I actually wanted to go to Ayvalik, a (chic) place with a new harbour and a petrol station. I needed to fill up. But the petrol station is closed for maintenance, of all days… So on to Dikili. My destination is Pergamon, the ancient city (with its once famous library) on a high mountain in the interior of the country, fed by an aqueduct several dozen kilometres long that runs over several mountain ridges, and the ancient Asklepion, located nearby but deeper in the valley, a spa and healing centre that was well known in its day and even visited from distant Athens. But suddenly there is an collision with an unknown, invisible object; just a short, violent blow, and one engine fails!
Chugging along and a little worried, I arrive in Dikili: a small, pretty harbour in a noisy, almost shrill village with lots of life on the streets. Göksel is the harbour master, who assigns me a place behind some fishing boats. Suat and other friends and fishermen drop by regularly… One side of the harbour, facing the village, is occupied by tourist and party boats, often two-storey, which cart (Turkish) tourists out to some supposed sights, feed them and return to the harbour with loud music blaring… The other side of the harbour is reserved for fishing boats, which moor here in several rows. Göksel also helps me find mechanics, engine specialists and anyone else who claims to be able to repair my engine, and acts as my translator. This shows that my problem is not easy to solve… It’s unbelievable what “analyses” and problem-solving fantasies I hear!
Nevertheless, I visit all the impressive ancient cities and find time to explore Dikili and take my enforced break in good spirits. But it is becoming increasingly clear that I need expert help, and that is more likely to be found on the neighbouring Greek island of Lesbos. At least Marko has found a Suzuki dealer with a workshop there. However, switching over to the Greek side here and now would mean that I would have to forget about visiting all the ancient sites along the Turkish coast: clearing customs in Turkey and re-entering the EU is too complicated and too expensive for me to simply hop back and forth. I now have to make a decision.