1-5-0-0-0

By loading the map, you agree to Google's privacy policy.
Learn more

Load map

Always unblock Google Maps

This post is about a walk from Mărășești to Oaș. I complete 15,000km on The Longest Way and do my little dance, albeit in the wrong place.

There hadn’t been any bears. Some wind and a tiny bit of rain, yes. But no bears. I wrote the number “13” on the back of my left hand. This meant that I had 13km to go until the next dance. I had done a little dance every 1000km from Beijing to here. Today was going to be the 15,000km mark.

thirteen or twelve

Only later would I find out that my math was wrong and that I had TWELVE kilometers to go until the 15,000km mark, not thirteen.

I walked past some very bad looking cornfields. Many of the plants were short, many of the leaves were yellow, and many of the cobs were shrivelled. It felt worrying.

When I got back to the main road, I counted down the kilometers, hoping that I wouldn’t have to dance in a dangerous place.

road, shit, lake

I was lucky. At the 15,000km mark (which was actually the 15,001km mark) there was a meadow in the shade of some trees. I sat down and looked around. The place seemed rather fitting. Firstly, there was the road, busy and terrifying. Then there was a large pile of manure that stank pretty badly. And then finally, in the distance, there was a beautiful lake. Birds were flying over it and I could see each bird two times, one of it a perfect reflection of the other.

the tourist

I did my little dance, and then I continued walking. There were more sad cornfields and more villages. One time I saw a cat steal something from a fat, angry man. It was strangely satisfying to watch.

Then I was in the hills again where there were no people. I saw a cloud of dust coming in my direction, and it turned out to be a family in their car. “What are you doing here of all places?” they asked me, and I opened my arms and said the magic word: tourist.

I was a tourist. I was here for fun.

pictures

the walk from Mărășești to Oaș:

near Mărășești

13km to the 15,000km mark (actually, no)

village house near Mărășești

15,001km on The Longest Way

the Caboose at the 15,001km mark

rural landscape in Romania

lake

through the corn fields

dead corn

Romanian flag and a cross on a hill

lunch with beans

in the hills

the Caboose in the hills

family from Târgu Mureș

camp