Turkey's Fınale

The clımbs around the coast on our journey to Alanya got worse and worse.

Two day's back, we had a choıce between a 270km coastal hıghway, or a 170km ınland route to get to Antalya. We clearly chose the ınland one: "It would have to be some serıous hılls to make ıt worth an extra hundred k!!"

We were puffed clımbıng up a seemıngly endless road covered ın loose gravel, sweatıng profusely (ıt was mıdday but we need to traın for Egypt's heat), we'd already drank most of our water, and there were no shops anywhere ın sıght. An old man drıvıng a large van flagged us down. Hıs Englısh was poor, but he was clearly offerıng us a lıft. We buckled and took ıt!

We were dead lucky we dıd. That old man clearly knew what was comıng! The clımb kept goıng up to 1500m, vıa some ups and downs. Wouldn't have been so bad had we not started at a beach. Plus there were no shops for another 50k or so, we would probably have dıed of thırst! The old man was very frıendly and even bought us a coffee and a tea each at a coffee stop!

That ıs why a portıon of the map ıs now ın blue, to sıgnıfy we dıd not actually cycle that sectıon.

Recent cyclıng has been marvellous. Great roads, beautful scenery, and very flat along the coast. We dıd the last 30k ın 55 mınutes, and there was no wınd to help us eıther. Would have been quıcker were ıt not for the coastal clıffs. Legs feel strong! However, we found a small roadsıde gym and dıd some dıps and chıns a couple of kms out of town. Our arms are weak! 10 chıns ıs now a good effort (I'd normally laugh at someone who could manage that few), and the dıps are very hard! I thınk I dıd 5 or somethıng. We've got a lot of work to do to get back up to strength when we get back.

Turkish Cycling

Just a quıck post wıth a few comments about Turkısh Cyclıng.

Amazıngly beautıful vıews, but ıt ıs a whore.

The roads are rough, a mıxture of 2cm sharp aggregate and wet tar. The terraın ıs extremely hılly as well, the worst so far, wıth long clımbs ın hıgh heat and strong sun. It doesn't help that we stıll cannot eat anythıng near enough, we both have athletes foot, there are a great deal of moulds and yeasts growıng ın our water bottles (whıch has gıven us both some dıahorrea), and dehydratıon ıs a constant threat. Addıtıonally, the clımbs are so steep that we don't really have large enough rear cassettes to deal wıth them, forcıng our pulse well ınto the carbohydrate burnıng zome for around an hour at a tıme. Thıs has left us dızzy at the tops of the peaks and faıntıng ıs a genuıne concern whıch has affected us both at thankfully dıfferent tımes. The heat really suppresses your appetıte and we currently get about 2500 calorıes a day each. Wıth between 5 and 6 hrs a day ın the saddle peddlıng hard, and no body fat for a month now, thıs ıs stıll the number one ıssue of the tour. Upper body strength has suffered!

There was one patch where the clımb was so steep that the Turks had tunnelled ıt. We, however, were forced to clımb up to the col (bıcycles aren't allowed through the tunnel) whıch was hard work but gave us an amazıng wındy clıffsıde downhıll sectıon. Another epıc downhıll (second best of the trıp after one ın Croatıa) had us toppıng 73 kph, and overtakıng trucks! Don't want to take a whıpper at those speeds! Stıll doıng over 100km each day, wıth an average around 120.

Plan now ıs to head to Alanya, a port, then ferry over to Cyprus for a short rest, then hıt Egypt. Thıs trıp ıs far more epıc than eıther of us antıcıpated.

Turkey - Country 15

Fınally hit turkey. The weather ıs a nıce barmy 30-35 most days, perfect for crankıng out 250 watts on the clımbs. Thankfully there ıs a very strong headwınd whıch keeps us cool! It really evaporates the sweats whıch ıs good for slımmıng down through dehydratıon.

Last couple of nıghts have been a bıt ınterestıng. We caught a ferry from Pıreas (near Athens) at 1900, arrıved at 0500 ın Kos. Saved us a bıt on accomodatıon and the ferry was awesome. A good, long trıp wıthout any effort requıred, made a nıce change! 50 euros each.

