Bafa Gölü

I started cycling around 11am, even though I left Onur's place around 8:20am already. I was craving a proper breakfast which I got in a very nice coffee shop around the corner. After, I was changing the leaking inner tube on the front tyre. It has been leaking for at least two weeks already but it was sufficient to add air every couple of days. So I couldn't be bothered changing it yet. Also it would probably involve going to a bike repair shop again to get the bump out after changing the tube, so I wasn't really up for the hassle unless it was really necessary. 😅 However, in the last days the leaking got worse, so after I had breakfast I stopped in a car park nearby to finally change the inner tube. I also found the cause of the leaking, a tiny bit of a thorne was stuck in the outer tube still and probably punctured the inner tube. Plus I managed to get it done almost properly by myself, so there was no bump in the tyre that required professional fixing. I was pretty proud of myself and it saved me some time. ;)
The route I took was quite nice for the most part. I planned on heading to Lake Bafa/Bafa Gölü today to meet up for a night of camping at a so called Tabiat Parkı in Kapıkırı with two other couchsurfers. These Tabiat Parkıs are some sort of nationalparks where free camping is permitted. Some of them have basic facilities, some don't. They all have a beautiful countryside in common! 😊
Initially, after leaving Bodrum, I had to climb up a hill and the road was super busy unfortunately. During both my breaks along the side of the road road, military was walking past me curiously but didn't ask any questions. I don't think I look intimidating enough to search me luckily. 😅
About half way to the lake, I stopped in a city called Milas around 2pm in a beautiful coffee shop filled with local old ladies. I ate some delicious rice pudding there that looked like Tiramisou and had a basic conversation with the local ladies using hands for communication, they couldn't really believe I'm cycling by myself I think.😅
With another 35km or so to go, I continued cycling in the afternoon. By chance I also passed the ancient Greek site of Euromos right by the street, so I stopped for a quick stroll (entrance just around 1€) and the place fully to myself, except for a team of researchers who were excavation some of the ruins still. :) One of my favourite roads so far was the road along to lake to Kapıkırı. The sun was about to set behind the lake on my left hand side, and stunning rocks on my right. The villages I cycled through were pretty rural, there was a lot of farming going on. Arriving at the Tabiat Parkı with the sunset, I met Kamir and his wife and quickly set up tent before it got dark. I then realized, that I must have lost my spare 1.5l water bottle that I'd like to have for wild camping, and shops were kind of far. I managed to get water in a restaurant close by, even though it was closed. Again, people are incredibly helpful and friendly here!!
I then cooked some pasta and got eaten by the mosquitos in the meantime. 😅 There were so many due to the freshwater lake.. -.- I was really looking forward to a shower or a swim, but there were no facilities there and you couldn't get too close to the water due to the low water level and the mud along the lake. So a quick wash was all I got that evening. :D Later in the evening, we were sitting together on the beach, chatting watching stars and listening to music. :)
When I went back to my tent, I spent at least 15min chasing the mosquitoes inside. Stupid me, I didn't close the tent properly while cooking.. -.-Read more