Congratulations to Bo Derek, who Followed The Idiot and successfully swam across the Hellespont last Friday (for The Idiot’s account of his swim read the chapter entitled Hellespont Milestone in The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean),….….and to Diana Nyad for persevering to finally complete the swim from Cuba to Key West yesterday.

But The Idiot himself was foiled in his attempt to swim a mere nine kilometers from Datça, Turkey, to the Greek island of Symi in the annual Peace Swim on Sept. 1.

“The cancellation wasn’t due to the Greek economy or the Turkish political scene but just our lack of organization,” admitted Ahmet Ozturk, the Turk who had invited me to Datça for the swim. “We just didn’t get it together but it was too windy and we would have had to cancel it anyway.”

The cancellation gave The Idiot an opportunity to relax on Ahmet’s gulet and enjoy a seaside dinner in Datça.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And despite the heat he resumed MedTrekking on the Datça Peninsula where he baked bread, bought fish, joined some archeologists and trekked past numerous inviting swimming holes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He and partner Liz Chapin also made an extraordinarily difficult hike through unchartered terrain to Pig’s Bay Camp, which is usually reached only by the sea. Although the camp is closed, manager Musa Unal offered water, food and a seaside platform bed at no charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This is Turkey,” Musa said. “You’re my guests.”