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Sunday 7th November Although we felt comfortable and safe we both slept fitfully and awoke grouchy at 6 o'clock the next morning. It didn't take us long to pedal the 6km into Iznik for breakfast. When you automatically get up that early you find it hard to believe or understand that nowhere else would be open at the same time, particularly on a Sunday morning! Because it's still Ramadan it's difficult to find an open cafe in the smaller towns. They're always there but it's difficult to try to explain to people that you understand that they themselves can't eat or drink but you just want a cup of tea. Oh well! Eventually we did find a dingy old men's tearoom where we could quietly sip our tea and eat the cake we bought in the shop whilst trying not to breathe in the smells from the toilets next door! Having eaten, we set off on our way towards Bileçik. Soon out of Iznik we were served the first hill of the day. As we embarked on this short sharp wake up call we had to be protected from a sniping dog by a passing motorcyclist (thanks very much). At the crest of this hill, we were given our first full view of what we had let ourselves in for. A huge valley had opened up before us, beyond which lay mountain after mountain after mountain and we were heading somewhere through the middle of them. When we reached the bottom of the valley, we came into a town called Osmaneli where we stopped in the hope of finding some food and drink. On the way in, the town looked grotty and desolate but when a local dustman walked us through the streets to take us to a tea house this was not so. It was actually quite lovely with its steep dusty lanes lined with houses. And despite the tea house being men only everyone inside was very friendly (although the surprise in their voices in Kate coming in was noticeable) and the 'tosts' (huge toasted sandwiches) were delicious. Most locals tend to think that we must be German and we were soon accompanied by a chatty Turkish Bulgarian who kept Kate from eating her sandwich with constant conversation. (Kate's now beginning to appreciate her German language skills as hand gestures can only go so far!) From then on, despite penetrating further and further into the mountains the road picked a relatively easy route with only gentle climbs and descents. It was only 10miles before Bileçik that the real climbing began. We knew it was going to be bad when the uphill road split into 2 lanes and all the traffic coming towards us smelt of burning brake pads. We soon got into our own separate rhythms conserving our energy for what was going to be a lovely long climb. After every bend we could see the sweep of the road continuing up the valley with big lorries only just managing to overtake us at a snail's pace. Once we had settled into the climb we were able to appreciate the incredible views up and down the valley and we were spurred on by the tuneful horns (they all had different tunes!) of the trucks and trains as they passed by. After a couple of false summits, we finally arrived very low on blood sugar, in Bileçik. In our search for another teahouse we were soon invited into a cigarette kiosk on the side of the road for a coffee. We sat and slurped our Nescafe (considered quite a luxury in Turkey) and munched crisps whilst trying to make conversation with the owner who was slyly drinking beer so as not to be found out during Ramadan! Feeling revived we picked up our bikes and pedalled on through the town, picking up some bananas on the way. A few miles later we passed the edge of a village called Küplü. Because Paul had decided not to get water for the night in Bileçik, we were forced to make our way into the centre of the village to see what we could find there. As it was, this turned out to be a better decision than we first realised. Whilst Paul was in the shop, Kate struck up another conversation in German with an elderly man called Ikbal. Being tired from the days riding we readily accepted his offer of staying for Ramadan dinner with all the men from the village (by this point, I think Kate was getting used to being an honorary male!). So at 4.50pm we all piled into the local cafe where dinner was being served up in plastic trays and laid out on the tables. At 5 o'clock, having had the go ahead from the mosque we all tucked into beans, soup, rice and pasta in a sour milk sauce followed by baklava and hot sweet tea. It was obvious by the looks from across the tables that we were the topic of most people's conversations. After numerous cups of tea in another of the village's teahouses the topic of where we were going to sleep that night was broached. The village headman was slightly embarrassed that the visitor's house was not yet finished so they could only offer us some floor space in the cold dusty village hall. Luckily a local family made an offer of their guest room which we gladly took up. Nedret (mum), Osman (dad) and their two sons, Gökhan and Hakan are about as close as we've got to meeting a typical western family since we left England. Their house was lovely and we were made to feel incredibly welcome, despite the slight language barrier (by this point we did have a dictionary), on our arrival by serving us tea, Helva (semolina, honey and nut dessert) and then hot