Digital Wanderer

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Cyprus — 4, day three, Polis Coast

2015-06-16

 

On the third day, our strength was pretty much depleted, and we decided to just go for a ride near the coast, heading slightly into the mountains and coming back on the asphalt. The problem is that in Cyprus "slightly into the mountains" doesn't exist — you only have to ride a measly 5-10 km away from the shore, and the elevation gains become quite threatening. Sasha initially drew a track further out, but I immediately told him: "think again, old man." And it's a good thing I did.

We clearly didn't have enough strength that day, pedaling was hard. First, we bolted up the dirt roads, but quickly thought better of it — the slopes are so steep that you walk up, and it's too scary to ride down, so you walk down too. And we are cyclists, after all.

A cyclist in red gear on a mountain bike is climbing a rocky dirt road uphill. The gentle slopes are covered with dry grass and coniferous trees against a bright sky.

Sashka did risk riding down once, though not on the rocks, but on the grass

A stone path leads to black wrought-iron gates along a low fence overgrown with green succulents with bright pink flowers. In the background, behind the green tree crowns, a view of the blue sea opens up under a clear sky.

 

A dirt road runs along a rocky slope covered with bushes. On the horizon, a valley with buildings, the blue sea, and the outlines of mountains are visible.

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A vertical cut of reddish-brown rocky soil pierced by roots. A thick, light, winding root runs down the center, and green bushes and an old stump can be seen at the top.

 

A wide field densely covered with blooming yellow flowers under a bright sky. Green trees and a small house with an orange tiled roof are visible in the background.

A row of fruit trees with abundant orange-yellow fruits (loquats) under a clear blue sky. In the foreground is dry earth with sparse greenery and a black irrigation hose.

Along the way we came across ripe and tasty loquats, a cross between a plum and an apricot, and shaped like a tiny pear. Makes your mouth slightly dry, but overall great. There are also endless citrus orchards all around. True, you have to be careful — some tangerines have hybridized with lemons and taste impossibly sour, even eating half of one is a feat. On the way back we even came across bananas, though we were later told it was supposedly out of season. The bananas were small, very sweet, and quite aromatic. I'm not a huge banana fan, but straight off the tree the fruit is fragrant and pleasant!

A narrow paved road curving along a low stone wall, behind which grow trees with ripe oranges on the branches. Other greenery and wooden power line poles are visible on the shoulder and slopes.

A picturesque view of a winding sea coast with hilly terrain, green slopes, and a field of yellow flowers. In the center of the composition stands a white house with a red tiled roof, surrounded by trees.

We rode and rode, and finally made it all the way to the Turkish enclave of Kokkina. The thing is, the Turkish part isn't just in the northeast of Cyprus, there are chunks in other places too. It's probably no fun living on such a tiny cape (see photo above) surrounded by another country, especially if you yourself aren't recognized. We didn't try to sneak into the enclave itself, and they probably wouldn't let tourists in anyway.

In places we rode along an old aqueduct that looks like a narrow concrete trough flowing along the mountains at roughly the same elevation. Strange that it wasn't mentioned or hyped up at all in tourist guides or on signs, unlike, for example, the Parenzana railway in Croatia.

A cyclist in a helmet stands with a mountain bike on a dirt path passing through a field of yellow flowers. To the right rises a bush-covered hill, and in the distance to the left you can see the blue sea and several houses with red roofs.

Steep hills

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Rybakovs is brutal

A dirt road skirts a green hillside overlooking the calm blue sea under a clear sky. A lone cyclist rides down the road in the distance.

 

A man in a cycling helmet, sunglasses, and a red-and-black Specialized cycling jersey stands with his bike on a high ground against the backdrop of the sea and the hilly coast.

View from a high ground over a hilly, green-covered sea coast, with a small sandy beach on the left side of the frame and a clear sky on the horizon.

A man in a red sports tank top and dark shorts sits in an old armchair in a sunny garden. He looks to the right, surrounded by the greenery of trees, with a dark tree trunk on the right and blurred leaves in the foreground.

In one of the orchards we found an ancient battered armchair, but incredibly comfortable.

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A man in a cycling helmet and backpack holds a lemon up to his face, likely smelling or biting it. He stands next to a lush lemon tree heavily laden with yellow fruit, against a background of green vegetation and a bright sky.

It's very pleasant to crush a lemon leaf in your fingers, the aroma penetrates to the very depths of your being, awakening dormant animal instincts. And mine don't sleep, so the violent reaction is immediately visible on my face.

A cyclist with a backpack stands on a dirt road laid along the hilly coast. In the background, a view of the blue sea opens up under a clear sky, and wooden power line poles are visible on the right.

Some roads are interesting — this one, for example, is made of concrete

A cyclist in a red and black jersey, helmet, and backpack struggles to lift his mountain bike up a steep, rocky slope overgrown with dry grass. Pine trees lit by bright sunlight grow around.

And this one — of branches and grass

A dirt road descends a hill covered with green grasses and bright yellow flowers toward the blue sea under a clear sky. Several white buildings are visible on the coast in the distance.

A smiling man in a cycling helmet and sports shirt takes a selfie against the backdrop of a hillside blooming with yellow flowers and the blue sea under a clear sky.

After riding around for half a day and exhausting all our strength, we decided to zip over to Polis anyway, hoping to score the right gas for our stove there. We failed at this, and decided to buy a local stove and gas a la "picnic outing". In general, any store sells gas for the kind of device where you have to puncture the canister once and can't take it off, but for our screw-on Coleman you can't buy it anywhere. Bummer!

Our morale faded a bit. The thing is, the next day we had to somehow make it to the village of Pedoulas. And although it's only 60-70 km away from our Agia Marina, judging by Google Maps, these 60 kilometers come with an elevation gain of 3.5 km!

A meme from the TV show The Walking Dead, where a boy in a cowboy hat tells an adult man that they need to climb 3.5 km, to which the man with an exhausted face replies: 'That's to the fifth floor 230 times, Carl!'

Fortunately, gpsies.com predicted a more realistic 2.5 km, which is still prohibitively a lot. I tried to hire a car, asking every Tom, Dick, and Harry to drop us off at least for the first kilometer (which is 30 km from the apartments). The only guy who agreed asked for some unbelievable 120 euros. After a heart-to-heart with our inner cheapskate, we decided to make it a matter of principle and manage on our own. Are we men or what, at the end of the day!

A man in cycling gear sits on a black-and-white curb, smiling and holding a bottle in his hand. Next to him on the asphalt lie two mountain bikes, and trees and parked cars are visible in the background.

 

A black-and-white photo of a male cyclist in sportswear squatting on the asphalt next to his backpack and a can of drink. Behind him is a curb with white pebbles and bushes, and his bike lies on the ground to the right.

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