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.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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!)"
I'm waiting for the guy calling out, "Ucuz altın! (Cheap gold!)"
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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.
Friday, July 16, 2010
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."
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I love pazar day!
The Akbuk pazar takes place on Friday mornings. We do our main shopping at the pazar each week. The bulk of our food comes from there because it is farm fresh and much cheaper than in the grocery stores. We take our pazar arabası, a cart we pull behind us, and walk or ride when Abla has the car, about a mile away to where all of the fresh food stands are set up.
They have improved the pazar since three years ago when we shopped last. Now it is paved with more coverings and it is much larger than before. You can buy almost anything there: farm fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, cheese and olives, packaged goods, clothing, toys, housewares, bedding, shoes, tablecloths, the list goes on and on.
At the pazar, Nev does all of the talking and I just follow him from stand to stand. I do understand some Turkish and can ask how much something is. The trouble is I can't understand the answer. Everyone speaks so quickly. Nev was talking to one vendor and an old man smiled at him and said, "Your Turkish is very good."
On our first trip to the pazar we bought 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of Turkish peppers, 1/2 kilo of cheese, 1/2 kilo of black olives, 1/2 kilo of thick yogurt, 4 kilos of tomatoes, 1 kilo of cherries, 1 kilo of apples, 1/2 kilo of carrots, 1 kilo of peaches, 1 kilo of apricots, 2 kilos of cucumbers, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 bunch of dill for $14.
Kubi's watch broke, so we went to the pazar to get a new one. He is really happy with his new watch.
They have improved the pazar since three years ago when we shopped last. Now it is paved with more coverings and it is much larger than before. You can buy almost anything there: farm fresh vegetables and fruits, eggs, cheese and olives, packaged goods, clothing, toys, housewares, bedding, shoes, tablecloths, the list goes on and on.
At the pazar, Nev does all of the talking and I just follow him from stand to stand. I do understand some Turkish and can ask how much something is. The trouble is I can't understand the answer. Everyone speaks so quickly. Nev was talking to one vendor and an old man smiled at him and said, "Your Turkish is very good."
On our first trip to the pazar we bought 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of Turkish peppers, 1/2 kilo of cheese, 1/2 kilo of black olives, 1/2 kilo of thick yogurt, 4 kilos of tomatoes, 1 kilo of cherries, 1 kilo of apples, 1/2 kilo of carrots, 1 kilo of peaches, 1 kilo of apricots, 2 kilos of cucumbers, 1 bunch of parsley and 1 bunch of dill for $14.
Kubi's watch broke, so we went to the pazar to get a new one. He is really happy with his new watch.
Amanda, the Muhtar
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Exercising in Akbük
I can't go to Curves in Akbük, but there are some exercise machines at the park on the waterfront near the Pizza Pansiyon. Amanda calls it the Pizza Park because of it's location. There are swings and slides, etc., but there are also some "toys" for the adults. They don't have resistance, but they are a little fun to use. I don't know how much real good they do, though.
Nev and Amanda and I were at the Pizza Park at the same time that an older couple were there with their two grandsons. The older man looked at Nev pushing Amanda on the swings and asked, "Is that your granddaughter?"
Nev and Amanda and I were at the Pizza Park at the same time that an older couple were there with their two grandsons. The older man looked at Nev pushing Amanda on the swings and asked, "Is that your granddaughter?"
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Loudspeaker Guy
Our house is next door to the mosque so the morning call to prayer at 4:45 AM takes a little getting used to. Amanda is trying to figure it out. She thought that a man got a new loudspeaker and was driving around town trying it out. Later she got tired of waking up so early and said, "I don't like that loudspeaker guy." At dinner a few days later, she heard the call to prayer and got all excited and said, "Hey, I know that song."
Now the kids have adjusted to the first call in the morning and don't even wake up. I still wake up, but it really doesn't bother me. I just go back to sleep. I don't mind the ezan or call to prayer which takes place 5 times a day. It helps me keep track of time.
