25 May, Soma to Akhisar, 41km @ 12.6kph
Otel Sedir 50TL

Our first 20km undulated through hot hills on a wind-free day; our second 20km dropped us into Akhisar’s lap – yay! Sometimes it is easy finding a hotel in a non-tourist town ie one not detailed in our guide book; sometimes it is frustratingly difficult at the end of a long spell in the saddle. It took us nearly 90 minutes to locate a place to sleep in Soma yesterday; today it took only 30 minutes to locate and check into the Sedir, mainly because we were accosted by and befriended by a Turk on roller-blades out for a Sunday roll. He had long hair graying at the temples and tied in a ponytail, and long skinny legs encased in faded jeans. Having greeted us, he decided to champion our cause and led us through the streets of Akhisar, greeting friends, directing traffic and in time bringing us safely to port. We drank çay with him before taking our shower and nap. We LOVE our post-ride naps, deep and refreshing.

Soma

Soma