Sand Spit

Here I stand on a sand spit outside the town of Dalyan, in southern Turkey. The year is 2009.

To reach this beach, we had to hire a boat to take us from the town and through a mazelike passage between islands of tall, rustling reeds, an experience that led straight to the scenes in Quillifer where my protagonist is taking a small boat through the reed-maze outside his home city of Ethlebight.

Across the river is a path to the ancient Lycian city of Kaunos, now consisting only of some very impressive ruins. Like so many ancient cities in Turkey, and like Ethlebight, the city was abandoned when its harbor silted up.

What would have been a pleasant excursion was spoiled by the fact that I was suffering from raging strep throat. My throat hurt so much I couldn’t swallow, and I had to dress in my warmest clothing in order to keep from shivering to death.

I hadn’t quite recovered from the strep when I flew home, maybe ten days later. Despite the misery of my illness, the people, scenery, and history of Turkey kept me on the go.