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DAY 16: Bandırma (Turkey)

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Day 16, just past 6:00 AM—I’m jolted awake by the deafening broadcast of the *adhan* (call to prayer). Today’s temperature ranges from 10°C to 21°C. It’s quite mild, likely because we’re by the coast. I’ve decided to take another day off. Mud from the trail has been interfering with the brakes—to the point where they stopped working—which made for a terrifying experience while descending a hill in Bandırma yesterday. My mission for today: completely remove the dried mud and install a protective liner inside the tires. I also need to head to a bike shop to pick up some rubber cement for puncture repairs. Fortunately, this hotel is quite affordable, and thanks to some Agoda points, it’s even cheaper. Breakfast this morning: *Chai* (tea), mango juice, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, honey, bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, pickled olives, salami, French fries, various types of cheese, and more. You really can’t beat a buffet-style breakfast. Since I’m eating breakfast here, it must be lun...
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DAY 15: Karacabey – Bandırma (Turkey)

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Woke up at 4:30 AM. The town is quiet—all I can hear are the chirping of birds and the distant barking of dogs. Temperatures today will range from 8°C to 20°C. It will be reasonably warm during the day, but I’ll need to set off in full winter gear this morning. While I’d prefer to avoid rain and wind, perhaps it’s precisely because of them that I’m able to truly appreciate a clear, calm day. Breakfast at 7:00 AM. Sunrise is gradually coming later each day. I’ll wait until it’s light out to depart. The daylight hours are shrinking; the seasons are slowly moving forward. Finished eating, packed my gear, and checked out. When I went to retrieve my buggy from the storage area, I found the rear-left tire completely flat. It seems a piece of wire from the road must have punctured it again. I quickly swapped out the inner tube. The friendly staff member who helped me at check-in watched the whole process. As I was leaving, he shook my hand and used a translation app to show me a kind, heart-w...
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DAY 14: Karacabey (Turkey)

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It has already been two weeks since I left Istanbul. Although the distance I’ve covered is minimal, I have plenty of time left, so I intend to move forward without any rush or panic. High costs for dining out and accommodation are simply unavoidable. "If you travel with a 'Japanese' mindset, you won't be able to enjoy the experience." This is something I learned during my trip to Spain and Portugal two years ago. Traveling in a way that mirrors the lives of the locals—that is what’s important. Bringing a Japanese perspective along on your travels often leads to nothing but complaints and dissatisfaction. A day off in Karacabey. I woke up at 4:30 AM. Perhaps because I’ve been consuming too much caffeine—from all the *çay* (tea) and coffee—my sleep has been quite shallow. I had a dream that I was standing at the front of a classroom again. Dreams about school almost always involve some kind of trouble or unexpected incident! (Haha.) Today, I plan to find a park with...
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DAY 13: Gölkiyi – Karacabey (Turkey)

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Woke up at 6:00 AM at the campsite in Gölkiyi. It was so cold that I had to get up twice during the night to use the restroom. It was too freezing yesterday to even take a shower—I didn’t want to risk catching a cold. Although I spent nearly 12 hours in my sleeping bag—my first time camping in a tent for a while—I kept having strange dreams and couldn't get a good night's sleep. Once it got light out, I started packing up. After breakfast, I discovered a flat tire on the rear-right wheel of my buggy and set about fixing it. A piece of wire from the tire casing had punctured it in two places. I set off just before 9:00 AM. The campsite owner treated me to some *çay* (Turkish tea) at the café. A police officer, a friend of the owner, was there too. The journey along the D200 started off pleasantly, but the road eventually turned into an off-road track, and it began to rain. A spoke broke—again, on the left side. What started as a packed dirt path gradually turned into a quagmire—...
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DAY 12: Gorukle – Karacabey (Turkey)

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Woke up at 4:30 AM. Planned to cover the approximately 30-kilometer stretch from Gürikre to Karacabey. The weather is mostly cloudy, with rain expected starting tonight. Temperatures range from 11°C to 15°C. From here on, until reaching Bandırma, there is a stretch with no accommodation—or rather, only hotels that exceed my budget. Tonight, I plan to camp—my first time setting up a tent in Turkey. Started at 7:40 AM. I am incredibly happy and grateful that it isn’t raining. The D200 highway remains a stressful route, but that’s to be expected when traveling through densely populated areas. Once I cleared the city of Bursa, the traffic finally began to thin out. However, that also meant fewer towns, with little more than the occasional gas station along the road. Today, I didn’t come across any supermarkets like A101 or BIM along the highway. I only stopped once for a quick break, remaining standing the whole time. My only shopping stop was at a gas station two kilometers before the cam...
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