Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Home Safely
Hey, gang, I'm home safely and have slept 14 hours. Yay!!! I'm going to post tonight b/c I didn't get all my good Istanbul photos up, and I want to be sure you can see them. More from me this evening!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Last Day in Istanbul
My last day in Istanbul was great. I had just a few last gifts to buy and did that right after breakfast. The hotel breakfast was great, not as much or as fancy as the expensive, swank hotel, of course, but they had wonderful sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, feta, and olives, as well as some local bread rolls and jams. I probably ate a whole tomato's worth of slices; they're so good.
After breakfast I went to the spice market and the grand bazaar again, taking a different route and wandering a bit on the way there. I bought my last few gifts, including Tony's gift to me. :-) He told me to go buy myself a necklace at the grand bazaar and that it is his gift to me from Istanbul. I thought that was the most romantic thing I'd ever heard. Tony (by proxy) bought me a beautiful old silver necklace from a vendor in the antiques area of the bazaar. The vendor told me the pattern is called "tree of life." I didn't see any others like it in any of the shops or stalls, so even if it's not a real antique (and who knows really?), still it's unusual and really cool looking.
After that, the bazaars were crazy crowded, so I made my way back to the hotel and dropped my packages and spent most of the rest of the day reading and people watching in various places. It was a lovely sunny day, so I sat outside on a low wooden bench with brightly colored cushions outside of a restaurant and spent forever drinking a single beer and watching people pass by. Then I went to a juice bar and did the same with fresh-squeezed pomegranate and orange juice. (I've had three glasses of that stuff today; it's so good! They cut the pomegranate in half and squeeze it in a press and the same with oranges and hand it to you. Mmmmm.) Then I went to a large paved area with cheap food vendors and political leaflet hander-outers and moms with strollers and guys who smoke and half the rest of the city seems to go to sit in the sun on benches and chat and look at the water. I spent several hours there reading a book, snapping some photos and people watching.
When I finally decided to leave, I thought I'd get someone to take my pic waving goodbye to Istanbul. Well, I asked a woman maybe a generation older than I and pantomimed taking a photo. She seemed concerned about taking the camera at first but then snapped a great, clear shot of me. Her daughter, Ozlem, walked up at that time, and Ozlem is a medical student who is lovely and speaks wonderful English. She had just bought a roasted corn on the cob to split with her mother. She invited me to join them on the bench, and I did. They broke the corn into 3 pieces and gave me one. It was so kind. Ozlem and I chatted and exchanged email addresses; she said it is her mother's first time to Istanbul, as they are from another part of Turkey. It was a lovely, if brief, chat. When I said goodbye, her mother gave me a resounding kiss on the cheek. I was so touched and am hoping that we do email each other.
After that I went to a place that has--what else?--fresh-squeezed pom-orange juice and also baked potatoes. Let me just say that Turkish people know how to do up a potato--wow!!! They get the potato, slice it open and smash cheese, butter, and salt into it and then gesture to the 28 items in the case and put a spoonful of all of them that you agree to. I had peas, red cabbage, chopped pickles, chili sauce, green olives, black olives, yogurt with mint, yogurt with dill, corn, and I can't remember what else. Man. So good. $5. I sat upstairs directly in front of a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the water where all the cruise ships dock. It was the best seat in the house, so I stayed there a long time and watched twilight come and finally left for the hotel.
On the way to the hotel, one of the guys who works in the bazaar recognized me and walked me to the hotel, just chitchatting. I tell you, everyone is so friendly here. I've had more people buy me tea, walk me places, offer me some of their own food, give me directions, etc. and many of them not trying to hit on me or sell me anything--just being friendly. It's incredible to encounter such kindness in such a big cosmopolitan city.
Well, that's all for my Chronicle of the Final Day. I'll try to do another post tonight with a bunch of pics, but I did want to get a long, text-heavy post in. I've been trying to remember so many details today so that I could share them with everyone, and now I have. Tomorrow I catch the airport shuttle at 7:30 a.m., so I want to get a good night's sleep in. See you soon, loved ones in Seattle!
