The weather was fine for departure from Sile being cool (9deg.C) with only a little light cloud in the sky. So after a relaxed breakfast and packing my gear (which I still have too much of) I was off about 1pm.
My plan was to see a bit more of the Black Sea coast before heading inland to Ankara. I had tried to plan the route with a few points along the way to get to Zonguldak (a coal town and port) but the GPS was playing up with a white screen and no route. Thankfully the old school methods of having the map in the tank bag, a list of towns and reading road signs worked well. The roads and countryside were fabulous despite the bumps and potholes. There was barely another car on the road and I was beginning to feel more comfortable on my (over)loaded bike.
Leaving Sile heading towards Agva
After heading through some beautiful forests, small villages and agricultural land it was well and truly time for a little lunch. I stopped at a bird watchers paradise - a restaurant built out over the waterbird's pond. The fire was burning and the kofte was simple, tasty and cheap and was enough to keep me going until dinner.
Bird Watcher's Restaurant
After lunch it was time to finish the leg to Zonguldak through some more agricultural land and some industrial towns. The temperature stayed low and the cloud intensified as I continued towards Zonguldak. The temperature peaked in the large industrial town of Eregli at 11.5deg.C.
From Eregli the road heads inland and up into the mountains before dropping back into Zonguldak. The cloud and fog were low and visibility was poor and again I was reminded what riding a motorbike is often all about - experiencing the elements first-hand. Although there had been a few rides in Abu Dhabi with some early morning fog it is much more invigorating and awakening to ride up and down a slippery and gravelly mountain road (some sections under construction) with poor visibility unsure of when or where you might come out into clearer skies again.
Poor visibility at about 600m before Zonguldak.
I arrived in Zonguldak before 6pm with enough light to see that it is likely to be a rather gloomy place most days - today it was not at its best with grey skies taking the shine of even the best addresses in town. Zonguldak is a coal mining, port town that also hosts several universities. The smoke from the fires has a surprising range of shades of grey and brown and drifts down the hillsides towards the centre of town, the water's edge and to fill the various valleys. You can smell the smoke and the general industrialness everywhere. Again the temperature rose in the industrial town warming up to around 18deg.C. - it had been a cold day's riding with 98% of the trip below 10deg.C.
I was keen to get inside a hotel room, shower and find something simple to eat. After being turned away from two hotels because they were full I found myself at the Konak Hotel in downtown Zonguldak - it was simple and warm and understandably cheap. There was nowhere to park at the Konak Hotel so the bike was parked in the Oto Park for a small fee.
I ate at a port-side restaurant and spoke to two music lecturers from one of the universities who said that I was the first Australian tourist they had ever seen in town and wondered why I was in Zonguldak. Admittedly it is difficult to justify why you would make Zonguldak a stopping point along the way……..although the skies were much cleaner in the morning
The fresh morning in Zonguldak
Departing Zonguldak and getting through the sprawling town, passing several coal handling facilities, and heading further along the Black Sea coast with Ankara as the destination was a relief.
Again the coast road was enjoyable although a little rough with potholes, roadworks and sections slipped into the sea. I followed a coal truck for a while until I stopped to take a photo or two when I then had the road to myself again.
Black Sea Coast after Zonguldak
After leaving the coast road it was time to head inland and uphill. The ride was great again with more speed, smoother roads and still very little traffic. The results of the earlier rain were obvious with the flooded rivers now subsiding and stranded garbage obvious in the vegetation. After only covering around 35km in the first hour it was about time I was making some good progress.
As I rose higher into the mountains there were still large areas of snow laying on the ground in the shaded areas - again I was reminded about the experiences that make riding a motorbike such a pleasure. I would have been less excited if fresh snow was falling and there was mud and ice all over the road - it was great to have still, clear and cool conditions to enjoy the remnants of Turkey's winter.
Enough snow for me to get excited.
See - that's me excited!!
I headed off and made my way into the City Centre of Ankara passing hundreds of tall apartment buildings making up the outskirts of the city. The population of more than 4million appear to have little choice except apartment living. After arriving early afternoon I tried a couple of decent hotels in the older part of Ankara who said they were full - I am starting to wonder if a single motorcyclist is on their "Do Not Accommodate" list…..so I decided to re-blow my budget and went to a brand-name hotel. I was exhausted again and looked forward to a good shower, comfortable bed and perhaps english TV channels.
I went to the nearby AnkaMall and arranged a TurkCell Pre-Paid mobile number with data package. It was an interesting experience using the computer to try and translate the basics of "buy extra credit" "top-up credit" "add more balance" etc etc.
Tomorrow was to be sightseeing in Ankara.