{"id":1765,"date":"2023-06-01T14:48:57","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T14:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1765"},"modified":"2023-06-01T14:49:02","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T14:49:02","slug":"38-datca-to-rhodes-greece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madbikerides.com\/?p=1765","title":{"rendered":"38. Datca to Rhodes GREECE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three countries in one day\u201d\u2026..reminds me of an NZ song with a more Vivaldi-esque title\u2026! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And not expected at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overnight in Marmaris\u2026then ferry to Rhodes in the morning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we arrived in Marmaris\u2026.and it is just awful. Little Britain. The second country of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brits on holiday\u2026soaking up the local food in McDonalds, KFC, Dominos Pizza etc\u2026and then showing off their flabby untanned bodies on a day when most sensible folk were inside sheltering from the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A jewel of a place\u2026apparently\u2026..but so many package holiday people wanting a piece of that garish jewel\u2026that whatever lustre it once might have had\u2026is now buried beneath a sea of concrete, flab, mushy peas and Irish pubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We could not get out of the place fast enough! So we did!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway\u2026back to the day\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Simple start\u2026.stick to the coast\u2026until you can\u2019t. Head inland\u2026and we will hit the main road (there is only one!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wrong!! Within 2kms\u2026we were lost!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But we soon found our way\u2026..and it was a great riding day\u2026on a great road\u2026much of which is brand new. Great surface. Lovely gradients. And hardly any traffic at all!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The only disappointment was that rain threatened all day\u2026and so it was a bit misty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But some great coastal views\u2026..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2026.and hills\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2026and very friendly donkeys at the top\u2026who crossed the road to check us out\u2026!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And to finish\u2026just as we were closing in on Marmaris\u2026we left the new road for a spectacular little detour\u2026with an unexpected climb adding a sting in the tail of our ride through Turkey!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First stop was at a ticketing agency\u2026for our ferry tomorrow. And once again were advised that \u201cno ebikes allowed\u201d\u2026.which if true meant a further 120km to Fetihye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we headed straight to the ferry port itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre bicycles allowed?\u201d\u2026I asked. \u201cYes. But is it electric?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I simply replied that we can take the battery off\u2026and he said..\u201dok\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that was that\u2026..! 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\u2026.I jumped at the chance to leave!! (..& it also gave us more time if they did NOT allow ebikes on after all!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we headed off for some great British tucker (Mexican in fact!)\u2026and a last couple of Efes beers\u2026this was the best picture I could find of Marmaris\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2026\u2026.before somewhat anxiously returning to the port to check in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026.which proved to be another security joke! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had to remove our panniers\u2026for an airport-style x-ray\u2026one of which contained Martin\u2019s removed battery. Now\u2026few 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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But no\u2026no problem with that,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And we then had to squeeze through the passenger X-ray thing\u2026with our bikes\u2026.on which were mounted the spare batteries\u2026.and it did not make a sound! Usually a packet of cigarettes sets off alarms. But here\u2026.even our pretend bombs did not register a peep!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Token nonsense!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we were through\u2026and on the boat\u2026..and relieved of another bout of unnecessary stress!! E-bikes ARE allowed on Turkish ferries\u2026whatever the jobsworths might tell you!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026over to NZ\u2026.up to Korea\u2026then to Uzbechistan from where he has been riding since March. Lovely gentle guy. His family are arriving in Rhodes tomorrow for a week\u2019s holiday\u2026before he flies up to Sweden..to ride up to the top of Norway\u2026then back to France\u2026in August!! Epic trip!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So to Rhodes. Not an island I have visited before\u2026but somehow I was expecting the town to be not unlike Kos. But it is\u2026.very different\u2026and very lovely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I saw this sign\u2026I was reminded of the last hours in Greece on our way to Turkey\u2026when Iain discovered the Vape ban!! This sort of sign was not evident in Peplos to mitigate his panic!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Busy with tourists yes\u2026.but such a quaint old town\u2026very pretty and pleasantly lively\/vibrant! And after Marmaris\u2026..SUCH a relief! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of the folk on the ferry\u2026were 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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gyros for dinner! Yummmm!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2026it was great to hear from our French mate on the ferry that cycling in the East was still just fantastic\u2026so 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!)\u2026have 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\u2026journeying aside\u2026the West coast is not a place for a cycling holiday! Some lovely rides, yes\u2026.but simply too many quite unpleasant toads to kiss to find the princes! For Martin and I\u2026the first full day (from Gonen to the coast)\u2026and the last day (today!) were by far the most pleasant days riding. And that first day was just special! So\u2026.not very sad to leave, for Greece is simply so much better\u2026in so many ways. Cycling though\u2026in particular!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three countries in one day\u201d\u2026..reminds me of an NZ song with a more Vivaldi-esque title\u2026!  And not expected at all. Overnight in Marmaris\u2026then ferry to Rhodes in the morning.  That…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collioure-to-istanbul-back-2023"],"yoast_head":"\n38. 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