Kesan to Malkara – 24th August
Distance: 28.7 km – Elevation +470 m -300 m
Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 35 degrees
A really good quality hotel last night in Kesan, 4 star quality for 25 euros including breakfast. I started around 7.30 am and the route took me into the working end of town. It was a hive of activity with numerous ponies and carts being used to ferry goods from one part of town to another. A young driver standing on the seat of his cart waved and smiled as the pony and cart sped by at speed. There were numerous cafes with men drinking tea, it was a fascinating experience seeing how a provincial Turkish town awakened.
As I continued through the busy back streets I was stopped by one man, then another both indicating I should turn back. Knowing that I was walking in the right direction I continued until several men in a cafe shouted in my direction as I passed and then left their seats in the cafe, surrounded me and vigorously indicated I should not continue, and like yesterday when the farmer warned me about dogs, they also indicated dangerous dogs awaited me! The old adage ” dogs are a man’s best friend ” does not apply to Turkey.
So I rerouted and the only real option was to follow the state road. Not so bad in the end as I had special encounters with local people. I was walking by a small cafe when an elderly gentleman called me over and gave me his chair and ordered me a glass of tea. We talķed in various ways, he was with a group of friends, everyone was so welcoming and the kind elderly man told me he was 85 years of age. Later in another cafe the young son of the owner wanted to practise his English and have his photo taken with me. His father came from Konya and paid for my tea. A three-course lunch including a delicious soup, salad and then a plate of spicy meat in a wayside cafe in Izgar was 7 euros. I was still in sunflower country and the views were stunning.
I am staying tonight in the small market town of Malkara in a small basic, clean and comfortable hotel in the city centre for 17.5 euro. Turkey is so much cheaper than Greece. Malkara is another town built on a hill so it was a steep climb to the town centre and appears more secular than Kesan, alcohol was available on the outskirts of the town but not in the town centre. It was quite a lively little town in the evening.
Just a note about the weather today I was waĺking into headwinds of 30 kilometres per hour and with the gradients, it was a bit tough but the wind helped to cool the 34 deg heat.
