12-21/3/2016 Cide to Akakent

Taking pride in their environment the boys planting Plane trees at Cide

The Black Sea is remarkably clear

12/3/2016 Cide to Doganyurt
D76, T6, Av12.4, max48, 51475, 742, Alt up1855m
Cool
I was a bit concerned about leaving here with this tooth pain. However on waking it felt remarkably pain free. The antibiotics had done their job it seemed.
The pain was not so bad even after having breakfast. On leaving, the 2 man staff said I owed them more money. I had infact paid for 3 nights. They said no. I did not want to argue.
In future any stays longer than two nights I will be getting receipts as I pay. The offsider here collected 40TL off me in the morning and denied it the next day.
Riding from town it was a steep climb out as per usual. The pain was minimal. I felt great.
There were some fantastic little bays on this stretch of the road. Can the pharmacist in Cide had told me about these little bays. One in particular that had a great seafood restaurant on the shores. I saw it but really did not feel I would enjoy the food as much as I should so kept riding.
At Evrenye there was a lovely old wooden tourist boat anchored in the harbour. The coast just comes to a total standstill in winter. So prices must be high in summer because many businesses only make money for 6 months of the year .
There are still plenty of water points on the road. It is so nice to be drinking chilled water. We actually got used to drinking hot water whilst cycling through Africa.
At about 1600hrs up high above the sea in the mist, another rider was approaching me. It was Juri from Switzerland who had ridden from Mongolia to here over the last 7 months and was on his way back to Zurich. We talked solidly for an hour or more.
We shared some hot cay he had. It was a shame it wasn’t earlier in the day.
We just had to keep going.
I arrived after dark at Yoganhurt. There was one restaurant open, here I enjoyed salad and and fried meatballs, basic , but inside the warm building it was great. The people in there told me to go and camp on the foreshores.
I rode down there in the dark. Down here were these small picnic gazebos big enough to shelter my tent and bike.
It was great, outside was foggy and very damp.
It was right on the harbour front.

13/3/2016 Doganyurt to Enabolu
D36, T2.5, Av12.26, max61, 51511, 778, Alt up790m
Wet
The morning saw the fog lifted, though things were still very damp. I had my cereals and a coffee and rode down to the end of the substantial breakwall to have a look about.
What was most obvious was the steep climb out of the village up the hill.
It was a steady climb, 10 degrees in places. There were houses perched on the seaward side of the road wide huge views across the Black Sea.
Coming down into one village. The men outside a cay house yelled to me if I wanted cay. I stopped and had a chat as best I could. One of the men was 90 years of age . He was one of those old people that have a lovely aura about them . He looked content with everything around him. It was quite a humbling experience. He was half my life time older than me.
On arriving at Enabolu. I asked a few locals about a hotel. Two guys on bikes directed me to the hotel Istiklal. It was very very comfortable and an easy flight of stairs up.
I set my very wet tent up in the common area upstairs.
It was great to be warm and cosy. I did some washing as usual. A wander downtown to eat saw me have plenty of choices as there were little eating houses everywhere.
The town had narrow cobbled streets and some very up market shops.
The next morning I headed off to see the dentist , Mustafa Fakasli. He could not speak English, so we had to call his daughter in Istanbul who did the translation for us. Anyway he re-glued a loose crown but said the rear tooth giving me all the problems was still infected and he did not want to pull it out.
The pain was still there but bearable. I decided to do something about it in one of the bigger towns further east.
I needed some new reading glass as my second pair had broken in the last couple of days. There were two good optometrists in town an off the shelf pair of 2.5’s was bought .I always carry a spare pair.
The afternoon was spent watching movies and sleeping. As said before there is little guilt felt about doing nothing when stopped in these towns.
I did go for a walk down to the foreshores. Here I just sat on a pier and did some reflecting on life.
I find myself as happy as I have been for a long time. Having said this I was happy but not truly happy. Each day is like living a dream for me whilst I am doing this.
Some thoughts come to mind. This was posted on my instagram account

