Today I rode north. I was tempted to ride to eastern Turkey, but to be honest I’ve seen the main things that I came here to see – so I decided to head north and to a slightly cooler climate on the Black Sea…
The Turkish people would not leave me alone today. Along the way you would occasionally pass a shaded area with a water source, and I stopped a few times for shade and a drink. Each time I stopped for a rest and a cool drink, when Turkish people turned up to do the same they would say hello, ask me where I am from and what I’m here for and then tell me the best places to visit in Turkey. At one stop three lads who stopped in a 4×4 seemed like they were arguing about the best places and I felt like creeping away as I didn’t want to cause any fuss. I suppose it was good banter. Some even offered me food, and I made one family happy by letting their son sit on my bike. Smiles from ear to ear…
I am not used to all this kindness…! The Turkish people are so friendly and helpful.
Today was a straightforward ride of 550km on A and some B roads. I left at 7am my camp at Goreme and got to my campsite near Sinop a little after 3pm. The first campsite I tried wouldn’t accept me because it was only for families. And fair enough. The second site I found looked like a refugee site, which I quickly dismissed but eventually I found Marti Camping. And its great. It’s green, has lots of trees for shade, lots of picnic benches and it’s right next to the Black Sea with its own beach. And it’s only £13 a night which is a bonus compared to some of the prices on previous campsite. There is a supermarket about five minutes walk down the road and the campsite is about 10km to the west of Sinop, which is a large town that has a harbour.
One thing that I cannot understand is why the Black Sea is called the Black Sea. Its bright blue. Another of life’s mysteries…
Why did I come here…? In central Turkey it was hot, over 40 degrees, so I wanted to come north where it was slightly cooler. Also, when I do head west towards Istanbul I want to ride along the Black Sea coast-road. I only intended to stay one night, but it’s so peaceful, cool and green here that I am going to stay for two or three nights. Oh yes, I went for a paddle earlier and the sea was nice and tepid – so – I may go for a swim tomorrow…
When you are travelling and camping, routines are important. Like never leaving your food bags outside the tent overnight, or your boots, or even leaving the tent inner open too long. Being near water means moisture – and also lots of mosquito’s. As much as I always try to zip the door closed as quickly as I can, I can guarantee a rogue mozzie will follow me into the tent. When I decide to call it a day, the first thing I do in the evening is to sit for a good five minutes in a zen-like state, cross legged with my torch in one hand shining into the corner as a lure. My other hand holds my hat, which is an excellent mosquito swatter. This evening the mozzies were really intense so I decided to retire to the safety of my tent but two rogue mozzies followed me in. One was soon despatched, but the second took some serious swatting before I got it. It was a crafty devil. The alternative is to just do nothing and wake up full of bites. Camping, eh ..?
