Istanbul, not Constantinople

Friday, March 30, 2012   Day 1

Shawki, my taxi driver friend from Lebanon, picked up Ashlie, Kelli, and me at 5:00 a.m. to take us to the airport.  As we were visiting on the way out there, he kept telling me about “Turkish” instead of Turkey.  Maybe that’s the way that Lebanese translates into English?  LOL

The flight was only a few hours and Turkish Airlines took good care of us.  The lunch was lavish and even had real, metal utensils, not the plastic that U.S. airlines give you in economy.  I guess that Turkish Airlines isn’t worried about plane hijackings…..

I sat next to a nice little Kuwaiti girl.   I guessed her age at 17 or 18, but she said that she is at university.  We visited for awhile before I read my Kindle (forced to read because my movie player didn’t work).  She was very nice and was also traveling to Istanbul (with her family) for the first time.

After we arrived at the airport, the three of us got our visas, went through passport check, and on to baggage.  I couldn’t believe my luck…I walked up to the carousel and there was my bag!   That has never happened to me ever before!  When we were walking out of the airport to look for a cab, there was a guy with a sign, “Ashlie Moody!”   Ashlie didn’t order pick up service, but we were very happy.   For a few Turkish lira, he also dropped me at my hotel.

 Our room is very small, but clean and nice.  The concierge, Rebi, is delightful and very helpful.  I had heard that finding English-speaking people is more difficult in Turkey, so I am happy that he speaks very well.  Not only that, but he’s cute!  I could with for some room in our room to turn around in, but I guess that this will work. 

 I had a few hours to kill before I had to go back to the airport to pick up Grace, so I decided to take a walk.  I only went a few steps when a street “hustler” invited me into a restaurant.   Since I did need lunch, I said yes.  Now, I call him a “hustler” because I don’t know a better word for it.  He stands out at the main intersection at our corner and tries to talk people into choosing this restaurant over all the other restaurants in the neighborhood.  I didn’t know this when I was approached; I thought he was just a nice guy trying to suggest a good eating place!  It turns out that his name is Ozzy, and he became our "friend." 

Anyhow, my lunch was delicious.  I tried a variety of cold beginners and discovered that my beloved warak enab (stuffed grape leaves) is made differently here.  All in all, it was a great way to taste Turkish cuisine.  The highlight of the lunch was a delightful stewy thing cooked in a ceramic pot shaped like a vase. 

As soon as I was finished and walked back to my hotel, Ashlie and Kelli were there and we proceeded to pick up Grace at the airport.   First, we had to get on the tram and figure out which stop to exit at; what an experience.  Because it was lightly raining and because commuters were getting off work, the tram was cram packed.  I am not just saying that….literally, it was like being a sardine.  I was worried because I was short and everyone had their arm raised to hold onto the handles, and I was afraid that I would be smelling dirty armpits.  But thankfully, I avoided that problem. 

 Then we had to get on the subway and ride to the end of the line.  The tram was a little less packed and more comfortable.  We made it through the metal detectors into the airport, which was packed!  And even though we were late, Grace was nowhere to be found.  I walked around and around, looking all over the place.  Ashlie and Kelli were having no luck, either.  I was about ready to cry, wondering where in the world she could be, when the girls told me to be patient and wait…what if something happened and the flight was late?  Anything could happen, so we needed to be patient.   They waited on one side of the entrance and I waited on the other, hoping and praying that the next person through would be Grace.  I got distracted and she came through the door and the girls found her!   When I saw them, I almost cried from happiness!  My Gracie is a beautiful young woman!!  My vacation could have ended right then and I would have been happy….I can’t believe how much I have missed her.

January 1, 2012

Today there was a big fire not too far away from here.  This photo was taken from my living room window. We saw the smoke billowing over the rooftops and heard all the fire alarms clanging and clanging.  And then it was all over.  I don’t know what building burned, but discovering it might be an adventure for another day.

The Good and the Bad

Bad:  A pesky fly got into my apartment today.  It must be at the end of its life cycle because it’s moving very slowly.   I wish I had a flyswatter….. 

Good:   I see very few bugs here anywhere, much less in my apartment.  Because we’re in a desert, I thought there might be scorpions or something exotic like that, but I never see anything.  Maybe the birds are so hungry they eat every bug in sight?  I have heard that some people have had a sugar ant problem, but I haven’t seen any in my apartment.  YAY!

Random Musings in Sri Lanka

Sitting at a restaurant.  Sign says “There is a Complain Book to note your suggestions and or Complains.”  I want to be the proofreader to the world!

