sheila

May 9th, 2012

For the last several months we have been working as a family on a book commemorating the great swampert walkabout of 2010.  Every Tuesday at 4pm we descend upon the quiet home of my elementary school art teacher, Sheila Lamb.  We draw, paint, haiku, crayon, write, paste, and collage our memories onto heavy stock paper. We are closing in on a finished product which is both beautiful and inspirational.  Our experiences on the road continue to illuminate the path ahead.

sign of the apocalaypse

11/10/11

According to the pharmacist at Bigelow (the countries oldest apothecary) there is a nationwide shortage of adderall.

back into travellers checques

11/8/11

One of the major frustrations during the walkabout was international banking and the battle to  access our own money.  Having learned from a prior jaunt to tanzania that lords visa and master do not like random charges from east africa, we were very responsible and alerted our  banks and credit peeps that we would be traveling for several months and provided our itinerary.  Nonetheless, things came to screeching halt in Bodrum turkey.  Admittedly, we did each lose a bank card early on, but we were able to contact the right folks and cancel the plastic.  However, at some point, the combination of lost cards, the one way ticket, the cash advances, the absence of typical tourist financial activity became too much, and the money matrix shut us down. "it's for your own security," the money matrix said.  We said "how secure can we be if we have no money for food and lodging?" Then our phone card probably ran out of Euros.  We ripped through our US dollar cash reserves.

5 worst meals

10/31/11

meal after unsuccessful search for tokat kebab.  Tokat is famous for a kabob which features alternating slices of lamb, eggplant, onion, tomato and the whole thing is studded with garlic. The tower of power spins in front of the fire and the juices from all items intermingle and baste.  We spent several hours in search of this culinary golden fleece.  We tried kabob store after kabob store without success.  Finally, starving, we found ourselves in that paralyzed brain cramp of crum.  Barely getting one foot in front of another we looked up and saw people eating and drinking on a balcony.  It ended up being a harshly lit cafeteria with plastic menus and big color pictures of bad overpriced entrees.  Live to fight another day.

butter tea.  This Himalayan staple is reportedly a tonic that has a lot of vitamins.  However it is made from rancid butter and may be one of those things that one needs to "acquire a taste for."  Let me be more specific--RANCID!

chili and cheese again.  The national dish of Bhutan is chili and cheese.  Bhutan is in a valley surrounded by the Himalayas, and there is no salt occurring in Bhutan.  So historically and currently, chili is used a preservative and to kill bacteria.  Spicy chillies cooked with cheese.  It's actually pretty tasty but after fourteen straight meals...you get the picture

no meal on train.  Our first overnight train ride found us unprepared.  Twenty four hours from Istanbul to Bucharest.  I think we figured that we were going to get fed.  But no.  Twelve hours in and we were rifling through all our bags in search of crumbs.  We located a tin of anchovies (lesvos), a tin of preserved figs (Ikaria) and a jar of honey (also Ikaria).  Our sigh of relief did not last long.  The anchovies had disintegrated to salty hair and the preserved figs tasted like bad spiced liquid fruitcake.  Honey can only get you so far.

in search of xo sauce

nom wah's turnip cake in xo sauce did not live up to expectations, but the other dim sum offerings, red leather banquets and rekindled childhood memories made the trip worthwhile.  When I was a kid that little nook of doyers street WAS chinatown.  nom wah was THE spot for weekend tea lunch.  And I remember eating subgum wonton and crab with ginger and scallions next door (and down a steep flight of stairs) at Wo Kee when i was barely out of diapers.  Randy was the manager and he smuggled me fortune cookies.  More recently, it has been a Vietnamese restaurant (and a good one) for over thirty years.

Nom Wah, reportedly chinatown's oldest dim sum parlor, is back on my radar. 

the annual

10/17/2011

fifty plus years of four families congregating in new england to age gracefully and celebrate the fall foliage.  Growing exponentially out of a weekend camping trip by four law school buddies (one of whom is my father) into a multi-generational frenzy of touch football, hiking, wine, apples, babies, photos and philosophizing.  The crowd has gradually grown to include girlfriends, wives, children, death, divorce and even more children.

homeward bound

2/23/2011
mysteres mekong

Found this entry while doing the top ten meals.  It was in drafts.  Better late than never.  Published on 10/19/11.

last bit of culture for myself and the twins.  Royal Palace.  Silver floors and emerald buddha.  We find ourselves a little jaded (ouch).  Jill soldiers on solo heading for the National Museum and the Russian Market.

continued from the airport at phnom penh on 2/24.

spent the rest of yesterday at the pool reading Snow and hanging with the twins.  Although they may have been bored at times over the last six months it is amazing how many minute details they remember.  Names of cities, entrees on menus, taxi rides, hotel room toilets, water color, pool temperature,