We rode from Tevfikiye (Troy Horse place) to Selcuk today which was a distance of approx. 365km in a southern direction (see Our Location). Temperatures rose to 38degC today and as I type this post at 7:00pm they are still well above 30degC! Steve and I are privileged to under take this adventure,  with every kilometre we travel we gradually see the landscape and cultures changing which I am sure as we progress will be come more dramatic. So watch this space. Today we became aware of the landscape becoming dryer, hotter and life is simpler than that of the big cities and developed countries of Europe. The west coast of Turkey is covered with olive trees, I am sure every olive in the world comes from here!

One thing that Turkish Police do is undertake random checks on motorists and today it was our turn. As you will see from the picture above the Police were very relaxed and happy to pose for a picture and wished us well on our travels. Let’s hope that attitude continues. Unfortunatly Steve was bitten by a wasp like creature that flew up his jacket sleeve while he was riding yesterday and bit him several times on the arm before he was able to stop and remove the jacket. Today those bites had inflamed and were very tender which made life somewhat uncomfortable for him. Hopefully they will fade away soon.

We have found Turkish people wonderful to engage with, offering assistance when we appear lost and genuinely interested in our adventure when we speak with them.  Last night while at the camp site a friend of the owner, without being asked walked over and gave both Steve and I a massage which went down a treat.

Tonight we are staying at a cheap hotel in Selcuk and tomorrow we visit the ancient ruins of  Ephesus which we are looking forward to, but for now we relax and soak up the atmosphere.