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| [8:07 pm] |
| Subject: 14 days in Kazakhstan (almost) - with apologies to Bill Shoemaker |
| Mood |
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 relaxed |
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Greetings and salutations. Two weeks have now passed since the day we left, so we should be about 1 quarter of the way through it. The day started off rainy, which put a damper on our sightseeing and exploration plans for the day, but nonetheless, we had a very agreeable Sunday.
We were going to try an Uzbek restaurant for lunch, but Alex, our weekend translator, scoped the place out beforehand and decided it was a bit sketchy. So we went back to the “Russian Pub”, which we had frequented once before. They have such luxuries as an English menu there, so Alex got off easy on his day’s work. That being said, they were out of just about everything I wanted, so I settled for the same meal I had the last time I was there. It was a little reminiscent of Groundhog Day, but the food is decent. My other option was chicken parts (heart, liver, spleen), so I passed on that. Sarah had assorted fruits in yogurt with candy things on top. In concept, quite tasty, in reality only part way there. Oh well.
Visit 11 was highlighted by a rather interesting wardrobe selection for both Asella and Grant, as you can clearly see in the photo below.
We cannot wait to get her into some real clothes. What is going on here? She is dressed like Urkel.
Asella was all smiles today and no smells, so that made Mommy and Daddy very pleased. We’re still waiting for her to turn into heathen cranky monster baby, but that has yet to happen, as I’m sure she’s saving it for the plane ride. The caretaker asked us what we were going to name her and was beside herself with glee when we told it we’re keeping it Asella. At least, we think she was happy; she may have been cussing us out with a big grin. But I’m an optimist.
After the visit we did some souvenir shopping at an indoor strip mall and… any guesses, anyone? Right! An auto parts store. We didn’t buy too much today but we got a good idea of what’s out there. Hugh will be getting a scale model of the city of Kostanai made entirely from horse entrails and camel humps. Enjoy!
Since shopping is a very tiring and hunger inducing activity, we decided to grab a snack at a Soviet Union style cafeteria. Now I finally know what the heck Martin Cruz-Smith was talking about in Gorky Park! (Look Ma, I can read!) We had 3 good sized pastries, a cup of tea and a soda for one whole dollar. They add up the bill on an abacus. Seriously. Then as an added bonus, we paid 30 cents to go see the lavatory. The kitchen staff seemed puzzled as 4 of us went into the bathroom together and snapped photos. Come to think of it, now I’m a bit puzzled too. We do whatever our translator tells us to do and worry about how it looks later. Like now. Yikes, how embarrassing. American idiots. Here we are being idiotic in from of the place.
We decided to have dinner in this evening, so we came home, watched a DVD, and then I whipped up a spectacular gourmet meal of pasta in olive oil, with parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Our beverage selection was a whimsical yet poignant 2006 Chateau de Sprite.
And that is all for now. Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow. |
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