Next Stop Istanbul

14-Jul-08: Roads & Spirits Up
Bulgaria: Varna to Aheloy
115km, 6h 01min ride time

My experience today was remarkably more positive than that of the few days prior to our rest day in Varna. No doubt a combination of factors being a day of rest, massage, lighter bike and riding company led to a more positive outlook for the day.

On the flat riding days a trend started whereby Graeme, Manon, Dan and I would set out together but Dan and I would inevitably break forward of Graeme and Manon who chose to ride at a pace that we found too slow...the trend resulted in us eventually setting off in pairs rather than a group. But the tables have turned now that we have hit hills again and for a while Dan persevered with waiting for me at the top of hills but it became quite clear that he is a much stronger hill climber than I and my trying to keep up or not keep him waiting no doubt contributed to my negative view of a few climbing days.

So, this morning I re-joined Graeme and Manon who have since grouped up with John and Liz from New Zealand and rode at a nice easy pace which when hills are involved is a much more pleasant experience. Today we climbed 2 long ascents, the second of which was about 20km long at 5%. The temperature rose to a maximum of 41 degrees in the sun...which is the only relevant temperature to us as that is exactly where our heads are!

The route led us inland for a bit and then back out to the coast of Bulgaria and a little side detour took us into the tourist town of Nesebar before our final destination of Aheloy. In the morning we were all lucky to have escaped being caught up in a 3 car accident which occurred on the highway somewhere between our fastest riders and those of us in the middle. All we could think as we rolled up towards one of our riders, Fred, who was helping direct traffic was 'oh god please let it not be one of ours' to which Fred responded without questioning 'no cyclists involved', much to our relief. 2 cars and a truck were involved and one car was carrying propane gas bottles so we hastily moved past the scene to get well away. Traffic was backed up for kilometres as we rode on our way.

Our detour into the town of Nesebar gave us a nice break to the afternoon as we sat on a pontoon restaurant on the ocean and had something to eat and drink. The town was like Gold Coast central and the attraction in it was some old castle ruins which had been somewhat 'ruined' by being turned into tacky tourist bars and gelati stands. Bulgaria has been a surprise to most of us with friendly people and some very modern cities and towns...much different to its neighbour, Romania.

True to form we are staying nowhere in particular in a cluster of little hotel/guest rooms at the back of a construction site! But the rooms have TV and I am able to watch the Tour d'France so all is not lost...

15-Jul-08: Out to Impress
Bulgaria: Aheloy to Malko Tarnovo
115km, ride time n/a

The place we stayed at overnight must be fairly new or recently renovated as the owner went all out to impress in the hope of having the tour come back next year...they had a live band playing poolside after dinner and gave a free nightcap drink to everyone. A few got a bit carried away on the vodka and gin and spent a frivolous evening dancing and singing away until midnight whilst most of us went to bed. There were a few sore heads this morning.

As we have moved further east we have been staying in more hotels and have therefore been mostly at their mercy where breakfast is concerned...in regards to what it is and when it is served. So for the past few days at least we have had later starts due to the hotel not serving breakfast any earlier than 7am, which is fine for a sleep in but does not help combat the heat by getting away early. This morning was a pleasant change as breakfast was not only served early but contained the one and only essential ingredient...muslie! We have had a very bad run of being served all manner of preserved meats and cheeses for breakfast which is very nonsustaining food for a full day of cycling in the heat.

Today the temperature hit 36 degrees in the shade and there was not a stitch of breeze which made all the climbing we had to do even more difficult...and the downhills even more of a relief than usual. But we managed without too much drama, although Graeme only just made it in alive after suffering from food poisoning and vomiting on a number of occasions throughout the day...but he stuck it out, grimly (and probably stupidly) clinging to the EFI (every fabulous inch) status. I do have to admit that by the last 15km I was totally over it and was very glad to get to our final resting place for the day.

As was the case for every (if any) town we passed through on route today, we are staying in a backwater of a place with virtually nothing to offer by way of interest except a restaurant with pool about 200m up the road. The accommodation is interesting to say the least...dilapidated dormitory accommodation where a rat running down the corridor would not be out of place and with the most revolting 'bathrooms' which are more like wet rooms containing a basin, toilet and shower head poking out of the wall...so that when you shower everything in the room gets soaking wet...including the toilet paper!

Tomorrow we cross into Turkey for the final leg of the Orient Express portion of the trip. Those finishing up in Istanbul only have 4 riding days left...all of which are less than 100km and 2 of which are less than 70km...but all of which are hilly! It is amazing to think we have nearly come 4,000km but daunting to know that we are not even a third of our total 15,000km aim! To think back of those first days in France where it rained nearly every day seems like a lifetime ago, and knowing that everything will change in Istanbul except the 7 of us continuing on is a bit sad but just the next phase of our journey.

