Woop woop! It is de sound of da Polis!
Day 44.
Now where was I.
Ah yes.
Did I mention Turkish driving is terrible? Might have done. Anyway.
****
Ramble fact 82.
TURKISH HIGHWAY CODE
When moving away from traffic lights, remember the correct sequence:
Message > Send > Manoeuvre
The fact is, you could beat any Turkish driver off the line in the traffic light grand prix, even on a unicycle. The internet has far more allure..
More ramble facts later.
****
Breakfast is quiet. The place is quiet, the few people in the restaurant of the hotel sit in silence. The road outside is quiet. To cap it all the staff move around in the hotel like they are floating along. Very peaceful and pleasant.
The honey out here is something else.
Today can be pretty much summarised as ‘Riding through large towns on dual carriageways at high speed’. Contrary to recent experience, today becomes much more of a trawl along highway. Just Kilometre after kilometre of well developed and modern roads. It is fairly unremarkable riding but the constant coastal views to our left do make it interesting.
We have a break for an early afternoon and have the most delicious snack. I spied a local 650GS parked up there and so went in to explore. Only thinking of a drink, we ended up diving in with the food, which was fabulous. We sit and watch the locals trundle out of the mosque on the other side of the main road.
A man happy in his work.
Back to the road, refreshed for more of the highway. We join up with a group of Turkish bikers on assorted machinery. There’s some guy on a Super Tenere who stands repeatedly up on the pegs and bounces himself up and down on it repeatedly. It sort of looks like he’s trying to hump it. Erm, that is more than just a bit weird. As a group they don’t seem capable of riding at any consistent pace; either not particularly quick followed by very fast. They ride pretty recklessly; overtaking on the hard shoulder and riding anywhere and everywhere. Trouble is, we don’t seem to be able to get away from them and keep end up joining them continually, going past, then them coming past us shortly after.
The novelty and curiousity value of this becomes very old very quickly so we stop for ten minutes at the roadside to have a break and let them go. Of course ten minutes later we join up with them again. How on earth is that possible? Fuckity fuck.
Fortunately the reunion is brief as they clear off and take a slip road south and so we’re free and continue the brisk running along the coast dual carriageway.
Approaching a section near a corner and there’s two fun-sized road cones, one with a small triangular sign saying ‘Radar’ on it. I see this and back off, but Brian doesn’t (he’s getting tailgated by a white Skoda Superb which is about a foot from his rear tyre.
About a mile down the road we’re both ushered in to a Police Checkpoint, along with the Skoda driver, who is sent on his way interestingly following a brief exchange with Turkiye Five-o.
The Policeman shakes both our hands intently and asks for documents.
Brian still has a paper licence. Five-O are baffled by this and this culminates in an additional rozzer who appears by climbing over a fence.
It emerges that I’m not getting collared, but Brian is, but my documents are needed as a handy reference to reconcile what features on Brian’s aged licence.
I didn’t risk a photo of Five-O as I’m not sure how they would have taken it. Instead, I photo the cut out car, which incidentally we’ve seen loads of as we’ve crossed the country.
The fine was pretty small, although for a moment Brian through it was 235 Euros
Being the thrifty type, he almost has an aneurism
Happily it is not, for it is in local currency of groat. We gingerly ride on.
We decide we’ll quite likely fall short of the city of Trabzon tonight; by now its fairly late afternoon. We start looking not far outside in the town of Akcabaat. After not having a great deal of luck looking around we eventually are directed to a hotel in a side road for the main drag. It looks promising, large grounds, a large private car park behind a gate with a guard. When I say guard, what I really mean is a bored man in shorts and fip flops smoking a cigarette. But he knows how to operate the barrier. Which is nice. We go in. After our moment of high spirits thinking we’ve done well, it turns out the place is full. Bollocks. It is Friday night so maybe that is it. Anyhoo, we’re directed to the sister hotel, of which the manager just happens to be at this hotel.
We’re directed to a much grottier place around the corner with on road parking where a surly man behind reception greets us to gruffly tell us move our bikes a foot to the left once parked up. This appears to be for no apparent reason. He then spends an age on the phone before he will even bother with us eventually checks us in. Brian looks like he’s ready to have a pop.
After the delightful check in experience, the lift happily works and our room is right by it, so that is one plus. By now, I’m heating up, very hot and sticky and could well do with a rest. Hell, I could possibly even do with an imaginary beer, because that’s probably all we’ll get now we’re in deepest darkest Turkey..
I peel myself out of my gear and then head to the facilities. Whilst showering, and listening to a podcast, my phone drops to from the windowsill and onto the bathroom floor, shaterring the screen. Balls.
Yes, just what I needed. Sigh.
Luckily, in my top box of spares I carry a spare Android mobile for just such an occurrence. This is one of those points where people who tell me 'I carry too much stuff' can feck right off
I fire it up my shiny but well used standby and using the wifi update the apps and get the phone ready. Everything is synchronised through google so it doesn’t really take very long at all to be back in the mobile phone game. The only downside is the thing doesn’t appear to be charging very well, but for now it will do - well it will have to.
After a rest darkness is upon us and we venture out to find a cash machine and some dinner. There are no street lights and its raining. The only illumination is from the headlights of speeding cars and the illumination from the shop signs and such. It feels a little like being on the set of Blade Runner.
We find some cash, have an adequate dinner, then try and find more orange juice. You can forget about a beer here.
