Narlıdere Mevki

Our target today is to reach Pamukkale before sunset -- with as little as possible of either motorway or dirt road. So we choose a longer and hillier detour, which hopefully will fit the bill.

After a restorative sleep, we are ready to go... only to find out we have a flat tire to fix. Since nobody can be blamed, this puts us in an excellent mood, and we are off by 11:00.

Alice conscientiously observes the little roads of the same class as our planned detour -- and convinces herself that we have more than 50% chance to be on asphalt. To this, Alain replies that since the uncertain road is downhill, it does not matter either way. Once an optimist...

It's a dirt road. The entrance looks good enough, and we rely on Alain's argument. After a couple of kilometres and a serious downhill, the dirt has transformed into heavy sticky mud -- we have seen this before (see day 44, in Macedonia). Alice is stuck, mudgards full; turning back up is not a great option, and carrying the bikes (that we can’t lift) for the remaining 12km of detour isn't a good one either.

So, we pick a pomegranate. Then proceed to fix the problem with the total removal of Alice's mudguards. The road, or rather trail, takes us, not without some vertiginous moments, into an isolated valley. As it becomes deeper and deeper, we see the remnants of old settlements, sometimes carved into the cliffs of the gorge. Now the detour pays off!!!

Ultimately, we arrive in the plain and orchards. Just as we pause to fix a stay for tonight, a handsome farmer named Muratl stops in his shiny orange Renault 12 and invites us for tea with huge enthusiasm. He displays a formidable harvest of pomegranates and an unlikely dexterity with his mobile phone. Still uncertain of where we sleep, we accept, "just for 5 minutes". This is a hilarious moment, in which we get selfied with Muratl and a few others, appear live on YouTube, get to pose at the wheel of his bright orange R12, and get offered the three best juiciest pomegranates ever.

Having fixed the evening plan, we pass by Tripolis, a recent archeological find, an old town covering a whole hill side. The excavations of the site are still in progress, but we get to tour some important parts the city. Paved floors and a well-preserved network of terra cotta water pipes are fascinating. The afternoon sun creates marvels of his own.Läs mer