It's raining, it's pouring...

When I was backpacking through Europe after college, my friends and I ended up traveling with an Australian guy named Aaron for a couple of weeks. I remember a few snippets from my time with him (I learned what Vegemite was and that I never wanted to eat it again). However, the one thing that stuck with me was his commentary on Istanbul. As we planned this trip, circling in my mind were Aaron's words, if you go to Istanbul, bring your own toilet paper. Hmmmmm, what implications does this have for our trip? How much toilet paper should I pack? 

Aaron's warning quickly left my mind this past January. On my way to India, I had a long layover in Istanbul, so I actually left the airport, took a taxi to the happening part of town and walked around for about 5 hours. I LOVED it! In a nutshell, it was lush, green, quaint, and friendly. So when we decided to spend one glorious day touring Istanbul after our trip to Antalya, I was so excited. I should have realized that grass does not become lush and green without copious amounts of water!

It rained the entire time we were walking around the city. The great packer that I am forgot to bring jackets, rain coats, hats, or umbrellas. My kids were troopers. We were absolutely soaked, but we still managed to see a few things in Istanbul!



I had NO idea that Istanbul was the only city that
spreads over two continents-Europe and Asia!
We were driving by this sign on the bridge and I couldn't
really ask the driver to pull over so I could get a better picture.
Although I admit, I was tempted.



Massive traffic jams at
every turn in Istanbul



Turkish dude taking advantage
of the traffic jam. Just trying to make a livin'.

View of one of the many bridges 

There were so many mosques.
They were all beautiful!

We went to a delicious Turkish kitchen for dinner one night.
The hostess asked us our nationality when we entered and then
plopped these flags on our table.  We were the only people in the entire
restaurant with flags on our table!

Want an appetizer? In Istanbul you don't order them
from a menu, you grab them from a man pushing a cart.

Hagia Sophia:  basilica, mosque, and now a museum...

The Cistern in Istanbul:  we walked underground and explored this magical cavern.  The columns were illuminated and created an eerie almost mystical feeling.

So full circle back to the toilet paper issue.  Let's visit the restrooms of Istanbul.

I thought it was important for you to see
these mothballs in the sink area.  I was hoping
you could actually smell them.  Little did I know, that
a Turkish woman would begin hitting me repeatedly
in the arm for taking pictures. I continued to snap photos
and walked away with an earful and a bruised arm.
So please enjoy this picture.

This sign was inside the bathroom stall.
Solid waste?
There are no trash cans in the stalls,
so I guess you are supposed to
scoop your poop out of the toilet and
carry it to the sink area and throw it out
in the garbage can with the paper towels.
Eeewwwww! 

Antalya, Turkey

We went to Antalya, Turkey for almost a week.  We rested on the beach, played in the indoor pool, and ate way too much. The boys learned the fine art of Foosball, our hope being that they will be fully prepared for college life. For me, the highlight was losing repeatedly to Emet in ping pong.

We did rent a car for a day and explore the city life. We found quickly that there wasn't much city and not a lot of life. We did notice that every building's roof had water barrels. We assume this is where their hot water comes from. 

We walked around Old City and took in the sights.

We ended up buying some combination of these that
makes a flavored all natural tea.  

A man hand sewing a carpet.

There were blankets strewn over everything.

Love the spelling!

Yes Officer, I do have my helmet.
It's right here in my hand.

Plug Me In. Hook Me Up.

I hear you whispering. I know what you're saying.  Did she even go to Turkey? ... or maybe She must have gotten herself into a snafu and ended up being detained at the airport for the last week... or better yet ...Monica probably pulled a stupid stunt and is now sitting in a Turkish prison for the long haul.

Well, rest easy. The answer isn't as fun as any of those.

Food poisoning, virus, fungus, bacteria, amoebas and parasites. Not sure which one it was, but I was attacked. I will save you from the details of my intestinal tract for the last 8 days, but let me reassure you. It hasn't been pretty. And it definitely does not smell of roses.

Here is a picture of the IV I was hooked up to in the Emergency Room (I needed 3 bags!). Luckily, I am on the mend. Not my usual sunshiny self, but so much better.

Hopefully, now the rumors can stop.

Gobble, Gobble

After the current events in Egypt, we decided to cancel our trip (we got a full refund less $100, not bad for 6 airline tickets!) and try somewhere new. We struggled with where to go...we wanted somewhere warm, not too far from Tbilisi, and not overly expensive. I felt strongly about wanting to go somewhere we have never been and somewhere we probably will never go once we return to the states.  So Turkey it is. 

We will be going to Istanbul and Antalya.  It is not going to be warm enough to sunbathe on the beach, but it will be warm enough to enjoy being outdoors.  We are going with Emet's parents (who just arrived from Michigan last night!). 

I am excited about going to the spice bazaar in Istanbul, sitting on the beaches near the Mediterranean Sea (maybe wearing a sweatshirt), and just chillin' with family.  I am not, however, excited about leaving for the airport at 4 a.m.

