What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: August 2025

Yup, I am going to say it: I can't believe that it is September already. Happy Labor Day! In most years in the past, I took my two week vacation on this and next week so that I could only use 9 days of PTO and take 16 total days away, and I would usually go for a long hike somewhere. This year I will not be on a multiday hike today, but I am heading somewhere where there will be plenty of hiking! Stay tuned! 

Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps

February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii

March: Wet and Wild

April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too

May: Al Fresco 

June: Tales as Old as Time: The Christianity and Wine Versions

July: Quick and Dirty: the Baltics and the Balkans Adventure

August: The Dark Tourist

2. What did you learn last month? 

I learned too much to go over here, but to put it in a nutshell, I learned a lot more about the influence of the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian empires over the areas of the Balkans (and Romania) over the years. There was lot of fighting over these lands, mostly due to the fact that they were on important trade routes (you should look at the map of Bosnia & Herzegovina, as you will see they still have a TINY piece of coast) and especially the Danube, which goes through Belgrade, and was a crucial part of trading. 

However, what is especially interesting is how each place is different now because of this. In Bosnia & Herzegovina, there is still a lot of Ottoman influence, with mosques, food, and even language. For example, I already knew how to say "let's go" because it's the same word in Turkish! Also, each country has their own version of the kofte, which I enjoyed in Turkiye, but in some places it is called ćevapčići or ćevapi and in Romania it is mici or mititei. In all cases, it is meat, minced, and grilled; think hamburger in tube form (I am probably offending all kinds of people here). 

Top: Romania mici/mititei
Bottom: Bosnia ćevapi, Montenegro ćevapi

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It was pretty hot sometimes but all in all, it didn't rain much, which is a blessing, as I was hiking a few times and also rainy days < sunny days! 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

I don't want to say that I "enjoyed" learning more about the Sarajevo siege, but I am fascinated by the history, and it was also very interesting to go to Sarajevo, hear their story, and then go to Serbia and hear theirs and see how they did or did not match up. Every side has a story, don't they? 

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

Book: The Nine by Gwen Strauss. This is a true story about nine resistance fighter women who escaped a German forced labor camp during WWII and attempted to cross the front lines to get to safety. 

Movie/Show: In my last lodging, I had a TV with English channels and I did put Frasier on in the background from time to time. I find more and more though that I like to work in silence, so I rarely even use the TVs in any of my rooms. 

Podcast: Are you still paying more than $50 a month for your cell phone? If so, this episode of All The Hacks is great; he breaks down all of the phone plans and carriers so that you can decide if switching is something that may work for you. *one that he does not cover is Tello, which has a top plan (35GB) for about $25 per month. 

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

I took a train in Romania that must have been the local, because it stopped about 40 times on a 145 km / 90 mile route. However, that is not the funny part. Because it was the local, it was not fancy, and most of the seats were in sets of four where you face two other people. About three rows in front of me, there was a lady facing me; she was probably in her early 60s, and she was GOING TO TOWN on her nostrils, really looking for some gold. I never saw her pull anything out or wipe it on her pants or anything but I kept waiting for her to hit pay dirt. 

It kind of reminded me of the Shel Silverstein poem, The Sharp Toothed Snail: 

Inside of everybody's nose

There lives a sharp-toothed snail

So, if you stick your finger in, he may bite off your nail

If you stick it further in, he might bite your ring off

Stick it further in, and he might bite the whole damn thing off

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

After several weeks of faster travel, I will be in the same place for an entire month. This will give me a nice opportunity to get some things done without feeling like I have to rush to do them before I change locations again. 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

AUGUST:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

2. What did you learn last month? 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

SEPTEMBER: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! What is your favorite Silverstein poem? 

Twenty Questions (E3): Have I Ever? Yup!

You know I love a good Never Have I Ever list! Elisabeth has some good ones and I actually got a 10 out of 10 on one of hers (meaning that I HAD done everything on her NHIE list!) and am striving to do it again one day! Today, however, I have my own list of things that I HAVE done, as this is easier to think up (note that I will be doing a real NHIE later in this series, so stay tuned)! As always, crowd participation is welcomed and I have pasted the list at the bottom so you can copy and paste (Ernie, it is CTRL-C, CTRL-V,😊) and add your answers to the comments! Also, don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!

You can see other posts in the Twenty Questions series here. 

1. Eaten at a three star Michelin restaurant. I have actually been lucky enough to have gone to a few of them! Quince, Benu, Atelier Crenn, Single Thread, Eleven Madison Park. I have been to a few two stars (Commis, Aquerello) and one stars (State Bird Provisions) also. However, my favorite are the Bib Gourmands, which are fancy but more affordable places that have not quite made it to one star yet. Often after they get a star the price goes WAY up and it much harder to get a reservation, but the Bib Gourmands are still more reasonable. 

