Day 130 Turkey 26/1/2011, Antalya. Packing, food shopping and a few ill considered beers.

While Debs packed her bags this morning, I looked through the gear that she had brought back with her. We are both waving goodbye to carrying loads of books, because we are now the proud owners of Amazon Kindles. So far they look to be excellent, as long as they hold up to the rigours of travel then they will be a great asset. Of the other things that she brought back, most useful will be a gift to me from her parents. I now have a Thermarest chair that I can sit in while I write my blogs when we are camping. Sally and Andy, thank you so much.

We now have business cards to hand out to people, some spare tent pegs (takes the worries out of losing some), some new cycle clothing and two Union Jacks to hang from the bikes.

After Debs had finished packing her bags we went out for some food, which was followed up with a few beers in our favourite restaurant Favori.

The beers seemed like a good idea at the time, but what they actually succeeded in doing was making us sleepy. This would have been fine, but we still had some food shopping to do. By the time we got back to the hotel we were dead on our feet.

Returning once again to Favori, we had our last meal in Antalya. I have had a good time here, even if towards the end I was running out of things to do. The hotel and its staff have been brilliant, I have always felt welcome and it has felt like home. Although I am pleased to be moving on, it will be a little bit sad to say goodbye.

Day 129 Turkey 25/1/2011, Antalya. Debs & Toad return!

Today was all about Debs coming back.

Doing a bit of research on the computer, I found out where the airport bus was likely to drop her off and headed into the city to meet her. There was of course the possibility that she would take a taxi instead. Which would mean that I would be waiting in the middle of the city and she would be at the hotel wondering where I was. Predictably that is what happened! After she didn't turn up I headed back to the hotel only to find that she had arrived and then gone back out to look for me. Fortunately the hotelier had given her directions to a bus stop that I knew, so we did eventually have our reunion, just a bit later than planned!

It is really good to have her back, it sounds like she had a really good if somewhat tiring time back in England. We now have everything we need to get back on the road , but we will stay for one more night to give Debs a rest and to give us time to pack all our gear up.

Day 127 Turkey 23/1/2011, Antalya. A bit of blogging.

Not much to report today. After another extended breakfast, I finished my blog entries and uploaded some photos.

As they were cleaning my room (all ready for Debs return), I went for my usual stroll around the city. The grey start to the morning slowly cleared and was replaced by a lovely sunny day, it seems the rain doesn't last for that long here.

While on my stroll I made the slight error of buying 2kg of grapefruit that I thought were oranges. My only excuse was that it was dark in the shop and they were next door to the oranges. Still every cloud, I now have a way of using up the excessive amount of honey that I purchased earlier in the week.

A light rain started again this evening, so it wasn't with much enthusiasm that I headed out for dinner. I eventually found a restaurant that did a karaşik pide (mixed Turkish pizza), so although slightly damp I was very full when I got back to the hotel.

It suddenly feels like the time has gone really quickly, I better sort out my gear tomorrow.

Day 126 Turkey 22/1/2011, Antalya. A trip to the museum.

The rain was still falling when I woke this morning, so I was the only one who braved having breakfast outside. Admittedly I was under cover, I wouldn't want my bread and olives to get wet!

By the time I had eaten my body weight in olives the rain had eased. If there was ever a day to visit the museum this seemed like it. I had considered waiting for Debs to get back before I went, but she doesn't really have much of a love of museums. More of an outdoor action girl!

Rather than take the tram, I walked the few kilometres to the museum. The tram only goes every half hour and takes approximately as long as I did to walk, plus I have my cyclist physique to maintain!

The first part of the museum is a collection of small finds from the many surrounding archaeological sites. It is the next part that makes Antalya museum so interesting. Within the next few halls they have collected many of the beautifully preserved statues and carved tombs from nearby Perge. The original settlement must have been quite a sight to see when all of the statues were in place. It also makes a change that for once they aren't all housed in the British Museum. You get quite used to seeing little signs in museums saying 'this is a replica the original Is kept in the British Museum'.

