We found things to do in stormy weather

I have been really fortunate on this trip to not be significantly impeded by the weather. Usually if I wait around in a town for an extra day I can get back to blue skies and warmer temperatures! That’s what I’m up to right now - it has been raining on and off all day here in Fethiye. There has even been a little thunder and lightning to go with the strong winds from the south. Not the kind of conditions I am terribly eager to get out and cycle in. So here I am! I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon in a coffee shop, partly for the coffee, but mostly because I am pretty certain the smelly Greek hippies that checked in around lunchtime today were having sex behind the curtain of the bed two meters from where I was trying to enjoy a podcast. I took out my headphones and broadcast the feminist coffee podcast I was listening to on the iphone speaker, just to remind them that I hadn’t moved since they had arrived. They also left the dorm room door open - who does that? Anyways. On the whole I am enjoying my time in Turkey but I am beginning to miss some things. Not only things from home, like certain restaurants and cafes, or the convenience of being surrounded by fellow native english speakers. Lately I have been missing having options when grocery shopping. Grocery stores in Turkey don’t have the same sort of things that I could find in Western Europe, or even in Greece. They are often much smaller, simpler stores, with a limited selection of available foods. This is offset to some degree by the fact that eating out at restaurants is quite affordable - I’ve been able to eat out at a sit-down restaurant for well under $20 canadian on a number of occasions. On Christmas Eve I was able to kill some time at an Indian restaurant and get a massive portion of biryani for less than 15 dollars - it was a welcome throwback to visiting Durban in South Africa in 2012 and being force-fed by my host for the week! Turkish fast food is usually readily available as well - I’ve had more than my fair share of doner, kebab, and durum! While travelling between cities I have been relegated to a much simpler diet as of late. I continue to stay stocked up on bananas, apples, and oranges. Breakfast still usually consists of tortillas, peanut butter, and honey. There is one grocery store here - Sok, which sells nearly two pounds of tortillas for a little over one dollar canadian. They also, fortunately for me, have cheap peanut butter! The inelasticity of my demand for peanut butter in the European portion of my trip cost me a lot of money, but here I can get a 350g jar for around two dollars canadian, much more affordable than the four euros I was paying in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Prior to cycling through Switzerland I was not carrying a whole lot of food on my bike - I was relying on stumbling into a bakery on my way through towns. Since Switzerland I have carried basic sandwich making supplies with me at all times - I find it easier just to deal with a little extra weight, and not have to worry about where I am when I get hungry. Sandwiches are also a good back-up dinner when I run out of other food options, or am wary of using my stove due to the light the flame gives off, or the dry brush surrounding the areas I sometimes camp in. Meat in Turkey can be a little scary. It’s been hard to find things that actually resemble meat to put in sandwiches. Most of what you find in the poorly stocked grocery stores here is unsettlingly pink, or processed beyond recognition. It was a rough transition from the proscuitto of Italy, to the packages (and tubes) they pass off as meat here. Pasta and rice were staples in my dinner diet in most of Europe. Here in Turkey I can no longer find the convenience of those sodium-laden instant rice packages, or the near-instant pasta packages. I have been reduced to eating a lot of instant noodles. Noodles are easy, they’re hot, and not too heavy. They’re also cheap - I can get a package of instant noodles for like, 33 cents Canadian. Noodles do require a little planning - I need to find a place to pick up some water towards the end of the cycling day. I have a plastic bag/bladder that holds two liters of water, but I’d rather not cycle with that extra weight for a whole day if I don’t have to. It is also nice to have some extra water in the morning to make coffee. I think I’m stuck on this selection of foods for the next week or two as I make my way from Fethiye along the coast to Antalya for ~300km, then further on to Tasucu (~400km) where I will take a ferry to Cyprus. I’m getting pretty excited to be in Cyprus! A German woman named Georgia rents out her apartment in Paralimni, Cyprus, and that is where I will be based out of for four weeks! I am looking forward to having a full kitchen! One of the other things I have been missing for some reason is cinnamon buns - I plan on taking full advantage of the fact I will have an oven! I’ve had people ask, “Why Cyprus?” There really isn’t one particular reason. It’s bound to be warm - warmer than Winnipeg was when I was daydreaming about this trip. It’s not too too far - the plan was to cycle - Cyprus is far, but not as far as the Middle East or North Africa. Why not Cyprus. I’ve had a lot of people along the way give me suggestions of places I should visit - I’m sure they are well-intentioned suggestions. I had a guy two nights ago tell me I should go to Egypt because you can get a meal for less than 1 euro. While that is great and all - I’ve made the conscious decision to make this trip my own. Not that I won’t ever take advice from other people, but I don’t have to if I don’t want to! It’s also kinda cool to be able to say that I’ve been able to see all of Europe without undue reliance on fossil fuels for transportation (the flight from Vancouver to London excepted, of course). I should probably get to packing so I can leave at a reasonable hour tomorrow morning! Best, Gavyn.