Benu menu

2. Been to Alaska. After having this on my list for years and years, I finally went in 2023 with my hiking pal Bugsy, and we had a good time hiking, seeing the mountains, looking at the sea, and sleeping in the car (haha) which was quite expensive to rent (it was about $1,500 for 12 days!) but was kind of necessary with the distances covered. There is a train that goes from Seward to Fairbanks, but we wanted to get out into nature, naturally (ha!) 

3. Driven a tractor. Well, it was a backhoe, but I am counting it! 

4. Competed in a Giant Slalom ski race. I was on the ski team in High School and we also did slalom, but my favorite was the GS where you can tuck and go very fast. I am more about speed than technique! 

5. Kissed someone of the same gender. I was with a group of guys and one woman and we got dared, and I did it, but it didn't do anything for me. I guess I am no Katy Perry. 

6. Met a celebrity. This obviously depends on what you think of as "meet" and "celebrity" but when I worked at Nordstrom, people would come in all the time. I saw (did not meet) Danny Glover, Vladi Divak, Cindy Crawford (she has big feet!) and helped Kristy Yamiguchi, and Benjamin Bratt (who I think was with Julia Roberts at the time). I also went over to the men's suits department when I got a tip from a friend, and I shook the hand of one of the main SF Giant's players, which of course I cannot remember which now (I think it was Jason Schmidt, but don't quote me on that). 

7. Swam with sharks. I did the great white cage dive in South Africa and also swam with a lot of harmless sharks while diving in Australia and Thailand. 

8. Drank moonshine. Every country has their version, so I have had some rocket fuel in many countries. In Ireland, it's Poitín (not to be confused with poutine), in Bolivia you have to pour a little on the ground in an offering to Pachamama. In Georgia, everyone and their uncle make homemade ChaCha and in Serbia you may burn off your tongue with the Rakija. The list goes on, but if I am offered it, I always say yes. 

9. Learned how to use a map and compass. Obviously, and luckily, it has been a while since I have had to use this skill, but it is there just in case! 

10. Played Frogger on a ColecoVision. Oh the good ol' days! My friend had maybe three games, and one of them was Frogger. A few years later, my uncle gave us a Nintendo, and I would challenge any of you to a game of Duck Hunt or Mario! 

11. Been to a heavy metal concert. Oh the 90s were great, weren't they? My first concert ever was Bryan Adams, who obviously is not heavy metal, but after that, I saw the Scorpions, and I was hooked. Since then, I have seen Metallica, The Deftones, Korn, Rage Against the Machine (if that counts?) and more. Two that I am sad that I did not see due to people dying were Nirvana and Alice in Chains, and I had a Guns n Roses concert booked for April 2020, but we all know how that turned out. 

12. Ridden in a helicopter. When I was in Nepal near Mt. Everest, Mr. Lovely got injured, and we had to get helicoptered out to Kathmandu. Of course, he paid for it (P.S. he did not have insurance and that ride cost about $6,000), and had to stay strapped to a gurney, while I got to enjoy the (very good!) mountain views. 

13. Walked on a glacier. See above: Alaska. Also I have done this in New Zealand at the Franz Joseph glacier which was very cool. I have also done it in several other places over the years. 

Alaska

14. Ridden a camel. If you are newer to this space, you may not know that in 2010, I did a trip around the world with my then boyfriend, Mr. Lovely. We did a camel ride in India, but it was not the greatest, as we felt basically cheated by the companies, or should I say, "taken for a ride?" and I hate that feeling. It spurred Mr. Lovely to compare India and Nepal, and he talked so much about it that I made him do a guest post about why Nepal is better than India. Enjoy! 

India

15. Used a bike to commute to work. In Oakland, I would ride Bertha (the bike) to the BART train several times a week! I miss that ol' broad. 

Bertha

16. Eaten dog food. When I was a kid, I figured I'd try it. If the dog enjoyed it, maybe I would too. To be honest, it was not that bad. I wouldn't make a habit of it, but if there is an apocalypse, don't turn your back on pet food! 

17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes. On my trip across the US and Canada last year, I made sure to do this. I even swam in a couple of them! 

Lake Huron

18. Dehydrated my own food. As a hiker, this has been a fun thing to learn. I also enjoy making jerky or dehydrated fruit, and this came in very handy when I was harvesting my fruit and could not keep up! 

Dehydrating chicken curry

19. Run an ultramarathon (more than 26.2 miles). Several of them! You can find more about that here. 

20. Been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Although I lived off and on in NOLA for about 6 years, I only went to one! Pro tip: the lead up to Mardi Gras is more fun than the week of, as the week of is chaos. However, there are a ton of parades in the weeks before that and they are much more low key! 

