Friday June 20, 2014, 30 miles (48 km) – Total so far: 3,315 miles (5,335 km)
June 20, 2014 It has been 22 days since we rode and we are feeling it right now. These three weeks and one day have been great with the family but too long a break. In the last few days my sister Tish went home to San Diego, my son Cary to Cape Canaveral, and my cousin Al and his wife Lou to Seattle. Tish returned home to find that her husband Jim and niece Makani remodeled her bathroom in their Pacific Beach home. What a great gift! Today my wife Andrea travelled to Nice, France to explore this country and stay with a previous host Ludovic, in France near Monaco that hitchhiked around the world a few years ago. I’m sure she will have a great time with him and his wife Marisol and their daughter.
Andrea, Jocelyn and I have spent the last three days exploring Turkey and saying goodbye. We have had fun but knew it was time to part once again. Last night we had a wonderful swimming day and dinner at the Elite Hotel Dragos. It was a stormy evening with hail but we managed to meet some wonderful locals at a great restaurant including a local music teacher and musician Mustafa. What a nice guy along with our waiter. As I often say this journey is all about the people you meet. This morning we took a cab back to our touring bike shop Bisiklet Gezgina to mail Jocelyn’s Surly Long Haul Trucker frame home and start our Asia journey with our refitted bikes. She has plans to rebuild this memorable frame as it has thousands of miles on it and she is sad that it cannot continue this world journey. We can’t say enough about Secil, Alexios ,Basak and Rahman. They run a super touring bike shop in Istanbul on the Asia side called Bisiklet Gezgini (www.bisikletgezgini.com). They are at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and have the touring experience and technical expertise to make your bicycle right.
Today Jocelyn test rode her new Santos Travelmaster 2.6 frame and was very pleased. All too soon it was time to say goodbye to my wife of nearly 35 years. For a few seconds I though we have gone far enough with riding through Europe and maybe it was time to go home. But the riding bug took over as Jocelyn and I have many thousands of unridden miles to ride. So we said our goodbyes, and rode out of town. Secil suggested we take a ferry to bypass a huge industrial and traffic area east of Istanbul so we did. It was a good choice as we ferried this 15 miles from Pendik to Yalova. Our current goal is the capitol city of Ankara where we will pick up our Uzbekistan visas. We just received by email our Letter of Invitation that we will present to the embassy. Dates of entry are very important now so the stress factor of crossing countries has increased. We left Bisiklet Gezgina at noon and after 30 miles and the one hour ferry ride we were beat so called it a day at a hotel in the city of Omangazi. We think it was more stress of family parting and riding again. We are very happy to be “on the road again”.
The city of Pendik from the ferry.
Thanks Andee. We miss you too. It seems like ages ago that you were here. I’m glad you had a good time with Ludovic and Marisol. They are both very giving. We are in Ankara still and very confused about forward process and visas. Along with the our bikes are back in a bike shop for some minor issues. We really want to get going but our Kazakhstan visa won’t be ready until Friday. This is such a hard city to cycle in with all the steep and long hills. We are staying with warmshower hosts Deniz and Banu along with a touring cyclist from England, Mark. Very wonderful hosts. No that we are delayed a week we must take a train or bus east to make up time as our Azerbaijan visa has specific dates on it. It is all part of the adventure but disappointing. Take care. Love you. Mike
Hey you two! I miss you so much and the tears just fall when I see these memories on your blog. I am so proud of you, and all of us for achieving this point in your goal. I know I will worry a little when you are far from the Internet cafes, but know that you are traveling with security and a sense of belonging. Your notes about the people and events we experienced give me a renewed sense of purpose that all is right in the world. Ludovic in France was a wonderful guide and I saw places that I could only imagine, and hope to share a few with you someday. I will add my pictures to my Facebook page and maybe we can join them in your new book! I will write a journal entry about our almost three weeks together. For now, keep moving and stay positive in the capital city!
Love always and thanks for sharing this adventure,
Andee