Dep 9.45 Arr 4.30 Dist 70.2 km Total 3370.6 km
I got to bed in the "dorm" and there was nobody else about. There was a lot of street noise and loud music coming from somewhere distant. I was very restless and couldn't get comfortable for some reason. I drifted off and then woke soon after with the sound of someone snoring. I was then woken by a couple coming in giggling. Next thing I knew it was morning. I had a decent sleep after all. Daylight was visible through the window over the snorers head, not sunshine though, just a mass of grey cloud. I lay there and drifted off waiting for the toilet call. The snorer was getting organised and trying his best not to make a noise, slowly zipping bags open and placing items carefully on the floor and the bed. When the toilet call came I was about ready to surface anyway and I made my way past the snorer who turned out to be a Japanese gentleman and not young. It was just before eight, breakfast time, so I did the necessary and went up another floor, the fourth, to the dining room. It was the classic Turkish with everything almost exactly the same as I'd had elsewhere. It was good and I scoffed the lot.
When I'd packed and taken my stuff down the three flights of stairs, two trips as well, there was Hiroshi outside with his bags, ready to be taken to the airport. He was a very nice chap and we had a good conversation as I got the bags and stuff on the bike. Photos were then taken with staff members and he went for his bus.
The rain had started and stopped and started again by this time and the sky was as dark as ever. I pondered for a bit and decided to just get going. I set off through the traffic and slowly made my way out of the town. The sky looked better to my right and I eventually turned in that direction. It was uphill as usual coming away from the sea. Canakkale looked like a nice town but not as nice as Fethiye. The wind was a bit of a pain and I pictured the route map in my mind. There were no 90degree turns like yesterday. No, a little bend about half way but the wind would have to drop or change direction dramatically for it to help me at any time. There were a lot of climbs and I couldn't take advantage of the downhills because of the wind and the road surface wasn't very good. Roadworks were taking place everywhere so there was no hard shoulder for me to cry on.
I won't go on about it. It was just a hard day. I may have been out of energy for some reason but I think it was just the constant battling against the wind which drained me. I stopped for a break near Ezine and bought a load of biscuits and some water. That was the only time I stopped for more than a minute the whole day. My average speed, excluding stops, was less than 12 kph. It is normally nearer 20kph which gives an indication of the difficulty of the ride. Normally there are adverts for hotels as you get to the outskirts of a town but any adverts at the side of the road were for places 20 or 30km past Ayvacik, which were resorts on the coast. It didn't look promising. It was a very long uphill drag of 15km or so coming into Ayvacik, my original chosen stopping place and it got steeper and steeper as I got nearer. I was very tired as I turned off the main road towards the centre of the town. The welcome sign gave more bad news. 'population 7000' Not that big really so maybe no hotels. The road into the town was another steep uphill and I hopefully asked at a shop if there was a hotel. It appears there was one 4km up the road. I didn't think I could manage another 4km but I set off. After struggling 100m up the hill I saw a sign for a cafe sign which had the word 'pansiyon' in small letters underneth. I stopped and stood by the door as three teenagers argued over ice creams from the freezer. Dad arrived and saw me. I said 'pansiyon?' The older guy mumbled something and an older teenager or twenty something appeared. There is always someone who speaks English. Ilker or Ulker with the dots on said 'yes pension' and looked at his dad who said 'yirmi bes' which I knew was 25. I nodded and shook hands with all Ilker, dad and all the other lads. A girl sprang into action and disappeared. So I have a room for 25 lira which is less that £9. Ulker showed me to my room with all the others trailing behind. He introduced them to me and then gave me his ice cram. 'My gift' he said. The girl finished off makig the bed and here I am. I have had a shower (cold) and will now be off downstairs for something substantial to eat.
Today's track
http://my.viewranger.com/route/preview/MzMyODY%3D
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