Your turn! 

1. Eaten at a three star Michelin restaurant

2. Been to Alaska

3. Driven a tractor

4. Competed in a Giant Slalom ski race

5. Kissed someone of the same gender

6. Met a celebrity

7. Swam with sharks

8. Drank moonshine

9. Learned how to use a map and compass

10. Played Frogger on an Atari

11. Been to a heavy metal concert

12. Ridden in a helicopter

13. Walked on a glacier

14. Ridden a camel

15. Used a bike to commute to work

16. Eaten dog food

17. Put a body part into each of the five Great Lakes

18. Dehydrated my own food

19. Run an ultramarathon (more than 26.2 miles)

20. Been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Bonus question: have you ever felt ripped off when traveling? 

It's Not You, It's Me

This is post three of three in a series where I get a few things off my chest. Here are the other two: one, two. I actually drafted this post at the end of May and commented about it on this post of Elisabeth's! Cleaning house over here, which kind of just solidifies my point! 

I want to talk about commitment. (We've been together for a long time now, and I think it's time we take it to the next step😊! Just kidding!) 

I am an upholder, an enneagram one, an ISTJ and a maximizer. I often get analysis paralysis, and I would rather say no over and over than say yes and not follow through. People who flake, ghost, or are late are a mystery to me, and usually I have very little tolerance for them. There are obviously exceptions, such as one of my good friends, who has been a friend for years, and has a lot of great qualities and she would definitely help me hide a body and would be great at researching and planning how and where to do it. I know that if I am meeting her, I have to bring a book and a patient attitude, and know that there is a 94% chance that she will not be on time. However, she will probably show up with a full takeout dinner that she picked up for us, which is why she was late in the first place. Sigh. 

Reading and eating

Why am I talking about this? Well, I often feel guilt when I have committed to something and then I cannot fulfil my own expectations about completing said thing. A great example, and the one that made me start this rant, is blog reading. If I have subscribed to someone's blog, and have committed to reading and commenting, in my brain, I have to do it fully, as in read thoroughly, comment thoughtfully, check back for the response, and be fully invested. I don't skim; I don't just say "great post!" or "well said!" and move on. I always check back to see if they have responded before marking it off of my list. My other issue is that I hate reading things or doing things out of order. I cannot read today's post before I catch up on older ones! Yet some people post every day and I cannot read six other posts before I get to today's post! 

I know this is not the writer's problem; this is a me problem. The writer doesn't care (or probably even notice) if I comment out of order, or don't comment on every single post. But I care, and it makes me feel rude or guilty if I am away for a while and I have to mark everything as read. In my mind, I am screaming, "but I did NOT read them!" So they pile up, and I get behind, and then my motivation starts to wane and then I want to hide everything under the bed and tell my Mom that I "cleaned my room!" and go out to the beach for a swim. 

This is one of the reasons that I stopped writing or reading blogs for a period of time back in the late twenty-teens. I had a blog roll of multiple dozens of blogs, I felt like I just could not keep up with all of them in a quality that I wanted, plus I didn't feel like I had anything to say, so I quit for a while. I cannot do a half-assed job, so I did no job. All or none. Like I said above, I would rather just not commit, than say yes and not follow through. 

This is not just about blogging. I used to get the New Yorker magazine and I started to get behind because I could not read this month's magazine without first catching up on the four month's prior, in order, which of course did not happen, so once again, nothing happened. 

I also have this issue with Instagram. I rarely post because I want the posts to be in order and the last thing I posted was about Seville and so now I have to chronologically post about the last three months but I cannot do it all in one day so I need to space them out so that requires planning and....yes, it sounds crazy, but then I just decide to do nothing and another month passes by (*edited to add that I wrote this post almost three months ago and have actually posted three more times since then, but that also proves my point)!

So I want to apologize to you if I have not commented on all of your posts, and to let you know that I AM reading them, but I have decided that I can only dedicate a certain amount of time each day to commenting, as it requires the extra commitment of checking back to see if the person has responded etc. and I need to prioritize exercise and health and the pursuit of knowledge, and not get sucked into the black hole that is the internet, which is so, SO easy to do. 

However, I am still here, but I do want to find other ways to stay in touch that don't require sitting in front of a computer! I know I may have your email address but if I don't or if you  want to keep in touch, you can email me here with your number, or if you have my number already, feel free to send me a message to say hi! If you have WhatsApp, I am trying to lean more towards that, but I can also still use regular texting! Also if you want to have a chat, I would love that (as I can walk and talk at the same time, thankfully)! Hit me up! 📟(I was looking for a cell phone emoji, and I found this pager! Haha! Blast from the past!) 

