Horowitz Travel N. Greece, Albania, N. Macedonia Oct. 16, 2024

From now on I will refer to our destinations as GAM. From Dulles to Istanbul airport was all about wheels. Wheelchairs, that is. We had reserved a wheelchair for David in advance, and it went like clockwork. He was transported to the Business Lounge by Speedy Gonzales with me trotting behind pulling our two rolling carry-ons. All I remember is long hallways and 3 elevators. When boarding time came, there was a chair waiting for us, although the gate wasn’t far. The lineup of chairs at the gate numbered 15. The configuration of our seating area on the plane was different as it was an Air Bus. We’d previously flown Boeings on Turkish Air, which I prefer. Once again OAT messed up and we were not seated next to each other, but across the aisle. It turned out not to be a big deal since we ate, slept, & watched movies most of the time. I finally got to see Killers of the Flower Moon. Thoroughly enjoyed it despite its 3+ hour length. What else did I have to do? I’ve had a problem with an irritated ear lobe. It was particularly itchy even though I’d stopped wearing earrings, but my rubbing alcohol was in packed luggage and the hydrocortisone cream wasn’t doing its thing. I decided that the closest I could get to rubbing alcohol was vodka, so ordered a glass…no ice. I dipped my lobe in the stuff periodically and it did provide relief. David, on the other hand, enjoyed his Glenfiddich Scotch in the traditional way. True to their word, Turkish Airlines was ready with a wheelchair when we landed. They rolled us onto what was a re-furbished lift that could have doubled for food delivery and we rode to ground level. We then transferred to a motorized chair steered from behind by the attendant. I got my own chair because there was no way I could keep up with them on foot. Mr. Toad’s wild ride commenced weaving around inert and human obstacles until it stopped at what was a way-station/storage area for chairs (motorized and manual) and trams. We scored a tram and with only a brief gate detour to off-load, we were whisked to the Bussiness Lounge where we ate, drank, and waited for Judi. I’ve described this Lounge in previous emails, but for those new to the blog, I’ll go through it again. There is a baby grand piano spewing automated soothing diddys. There are at least 3 food buffets including a carvery. All drinks are included whether alcoholic or not. More personal services include dry cleaning, massage, alterations, showers, prayer rooms, playground, ironing, and laundry service. Judi arrived in the lounge as scheduled and we had an uneventful flight to Thessaloniki, Greece. Our hotel is small but updated. The only glitch was that the receptionist insisted that David and I had separate rooms. Our guide straightened that out quickly, and we collapsed in our beds. I’ll skip the part about trying to figure out how to turn off the room lights but leave the one in the bathroom on. Toby

Horowitz Travel Northern Greece, Albania, N. Macedonia-Oct. 15, 2024

We’re at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC waiting for our flight to Istanbul then our connection to Thessaloniki,Greece. Let me start at the beginning. I read Mitch Albom’s book, The Little Liar, and was intrigued with the vibrancy of the 60,000 members of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki pre WWII. We watched a documentary about Alexander the Great and were fascinated by the man-god. Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) with whom we frequently venture, had a trip including all those new-found interests. We booked it over a year ago. We spoke with Judi Cope, a long-time friend and frequent traveling companion, about the trip and she decided to join us. We planned to drive to Judi’s in Potomac, Md and fly over together. OAT hand other ideas. Through incompetence and negligence, we ended up on different flights to Istanbul, but will meet up there for the flight to Thessaloniki. That was the least of the glitches we had to contend with. On Aug. 9, David took a bad fall and broke his nose and kneecap. The race was on through doctors, physical therapy, and an assortment of braces to get him into traveling condition. Fortunately, he didn’t need surgery and was declared good to go a week ago. As usual I will keep you apprised of our trip: the good, bad, ugly, and humorous. Remember, what I write is my opinion unless otherwise stated. Toby

