Awake at 7. Packed and off at 8. On the way out I stopped and got some water from a fountain by an employee café. The first part of the morning was spent retracing the way I had come the day before. I bought some snacks from a shop, then halfway to Kesan I took a side road.
Luckily for me paved side roads took me east through endless sunflower fields until, around 13:00, I rejoined the main highway at Malkara. I ventured into town and got a sugary drink or 2 to speed my way. I left it through a crowded market and found myself on the open highway with 80km to go.
On I went, listening to “The Count of Monte Cristo” and to music, and disassociating as cars and trucks blared past me. At 3 I stopped in wheat field, finished my snacks, and realised I was exhausted. I could have slept then and there. Instead, I struggled on on the main road for a while, stopping every now and then.
At 4 I took a well paved side road to escape from the trucks for a while. This was good until the road devolved into dirt and then into rocks. Turkish roads have a tendency to do this. I passed people burning trash, and had to walk for a while until I reached the main road again.
This I followed at speed until I reached Tekirdag, where I decided to take the coastal route through the city. I stopped for refreshments twice there, but eventually found myself out the other side and speeding along the flat-ish coast the final 15km to my planned campsite. I arrived there around 18:30 and was let in by Marta, who also protected me from her aggressive dog.
She led me to a spot near a lake, complete with a hammock. I laid in this awhile, explored the sea and the camp, then put up my tent for the last time (I think). I hope my morning bicycle patch repair on the sleep mat holds. Then I took a much needed warm shower, and went to the café. They gave me a fantastic Turkish meat broth. I also got a beer, which I consumed gratefully, and wrote this.
I’m running out of pages. Hopefully I’ll have enough to complete the account of my cycle. I’ll be home soon enough, then I’ll have to face reality, and my future. I’m scared of that. I don’t know how C does it.
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