Hopefully, I will have some good stories when I return.


Please note the fancy arrows I inserted
so you could easily find where we are going.
Can you see us?



Wanna ride, little girl?

Before the president's wife, Sandra, brought big yellow city buses to Tbilisi, the marshrutka ruled the road. This mini-bus could carry travelers, haul goods, and deliver packages in one fell swoop. They would easily maneuver the streets, going along their designated routes. However, since the arrival of the city buses, marshrutkas are no longer allowed along the main avenues. Even with this semi-new rule, they are still the main form of transportation all over the city for Georgians.

Besides the one I take to and from school each day (which picks us up and drops us off directly outside of our apartment and waits for us if we happen to be running a few minutes late), I have not braved traveling in true Georgian style because I simply can't read the sign on the front of the marshrutka to figure out where it is going.  

If you can read the sign or figure out where the mini-bus is going, it is simple enough to use:  you open the sliding door, climb over the other passengers, squeeze into a seat that may be rear facing, and pay the driver 50 tetri (about 30 cents) at some point along your journey. When you are ready to jump off, you catch the driver's attention and begin crawling over the passengers to ready yourself for a speedy exit.  It's as easy as that!  

Marshrutkas come in all colors. It was a challenge to get good pictures because they were either speeding past me or I was standing in the middle of the road aiming my camera at the oncoming vehicle.  Crazy foreigner.

If you want it badly enough...

Remember the post when I told you there were no mailboxes in Tbilisi? For the longest time, I had no idea how people paid their bills (luckily our landlady takes care of ours for us).  

Well, here's the scoop. These blue and yellow contraptions are outside most buildings and around every corner. The touch screen asks you to select from many different companies, you type in your account number or street address, and then push your cash through the slot. Voila, your bills are paid!  

However, I do have to put minutes on my cell phone. And, once again, this glorious blue and yellow machine is where you do it.  Be prepared to be impressed with my skills....I learned how to add minutes to my cell phone using only this screen!  

What's it say, you ask? I have no idea! Yes, it is all in Georgian. I try to add enough minutes so that I rarely have to attempt this. I honestly don't remember from one time to the next which buttons to touch. Somehow I just get through it. I admit that I always hesitate before shoving my money in the slot. Maybe I am paying for an entirely different service?  

The good news is that, so far, I have managed to get it right each time. I have no idea how though.

XX is in da House!

Last week was Mother's Day, a national holiday.  Most schools and businesses were closed. 

Today is Women's Day.  A day to celebrate all women, even young girls. So now, just 5 days after Mother's Day, it is another celebration for women--with many schools and businesses closed again.  

Talk about Girl Power!

When Georgia was still under Soviet rule, this holiday was celebrated annually.  After they declared their independence, many Georgians no longer wanted to honor this "Soviet" holiday.  Thus, Mother's Day was created.  However, after a few years, Georgians brought back March 8th, Women's Day, as a national holiday.  Now they celebrate both.

It is a pretty big deal around here in the beginning of March. People have congratulated me all day long on being a woman (I have put a great deal of work into this whole woman thing, if I do say so myself). 

The city is littered with beautiful flowers. 

Selling flowers outside the Metro

A street corner filled with flowers

These bouquets are directly across the street
from the picture above

Where's Waldoshvili?  Can you spot the man within
all of the flowers? 

This is usually the lady who sells us our lemons.
Today, she is making the most of the holiday.

If you are a woman...Georgia is where its at.

Georgian Snickers

If you are in Georgia and begin to crave a mouthwatering milk chocolate bar consisting of peanut nougat, roasted peanuts, and caramel, you are in luck.  Well, sort of.

Georgians have a treat they fondly refer to as the Georgian Snickers.   They say the word with such pride, it is worth the 1 Lari and 50 Tetri just to see them smile.  When sellers are not trying to lure non-Georgians, they refer to it by its real name: Churchkhela.

To make this traditional Georgian candy, you start by stringing walnuts on a thread and allowing them to dry out (to avoid them from getting moldy).  The walnuts are then dipped repeatedly in a mixture of grape juice (not the kind from Giant) and flour.  They are then hung upside on a beam to dry.  This is the much simplified version because there are about 10 steps you must do just to get the juice from the grape and ready it for the walnut dipping.  But since I don't think you will be trying this recipe at home, I thought it was OK to give the short version.

You can buy churchkhela in most places, but the best place to get them is on the side of the road in rural areas.  These are said to be the freshest and most authentic.  We stopped and bought some from this woman on our way home from Signagi.

Like most Georgian food, I didn't like it all when I first tried it. Since then, I have tried it a few more times and it isn't half bad. However, since there is no peanut nougat, roasted peanuts, caramel, or chocolate, I think they need a new slogan for their famous candy. It is nothing like a Snickers bar.

