Three countries in one day”…..reminds me of an NZ song with a more Vivaldi-esque title…!
And not expected at all.
Overnight in Marmaris…then ferry to Rhodes in the morning.
That was the plan.
But we arrived in Marmaris….and it is just awful. Little Britain. The second country of the day.
Brits on holiday…soaking up the local food in McDonalds, KFC, Dominos Pizza etc…and then showing off their flabby untanned bodies on a day when most sensible folk were inside sheltering from the rain.
A jewel of a place…apparently…..but so many package holiday people wanting a piece of that garish jewel…that whatever lustre it once might have had…is now buried beneath a sea of concrete, flab, mushy peas and Irish pubs.
We could not get out of the place fast enough! So we did!!
Anyway…back to the day…
Simple start….stick to the coast…until you can’t. Head inland…and we will hit the main road (there is only one!).
Wrong!! Within 2kms…we were lost!!
But we soon found our way…..and it was a great riding day…on a great road…much of which is brand new. Great surface. Lovely gradients. And hardly any traffic at all!!
The only disappointment was that rain threatened all day…and so it was a bit misty.
But some great coastal views…..
….and hills….
…and very friendly donkeys at the top…who crossed the road to check us out…!
And to finish…just as we were closing in on Marmaris…we left the new road for a spectacular little detour…with an unexpected climb adding a sting in the tail of our ride through Turkey!
First stop was at a ticketing agency…for our ferry tomorrow. And once again were advised that “no ebikes allowed”….which if true meant a further 120km to Fetihye.
So we headed straight to the ferry port itself.
“Are bicycles allowed?”…I asked. “Yes. But is it electric?”
I simply replied that we can take the battery off…and he said..”ok”.
And that was that…..! So I was just about to confirm the booking for tomorrow when he said we could go today at 5pm! And after our experience of cycling through this jaded jewel….I jumped at the chance to leave!! (..& it also gave us more time if they did NOT allow ebikes on after all!)
So we headed off for some great British tucker (Mexican in fact!)…and a last couple of Efes beers…this was the best picture I could find of Marmaris….
…….before somewhat anxiously returning to the port to check in.
….which proved to be another security joke!
We had to remove our panniers…for an airport-style x-ray…one of which contained Martin’s removed battery. Now…few things in my view would look less like a bomb on an X-ray machine than a Bosch battery. With its 100 individual cells, wiring and mother board!
But no…no problem with that,
And we then had to squeeze through the passenger X-ray thing…with our bikes….on which were mounted the spare batteries….and it did not make a sound! Usually a packet of cigarettes sets off alarms. But here….even our pretend bombs did not register a peep!!
Token nonsense!
But we were through…and on the boat…..and relieved of another bout of unnecessary stress!! E-bikes ARE allowed on Turkish ferries…whatever the jobsworths might tell you!!
And on board was one brave French cyclist! (..the fifth touring cyclist we have met/even seen so far!). He started his journey in Peru last August!! Down to the bottom of South America…over to NZ….up to Korea…then to Uzbechistan from where he has been riding since March. Lovely gentle guy. His family are arriving in Rhodes tomorrow for a week’s holiday…before he flies up to Sweden..to ride up to the top of Norway…then back to France…in August!! Epic trip!
So to Rhodes. Not an island I have visited before…but somehow I was expecting the town to be not unlike Kos. But it is….very different…and very lovely.
When I saw this sign…I was reminded of the last hours in Greece on our way to Turkey…when Iain discovered the Vape ban!! This sort of sign was not evident in Peplos to mitigate his panic!!
Busy with tourists yes….but such a quaint old town…very pretty and pleasantly lively/vibrant! And after Marmaris…..SUCH a relief!
Most of the folk on the ferry…were day-trippers. One wonders what the Marmaris vacationers think when they arrive at this little gem. A mis-booking? Or – in reality – just not British enough for them!
Gyros for dinner! Yummmm!
So no last night in Turkey. But still worthy of some reflection. It is not the place I visited back in 1976! (Having said that…it was great to hear from our French mate on the ferry that cycling in the East was still just fantastic…so chilled, empty of cars and so friendly). It is also not the place we visited ten years ago. The coastal developments (which had actually begun in 1976!)…have just gone ballistic. So you have to be so very careful about where you might choose to go. The people – in the main – are just as lovely, and there are some real gems to visit. BUT…journeying aside…the West coast is not a place for a cycling holiday! Some lovely rides, yes….but simply too many quite unpleasant toads to kiss to find the princes! For Martin and I…the first full day (from Gonen to the coast)…and the last day (today!) were by far the most pleasant days riding. And that first day was just special! So….not very sad to leave, for Greece is simply so much better…in so many ways. Cycling though…in particular!