What is your enneagram number and how does that affect you when doing tasks? Do you mark all as read and move on or do you feel like you have to actually read the item first? When you get busy, what are the first things that you let go of? 

Also, the Twenty Questions series is still going strong! Don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!

Out of the Groove

This is the post I was writing when I realized that I had never posted this post! Sometimes my drafts get out of hand, and also it just confirms the fact that when I get out of routine, I get sloppy! (This will be post two of three in a series where I get a few things off my chest. Once they are all available, they will be here: one, two, three). 

Also, I want to apologize, as I accidentally put a jump break in my last post, which then truncates it on the main page of my blog and  on the Feedly feed. I did not mention this in my peeves post, but this is another of my peeves! When I am reading in Feedly, I don't want to have to click a link; I want to see the entire post and sometimes if they are truncated, I pass on them. So it should be fixed now! Okay, carrying on. 

I am out of the groove again. Let me explain. A couple of weeks ago, I did an eight day hike where I had no service or internet and it was wonderful. I saw some beautiful views, ate lots of ramen noodles, and got to lie in my tent with the stars above my head most nights. Before that, I was in faster travel mode, and I went to four different places in three weeks. What this means is that usually I am in the place for 3-6 days with a day of travel in between each one. This makes it kind of hard to get into a groove, as it involves a lot of packing and unpacking, sitting on buses and looking up what to do and see in each new place, but I did try to run a few times a week, sightsee a few times a week, and hit up some of the historical places. 

This is where Franz Ferdinand was shot and killed

However, this faster travel followed by the off the grid hike, along with the prep and the aftermath of the hike, has caused me to get out of the groove that I was starting to get into (you may remember from my last post that I wanted to start running three times a week; in the first three weeks of July, I did just that!). Then I returned from the hike and I have hundreds of unread emails, Feedly posts and things on my to do list to get done. Instead of tackling them head on, I feel no motivation to get started. I want to just mark all as read, but that is not really my personality (upholder here!). I have to touch it and look at it and read it, and then if I read it, I have to comment on it, and then I have to return to see if there is a reply... sigh. In addition, I am now in a new place again and so want to see the sights and try the foods and walk the streets, but sometimes it is hard to find a good mix of relaxing and exploring. 

I know this is a first world problem, and some of you have kids and jobs and real problems to juggle and this probably sounds like complaining, but it is not. It is just a comment about the lack of routine in my life at the moment, and a expression of how that can often be a little discombobulating. However, I can happily say that none of this stresses me out. I remember days when I was in my 20s and I was going to school from 7 am to 1 pm and then working from 2 pm to 10 pm and then coming home and having a glass of wine or going out for drinks with coworkers to wash away the problems of the day. I don't do that anymore. My therapy is in wandering, taking photos, sitting in a park and watching people go about their days. My therapy is in researching and learning, in being curious. I find joy in that. However, sometimes I want to do nothing, but I feel guilty about that. 

I actually wrote another post that I never published about commitment and guilt. The funny thing is that in this post I talk about my issues with doing things in order, and how I cannot read something from today without first reading the thing from yesterday, or how I cannot post something from today without first posting the thing from yesterday. Actually, now I am trying to decide whether I should post that post first, and wait on this one....but no. I will post that one out of order (the horror!) in a few days and link it here once it's done! 

So, without giving away everything that I talked about in the commitment post (coming soon!) I will just say that I am behind on all things, and I am not running three times a week and I need to book some travel but am putting it off. I am out of my groove, and I want to get back into it, but am struggling to get back on the right track. And I will end this post here, with a few questions for you. 

Do you get bogged down by "having to" complete tasks in order? Do you feel guilt when you don't want to do something, even when it is a self imposed task (or even a fun task sometimes)? Do you often feel like you need a vacation from your vacation?  

Also, the Twenty Questions series is still going strong! Don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!

Routine Shmootine

I wrote this post a month ago, and I was recently drafting another post about a similar thing and I realized that I never posted this one! Oops! So I decided to do an extra post this week, so I can post this one now and the next one on Monday so that they are in order! This will be post one of three in a series where I get a few things off my chest. Once they are all available, they will be here: two, three.

At work we used to talk about people who would work to a deadline. You know these people. Maybe you are one of these people. These people get one project and if they have a day to do it, they will get it done in a day. If they have a week, it will take them a week. I am not one of these people. If you give me a task, I put my all into getting it done as quicky and efficiently as I can while still having it be done right, double checked and revised. If this means that I do the task in one day and then have the rest of the week to sit around, so be it. I also don't do things on a whim normally. I don't "dash out emails" or answer without thinking. Sure, do I take longer to do some things? Yes. Do I frustrate people because of my analysis paralysis or my need for things to be nearly perfect? Of course. Do I sometimes do less things because I overthink things? Absolutely. 

