Cesme to Seferihisar. 92kms.

Today we got back on the bikes after about 6 days sightseeing in both Athens and Chios.

We had to wait till 8.15am for breakfast so we didn’t get on the road until 9am. This was the first time that there would be 3 of on the road with the addition of Len to the DFC. I think Peter and I were both keen to get back on the road and do what we had come here to do, and that’s ride a bike. 

We started with a nice tailwind out of town and then it turned into a cross wind and at times a head wind.

The road today was not flat by any stretch of the imagination.  The road had a lot of climbing all day, although not steep it did take its toll by the end of the day. We took the secondary road as we didn’t want to temp fate and ride on the expressway.  Our road had a good shoulder to ride on and at times it disappeared completely.  We didn’t have any hassles with the traffic today and when we left the main road at the 45km mark there wasn’t much traffic at all.

The above photo of Len (L) and Peter (R) was taken on one of the many climbs to Seferihisar.

When we turned off the highway to take the alternate route south we went past this squatter camp.  Small tins sheds with sheets of plastic used as roofing material is what some people would be calling home.  It did remind me of my visits to Soweto camp in South Africa.  Yes I know, I’m very lucky to live in the country they call ‘the lucky country’, Australia.  I did notice that one of the sheds had a satellite dish hanging off its roof. 

The above photo was taken after a big climb looking back to the Aegean Sea.

We pushed along and climbed another hill that took us to a ridge where we could look down on the town of Ulamis. We had our lunch stop here late in the day, but needed to eat something as we still had about 20kms to go.  It was just before Ulamis that the wind started to come directly from behind and pushed us along at speeds reaching 30kph.  This was great riding.

After a couple more climbs we were roaring into Seferihisar to the end a fantastic day on the bike.  We’d covered 92kms today, and considering I’ve had 6 days off the bike and a sick day thrown in, I felt pretty good all day on the bike.

We ended up finding a cool little hotel and I went inside and negotiated a price.  Len got a room for 40 Turkish Lira with breakfast and Peter and I got a twin for 60.  The young guy who runs the hotel grilled an enormous portion of chicken and salad for us, and we all tucked in like starving creatures. And the electricity went off in the town and now I'm in darkness as I left my lights down in the pannier bag which is on my bicycle downstairs.   

 

Tomorrow we ride about 50 kms to the historical town of Selcuk.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.