I had forgotten how impressive the collection is, I may have to visit again with Debs when she gets back.

On the way back from the museum, I managed to find a replacement for my old fleece. No longer will I be known as Matt short sleeves, or at least until this one shrinks in the wash!

Fingers crossed it looks like the weather forecast isn't entirely accurate, as there has been no more rain. All being well I may go for a short bike ride tomorrow, having to ride out of the city every time is slightly demoralising though. It is much easier knowing that you aren't coming back. Still as Debs has got our Syrian visas, we will soon be back on the road.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Day 125 Turkey 21/1/2011, Antalya. A whole lot of nothing!

Not much to report today, so I will just include a few photos from my wanderings. I am starting to consider offering my services as a guide, as I suspect that very few people know the old city better than I do!

I thought about doing a tour of interesting graffiti, but the standard here is quite low. I probably need to head into the more modern part of the city for that. Nevertheless the Kaleiçi is still a nice place to wander around.

The nice weather came to an abrupt end this afternoon, with thunder, lightning and torrential rain. There was a slight lull later in the evening, so I was able to go and get some food. Looking at the forecast for the next few days though, it looks like it is set in for the time being. Hopefully it will have dried up by the time Debs gets back on Tuesday.

Day 124 Turkey 20/1/2011, Antalya. Kuaför by Frank and shouted at by a Belgian.

I have left it long enough, it's time for another haircut! While travelling, this always leaves me with a slight feeling of dread. Taking the simple option of just having it shaved, in theory takes some of the concern away. For some reason though, whenever I ask for a grade 5 (it used to be a grade 4, but that was too risky), the Barber always seems to nod and then do whatever he feels like doing. I had a good feeling about Frank though, for one being in the centre of the touristy old city, surely he would have at least some command of the English language! Surprisingly he did, although not that much.

Picking up the clippers he showed me the grade 5 guide and promptly set to work. Or at least he would have, if the clippers had been charged. Replacing the battery for another produced slightly more life, however the slightly strained sound it made as he started cutting my hair, had me convinced that I was going to be stuck with a half shaved head. Fortunately the battery held out and I ended up with a reasonable haircut.

I hadn't asked for a shave, but Frank seemed so keen that it would have been a shame to stop him. What I would liked to have stopped him doing, was removing his massage/torture device from the counter draw. There is nothing like having a seemingly unqualified person set about you with a mains powered, vibrating massager. Frank belonged to the school of if level 1 is good for you, then imagine how good level 10 must be. My especially favourite bit was when he massaged my, possibly now re-broken, collar bone. Perhaps he was thinking that the resistance he was feeling, was something that could be vibrated back into place with the addition of a little more force.

When he finally stopped and told me that it was good, I was relieved if not relaxed. I am sure you are asking yourselves, how much did he pay for this treatment? A rather reasonable 15TL (£6), which was worth it for the experience alone!

Taking my new haircut out on the town that evening, I went to a restaurant and got shouted at by a Belgian. In truth it wasn't really shouted at, more of a to. The man had had quite a lot of beer and he had an interesting approach to speaking English. It was as if the words built up in his brain like rising lava and then suddenly erupted from his mouth. Generally followed by lots of very loud laughter. For the next couple of hours he explained that he and his wife were retired and now travelled around Europe and Turkey in a ford transit. He was very proud of the fact that it wasn't a camper van, instead just a van that they sleep in. They were quite good company in a deafening way, plus he bought me a beer!

When they finally left, the bar owner came out from where he was hiding, it appears that they had been in the bar quite some time. As a thank you for distracting them from him, he bought me another beer. Maybe I should have a haircut more often, because this one is clearly lucky!

Day 123 Turkey 19/1/2011, Antalya. Some shopping and a rubbish boat trip.

Convinced that I must have missed the outdoor clothing shop last time I went to the shopping mall, I decided to have another look. It could be said that this was really just an excuse for a short ride and something to do. This time I found the shop, but they didn't have what I wanted. Still, as my route was mainly along a cycle path it was quite a pleasant ride out.