After breakfast I went to the spice market and the grand bazaar again, taking a different route and wandering a bit on the way there. I bought my last few gifts, including Tony's gift to me. :-) He told me to go buy myself a necklace at the grand bazaar and that it is his gift to me from Istanbul. I thought that was the most romantic thing I'd ever heard. Tony (by proxy) bought me a beautiful old silver necklace from a vendor in the antiques area of the bazaar. The vendor told me the pattern is called "tree of life." I didn't see any others like it in any of the shops or stalls, so even if it's not a real antique (and who knows really?), still it's unusual and really cool looking.
After that, the bazaars were crazy crowded, so I made my way back to the hotel and dropped my packages and spent most of the rest of the day reading and people watching in various places. It was a lovely sunny day, so I sat outside on a low wooden bench with brightly colored cushions outside of a restaurant and spent forever drinking a single beer and watching people pass by. Then I went to a juice bar and did the same with fresh-squeezed pomegranate and orange juice. (I've had three glasses of that stuff today; it's so good! They cut the pomegranate in half and squeeze it in a press and the same with oranges and hand it to you. Mmmmm.) Then I went to a large paved area with cheap food vendors and political leaflet hander-outers and moms with strollers and guys who smoke and half the rest of the city seems to go to sit in the sun on benches and chat and look at the water. I spent several hours there reading a book, snapping some photos and people watching.
When I finally decided to leave, I thought I'd get someone to take my pic waving goodbye to Istanbul. Well, I asked a woman maybe a generation older than I and pantomimed taking a photo. She seemed concerned about taking the camera at first but then snapped a great, clear shot of me. Her daughter, Ozlem, walked up at that time, and Ozlem is a medical student who is lovely and speaks wonderful English. She had just bought a roasted corn on the cob to split with her mother. She invited me to join them on the bench, and I did. They broke the corn into 3 pieces and gave me one. It was so kind. Ozlem and I chatted and exchanged email addresses; she said it is her mother's first time to Istanbul, as they are from another part of Turkey. It was a lovely, if brief, chat. When I said goodbye, her mother gave me a resounding kiss on the cheek. I was so touched and am hoping that we do email each other.
After that I went to a place that has--what else?--fresh-squeezed pom-orange juice and also baked potatoes. Let me just say that Turkish people know how to do up a potato--wow!!! They get the potato, slice it open and smash cheese, butter, and salt into it and then gesture to the 28 items in the case and put a spoonful of all of them that you agree to. I had peas, red cabbage, chopped pickles, chili sauce, green olives, black olives, yogurt with mint, yogurt with dill, corn, and I can't remember what else. Man. So good. $5. I sat upstairs directly in front of a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the water where all the cruise ships dock. It was the best seat in the house, so I stayed there a long time and watched twilight come and finally left for the hotel.
On the way to the hotel, one of the guys who works in the bazaar recognized me and walked me to the hotel, just chitchatting. I tell you, everyone is so friendly here. I've had more people buy me tea, walk me places, offer me some of their own food, give me directions, etc. and many of them not trying to hit on me or sell me anything--just being friendly. It's incredible to encounter such kindness in such a big cosmopolitan city.
Well, that's all for my Chronicle of the Final Day. I'll try to do another post tonight with a bunch of pics, but I did want to get a long, text-heavy post in. I've been trying to remember so many details today so that I could share them with everyone, and now I have. Tomorrow I catch the airport shuttle at 7:30 a.m., so I want to get a good night's sleep in. See you soon, loved ones in Seattle!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Blue Mosque Pics
Below are some photos of the gorgeous interior of the Blue Mosque. It was incredibly beautiful, but it's hard to get a good sense from these pics b/c the lighting was tricky for my camera. Hopefully, you can get the gist. Enjoy!
Istanbul in Photos: Day one
Istanbul is fantastic; I'm enjoying it so much. I've posted some pics from yesterday, when we went from the Taksim Square area, where the nice hotel is, to the Egyptian Spice Market and Blue Mosque. I'll have to do a whole nother post on the interior of the mosque, so this post is just a summary of the other stuff from yesterday.
I'm moving hotels today to somewhere cheaper; the others have left for Seattle. I'll check out of this hotel and take a taxi to the cheaper place and then head to the Grand Bazaar for most of the day. FYI, the breakfast in the hotel today was *amazing*: dried figs and dried apricots, hazelnuts, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, several (more than 10) kinds of cheeses, fresh breads including the little flat donut-shaped breads covered in sesame seeds called simit, fresh yogurts and jams to stir into them, and turkish coffees. It was incredible.