Now the kids have adjusted to the first call in the morning and don't even wake up. I still wake up, but it really doesn't bother me. I just go back to sleep. I don't mind the ezan or call to prayer which takes place 5 times a day. It helps me keep track of time.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
How Lale got her name
Amanda has a doll that she named Kuku. I don't know how she came up with that name, but it was the first doll that she named herself and it was the baby that she brought with her to Turkey.
On our first night here, we introduced Kuku to Amanda's two aunts Necla and Nuray. Necla's eyes opened wide and she said, "Oh, that name means danger. Dangerous name for a girl."
Wow. I didnt' know the Turkish word for danger was kuku. I mentioned it to Nev and he said he didn't either. Then he said something to Necla in Turkish and she explained what she meant. The word kuku is a slang term for a part of a woman's body that is below her waist.
Nev and I agreed that we must find another name for Amanda's baby while we are in Turkey, so we chose the name Lale (pronounced "lah-lay") which means tulip in Turkish.
On our first night here, we introduced Kuku to Amanda's two aunts Necla and Nuray. Necla's eyes opened wide and she said, "Oh, that name means danger. Dangerous name for a girl."
Wow. I didnt' know the Turkish word for danger was kuku. I mentioned it to Nev and he said he didn't either. Then he said something to Necla in Turkish and she explained what she meant. The word kuku is a slang term for a part of a woman's body that is below her waist.
Nev and I agreed that we must find another name for Amanda's baby while we are in Turkey, so we chose the name Lale (pronounced "lah-lay") which means tulip in Turkish.
Friday, July 2, 2010
29 Hours
It took us 29 hours from door to door. We left by airport shuttle to PDX. We gave ourselves close to 3 hours, but this time the airport wasn't too busy, so we didn't have to wait in a single line until it was time to board the plane. My mom came over before we left and helped with last minute details, like washing dishes, etc. She's also getting our mail and checking on the house for us. I don't know what I would do without her.
Our first flight was to Chicago. We took an American airline with no free frills any more, like food, so we brought our own. We didn't pay $14 extra/person for extra leg room and it was fine. We actually had more leg room than I remembered. We had a 5-hour layover, which was great because we had time to eat and Amanda had time to play in a small play area near our gate. Since Amanda is such a live-wire, I tied her to myself whenever we weren't on the plane. It kind of reminded me of walking a dog. If she tried to get too far away, I just pulled on the string and she came bouncing back.
I love Turkish Airlines. Our longest flight was from Chicago to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines from 10:00PM Chicago time to 5PM Istanbul time, though we were actually on the plane for only 11 hours or so. Turkish Airlines still feeds you and they also give you little gift bags with socks, eye masks, lip balm, toothbrush and toothpaste and earplugs. I only used the lip balm during the flight, but the earplugs have come in handy since we've arrived when trying to sleep with the windows open at night. The other nice thing about Turkish Airlines is that every person has a personal monitor on the seatback in front of them with access to a dozen or so new release movies, around 50 older movies and TV show episodes, tons of music "CDs" in both English and Turkish as well as documentaries and info about your destination. There was something for everyone and enough to keep us all occupied for the long flight.
Surprisingly I was able to sleep for most of the flight, but this was actually a bad thing, I found out. When we landed I discovered that my feet had swollen to almost twice their regular size because since I was sleeping, I wasn't walking around or drinking anything.
Originally we were supposed to have a 5-hour layover in Istanbul before our next flight to Bodrum. We now had only one hour before we needed to check in for our next flight. It took 20 minutes just to disembark the plane. Then we had to get our visas. We got in the passport line and after 20 minutes of moving slowly up through the line, we discovered that we were in the wrong line. We needed to be in the visa line. It's good having a Turkish speaker in the group. Nev was able to explain that we were in a hurry to make our next flight and the official had the kids and I wait at the side while Nev ran over to the long visa line. Once he had our 3-month visas, we got to go to the front of the line to have our passports stamped.