Nukus Art and Commerce

Oct. 23, 2023-Nukus Art and Commerce I was unprepared for the experience that was the Savitsky Museum. We rode by bus four hours through desert, rain, and corduroy roads to spend equal time at a museum. Our docent spoke five languages. Her English was stellar. Of the 100,000 works in the collection, Savitsky saved 80,000. We must have seen 60,000. I couldn’t stop taking photos of the obscure works by tortured and imprisoned artists who never knew the notoriety their life’s work achieved. Along with paintings and sculpture, Savitsky saved ethnographic art such as weaving, embroidery, and jewelry. One wedding robe was made of a familiar looking fabric. On close examination, it was denim. Three hundred years ago, Karakalpak people were making what old Levi Strauss turned into an unparalleled fashion mania. This is a small city. Everything is walkable. With recovery almost complete our group now had pep in their step. I’m pleased to say David is not and hasn’t been the slowest. We walked to lunch and had one of the best yet. The usual salads of roasted eggplant and veggies appeared as well as cheese flatbread and lentil soup. We were spared another stew. We had various kabobs. They’re not served on skewers but are piled on a platter. There was lamb kofta, beef cubes, chicken, lamb cubes, tomatoes, and flatbread with spicy paprika and ground beef. Dessert was pistachio baklava. We rolled out of there and on to the city market. What I like about Yura is that he takes us to different specialty areas of each market, so we’re not always looking and produce or fish. This time we went to the gold section. It’s set up like a pawn shop where jewelry brought by sellers is weighed by the buyers. Prices are based purely on weight. Women working there wanted to know how old we were and were amazed that we were so spry. They then asked if we had our real teeth and showed off their gold ones. Off we marched to the tobacco sellers. This wasn’t cigarettes, but loose tobacco combined with chicken and camel poo. It’s placed under the tongue or between the lips and teeth, is extremely addictive, and carcinogenic. The smell is primarily of poo. Yura is a man of many talents. Although he comes from a wealthy family, still owns and runs his father’s factory with 150 employees, and works as a guide, his father wouldn’t let him be spoiled. He learned to do manual labor and was skilled enough to build his own house. That came in handy last night when he fixed the A/C in one of our rooms. DInner was at the home of a family that is in the restaurant business. They also cater dinners in their home for tourists. The house had oversized rooms decorated in brocade wallpaper and gilt. Food was sumptuous with literally soup to nuts spread on the table when we began. The main course was besh barmak, a noodle dish with turkey cubes. It is indigenous and served once a year at special occasions. Happy early Thanksgiving. WIne and local vodka was freely poured as was Coke and Fanta. David pronounced the vodka “very smooth.” A professional trio played local instruments and did throat singing. If I had to describe the sound the singer made, I’d say gargling while trying to speak. We had special packing instructions for our internal flight. We don’t have to take off our shoes, all liquids and aerosols must be in checked luggage, computers must be in carry-ons, and there are two x-ray checkpoints. Tomorrow, we fly back to Tashkent for a day before our flight to Kazakhstan. Toby

Home

Nov. 2, 2023-Home We’re home. It’s been a long road. Don’t know how many steps, but I’d venture to say we did at least the goal of 10,000 a day. We managed to wear all the clothing we brought, and I have the laundry to prove it. We have a long weekend to get caught up with that. I’ll try not to do it all today. One of the guilty pleasures of being back is getting to flush toilet paper and not have to place it in a receptacle. The other is not having to hoard bottled water and being able to drink tap water. One of our friends said it would be good to sleep in our own bed. Not so. Hotel mattresses have been more comfortable. I think that means we’re in the market for a new one at home. I slept 11 hours last night without ambien. I know I’ll need a nap today. We’re grateful for the people who have helped us on our trip. Besides fellow travelers. guides and drivers, there were many people who grabbed our bags and carried them down steps at airports when there were no elevators or escalators. I was even able to pay it forward a few times. Airport personnel who saw looks of confusion on our haggard faces jumped in to direct us….especially at JFK. And thanks to DHL, the rug one of our group bought in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, was delivered to her home safely by way of Dubai, New York, Cincinnati, and Phoenix. It’s better traveled than some of us. Thank you all for your comments and for joining us on this odyssey. I always appreciate your willingness to go along on our crazy adventures. We’re actually talking about “where next.” Oregon may be put on the back burner again. Toby