Walking down by the harbour, I got approached by one of the many touts attempting to get you to take a boat trip. Although not that interested, as there isn't that much to see, I stopped to look at his brochure. The brochure was full of pictures of waterfalls, caves and big resort hotels. I can't really see how a large, faceless, concrete, resort hotel is much of a sight but perhaps some people like them.

While the tout was telling me the price 10TL (£4) for a 45 minute trip, I was fortunate to see some Turkish locals get on board and hand over 4TL (£1.60). The tout looked a little embarrassed quickly accepted my 4TL and I got on board.

For the next 15 minutes we headed out of the harbour, past a waterfall that you could see from the city, possibly a cave and the wrecked ship that you could also see from the city. The shipwreck is of note though, due to the large painted sign on the cabin that says 'Safety First'! After 15 minutes we reached a small fishing boat, delivered some supplies to them and then turned round and went back to shore. A round trip of 30 minutes, if you include 15 minutes sitting on the boat going nowhere, then I suppose it was a 45 minute trip!

I have no idea what the other foreigners paid for their trip, but there were a few disgruntled people getting off. I was tempted to wait and see if the tout got lynched, but considering what I had paid, there wasn't much point in complaining. If nothing else, it was worth it just to see the harbour from a different angle.

There is a longer boat trip to the Lower Düden waterfall, which I have been on before. If you get a meal included on the trip it is probably worth doing, although as it involves the boat backing in towards the waterfall, I would leave it until the summer time.

Day 122 Turkey 18/1/2011, Antalya. A spot of bike cleaning.

As I promised normal service is resumed.

I must have been tired last night as I fell asleep sometime around 8pm. Consequently I missed Ram on his last evening in Antalya, unfortunately I missed him at breakfast as well. If you read this Ram, sorry I missed you, I hope you got home safe and your wife hasn't moved all of your stuff on to the lawn!

I have been putting it off, but today I finally got round to cleaning Debs bike. Yellow Narna has now been rechristened Shiny Yellow Narna! I have decided that the reason people buy black bikes instead of yellow ones, is not that they stand out less. It is simply because you cant see the dirt and oil on the frame. It took me ages, but I think you will agree the result is very yellow!

Cleaning completed, I changed the hub oil and then gave my bike another quick clean. I can't possibly have Debs bike looking better than mine!

The rest of the day escapes me, it would be fair to say that some warm weather and relaxing was involved. There was also very possibly a beer!

Day 121 Turkey 17/1/2011, Antalya. A trip to the zoo or 'The Lion and Matt'.

Hopefully this doesn't look like the first sign of madness! It occurs to me that this will mean very little to anyone outside of the UK and probably then only a handful of people, but hey ho.

There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool/Antalya,

Well Antalya is on the coast and according to the Tourist board it has been referred to as paradise on Earth, so I guess in their eyes at least it's famous!

That's noted for fresh air and fun,

Can't argue here, although fortunately we are talking about Antalya, I don't remember anything too fresh aired about Blackpool. It could be said that Antalya is noted for Kebabs, it's old city walls and apparently it's jams!

And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom

Debs & Toad, you will have to allow me some poetic license here!

Went there with young Albert/Matt, their son.

Young Matt, and a charming fellow he is, although he isn't there son. We are back to allowing some license!

A grand little lad was young Albert/Matt,

Not so little thanks,

All dressed in his best; quite a swell

Bit of a problem here, as I only have two changes of clothes and neither could be described as best!

With a stick with an 'orse's 'ead 'andle,

The finest that Woolworth's could sell.

Change this to a bike with a Rohloff rear hub and as Woolworth's aren't selling much of anything any more, the finest that Thorn cycles could sell.

They didn't think much of the Ocean:

Have to disagree, its very nice.

The waves, they were fiddlin' and small,

True, haven't seen any waves for the last few days.

There was no wrecks and nobody drownded,

There is at least one wreck and as to the drowning I would rather not think about it.

Fact, nothing to laugh at at all.

I did see a cat fall off a wall into a dustbin the other day, which was quite funny!

So, seeking for further amusement,

I have to confess, I am starting to run out of things to do.