Saw a man on the beach with a big kite.  The wind was strong enough that it would lift him off the ground and made handling the kite virtually impossible.   He quickly took it down and went off.  Later, I saw that it was actually a kiteboarding kite and he was skimming across the ocean!

It is nice to see young lovers on the beach.  These young people are not making out, but are cuddling and being close.   In Kuwait, there should be no romantic exhibitions in public.   Here in Sri Lanka, it is merely a fact of life….just like back home.   BUT I should also say that there was a prostitution ring in Kuwait that was recently broken.   Damn those Filipinos!  LOL 

Bathrooms in Sri Lanka are very similar to ones found in Kuwait.  Depending on where you are, you might find a squatter.   Also, they use sprayers to clean.  One woman told me that using the sprayer is much cleaner than using tissue.   That might be, but I cannot tell you how icky the bathrooms are when water gets sprayed all over!  I cannot figure out how to use the sprayer, so I make sure to carry tissue all the time because some toilets don’t have toilet paper.   A girl doesn’t want to be caught unprepared!    Oh, wait, I’m not a Girl Scout…..well, I’m prepared anyway!  Here is a photo of my bathroom in my apartment, so you will see the sprayer:

I don’t have to keep my eyes down all the time when I’m walking down the street.   The people here are very friendly and the men will look you in the eye and say hello, unlike in Kuwait.

It’s the 21^st and I still haven’t tried to haggle with anyone.   I just pay the price they ask.   It is such a poor place and I feel like I have so much, that I don’t begrudge their prices, which are reasonable enough.   What I hate, though, is that you can’t just want down the street and look at shops.   Some of the storekeepers just won’t let you be.  And then there are the beggars.   I feel so sorry for the ones who are physically disabled (and I mean really in bad shape) and want to give them money, but then where do you draw the line?   I can’t give everyone money.   It’s a sad state of affairs

12/21   Today I got a tub from housekeeping in which to do laundry.   I moved a drying rack out onto the balcony, but it’s so humid here I am afraid that it will take days for my clothes to dry!  Today I walked 2.2 miles (appx) to Negombo town itself because Nikki wanted to shop.   We ate a traditional lunch of rice and curry (R350 – cheap!) and then went to one shop before Nikki gave up!  LOL   Made me laugh!   I told her that shopping with her was no fun!  We caught a tuc tuc back to the hotel, where I have been vegetating ever since!

When we go out for dinner in the evening, it doesn’t matter what restaurant we are in, groups of little boys come around costumed up singing “Jingle Bells” looking for donations.   It could be their way of contributing to the family income, a form of entertainment, or a way to get some spending loot.

You know you’re in Sri Lanka when your waiter serves you in bare feet (and I don’t mean yours!).  There are lots of bare feet here, lots of flip flops and sandals, and fewer full shoes.  Of course, we are in the tropics!

12/25 Watched several young men kiteboarding in the strong wind today!  The wind moved them along very quickly and every once in awhile lifted them out of the water so it looked like they were flying!  Were offered a catamaran ride but decided against it since we were going to be on the water for a goodly portion of the next day taking our canal/river/lagoon trip.

It's interesting that the family car here seems to be a motorcycle.  The dad drives with one small child in front of him and the mother rides behind holding a baby in a bundle!  This is a common scene.  There are many old bicycles....lots of them as old as me!  You see many bikes with a pedaler and a rider.  Getting good exercise, I guess.  Cars are not a common sight.

A Day on the Negombo Lagoon

     Today I began the day by taking a short walk.   I was looking for a shop to be open where I could buy a floppy hat to shade me from the sun.  Most stores were still closed at 8:00 a.m. but down the road aways there was one where the proprietor and his grandson were out cleaning the sidewalk.  Believe me, the sidewalks needed it;  there was a lot of trash strewn about during the festivities of the night before.  Anyway, this old man greeted me and I asked if he had a lightweight hat…and guess what?   Of course he did! 

     At 9:00 Naushad picked us up to take us to our boat ride.   As we were driving through town, Naushad stopped and made us get out for a most interesting photo opportunity:   a man with a cow cart!

     Further on, we stopped to see where the canal empties into the lagoon.   The 100 km canal is a great historical fixture because the Danish built it years and years ago.   

      Then we were off to the Barramundi resort where we drank the milk of a king coconut before boarding our little watercraft. 