I am also a lover of routine. The industry I worked in had a lot of changes every day and this meant constant pivoting when it came to strategies or actions. Or maybe a client would ask for something that we had never done, so I was constantly having to learn new things or be creative. However, the general tasks around all of that were fairly routine and I would go in an hour earlier than everyone else so I could work on my checklist before the chaos ensued. 

So, why am I talking about this? Well, despite the fact that I am not currently working a traditional job, I still have these personality traits! If I get a "task" I want to get it done right away and get it off my list. And for my days, I would like to have at least a few hours where the action items are exactly the same, and I can have that "comfort zone." However, when you have more time or when you change locations a lot or when you are meeting new people with their own quirks and agendas, this is not always possible. 

Let me give you an example. The other day I met up with a woman for drinks and dinner. Let me set the scene. There is a FB group where you can link up with other solo travelers or locals, in this case it is all women. So when she said she would be where I was, I contacted her to see if she wanted to meet up. She said yes and asked if I wanted to meet for dinner that evening. It turns out she is French, and if you are not familiar, there are two things you should know about *most* French people. First, they often eat dinner a lot later than I am used to. Dinner hours in a restaurant for example, is usually 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, but they can easily spent three hours eating, meaning that if you eat at 9:00 pm, it could be finished at midnight. The other thing is that French people have a more flexible understanding of timelines than I do. For example, if you say that we will meet for dinner at 9 pm, people may trickle in at 9 pm, or maybe 9:10 pm or 9:15 pm and nobody will be offended. 

So. The French woman asks about dinner, and I, knowing how they can be, ask her what time she is considering for this. We agree on 7:00 pm. It is a 20 minute walk from my place to dinner, so I leave my house at 6:35 just in case, and of course because I like to be a few minutes early, and I do not want to be late, which in my case, would be anything after 7:00 pm. I arrive at the restaurant at 6:55 pm and I get a text from her saying that she is going to be 5-10 minutes late as something has come up. I decide to go inside and get a table if possible and order a drink while I wait. I wait for a while.

She arrives at 7:25 pm. She is a nice woman and we have a good time, and this does not ruin my day in the least, but this is a very typical example of how life is when you are constantly meeting with people who you know nothing about. My routine is shot basically, and it is hard to wrap my mind around it. However, the other alternative is to not meet up with people, and then it is too easy to get into a funk where I am alone all the time and not trying new things because I am worried that they will mess up my routine. So obviously this is not an option! 

However, these kinds of things definitely give me a bit of a feeling that I am lacking control, which of course, I am in this situation! But I don't really like this feeling, so I decided to work on some things that I do have control over so that I could counterbalance it. So have been running again. You may have assumed I was already doing this, but I wasn't really. I have been walking and hiking (average per day in June was 6.2 miles or about 10 km), but not really running (total in June was 32 miles [~1 per day] or about 50 km). *This post was drafted on July 3rd. :)

Running in Warsaw

This is not always easy, as I am sometimes moving around a lot, but this is something I feel that is important and also gives me a chance to explore a new place (even though sometimes the decision fatigue of figuring out where to go each time is real!)

I don't really need an accountability buddy, because I am pretty hard on myself as it is, but I am telling you this so it will be in print so that I cannot back off when I am feeling lazy. My goal is to run three times a week, and I am still trying to do at least 10,000 steps per day! So now you know. 

Does meeting new people come easily to you? What does "being on time" mean to you? Do you have any step or fitness goals at the moment? 

What I Learned, Looking Forward, Looking Back: July 2025

Please copy and paste the questions at the end and add your answers to the mix! 

Where was I? Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo (whew!)

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

January: Baguettes and Many Steps

February: In Like Minnesota; Out Like Hawaii

March: Wet and Wild

April: My Life is in Ruins, and Beaches Too

May: Al Fresco 

June: Tales as Old as Time: The Christianity and Wine Versions

July: Quick and Dirty: the Baltics and the Balkans Adventure

2. What did you learn last month? 

Holy smokes, I cannot even recap this as it is so deep, so I will just say one thing that is shallow. I saw these "candy bars" in the refrigerated section of the supermarkets in the Baltics, like next to the yogurt, and I was puzzled by why they were there. So of course I had to buy several of them (for research purposes!) and see what they were all about. The translation came up as "quark bars" which I had no idea what that meant, even in English! 

I tasted them and they basically tasted a little like cottage cheese or cheesecake, with a chocolate layer on the outside. Anyway, turns out that quark IS a cheese, and is something between yogurt and cottage cheese, and since I love yogurt and cottage cheese (and cheesecake), I was a big fan. I have not seen this anywhere outside the Baltics though. 

