Waking up in Ayancık
We woke up on the beach in Ayancık, ate breakfast, and decided to join a few older men in taking a morning dip. Afterwards, we went to check if there was a beach shower. Turns out, there was! We both took advantage of this amenity. After packing up, we passed the center of Ayancık again on our way out.
Evil Eye
This time, we took a picture of the beaded cattle collars for sale, each with an evil eye. I had seen these on a few cows, as well. Oh and I had bought one for Selim’s bike as he mentioned he wanted decoration. He wasn’t so happy that I bought him something that was already dirty and was made for a cow. For those who don’t know what an evil eye does, it protects the wearer against what is effectively a curse that comes from a malicious glare. Nazars are the ornaments you see on homes, cars, cattle, etc. that offer protection. They are often made of glass and usually blue in color.
Morning Ride
Today was the second day in a row of some pretty steep uphills after a flat first few weeks along the Black Sea. We picked out a town called Güzelkent on the map to stop for lunch. The goal for the evening would be to arrive in a town a bit after Güzelkent called Türkeli.
Lunch Time
For lunch, we bought some tomatoes (domates) and pepper (biber), fresh bread from the bakery (fırını), and Ayran. We still had some eggs from two days before. We found a public park and hunkered down for meal prep. Today would be shakshuka.
Arriving in Türkeli
By the end of the day, Selim’s back was really hurting him. We decided to get some medication for muscle pain from the pharmacy. It was pretty easy and very affordable, 35 TL. Afterwards, we had a couple of Turkish coffees at a nearby guyscafé while discussing the Turkish mafia. It is a subject that features heavily in Turkish dramas evidently. I don’t have much to say about the Turkish mafia though I did search Wikipedia to have something to add. According to Wikipedia, their specialty is heroine.
Camp Site Clean-Up
When it was time to set up camp for the night, we headed slightly out of the downtown area to a beach and marina. We decided on the marina because there was a large group of folks in party-mode on the beach. I double-checked that it wouldn’t be a problem by asking a man nearby. He said it was OK. The downside to the shore at the marina was that it was completely covered in trash. There were dumpsters nearby so that could be dealt with. We spent some time cleaning up the site. I can be a bit compulsive about beach cleaning and wanted to keep going. Selim took a more balanced approach and encouraged me to rest as we had done a lot. I agreed and we tucked in for the night.
