Antalya to Denizli to Pamukkale (22kms)11 Jun 2012
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| Monday 11/6/12 Antalya to Denizli, 4hrs on bus. 22ks riding including 15ks to Pamukkale. It takes just 35 mins to ride the 7 ks to the otogar, so easy and enjoyable when there are few people out and little traffic, Nickie even felt brave enough to manage an underpass. Its 34C in the shade at 9am, so we are glad to be on an air conditioned bus. The road immediately climbs steeply into the hills, just rocks and dirt, a desert for about an hour ½. People could die being out in that environment, especially cyclists. The road plateaus and there are a few towns, vineyards and orchards, obviously where there is good irrigation. As we approach Denizli we watch the bus’s outdoor temperature display go steadily up to 38C. Denizli is a huge sprawling place in a mountainous basin, and the heat haze looked like LA smog. In the distant hills we could just make out the cream coloured terraces of Pamukkale, seeming so much farther than 15 ks away! Feeling weak at the thought of cycling in this heat. There is barely space to stand under the platform verandah, water misters are spraying down to keep the crowds from fainting of heatstroke!! The air drys out our nose and throat, we are in a thermowave oven. Quick as we can we put the bikes together and spend the next 4 hours in a café. No airconditioning here, so we sit near an open door, but there is no breeze. Our eyelids are sweating! We google info about getting ferries to Italy and Pete phones about a direct roll on roll off ferry that will depart from Cesme on Thursday 10am arriving Ancona Saturday 6pm. Nickie buys bus tickets to Cesme for 6pm tomorrow. Pete uses “map my ride” route planner to go through some small villages to Pamukkale, 15ks mostly downhill, rather than use the mainroad. We have spent 4 hrs at this café and the waiter has looked over our shoulders and “asked a few questions” and looked at our ride on the map, he has topped up our water bottles. He warmly farewells us, he gives Pete the “ 3 head bow” farewell and back slaps, Nickie gets a lively handshake. At 5pm we head off and its about 34C with a gusty wind that blows at our backs for the first few ks, fast riding. It’s a scenic ride through farmland and the last 5 ks climbing gently, with headwind on dirt road. Very dusty. Outside of a farmhouse, Nickie has to stop to drink, then chokes herself, and has the worst coughing fit. The farmer gestures for us to sit in the shade of his driveway, and his lovely wife brings out chilled water and apricots. His name is Ibrahim, and he continues to work on fixing his gate while we rest, then Pete helps him to fit some wires before we leave. We easily find the campground, and its got a SWIMMING POOL!!!! There are about 12 other campers, travelling on huge Scania trucks, “overlanding” from Istanbul to Bejing. We talk with Grant from Gore, NZ, he has been guiding for 11yrs. What a life!! We get a few groceries at the local market and Nickie asks to take a photo of 2 mamas sitting outside. One of the mamas then asks if we will buy her apricots, we get ½ kilo, 1 lira (75 cents) and they are so juicy!! Our fish meal at the camp is delicious and the little kitten mewing trying to climb up our legs under our table goes hungry. |
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