London – The Idiot, who has walked over 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) around the Mediterranean Sea, resumes his hike across southern Turkey to Syria tomorrow.
The American adventurer and author – who is walking in the footsteps of Homer, Odysseus and Alexander the Great – launches this segment of his ongoing MedTrek near the Turkish village of Uçari, which is about 350 kilometers (218 miles) from Syria. He expects to reach the border on the Mediterranean Sea well before concluding this stint of MedTrekking on October 15.
The next MedTrek outing begins on this type of mountainous terrain 38 kilometers north of Anamur, Turkey.
Naturally The Idiot is aware of the potential danger of entering Syria and discussed the plight of the country, including the recent spate of horrifying and obscene beheadings, at Speakers’ Corner in London on Sunday.
Syria and the vote for Scottish independence were popular topics at Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park last Sunday. (Photo: Liz Chapin)
He mentioned that a recent travel warning from the U.S. State Department stated that “No part of Syria should be considered immune from violence, and throughout the country the potential exists for unpredictable and hostile acts, including kidnappings, sniper assaults, large and small-scale bombings, and chemical attacks, as well as arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture.”
He added that Syria’s coast, where The Idiot will be MedTrekking just over 200 kilometers, is ostensibly still controlled by Syria President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Although it’s difficult to accurately assess the situation in various parts of Syria, he produced this map created by “The Wall Street Journal” last week to illustrate the current territorial divisions within the country.
Map of contemporary Syria.
(Credit: The Wall Street Journal)
The Idiot indicated that he will evaluate the wisdom/stupidity of walking on Syria’s Mediterranean coast when/if he arrives at the border. He noted that his long-time followers and readers will recall that, after meeting with the Algeria Embassy (which refused to issue him a visa) and the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., he decided not to illegally enter war-torn Algeria in 2003.
He may be an Idiot but he’s not stupid.
Stratte-McClure has chronicled his twenty-year project (he’s been at it for 16 years) in two books.
“The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean” was published in 2008 and “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean” appeared in 2013 on paper and as a cutting-edge iBook with over 200 seductive photographs, dozens of interactive maps and scores of informative links. The third book in his MedTrek trilogy, which will again cover 4,401 kilometers of his walk around the Mediterranean, is scheduled to appear when/if he arrives in Alexandria, Egypt.
Readers can keep up with The Idiot on his blog and website @ www.followtheidiot.com where he publishes daily items entitled “Where Is The Idiot Today?” and a weekly “Follow The Idiot” column updates his progress on the path. His latest “Idiot-ic Reader Reactions” video on his website, entitled “Syria Promo” (http://followtheidiot.com/idiot-ic-reader-reactions), invited readers and followers to join him on the expedition through southern Turkey to Syria. There were not a lot of takers.
It is also possible to Follow The Idiot’s progress when he posts his GPS locations on Facebook (Joel Stratte-McClure) and Twitter (@joelsm).
Keep up with The Idiot by monitoring his progress through regular GPS postings.
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