We cruised around the islands of the lagoon for about 1-1/2 hours.  I got a few nice shots of herons, some birds that I thought were a type of cormorant, and of course the neverending ravens.  Everywhere were a lot of little silver fishes jumping in the water.  We viewed mangrove trees on almost every island; these are an interesting species living in so much water. 

There were a lot of shallow reefs where people were fishing and looked like they were walking on water.  One little island had a nice clearing and there were men out there playing cricket!  Several marinas were full of boats....Naushad said that the fishermen were taking a holiday for Christmas, so the boats stayed in the marinas!

It was so pleasant on the water and was a great ending to our vacation.  

We also ventured into the fish market to see what there was to see.   And what was that?   Fish, fish, and more fish!!   Okay, there were some crabs and shrimp, too.

Another tourist attraction that we stopped at was the ruins of the Danish Fort that was built in 1672.  All that’s left is the tower, in which a clock was placed, so now they call it the Clock Tower.  This tower is all that’s left of the original fort, and not it’s an entrance for a prison.  There were many people there, obviously visiting their incarcerated loved ones.

Day 256 of Our Sri Lanka Trip

     Okay, so it has only been seven days in reality, but it feels like SO much more!   This is nothing like I expected (not exactly sure what I expected), but this trip has totally worn me out, physically and mentally.  We came to relax, but it seems that doing anything we like is hard work.   Internet access?  Have to walk to find a place.  Any walking?  Have to fight off the tuc tuc drivers, the store owners, and the beggars.   Walking?  Too humid.   Eating?  Afraid to eat now due to sickness.  Tired of fighting off the teeming hoards of humanity.  Don’t want to take naps, because then I can’t sleep at night (which is hard anyway because the bed is so uncomfortable and there is always noise).  

      I found out that my beloved Aunt Shirl passed away yesterday.   I can’t believe that I am so far away from the life and death matters in my family.   It makes me totally homesick….I can’t even believe how much. 

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day in Sri Lanka (2011)

     I can’t begin to tell you how homesick I am right now.  I miss my family and friends, and I also miss my own holiday traditions.  I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to give up those things in order to live overseas.  I never have taken those things for granted, but I can tell you that I never, ever will.  It’s the smaller things in life that make our daily survival bearable.  If Santa Claus showed up right now with a ticket for me to fly home, I’d take it in a heartbeat….and forget anything here on the other side of the world. 

     Sri Lanka is a blend of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists; Nikki read something that called Negombo the “Little Rome” of Sri Lanka because of the number of Christians here.  There are Christmas lights all over the place.  Little bands of boys run through the streets at night singing “Jingle Bells” while begging for donations.  There are shops full of Christmas schtick like blow up Santas, red plush Santa hats, and fat, colorful garland.  This is a place that definitely loves its holiday.  There are creches everywhere.   Here is an example of someone getting too excited about putting up the Nativity scene, put it up in front of the crucifixion statue:

     On Christmas Eve, we went to dinner at our local WiFi hangout.  I was able to Skype for a little while with my sister and her family.   That was delightful!   I got to say “Merry Christmas” to a fat, jolly, naked, little elf named Charleigh Jo…..the newest sweetie in our family!  Nikki ate fruit salad and I had a bowl of chicken/egg drop soup with ginger ale.  Then we were beat so we came back, read a little, and hit the sack.  Alas, sleep was not my friend.  The natives were celebrating Christmas Eve by shooting off fireworks for a good portion of the night.  On top of that, our air conditioning was working too well and my sheet just wasn’t up to the job of keeping me warm.  I got up twice to turn it up before I discovered the magic number.

     Then, Christmas morning, we got up early and headed off to our WiFi hangout.  I know that they normally don’t open until 11:00am but we saw someone there and asked if we could simply sit by the back gate and use their WiFi; of course, in all his niceness, he said yes.  I was so hoping that Grace would have been up so I could have wished her a Merry Christmas eve and see what was happening.  But apparently the festivities were in full swing at the Block household and no one was thinking about getting on the computer.   I don’t blame them….I know how much fun Christmas Eve is there with all the family gathering together!!

     We then came back to our hotel for breakfast and then I purchased a sarong from a beach vendor lady…..she was stick thin, so I figured that she didn’t eat very regularly.  We got offered a ride in a catamaran, which we declined since we will be on the water for a few hours tomorrow; two days in a row is a little much for my pale skin.  Then a little R&R before going back to the beach for swimming.  How many people can say they swam in the Indian Ocean on Christmas Day???   Oh wait…I can tell you….a whole bunch!   The beach was full of people walking, swimming, eating, laughing, visiting, and having fun.   It is a beautiful day in paradise!!