They paid and went into the Zoo,

This involved about 10km of busy city traffic, a short diversion when I became directionally challenged, a complete lack of signs and the handing over of 2TL (approx 80p).

Where they'd Lions and Tigers and Camels,

All of the above were available as well as goats, which the sign said were native to Turkey. Quite how anyone in Turkey could have not seen a goat before and had to go to a zoo to see one, is beyond me. The hillsides are strewn with them!

And old ale and sandwiches too.

Nope, it was just as well I had brought my lunch, as there wasn't even so much as a snack bar. I have a suspicion that not many Turks actually go to the zoo.

There were one great big Lion called Wallace;

Couldn't tell you his name, the sign was in Turkish. Lets just say Aslan (Turkish for Lion).

His nose were all covered with scars -

He seemed in remarkably good condition, considering the down at heel surroundings

He lay in a somnolent posture,

He did indeed, probably boredom.

With the side of his face on the bars.

In fairness he was a few feet away from the bars.

Now Albert/Matt had heard about Lions,

I wouldn't consider myself an expert but I have watched the odd David Attenborough program.

How they was ferocious and wild -

I suspect this may be but two of their characteristics.

To see Wallace lying so peaceful,

Aslan did look peaceful and bored.

Well, it didn't seem right to the child.

After a couple of hours of wandering round the dilapidated pens I felt the same way as poor old Aslan.

You never know what to expect with other countries zoos, this certainly isn't the worst I have ever been to. I suspect that Antalya zoo is never going to be added to the list of great ones though. In fairness to them, there did appear to be a huge amount of maintenance going on, so perhaps I just came at the wrong time. It cant really excuse the filthy water in the pools, impossible to see through, because of the fingerprints and grease, glass of the reptile house and the questionable size of some of the pens. Quite why a python needs a room that is about 8ft square, yet a 6ft long Nile crocodile gets a room about the same size and seemingly no pool to lie in, is obviously known only to the zoo officials.

Seeking further amusement I left and went back to the hotel, via a local restaurant for lunch. Unfortunately on the way back my knee started hurting again, which is a little worrying. I will have to keep an eye on it and probably lay off the cycling for a few days, which is a shame as I was just getting back into the swing of things.

Apologies to Marriott Edgar for rather destroying the poem, I felt like doing something a little different and the poem sprung into my mind while I was riding along. I recall reciting it on stage during an old time musical, it's funny what you can still remember. If anyone wants to know how it really ends it's called 'The Lion and Albert'. We used to have a recording by Stanley Holloway, who made it famous, on an old 78rpm record.

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Day 120 Turkey 16/1/2011, Antalya. A brief walk and then a day of rest.

To be honest I couldn't really be bothered with doing anything today. I didn't get down to breakfast until just before 10am and then dragged that out for as long as I could.

Needing to buy some water, I popped to the nearby shop and then picked up some snacks from the bakery. For the rest of the day I just hung around the room reading books, watched a film, did a bit of blog writing, called Debs and generally rested.

A few beers with Ram in the evening wrapped up a strangely pleasant day.

Day 119 Turkey 15/1/2011, Antalya. A bit more failed shopping and a couple of Efes.

After limited success yesterday at finding a new fleece, I decided to give it another go today. Mainly it was just an excuse for something to do and the chance to explore a bit more of the city.

My excursion out, didn't unfortunately go terribly well. Every shop I went in to, the staff seemed to think that I required a personal shopper. In one store the girl was so close that I turned round to look at something and promptly walked in to her. At the very least if they are going to stand that close they could ask me to dance!

Giving up on the clothes I went into a supermarket to get some supplies and then had to fight to hold my position in the queue. Turkish school children seem to be under the impression that queues don't apply to them. I wouldn't mind so much, but it got to the stage that they were actually physically trying to push me out of the way. Not sure what the correct etiquette in Turkey is, I felt it prudent not to give one of them a smack round the back of the head, no matter how much I wanted to.

When two child beggars then singled me out on the street and proceeded to try and get there hands in my pockets, I decided it was time to give up and go back to the hotel.