sweet milk, fresh from the family's cows. Proud that they were hosting the English couple they quickly rang the grandfather and Nedret's sister's family who all promptly joined us. It was a lovely cosy evening with lots of laughter, nattering and lots of fun with the two pet budgies, one of which decided to poop on Kate's leg as a gesture of hospitality. During the evening we both explained that we had twin sisters but the message must have got slightly confused as they thought we were twin brother and sister. When Nedret finally found out their mistake she was slightly embarrassed, as she had made up two separate beds! Bless! So we had a peaceful night tucked up in a big warm bed wearing fresh clean pyjamas which Nedret had insisted we borrow. It was great feeling part of a family again. Monday 8th November In the morning, Nedret had prepared a wonderful spread for our breakfast: jam, cheese, bread, meat, eggs and tomato puree all of which was homemade. Everything seemed to be produced by the family themselves. We felt a little guilty in eating at this time since the family were observing Ramadan and had eaten at 4.30am whilst we still asleep! Oops! Having had many hugs from Nedret it was with heavy hearts that we set off from Küplü to face the climbing road ahead. Luckily the road didn't climb too steeply so it didn't take us too long before we reached the next major town called Bozüyük where we stopped for a second breakfast (Kate was starving as she had been too shy to scoff the lot at breakfast earlier in front of the family!). While we were munching on our bread and chocolate spread, the town mayor came along and welcomed us to the town and wished us well on our travels (everyone who speaks to us always wishes us a safe journey, tells us to watch out for the crazy Turkish drivers, and wants us to come back). Further on, as we got closer to the next major town called Eskışehır we were stopped in our tracks by Nedret's sister and her family. They were on their way to a restaurant in the town and wanted us to join them for their Ramadan meal that evening. Now that we had dinner sorted we needed to get lunch. We pulled over in a small village where we found ourselves sitting in the traffic police gardens which had been kindly offered to us and ate our bread and cheese. Our stomachs now full; we said our goodbyes and pushed on for the last 10 miles into town......bang, crash, wallop!! Paul remembers: We were just cycling along as normal on the edge of the road. Kate was a little way ahead and I was settled in a good rhythm. Suddenly, there was a crash, there were bits of headlight exploding around me and I was sliding across the gravel on my side. I was thinking - oh well that's the expedition over, time to go home. And then it started to hurt and I was screaming for Kate to stop - in just a few moments I had gone to feeling really lonely and scared as I picked myself up bleeding from the floor. From out of nowhere a local minibus had hit me and sent me tumbling off the road. I was mad about the fact that it had happened so close to the end of the day, did that mean we would miss dinner? Was my bike ok? What the hell did the bus driver think he was doing? Oh - and was I ok? Kate recalls: I was pedalling quite happily knowing that we were expecting a delicious meal in a few hours time when all of a sudden this minibus zoomed straight in front of me onto the gravel and skidded to a halt. Seconds later, all I heard was the scream and painful cry from Paul as he was shouting my name. Next minute, I was off my bike running towards him; this body clutching his arm and leg whilst sat on the gravel. All I could think of was Oh my god, Paul. How seriously hurt was he? What a prat (understatement of course and not the exact description used at the time) the bus driver was. He could have nearly killed him. Luckily two businessmen had also stopped and had urged Paul to sit down in their car whilst they tended to his injuries. I felt so helpless standing there, being made to hold the first aid box. All I wanted to do was hold Paul and let him know everything was ok and that I was sorry for being ahead when maybe I should have been closer to him. .....We think it's obvious what happened: Paul was hit by a minibus whose driver had obviously not been paying any attention to where he was going. After being bandaged up and the bike checked (it's amazing it survived), the two businessmen who had so kindly helped us said their goodbyes and drove off. We then slowly pedalled off, Paul in front, Kate behind and followed by the guilty party: the minibus driver. He cruised behind all the way into town where he then stopped to try to give us directions to the nearest Hastane (hospital). It was here that Nedret's sister's hubby (sorry temporarily forgotten his name!) unexpectedly met up with us. He took down the bus driver's details and after establishing that Paul didn't have any broken bones so probably didn't need to go to hospital, escorted us to the Shakespeare (!!!!) restaurant where we were due to have dinner that night. Because of the accident camping was not really an option and Paul was desperate for a shower to clean himself up. One of the waiters from the restaurant walked us to a cheap hotel opposite the train station where we quickly booked in, cleaned