- ODO 4450km
- Location A remote Turkish Plateau
- Weather 11-22 Avoiding showers
As the day before I began the day with a climb and decent onto another plateau basin. This time, cold from my morning pre sunrise routine, I put on a playlist my friend Flick has made me for my trip. The small speaker of my phone playing perfect company to the silent morning highway. The work rush still a couple of hours off.
Winding down from 1600 meters with the music off – no speaker could compete with the wind at that speed – I rolled into a small town to buy supplies for the day. The shop keeper was a quiet fella but as I sat outside eating some biscuits he made the Turkish hand gesture for chai. Thumb and little finger out like a rocker, tipped to the mouth thumb to the lips. I agreed and settled into the calming scene. Content to be sat amongst the men of the village watching the comings and goings of each families morning routine. Before finishing the first chai a second was ordered. Downing that and making a move as to not end up with a third I went on to pay to be rebuffed by the quiet shop keeper. I’ve never once paid for chai on the road.
High as a kite on caffeine I plugged back into my playlist and merged onto the highway. I didn’t realise how much handlebar tapping music was in the playlist and kms rolled past.
I stopped for lunch at a restaurant today, sick of my repetitive stove meals. To make up for it I royally over ordered and, after a short nap, felt sick the rest of the ride. As I turned off the highway and avoided the brunt of lingering storm clouds the marsh land opened up a vista of rainy mountains in the sunset. An image of beauty. One of many that Turkey treats you to every day when traveling by bike.
I’ve shared a few playlists that get me through the kms over on this post.
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