Upon reflection. This journey in Turkey to date has seen me experience so much sheer mindful pleasure and excruciating physical pain. Pain that I feel has made me a stronger and better person in the face of few resources at times.
Here in Cide, on the Black Sea, for 3 days trying to eradicate a tooth infection and associated sharp pain with antibiotics before moving on east to have it extracted somewhere in a bigger town.
Such has been the risk of adhoc dentistry in numerous countries over the last 5 years.
Having an extremely positive mind and doing something that brings me so much enjoyment, both worldly and spiritually renders these small set backs, just part of the greater journey. Where for me, the unknown of each day, provides a lust for life, that proudly, is not driven by the accumulation of unnecessary wealth and material items. Things that render many people my age, time poor and unable to truly breakfree from the world they know, though they may desire to do so.
Having said this, it is always refreshing being around people who are genuinely passionate about their existence, whatever that may be, not their possessions!!
My comments to anyone considering this or any kind of adventure, are to depart in possession of unlimited time. Having this, will make it so much more rewarding than that of unlimited money! Of course some helps!!
It's time to drop 2 more Dexiren,
Damn it

15/3/2016    Enabolu to Turkeli, Cetin hotel
D57, T4, Av14.14, max55, 51560, 835, Alt up952
Wet
After two relaxing days here it was good to be on the road again.
Coming on to the sea shore, there were some reasonable waves. A weather system was in the north over the Ukraine and Russia.
It was a grey old day but it felt so good to be riding again. The road continued along the coast. Up and down continuously.
Again every reasonable size town had a high class safe marina. These have probably been constructed for strategic reasons.
The road followed the coast again. There is such a contrast from day to day. On overcast days everything is so bleak, yet on fine clear days it is just magical. The extremes are great.
I stopped for lunch in Abana, after having a good look around for a suitable place to eat. All were over priced I felt. A place was found that was well heated with a little wood burner.
Here two bowls of soup were enjoyed. Whilst eating it began to pour outside. It was perfect timing.
The hazelnut trees are well advanced here with a lot of leaf out. The day was cold and damp, the only way to beat it was to keep moving. It is tricky in this hill country. One moment you are hot and sweaty then the next going down the hills it is very cold as the sweat chills.
On arrival in Turkeli, there were two hotels in the main downtown area, it was a small seaside village,. One looked closed and the other turned out to be a full size apartment like place. It was heated with a bar heater but was very spacious and warm.
There were three beds to choose from. I am trying to avoid camping on these very cold nights. I don’t mind. Though when a reasonable priced hotel can be found I tend to opt for the room. .

16/3/2016    Turkeli, Cetin hotel to Sinop, Reis hotel
D95, T6.38, Av14.38, max60, 51663, 930 , Alt up1613
Wet
Having so much room, I decided to cook fried potatoes for breakfast. Having had little for dinner last night, muesli was also enjoyed. I am buying small packs of UHT milk which is everywhere for sale here. Milk powder is only available in the bigger supermarkets.
There was a steady climb a few km from town. The roads were still very wet and rough in places.
Once this was negotiated, the road levelled out quite a bit. At the top snow was only just a couple of hundred metres above me on the hills, it was very cold.
There were no places to eat at for most of the trip to Sinop. In a small village a market next to a cay house was stopped at here just some basic stuff was bought, some chocolate and biscuits which were enjoyed over a couple of cays.
Riding along the flatish good condition road, a dog come running from behind a wire fence and come out onto the road and promptly latched onto mty rear pannier to the point where he slowed me down. I gave him a good yelling at. Ironically Yuri had been attacked by the same dog.
As said most dogs here are just all bark.
Getting closer to Sinop, there was lush pasture, sheep were seen grazing with their owners and dogs nearby. It reminded me of Africa where this is a very common sight, especially in Ethiopia.
Once in Sinop, it was difficult to find a hotel that was cheap. Some students said I could stay with them but their apartment was 10 floors up. This was no good. I finally booked the hotel Reis it was costly at 60Tl but was comfortable with great views down to Gerze across the water and to the snow covered hills.
It had been a big day. I wandered down to the local restaurant and had Lahmacun.
Back at the room sleep came very easy in the heated room after a good hot shower.

