I stayed at this pension for over a week, sleeping by the lake, taking showers with hot water every day, doing my laundry, and eating the traditional Turkish breakfast served on the deck—the array of cucumbers, tomatoes, green and black olives, slices of processed...
Saturday, 29 September 2012 In the morning I packed up, snapped the daily dedication photo, and resumed the walk into Isparta. I entered the city around 1 p.m., had lunch, and decided to look for a hotel in Isparta for one night before continuing on to Lake Egirdir....
Wednesday, 26 September, 2012 The next morning after about forty-five minutes into my walk, I pulled off at a gas station for a morning break. I didn’t need to stock up on supplies, having eaten so much the night before, and I had plenty of water. I just took a seat...
The next morning I hopped the bus and went back to Cardak. I checked into the hotel I had stayed at a few days before. I worked on emails and blogs for the day. I waited until after dark for dinner, when I could sneak out to another market to buy a simple dinner of...
Sunday 23 September, 2012 The next day I walked into the town of Dinar feeling lonely, uncomfortable, and out of place.I knew I needed some “alone time” to process something but I wasn’t sure what, so instead of looking for a public place to stay, I checked into a...
Saturday, 22 September In the morning, early, before anyone was stirring in Cardak, I walked out to the main road and began that day’s walk to the next village. I’d made some good friends in Cardak and knew I’d want to come back. Sunday, 23 September 2012 I learned...
Friday, 21 September I began my second full day in Cardak using the hotel’s slow internet connection to upload photos to my blog. Toward the middle of the day I ventured out into the square a few times to pick up supplies. On one of my sorties out into the square Eren...
Thursday, 20 September The next morning when I woke up I went back out onto the square and saw Eren and Ozgur at the bufe. They invited me to join them for breakfast. I learned a little bit more about them then. I learned that they were very close friends and figured...
Wednesday, 19 September 2012 When I woke up the next morning my right foot was hurting something fierce, the anxiety was back, and I still wanted to go back to Denizli. Get off the edge of the plateau, I told myself. Get further down the road, you need to wade deeper...
Tuesday, 18 September 2012 Tuesday morning I awoke with a start to my cell phone alarm. I panicked. Oh my god, I am still at this gas station! I should be making better progress. I am letting myself down and everyone back home, too. I came here to walk across the...
Monday, 17 September 2012 Monday morning, the third week of the walk, I packed up my stuff and said goodbye to Metin and the gasoline station attendants. Then, as the sun rose from behind the hills, I walked to the main road out of town. It was already hot and humid...
Saturday-Sunday, 15 and 16 September 2012 The next day, Saturday, Metin and I took a car to his village for the wedding. Our first stop was in another small village to pick up beer and some snacks for later on in the evening. Our second stop was Pamukkale, one of the...
Friday, 14 September (continued) In a somewhat better frame of mind after lunch, I continued walking through Denizli. My gait was slowed by the pain in my foot, and by mid-afternoon I was only halfway through the city. I knew by the map that it was possible to make it...
Friday, 14 September 2012 The next morning I woke up, broke camp, and walked over to the station’s café for a breakfast of menemen and bread. After breakfast I went back out onto the highway and walked to Denizli. With a population of 500,000, Denizli seemed a huge...
Thursday, 13 December 2012 continued About two hours later, with the sprawling edges of Denizli visible in the distance, I stopped off at a gas station for a bottle of water and a snack. This was a well-equipped gas station, with an attached cafeteria and a covered...
Thursday, 13 September 2012 continued The day’s walk was along a section of road with gentle rolling hills, gradually climbing towards Denizli, a city halfway between the Menderes River Valley and the Central Anatolia Plateau. My right foot was still hurting a bit,...
Friday, September 14 On my fourth morning in Horsunlu, I woke up and got ready to begin another day of working my foot. I didn’t know yet what I would do on that day, maybe start with some laps on the dirt road, and then graduate to walking out to the main road. As I...
Once I got my tent set up in the park, the feeling of panic I had felt back in the hotel 36 hours earlier subsided, and now I calmly lay back in the familiar grass, my feet casually propped up against the tree. As the light fell, people came out of their houses to...
The next morning, I woke up knowing that I was going to have to do whatever it took to work my foot back into shape. So I hobbled downstairs to breakfast and decided to come up with a plan. Before sitting down to eat, though, I walked a couple laps around the parking...
The next morning I pulled on my pack and walked out of the lobby of the Thermal Springs Hotel. I started to cross the road to begin walking as usual, but stopped when I spied the hotel’s breakfast buffet. I had been in such a hurry to get back on the road that I was...