Outside view

Inside view

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

It rained a lot, and then it was very, very hot (95 F/35 C), and then it rained. 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

I cannot choose just one, but I really enjoyed the hiking! However, I also rented a bike a couple of times and had some great rides, I swam a couple of times, I met up with people and ate and drank and was merry! It was a good month. 

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

Book: The Beauty of Your Face

Movie/Show: N/A

Podcast: All The Hacks: 18 Tactics for Booking Award Travel

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

In 2010 I went to Albania, and their currency is the Lek. As you do, I took out too much cash and had some left over when I left. I tried exchanging it in Montenegro, then Croatia, then Italy, but nobody wanted it. So I still had this cash, and I brought it with me on this trip so that if I went back to Albania, I could use it. 

On my hiking trip, I hiked through Albania for a few days, but my plan had been to camp the entire time. However, I checked on the exchange rate, and it turns out I had about $75 worth of Lek, so I decided to go hog wild! I stopped and bought a bunch of food, had lunch in a national park, then got a room in a hut, and I still had some left over, so I bought myself three glasses of wine! It was like going on vacation! Oftentimes after 15 years, the currency will be reissued, so the old stuff will have no value (and this was true for one of the bills, which was worth about $3) and so I have lost a lot of money by not using up my cash before I leave a country! This time I was not going to let that happen again! 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

I am looking forward to learning more about the history of the Balkans, trying the food, and doing some more hiking (probably just day trips mostly). Also I have three countries coming up that I have never been to before which is exciting. 

Your turn! To copy/paste, highlight the text below and click CTRL-C, then put the cursor in the comment box and click CTRL-V.

JULY:

1. What is the name of your last month's chapter or the theme of your last month if you prefer that? 

2. What did you learn last month? 

3. What was the weather like where you are? 

4. What event last month was your favorite?

5. What was the best thing you read, listened to or watched last month?  

6. Tell us one funny recent story. 

AUGUST: 

7. What are you looking forward to this month?

Bonus question! Have you ever heard of quark? Have you ever tried to use money that you had left over from traveling and they would not take it because it was too old? [FYI this has happened to me a lot!]

Twenty Questions (E2): Peeves

I was going to save the Peeves post for later, but today I was sitting on the bus and there was an old man next to me that kept swishing his dentures around in his mouth and kind of making wet mouth noises and I thought, you know what, I guess it's time for a peeves post! I want to make a disclaimer before I start though: I don't hate people who do these things, they just sometimes annoy me. So if you do these things, don't fret; I am still here for you! I just may have to go into another room from time to time and get a break from the whatever it is you are doing. So, as always, chime in and let me know if these things bother you at all, and what else is a peeve of yours that I have missed.

1. As I mentioned above, wet mouth noises. Smacking, licking, slurping, sucking your teeth (there is a person I care a lot about who does this and I have asked him repeatedly if he needs a toothpick or a piece of floss and he always refuses and goes back to sucking his teeth! Sigh).  

2. Playing music, listening to your phone, talking on the phone out loud in public. I know in some cultures this is more normal, but I just don't get it. First of all, I don't want to hear your private conversation, but even worse is the Instagram swipers who go from video to video, so you have to listen to a little snippet of each one. And the absolute worst is when they are playing music out loud on the trail. Here I am walking along listening to the birds sing and admiring the trees and a dude comes up the trail with a boombox blaring Korn of all things! Seriously? Don't get me wrong, I can get down with Korn, but not in the woods. 

3. People getting too close to me. I am not obsessive, but I see no reason for the lady behind me in line for airport security to be touching my backpack. We will all get there eventually, I think you can give me three inches of space. I also was changing money in Georgia and a lady came right up next to me rather than standing back to wait her turn. That made me really feel weird as I was exchanging a few hundred euros in cash and I felt uncomfortable having her be so close to my money! :) 

The too close money changing lady

4. Sitting with my back to the main part of a restaurant. What can I say; I like sitting with my back to the wall, so I don't have any empty space behind me. Maybe I was a mobster in another life. I also like sitting that way so I can catch the eye of the server if I need something! 

5. People who watch TV or look at their phone when you are out together having a meal. This is not always true if it is someone you spent time with a lot, but usually when I am out for a meal, it is with someone I have not seen for a while, or someone I want to have quality time with, and I have set aside this time for them, and I feel like they can set aside one hour for me too where they are not always looking at their phone or the TV behind me (I hate restaurants with TVs in them also!) If I want to watch TV while I am eating, I can do it at home in my jammies and I don't need to pay more for the restaurant experience. 

6. Dripping faucets or running toilets. I have to find the leak and fix it; the sound of dripping drives me crazy. Or at least, I have to find a rag that I can put on the faucet so I don't have to hear the sound of the dripping! The same goes for the smoke alarm battery sound, or the "you've left something in the microwave" beep.

