Taking a Break

For some reason the Internet is EXTREMELY slow right now and it takes forever to do anything.  And we are leaving for home in 6 days, so there is a lot to do to before we can go, so I won't be updating this blog until I get home.  After things settle down back home and I get some time--probably after school starts--I will write about the rest of the adventures we had and post a lot more pictures. 

So please check back at the end of September.

Intersection Sales

Yesterday we drove from Akbük to Istanbul.  It took 9.5 hours with a stop for a quick lunch at a fast food place called Yörsan in Susurluk.  Turkish fast food is different from American fast food.  I think it's much healthier and there are more choices.  Kubi and I had iskender döner which is grilled lamb slices over pieces of pide bread (Turkey's version of pizza dough) with a tomato sauce and yogurt on the side.  We can't get it at home and I crave it and order it when I can when we are here.  Other choices were different grilled meats and vegetables, toasted cheese sandwiches with a locally-made cheese, soups, etc.   Kubi and I drank cola, but everyone else drank ayran which is a salty yogurt and water drink.  It's very popular here and is much healthier than soda.

We took the ferry from Yalova to Istanbul, a 45-minute ride.  While we were waiting for the ferry, all of the intersection pazar people came running.  They went car to car attempting to sell bags of hazelnuts, cucumbers, roses, and olives.  The most interesting to me was the man who came to my window with a bag of lottery tickets for sale.

After arriving in Istanbul, it is a 30-minute drive to Nuray's house.  I was so happy that Nev's nephew Çağlar was driving.  He used to be a rally racecar driver.  At one point a bus cut us off and we ended up stopped on the other side of the road facing oncoming traffic, waiting for a chance to get back into our own lane.  Watching the oncoming traffic racing right toward us certainly made my heart beat faster.  Not so with Çağlar.  He calmly waited until he could quickly swerve back into our lane.  What was even more amazing was the motorcycle which zigzagged from lane to lane around us and the bus.  One miscalculation, especially since he wasn't wearing a helmet, and he would be toast.  Another nephew Engin was surprised at my reaction to the drive.  "This is normal for Istanbul," he says.

The Gas Man

As we live close to the sea in a humid climate, there are a lot of bugs here, especially mosquitoes.  The exterminator around here is the gas man.  Our site pays 45 lira twice a week to have the gas man walk through our neighborhood.  We can always hear him coming.  He has a pack on his back with a hose out front, kind of like a leaf-blower guy, except he is wearing a mask over his face.  An exhaust-like gas blows out of his hose and within minutes all of the bugs around fall to the ground dead.  When we hear him coming, we rush about closing windows and doors and covering food if we are still outside eating dinner.

Traveling Sales People

It's so nice here.  We can buy things without having to leave our own yard.  Well, we do sometimes have to walk a few feet, oh, excuse me, meters.  Every few days we hear the watermelon truck go by with the sellers yelling, "Karpus! Kavun! (Watermelon! Cantaloupe!)"  A truck drove by a few weeks ago announcing rug cleaning services and a few days later another truck selling 3 rugs for 10 lira (about $7.50).  Yesterday two women wearing village dress of shalwar pants, long-sleeved shirt and headscarve, each carrying a large sack on her back, called out, "Sheets and tablecloths for sale!"  And just a minute ago, a young man carrying plastic bags of fish walked by yelling, "Fresh fish!"

I'm waiting for the guy calling out, "Ucuz altın! (Cheap gold!)"

Dental Announcement

The latest announcement from the belediye said there was a free dental screening at the town square at 8:30 PM.  All are welcome.  What serendipity.  Only Amanda has dental insurance.  The last time we were in Turkey, we took Kubi to a dentist in Izmir who was a friend of Nev's nephew.  This time we were planning to take Kubi to a dentist in Akbük because it is so much cheaper than back home.   So we took the kids and walked down there to check it out. 

A dentist from the neighboring town of Didim and his assistant had a table set up next to the Arts Building.  We got there around 9:15PM, so it wasn't crowded.  Each of us took our turn sitting on a chair while the handsome young dentist examined our teeth and everyone else watched.  He then told Nev what he saw from our teeth and Nev translated.  As we suspected, Kubi needed a thorough dental cleansing.  The rest of us were fine.  The dentist asked Nev where he had his fillings done.  Nev told him his dental work had been done in America and the dentist said it was very good work.

The dentist has a deal with the mayor of Akbük.  He will give a huge discount (up to 50% off) to all Akbük residents who go to him in Didim for their dental work.  Nev asked if we have to make an appointment.  He said no.  Just say we are from Akbük and we will be put to the front of the line.  Wow!  I feel important now.

Announcements

It's fun living in a small town here.  We live relatively close to the belediye or muncipality.  They have speakers installed throughout town and we have heard many announcements.  There have been two free concerts that were announced a few days prior by the belediye.  A lost wallet was found and the owner was told to come to the belediye office to pick it up.  Someone lost their car keys.  If found they are to be brought to the belediye.  A new restaurant opened up and was serving free dessert at 7PM one evening.  Another new fish market with live fish opened up a couple of days ago.  Tonight the Boy and Girl Scouts will be having a bonfire.  Everyone is welcome.  Every day we hear a new announcement or two.  I just wish I could understand what they are saying and didn't have to depend on Nev to translate.

Exchanging Money

Nev wanted Kubi to go to the bakkal and exchange a 100 lira note for smaller bills.  Kubi was afraid to go because he didn't know how to ask for change.  I remembered how to say change from my Turkish language program, so I told Kubi to say üstü kalsın.  Nev quickly said, "No!  Don't say that!  Üstü kalsın means keep the change."