After cycling out of Istanbul, I spent only a few more hours on the road before pushing my bike off into the bushes, climbing a steep hill and setting up my tent in a thick mess of trees, bushes and vines. At around 2 AM I woke up and realized I had a terribly high fever. I knew what was going on right away – I was dehydrated. I drank as much water as I had on me at the time (which wasn’t nearly enough) and then slept until 12:30 PM the following day. When I woke up I was still incredibly dehydrated and in addition, also very weak. But I knew that I had to keep going. After all, I needed more water! So I packed up my bike, spent thirty minutes trying to find my way back to the road, and then finally (sometime just before 2 PM) got back on my bicycle and pedaled north.
Dehydration sucks and it should be avoided at all cost. It’s scary to be alone, camped out in the middle of no where and sick to the point of exhaustion. It’s not fun and it’s terribly unsafe. Lesson learned: DRINK MORE WATER!