If Ram hadn't knocked on the door later that evening, I would probably have stayed there until morning.

In our quest for cheap beer, we wandered into the main part of the city and had a drink in a bar where the more you ordered the cheaper it got. This would have been fine, but neither of us actually wanted more than a glass. Mind you, any more shopping experiences like today and I may be found sitting at a table with a 2.5 litre beer dispenser in front of me.

Day 118 Turkey 14/1/2011, Antalya. Hiking shops, bike shops and a shopping mall.

As per my previous post it wasn't an early one this morning. I strolled down to breakfast a little the worse for wear.

In the interests of having Debs stop calling me 'Matt short sleeves' and then falling about laughing, I decided to head to the shops to try and replace my shrunken fleece. After a stroll round the many knock off stalls, where for some reason they seemed convinced that I was prepared to pay more for a fake than the real thing, I headed to the hiking shop. We had briefly been in the shop when Debs was here, but I thought it was worth another look.

I found an ideal replacement that unfortunately had sleeves that were about the same length as my old one. It looks like I will have to keep looking, although the options in Antalya aren't that great.

Despite the fact that the shop didn't have anything my size, the shop keeper gave me directions to a good bike shop and said that I might find a suitable top in a nearby shopping mall. As the bike shop wasn't far away, I went to investigate on the off chance that they would have a replacement tyre for my bike. The shop was very small but quite well stocked, unfortunately not with tyres. The owner races mountain bikes and obviously know his stuff, he said that he would be able to get me tyres, but they would have to be couriered from Istanbul. Due to the costs involved, I think I will manage with what I have.

The shopping mall turned out to be further away than I thought, so I went back for my bike. Perhaps I missed it, but I failed to find the shop that had been recommended. I did however get some supplies from the large supermarket, a bit of self catering will save on the costs of eating out all the time. I have decided that as everyone here seems to smoke in their room, which drifts into mine, then there is no reason why I cant light my stove. Tonight's dinner will be spinach ravioli with arrabiata sauce, washed down with a hopefully nice Chardonnay.

I was just getting settled in for the night, when Ram, who I was supposed to be going out with last night, knocked on the door to find out if I wanted a beer. Apparently he had been delayed yesterday and didn't get back until late. It seemed rude not to accept the offer, so the evening ended very much like the previous night. Thankfully there was no Celine Dion!

Day 117 Turkey 13/1/2011, Antalya. More rain, a waterfall, a dirty bike and a few beers.

Well it rained again but I decided to be brave and have a ride to Lara beach, stopping to look at the Lower Düden waterfall along the way.

There is something quite depressing about coastal areas out of season. The road to the beach was along a dual carriageway passing closed and sometimes boarded up restaurants and bars. The rather grey skies and constant spray from the vehicles probably didn't help. Riding the bikes without the luggage is when you realise how much you miss mudguards. By the time I got to the waterfall my back was soaking and my previously spotless bike was once again dirty. Nevertheless I felt better for getting out and about, it would be quite easy to go stir crazy on a day like this.

Arriving at the falls I was just in time to wave off a tour group. This was a bit of a double edged sword, as on the one hand I had the falls to myself, but on the other there was no-one to take my photo. A DSLR is not the best camera to take a self portrait with, it's a little heavy and somewhat on the large side. After a few aborted attempts I managed to take one I didn't mind, it's just a shame you cant see much of the waterfall.

Taking pity on me, an elderly German couple who were passing offered to take my picture. It was quite fortuitous really, because they weren't remotely interested in the waterfall. Perhaps they live nearby, there are plenty of Germans and Russians here.

Although the rain had stopped it was still pretty grey, so I decided there was not much point in heading to the beach. Instead I headed back to Antalya via a cycle path, which I presumably should have been on during the ride out. It certainly made for a more pleasant ride back to the city. Along the way I stopped to have a look at some slightly quirky frog statues (all with musical instruments surrounding a park bench) and then had bit of lunch at a small snack bar in the park.

