Day 153:

6/16/2014

Another day of gaudy beach hotels, speedboats, jet skis, and all the ostentatiousness money can buy.

I passed two large turtles and mourned for what my race had done to their home.

Sometimes there was a break in the temple to cheap thrills and greed and I passed dunes that argued for solace and peace. Along those dunes the water was shallow and reefs scraped at the bottom of my kayak. I could identify the worrisome sections from a short distance away, and should have chosen to turn hard and give them a wide berth. Instead I tried to pick my way through the treacherous hull skinning water. I realized that the only way to go was back, but thought just maybe I could go forward. I hate going back.

And I did get through, though I would definitely need to remember to examine my hull at the end of the day. It was probably fine.

One of the folks in charge of the previous day’s water sports center told me he was a professor of physical education at Ankara University. He presented me with a slip of paper that I should show at the university’s campground, so that they would feed and shelter me.

I found the campground. It was in fact a budget hotel for students. I showed the slip to the reception and they offered to let me stay for 100 lira a night. No, I could not use their internet if I was not a guest.

I made friends with a university worker picking up garbage around the beach chairs. He told me I could sleep on one of the chairs for the night, which was nice. They were both cushioned and off of the sand.

In the middle of the night someone pointed a flashlight in my eyes and spoke forcefully “Yadda wing wooba gump!”

“Hi, I’m Dov. I kayaked here from Spain. I have permission to sleep here.

“Slump gerfp.”” He answered and left me to fall right back to sleep.

Nautical miles paddled: 15
Current location: 36.813408,31.311561