22-29 August: Turkey (Part 4 the loop back to Istanbul)

Conditions perfect for blogging...

Nestled halfway down a peninsula, the small town of Datca was my next stop after the bright lights of Marmaris. Datca is isolated from mainland Turkey by 60kms of mountain roads snaking up and over 1,000 metre mountains and from one side of the narrow peninsula to the other. I’ve seen worse driveways.

Datca’s my favourite place in Turkey, perfection. Small enough to walk round at leisure but big enough to have everything you need. The coffee is excellent and abundant in small cafes around the harbour, food is fantastic, light and delicious. Life in town is slow, maybe its the isolation from the bustle of the rest of Turkey, even the waves roll in more slowly than on any other beaches. At night it comes alive with musicians - acoustic guitars and voices people can and do sit around to enjoy. The main square has some tiered seats leading down to the waters edge where you can take in the music and harbour lights, an incredibly beautiful spot. It would be no surprise to pass Jeff ‘the dude’ Lebowski walking along the seafront in dressing gown and slippers. 

Datca from the hills

Datca beach

The good life

Sun setting over the pier

Harbour at night

Two easy days flew by all too quickly before it was time to get out sightseeing, heading north to start heading back towards Istanbul.  Firstly, as the road passed back through Marmaris, I took a lunch break there before the main slog of the day started. At the same place I’d been to without my bike a few days before, with it, I was now the centre of attention. All the waiting guys were talking about biking and travelling, one guy in particular was saying that he’d love to do something similar, not biking, but hitch-hiking and walking, but didn’t feel brave enough to set off on his own and would struggle for money. It really hits home how lucky you are to come from a reasonably well off country. These guys flog their arses off for 12 hours a day for very little, coming down to the coast for the summer season as there’s nothing doing in their home towns. Leaving, all the dinks were struck off my bill, a little gesture, but in context it means so much.

Pamukkale was the next port of call, famous for its white calcium cliffs and waters. The village/town around the site is a nothing place, but the main site is stunning. The walk takes you barefoot up a hillside of pristine white sodium deposits through a number of hot springs where the water has formed pools. Some people walk, some had clearly been for the day bathing in the springs.  I’d decided not to stop for the bathing as it was getting on and despite a bit of a tan on my arms, my pale English skin still look like a hairy bar of Dove soap with a face on top.

Catching a sunset from the hill top is a spectacular sight – photos rather than words will do it more justice. 

Pamukkale hot springs

Calcified hillside

Splashing in pools on the way up

Bathers enjoying the warm water

Sunset

Sun setting behind Pamukkale

After enjoying the natural splendour of Pamukkale, the next stop was Ephesus (Efes) to take in some history. The ride there, good roads though they were, was a nervy one as my chain started slipping frequently. Having a look at the sprocket showed most teeth were very worn, and a few of the longer ones were starting to bend as too much pressure was being put on them. A spare chain and sprockets are waiting in Istanbul but I’d hoped it wouldn’t have degraded this badly while still 700kms away. Riding for such long periods on a bike, you develop a second sense for when all’s when and when something’s not quite right. So it was with much clanking and clunking we rode into Selcuk with trepidation and a great deal of misfire from both our rear ends.

Worn teeth near the bottom, bent ones on the right

Finding my backstreet hotel was a bit tricky, but got there in the end, parking in a bay outside a cake shop selling the most delicious cakes I’ve seen perhaps ever, a waitress came out to shoo me away. How annoying that I now won’t eat there out of spite despite arguments from my stomach.

Ephesus is an extensive ruin of a major Greek and Roman town. Through the gate it looks fairly mediocre, then you round a corner to see it stretches well into the distance. It’s to big to describe here, there are complete sections of town with columns, large and small amphitheatres, a library with an amazingly complete facade much like that of Petra in Jordan.  My history’s not up to much but helpful signboards all around gave you a flavour of how large yet compact the city was.

Ephesus small theatre

Ephesus ruins

The library

The library

Large theatre

Back at the hotel and despite a lack of greenery or water anywhere near, my feet was eaten by mosquitoes in the night and came up looking like a relief map of the Himalayas. Despite my boots irritating the bites all day, the real highlight of the ride to Akcay, a seaside stop off for the next two days, was a 4x4 in the outside lane of a motorway sat stationary having a chat with a guy on a bicycle. No hazards, no brake lights, just sat there, oblivious to the hassle as traffic approaching at 100kmh suddenly had to bunch up on the inside lane. 

That aside, as the day wore on, the speed I could ride at before grinding noises started up from the chain gradually reduced to about 70kmh, way to slow for comfortable motorway riding. So despite bike issues and swollen feet, Akcay has actually been a good stop off. If I was under 10, I’d go mental at the sight of flashing lights, candy-floss, games machines, coin op arcades and endless ice cream stands. Because I'm 31 I tone it down a bit, but still...

Akcay seafront

The next few days will be me and the bike limping back to Istanbul, a bit earlier than expected, but I can’t do any more distance than necessary before getting a new chain sorted.

Next update should be on the sights of Istanbul and end with my bike in a crate ready for shipping to Delhi. In the meantime I’m going to be getting giddy like a child waiting for Christmas at the thought of being in India in under two weeks!