Homeward Bound

Nov. 1, 2023-Homeward Bound Luggage out at midnight. Yura was there to see us off and Sayeed escorted us. On the van at 12:30AM Not eating most of a lame boxed breakfast at 1:30AM No elevators at the Bishkek airport; flights of steps On the plane at 3:45AM A better breakfast followed by three hours of passing out; cookies and coffee Forty minutes to landing. Surprise!! Sandwich and cake. Landed after six hours Walked forever from Concourse B to F. Got to our gate in time for boarding Went through two more security checks They wanted me to take my IPad out of its case. Didn’t now how. Neither did they. I turned it on, smiled, gave a little bow, and put it back in my carry-on Recognized two flight attendants when we boarded. Flying Turkish Air too much I slept 5 hours , thank you ambien. Ate a total of about 6 meals. We’re in New York now and will be home tomorrow. Best investment was our Global Entry Pass. There was a two hour line-up at passport control. We breezed through with just a retina scan. Slept three more hours. Oy! Home tomorrow Toby

Bishkek City Tour

Oct. 30, 2023- Bishkek City Tour Miracles happen. Our gimpy group member is much better. It was a knee sprain and not dislocation. Yura wouldn’t let her join us today as there was a lot of walking. Not taking chances. Perhaps the miracle was inspired by the reading material and directional aid in the nightstands. Clearly, the Gideons haven’t been here. The city tour started with a stroll through several lovely parks. We took photos of old Soviet office buildings still in use and monuments. When I look at the pictures, I won’t remember which is which. Yura told us to send him our photos and he’ll ID them for us. He will also download pictures of what we’ve seen and of us as we traveled. Such a nice service. The overall impression is that Bishkek is an historically young city with lots of young people. It’s vibrant, clean, and safe. It is a planned city with boulevards, floral plantings and shaded parks. A sweet custom is that when you double park your car, you leave a note with your phone number under the windshield wipers of the car you blocked. We vanned over to the outskirts to American University of Central Asia. The Soros Foundation is the largest donor with minor ones listed, like the USA in third place. Bard College is a partner. AUCA is a liberal arts university attracting international students. The entrance exam includes English proficiency as 80% of classes are taught in English. The 1200 students share the one building housing classes, library, gym, cafeteria, auditoriums, etc. Tuition is $7000/year and housing is $140/month. Grants are available. Students graduate with an American and local diploma in BA and MA programs. Most Americans come to study Central Asian culture and Russian. Our guide was from here. He has a BA in law and is studying remotely in English for a MA in international law from a university in Italy. He wore a sweatshirt saying “Way of Wade.” He was well aware of the link to LeBron and Akron. I asked him about any LGBTQ+ organizations on campus. He was a bit flustered and said it was uncomfortable to talk about. I told him why I was interested, and he opened up a bit. Homosexuality is severely frowned upon and coming out is dangerous. There are “underground” groups but nothing official. There’s no jail penalty, but physical safety is compromised. After he explained, I said, “Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He smiled. Recently, Indian medical students have been attracted to Bishkek attending the public university. It costs less for them to study here than in the US. Then they can move to the US and become our doctors. Their presence has added welcome options for Indian cuisine. All I can say about lunch is lava cake. We walked from our hotel to a new multi-level mall. Wow! It was crowded with families on this Monday afternoon. It’s really stunning with all the designer shops you know and some you don’t. Babies were in snow suits. We were in t-shirts and sweltering. We didn’t stay long. We snagged chilled Pepsi Zeros at a convenience store and returned to our heated hotel room. The window is wide open and we’re peeled down to our skivvies. Our farewell dinner was in a yurt. I thought we’d never get there. Rush hour is gridlock. It took 1 1/2 hours to get to the restaurant and 32 minutes to return to the hotel. Yes, we timed it. The food was a glorious gourmet rendition of the Kyrgyz fare we’ve been eating. The entertainment was a group of professional traditional musicians who play with the philharmonic here. One of the men recited a chapter of the Manas. Manas is a mythical figure much like a Superman. The poem is a 600,000 line detailed epic history of culture, dress, food, rites, rituals, and battles. The epic is a compilation of oral histories from nomadic people that was compiled and finally written down in Soviet times. After the collapse of the USSR, it was used as a roadmap for reconnection to their past. Last night we listened to Mayim Bialek’s talk on Facebook. I’m sure it’s on You Tube. It’s scary, poignant, and her message is emotional. After listening, I asked David if we should change our return ticket and go to Israel. I’d feel safer there even now. I won’t give you details because I want you to hear it. Tomorrow, we go to new heights. Then it’s time to prepare for our flights home. Toby

