MIA

Sorry I've been on a little blogger hiatus for the last two weeks or so but it's been busy. I started to type something about Azerbaijan in Armenia but got way-layed by an unfortunate bout with bacteria and spent a couple mornings curled up in bed. And then I was just lazy. Any, there is lots to say about Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as lots of pictures to post but you'll just have to wait a bit until I can find some decent internet.

Currently, Jeremy and I are in a Siwa Oasis, just south of Alexandria, Egypt. We've been in the country for about a week now and plan to leave for Cairo tonight, so better internet is on the way! Actually, I'm quite amazed internet has even made it out this far; appearently most of the oasis' are without.

We've been in Siwa for four days now and spent about 8 hours yesterday on camel out in the Great Sand Sea--over 1,400 km of sand, sand and more sand. It was amazing. Really cool photos to follow. Then we camped on the edge of the desert by candlelight, served a gormet (by camp standards) meal by the fire and afterwards retired to a beautiful hot spring under the starry night sky. Romantic doesn't even begin to cover it. The way back this morning wasn't as nice though as we were both a little sore and a wind storm kicked up a lot of sand in our faces.

Overall, Egypt is wonderful. The people are friendly, the food simple yet filling, the streets a little crazy (think Southeast Asia), and the children more eager to say hello than Korean kids (if you can imagine it). The best part is it's cheap. Dirt cheap. I love it.

We'll probably be in Cairo for a day or two, waiting for a train south to Aswan, then we hope to take a felucca (traditional sailboat) up the Nile to several sites, ending in Luxor where we'll see The Valley of the Kings. It's incredible to think that I'm actually seeing these things. While here in Siwa, we visited the Temple of the Oracle where Alexander the Great went to consult and confirm himself as the divine pharoah of Egypt, we explored tombs built into a desert mountain and gazed on century-old heiroglyphics, biked a treacherous (thanks to shoddy bike construction) 10 km's or so to the edge of the oasis, and I even found a fossilized sand dollar (that's a seashell) in the desert! How cool! Yep, that's right, the desert was once under water.

Oh, and one more thing; remember how I asked several weeks ago, "Who will I meet next?" Well, in Alexandria we came across a guy named Shane whom we met in Kazbegi, Georgia about 3 weeks ago. The world is a ridiculously small place.

Open Letters: To all who've made it memorable...

Dear Train Lady/Creature:

Thank you for enlightening us on the hospitality of Baku-Tbilisi train system. Refusing to let us pass on the sheets, throwing our bags around, harrassing my boyfriend, and baggering us long into the night was very enlightening. To return the favor, I hope you fall on your next cigarette break... Which is probably in 5 minutes.

Certainly not wishing you well,
The Foreigners


Dear Iranian Exhile:

We think you're fantastic and we wish you all the best. We hope your father gets out of prison, that your mother's heart changes, that your wife escapes the brainwashing of her family, that you find amnesty in a country that provides you with both freedom of religion and freedom to study fashion. It was a pleasure to meet you and you have certainly given us much to think about. Good luck in everything you do!

You're friends,
Kortney and Jeremy


Dear Jenni Cook:

You are so great for letting us stay at your place. Thanks a whole heap for being an awesome hostest. We loved spending time with you, Marina and the kids and we hope that we gave both of you a little time to yourselves (by occupying the little ones) rather than turn your house upside down. And thanks again for the wonderful Georgian dinner! You have certainly enriched our Caucus experience!

Much love,
Kortney and Jeremy


Dear Baku Groper:

I may not know who you are but God does. If you truly believe in Islam, then you should know your crime will not go unpunished. I hope those other people in the train shamed you to pieces. I hope that you lose your hand in a tragic train accident and that you NEVER even contemplating touching another woman EVER again! If those police men hadn't been outside that door, if Jeremy hadn't been pulling me out, I would have removed your balls from your body. You got off easy with just a few swear words. If I ever see you again, I won't hesitate to finish what I started.

Beware.


Dear Katuna's Homestay:

Thank you so much for putting us up so many nights and sharing your bedroom with us (okay, half a bedroom). But your daughter was weird. Why wouldn't she talk to us and why would she always scowl at us in the morning? She needs to work on that.

Sincerely,
The Backpackers who Practically Lived in your House


Dear Woman who says No:

Why such unpleasantness? All we did was smile and wave and you shook your head no... Has Kyrgyzstan really been that bad to you? Why you do that? Huh? Why? Why you so angry?

Sincerely,
The Ponderous

"Awe, that's cute. Really cute."

One day Jeremy and I were sitting on the curb, eating some ice cream bars outside our favorite market in Istanbul, just chatting away, not noticing anyone. Jeremy noticed that I had some dirt on my face so he licked his finger and wiped it off--yes, the way your mother used to. That's the moment when some other tourist walked up to our store and remarked (much to our embarrassment), "Awe, that's cute. Really cute." Oh, the mortification! We exploded into a fit of giggles and quickly gathered our things to run away.

But I must admit, we are pretty cute.

Georgia in Photos: Those Little Extras

A glimpse of Georgia's beauty.

A ski chalet in the mountains near Kazbegi.

A giant, mysterious head we found sitting on top of a rock out in a field. How did he get there?

The beautiful Caucus Mountains from the inside of a tunnel.

Mt. Kazbegi towering above a rock strewn field in autumn--a reminder of glaciers long ago.

My Hot Aussie, king of the hill.

Georgia in Photos: People Along the Way

Here are a few cute kids from along the way.

This boy and his sister followed us all over Ezerum, Turkey. He would say to us, "My name is Ahmed," then extend his hand to us and say, "My name is?" He meant, "Your name is?" lol. We still laugh about this boy. We gave them both some candy and took their picture. :)

Walking down from Gelati, we stumbled upon a group of kids just out of school and waiting for the bus. Finding ourselves a curious sight, we taught them some English, how to whistle with grass between your thumbs and how to do an owl call.