up, redressed Paul's wounds and hobbled our way to the restaurant just in time for Ramadan. There awaiting us was the family and the most sumptuous meal. There was soup, bread, olives, figs, dates, cold meats, assortment of cheeses, salad - and this was just the starter. Next came along our choice of meat (steak for both of us) served with chips, rice and spicy vegetables. And there was the traditional Ramadan pudding. Our glasses were never empty of water, which was much needed after quite an eventful day. And the meal was finished with numerous glasses of sweet Turkish tea. It was soon discovered that one of the waitresses in the restaurant spoke reasonably good English so the manager quickly appointed her to our table where she sat with us translating between us and the family. After the meal we walked round the corner to a restored covered market full of bars and cafes where we ate yet another dessert. By this time, the shock from the day's events had taken its toll on Paul and he needed to go back to the hotel and sleep. They kindly walked us back, apologising for not organising any accommodation for us themselves. All night they had refused any of our offers of contributions towards the costs of the evening. Their generosity was overwhelming and meant that we felt even more part of the Küplü family. Tuesday 9th November Rest and recovery day in Eskışehır. Wednesday 10th November 2611.0miles, Eskışehır, Turkey Today is our second day in Eskışehır where Paul is trying to recover from the accident. We went to the hospital this morning and he definitely didn't have any broken bones. We have been toying with the idea of getting a bus to Konya but would really prefer to wait until Paul is better to continue by bike. Eskışehır is a university town so not the worst place to be but we already feel like we have been here too long. Thursday 11th November The decision to take the bus to Konya was quickly dismissed and we set off by bike. We felt that the two days in Eskışehır was indeed long enough and without a degree of trepidation for Paul we left on Thursday. The next four days weren't going to be the easiest days riding (in fact for Paul it was probably going to be the worst and most painful) but as we cycled we realised it was worth it. The landscape has been some of the most exciting and beautiful so far. We've been riding across the Anatolian Plateau, surrounded by huge mountains like folds in a great blanket under a vast clear blue sky. The browns, golds and reds of this incredible scenery are broken by sparse vegetation and occasional towns and villages. The play of light on this desolate landscape has an amazing effect, changing the view constantly. We always seemed to be accompanied by great swarms of small birds and the occasional magpies. On the morning of our departure from Eskışehır as we summoned the courage to leave (eager to leave, but concerned how Paul would fare) we were stopped briefly by a young Turkish man with a cockney accent who'd spent quite a while in Hackney. He thought we were crazy but wished us well in our travels. Bizarre encounter. The pace was slower than normal as we picked our way out of the city but this was to be expected with the previous few days` events. As we got further away from the city we picked up a reasonable rhythm for about 25 miles until we reached a petrol station on the side of the road where we decided to stop and have a drink. One of the petrol attendants, Brahim, spoke broken English and we chatted to him and he introduced us to his two 4-month-old puppies, Puli and Pali. Once again Kate was in her element and enjoyed sharing her biscuits with them! He assured us that Allah would watch over us as we continued on our travels. With that in mind we set off and within metres had turned off the main road onto a quieter route. Now heading south, we kept passing not the usual mountains but huge mountains of turnips recently collected from the harvest. It was an incredible sight - how many thousands of the things we saw we have no idea! Unfortunately we couldn't even nick a few to try roasting on our petrol stove as they were bound to get burnt within seconds! Sometime after 2 o'clock we pulled into a town called Çifteler and rode into the town square to make lunch. As we sat there next to the mosque, we watched the daily routine of men washing their hands and their feet in the public fountain before going into the mosque for afternoon prayer. Again we were assumed to be German as a couple of the older local men tried to talk to us. As normal Kate upon discovering that they spoke German launched into a full-on conversation with them, only to realise a few minutes later that they had very basic knowledge of the language so hadn't really understood all her waffle. Oh well! Paul seems to have the same feeling when talking to Kate at times! Wanting a quick çay before heading off for the last of the day's riding (it was still early afternoon so we had plenty of time to make some distance) we sat down at the local çay house. We were soon getting lost in a discussion over where we should eat and sleep that night which was beginning to involve all the men in the town! We got more and more frustrated as all we wanted to do was continue cycling but with no way of getting this message across. They all seemed adamant