Mavi Guesthouse [website], Istanbul, 20-03-07
No cycling days yet
So, we've decided to leave our hide-out in Istanbul this coming Friday. After almost 7 weeks in Mavi Guesthouse, the bus will take us to Selcuk and we'll start peddling from there. A little bit quieter on the roads than here in Istanbul and better for Son to exercise and get her ankle back into shape.

Jimmy's Place, Selçuk, 24-03-07
No cycling days yet
After a twelve hour bus ride we arrived in Selçuk this morning and stumbled to Jimmy's Place / Artemis Guesthouse for a well earned sleep. This will be our residence for the next few days and we'll try to get on our bikes again after a six weeks-and-a-bit rest. Son definitely needs the practice; her ankle is not anywhere near 100%.

An Internet Cafe, Fethiye, 04-04-07
Mixed feelings.
It's been a month since I last wrote anything. Mainly because I wasn't in much of a mood for writing and my fractured ankle was playing heavily on my mind; frustrated at not being able to freely move around with a lump of plaster attached to my foot; annoyed that our trip has been postponed for so long; scared that I wouldn't be able to ride my bike for months; and after being on the move for the last seven months, seeing so many different things each day, it was incredibly difficult being stuck in the one place for such a long period of time. We are however, really glad that we spent this time at Mavi Guesthouse. Despite the inconveniences during their renovations, a hot water system that has a mind of its own and the rather ramshackle appearance of the place, they can definitely blow their own trumpet when it comes to friendliness, helpfulness, travel knowledge, honesty, easy going attitude and a laugh a minute atmosphere. All very important qualities for any traveller and what we are already so dearly missing.

Best of Turkey - Can in Mavi Guesthouse Istanbul

The bus journey from Istanbul to Selçuk is hell on both our legs; mine because of the obvious and Ali's because they are pretty long. But we manage to hobble out of the bus around 9am, after 12 hours of travel. Wheeling my loaded bike was really difficult and I don't feel too confident about doing any riding today. Luckily we have booked the hotel, it is just around the corner and the fact we know where we are staying deters the touts lying in wait for fuzzy-headed travellers disembarking at the bus station. We are totally beat from the lack of sleep and spend most of the morning and early afternoon nestled in bed, enjoying the fact we can stretch our legs to infinity.

Close to dinner time we make our way downstairs, looking forward to choosing from the menu we read over breakfast, only to find the hotel restaurant in almost darkness. Somewhat disappointed, we sit in the lounge area and get chatting to a couple of Australians. They head on out for dinner and we stay behind and ask the owner for his recommendation. He doesn't give us any. We venture out and discover a fabulous little restaurant by ourselves that serves the best vegetarian food we've had yet. Family run, with Mum in the kitchen, Dad at the fire grill and son waiting on the three inside tables, Ejder Restaurant, opposite the PTT Post, has been visited by many. There's several guest books filled with famous and not so famous signatures to prove it. Anyway, it was delightful food and if you are in Selçuk, you should really try their homemade wares.

Always trust those feelings
Slowly but surely, we are learning to go with gut instinct no matter what it involves. Unfortunately, we didn't act on our initial feelings in Selçuk. Our own fault really and mostly due to inconvenience. We had already (or should I say, Ali; I can't carry anything heavy anywhere at the moment), taken the bikes and luggage up four flights of stairs. The atmosphere at Jimmy's Place left a lot to be desired and after a totally uncalled for altercation with the owner on our third day, we moved to Paris Hotel, just around the corner. Seventy-five percent of the price, fantastic breakfast but more importantly, very friendly management. Since I didn't want to flaunt our diary with too much sarcasm, you can click here to read about our experiences with the owner of Jimmy's Place in Selçuk.

Just like starting over again.
The day after arriving in Selçuk we decide to take the first bike ride in seven weeks. The day is stunning. Clear blue skies and warm, warm sun. Much to the amusement of the old men in the cafe on the corner, I nearly fall of my bike trying to start off. They probably changed their tune when they saw me limp to the side of the road and further strap it with another bandage. Fact remains, my ankle's still really sore and as I get up to walk over to Ali, pains shoot up my leg, the tears just fall from my eyes and all I can manage is: "I just can't."

I'm not crying just because of the pain, but also because I am really frightened that this injury is going to hamper me indefinitely and with plans of cycling around the world, that's fatal. Ali is very patient on the outside but probably just as turbulent deep down. Still he just keeps asking, "what do you want to do?" The answer to that is obvious. I want to get on my bike and fly out of here. I want to feel the wind in my hair, against my face, smell the outdoors and cycle through the countryside so that I can take everything in. I want that bike riding freedom back again. And with that thought in mind, I get on my bike and grimace with each stroke of the pedal. Nonetheless, I manage a tentative lap around the car park. It's a promising start and I bet Ali is as relieved as I am. We find a long, straight and flat service road along the highway leading to Pamucak and we cycle to and fro until we reach 15 kilometres. I won't tell you how long it takes.

The training process.
So, day one was 15km on the flat, home again, ice it, strap it and rest it. The ankle has swollen quite a bit from the exercise and the two Ozzie guys we met last night, who are avid basketballers, get me onto Voltaren (anti-inflammatory cream). It does the trick though it's still really difficult to walk. Funnily enough, bike riding seems a lot easier. That is if I don't have to stop and start and I'm not going up hill.

