4/13/98: Ruth is beginning to feel better. We went together to Kuşadası to send some email and had some great ice cream as we wandered around bit. We made contact with Olcay Çanbulat and set up a time to get together for tomorrow. We split a dinner at Homeros because thir portions are just too generous for one person! We chatted with Simon, from Holland. Very well-traveled. Also met up with Leroy and Toni again, who returned to stay another couple of nights at this wonderful pensione. Ruth had a deep conversation with Toni, who began to show interest in the Bible and the Christian Faith.
4/13/23: “Sometimes you need to put yourself through the rite of passage without being certain what you need to learn. You’ll discover what you’ve gained slowly, and years from now, you will find you have new tools.” —Jeff Greenwald, journalist, photographer and world traveler
I can’t remember for sure, but I think I came across that quote in an ESCAPE magazine article back in the early to mid 90s. I’m reminded of it now because of those conversations we had with Leroy and Tony, and Simon, and so many other people we met on our journey. On the open road, there is an openness of the road. Or at least, there can be. Some do travel to far-away places and only want to eat at McDonald’s. But for those who are willing to step out of their comfort zones, for those who let their guards down, they can learn things otherwise impossible to learn. And there are things you have to offer that otherwise might never get passed along, like telling someone about the love of God. We had many wonderful conversations with locals in every town as well as fellow adventurers on journeys of their own. There were inconveniences, like getting snookered by scammers who take you to the wrong hotel. But look on the bright side. Taste the foods. Learn some phrases. Laugh with locals. Turn strangers into friends. Your worldview is always changing. Why not be deliberate about how it changes.
The photos in today’s post are actually from a visit to Kuşadası two days later, 4/15/98, when we went to town to purchase ferry tickets to Samos. I have no idea what the parade was for, but it was fun to stumble upon it.