Below: I'm posing in the swank hotel on the round marble staircase.
Below: A street outside the hotel. You can see the tall, lovely, old fashioned looking buildings.
Below: Me, posing on the street. These flags are all over the place; we think it's for an upcoming political election(?) but could be wrong.
Below: Me posing with some pretty flowers along the cobblestone street. The city is lovely with flowers; I'll bet it's even prettier in April or May.
Below: Waylon, Cynthia, and me on the fernicular, a little subway the runs from near the hotel down to the Galata Bridge.
Below: There were several pretty pictures in tile in the subway stations.
Below: Me with the Galata Bridge behind me.
Below: Looking back to the side our hotel was on, toward Taksim Square.
Below: People fish along the Galata Bridge. Heidi, I though of you! :)
Below: The boats below buy fish directly from the fisherman as the fish are caught, and grill them on the boat, put them on a fresh bread roll and sell them for about a dollar.
I'm moving hotels today to somewhere cheaper; the others have left for Seattle. I'll check out of this hotel and take a taxi to the cheaper place and then head to the Grand Bazaar for most of the day. FYI, the breakfast in the hotel today was *amazing*: dried figs and dried apricots, hazelnuts, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, several (more than 10) kinds of cheeses, fresh breads including the little flat donut-shaped breads covered in sesame seeds called simit, fresh yogurts and jams to stir into them, and turkish coffees. It was incredible.
Below: I'm posing in the swank hotel on the round marble staircase.
Below: A street outside the hotel. You can see the tall, lovely, old fashioned looking buildings.
Below: Me, posing on the street. These flags are all over the place; we think it's for an upcoming political election(?) but could be wrong.
Below: Me posing with some pretty flowers along the cobblestone street. The city is lovely with flowers; I'll bet it's even prettier in April or May.
Below: Waylon, Cynthia, and me on the fernicular, a little subway the runs from near the hotel down to the Galata Bridge.
Below: There were several pretty pictures in tile in the subway stations.
Below: Me with the Galata Bridge behind me.
Below: Looking back to the side our hotel was on, toward Taksim Square.
Below: People fish along the Galata Bridge. Heidi, I though of you! :)
Below: The boats below buy fish directly from the fisherman as the fish are caught, and grill them on the boat, put them on a fresh bread roll and sell them for about a dollar.
Below: A sweets vendor in the spice market. He slices off some jellied candy embedded with nuts for you to try, and you buy by weight. 
Below: Me on the street again. See the old steps and the steepness of the streets?
Below: Flowers outside the grounds of the Blue Mosque. I thought of mom and had to snap this pic for her. Mama, enjoy! Love you
Below: This is the Hagia Sophia, a famous landmark that started as a Christian church and is now a mosque, but you can still see Byzantine-era Christian paintings inside.
Below: This is the entrance to the grounds of the Blue Mosque. I'm hoping you can get a feel for how huge it is.
Below: This is a close up of the text over the entrance to the Blue Mosque. I don't know what it says but think it looks pretty.
Below: This is me, posing in front of the Blue Mosque. The wind is blowing my hair, and I feel like a glamor girl. :)
Below: Flowers outside the grounds of the Blue Mosque. I thought of mom and had to snap this pic for her. Mama, enjoy! Love you
Below: This is the Hagia Sophia, a famous landmark that started as a Christian church and is now a mosque, but you can still see Byzantine-era Christian paintings inside.
Below: This is the entrance to the grounds of the Blue Mosque. I'm hoping you can get a feel for how huge it is.
Below: This is a close up of the text over the entrance to the Blue Mosque. I don't know what it says but think it looks pretty.
Below: This is me, posing in front of the Blue Mosque. The wind is blowing my hair, and I feel like a glamor girl. :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Safely in Istanbul
Hey, all, I'm safely in Istanbul. Day one here was amazing but I'm bleary from lack of sleep. Will post some of my super-cool photos of the city tomorrow.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Kyrgyzstan New Years
Here are some photos of what we've been doing in Kyrgyzstan so far. Enjoy!
Below: Aidai, my friend from before, posing in the snow. It snowed all day the day before I arrived, but it has melted now and is much warmer.
Below: Me being silly, posing in the snow. Ahhh, jetlag. It takes us all differently.
Below: Aidai and me, squinting into the camera blinded by the snow.
