8 July, Gölbaşi to Adiyaman, 64km
Çenhir Hotel 80TL (breakfast included)

You know you are getting stronger when a 60km ride no longer takes all day; when you can take roadside breaks for pleasure, not exclusively when needed. Sometimes it is coffee we crave. This we might find at a garage restaurant or at a village çay evi where men gather to drink tea and play cards or backgammon. Quite often in the burgeoning heat it is an ice lolly that is called for; icy cold and tart. Today we came across a farmer selling watermelons and sweet melons from a roadside stall below his farm. He was permanently established there with a carpet-covered bench under a home-made awning. We asked if he could cut a sweet melon for us as our Swiss Army Knife was inadequate for the task. He phoned his home and his son appeared shortly with a silver tray on which he soon presented the peeled and chopped fruit. Litres of water and soda are downed too, of course. We met a teacher at Domino’s Pizza where we had a late lunch shortly after arriving in Adiyaman who told us that many young Turks no longer fast during Ramazan.

Between Gölbaşi and Adiyaman

Between Gölbaşi and Adiyaman