Butter Me Up

One of my favorite things about living abroad is experiencing a different culture.  I love hearing what others believe and comparing that to what I grew up learning about.  I could probably write a book about the differences between Georgia and America, but I will just start with a few:

1.  If you put butter on a bruise it will make it better.  Tamriko convinced Emet to try this theory.

2. In old-fashioned, traditional Georgian families, the man is not supposed to touch his child before he/she turns 3 years old.  In the first 6-9 months of the child's life, all caregiving is the responsibility of the mother's mother.

3. You should never sit on the cold pavement, it will damage your reproductive organs.

4. If you leave a window open, your back will catch a cold (which means you will pull a muscle in your back and be rendered motionless).

5. Everything is about a person's blood pressure.  The change in weather warrants a 30 minute conversation about how each person's blood pressure has fluctuated due solely to the changing weather (therefore making them feel terrible from either too high or too low blood pressure).  Students come to school with their own blood pressure cuffs just in case we need to get an emergency blood pressure reading.

6. If you drink or eat anything cold, you will catch a cold.  Have I mentioned I am having ice cube withdrawal?  Or that I went into a convenient store the other day to purchase a drink and the refrigerators were all shut off, so the drinks were warm.  It is winter, so why would you want a cold drink?  They also wanted to save on electricity costs, but that is another topic entirely.  I tucked my 2 Lari back in my pocket and walked out of the store, thirsty.

7. There is a great fear of getting sick.  Many kids were sick in my school about a month ago.  Many more kids stayed home from school because their parents were afraid their child might get sick.  If you walk the hallways of my school, you see kids and teachers wearing surgical masks like the one below.  Kids are also wearing necklaces made of garlic or onions to keep the "sick germs" away.  The aroma in the classrooms and hallways is breathtaking!

8.  Eating soup at least once a day keeps you regular.  When I finally confessed that I don't love to eat soup every day, I was immediately asked about my daily bathroom habits.  There was a great deal of concern for my well being.  

  

And my favorite so far is (drum roll please)...

9. If you are a woman and have high blood pressure, you have not had enough sex.  It is important to get that "injection"(wink, wink) of hormones to lower your blood pressure.

P.S.

In no way am I poking fun of these Georgian beliefs...I am sure when people to come to America and learn of some of the crazy things we do, they post them on their blogs as well.

P.P.S.
There was no change in Emet's bruise after the butter was applied.  We were robbed.

Sticks and Stones...

Looking back on my trip to India a few "funny" things happened.  At the time, I was a bit uncomfortable or one might even say worried, but now I can sit back in the comfort of my own home and chuckle.

Incident #1
In my last post, I talked briefly about the people who were blocking the main road from Agra to Jaipur.  As a result, we had to wind through villages to find our way to our destination.  At one point on these back roads, we were blocked by a group of young men.  There was one, in particular, who did not want to let us pass.  Mr. Khan got out of the car and tried talking with him, asking him to move his moped from the middle of the road.  The group of men refused to move, but many of them were laughing (which can either be reassuring or more frightening if the laugh is that crazy, sadistic kind...you know the one I mean.).  Beth and I sat in the back of the car trying to figure out what was going on.  It came down to this:  the man wanted us to pay him for the use of the road.  He figured since the main road was blocked, he might as well benefit as well. There was no budging him and we weren't going to pay--Mr. Khan was adamant about that.  Then out of nowhere, a little old lady approached the group of young men and began hitting the leader with the stick she was carrying.  She was yelling that she was going to march down to his house and tell his father what he was doing and that he better get a move on!

I wish so badly that I could have captured the old woman hitting the man with her stick, but I wasn't that brave at the time.  Instead, I got the leader driving away on his moped.

We drove down the road a short distance talking about what had just happened, when we came to the second plot to charge us money to travel on the road.  This one, however, was being executed by children and was not complete yet...we were lucky :)  I think they were planning on building a wall of rocks so no cars could pass.

Incident #2
Beth and I were trying to find the perfect stores in which to shop.  What we had seen so far had either been touristy with lots of really inexpensive items (aka cheap looking things that will break easily and are just plain ugly) or stores that carried massively expensive items (and what I considered to still be ugly).  So we had been hopping in and out of the car and running into stores for a while now.  At one of the last stores we visited, we got back into the car after checking out the store for a only a few minutes, when a man with a very large gun approached the car.  He and Mr. Khan began arguing and Beth and I didn't utter a word.  We could not figure out what they were fighting about...but it was clear they were fighting.  At one point, the man with the very large gun reached into the car and yanked the key from the ignition, breaking the key.  When his hands started grabbing the wheel, Beth and I froze.  Finally, the man with the very large gun seemed to back off a bit.  Mr. Khan took this opportunity and wrangled the key back from the gun man and was able to insert it into the ignition and off we drove.  Beth and I couldn't get the words out quickly enough, trying to figure out what had happened.  Mr. Khan, looking bored, explained that he wanted money since we parked in front of the store.  Mr. Khan told the man with the very large gun (did I mention that his gun was very large?) that he was not the parking police and he refused to pay.  I don't think I would last a minute alone in India!  I apologize for not taking a picture of the man with the very large gun, but felt it was better to return safely to my husband and children instead.