This entry is dedicated to my biking buddies- You know who you are.
Wish you could have been here too.
I decided to rent a mountain bike and ride around the island of Bozacaada. The island was only 5 kilometers across so I thought I would have a chance of biking around all of it on the paved roads and dirt trails. I bought a bunch of water but didn't get any food as the maps showed a few restaurants along the way.
I got to the rental shop early and got the best bike they had, a Specialised Hard Rock hard tail, a very good bike. I headed south out of town and checked out a few pensions along the way to see if any were affordable. They were very idyllic but not affordable. The country side was extremely dry and rocky and there was little natural vegetation. Along the roads there were lots of small farms growing different crops and amazingly there were vineyards everywhere. The overall effect was really nice and had very much of a Mediterranean feel.
I stopped at one of the local winery's and watched them crushing grapes. I asked if they would let me look around the facility and they let me walk around the tank room and bottling line. Everything was quite new and obviously had quite a bit of money behind it. I tried one of the dry red wines, it was OK but not exceptional.
After thanking the winery people I headed on. There were increasingly fewer hostels and farms and the ride became more rugged and steep. I biked on for the next half an hour. The temps were in the mid 90s and there was no shade anywhere. I was finding myself doing a lot of steep climbing in a pretty strong headwind. I hadn't brought any food and I was worried that I might bonk.
I arrived at the turnoff for one of the best beaches on the island and took it. I wound down a dirt road and after a while arrived at a beautiful crescent cove with a white sand beach and transparent water. I had my swimming trunks on so I left everything in a pile and jumped in. The water was just cold enough to be a shock at first but was a fantastic way to cool off after the brutally hot bike ride. I swam out pretty far in the clear water.
It wasn't until I got pretty far out that I felt the brush on my arm. Then I felt it again. I lifted my head and saw that the water was full of small jellyfish. I looked up and another guy in the water saw the things at the same time. We made eye contact and both hightailed it out of the water at the same time. I dried off in the sun for a while and headed back.
Biking through the vineyards, seeing the winery's and finishing up with the swim was a great experience for me and a definite highlight of my time in Turkey.
Steve
Wish you could have been here too.
I decided to rent a mountain bike and ride around the island of Bozacaada. The island was only 5 kilometers across so I thought I would have a chance of biking around all of it on the paved roads and dirt trails. I bought a bunch of water but didn't get any food as the maps showed a few restaurants along the way.
I got to the rental shop early and got the best bike they had, a Specialised Hard Rock hard tail, a very good bike. I headed south out of town and checked out a few pensions along the way to see if any were affordable. They were very idyllic but not affordable. The country side was extremely dry and rocky and there was little natural vegetation. Along the roads there were lots of small farms growing different crops and amazingly there were vineyards everywhere. The overall effect was really nice and had very much of a Mediterranean feel.
I stopped at one of the local winery's and watched them crushing grapes. I asked if they would let me look around the facility and they let me walk around the tank room and bottling line. Everything was quite new and obviously had quite a bit of money behind it. I tried one of the dry red wines, it was OK but not exceptional.
After thanking the winery people I headed on. There were increasingly fewer hostels and farms and the ride became more rugged and steep. I biked on for the next half an hour. The temps were in the mid 90s and there was no shade anywhere. I was finding myself doing a lot of steep climbing in a pretty strong headwind. I hadn't brought any food and I was worried that I might bonk.
I arrived at the turnoff for one of the best beaches on the island and took it. I wound down a dirt road and after a while arrived at a beautiful crescent cove with a white sand beach and transparent water. I had my swimming trunks on so I left everything in a pile and jumped in. The water was just cold enough to be a shock at first but was a fantastic way to cool off after the brutally hot bike ride. I swam out pretty far in the clear water.
It wasn't until I got pretty far out that I felt the brush on my arm. Then I felt it again. I lifted my head and saw that the water was full of small jellyfish. I looked up and another guy in the water saw the things at the same time. We made eye contact and both hightailed it out of the water at the same time. I dried off in the sun for a while and headed back.
Biking through the vineyards, seeing the winery's and finishing up with the swim was a great experience for me and a definite highlight of my time in Turkey.
Steve
1 comment:
Thanks for the shout out Steve!
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