Back at the hotel I gave Debs a quick ring and received the good news that she had put our applications in for our Syrian Visas and that they would be ready to collect on Tuesday. Plus she had bought us some maps for the coming countries. There will be no stopping us when she returns. We are approx 700km from the Syrian border so we should get there relatively quickly.

I was supposed to be going out for a drink with a Turkish/British guy called Ram, who is staying at my hotel, this evening. He lives in the UK, in Chester and is a postman (Brian and Pat if you read this I haven't got round to asking him if he has any elastic bands!). Perhaps we missed each other but he seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. I hung around the hotel as late as I could, but then gave up and went to get some food. Stopping at a bar just a few doors down from the hotel, I got chatting to an American guy Kevin who is studying archaeology in Norway and an English girl (who's name escapes me) from Manchester who is the world's biggest and hopefully only, Celine Dion fan. They were both quite entertaining company, although the girl should definitely not be allowed to pick any music on the bars laptop again.

Somehow time got away from me and it was about 2am when I made the short journey back to the hotel. It will not be an early breakfast tomorrow I suspect!

Day 116 Turkey 12/1/2011, Antalya. Rain! A very clean bike, a shiny new chain and an oil change.

I have been so used to the lovely weather over the last few days, that it came as a bit of a surprise to wake to rain this morning. By the time I dragged myself out of bed and down to breakfast it had pretty much stopped.

I decided to start the day with good intentions and grabbed everything I needed to clean at least one of the bikes. I thought better of doing the cleaning in the hotels terrace area and took my stuff onto the road outside. The cleaning took ages, but I have to confess that with the addition of a shiny new chain my bike looks great.

Popping back to the room to get the oil change kit for our hubs, I had a quick check of my emails and saw that Debs had messaged. The letters we needed to apply for our Syrian visas hadn't arrived, so she was stuck with not much to do.

Foregoing the cycle maintenance for a while we had a brief chat on Skype, then it was back to the bike. The oil change went remarkably easily, it was just a shame that it started raining again.

Dinner was cheap and not so cheerful, in fact the Turkish burger bar that I went to, makes a McDonalds look like a quality product. I will be having a rethink on the food front over the next few days.

Hopefully the sun will shine again tomorrow and I will get out on my bike. I obviously can't ride it in the rain now that I have cleaned it!

Day 115 Turkey 11/1/2011, Antalya. Farewell to Debs for now, a short stroll and some maintenance.

The morning passed before Debs departure with breakfast, some last minute checks and a slow stroll to the bus stop, via the snack stalls. We of course got to the stop rather early, but at least the weather was nice . We spent the time we had before the bus arrived, sitting on a bench in the sun beside a fountain.

Before too long it was time to wave goodbye. This took quite a while, as the bus didn't exactly rush away from the stop and then promptly stopped at the traffic lights about 50m down the road. Still it lightened the mood, I will miss her dearly!

Not desperate to head back to the hotel so early, I went and had a light lunch in the park and then strolled round the old city taking some random photos.

Back at the hotel I got down to some maintenance. I investigated the cause of a squeaky pedal (dry bearings) and stripped and cleaned our stove.

I didn't expect to hear from Debs until she arrived at Sarah's at around 11pm my time. To make sure I was awake I held out going for dinner until later. The restaurant plied me with plenty of tea and biscuits, but the stove was so hot that it was relief to get back into the air. The problem with all this outdoor living is that I am finding being inside quite stuffy.

Back at the hotel with the windows wide open, I watched two films, Daybreakers (not a bad take on the vampire genre) and Exit through the gift shop (a Banksy directed, possible hoax documentary, that I really enjoyed and strongly recommend).

I got an email from Debs saying she was safe not a moment too soon, as I was starting to drift off. Hopefully she will have a good, not too stressful time back home.

Take care babe I will see you soon.

Day 114 Turkey 10/1/2011, Antalya. Airport buses, a hidden tourist Information office, ancient towers, minarets and the odd Efes.