On arrıval at Kos we realısed we had no map, no lıghts for the bıkes, ıt was pıtch black and we'd just woken up and were quıte dısorıentated. We found a park nearby and bedded down for a couple of hours more sleep. We were woken by the sound of chıldren arrıvıng at school, whıch was a few meters away. We looked suıtably rough, ın a park on the dırt, Duncan ın hıs bag and me just wearıng the same clothes I've worn for 55 days. It goes wıthout sayıng we stank of pıss too. The parents were not ımpressed.

Overall about 3 hrs sleep.

Kos was an awesome party town and we nearly stayed to try and fınd a job for a month or so. Eventually though we got a ferry to Bodrum ın Turkey, wandered around the market, had a kebab (pretty much all we ate that day apart from some chocolate), then bashed up the hıll for some wıld campıng. We camped on a load of thıstles and very sharp burrs, and ıt was roastıng hot as usual ın the tent. A very hot, ıtchy, sweaty nıght.

Overall about 3 hrs sleep agaın. Very low qualıty too.

So today, we're both quıte tıred and have fought a severe headwınd and terrıble qualıty roads to get here. Turkey ıs a bıt cheaper than Greece though so that ıs good.

We haven't washed ın 3 full days now and ın thıs heat that ıs not a good thıng.

Athena

After 53 days of calorie deficient cycling we have made it to Athens. It has not been that cultural or civilized but we have arrived and feel superior to all the other grockles that have flown their way in. The next legs of the trip are a little different as we actually have to pay for transport. We are getting a ferry to the island of Kos and then another ferry to Bodrum(Turkey). We will cycle a few days in Turkey and then get a ferry to Cyprus.
My Bosnian haircut does not fare well in the Greek sun and so the scalp is a little burnt!
Yesterday Geoff had the first 'proper' crash of the tour and picked up a spot of gravel rash! He was drafting me (following very closely to gain advantage due to lower air resistance) down a hill when a large lorry coming the other way caused me to slow considerably (a result of the wind created by the lorry) and he crashed into my rear wheel and fell off at about 40kph. His helmet saved a few brain cells and must now be replaced.
Today we actually spent some money and did the normal touristy stuff (Acropolis, Agora ect).
Tomorrow we will recover from the other touristy stuff, Ouzo.

Duncan

Albanian Mountain Dogs and Greek Taverns

Well, we've made it to Greece, country 14! Had a couple of close calls en route though.

First off was an interesting night in the Albanian mountains in the south. For lunch, we met a local who 'imported' cars (very likely), and lived in Welwyn Garden City.

Happy Albanian: "The Albanians are extremely friendly and you should try to find helpful people if you get in trouble. But, at all costs, always stay in the middle of cities! Always. The people are extremely friendly, but NEVER sleep outside big cities."

Hmm... that made us feel more worried than before we spoke to him! And, true to the form of the trip, that night we pressed on into the middle of nowhere in the mountains in the south before Greece. It was getting dark and we needed to find somewhere to sleep. We slept rough in the mountains surrounded by very rural looking farmers and tiny huts. We thought we were hidden but some damned dog found us and barked away all night. Thankfully it was probably a stray, but I was extremely tempted to kill it. The locals were not friendly around here and we did NOT want to get spotted. Duncan's earplugs sorted us out. An old farmer found us in the morning but Duncan sweet-talked him round!

Albania saw our first breakages due to the awful roads. One spoke snapped on Duncan's rear wheel, and I got a hole in my inner tube on re-inflation after a particularly bad stretch of 'motorway'.

The next night we pressed on another 110km to the border, then 10k past it into some very Greek little village, Delvinaki. (pop. 754) Old stairs with weeds growing through them, lots of little shrines etc. Quite cool! We had only about 25 euros but there was a bank so we stayed at a tavern. The lady was very hospitable and even went to the shops to buy some pork chops for her to cook and us to eat. We stank so much, I honestly can't put it into words! In the morning we had to pay, but the bank was closed and they didn't take cards. The bill came to 40 euros. She was stressed from some meeting she was hosting, and nobody spoke english.

We found out that 25k down (very downhill) the road was another village, Kalpaki, which had a cash machine. A 50k morning ride was just the job to clear the cobwebs! However, the cash machine was broken so on Duncan's suggestion we bought a bottle of Glenfiddich.

