Çalis Beach - 36° 40' 04" N 29° 06' 22" E

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The Mystery of the Disappearing Orica GreenEdge Water Bottle

On our last night aboard T.Elif, I misplaced my water bottle.  A castoff from the Orica GreenEdge pro cycling team during their visit to the Tour of Alberta, I enjoyed its uniqueness and as well as being useful, it was a good conversation starter (should my company at the time include cycling enthusiasts).  I was sitting in bed reading and noticed that it wasn't occupying its usual spot on the nightstand.  I thought I had left it on the table, but no, a search in the morning didn't reveal it in the 'lost items' basket in the dining area. Had it silently slipped overboard in the middle of the night? Or more sinister, was it kidnapped by a fellow passenger or one of the crew? Whatever its fate, it wasn't too great a worry. There were plenty more at home and we still have Sean's to use on the trip.

Roll forward a week and a boat trip later. In Çalis Beach, several kilometres north from where the T.Elif let us ashore, we were wandering the beachside promenade with intent on choosing one of the many restaurants for dinner. We selected one, sat down and ... there on a bike, chained to a tree, was an Orica GreenEdge water bottle. Identical ... to ... mine. What are the chances of two such water bottles being in Fethiye, a beach resort far from the pro cycling tours?

I like to think it is mine, plucked from the sea by a salty fisherman to find a new life on a bike that cruises the paths of Çalis Beach.  What a journey it has had so far!

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