Day two and the ankle is feeling a lot better. Did nothing much but rest it yesterday evening. The resting bit is making me feel totally useless, but I manage 25 kilometres on the bike today, all the way to the beach at Pamucak and that makes up for all the lack of movement in the last days. On the way home we drop into the Artemis Temple and are severely hassled by sellers of everything from cheap copies of artifacts to supposedly very old coins. These, according to one salesman, are 100 years old. The truth of the matter is, the coins have been force fed to sheep and then passed out their other end. This gives them an age-old appearance and although commonly known throughout the tourism industry, still manages to suck in the occasional unaware tourist.

Back at the hotel, we meet up with a New Zealand-Canadian couple (John and Linda), who have been on the road for 4 years. As you can imagine, they have an abundance of tips and recommendations that we mentally note down. It's fun just exchanging stories and generally having a chat with another world-nomadic couple. They were in the midst of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka and stayed behind to help with the aftermath. Heartwarming stuff. They intend to continue their life on the road, so maybe we'll meet up again some time. We are quickly discovering that the world is not such a big place. As we travel down towards the south, people have already heard about us from other travellers. Having had a cast on your leg in a busy guesthouse in Istanbul tends to attract a bit of attention, not to mention that we are on bicycles.

A stay in Selçuk can't go by without a visit to Ephesus. So day three, we take a taxi (10 lire) to the south entrance and walk our way down through another ancient site. The library is definitely worth the visit and we sit and admire the view for a while as well as rest the ankle. Needless to say, we are quite ruined-out after our travels so far and we've made a pact to only visit choice-spots from now on. Back at the hotel, I feel quite triumphant with my achievements and this rubs off on Ali too. We are not far from our first real cycling trip. One more day.

Day four is the real test. We cycle to Kuşadasi (40 km; 387m) and it's a challenging climb both in and out of town. I can handle 2-5% incline no problem, but when it gets steeper, it's quite a strain on the ankle. Still, I feel confident enough to start the following day. We make the decision to go as far as we can and camp wild somewhere. If all goes well, we may reach a campsite along the way near Pinarcik.

Selçuk to Muğla (2 cycle days; 1 rest day; 125 km; 1224 alti meters)
I just can't wait to get on the road again...
Leaving Selçuk is great. Apart from my quick recovery, it hasn't been the most pleasant stay but we are finally on the road again. We start the day with a really satisfying breakfast at Paris Hotel and after packing the bikes, follow the road out of town; the same one we have cycled on for the last few days. We know about the hill before Kuşadasi, but this is only the beginning of many a climb. The pattern seems to be a small section of flat or low gradient road, followed by a steep 2-3km climb and then a drop of equal proportions. It goes on like this for 30 kilometres or so and I am struggling with the hills. In general, I can manage about 1.5 to 2 kilometres up, but anymore than that and I find myself having to push the bike, which is also pretty strenuous for my heel. Our map suggests a long straight stretch will follow and we hope to camp somewhere along the side of the road. There's no chance of that though, as we discover the area to be mainly swamped, barren cotton fields. The flat stretch is not so problematic for me, especially if my foot doesn't deviate from the forward rotation movement. Stopping and starting still cause a bit of pain. Unfortunately, the flatness is abruptly interrupted with a huge hill. We have to take it and at the top we find a great camp spot in an abandoned house project. (near Sarikemer; 78km;702m) The last climb has it's toll on me and I can hardly walk. Ali does all the unpacking and setting up, while we are closely observed by a couple of herders on top of the hill. One turns out to be a young boy, who takes great pleasure in waving frantically to us at intervals.

Next morning, we are visited by a couple of farmers in their tractor. Handshakes are exchanged and after having a bit of a nosey around, they see no threat and continue on their way. We do that too, but not for long. Yesterday's trip was too much and after a few hills, the campsite we knew about near Pinarcik (10km; 83m) pops up after only 40 minutes riding. We stop and just take it easy by the lake, enjoying the beautiful weather, great food and rural atmosphere.

My ankle has recovered somewhat and we move on the next day. The weather, on the other hand, has got worse and we have to continually dodge rain and hail storms. We are also beginning to realise that when they build a road over a hill in Turkey, then no gradient proves a problem. Lately our daily average climb has been 4% and we are not even in the mountains. Most of the 2-3 kilometre stretches are between 6 and 8 % for practically the whole climb. Today we get as far as Milas (38km; 409m) and Ali believes it is better to catch a bus to Muğla about 55kms further on but up to a 750m pass. It costs us 20 lire (about 11 euros) for us and the two bikes. I'm disappointed that we can't do this by bike as it is stunning landscape and there are great camping opportunities as well. Still, in my condition, it is better to take it easy than to push it. We arrive in Muğla pretty late, only to find that every hotel in town is completely booked out. There's a large examination the next day and every student in the region has flocked to this provincial capital. We are taken in by a family, who own a cafe-fish restaurant just opposite the Tuncer Hotel, where we intended to stay. Gökhan, his wife Nasibe and their son Oğuzhan make us feel welcome and we spend the evening with some animated locals in their cafe. Ali enjoys a few too many rakis with Gökhan than necessary and getting on the bikes the next day is absolutely out of the question. After a traditional Turkish breakfast cooked by Nasibe in their restaurant kitchen, Ai livens up a bit and we wander around the town, do some internetting, but other than the historic Ottoman neighbourhood and viewing locals doing their everyday thing, Muğla has little more to offer.

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