Below: This sweet, sweet little boy was very seriously sweeping outside his mother's shop. We asked her if we could take his picture.
Below: Little boy again...
Below: Here are my teammates in an Internet cafe, preparing for our interviews. This is what I'm doing all day--going to cafes and other places and interviewing and taking notes. It's sooooo interesting!
Below: It was New Year's holiday in Kyrgyzstan yesterday, and we all went into the city center to watch the celebration. Here are some food vendors posing for the cam.
Below: You can see the beautiful banners that they hang in celebration of the holiday and people picnicking on the grass.
Below: Aidai and me, squinting into the camera blinded by the snow.
Below: This sweet, sweet little boy was very seriously sweeping outside his mother's shop. We asked her if we could take his picture.
Below: Little boy again...
Below: Here are my teammates in an Internet cafe, preparing for our interviews. This is what I'm doing all day--going to cafes and other places and interviewing and taking notes. It's sooooo interesting!
Below: It was New Year's holiday in Kyrgyzstan yesterday, and we all went into the city center to watch the celebration. Here are some food vendors posing for the cam.
Below: You can see the beautiful banners that they hang in celebration of the holiday and people picnicking on the grass.
Below: People eating and talking and celebrating
Below: Colorful signs and vendor stalls
Below: Lenin statue in the park where people were celebrating
Below: Lenin and me, posing together
Below: Colorful signs and vendor stalls
Below: Lenin statue in the park where people were celebrating
Below: Lenin and me, posing together
Friday, March 20, 2009
Safely in Kyrgyzstan
Hey, gang, I'm safely in Kyrgyzstan and feeling great after a long night's sleep last night. Yay! My good friend, Aidai, whom I met when I was in Kyrgyzstan in 2007 and who is now working on a master's degree in Israel, has come to Bishkek to join our team. We are working together as two of the three people on an interviewing team that is seeking indepth info about who is using the Internet and why and to do what. I'll take lots of pics and post a longer, more interesting post tonight. Today is a national holiday, so we are going to celebrate at 2 p.m. It should be fun. I'll take lots of pics!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Off to Bishkek
I'm off to Bishkek soon; our work in Tbilisi is complete. The office staff was very welcoming and friendly and kind to us, and Georgia is a beautiful country. I wish I could stay longer and see more of it, but hopefully, I'll come back sometime!
Below is a pic of me doing what I did most of the trip: interviewing the office staff. This pic is of Sayed, who does logistics work, telling me about the work he did in one of the national offices we hope to visit in May.
I'm leaving for the airport tomorrow morning at 3:40 a.m. and will fly to Istanbul, with a 12-hour layover there before catching the second leg of the flight to Bishkek. The trip will be long, but I don't expect it to be stressful; I'll have a book and will probably just sit read and snooze at my gate in Istanbul.
Guess what?? One of the guys working in the Tbilisi office attended ACU! His wife, Salome, and I were in the same car on the drive to Gorie yesterday, and we were chatting about airlines and the routes between Georgia and the U.S. She said she would be traveling to the U.S. sometime soon b/c her husband's family lives in Texas. I said that I am from Texas and that is where my family lives! She asked where, and when I said Abilene, she told me that her husband, Matt, attended ACU. The years he went to school there even overlapped with me. He graduated in 2001, and I did in 1999. It was so cool! Small world... :)
Below is a pic of me doing what I did most of the trip: interviewing the office staff. This pic is of Sayed, who does logistics work, telling me about the work he did in one of the national offices we hope to visit in May.
I'm leaving for the airport tomorrow morning at 3:40 a.m. and will fly to Istanbul, with a 12-hour layover there before catching the second leg of the flight to Bishkek. The trip will be long, but I don't expect it to be stressful; I'll have a book and will probably just sit read and snooze at my gate in Istanbul.
Guess what?? One of the guys working in the Tbilisi office attended ACU! His wife, Salome, and I were in the same car on the drive to Gorie yesterday, and we were chatting about airlines and the routes between Georgia and the U.S. She said she would be traveling to the U.S. sometime soon b/c her husband's family lives in Texas. I said that I am from Texas and that is where my family lives! She asked where, and when I said Abilene, she told me that her husband, Matt, attended ACU. The years he went to school there even overlapped with me. He graduated in 2001, and I did in 1999. It was so cool! Small world... :)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Day 2 in Pics
Day two was super full, and I took a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, I don't have time to write a full account or even to prep all the pics for the web, so below I've posted some landscape photos that I took on a drive from Tbilisi to Gori, where there is a food distribution center we visited and a few other photos. More to come...