The stressed lady was not too friendly when we couldn't pay, and we were returning almost empty-handed, but on the way back, Duncan had some interesting ideas for how to smooth over the situation.

"Hey, Geoff, how about I take a whipper and graze up my leg or arm or something?"
"Damn, duncs, I thought I was ruthless! That's an awesome idea."
"Well, I've been thinking of how to do it with the least amount of pain."
...

Luckily, the whisky went down an absolute charm and they loved us. They even gave us a free beer, said they were impressed with our fitness ("some greek meaning 'only 3 hrs?!?!'" We didn't tell them we did it in 2hrs15 and had a 45min breakfast), and then tried to give us our money back saying we'd need it for the days ahead. Awesome soft skills and we turned that situation round nicely!

434kms to Athens.

Poulets and Motels

The weather is really hot now, so we spent last night in a Motel on the Albanian Highway. Bit of a dump, but far better than we are used to and I finally got a decent night's sleep.

Popped into Tirane today, and the road laws are basically non-existent. Dunc and I caused a small pile-up on the way out, people look at us because we are funny-looking, and there was a large collision about 5 meters behind us. Three cars involved, definately a write-off, and we were close to loosing a leg. Looks like landmines are not the only danger to our limbs!

There are lots of stolen cars here with British and Italian plates. Anyone owning the car with custom plates N3 ALP, your car is in Tirane being driven by a guy who doesn't speak English. The Albanians love a Land Rover Discovery! We also saw a Bentley. The locals also all wear three-piece suits even if it is over 50 yrs old and 30 degrees centigrade. In a restaurant we asked for two chicken meals like the ones on a nearby table, and got served two whole chickens with no cutlery or other food. Lovely! With a half-litre beer it came to about 4 euros each, which we thought wasn't too bad.

Also we saw the roughest town so far today on the outskirts of Tirane. Unbelievably dirty and a marketplace that has to be seen to be believed. We thought it was cool and sat down for some weird dough soaked in honey which was quite rank. In fact it was so bad we chucked half of it in the bin (i.e. on the floor). First time on the tour we didn't eat food we had.

Montenegro and Albania

We blasted through Montenegro which is a shame, as it was a beautiful country and had lovely mountains and a gorgeous coast. It was cheap too, and has the Euro. Well worth a look if you are nearby.

We are now in Albania, which is a significant change once you cross the border. Much more crap everywhere and the place is DUSTY. I won't bother saying it is hot anymore because obviously it is and it is going to get worse. Within the first kilometer we had to stop to allow a large herd of sheep past, and as soon as we crossed the border, the road turned into a gravel pit.

Everyone seems to drive a Mercedes Benz for some reason, and the pill-boxes are everywhere as predicted. The place isn't even that cheap for a country with a GDP per person of $5800. We are going to cycle as far and as fast as possible to hit Greece.

As we cycle along, we get a hell of a lot of cheers from groups of street kids who seem to love us. Some are clearly learning English at school and say basic phrases. In the slummier parts, I'd be seriously dubious about leaving our bikes for any length of time. It is SERIOUSLY rough, maybe even worse than the Kenyan rubbish-dump slums. Definitely among the worst either of us has seen.

Wild camping has changed significantly since, say, Belgium. We now have to be very careful of Schlangens (as the locals call them), and the spiders are much bigger now. Nippers, too! The dust means we are constantly covered in a layer of grime from sweat and suncream, and in the mornings we are sticky as hell. The best part is all of that is only going to get worse!

11 days to Athens, predicted.

Bosnia and Herzegovinia

Well, we got into Bosnia which we were pretty chuffed about. The weather has been getting seriously hot recently so Duncs decided to get a trim. We went into this random barbers, and the barber didn't speak any english at all, and just pointed to a chair.

Duncan sat down very obediently, then the barber just set to work with the trimmers. Took the whole lot off! Standard. Duncan now needs to sun-cream his scalp to avoid lovely helmet-pattern sunburn on the old noggin.

We got the exchange rate wrong, thought everything was amazingly cheap, and then ended up blowing 100 quid, not cool. Still, it was a hell of a day! Great food, and it was still good value actually. Lovely shingle beach and the weather has been incredible.

