a quiet backstreet and set about doing chores. The town grew on me a little. Next day and significantly delayed by a breakfast feast like no other in Turkey I have seen, shared with the enjoyable company of retired U.S couple Ingrid and Robert. Cycling up a big hill somehow seemed less important.
Feast over I set out to explore the Greek and Roman past of Pergamon. The prime archeology site is mostly located on a hill that looks down over the modern town. Cycled to the top and spent the day imagining how the place looked in its prime. Majestic.

Asklepieion
An Greek healing site with many springs, treatment rooms, baths and accommodation for the afflicted. Based on the dreams of the patient the priest prescribed a relevant treatment or medicine. Harmless snakes were allowed to crawl around accommodation at night, if that’s not enough to put you off staying, you must be desperate!

Museum

Bergama to Bandirma
This is the countryside. Small villages and people shouting out “Cay” waving me over to join them, which I do occasionally.
A chance encounter with French cyclist Xavia coming in the opposite direction through a village was witnessed by a family who brought out Tea (Cay) and savoury breads. We sat down and chatted about routes and impressions. An elderly lady passed up and discouraged handfuls of fresh walnuts from a folded cloth she was carrying. Me munched, drank Tea and cracked open the nuts with stones.

Kus Golu
I finally get to see flamingos in the wild! And stalks, but I’ve seen them before. Talked to the fishermen over Cay. I showed the pictures of the birds, they rolled their eyes, “They eat our fish”, he gestured with a slight smile.

Bandirma
A friendly and relaxed concrete city. Wrote up the Greece blog with sitting in a tea shop while waiting for a ferry and laundry.

Istanbul
Arrival time of 10pm is not ideal. My GPS informed me of a dockside campsite 400 meters from the Blue Mosque. That has to be a mistake I thought, but so close it’s worth checking out. True to word, there was a manned gate and a car park with a patch of grass. Very basic and free. I was stunned and relieved I didn’t have to go cycling around in the dark finding a sensible priced hostel.

Not the place you leave your tent I decamped and set off to find a room. For a decent clean room expect to pay 50 Euro (end of September). The room I found was 12 Euros a night, which even surprised the locals. Otel Inci Palas, just south of the train station. Nice part or town away from the ‘tourist trap drag’. This was my base from which to deposit the bike at a specialist touring shop for a service, buy new trousers as I left my only pair at the launderette, plan food excursions and undertake an ambitious walking tour. My walking started at Sirkeci train station where the hotel is located to the Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Suleymaniye masque, Attaturk bridge, Galata bridge, Galata tower to Taksim square, the scene of the recent protests.

Next day I looked round Hagia Sophia whose age and scale never fails to impress me, although the crowds did..