Next was baggage claim. We quickly found our bags. I had stuck monkey stickers on all of our bags so we could find them quickly. On to Customs with about 20 minutes until we were supposed to check in. This part was amazing. I didn't even know we were there when a couple of our bags fell off our cart. An official helped Nev put them back on the cart and that was it. We were through Customs. Now we needed to check our bags. Problem. We went to the wrong line again. The clerk tried very hard to find our flight but we had changed it and didn't have a paper receipt, so she couldn't find it. We needed to go to another line to get it settled. Now we were past the check-in time, so I thought we were going to miss our flight. We finally got the tickets straightened out and got our boarding passes, raced through security--they didn't even make me take anything out of my backpack because we were about to miss our flight--and boarded the plane with about ten minutes before takeoff. Whew!
This flight was only about an hour and seemed like less. We were in Bodrum! While we were waiting for our luggage, Nev went to the Duty Free shop for Raki, and an airport guy called out, "Okyay!" He wanted us to follow him because our luggage was in a different place because we got on the plane so late. We got Nev and our luggage and now we had to figure out how to get to Akbük. The plan was to find a shuttle for the 45-minute ride. Raif to the rescue! Nev's brother-in-law Raif had hired Ali, the plumber who had a van, to drive us and Raif to Akbük.
29 Hours. Home at last!
Our first flight was to Chicago. We took an American airline with no free frills any more, like food, so we brought our own. We didn't pay $14 extra/person for extra leg room and it was fine. We actually had more leg room than I remembered. We had a 5-hour layover, which was great because we had time to eat and Amanda had time to play in a small play area near our gate. Since Amanda is such a live-wire, I tied her to myself whenever we weren't on the plane. It kind of reminded me of walking a dog. If she tried to get too far away, I just pulled on the string and she came bouncing back.
I love Turkish Airlines. Our longest flight was from Chicago to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines from 10:00PM Chicago time to 5PM Istanbul time, though we were actually on the plane for only 11 hours or so. Turkish Airlines still feeds you and they also give you little gift bags with socks, eye masks, lip balm, toothbrush and toothpaste and earplugs. I only used the lip balm during the flight, but the earplugs have come in handy since we've arrived when trying to sleep with the windows open at night. The other nice thing about Turkish Airlines is that every person has a personal monitor on the seatback in front of them with access to a dozen or so new release movies, around 50 older movies and TV show episodes, tons of music "CDs" in both English and Turkish as well as documentaries and info about your destination. There was something for everyone and enough to keep us all occupied for the long flight.
Surprisingly I was able to sleep for most of the flight, but this was actually a bad thing, I found out. When we landed I discovered that my feet had swollen to almost twice their regular size because since I was sleeping, I wasn't walking around or drinking anything.
Originally we were supposed to have a 5-hour layover in Istanbul before our next flight to Bodrum. We now had only one hour before we needed to check in for our next flight. It took 20 minutes just to disembark the plane. Then we had to get our visas. We got in the passport line and after 20 minutes of moving slowly up through the line, we discovered that we were in the wrong line. We needed to be in the visa line. It's good having a Turkish speaker in the group. Nev was able to explain that we were in a hurry to make our next flight and the official had the kids and I wait at the side while Nev ran over to the long visa line. Once he had our 3-month visas, we got to go to the front of the line to have our passports stamped.
Next was baggage claim. We quickly found our bags. I had stuck monkey stickers on all of our bags so we could find them quickly. On to Customs with about 20 minutes until we were supposed to check in. This part was amazing. I didn't even know we were there when a couple of our bags fell off our cart. An official helped Nev put them back on the cart and that was it. We were through Customs. Now we needed to check our bags. Problem. We went to the wrong line again. The clerk tried very hard to find our flight but we had changed it and didn't have a paper receipt, so she couldn't find it. We needed to go to another line to get it settled. Now we were past the check-in time, so I thought we were going to miss our flight. We finally got the tickets straightened out and got our boarding passes, raced through security--they didn't even make me take anything out of my backpack because we were about to miss our flight--and boarded the plane with about ten minutes before takeoff. Whew!
This flight was only about an hour and seemed like less. We were in Bodrum! While we were waiting for our luggage, Nev went to the Duty Free shop for Raki, and an airport guy called out, "Okyay!" He wanted us to follow him because our luggage was in a different place because we got on the plane so late. We got Nev and our luggage and now we had to figure out how to get to Akbük. The plan was to find a shuttle for the 45-minute ride. Raif to the rescue! Nev's brother-in-law Raif had hired Ali, the plumber who had a van, to drive us and Raif to Akbük.