16-Jul-08: The Tour's in Town
Bulgaria/Turkey: Malko Tarnovo to Kirklareli
50km, 2h 27min ride time

Most of us woke this morning to the sound of a thunderstorm and torrential rain at about 5am, all silently praying it would pass before we had to get on the roads at about 7am...which thankfully it did. The early start did not do much to help most of us recover from the late night prior caused by a few incessantly barking dogs...if I had a gun I am sure I would have shot the main and am surprised did not rupture its vocal cords through barking for over 2 hours straight without taking a breath...it nearly sent us all mad!

Despite a less than perfect sleep, most of us were pretty excited to get on the road today to undertake our border crossing into Turkey. The temperature had plummeted by comparison to the days prior and we started out in 16 degrees which ended in a maximum of only...compared with the same day last year being 50 degrees, we were counting ourselves lucky. Hill climbing in cooler weather actually leaves room for some enjoyment of the experience! The route was short with a great deal of climbing and broken by a 45 minute border crossing after about 10km.

The border crossing was an example of bungling bureaucracy and quite entertaining...there were 3 queues, each of which had to be stood in successively after the previous one. The first was to obtain the visa permit in our passports and pay the relevant fees...which differed for just about every nationality and in our case varied from New Zealander's getting in for free and Canadians paying USD$60. The second desk was to be subjected to questioning and/or receive an officiating stamp...by the time I had reached this desk they had clearly asked too many cyclists their purpose for visiting and all I got was a stamp. The third desk was for money exchange.

Some confusion arose when the attendant at the first desk told the South Africans that their visa's were free but the attendant at the second counter said they should have paid USD$10...which resulted in back and forthing between desks and provided a bit of entertainment for the rest of us.

So after an entertaining 45 minutes we passed through another 2 checkpoints and were on our way in Turkey, straight into a downhill of 6-9% through the gravel and wet slippery clay of roadworks! On a dry day the downhill would have been a great rest but in wet conditions was in many respects more tiring than the climbs in trying to stay upright!

At the bottom of the downhill roadworks we passed through a small town and stopped at a little roadside cafe for a break and loaded up on Turkish delight...the shopkeeper was very pleased to have us there and posed for all the photos and then gave us a business card with his email address so he could get a copy of the pictures. I made the decision at this stage that I was going to like Turkey.

We had an official lunch stop at the 40km mark, at which we were joined by an entire car load of Turkish police who simply just sat there and watched us and posed for photos and took photos of us...all a bit odd really. Unfortunately a reminder was issued about the type of country we had entered as a couple of the ladies were groped across the chest while riding along by a young guy on a scooter just before lunch!

The roads into our first stop in Turkey were brilliant...some short steep climbs with fantastic downhills on wide roads. We rode into Kirklareli and felt instantly on display as the locals stared at the strange foreigners on bicycles riding into their town. We were welcomed on arrival at the hotel by our local support person who explained that the government in the town is doing their best to keep the Orient Express tour coming back each year. The promotional brochure for the town even contains a photo of the Orient Express group from 2006!

In the evening we were invited to take part in a bus tour of the old Greek area of town and go to a cocktail function put on by the Municipality of Kirklareli to welcome us. So all bar a few showed up in their finest travel pants and sandals and were guided around the old Greek district of town which we gather is being preserved and restored over time. The local kids gathered and followed us around on a walking tour of the area, posing for photos and practicing their 'hello', 'where are you from' and 'what is your name' English phrases on us. All the boys thought it was a great joke when I had them all pose with me for a photo and I was nearly bowled over in the rush!

The cocktail function turned out at the last minute to be a complimentary dinner and we were joined by the Mayor and some of his staff. The Mayor spoke English well and hopes to join us on his bicycle to ride with us out of town when we leave on Friday.

17-Jul-08: Turkish Delights
Turkey: Kirklareli – Rest Day

Kirklareli is a town of 60,000 people and is quite animated with a few pedestrianised streets and lots of bakeries, street vendors and a more than their fair share of mobile phone shops. There is so much activity that simply wandering the streets provides good entertainment and no shortage of great food. I found my favourite Turkish food so far for breakfast this morning...a soft pastry and cheese or meet dish which very slightly resembles a sausage roll. And I plan on making another trip to the sweet shop to get some more Turkish delight and cookies later this afternoon before heading off to a cinema for some R&R and an English movie with Turkish subtitles.

Chinese Visa Update

The current plan is for all of us not currently in possession of a visa for China to all apply in Baku, Azerbaijan with the backing of a local support agency who has been hired by TDA solely for the purpose of ensuring we have the best chance of getting a Chinese visa. Despite it being a plan contrary to all previous advice regarding the necessity for us to apply in our countries of residence, at this stage TDA is positive about the ability for the local support agency to work miracles...so we will just wait and see!

Neil Update

We are told that Neil has gotten out of bed for the first time since his accident and was able to stand up for 30 seconds. He is also sitting up to eat. As sad a position as it sounds to be in, the doctors are positive regarding his recovery although realistic that it will be a long road. The hospital is working with his insurance company (who are obviously trying to get him home asap) and it looks as though he may be transferred home on July 18th...we hope that it does not occur too early or against medical advice purely to save a few dollars...