Good Friday

Friday was a ride through the large, very fertile and densely populated Yesılırmak delta, a day to make many kilometres in a short time with no interesting sights inviting to stay during a grey overcast day. The rain came at night (luckily, organizerskeep telling us) on a beach campsite near the town of Ünye. By Saturday the word about our trip had spread also to Turkish police which now seems to keep a rather close eye on us, not without dividing opinions among BC members. As we're never moving in the big group but rather in small groups of two to four cyclists it's up to the police to choose the largest bunch for escorting - and they really do with great patience: Today they waited a full two hours in front of a seaside restaurant in Azizye, guarding our bicycles for free! How much would an hour of police escort for a touristical business cost in Finland? Here they just clear the road (or at least the right lane on the motorways) for us allowing fast and safe progress in places where bicycles are rarely seen.

Sightseeing in Ordu cancelled because of rather thick mist in the afternoon, but we really enjoyed a few hours of sunshine after several overcast days cycling to and from Cape Yason (see photo below).

For an overview of the Yesılırmak delta, Cape Yason and the near Pontic Mountains, see my track site: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=15940