29 Hours. Home at last!
We have Internet!
We've been here for 9 days now and we just got the Internet working last night. What a relief. We still don't have our Vonage set up, so I can't make calls home, but it feels so good to be back in communication with everyone again.
It's absolutely wonderful here. It just started getting hot yesterday. When we first arrived it was downright cool, in the low 80s. Not what I was expecting at all. It even rained one day. Today it's close to 100, but there is a nice breeze from the sea, so it doesn't feel that hot. We haven't had to use the air conditioning yet, but I suspect we may use it tonight.
Please feel free to comment on any of these posts. I have no idea if anyone is even reading them. I will post pictures later. It's just rather busy at the moment.
It's absolutely wonderful here. It just started getting hot yesterday. When we first arrived it was downright cool, in the low 80s. Not what I was expecting at all. It even rained one day. Today it's close to 100, but there is a nice breeze from the sea, so it doesn't feel that hot. We haven't had to use the air conditioning yet, but I suspect we may use it tonight.
Please feel free to comment on any of these posts. I have no idea if anyone is even reading them. I will post pictures later. It's just rather busy at the moment.
Monday, June 21, 2010
We leave tomorrow!
We have one day left to pack and clean the house and then we leave for Turkey in the morning. We still don't have a shuttle from Bodrum to Akbük. Nev called a shuttle company in Bodrum last night, but didn't make a commitment yet. So now he has to wait until tonight--time difference--to call and book it. I hate waiting until the last minute, but it doesn't seem to bother Nev.
The next update here will be from Turkey.
The next update here will be from Turkey.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Pictures of our villa in Akbük
In Akbük there are apartments and villas. Our villa is actually a duplex. Here are pictures:
Canceled Flight
We leave in a week and a half. Now it's finally beginning to feel real.
There was a little snag. Raif, our brother-in-law was trying to arrange our transportation from Bodrum Airport to Akbük when he discovered that our flight from Istanbul to Bodrum had been canceled! We hadn't heard anything about it. Nev called Turkish Airlines and they confirmed that our 9:30 PM flight had been canceled and that we had been put on a flight the following day. He was able to change our flight to 7:30 PM that night instead. Our flight from the U.S. arrives in Istanbul at 5 PM so this flight is actually better for us. We had only chosen a later flight because it was cheaper. I just hope that our earlier flight isn't late. If we miss this 7:30 PM flight, we'll probably have to wait until the next day to fly to Bodrum and then there's an hour drive to Akbük from there.
There was a little snag. Raif, our brother-in-law was trying to arrange our transportation from Bodrum Airport to Akbük when he discovered that our flight from Istanbul to Bodrum had been canceled! We hadn't heard anything about it. Nev called Turkish Airlines and they confirmed that our 9:30 PM flight had been canceled and that we had been put on a flight the following day. He was able to change our flight to 7:30 PM that night instead. Our flight from the U.S. arrives in Istanbul at 5 PM so this flight is actually better for us. We had only chosen a later flight because it was cheaper. I just hope that our earlier flight isn't late. If we miss this 7:30 PM flight, we'll probably have to wait until the next day to fly to Bodrum and then there's an hour drive to Akbük from there.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Changing Gears
We are leaving for our fifth trip to Turkey in June. I originally wanted to write this blog in the order of our trips. Impossible. I don't know if I will ever be able to record everything. So now I am going to take a break from our first trip and focus on the present.
We have 3 weeks to go until we leave. Of course, we are all getting very excited. The weather has sucked here the last few weeks with rain, clouds, drizzle and cold. It will be nice to see the sun in a few weeks. Although, I'm sure I will be complaining about the heat and humidity once we get there. I always do.
We have 3 weeks to go until we leave. Of course, we are all getting very excited. The weather has sucked here the last few weeks with rain, clouds, drizzle and cold. It will be nice to see the sun in a few weeks. Although, I'm sure I will be complaining about the heat and humidity once we get there. I always do.
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