Below are 6 of the 9283759285749875 landscape photos I shot on this drive. It was beautiful!
Below: This photo shows some Georgian style houses. Balconies are a major feature of their architecture. Everyone relaxes on the balcony at night in the summers.
Below: These are some of the small, cookie cutter houses into which people have had to relocate after the conflict with Russia. Many of these people went from land and large houses to these.
Below: Georgian script...
Below: For mama's teacher friend! Painted on the outside wall of the food distribution center!
Below: The team and Stalin. Gori is his birthplace, and we saw the house where he was born.
Below are 6 of the 9283759285749875 landscape photos I shot on this drive. It was beautiful!
Below: This photo shows some Georgian style houses. Balconies are a major feature of their architecture. Everyone relaxes on the balcony at night in the summers.
Below: These are some of the small, cookie cutter houses into which people have had to relocate after the conflict with Russia. Many of these people went from land and large houses to these.
Below: Georgian script...
Below: For mama's teacher friend! Painted on the outside wall of the food distribution center!
Below: The team and Stalin. Gori is his birthplace, and we saw the house where he was born.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Day 1 in Tbilisi
So here I am, safely in Tbilisi. My flights were uneventful, though the trip felt awfully long. I flew Seattle-Frankfurt, and it was about 10 hours. I was in a middle seat in one of those huge aircraft with two seats, a row, four seats, a row, and two seats again. So many good chances for something other than a middle seat, but alas. My rowmates were great--quiet and courteous. Yay. Two seats ahead was a young family with a (screaming) baby and (screaming) toddler. No sleep for any of us on that flight.
The next hop from Frankfurt to Munich was uneventful, and I had a 9-hour layover in Munich. My teammate on this project, Jen, met me at the gate in Munich, and we flew on the same flight to Tbilisi, accompanied by a very loud, very angry toddler, but I had fished out my earplugs this time b/c he was screaming before we even boarded. So the flight was very pleasant. I was on a row with two men from Georgia who were so courteous; they introduced themselves to me and shook hands. Later in the flight, the older gentleman offered me his dessert b/c "a man should offer sweets to a lady." I didn't accept, but I was charmed.
We arrived at the hotel a little after 4 a.m. and left for the office a little after 10 a.m. There is no clock in the room, and I'd set my laptop to what it listed as the Tbilisi time zone but was actually an hour late. So this morning I was in the shower when the car pulled up for us. I was mortified. I threw on some clothes, grabbed my bag, and flew out the door. Powder and lipstick in the car and--poof!--we were at the office. It's a 5-minute walk from the hotel. I was embarrassed and flustered but acted happy and fine (and apologized to Jen, who I think was the only one who knew), and it turned out fine. We gave presentations to the leadership here and conducted several interviews, which went well and were so interesting. It's 6 p.m. here, and as soon as this post is done, I'm going to bed. Maybe dinner, maybe just bed. :) You can bet that my laptop is set to the correct time and that I will be up bright and early tomorrow!!
The people in the office were so nice, and my hotel room is fantastic. I've posted the pics I've taken so far below. Enjoy!
Below: The big box with the picture of someone reclining is a tiny rent-by-the-hour "nap cab" in the Munich airport. I was bleary and desperate for some sleep and rented four hours in the nab cab. You use a touchscreen by the door to choose the hours and then swipe a credit card. The door unlocks, and you can go in and use a touchscreen by the tiny bed to set an alarm, any music/relaxation noises, and the lighting.
Below: When I got out of the nap cab, I wanted to take a pic, but once I'd fished out my camera, the maid is so efficient, she'd already gone in and started cleaning! I asked if I could take a pic, and she said yes. You can see the tiny bed and touchscreen for setting the alarm; you also get a feel for the size. It's just right for someone who wants her carryons nearby and needs to sleep.
Below: Here's a pic of my very nice hotel room.
Below: The desk where I'm typing this blog entry...
