MONDAY 20th JULY 2009 (KUCUKKUYU to IZMIR))

MONDAY 20th JULY 2009


After yesterday's heat we hit the road early to get some miles under our tyres BEFORE it got too hot. It did get to 48 degrees so it was a wise move. It was probably our most boring day ever. No breakdowns, no dramas, no adventure (which is a good thing). Just mile after mile after mile of stinkin' hot bitumen. There was one item of interest though - the HORS clocked over 2,000 kilometers.

We rode for the first few hours (no probs) then once it hit midday we could only ride in half hour bursts before the bike (and oil) just got too hot. Not to mention us. Just when we thought it couldn't get any hotter we would be hit with a heat wave that almost vaporized us...!!!

During the morning we rode past hundreds of zillions of olive trees. Olive Oil is the staple means of income in this area.

We parked up under some trees at a truckies stop and when it came time to roll one of the old fellows stood up and saluted us as we departed. He obviously liked The HORS.

We then rode only another half-hour before having to stop again, this time on a grassy area with the sea right alongside. The HORS was grateful, we were grateful. And here we stayed for at least two hours.

We then made a last ditched effort to get to IZMIR stopping on the outskirts to get our map out and get orientated. Before we even took our helmets off two bottles of ice-cold water appeared and at the end of the arms were two fellows, all smiles and oohhing and aarrhing at the bike. When they found out we were from Australia four more bottles of water and two bunches of grapes were bestowed on us. Gratefully accepted too as we were exhausted from the heat. People are so incredibly friendly in Turkey.

We said our goodbyes and made a bee-line for the port area as this is where we will ship the bike home from. We then weaved our way to the city centre which turned out much easier than expected. Again we stopped to get our map out to get directions and find accommodation. At that precise moment a fellow bike rider came out of his apartment building, complimented the bike and offered to take us to an Otel. He offered us his place but said it wasn't a safe area for the bike because of gypsy's. He rode a Yamaha Dragstar, hugely popular here. We followed him a short way through the narrow streets, that is until he rode through the bollards and we couldn't...!!! Vinie came back laughing. Reverse gear has come in handy on several occasions! He then took Paul on the back and together they went to check out a few places rather than ride the HORS through streets almost too narrow for his hips!

We booked in to Otel BALCA (very nice rooms and a toilet that works - YAY) then went and met Vinie at his uncle's cafe for drinks. 'Drinks' here always refers to Cay (chai), Turkish coffee or water. It's rare to see alcohol. After an hour's supping we said our goodbyes and thanks and went to unpack and get settled into IZMIR.

We're not terribly impressed with the food. There are approximately 400,000 kebab shops and if they don't serve kebabs then there's 101 other ways of serving the same horrible food. We'll have to do some serious searching for something better tomorrow!