inland

Turkish internet cafes are not easy places to write in. Additional to the music and cigarette smoke - the general bustle and constantly proffered glasses of tea - I attract a gang of boys who prefer to cluster me than attend to their Worlds of Warcraft. They especially enjoy laughing at my photos. I am in Haymana, a little town a little South of Ankara famous for its hot spring hammams which I will give a go this afternoon. I shant go to the capital tomorrow, instead South to Capadoccia. I'm not sure what they have there but by all accounts it is must-see stuff. Yesterday afternoon I got round to filling out my Iranian visa form, online via an agent. I hear tell of Englishmen being refused in less than one minute in person at the consulates. Whether an agent's 49 dollars will help I'm not sure but feel I should try before resigning myself to the alternative of a Central Asian Winter. In Iran there would at least be the possibility of bearing South to stay within a positive celsius.

But meanwhile I'm delighting in a Turkish cooling. There is more than a promise of Autumn in the air, especially at night when it's jumper weather out on the steppe. Soon I'lll need to replace the heavy sleeping bag I jettisoned in Germany. It's been a good week cycling since İstanbul. Leaving the coast for a drawn out climb to the Anatolian plateau, then three days on a straight, undulant highway. There were many instances of the famous Turk welcome- hoşgeldınız, best were joining a honking wedding convoy out of Eskişehir, each carload waving madly and passing snacks from their windows, truck-cab cappucinos and a roadside roast-chicken-on-greasy-bulgur invitation. I was surprised to enjoy the long, straight highway so much. Yesterday we left it for a much nicer, harder road that curled through swirling hills and endless golden wheatfields. It's all harvested now so you can camp most anywhere. Last night was perfect on a big hill with a twenty mile twilit panorama. Good evenings. Good breakfasts.

Sivrihisar

Haymana