'And if all the trees that are in the earth were pens, and the oceans were ink, with seven oceans swelling it thereafter, the words of God (signs/ creation) would not be exhausted"
Traveling the sea at last, I took the 12:00 noon ferry from Bodrum to Datça. Ferries can be a good alternative to the very pricy boat rides, true it is a form of transportation ( a sea bus), but it is what you make of it. And I enjoy those ferries as one may a yacht
I was on board 40 minutes early, and I still could not secure a seat outside. Inside it was literally a Dolmuş without wheels. A big closed space, two tiny windows for ventilation, no AC in the midst of summer. I was baking, I swear! 30 minutes into our trip, the deck now semi-empty I took my bag and said Adios. The open sea, nothing like it, no words can describe it, so I ain’t gonna try.
Two hours later a shift in scenery, in an instant, arid mountains turn into verdant, virid mountain scapes, water the color of emerald, the sparkle of distant galaxies …. Datça! I was stunned, I had to go to the captain (I know it’s easier to ask anyone around, but I won’t be me if I did that) to confirm. It’s either I forgot how beautiful Datça is, or in comparison to all the places I have been to – some of which were breathtaking by the way. I ran to my camera, trying to register that moment in real not just memory – heartfelt apologies Datça, my mobile camera suck – and today as I write this, I am confirmed, Datça may well be the most beautiful spot that I have seen so far in Turkey, and that includes photos and videos. My Datca home, finally!
Back in Armutlu:
Ego: Come on stop being paranoid, you are better than that AND you are not lost, one bad experience should not color the rest of your life!
Gut: you are lost, stop where you are, think, and reach out for help before you dig a deeper hole.
Ego: This is FEAR speaking, asking for help is a weakness, don’t be a child, remember an iota of fear will hinder your logic. Press on, you are good!
Gut: You have been out there for almost 6 hours, it’s scorching hot, you ran out of water, your energy is zapped, you have been bitten by God knows what, you are in excoriating pain, look at your arms and fingers they are swelling, Red Flags Lana
Murat (WhatsApp) Lana are you ok? You’ve been out for a very long time
Ego: I am ok don’t worry, I am heading back now
I am LOST, I have no idea where I am, all I can see is non-stop thick trees and mountains, google cannot spot where I am, and to say it is HOT and the sun is killing me is an understatement.
I have no other option but to reach out for help, something I hate and dread. See I have a voice inside my head that cannot tell the difference between weakness and being plain human. So signs that every other human being – even strong folks – would see as dangerous, my mind convinces me that it is not and that I need to overcome it. Needless to say, the number of risks/ amount of danger both physically and mentally that I put myself through is A LOT. I just cannot tell the difference!
I send Murat a message, with an apology. I should have been careful, this should not have happened AGAIN!
Murat responds at once, and we figure out a way for him to spot me, and true, I was heading in the absolute wrong direction, and to go back requires 2 hours of fast pace walking, and my body just cannot do it and I know that 30 more minutes and I’d have a heat stroke. He says he will come to pick me up, he has a vehicle that can go up those mountains.
Relieved, I look for shelter, I cannot stand the sun anymore, I’m in the RED zone, and as always: I utter a prayer. I walk for 5 minutes and Lo and Behold! A truck. I rush there, it’s open, I start to call: nothing. I thank God, I mean this is the best shelter EVER. I hop in and raise my swelling feet up. I check the spot I was bitten, swollen and blue, my fingers are 1.5 their normal size, sweet! I cannot do anything about anything, all I can do is wait …. so I just chill.
30 minutes or so later I hear an engine and there ya go, my knight in the shiny ATV. How happy I was to see him, albeit a little embarrassed! Murat greets me with a big smile and talks as if it was nothing, relieving me from my embarrassment However my eyes were dazzled, fixated on that bad boy he was riding, I hop in and one of THE MOST AMAZING rides ever ensues, we are going fast up and down those mountains, the best most amazing views, the air ….Gosh that was pure delight!
Lana: OMG Murat, this is the best ride EVER, I am glad I got lost!
Murat drives me around tracing my steps to know where I went wrong. I find the sport where I took the wrong turn, then he drives me about to show me the exact routes I should take when I go on my hike tomorrow, I mean AWESOME DUDE!
He drops me at my RV … I am totally high, elated, happy, and have totally forgotten I was lost, and that I was swollen and in pain!
I absolutely loved living in an RV, there is just something nourishing about tiny, frugal spaces. Time stretches endlessly; it seems the day is now 36 instead of 24 hours. Very little distraction from yourself and simple, pure living. But then that’s just a side effect.
I woke up at 3:30, the night still chirping, the world silent. I make myself a cup of coffee, I open the door of the RV, dark, traces of twilight in the sky, the stars, the little pooch sleeping softly at my heel, I embrace it all, I breathe in, I breathe out, I am in heaven no doubt. This will be a day I’ll never forget as long as I live.
I watch the sun as it spreads its rays, inch by inch, eyes glazed by the hues, a sea of color, a pool of light, dew everywhere, the world yawns, and awakes, I am a spec, but I am part of this whole, this is where I belong, this is where I will return, death is not an end, it’s a beginning.
I planned to stay some more, but the universe had other plans. My time here has come to an end. Can, Murat’s brother, ending my stay on the best note takes me to the bus stop in Armutlu via ATV. Gentle and polite, a reminder of how men used to once be. He sticks a bit to ensure I am ok, I thank him with “bir milyon teşekkür” and tell him I can manage. I ask a dude loitering near a street post where I can get the Dolmuş to Izmir merkez, luckily it’s one bus. I find it, get on, squeeze myself next to an old lady, bags on my lap, I can’t see, can’t breathe, it’s boiling hot, I had to shout my destination to the driver, but I am happy, I am smiling, gratitude fills my heart and eyes.
To be continued .....