HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL
Last night we were camping again but next to a spa hotel in the small town of Resadiye. It may not be the most salubrious of spas and the hot springs thermal pool had its limitations (the water was an unattractive green colour for a start - although Mike reckons that is because Al washed his shorts in it!) but the water sure was hot. For some reason women weren't allowed in the pool, although most of them didn't see that as a major minus point!
The landscape is becoming more barren but the crops are changing accordingly. Now we have ochre, walnuts and haystacks to accompany us along our ride and as we headed up into the hills we encountered more of the damns which form part of Turkey's enormous hydro-electric campaign. The hills are turning redder, too, a sign of the imminent mining schemes the government wishes to implement.
As yet there has been no call for our female riders to cover up necessarily but the atmosphere is changing and we now carry extra 'loose' clothing in the lunch van just in case. Certainly the mosque per capita ratio is on the up and all the local women are in headscarves.
A bomb/grenade has killed 15 policemen up ahead in Xinjiang (NW China) which could cause us problems further down the line but hopefully by th time we get there (post Olympics) things will have calmed down.
Days to go: 100!
Km to go: less than 10,000 (which means we have done our first 1,000!!)
Punctures: 2 (16)
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Posted August 06, 2008 by Paul Wilson
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