Didim to Bandirma
Next morning we decide to 'get out of Dodge' as we have codenamed our need to leave. We had time in hand but decided no more for Didim. Chloe pops up to say byeee and gives me a hug and a kiss, 'good luck Rob' she says in her lovely broad welsh accent. What a sweetie.
First thing is Petrol. The beloved Garmin is reliable as has been of late, and the BP station indicated was actually some rather epic ruins in the middle of a residential area.
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We navigate around and find a goat herder in the middle of the town with his flock. I've got my soul/funk collection playing, the herder can clearly dig 'Jamaican Funk' and gives me a wave. The bloke in the Mercedes shows that signals don't mean a lot in town..
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PuW5OXpAbM8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Once set, we head off. Motoring is pleasant, but very hot. It is nearing 40 degrees. We find a good old McDonalds for a milkshake and it does the trick.
Ah yes, good old Mc D's. You may knock it, but when you're in the more unusual places you can bet on a nice cool drink, a decent western lav (not a hole in the ground), air con and maybe a bit of wi-fi.
We carry on and head to Kusadasi and then Ephesus, but it's so hot we can't be bothered to trawl around the ruins, so we have a coffee instead and look through the fence on the way out.
The going is good, and we're whizzing through the towns with the traffic flow, and racking up the miles out of town. Clearly bikers are not common in these parts. People wave. Kids point. We wave back and they love it. The temperature tops out at 41.5 degrees according to the gauge.
I've turned into a lightly sauteed Englishman a l'orange, served on a bed of kevlar.
We stop at a Petrol Station, with a handy travel mosque within it, for those prayers on the go
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Another stop at a much needed sheltered spot by the sea:
Making good time, we decide we can probably make Bandirma that evening to take the fast ferry to Istanbul tomorrow. The light goes off quick and we have an 'interesting' night ride for the last 50 miles or so. But we play it smart, tagging on to the back of cars and coaches and letting them do the discovery, particularly helpful when we run into sparsely signed complicated roadworks as there are many.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XUSRnp7Qim8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
HID's anyone?
Dave has the hump about it. Bloody cissy!
We roll into town at about 10.30 and find a hotel with a garage 2 mins from the port. Result! Up for a shower and then dinner at the Moby Dick restaurant, where they're also showing England beating Ukraine. We have a beer.
Dave's mood has picked up. There's a sort of elation about doing something big by making it here, especially in the dark. He orders a steak, which turns out to be Horse
Next morning we decide to 'get out of Dodge' as we have codenamed our need to leave. We had time in hand but decided no more for Didim. Chloe pops up to say byeee and gives me a hug and a kiss, 'good luck Rob' she says in her lovely broad welsh accent. What a sweetie.
First thing is Petrol. The beloved Garmin is reliable as has been of late, and the BP station indicated was actually some rather epic ruins in the middle of a residential area.
We navigate around and find a goat herder in the middle of the town with his flock. I've got my soul/funk collection playing, the herder can clearly dig 'Jamaican Funk' and gives me a wave. The bloke in the Mercedes shows that signals don't mean a lot in town..
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PuW5OXpAbM8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Once set, we head off. Motoring is pleasant, but very hot. It is nearing 40 degrees. We find a good old McDonalds for a milkshake and it does the trick.
Ah yes, good old Mc D's. You may knock it, but when you're in the more unusual places you can bet on a nice cool drink, a decent western lav (not a hole in the ground), air con and maybe a bit of wi-fi.
We carry on and head to Kusadasi and then Ephesus, but it's so hot we can't be bothered to trawl around the ruins, so we have a coffee instead and look through the fence on the way out.
The going is good, and we're whizzing through the towns with the traffic flow, and racking up the miles out of town. Clearly bikers are not common in these parts. People wave. Kids point. We wave back and they love it. The temperature tops out at 41.5 degrees according to the gauge.
I've turned into a lightly sauteed Englishman a l'orange, served on a bed of kevlar.
We stop at a Petrol Station, with a handy travel mosque within it, for those prayers on the go
Another stop at a much needed sheltered spot by the sea:
Making good time, we decide we can probably make Bandirma that evening to take the fast ferry to Istanbul tomorrow. The light goes off quick and we have an 'interesting' night ride for the last 50 miles or so. But we play it smart, tagging on to the back of cars and coaches and letting them do the discovery, particularly helpful when we run into sparsely signed complicated roadworks as there are many.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XUSRnp7Qim8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
HID's anyone?
Dave has the hump about it. Bloody cissy!
We roll into town at about 10.30 and find a hotel with a garage 2 mins from the port. Result! Up for a shower and then dinner at the Moby Dick restaurant, where they're also showing England beating Ukraine. We have a beer.
Dave's mood has picked up. There's a sort of elation about doing something big by making it here, especially in the dark. He orders a steak, which turns out to be Horse