A Long Way For A Curry

23/07/25   I don’t think I could have asked for any more from a day off in Cappadocia! I lay in sleeping decently considering the heat and the loud call to prayer. I enjoyed a leisurely morning, cooking a big breakfast of eggs and doing some bike maintenance. I discovered a crack in my front rack - I knew it was a mistake to have bought aluminium. I helped to secure it with cable ties, and hoped that it’d hold till Tbilisi. I’d seen if I could get a steel replacement or failing that a weld. I got out of the house at the crack of noon, checking out uchisar castle (from the outside) and beginning the walk down to Goreme. This is where my micro adventure began!  I entered Pigeon valley - so named because of the use of pigeon manure to fertilise the wineries. I had the place to myself, I couldn’t believe it! I spied spike that looked climbable and scrambled up it, taking in the views down the valley/canyon, as well as a couple of snaps. It was a bit windy up here, and the down cli...

23/07/25 An eventful day today, just what we like. A pleasant breakfast of honey and bread, basking in the morning sun. I left as the sun began to gain some strength, and whizzed along to the town of ortakoy. A couple in a car stopped me telling me I was going too fast and asked about my trip. They gave me red bull and a water. Then they gestured me over to a fruit stall, and bought me about 3kg of grapes. That’s not exaggeration. Thankful, but thinking to myself, what was one man meant to do with such a mass?! I found a cay place in a park and had a coffee. In classic Turkish fashion a man sat down next to me and so we talked enjoying the moment together. He even paid for my coffee too! Then got me a cay too as his friend came to join. As I tried to leave ortakoy, two metallic twangs rang out. The battle damage assessment was two rear spokes broken. I thanked my fortune as I was only 600m from a bike shop. Sipping on cay while he worked, I anxiously watched as he struggled to get my c...

22/07/25 - Day Seventy-One I slept like a baby until my alarm at 0700. I picked up my forgotten socks from Yunus’ house before they had risen, leaving the village with a full, but heavy heart. The downhill miles to Kulu eased me into the day, as I then stopped for borek and coffee. I cracked on passing over a salt lake, a landscape I never imagined I’d encounter on this trip. I napped at lunch, then forced myself into action again. Frustration at not finding a cafe, need to buy some coffee. Settling for an iced coffee to tackle the short climbs and descents that followed. I was feeling ok, but tired. There was a final longer climb to see out the day and I set camp at the top slightly down a farm track to hide from the road. I enjoyed longer evening I had afforded myself and the beautiful views as the sun set. Especially so after the podcast I had listened to that afternoon, which followed the monastic wanderings of Thomas Merton. Stillness.   Goodbye Yunus, my dear friend   ...

21/07/25 - Day Seventy Woke at 0530 to the loud call to prayer outside my window. Slept again. I walked back to Yunus’ house and had a big Kurdish breakfast spread! Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and spices. 3 types of cheeses. Olives, chips, grapes, yogurt, Kurdish layered flatbread, grape molasses sauce, homemade butter, cucumber. We visited Yunus’ uncles next door, a kebab man, and was invited to his son’s engagement party later that day! Next, we visited Yunus’s grandmother along with Isam, she made me some ayran with her organic yogurt.  Indecision set in about whether to crack on or stay. I decided to stay, engagement party sounded like too good an opportunity to miss, afterall it’s not everyday you get the offer to one! Yunus’ sister and her family arrived. More relatives came later. Then we all went to the party, Yunus left so his wife could meet his family and see the village. I met another German Yunus who looked after me well, getting a second portion of the food...

  20/07/25 - Day Sixty-Nine Slept like shit. I woke at 23:30 to the sound of dogs barking close by. I was wide awake instantly, as I heard one sniffing and scurrying around my tent. I quickly shut my outer door as I’d left it open to keep cool. I was just waiting for it to get aggressive and start barking at me, heart pounding. It ran off. I listening intently for a while as dogs barked at various distances from me. Hearing one come very close again I got my spray at the ready, but it soon went. It took a while to fall asleep after that.  Passing through the village next morning a man walking with kids said “market” and pointed. How did he know? So I followed him a bought some bread, having a coffee and brekkie. My legs felt a lot better today, sore but not dead. I stopped for a coffee and ended up having lunch. I was then startled by man popping head over the wall behind me. He wanted me to take pics of him at work, so I hopped over to meet him, and his son, and his son. I ta...

19/07/25 - Day Sixty-Eight I was gently woken by the sounds of goats or sheep being herded. The soft jangling of bells and the sporadic shouts from the herder. I lay smiling, as I woke up fully. It was nice to be back on the early starts. I was away by 7:15 to tackle the rest of the climb. I stopped in a village when I saw a public toilet and water tap, there was also a building with seating outside. When I exited the toilet a couple of old men had appeared. I sat with them and made my coffee. A friend of theirs a came along and gave me a handful of cucumbers!  Having passed a number of villages already, none of which had markets, I scouted one out on Google maps, 10 miles away and only slightly off my route. I rolled into the small market, buying some supplies but they hadn’t any cheese! A couple of men sat outside so I joined them offering them some chocolate sandwich cakes I had bought. The shop girl, Fatmanur, then joined us too. She was very sweet getting me some cold water a...