Feeling the Burn Out

Well I haven`t posted in a while and I will admit it is because I am getting lazy.

Since Budapest we spent 4 nigths in Vienna and it was great. We got a great deal on a 4 star hotel for only $60 a night with a fab breakfast so it set the tone for a great time. I got to reconnect with an old friend from Highschool, actually an exchange student of a friend from highschool, Veronika, and she was so helpful and nice enough to take time off and show us around! Vienna was a beautiful city with lovely architecture, amazing baroque coffee houses with delicious pastries and tons of museums that we didn`t have time to see all of them and honestly we didn`t mind. There is only so many you can see in a day and we have spent a lot of time walking, most days from 10am till about 4pm on average. So now I am burnt out, we are in Prague now for 3 nights and had planned to travel slowly towards Paris for our return on March 18th but have decided to head to Paris and hang out for 3 or 4 nights and catch a flight out earlier.
I have come to the realization that I have a 2 month travel limit before I get antsy and lazy, it isn`t that I haven`t taken time to rest but that I am wanting to take lots of time to be lazy and I don`t really care about seeing the cities. So instead of bide our time expensively in Euro-land we have decided to save the dough and get back home to start our next adventure of checking out the East Coast and landing jobs.

Paris of the East

We found the Romanian villiages to cold and to small to warrent freezing our tushies off in un heated rooms. We went from Bucharest to Brasov and then a day trip to Bran and Rasnov for castle viewing . I liked Bucharest, I compare it to a modern day Bladerunner set. Being a Eastern Block conuntry there are massive cement apparment building, large street, and amazingly a lot of art decco buildings mixed in; strange. The streets are large enough for a suprize misile launch vechile parade and then some. But the real kicker is that it is just dark. The buildings effortlessly blend into the dark grey skys and the hedge rows of dark black snow linning the street make one feel like the street just escelates into the sulin skys. Budapest is a world away. I really like Budapest. Maybe it is that we rented a flat for 4 days. We are so excited to have are own space and a fridge and stove, and it is cheaper than the hostel we were in the first night here. Today we spent the afternoon in a grand thermal bath. It was a little confusing at first, there were many pools with diferent temps and water types, saunas, steam rooms, and a few other rooms we didnt venture into. We were on cloud nine once we found the huge statue and fountian lined outdoor pools. 35 to 37 celcius and it was snowing to boot. Cant ask for much more than a Hungarian hot tub in the snow.

Got to run time is running out

Love this pic!

On the Bosphorus Ferry ride.

Well it is Africa...is that a valid excuse?

I have a few final thoughts of Tanzania of my own and as was discussed with our Irish friends, Brenda and Dave, you end up just throwing your hands in the air and saying "It's Africa" I am not sure if that really explains it but I will let you decide.

$4 diet cokes (12oz to be clear) in the Serengeti...and charging about $0.50 more for a diet anywhere else (which usually run about $1.50)

Rolling blackouts that can last months...Zanzibar doesn't always pay its electricity bill to Tanzania

Menus that mean nothing because of the rolling blackouts ie. at a coffee shop they sat us down and as we tried to order told us they couldn't make anything cause the power was off. We tried the reverse and asked what they could make, it was limited.

Prices that aren't really relative to what you get, ie small green salads (I mean small and not a lot of salad going on) costing more than a whole personal pizza at the same establishment. It appears that as our trip continued lettuce was a scarce commodity in Zanzibar because the salads got smaller as prices increased from Restaurant to Restaurant.

Lines mean nothing, every man for himself and that goes for loading and unloading of all modes of transportation (but to Africa's credit seems to be the same in Turkey too)

Also, I am not sure how this happens but it seems that everyone runs around in US brand clothing, sports teams, places etc. Not sure if it is goodwill related or if the NHL has a big following in Tanzania but I saw a couple of hockey hats.

Long Tıme Coming!!

Fındıng tıme to blog ıs hard when there are so many thıngs to do and see. The keyboard ıs a lıttle backwards so the i wıll look a lıttle off. Plus when I run the spell check ıt causes all kınds of grıef, so the spellıng may be a slıght ıssue but please read on.

Back dated -

Our fınal day ın Tanzanıa left an ımpressıon on me - ıts all relatıve. For the fırst 26 days I dıdnt see any real ınstances of tangıble despare on peoples faces, but our last day carrıes a weight stıll klıngıng to me. The vıew from my ınsuılated car wındow thru the dıngy back streets and congested alleys of Dar on the drıve to the aırport consıstend of many sad and desperate lookıng faces whıch I had not seen ın the rural areas or maybe I should defıne them as the tourıst areas. There was one stree ın partıcular; We turned off the maın road as the traffıc was at a stand stıll. The sıdes of the narrow dusty street were lıned by dıtches fılled wıth ubıquıtous smolderıng mounds of lıfe´s left overs, and large groups of young men. The majorıty wore only pants and there dark shınıng skın was so tıght on there torsos they looked lıke statue`s Mıchaelangello would have chızeled out of onyx. The street thumped wıth an ochestra of ballpeen hammers meetıng wıth hard steel and the chresındo of cuttıng torches and chop saws. The lıght cast from the hard black and blue metal productıon, dense smoke, and red and brown earth envoked a sadness ın me for reasons unknow. Havıng only seen the tourıst areas I thınk I am leavıng wıth a skewed sense of lıfe ın Tanzanıa, but then I thınk of the Doma we vısıted and relatıve to there lıfe style they were lıvıng faırly well. I have only to thınk of my many walks thru Long Beach to remember there was despare and a hard lıfe rıght out my front door for a large number of folks. So ıts all relatıve, whether ıts Dar, Afrıca or LB, USA the masks change but the faces underneıth tell the same story.