that we were to stay for Ramadan dinner and sleep in the town's hotel. All the while this well-intentioned discussion was continuing we were getting nowhere and it was already 4 o'clock (due to the clocks changing the sun now sets at around 5 o clock). Eventually a man with perfectly good English appeared allowing us to explain our intentions as quickly as possible. By now it seemed unwise to continue much further and so a few kilometres down the road we found a suitable camping spot. Well that was until the council wardens turned up and gestured that we should camp near their water station where we would be safe from robbers, drunkards and stray dogs. Having pitched our tent, we were soon having çay with one of the workers in the noisy pump room. As a return gesture for his offer of peanuts, we brought out our packet of crisps. We found it amusing that whilst he smoked about 30 cigarettes a day he wouldn't touch crisps because they would give him cancer. Never mind, all the more for us! In no time at all, the other worker and two friends turned up. They were apparently going fishing that night but we saw no rod just a rifle which they were busily loading up. They gestured to Paul that he should join them and leave Kate in the tent, where a woman should be, but Paul politely refused, not wanting to run across the pitch black countryside with 4 crazed Turkish men and a loaded gun! We instead retired to our tent with the bread, cheese, olives and fruit that they had given us. We only ate the bread as the 'off' cheese had contaminated the rest of the food making it inedible (out of politeness we waited until we were well away from the campsite the next morning before dumping their food - sorry!). It was however a beautiful evening looking at the millions of stars, although the weather turned freezing over night and we had to put on all our clothes to stay warm. Friday 12th November At least it warmed up quickly the next morning, as we continued southwards. Despite some more sustained climbing (not a patch on Bileçik) we had a beautiful day's riding. By this time though Paul's knee had unexpectedly started to cause more problems and was making riding more and more difficult for him. He was now relying on regular doses of Ibuprofen to keep him pedalling.....along with Kate's soothing words of course. A couple of km outside the town called Çay we pulled over into a sparse orchard as the sun was beginning to set. The rutted surface and the covering of small thorns made it not ideal but we stuck with it anyway. A small amount of paranoia set in as we watched a pack of 15 or so stray dogs troop past. They stopped and regarded us for some time, sniffing and barking at us before heading off into the woods, leaving us unsure as to whether they would return. Despite this, we had a relatively peaceful night, but the cold made it hard to sleep. Saturday 13th November The sunrise the next morning was beautiful as it came up from behind the mountains and settled amongst the trees. Our hands and feet were painful with cold as we took down our tent, packed up our bags and rejoined the road. It wasn't until a couple of hours later when we stopped for a cup of tea that our hands and feet started to feel a bit more human again. As we pedalled on that morning Kate's bike started to handle strangely and on inspection we found that she had gained our first puncture on this trip. Yippee! So there we were sat on the side of the road in the dust, both of us trying to locate the source of the puncture and the tiny hole in the inner tube. We did find one small thorn, which may have been the culprit, but after replacing the inner tube, we had to continue riding unsure as to whether we had fixed the problem or given ourselves two tubes with holes in them. We realised that our paranoia of punctures was at its height when, on seeing brightly coloured fragments in the road, Paul shouted to Kate 'Glass watch out!', only to cycle over them and discover that they were in fact Gummi Bears (Jelly Babies)! Who in their right mind would scatter sweets, let alone Jelly Babies, on the road! Sacrilege! Getting to close to Akşehir we stopped at a roadside shop for a quick Fanta. There we sat with the shop owners, Abdil and his wife who decided on our return trip in 2006 we would travel with them to Antalya for a holiday - thus improving Anglo-Turkish relations! Oh by the way, since staying with the family in Kula, it seems that we will be spending our next holiday in 2006 travelling around Turkey with some of the locals we have befriended. At least that's sorted! Late in the afternoon we arrived in the next big town called Ilgin. We were quickly directed to an extremely cheap hotel (there was no possibility of camping and we were not looking forward to another cold night, especially with Paul's knee giving him grief). Of course you wouldn't expect the showers to be in the same building but across the road somewhere when you're paying only 4 pounds a night for two people in a three bed room. The usual hole in the floor Turkish toilets were particularly grim here. At least we had a wonderful meal in the surprisingly plush restaurant next door for the same price as the hotel. Paul and Kate x
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Challoner's, Fasiledes, Amersham, Buckinghamshire