The Rain Arrives

Well the forecast wasn't great, and so the predicted rain arrived. Quite a few km's (400 odd) ridden today. First stop was at Troy. The city is all ruins now, but it is interesting to observe the 9 layers of cuties built one on top of the other and again it was useful to have our guide Barish. Coastal roads through to Bergama (Pergamum) for lunch. After lunch things got very busy. We took a bypass road around Izmar (population just over 4 million). The rain and traffic were both horrendous, and trying to thread a group of 12 motorcycles through it without getting anyone lost was quite an accomplishment. You have ti be quite assertive riding here. They will let you on, but if you hesitate at all they won't. So it is very much hit a gap and go for it. After the bypass we had a cuppa to settle the nerves then it was a leisurely ride through to our stop of the night at Kusadasi. A long day - we departed at 8:00am and arrived at 6:40pm.

So the overview so far:

The Tour is very well organised. We have an interpreter/guide, Van Driver/Bag Man and 2 mechanics from the rental car company with us. The van travels at the back of the convoy and corner marking is done by all participants in turn to ensure no-one gets lost.

Roads have been pretty good overall, in fact better than we expected.  Many of the roads are 2 lanes each way. Riding on the right has been very challenging, particularly when it comes to roundabouts. You have to keep your wits about you when you do a photo stop and pull back on to the road. This is something that actually requires concentration and does bring a new perspective on the current debate in NZ about tourist drivers! The speed limits are 90km/h on motorways, 70km/h on other roads and 50 km/h in towns. A 10% tolerance applies. Over that you may get pulled over by Radar Kontrol (traffic police) who will expect an on the spot cash payment for the fine!

Hotels have been very good quality - certainly no complaints there. 3.5 - 4.5 star so far and some really nice outlooks and locations.

Food has been good also, with some variety of local fare tried during the trip. All meat dishes appear to have sauce or be cooked in sauce so far. All meals are included in the tour price. 

Drinks have mainly consisted of the local beer (Efes). Not surprising as Jim Beam is $11 NZ for 2 nips at the hotel. They call it "imported". Wine seems to be on the dear side also. Beer is around $4-5 NZ in comparison.

The bikes are mostly SV650s and Honda TransAlp 650's - so an adventure style. There is also a Honda NC750 which Aly is riding. They are solid al round (agricultural?) bikes and most are fitted with crash bars.

This shot shows the 9 levels of the city