7. People who say "I wish I had the time/money to do what you are doing." This can be traveling, reading, going to a movie etc. Whatever it is, I believe that people make their own destiny, and most of the time they CAN have the time or the money to do what I am doing, whatever that may be, if they really want to prioritize things that way. 

8. People who wear too much perfume/cologne. It makes me sick, literally. It gives me a headache and I don't know why it has to be put on so liberally. A little dab here or there, fine. But taking a bath in it or spraying it on your head or whatever it is they are doing is too much for me. I have had to move seats at the airport before when a heavily scented woman sat down next to me! I think I would rather have a heavy BO person next to me than a heavily perfumed person. 

9. Untrained dogs. This is not as much of an issue in the US, except maybe some of those badass dudes who want to have a fierce Pitbull, but in other countries there are dogs everywhere. Most of them are friendly, but sometimes they are not, and I have perfected the fake "pick up a rock and throw it at them" move, because sometimes that is the only thing that will keep them away. It's flipping scary, let me tell you, and sometimes the locals just sit there and watch as the dog runs at you! 

10. Extreme tardiness. I know some cultures view time in a little more relaxed manner than I do, but it still doesn't make me like it when people say that something starts at 7 and then they don't even show up until 8. If they text and say they are running late, that helps, but it is still not my favorite thing. 

11. Flakes. Same as the above. Don't say yes if you are going to just change your mind or ditch out at the last minute. Just don't. 

12. People who write "hello" as their first text message and then don't say anything else until I respond. I kind of just want to ignore them. I mean, they say one thing that means nothing and conveys nothing and then they are basically putting the ball in my court? Do you have a question? Would you like to make plans or talk about something? If yes, feel free to put them out there. Hello means nothing to me, especially when you are a person who I don't know well and/or I don't have your name in my phone (which happens a lot when I am traveling and joining groups etc.). Who are you, anyway? Block and report spam. Goodbye. 

13. Overly confident males. OMG. You guys heard about creepy shirtless guy. I have a couple of other stories which I can talk about offline too. Also recently, I was hiking and I was waiting out a rain shower and this guy caught up to me and started talking. About himself. And how much he knew about the area, and how many times he had been to the area, and all of his wonderful accomplishments. Any time I tried to interject with a question or clarification or addition, he basically just steamrolled over me to talk about himself. Um, no thanks. Block and report spam! I got out of there as fast as I could. 

14. People who put their bag/backpack (or their feet!) on the seat next to them on the bus/park bench and then pretend they don't see that someone is trying to sit down. It is rush hour, you are on the bus, you know more people are going to get on. Just put your backpack in your lap! And don't get me started on people who put their feet on the seats. That is just low class. You are not in your own apartment; you are on the subway and you are taking up three seats when there are people who are standing and are too polite to ask you to move. 

15. People who don't give up their seat when an older person gets on the bus or needs a seat. Same as above. As Aretha said, show a little respect. Don't pretend you have something so important on your phone that you did not notice a 90 year old lady get on the train and stand next to you with her legs quivering. Especially if you are in the disabled seats, but even if you are in a regular seat, I think it should be given up. 

16. Sand. I love the ocean, and I love the beach, and I love swimming, but I don't love having sand on my body. No offense to dogs or kids, but when I am at the beach with friends who have either one, I kind of want to declare my blanket off limits because they kick sand on it and then it has sand on it, and then I have sand on me. I don't care if it's on my feet, but I just don't really want it all over my body. My Mom used to make us hose off before we came into the house in the summer time and now I get it! 

17. Non-cold drinks when it is very hot out. Dear Europe, when it is 38 degrees C out (basically 100 F) and I have been riding my bike and I stop in your restaurant and order an iced tea, I kind of expect it to have ICE in it. A lukewarm bottle that you pulled from the non-refrigerated shelves and gave to me with a glass (with no ice in it) is not going to keep me from dying of heatstroke. Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic, and I actually don't like drinking water with ice in it normally but on a really hot day, I miss the US custom of having a lot of ice in our drinks! 

This tea was NOT iced, but the ice cream was still cold. 

18. Loud talkers. Yes, I know that foreigners think that people from the US are loud, and that can be true for sure, but there are loud talkers everywhere. The other day two Montenegrins were yelling across a street at each other (in a friendly way) at midnight. It's not just them; there is always someone! 

19. Smokers. I sometimes forget how strict our rules about smoking are in the US. But then I go to Türkiye and people are smoking in hotels, in the lobbies of hotels, or on the bus. Or when the bus stops, even if just for a minute, everyone jumps out and inhales ten puffs before they all get herded back on the bus. When you are walking down the street in Georgia, you are enveloped in a cloud of smoke. In Montenegro people are smoking in restaurants, even in the inside portion, not just on the outdoor patio. There are cigarette butts on all of the trails and near the lakes and on the street. Everyone smokes! 