 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

First Day of Sightseeing in Sri Lanka

     We found a tuc tuc driver, Naushad.   This was a good find.   He has been exceedingly helpful and speaks very good English.  He has helped us out in several ways so far.

     First of all, I needed to have a blood test for a new medication that I recently started.  I asked Naushad if he would take me to a clinic to have it done.  He took us to the Ave Maria Clinic/Hospital.   I told the receptionist what I needed and was directed to see a doctor.  I waited for less than 5 minutes before being showed in.   He wrote the directions for the laboratory and we were on our way.  It only cost R185 for that visit.  I was delighted to get into the laboratory immediately and the technician quickly got the job completed.  Of course, at home the test is a finger prick; here it was a blood draw which only cost R850.  I was directed to come back the next day for the results.  As we had plans, it took an extra day to return, but I did and all was well (after talking to a doctor again). 

     My experience at the hospital was a very pleasant one.  One surprise was that the building was open all around -- so that the air could circulate.  In order to pay for the blood test, we were directed to go down a hall, turn to the right, and then go ahead.   Well, it didn’t quite work that way and we did get to view some of the hospital rooms.   Very ugly, plain little rooms with doors wide open.  Very poor looking.  I wish I had taken photos here!

     Then off to find phone cards.   Good thing that Naushad was with us, because this was not an English speaking store.  I bought a SIM card and was told that it comes automatically with a few minutes, but this turned out to be false.  Nikki bought minutes for a phone card that Roman had given use from his previous trip, but we never could manage to get them loaded.   It turned out that they were for another provider – none of us noticed THAT!  The good thing, so we thought, is that they were for the SIM card I purchased.   Unfortunately, the phone wouldn’t accept that particular kind of card, whatever that means.  I never did get my phone to work.

     Of course, we did not have the correct adapters for our various electronics.  Our next stop was at an electrical store.  These guys were very helpful and we found exactly what we needed for cheap!

     Then it was time to go to Colombo!!  Nikki knew that Arthur C. Clark was buried in Colombo and viewing his grave was a must.  The trip to Colombo in a tuc tuc took awhile, but we certainly did get to see lot of things on the way.  They are building a new highway from the airport to the city and we saw two different portions of the construction.  I was interested to see that the const. equipment was very small compared to the Caterpillars I am used to back home!

     Arthur C. Clark’s grave is located in the largest cemetery in Colombo.  It is very beautiful, if you are interested in cemeteries and graves.

 We were interested to see this gravestone with the swastika on top….the gentleman passed away in 1938.

Here was a fun place to visit:  the Colombo Municipal Park.  It’s 42 acres of gorgeous greenery.  It was built approximately 250 years ago by the English.  There are many varieties of trees, bushes, and flowers, as you can see by the photos.  A very large golden statue of Queen Viharamahadevi greets you at the entrance.  The park is actually named after this queen (after originally being named Victoria Park).

Across the street is the municipal building, which is built to look like the U.S. Capitol!

     We had lunch in a downtown mall, which was pretty much like any other mall, except that this place was packed!

     The Independence Memorial was interesting.  This monument celebrates the Sri Lankan independence from England.  I had an experience there where I wanted to purchase a cool gift for my friend, Bob Geary, from a street vendor who didn’t have change for my large bill.  “Come, come,” he said while motioning me to follow him.   I was a little nervous, but Naushad came to my rescue and followed along.  We went out to the street to another man who also didn’t have enough cash.   I kept saying, “Forget it.   I don’t want it anymore,” but they were desperate for a sale.  Finally, one man dug into his secret stash and found a few more bills…..all I know is that I wasn’t going to pay anything more for this item!

     Our last stop in Colombo was a tour of the largest Buddhist temple in the world. 

Supposedly Prince Siddhartha Gautama’s tooth, a sacred relic, is stored here.  A little man who showed us his badge claiming that he is a certified tour guide took us on a tour. We had to remove our shoes before entering and checked them with the claim agent.  We entered the building with many people, many of whom were dressed in white.  Many also carried lotus flowers, which I later discovered is the holy flower that they placed on the altar. 

We saw the place where the tooth is housed; behind the door are seven golden caskets, the very top one is the one that holds the tooth.  Above this are 100 golden lotus blossoms in the ceiling; this is very beautiful.  The whole building was beautiful and very spiritual.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.