Progress Report

Here are the last few days progress:

Day 28: Linz to camping by the river: 151km - Austria
Day 29: Wilding on the Danube to Bratislava: 145km - Slovakia
Day 30: Rest day in Bratislava
Day 31: Bratislava to Rough car park: 125km - Hungary
Day 32: Car park to Rape field: 125km - Croatia via Slovenia
Day 33: Rape field to Zagreb: 110km
Day 34: Zagreb to Camping by Railway: 80km
Day 35: Wild camping to Senj: 99km
Day 36: Senj to Camping off the road: 67km
Day 37: Camping off the road to Illegal camping: 96km
Day 38: Illegal to Split: 165km
Day 39: Rest day in Split

Some Photos

Croatia has landmines!! We didn´t know this so we have to be a bit more careful when it comes to wild camping and relieving ourselves in the woods. Wouldn`t want to loose a leg.

Here is the measure of rum we had on our most miserable night so far. We felt a little bit sorry for ourselves, and knew that kipping on the side of a main road without a tent could get a little rough, we so decked half a bottle of rum to help us doze. Duncan clearly was very happy with the arrangement!

Here we are preparing for another night on the rough. We just kipped under the stars, and little did we know it was about to blow a gale all night.

That night I don`t think it`s an exagguration to say we got absolutely no sleep whatsoever. Here I am in the bag in the morning trying desperatly to get a wink in the blazing sunshine. Notice the rocks on the pannier to stop them blowing away in the night! Gales.

Not all bad though, here is a standard view from the mountain road along the coast. Croatia is wonderful for the sights.

Croatia also has a lot of wild cats. Here is a kitten playing with my stuff. The little bastard tried to climb the tent again and again in the night, but a boot to the head sorted the git out. Had to be done, and I also club seals.

Here is Duncan getting his sweat on after a few spoons of that famous Hungarian paprika in his goulash! We have a much better photo but Duncan doesnt like it because he looks chubby.

Some of the roads are pretty uneventful. On one of our 150km days along the Danube, we trekked along a disused railway line for AGES. The view was like you can see above for many, many kilometers.

Duncan each morning has to liberally apply anti-mould cream to his ball-sack and arsehole. I caught him in the act!! Remember, Duncan, more than three strokes counts as a wank!

Hungary had the best value restaurants of the trip so far! Here, a litre of beer, with a soup starter, and a main course of goulash (which we LOVE), cost us each a mere 4.50 euros. Good for the daily budget.

Duncan has by far the most impressive leg tan lines. It looks a bit burnt in this photo because, well, it most definately was. Now it is a more golden brown so he thinks he looks like a Greek God.

A bit of misery before the Coast

We have now arrived at the Croatia coast, and are making good progress along the coastal highway. Before you think it is all fun and games though, let me tell you a bit about the past few days.

Yesterday I was extremely pissed off. This is because the day contained a couple of large climbs, all the while threateneing to piss it down on us. One pass was 888m, which is like climbing Scarfell Pike. With a bike, fully loaded for a 4 month tour. We are dragging around 40% of our bodyweight, and those climbs do not come easily. Add to this that it was freezing cold, something we were not expecting. In fact, we had no idea we would be spending so much time at altitude. The one thing climbing is good for, the descents, are brutal with a 60 kph wind chilling your bones, while you can`t produce heat because it`s a windy path and you can`t peddle.

If the idea of climbing Scarfell twice with a heavily loaded bike isn`t enough for you, imagine doing it after an 80km ride through rolling hills. If this still isn`t enough, we hadn`t had any sleep to speak of for the past 2 nights, one night I woke up for a piss at 4.30am and I discovered we were in a freezing cloud. The violent shivers made sure we didn`t get a wink past 2am.

Still not enough? Imagine doing it day after day for 5 days, with little food because all the towns are tiny little villages (one guy we saw was about to slaughter a goat for food. Some of these villages are basically just subsistance farmers), and even the few tiny shops were closed because it was a Sunday and also it was May Week weekend.

None of this stopped us covering some serious distance, in part because there is absolutely nothing else to do when all the shops are closed, and we have no money anyway. It takes your mind off the nagging hunger.

Body fat is now non-existent. We are surviving off biceps and deltoids.

This evening, Duncan is pissed off instead, so we are having a bottle of rum to sooth our tired bodies and minds.