9 days on a rental motorbike - trip report.

The New Forest, UK
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9 days on a rental motorbike - trip report.
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I've just spent a very pleasant 9 days buzzing around the south-west region. Rented a Suzuki DR350 motorbike from Erol Karacabey at Freedom Rentals in Hisarönü and headed off to Lake Bafa, stopping off at the Temple of Hecate at Lagina and Stratonikeia on the way (I detoured down to Iassos but it was too late in the day to look around - that's a massive site, probably needs at least a couple of hours to visit).

Stayed at Mustafa Kaşıkçı's Pansiyon at Gölyaka on Lake Bafa for 3 nights. Did a couple of mornings hiking there and had an amazing afternoon's ride round Mount Latmos along very country roads/dirt tracks, visiting Myos, Alabanda and Alinda (briefly).

Then it was on to Mesudiye on the Datça peninsular, dropping in on Euromos and the Gümüşkesen Mausoleum in Milas on the way. Stayed at Mesudiye for 3 nights at the lovely Gülbahar Pansiyon in one of their cabins in a lemon orchard just 100 metres from the sea. Visited Knidos and the Sanctuary of Apollo at Emecik.

Then over to Kaş for 2 nights at the Hilal Pension (again). And did a circuit up via Elmalı to Termessos and the Karain Cave and down the coast, dropping in on Canmom's place for a coffee, and back to Kaş. Got a speeding ticket just outside Eşen on the way back to Ölüdeniz (whoops - again!).

Here's my route map - http://www.herostratics.com/Stuff/2010Bikeride.jpg

Istanbul, Turkey
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That sounds like a lovely tour.You certainly clocked up some miles!The Datça peninsula will have been glorious at this time of the year too.Ah...Knidos.I LOVE it there.There is something just other worldiy about the place.I hope they've done a few road improvements since I was last there.I last went down there on a scooter and the road was so bumpy I fell off the back LOL!

P.S. Speeding ticket?You?Nah.....they conned you.

The New Forest, UK
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"The Datça peninsula will have been glorious at this time of the year too"

Yes, and that road along the peninsular from Marmaris to Datça is one of the best motorbiking roads I've come across in Turkey. It's asphalt all the way to Knidos now, too.

Brighton and Hove...
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Thanks for referring to this post on another motorbike thread - I had missed it originally! Sounds a great trip and great to see there's a real adventurer out there!

The New Forest, UK
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In 2008 I rented a Yamaha XT650 from the same guys in Hisaronu and went to Cappadocia - a 2100 miles round trip. I take my own helmet with me nowadays.

istanbul
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David, thanks.

but we also want to hear about the sweat the dirt, monsters other than the ticketing kind, dragons that you slew, damsels whom you rescued, the people of ancient empires that you met, hitchhikers wearing short shorts.

You make it sound so easy, and we know it cannot be so. ;)

The New Forest, UK
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Sorry, OC, I've only just noticed your post here.

"You make it sound so easy, and we know it cannot be so." - It was in fact very easy. I knew that there are several pensions at Kapıkırı but I'm glad I stopped at Gölyaka instead. The pension there, although basic, was a lot cheaper than up the road, and it's right by the path that leads up to the monastery and cave paintings. OK, I was a little knackered by the hiking in the heat, but we were back by lunchtime both days. The ride around Mt Latmos was great fun with the perfect bike for it, I only got lost 3 times and had to ask directions - I liked the theatre at Alabanda very much in its village setting - http://www.megalithic.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=a312&file=index&do=showpic&pid=58700

Arriving at Mesudiye it was the second pension that I enquired at that I stayed at - you'd be very lucky to get the right place first stop, I reckon, but plenty to choose from down the front there.

The trip out of Kaş was a bit longer than I expected, but I didn't start off until about 10am, sorry to have missed Carrie at Çıralı when I popped in there but Saban gave me a coffee to keep me going, arrived back at Kaş at 9:15pm in the dark - thought I'd impress Süleyman at the Hilal Pension with my 20 minutes between Finike and Demre and he said he'd done it in 15!

The bike went well apart from 1 time dodgy petrol and I kept on kicking the indicator when mounting (eventually dangling off by its wires) so I bound it up with sellotape which Erol didn't mind when I returned it to him in Hisarönü.

All in all a very successful sightseeing trip that ran very smoothly. If I were to do it again I would probably allow about 3 more days.

7. Re: 9 days on a rental motorbike - trip report.

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