Çay to Ankara, the Central Anatolian Plateau

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Bryan Keith

Çay to Ankara.  What a difference from the Antalya to Çay week.  It wasn’t Illinois-flat or even Kansas-flat, but after Çay I definitely left the mountains.  I tried to find the highest mountains out there on the rolling Anatolian Plateau by going over Arayit Dağı and Elma Dağ, but they were the exception and certainly not spectacular.

Any cyclist will tell you it’s a bit crazy to cross the central Anatolian Plateau in summer (it’s not my fault really; blame Antalya).  It’s hot, and there’s no shade.  Really, there are no trees out there.  It’s incredible.

DSCN9823 by bryandkeith on flickr
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Antalya to Çay, on the road again

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Bryan Keith

Even the sky was crying when I pedaled out of Antalya late on a Thursday afternoon.  I rode into a headwind and a storm but hardly noticed the weather with all the emotions of leaving.  There was lightning and wind, and I did have the sense to get my tent setup before the two hour deluge.  Wow, in three months that’s perhaps the third time it rained like that in Antalya.  What a time to choose to start a tour!

It is a bit ironic that I spent the best riding months of the year having a most fabulous time in Antalya.  If I’m careful, that just might happen again.

Back to life on the road.  I’m slowly making the adjustment.  Navigation, however, has been easy.  I know it’s possible to find bad roads to cycle in Turkey.  So many cyclists choose bad roads into Istanbul that travellingtwo described an alternative.  But, really, I’m not sure that I know of an easier country for finding fantastic back roads with so little traffic.

Consider this, a day out of Antalya:

DSCN9628 by bryandkeith on flickr
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Antalya’dan çıkmışım

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Bryan Keith

Well, given my poor record attempting to leave Antalya, I’m hesitant to say I’ve left before I actually have.  Luckily Turkish has a suffix for such uncertainty (miş)!!!  I don’t expect a lot of internet access on the road for the next couple weeks so here goes:

After three months, I left Antalya!

DSCN9608 by bryandkeith on flickr
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On religion

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Bryan Keith

Perhaps one of the more unusual cultural experiences I’ve had in Antalya is attending Friday noon prayers at a mosque.  I went to three different mosques on three different Fridays with three different groups of people.  I’ve been invited again but decided it’s not for me.  It was interesting to participate in something that I’ve seen photos of, that I’ve observed from the outside, that I’ve seen on TV, that is an important five-times-a-day ritual for millions of people in the world.

DSCN9443 by bryandkeith on flickr
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Antalya’da günlerim

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Bryan Keith

With the exception of two or maybe three holidays (Children’s Day, Çocuk Bayramı, and Labor Day, İşçi Bayramı), I’ve been to Turkish class every weekday since since I’ve been in Antalya.  In that respect it’s sort of like work, except that instead of getting paid, I pay.  Another difference is that I spend my evenings doing homework.  Sounds like some self-inflicted punishment, doesn’t it?

My first lessons were private with Mehtap, a young ambitious woman who opened her own language school in Antalya a few years ago.  I stayed with her mother, Fadime, and brother, Murat, for almost two months before moving into a house in the old historic part of the city.

Fadime is a good cook.  Her hummus, dolma, and sarma dinner was my favorite:

Dolmas and sarma, hummus and turşu --- mmm by bryandkeith on flickr
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