Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

Clever monkey. (I'm such a youtube addict)

... they say. But I never imagined that I would be running around ALL the time.

May has been quite eventful for me. I think I was in my apartment 0.03% of the time. I rush off to the middle of France during the week, come back on Thursday, and set off on Friday afternoon to a different world. It's a wonder that I'm still alive.

I still haven't had time to post my little excursion to Brussels (a.k.a. - 'a rowdy night that I can hardly remember with the Turks') and the wonderful historical field trip to Roma. I really liked Italy. Luckily, I'll be in Verona all next week (for work, unfortunately).

I don't know the color of my ceiling most days. But I think I can live with that ;)

June is official "visit Saki month" (I have all sorts of odds and sods visiting 'chez Saki' & Paris - Danny, Angelica, Jesse, Duylinh, Jesse, Nadia, Ali, Jenna, Adam...). I will be your entertainer and guide to Paris.

Aujourd'hui, je travaille de 7:30h à 20:00h. Hier, la même chose. La plupart des jours, je travaille en soirées après dîner jusque à 1 ou 2h.

Il est fou. Fou, fou, fou!

Je sejourne à Bruxelles ce week-end. J'espère je ne devrai pas travaille, comme les derniers week-ends.

Fou, fou, fou... I feel like a top. Turning and turning and turning... dizzy from each bump against the wall.

When I was little, my parents became friends with an Egyptian family. I vaguely remember the tasty dishes and toys they gave me. They had a daughter about my age and we played together amongst the small concrete apartment blocks in Japan.

I wonder what went through their minds as they had to adjust to a different culture. Now that I have visited Egypt, I can imagine that it would have been quite a big culture shock. From religion, climate, food, cost of living, to language -- I assume there were many surprises. However, there may have been some familarity as well, such as friendliness of strangers and neighbors, and family-oriented structures of society.


(I am totally digging this photo. Something funky was going on with the camera, and everything Marwan took came out blue).


The Shpinx (or 'Abu al-Hol' in Arabic). There were some cheeky Egyptian kids hasseling us at one point, shouting "I'm here to see Abu al-Hol. He's my grands-father. You know him?!?" I only found out later that they were taking the piss out of us.



It's amazing to think that these pyramids were constructed over 5,000 years ago. There are only 3 giant pyramids, spanning over 3 generations of pharaos -Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaura. When you can have people working for you to build such a grandiose tomb, you know you are in power. The adminstration of this scale must have been a huge undertaking. I wonder what it would have looked like in its original form - the limestone casings were removed long ago to build temples in Cairo.

Camel!

They are one of the strangest creatures I have ever seen. They make monstrous noises and have the ugliest teeth that would make a dentist cringe. I am frightened by them. The view from the top of a camel is pretty darn cool though, especially when crossing the desert.

Faces, Places.

What made my trip more than delightful were the people. Seeing Dody again was a real treat ;) Whether it be at a bar in NYC or at Trudy's (sipping Mexican martinis) in Austin, the Dode is always willing to enlighten me with his infinite wisdom.


At 1 year-old, Silverkey Cairo is starting to become a big boy. Cheers, Dody & Adam!


The fun thing about nomad-ing is that you meet the awesome people you have heard or read about. Tom is a super awesome & sweet host - not to mention the expert on Cairo. He has an ultra cool job, that everybody envies. He's just one of those really memorable people who makes you chuckle once in a while as they pop into your head unexpectedly (I can still hear his voice saying, "Isn't it great, eh?" Or "That is awesome!!!") Thanks mate, for all the great stories and the couch!





Adam was one of the reasons I decided to make it out to Cairo. Hanging with the Madisonites on Halloween, they convinced me that Egypt was a happenin' place. I was impressed at how he takes Cairo in stride.


Marwan was my partner in crime for visiting the pyramids. With his help, I got to have the microbus experience (loved it) and wander around the desert on a camel. He has an interesting background too. Marwan is Palestinian and Hungarian... but in the roots, he's a Chicago kid (born and raised, yes ma'am!).


Living it up.

Food


Unfortunately I have little to say about the food. What I truly enjoyed was the fresh fruit juices that you can get on the streets. And I tried goat for the first time - it is delicious and loaded with fat... Mmm...


Ibn Tulun Mosque



I was underestimating what the country has to offer. My stay was way too short and I just went at my own chill pace. Maybe I'll get a chance to see more of Egypt next time - Insha'allah!

I don't know why, but the whole crazy work hr line drew some comments.


Fight-o! Ippaaaa-tsu!!!! Ripobitan D

It made me think of the crazy salaried men in Japan who drink energy drinks. Have I become one of them too? And it made me think of Ripobitan-D and Oronamin-C. Unfortunately, they don't make the salaried men commercials like they used to, but I found something else, like this, this, and this. I grew up with CM's like these and apparently they are trying to sell it to a new generation. (and now Ueto Aya seems to be the spokesgirl for Oronamin-C). I love Japanese commercials (really, how many commercials have HG fighting samurais in Edo Japan?).

Oh, how the mind wanders. At least it keeps my mind off of board calculation, pallet sizes, and die transportation.

I said to myself, I gots'ta get me one of those.

and I did...

Now it's sitting in my living room. That crazy camel. It sings an Arabic tune and dances (a tune so catchy, it obnoxiously repeats itself inside your head). Haya-haya-hayahaya-hey-yaya~...

Anyway... Cairo was a whirlwind. Way too short and as scrambled as the city itself.

In my opinion, Cairo was chaotic, humid, and ridiculously over-populated. What I enjoyed most about it was the company. Tom, Dody, and Adam all showed me the flavors of Egypt and shared some good times.