17/3/2016   Sinop, Reis hotel to Gerze, Yelcin and Elifs house
D38, T2.3, Av14.91, max76, 51702, 968 , Alt up1491
Still very cols about 8°c
Check out was at 1200, so I took my time leaving, just enjoying the warmth and luxury. I wandered into town to buy some new cereal. A walk along the waterfront was also enjoyed. It took me past the old castle walls here in the town.
It was only 38km to my Warmshowers hosts house in Gerze, so there was no hurry.
The road was a dual lane highway, with gentle slopes. It was very easy riding. Though interactions with people were minimal.
I got into Gerze, early and was actually very cold, so tried to find a good restaurant with a warm interior. One was found and Corba enjoyed. A soup.
Yelcin came to meet me, we rode back to his house together. It was a heritage house 100 years old. They had spent time fixing it up . Now it was very livable. Upstairs they had a coal, wood heater in a small room. This was divinely warm. We chatted at length. Elif interviewed me for her blog.
They have both done some cycle touring around Turkey. They cooked up a great pasta meal. We chatted into the night .
I slept on the sofa in the heated room.
We laughed because the other day before Sinop I saw some people loading Dahpne onto a truck. I showed them a photo. It turned out the boy on the tractor was one of her students who had phoned in to say he could not make it to school.
You can’t get away with much these days with all the cameras about, especially those on phones.
18/3/2016   Gerze, Yelcin and Elifs house to a bush camp 8km before Bafra
D76, T5, Av14.91, max51, 51778, 1044 , Alt up771
Still very cols about 8°c, warmed up as I left the coast.
I had told Elif I would do the dishes for them, there was a huge pile. It was a pleasure doing them, I don’t do this very often, plus it left me with very warm hands. In town I had corba and Ekmek for breakfast .
I took the old road leaving town, this took me through small villages and up one huge but enjoyable to climb. The new highway was below following the coast in many parts. I stopped at the top of the climb and had Ekmek and the Turkish version of Nutella.
The skies above Turkey are always full of passenger jets. Today I saw 14 planes all at once heading towards Europe. They looked like they were having a race.
It was easy to tell the 380’s and Jumbos by the 4 plumes of jet stream at their rear.
Turkish air space is the safest around these parts I guess.
From here it was all downhill to the new road again.
It was easy riding. I past some factories that absolutely smelt of rotting rich fish.
I stopped at the fishing port of Takakent. Here I had a chat with the fishermen. There is a huge offshore fish farming industry here. The smell coming from the factories was that of fish meal to feed the farmed fish that are held in pens off the coast. The larger trawlers fish in the north up by the Ukraine I was told. I stopped here at a great home cooked restaurant.
I thought about stopping here as it was a relaxed kind of town. No hotels were suitably priced. Looking at the forecast the possibility to camp was available without getting rained upon. The riding was still on dead flat land. As I moved away from the sea it warmed up.
About 8km before Bafra, I found an opening in the guard rail and looked about the fields covered in new grasses. There was a remnant deciduous stand of trees that looked like a good campsite .
I had little water with me. Having had stopped at two houses where no one was home I could only find some water in a bucket that I used to fill one old water bottle. It would have to be boiled to ensure it being free of unwanted organisms.
It was great to be camping again. I set up in the trees. The problem was that the under growth consisted of many thorny vines. A path had to be cleared before the bike could be taken in.
A huge pasta was enjoyed. During the night, I got up for a pee and a local dog spotted me. He proceeded to bark continuously. The only was to stop him with confrontation was to fall back to sleep!!
The tent was on a good slope so sleeping was easy.
19/3/2016   Bush camp 8km before Bafra to Atakent, near Samsun
D48, T2.3, Av18.70, max57, 51825, 1092 , Alt up257
Mild with afternoon rain, day actually got colder.
I was in bed early and as usual awoke early, apart from the dog it had been an uneventful night.
I just had coffee for breakfast, took my time to pack in the hope the tent would dry a little. Though there was no rain the tent was heavily condensated.
I left the area unseen. Some 7km down the road a stop was made at a gas station, here I pitched the tent. In the mild air and wind it was dry in half an hour.
I stopped for lunch in another town. The road now was urbanised all the way. I stopped in another town for fresh fruit and ended up with a flat tyre. This repaired on the footpath with quite an audience. Some guys kindly bought me cay.
Once fixed, I stopped to eat the kiwifruit in a bus shelter. Another few km on and the tyre started deflating again.
Good fortune was upon me as there was a good bike shop almost at the place I pulled in. Here I bought a new tube. The one being repaired was splitting on the rim side. I also bought a small tube of grease, to grease the points where the gear cables go under the frame.
The road got back to the coast again, and with it the cooler temperatures began.
It had looked like rain all morning, it had that feel about it.
It started as I got onto the foreshores at Takakent. I decided to look for a hotel here.
There were ritzy cafes all along the promenade. I was riding on the cycle track here. Going up a side street I chanced up the Blue Dolphin hotel. They gave me a discount for two nights. It was great value for the facilities. In the rain that afternoon I took a 2TL bus ride into the city for a look around. It was a very wet afternoon and evening.

Washing was done and a good shower and shave taken.
The next morning there was this huge breakfast laid on. All sorts of good things like olives and other fruit and cakes.