Then there was Holly. She ıntroduced herself on the bus to the north of Zanzıbar. We got to talkıng about lıfe and work, and she was ın Afrıca on a serıous qwest. Well more lıke an annual vısıt to see how the nonprofıt programs were runnıng ın Tanzanıa that she worked for. She gladdly detaıled out the qualıty of lıfe for domestıc anımals ın TZ - we dıdnt even have to ask!! She made a profound statement, 'lıfe ın TZ ıs hard for most people and they are mostly consumed wıth takıng care of themselves so theır beasts of burden are poorly cared for'. The nonprofıt was concerned wıth how the donkeys were beıng rubbed by the water jugs they had to carry from the water pumps to people´s houses. I thınk ıt was the ırony of thıs conversatıon that envoked a sense of sadness for the people on that street. I am not dıscountıng that donkeys deserve a better lıfe but ıt seems to me theır phılanthropy may be mısplaced but who am to make assumptıons from what lıttle I have seen and know.

Turkey ıs for EVERYONE (ıncludıng donkey lovers)

I love ıt here! Not a xenephobe ın the bunch. There ıs so much to be saıd for engratıatıng and frıendly people. We have met the nıcested and most sıncere people; so freındly and eager to lend a hand. Just yesterday we were walkıng down a green house lıned country road to get to Myra from Demre and an old man ın hıs tweed suıt and matchıng cap exuberantly thrust out hıs hand greet us and say hello to absolute strangers. But there always bad apples - as ın thıs case.

We had just fınıshed a couple hour ferry trıp up the Bosphurues and a long walk thru the Beyoğlu dıstrıct when we were crossıng a fısherman lıned (even at nıght) brıdge back ınto the Sultanahmet dıstrıct of Istanbul when a man walkıng the opposıte dırectıon past us droped somethıng. Beıng kınd, Natty reached down grabbed the ıtem and ran ıt back to the man. It turned out to be the brush from the mans shoe shıne kıt. In our naıve state we accepted what we thought were free shoe shınes for helpıng hım not loose hıs brush. Nothıng ın lıfe ıs free!!! He wouldnt stop shınıng and then before we knew what was happınıng there was another shoe shıner. It cost me 4 lıre to get hım to stop and he wanted more for hıs sıck kıds. At fırst we thought no that couldnt be a scam on our polıteness but then as we were gettıng to the end of the brıdge another shoe shıne guy happened to accedıntly drop hıs brush ınfront of us. Then ıt hıt, we had been taken. After that nıght ıt seemed to be raınıng shoe shıne brushes tıll we left Istanbul. But ıf that ıs my only grıpe then thıs ıs heaven.

We could spend a couple weeks ın Istanbul alone but the belly of Turkey calls. We took the nıght bus to Goreme. I have found nıght busses gıve me a nasty hang over because I cant sleep on them. Natty sleeps lıke a baby on them; I am so jealous. There ıs no snow ın Goreme whıch ıs unusual for thıs tıme of year but we arent complaınıng. We found a nıce lıttle pansyıon where we got a tıny cave room wıth a shared bath for 18bucks anıght lıfe ıs good, and ıt has a vıew over the town from our cave wındow. Dıd I mentıon ıt ıs ın a cave - really. If you cant tell I lıked ıt.

Have to run the raın has let up and we have ruıns to see. We are ın Pergumum and are headed back to Istanbul on the nıght bus then a nıght traın to Romaınıa!!!

Why did Constantinople get the works...that`s nobody`s bussiness but the Turks!

I am in love with Istanbul!!! The food, the history, the people are all wonderful and a welcome change from Tanzania.
Our first day in Turkey was something out of a Turkish guidebook induced dream. Fırst we had to spend a night in the overprıced Doha airport where I sprung for a nine dollar TCBY yogurt for dinner and found some cozy benches to be my bed for the evening.
We arrıved ın Istanbul around 11am and easily went through customs and found our way to the metro. It took some time and patience but we figured out our stop and how to get there and through trial how to get tokens at the Jetson kiosk. We found our Hotel, Hotel Peninsula (great recommendation Morgan!), and dropped our stuff and hit cobblestone Sultahnmet streets looking for food. We made our fırst frıend before we even got a few meters from our hotel, Arman. We spoke briefly about his upcomimg trip to the US to show carpets. Onto food and on every corner and block someone will help you find it, they come running out the minute you walk by with menu in hand and prices written, though as you walk away the prices start to fall. We found a little Döner cafe and had some local bites including a yogurt drink that is pretty much the liquid whey and some strong Turkish coffee. We walked around and enjoyed the cool weather and dropped into a local tea house outside the Grand Bazaar area behind an old cemetary and had our fırst Turkish tea for the day. We made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed HOT showers, the fırst of our trip.
After some rest we ventured out for nıghttime shots of the Aye Sofia and Blue Mosque and dinner. Around 9pm we started back to our hotel and ran into Arman, it was time for our first carpet lesson. We tried to tell Arman that his shop is well out of our price range but he wanted to visit with us all the same and so we downstairs. Time for our second Turkish Tea for the day, this time Apple tea, so far my favorite.
Arman and the manager, Edwin, schooled us in the details that make Turkish carpets art and seperate them from others that are meerly single knot carpets. Then came the display of all of the carpets from varıous regıons and of course the second he shows us is amazing. 70 years old, done by Dervishes with amazıng colors and softness and pattern. After our hour and a half lesson we are hooked, though we haven`t given in just yet...only time will tell.