I am a bit belly-ached (by some funky Egyptian microbe doing a victory dance inside) and patched by mozzi bites, but enjoyed the injection of the Arab world with a side order of a buzzing city life.

Eh... back to (17hrs-a-day) work...

Warning: This post may make you extremely, extremely hungry...

2 Asian girls wandered into Istanbul – a little tired of Old Europe, without much sleep, and with a gargantuan appetite. Thanks to Emir, an Instanbul local, Mel and I had a wonderful opportunity to see what all the Turkey-philes were raving about.

We also witnessed the political spice in the air while we were there – hundreds of Turks went to the streets, as they protested against the parliamentary election of a Muslim president. The secular population rallied with Turkish flags and pictures of Ataturk (founder of the Turkish Republic) in hand. The military in Turkey considers itself the guardian of secularism, and therefore ominously broadcasted that it will “protect secularism in Turkey, no matter what it takes.” It’s a bit of a head-twister when the military is willing to go against the state in the name of an open and secular nation. On the last day that we were leaving, Mel and I saw tanks and police barricades in the streets. I later learned on TV that there was a semi-violent suppression of the demonstrators by the police that day.

But otherwise, we were able to enjoy the beauty and wonder of Istanbul with ease. Sunshine smiled upon us, as we spent most days under a clear blue sky.


The Blue Mosque. Although it fades in historical significance compared to the Aya Sofya, it is still beautiful and prides in the fact that it is the only mosque in Istanbul with 6 minarets (towers). The interior is also breath-taking, with the intricate painted tiles (it is because of these tiles that this particular architecture became renowned as the “Blue Mosque”).


Aya Sofya. Originally a center of the Byzantine empire, this building has turned from the main attraction of Constantinople to Istanbul. The dome-shaped church was cleverly turned into a mosque with the addition of minarets. The interior is more interesting with the dome that looks as if it was floating, and old mosaics with Christian icons (which was painted over when it turned into a mosque). It is no longer a functional mosque, and is considered a museum (that is why the Christian symbols that have been excavated are on public display).


Relax and enjoy the local scene at Ortakoy. You can spend a good half of your day walking around this area – there are small shops, cafes, and street-food vendors. You can also take a small boat-trip that zig zags along the Bosphorus from here.


All the mosques have a beautiful interior with lamps and stained glass windows. If you are a woman, you need a scarf to get in (or you can borrow one at the entrance).


The cistern. It is a water storage system for the Ottoman royalty. Not to be missed, as it is one of the more interesting sites in the city center (right near the Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque).


Whet your shopping appetite and choose wisely. Everything can be bargained at the souk. Bargaining takes a certain technique – assume that the price is inflated 50-70% at first, and don’t feel bad about walking away. There are always more shops that sell similar items. Bundling items together is also a good way to decrease the asking price (“if I buy 5, will you give me a 20% discount?”).


Enjoy walking along the Spice Bazaar. The most interesting thing is to listen to what the vendors are saying to get you to buy: “Are you looking for me? I am here!” “How can I make you spend your money today?” “I have a great poison for your mother in law!!!”


Smoking a shisha, sipping some infusion tea, and playing backgammon. A great past time and a way to hang out with friends. (By the way, shisha with milk in the pipe is wonderful – it makes a very creamy smoke).


The Austin connection: Mel and Emir enjoying the morning ferry ride on the Bosphorus.


Being silly... we found a quirky shop that sold G-loves.

Istanbul is one of the most delicious cities in the world. Mel and I were in food heaven, as we tasted everything & anything fried/grilled/sauteed that street vendors had to offer, to the indulgent snacks that tickled our sweet-tooth.

Each day started with some simit (roasted sesame bread, which can have spicy Turkish sausage, olive paste, or cheese inside) and Çay, as we hopped on the ferry from Kadıköy to Eminönü. Sometimes we would even get some freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juice.

We slurped, devoured, nibbled... we just could not get enough of the flavors of Turkey! My personal favorite were the mediye tava (fried mussel sandwich with hollandaise sauce) and balik ekmek (grilled fish sandwich) - cheap and amazingly good! We tried anything we could get our hands on - kumpirs, kebabs, kefta stews, fish and various pastries. There is every reason to believe that Turkish people have it pretty darn good with such great food at a reasonable price.

There are plenty of munchies after downing a couple glasses of Efes beer, but one of the most memorable is the steamed mussels with spicy rice inside. The vendor opens the shell, dallops a few drops of lemon, and voila! A quick shot of spice and the sea goes straight down to your stomach. (And you may be ready for more Efes and Yeni Reki).

And let's not forget... desserts are essential to the taste of Turkey. We enjoyed söbiyets with pistachio powdered on them were one of our favorites, while our eyes strayed to amazing range of Turkish delights (lokum). Some of the notable desserts were the kazandibi (rice pudding) and the tavuk gögsü (a mochi-like rice pudding - with a very unusual ingredient inside). You just have to try it. Being tourists, we also enjoyed the entertainment of the Turkish ice cream (a stretchy ice cream that provides both amusement and a yummy flavor).














This is what we looked like most of the time. Food in hand and all smiles :)

I've got my internet hook up, sipping Arabic tea on Tom's couch. Last night, I told them "I still don't feel like I'm in Egypt" - despite the fact that we smoked shisha, had some yummy fresh strawberry juice, ate tammaya and foo bean salsa, had cheap beer at a Coptic Christian bar, and went on a fallukah ride on the Nile.

But that's all because I'm still working. Why is there no end?

I think the feeling of being in Cairo will finally hit me when I step outside and actually see the traffic I have been hearing since this morning. (beep-beep-beep. honk! screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech!!! vrooom...)