Debs' last full day in Turkey for a couple of weeks. After breakfast we went to try and find out where the airport bus picked up in the old city. It would be easy to believe that there is a conspiracy going on in Antalya to get you to take an expensive taxi to the airport. We found the bus stop entirely by accident whilst looking for the world's best hidden Tourist Information office. In truth we only knew it was the bus stop because an airport bus happened to be stopped in it. There was no sign, timetable or in fact any indication that it was a bus stop. Conversely every taxi company has a clearly printed sign detailing the cost of a trip to the airport. Remarkably they are all showing exactly the same price of €19, except one firm who had a sale on and were advertising €17. Quite why the Turks feel the need to show prices in Euros when it isn't their currency is beyond us.

Having located the bus stop, it became a personal mission to find the Tourist Information office. We had followed the sign claiming 400m to the office and found nothing. Purely by chance and crossing the road we discovered another sign, that was only visible from a particular angle as it was hidden behind a road sign. Following the sign it started to look increasingly likely that we were on a wild goose chase, then Debs spotted the office on the other side of a dual carriageway.

Apart from the challenge in locating the office, there was no point in going in. They had no English maps and the culture program leaflet was for 2010. If anyone can tell me why they bother having the offices if they are going to staff them with disinterested and uninformed people then I would like to know!

Bus and Tourist information odyssey over, we went to do a bit of sightseeing. Strolling through the city, we passed through Hadrian's gate and then carried on to the park to see the Hıdırlık Tower.

The tower's use seems to be up for speculation. It was either used for defence or as a stage for a signal fire. Either way currently it's cordoned off so you can't do much more than look at it!

From the tower we went in search of lunch and had a hilarious encounter with a shop keeper along the way. Well I say hilarious, he probably didn't find it funny, but being told that a small backgammon set was €55 certainly made me laugh; perhaps a little too loudly.

When quoted those kind of prices it isn't even worth haggling, especially as I wouldn't pay anywhere near that in Britain for a better quality one.

Lunch was certainly of better value, a nice piece of toasted bread filled with Kofte (meatballs) and lots of salad to help yourself to, all for 5TL (approx £2.40).

After lunch we went to have a look at the Yivli Minaret, which according to our free guide book you can climb for a view of the city. True to form it is currently closed, nevertheless the mosque and ruins around its base are quite nice.

While stopped for a cup of çay drama struck! I had lost one of my two remaining water bottles. Debs now seriously believes that I can't be trusted with anything unless it is tied to me. Retracing my steps back to where we had lunch, I found it on the floor by a table. Clearly not wanting to carry it around with me, I had left it there safely until we got back!

Fast becoming regulars of Favori restaurant, we had a lovely 'farewell for now' dinner and a few more beers than planned.

Debs is looking forward to catching up with some of you over the next few weeks and she will be greatly missed here. The blog may take a turn for the worse over the next few days as my editor will not be available. I have an interesting approach to punctuation; a kind of throw lots at a sentence and hope some of it is in the right place. Take care all.

Day 113 Turkey 9/1/2011, Antalya. Çay, simits, harbours and a nice dinner.

The only surprise we woke to this morning, was just how cold it was. Breakfast on the terrace ended up being breakfast in the foyer beside the electric fire.

Fortunately when we left the hotel for a walk the temperature had risen dramatically. The early morning temperatures and chilly nights are the only things that are really giving any indication that it is winter here.

As we walked down to the very pretty yacht harbour it was easy to think that we were the only tourists in town. Being a weekend the harbour was full of young Turks fishing, socialising and generally enjoying the sunny weather.

From the harbour we had a walk into the city centre and discovered some more potential eating places. Spotting a restaurant offering çay and a simit (sesame covered bread ring) for 1TL (approx 40p) it seemed rude not to take them up on the offer. This time there were no hidden surprises and the rest of the menu looks pretty good as well, so I shall probably be spending some time there when Debs goes home!

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting in our wonderfully sunny room (it rather astoundingly has 7 windows!).

Dinner was eaten at Restaurant Favori which is where we had a meal on our first day in the city. The food was very nice and I expect I shall be back in there at some point in the near future. Time for an early night I think!

