Apologies for the stats, but this is a tiny sample of the random things with which I attempted to occupy my mind as I crossed the dusty Anatolian plain. Occasionally green, sometimes with a mountain or two to enliven the horizon, but always flat and with a straight road, this was not wildly exciting riding. Several times I was on the verge of wishing for a mountain pass, if only for the sake of variation.
On the other hand, it was easy to see how this plain took such a great toll on the Crusader army in 1097. It was during its crossing that the knights first truly realized the problems associated with wearing iron armour in hot places (yes, I would have thought they could have figured that one out in advance too), and also that many of their mounts succumbed to dehydration, beginning the transition of the army from a cavalry to an infantry force. My mount was in no danger of succumbing to dehydration, but its rider was - I discovered today that even a camelbak is no defence against a parched throat in such a dry, dusty place.
I am now sitting in a mall in Konya, where I came in the vain hope of seeing the new Batman movie. Alas! The Turkish dubbers got there before me, so I will have to wait a little longer to find out what Will is raving about. Tomorrow I am taking a rest day, during which there will be much sleeping and an effort to track down some whirling dervishes (for Konya is their home).
__________________________________________________________
Not happy with your email address?.
Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/ymail/new.html
2 comments:
And the Crusaders didn't even have a bike computer to stare at all day to while away the ks... So I'll add Anatolia to western Siberia in my list of Really Quite Soul-destroying Places to Cycle Across?
Ed
Pretty much - for me Anatolıa ıs defınıtely up there wıth the desert of northern peru as well, though fortunately lackıng the permanent headwınd...
Post a Comment