Christmas Turkey

Last Monday night I got on the ferry from Piraeus heading for the Greek island Chios. I had company with my Malaysian roommate from the hostel which was nice. The ferry left at 9 pm and arrived in Chios at 5 in the morning. So I was hoping to get some sleep on the boat. But that was easier said than done when you’re sitting in a seat that isn’t really made for sleeping in. But I did the best I could to make it comfortable and got a little sleep. I woke up just as the ferry was coming into the port in Chios and got on my bike and headed out into the dark morning. I had been in contact with a couchsurfer and had a place to go to once I got to Chios. Christina was very kind and got up to let me in early in the morning. We were both very tired and I crawled in to the little bed in her little student room.

 After some well needed sleep we headed in to town on our bikes but turned around quickly when it started raining really hard. The streets turned into rivers and we got wet in an instant. We decided biking wasn’t an option and hitchhiked into town instead. In Chios Christina showed me around in town and at her university before we relaxed at a cozy coffee shop for a while. After a nice evening with some Greek cuisine and wine with Christina and two of her friends we headed back to her student dorm where I got a few hours of sleep before it was time to get up and cycle back to the port for the boat to Çeşme and Turkey.

The boat to Turkey only took about one hour and today was sunny and almost warm to begin with. After relaxing in Athens for three weeks my bum wasn’t used to being on the bike for a whole day and it felt a bit after 95 km to Izmir. I was lucky to find a couchsurfer in Izmir as well but it was a little harder finding the place in the third biggest city in Turkey. But thanks to my friend the GSP and a helpful taxi driver I found the place and could hide from the rain and wait for my host.

Mehmet and his roommates made me feel at home and Mehmet cooked a great dinner that I really enjoyed with nice company. The next day I got to see the city which was bigger than I had thought. I hadn’t looked it up before and was a little surprised to learn that it had 3 million inhabitants. During the day Mehmet went to university where he studied to become a ship captain, but in the evening we went out to see the city at night, eat a nice dinner and went to a bar where there was a meeting for couchsurfers which was nice. I just wish it hadn’t been on the balcony where the heaters were struggling with the 3 degree cold. My last day in Izmir I stayed inside trying to get well from the cold I have had since leaving Athens. I had a couple nice of days couchsurfing and I’m thankful for my hosts hospitality.

After leaving Izmir I turned south again and cycled to Kusadasi. The weather hasn’t been very good with gray skies and some rain. It’s okay when I’m cycling but as soon as I stop for lunch or something I get cold. And since I’m still struggling a bit with my cold I thought it was best to check into a room instead of sleeping in my tent when the temperature drops to freezing during the nights. I found a nice little cheap guesthouse where I’m staying over Christmas. And from here it’s close to the ancient city on Ephesos where I went for a trip today. I hadn’t heard about it before and was really impressed with the place.

Tomorrow I’m back on the bike again and it looks like it’s going to be a little warmer for a few days.