Day 112 Turkey 8/1/2011, Antalya. Some chatting, some eating and a bit of strolling.

Would you believe it, while at breakfast this morning we discovered that another cycle tourist had checked in yesterday!

Mark is on his way to Syria having spent the last 6 months travelling round Europe, notably riding some of the Tour de France route (shortly before the tour came through). From there he plans to spend the next few years cycling around the world, hopefully raising some money for Multiple Sclerosis along the way. I will add his blog address to the links on our blog.

He is a charming and excitable character, who made for a very entertaining breakfast companion. It has to be said that Debs got a little bored with all the bike talk though. We hope we didn't delay his progress too much, as instead of leaving in the morning he didn't set off until well after midday. We will be following his progress as he is now officially our test pilot for Syria and beyond! Take care and ride safe Mark, it was good to meet you.

As it was well past lunchtime we grabbed some snacks from a nearby bakers and went to Karaalioğlu park to eat them. It was another beautiful day, so we had a stroll through the park and then meandered our way back to the hotel.

The evening was spent looking for a cheapish restaurant to have dinner in. Foregoing the more expensive Kaleiçi we tried one of the restaurants just outside the old city walls. In typical fashion the advertised cheap price came with lots of additions and ended up being dearer than eating in one of the nicer restaurants in the old city. This seems to happen quite a lot in Turkey and rather ruins the dining experience. Still, that is another restaurant crossed off the list. If enough people stop going, perhaps they will all stop trying to rip tourists off.

A few bottles of Efes from the local market and a movie rounded off the day. If we can successfully get the air-con and blanket (the sooner the rest of the world learn of duvets the better) combination correct, we should have a lovely night's sleep.

Day 111 Turkey 7/1/2011, Kemer–Antalya. 30.33miles/49.78km, 3hr21minutes, Av 9mph.

We woke this morning to the sad news that Debbie's uncle (and my old neighbour) Gerry had passed away. We had visited him shortly before leaving on our trip and despite being in ill-health, he had been genuinely interested and excited about our journey. He was a lovely man and will be sorely missed.

In a slightly sombre mood, we left Kemer behind and began the journey towards Antalya. With the sun shining and the road comparatively flat we rolled along at a reasonable pace. The only thing to slow us down was a reasonably strong wind, but that was only really a problem on the few exposed sections of the coast road.

We passed the camp-site that we had considered staying at early in the day and decided to continue on to Antalya. The weather although sunny, had been made colder by the wind and camping on a beach didn't seem like the good option that it had yesterday.

For once local knowledge and our map were correct, when we passed through two tunnels along the way. Neither were very long, but despite saving us a long climb, they aren't the best things to cycle through. Especially as Debs was nearly ran off the road by a lorry that had clearly taken the no overtaking signs literally! It is worth noting that the standard of driving seems to have taken a turn for the worse in Southern Turkey. Clearly our bikes aren't wide enough with all there luggage, to be seen by the average motorist!

Riding into Antalya we passed a park with some fantastic statues, all movie based and we stopped to have a look. This nicely broke up what had been a long ride through the city.

Following what the locals did, we rode along the tram lines, which is slightly nerve racking when you have no idea when a tram is about to loom up in front of you! Fortunately they don't seem very regular and when one did appear we all just headed up onto the pavement until it passed.

For a city it had been remarkably straightforward and traffic-free to get to our destination. Arriving at the Kaleiçi (old city citadel area) we quickly located a potential guest-house and went to have a look at a room. 'Mond' guest-house had been recommended by Frank who we had met in Selçuk and turned out to be very nice. The rates are quite reasonable and we have a lovely big sunny room that I can stay in at a reduced rate while Debs goes home.

Antalya is as I remember it, from at least 10 years ago, a pleasant city. The Kaleiçi is full of narrow streets with charming old buildings and a plethora of bars, restaurants and shops. I should have no problem keeping myself amused for a few weeks.

We had a nice dinner in a restaurant, followed by a few beers talking to the very friendly owner. Then rounded the day off with a film and an early night.