Until tomorrow..
Day 44.
Now where was I.
Ah yes.
Did I mention Turkish driving is terrible? Might have done. Anyway.
****
Ramble fact 82.
TURKISH HIGHWAY CODE
When moving away from traffic lights, remember the correct sequence:
Message > Send > Manoeuvre
The fact is, you could beat any Turkish driver off the line in the traffic light grand prix, even on a unicycle. The internet has far more allure..
More ramble facts later.
****
Breakfast is quiet. The place is quiet, the few people in the restaurant of the hotel sit in silence. The road outside is quiet. To cap it all the staff move around in the hotel like they are floating along. Very peaceful and pleasant.
The honey out here is something else.
Today can be pretty much summarised as ‘Riding through large towns on dual carriageways at high speed’. Contrary to recent experience, today becomes much more of a trawl along highway. Just Kilometre after kilometre of well developed and modern roads. It is fairly unremarkable riding but the constant coastal views to our left do make it interesting.
We have a break for an early afternoon and have the most delicious snack. I spied a local 650GS parked up there and so went in to explore. Only thinking of a drink, we ended up diving in with the food, which was fabulous. We sit and watch the locals trundle out of the mosque on the other side of the main road.
A man happy in his work.
Back to the road, refreshed for more of the highway. We join up with a group of Turkish bikers on assorted machinery. There’s some guy on a Super Tenere who stands repeatedly up on the pegs and bounces himself up and down on it repeatedly. It sort of looks like he’s trying to hump it. Erm, that is more than just a bit weird. As a group they don’t seem capable of riding at any consistent pace; either not particularly quick followed by very fast. They ride pretty recklessly; overtaking on the hard shoulder and riding anywhere and everywhere. Trouble is, we don’t seem to be able to get away from them and keep end up joining them continually, going past, then them coming past us shortly after.
The novelty and curiousity value of this becomes very old very quickly so we stop for ten minutes at the roadside to have a break and let them go. Of course ten minutes later we join up with them again. How on earth is that possible? Fuckity fuck.
Fortunately the reunion is brief as they clear off and take a slip road south and so we’re free and continue the brisk running along the coast dual carriageway.
Approaching a section near a corner and there’s two fun-sized road cones, one with a small triangular sign saying ‘Radar’ on it. I see this and back off, but Brian doesn’t (he’s getting tailgated by a white Skoda Superb which is about a foot from his rear tyre.
About a mile down the road we’re both ushered in to a Police Checkpoint, along with the Skoda driver, who is sent on his way interestingly following a brief exchange with Turkiye Five-o.
The Policeman shakes both our hands intently and asks for documents.
Brian still has a paper licence. Five-O are baffled by this and this culminates in an additional rozzer who appears by climbing over a fence.
It emerges that I’m not getting collared, but Brian is, but my documents are needed as a handy reference to reconcile what features on Brian’s aged licence.
I didn’t risk a photo of Five-O as I’m not sure how they would have taken it. Instead, I photo the cut out car, which incidentally we’ve seen loads of as we’ve crossed the country.
The fine was pretty small, although for a moment Brian through it was 235 Euros
Being the thrifty type, he almost has an aneurism
Happily it is not, for it is in local currency of groat. We gingerly ride on.
We decide we’ll quite likely fall short of the city of Trabzon tonight; by now its fairly late afternoon. We start looking not far outside in the town of Akcabaat. After not having a great deal of luck looking around we eventually are directed to a hotel in a side road for the main drag. It looks promising, large grounds, a large private car park behind a gate with a guard. When I say guard, what I really mean is a bored man in shorts and fip flops smoking a cigarette. But he knows how to operate the barrier. Which is nice. We go in. After our moment of high spirits thinking we’ve done well, it turns out the place is full. Bollocks. It is Friday night so maybe that is it. Anyhoo, we’re directed to the sister hotel, of which the manager just happens to be at this hotel.
We’re directed to a much grottier place around the corner with on road parking where a surly man behind reception greets us to gruffly tell us move our bikes a foot to the left once parked up. This appears to be for no apparent reason. He then spends an age on the phone before he will even bother with us eventually checks us in. Brian looks like he’s ready to have a pop.
After the delightful check in experience, the lift happily works and our room is right by it, so that is one plus. By now, I’m heating up, very hot and sticky and could well do with a rest. Hell, I could possibly even do with an imaginary beer, because that’s probably all we’ll get now we’re in deepest darkest Turkey..
I peel myself out of my gear and then head to the facilities. Whilst showering, and listening to a podcast, my phone drops to from the windowsill and onto the bathroom floor, shaterring the screen. Balls.
Yes, just what I needed. Sigh.
Luckily, in my top box of spares I carry a spare Android mobile for just such an occurrence. This is one of those points where people who tell me 'I carry too much stuff' can feck right off
I fire it up my shiny but well used standby and using the wifi update the apps and get the phone ready. Everything is synchronised through google so it doesn’t really take very long at all to be back in the mobile phone game. The only downside is the thing doesn’t appear to be charging very well, but for now it will do - well it will have to.
After a rest darkness is upon us and we venture out to find a cash machine and some dinner. There are no street lights and its raining. The only illumination is from the headlights of speeding cars and the illumination from the shop signs and such. It feels a little like being on the set of Blade Runner.
We find some cash, have an adequate dinner, then try and find more orange juice. You can forget about a beer here.
Until tomorrow..