To Bishkek

Oct. 29, 2023-To Bishkek What a start to the day. The woman who is constantly late and scattered hurt her knee while asleep. Her knee replacement slipped and she’s really in pain. They carried her down the steps on a chair and to the van. They brought breakfast and lunch to her in the van and she didn’t get off until late afternoon when we arrived at the hotel. They had a wheelchair waiting and she’s confined to her room. She doesn’t want to go to a hospital. At day’s end her knee was feeling somewhat improved. In the interest of fairness, I must tell you I learned that her food particularity stems from radiation treatment for thyroid cancer. Her taste buds were compromised. We had a long day, but not a lot of driving. Our first stop was an outdoor museum of petroglyphs. Boulders carved by nomads were strewn over the landscape. The art was translatable to what we’ve seen in the American southwest, France, Bulgaria, etc. Art, the universal language. There were what looked like miniature Easter Island statues called bal bal that were tombstones. They were used later than other graves that were marked solely by a pile of rocks. On a modern note, China is perpetrating a quiet neo-colonial takeover of the world. As of now 120 countries have been sucked in. Here’s the deal: China lends money for infrastructure with an unrealistic repayment schedule and terms. When a country is unable to meet those terms, China takes over mineral rights, power production, etc. as compensation. It can be seen as far away as Italy, Cuba, Sri Lanka where they’ve built modern ports they now own. Their goal is to build up political influence and edge out Russia. Back in time, in 751 AD, Chinese and Arab armies clashed in Central Asia. Muslims won. Is China trying to get it back now? Lunch was in a home set up to cater to tourists. The food rewarded the expectations built up by Yura. There were dishes we’d eaten before and a new dessert; pieces of fried dough sprinkled with honey and cream. Luckily it wasn’t made from a favorite nomadic drink: horse milk. It comes in regular and fermented. The visual of milking a horse is now stuck in my brain. Put me on a plane for home. My reason for coming here was to see the horseback competition typical of the area and I just did. But first we saw demonstrations of two lesser games. One was horsemen riding at top speed trying to grab a rock from the ground. The second was two men on horseback “wrestling” each other and trying to unseat each other. Kok-Boru started as a rite of passage for young men. They teamed up and rode their horses until one team grabbed a live wolf by hand. The game has evolved to Ulak Tartysh which is what we watched today. The translation is “pulling the goat.” We called it goat polo. Yes folks, a goat was sacrificed today according to halal law. Its head and feet were removed and its body was fought over. The game was frenzied and aggressive as each team tried to grab the goat from the ground and race to a cauldron/goal. There are rules, but it’s hard to discern them with such fast action. Two horses and riders fell with no injury. One rider’s tactic was to have his horse rear close to another horse and try to destabilize the other rider. By the end of the competition, the goat is well tenderized and the winning team eats it for dinner. There are professional competitions with prizes worth the battle: Mercedes and cash. An archaeological find in the area is a UNESCO site waiting for excavation. Bakun Tower is the most visible remains. It was the minaret of the mosque of a prosperous former capital of the area during the 10th to 12th centuries. It was a natural destination for Chinese coming down from the mountains on their journey along the Silk Road. We walked around the staged collection of bal bals and headed to tonight’s destination, the Ramada Hotel. Yura took us on a familiarization walk around our hotel neighborhood. He pointed out restaurants, drugstores, groceries, etc. And then there was Nathan’s Hot Dogs. It’s a natural fit here. Nathan’s is kosher in the US. It’s halal here. We all caved and ate there. It was a pleasant change from “stan” food. Tomorrow, we have a city tour of Bishkek. Toby