This girl sitting in the middle was their ring leader.

I Tbilisi, we visited one of the last mosques and found these ADORABLE kids outside playing with rocks. They really liked Jeremy. I taught them a few English words and how to say "Cheese!" for the camera.

Making History

I try not to use this blog for political purposes but today, I'm so proud to say I'm an American.

While in Pakistan I met several people who believed that America was ran by Jews. While in Georgia, people told me they didn't like Obama because he was black. While in Korea, I was often teased and harassed by my British friends because our radical president managed to drive not only Afghanistan and Iraq but also our own country into various states of civil and economic unrest.

But today, my fellow Americans have hope and have truly made a vote for change.

You don't have to agree with Barack Obama's policies. I only ask that you celebrate with me the momentous changes he represents. A country once divided over slavery, then again divided by policies such as "separate but equal" and once again by economic hardship defined in terms of "minority groups" has found a man to bridge those divides. Obama isn't just black man, he a force that shows we have changed and a symbol for the world to be more tolerant.

The declaration of independence states that "all men are created equal" and for the first time America is seeing equality not just in schools, not just in legal representation, not just in the work place, but at the highest reaches of our country--the presidency. In a world where wars across Africa, Asia and the Middle East are often waged along lines of ethnicity and religion, we now have a real, visible, tangible, audible person calling out amongst the world's leaders and showing them that these things can be achieved.

Here is a man, both white and black, both of Muslim and Christian heritage, raised both in wealth and poverty, at home and abroad. If you cannot celebrate his victory, at least celebrate who he is. Good luck, Obama.

Bahhh!!

Sheep. Lots of sheep.

A different kind of sheep.

Disco sheep.

Red sheep?

Georgia in Photos: Monastaries and Churches

Well, blogger is being a little pesty today and my photos didn't upload to their usual size but if you click on them you can see them in several other sizes.

The above two photos were taken from the mini-bus window as we scaled the mountains on our way to Kazbegi.

Mt. Kazbeg in the distance from the church.

This is the beautiful Kazbegi church where in times of war, the country would take all of it's relics and valuables there for safe keeping--nearly 1000m above the city and safe from invaders.

Gelati monastary outside of Kutaisi. It is absolutely lovely. Lucky for us Jeremy had recoved just when the grey skies cleared and we had a very nice time exploring the grounds. A priest even gave us some grapes which we happily munched on while sitting on the cathedral steps.

Around the world in 80 days.

Okay, it's hasn't been 80 days--more like 60--since we left Korea. And we haven't been around the world... Just half way... But the adventure continues! Where to next? Tonight Jeremy and I catching a train to Baku, Azerbaijan (my former Peace Corps post). What is Azerbaijan known for? Oil. And pollution. Apparently the most polluted acre of earth is there and we intend to seek it out. Please pray for our descendants. Oh, and it's also known for James Bond. In fact, the map of the country in our guide book locates some oil field from the movie (it's like a Korean flash back--movie set tourism!). But we will be doing some other cool things there too like visiting the mysterious mud volcanoes, perpetual fire and gas craters and some interesting Zoroastrian temples that predate Christianity. (Btw, did you know the Magi from the Nativity story are likely to have been Zoroastrians? Interesting, eh?)

Then it's back through Georgia and on to Armenia where we suspect it'll just be lots and lots of churches and monasteries--if we can get to them. Our good friend Heather from Korea did Peace Corps there and says most are difficult to reach because they're high in the mountains and have no public transportation outlets. But we'll see. We also intend to visit the illustrious, mysterious, notorious Nagorno-Karabakh--a querulous breakaway region of Azerbaijan that claims independence yet is protected by the Armenian army and still shelled every now and then by the Azeris. Oh, and completely unrecognized as a nation by any other foreign body but Armenia. The cool thing about going here is that most people don't bother since the Azeri's won't let you cross their border if you have a Nagorno-Karabakh visa in your passport and we met a French-Canadian guy who had a hard time getting in with his Lonely Planet simply because it mentioned the region (though it never calls it an independent state.) He ended up cutting out the section so he could continue on his way. Crazy border patrol.

So yeah, that's the immediate plan.

After Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, our itinerary takes an unexpected turn... Towards Egypt!! We found ourselves in a perilous or should we say money-sucking conundrum when we tried to move ahead with plans for Uzbekistan. There aren't many cheap flights there, no ferries, transit through Turkmenistan is almost impossible, and once we get there, our only other ways out are Tajikistan and Afghanistan--both of which aren't great options. Plus, Jeremy is big on this Iran thing and heading out past the Caspian Sea means to Iran is unlikely since the Australian dollar is sinking and airfare is less than ideal. We also considered Sri Lanka but my guide book is somewhere between Kyrgyzstan and his parent's in Australia. Plus, even then he probably couldn't go back to Iran. But Egypt!!! Wow!! Deserts, camels, pyramids, tombs, museums, diving, the NILE!!! This is going to be SUPER cool!

As for photos, gosh, you know I'm trying to post them like crazy but the internet here in Georgia is operated by underfed, overworked, over aged, and on strike hamsters. I can seriously sit at a computer for an hour and get a maximum of two photos uploaded. And then you have to combat the computer viruses that automatically attach themselves to anything you stick in the USB drive. Argh! There are some truly fantastic things I want to share with you all! We just returned from Kazbegi near the Russian border, high in the Caucus mountains. It was breathtaking. We hiked up some mountain to the countries most celebrated church amid snow capped peaks, rolling meadows and the rich colors of autumn. Words will never do it justice. You will just have to see it for yourselves. Whenever I can upload photos... Let's hope Azerbaijan is better connected...