The next hop from Frankfurt to Munich was uneventful, and I had a 9-hour layover in Munich. My teammate on this project, Jen, met me at the gate in Munich, and we flew on the same flight to Tbilisi, accompanied by a very loud, very angry toddler, but I had fished out my earplugs this time b/c he was screaming before we even boarded. So the flight was very pleasant. I was on a row with two men from Georgia who were so courteous; they introduced themselves to me and shook hands. Later in the flight, the older gentleman offered me his dessert b/c "a man should offer sweets to a lady." I didn't accept, but I was charmed.
We arrived at the hotel a little after 4 a.m. and left for the office a little after 10 a.m. There is no clock in the room, and I'd set my laptop to what it listed as the Tbilisi time zone but was actually an hour late. So this morning I was in the shower when the car pulled up for us. I was mortified. I threw on some clothes, grabbed my bag, and flew out the door. Powder and lipstick in the car and--poof!--we were at the office. It's a 5-minute walk from the hotel. I was embarrassed and flustered but acted happy and fine (and apologized to Jen, who I think was the only one who knew), and it turned out fine. We gave presentations to the leadership here and conducted several interviews, which went well and were so interesting. It's 6 p.m. here, and as soon as this post is done, I'm going to bed. Maybe dinner, maybe just bed. :) You can bet that my laptop is set to the correct time and that I will be up bright and early tomorrow!!
The people in the office were so nice, and my hotel room is fantastic. I've posted the pics I've taken so far below. Enjoy!
Below: The big box with the picture of someone reclining is a tiny rent-by-the-hour "nap cab" in the Munich airport. I was bleary and desperate for some sleep and rented four hours in the nab cab. You use a touchscreen by the door to choose the hours and then swipe a credit card. The door unlocks, and you can go in and use a touchscreen by the tiny bed to set an alarm, any music/relaxation noises, and the lighting.
Below: When I got out of the nap cab, I wanted to take a pic, but once I'd fished out my camera, the maid is so efficient, she'd already gone in and started cleaning! I asked if I could take a pic, and she said yes. You can see the tiny bed and touchscreen for setting the alarm; you also get a feel for the size. It's just right for someone who wants her carryons nearby and needs to sleep.
Below: Here's a pic of my very nice hotel room.
Below: The desk where I'm typing this blog entry...
Below: I wish you could get a better feel for the shiny whiteness that is the hotel bathroom. It's so nice, and the tub is nice and deep.
Below: Here you can see the pedestal sink and the robe and laundry basket. So fancy!
Below: Here is the (very safe) window with the decorative ironwork to keep out the boogers who could possibly climb all the way up here, only to be thwarted by this lovely ironwork.
Below: The view from the window, looking one way.
Below: The view from the window, looking the other way.
Below: We went to lunch with two people from the Tbilisi office who took us out for Georgian food. Delicious, wow! Below are some shiny steamed dumplings filled with spiced ground beef and broth. You hold the pinched end, shake black pepper on them, and bite in, trying not to drip the broth.
Below: Here's the bread, which I thought was very similar to Kyrgyz bread. It was wonderful and fresh.
Below: This pic shows a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with a walnut dressing, sauteed mushrooms with onion and garlic, and what looks like a meat patty in this pic but is a little patty of...something vegetarian, green grass-looking herbs. Looks questionable but tastes good!
Below: This green soda is tarragon flavored. It was a little sweet but green and fresh tasting.
Below: Here we are: Thamindri, Jen, and me. Vano is taking the picture, so he's not in it.
Below: Here is the (very safe) window with the decorative ironwork to keep out the boogers who could possibly climb all the way up here, only to be thwarted by this lovely ironwork.
Below: The view from the window, looking one way.
Below: The view from the window, looking the other way.
Below: We went to lunch with two people from the Tbilisi office who took us out for Georgian food. Delicious, wow! Below are some shiny steamed dumplings filled with spiced ground beef and broth. You hold the pinched end, shake black pepper on them, and bite in, trying not to drip the broth.
Below: Here's the bread, which I thought was very similar to Kyrgyz bread. It was wonderful and fresh.
Below: This pic shows a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with a walnut dressing, sauteed mushrooms with onion and garlic, and what looks like a meat patty in this pic but is a little patty of...something vegetarian, green grass-looking herbs. Looks questionable but tastes good!
Below: This green soda is tarragon flavored. It was a little sweet but green and fresh tasting.
Below: Here we are: Thamindri, Jen, and me. Vano is taking the picture, so he's not in it.
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