Looks like a joint right? It's a bone I found on the road. 

20. Fidgeters. A person I care a lot about wiggles their legs under the table a lot when we are playing cards. Sometimes when we are on the same bench, the bench shakes. I get distracted easily (see #1, #3, #4, #6) and I can't focus when they are fidgeting! Sit still, dang it! 

I guess the moral of all of this is that I prefer still, quiet, sandless and scentless. Haha. The end. Your turn! 

COPY/PASTE: 

1. Wet mouth noises. 

2. Playing music, listening to your phone, talking on the phone out loud in public. 

3. People getting too close to me. 

4. Sitting with my back to a restaurant

5. People who watch TV or look at their phone when you are out together having a meal.

6. Dripping faucets or running toilets. 

7. People who say "I wish I had the time/money to do what you are doing"

8. People who wear too much perfume/cologne

9. Untrained dogs.

10. Extreme tardiness.

11. Flakes. 

12. People who write "hello" as their first text message and then don't say anything else until I respond. 

13. Overly confident males. 

14. People who put their bag/backpack on the seat next to them (or their feet!) on the bus/bench and then pretend they don't see that someone is trying to sit down. 

15. People who don't give up their seat when an older person gets on the bus or needs a seat. 

16. Sand. 

17. Non-cold drinks when it is very hot out. 

18. Loud talkers. 

19. Smokers. 

20. Fidgeters. 

Also, Don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!

What is one of your peeves that I don't have here on my list? 

TGIM

I published this on Monday but I was in the mountains and apparently it didn't work, so...random Saturday post!! I'm leaving it as TGIM regardless of the day, because I was happy that it was Monday at the time! 

The high of the last week was: Hanging out with Tobia! We had a great time getting to know each other better, wandering around looking for dwarves (there was even a Nicole themed one!) and exploring a new city (for me)! As always, another blogger meetup success! 

The low of the last week was: I think I crammed too much into one week and I was feeling a bit behind, but I started a hike anyway! However, I did not feel ready or prepared and was sure I was going to miss something important. I don't like that feeling! PS I'm on the hike now and haven't found anything crucial missing yet. 

Something I marked off my to-do list was: I am still wrapping up some stuff with a house sale and there are just a few little things left to do. However, I got the insurance canceled and the check mailed, and also have a refund coming from.the sewer/water company. It's nice to have those behind me. 

The book I am reading is: I just finished The Favorites and I enjoyed it. If you like Carrie Soto is Back you will probably enjoy it, as it is about elite ice dancers and of course there is drama. I like that part of it is told in interview style, and although there were some characters I did not like, I enjoyed the storytelling. 

The best thing I spent money on was: A room for tonight. I am hiking and have been camping in a tent but I needed to charge my electronics, so for about $40, I get dinner, a shower, a bed and breakfast! Woohoo. 

Plans for this week include: More hiking and then maybe some lake beach time if it's warm and I can find a good place! I just arrived in a new county last week and it was 40°C/over 100°F! Ack, as Cathy would say. 

My favorite photo from the last week is: I can't really choose a favorite, but here are a couple recent ones!

What good book have you read lately?

Twenty Questions (E1): Weird Food

Today kicks off the very long lead up to my 20 year blogging anniversary. I decided that I would do it this way, as I know myself and I do not want to be pressured to cram this project into the twenty weeks (I usually only post once per week) before the actual anniversary date, so this is the plan. Taking a page from Engie's book, I will do 20 posts, which will each be lists of 20 random things. These posts will be twice or three times a month depending on how many Mondays the month has, and will culminate just before the anniversary date, which is technically April 3rd, 2026, but will be celebrated on Monday, April 6th. 

I do want to have some crowd participation and so have compiled a questionnaire for you to each fill out and I will compile your answers into some fun lists down the road. You can fill it out here. Additionally for each list, I will put the prompt or questions at the bottom of each post for you to copy and paste (CTRL-C, CTRL-V, my site does not allow right click copy and paste) and answer as well! 

Without further ado, here is list number one: strange things that I have eaten. Now, I realize that (a) some of these actually are not strange to me (in fact many of them are not strange to me anymore!), but they may be strange to you, and (b) some of them may be strange to me but not strange to you, so feel free to add your strange thing if I have not covered it! 

Rambutan

1. Rambutan (fruit). Various parts of Asia, San Francisco, US.

I have mentioned this one before but if you look at the outside of it, you would never think that it was something that you could eat and enjoy. The inside tastes and looks kind of like a lychee and is quite delicious! You can find them at your local Chinatown sometimes or possibly in an Asian grocery store, and I have actually seen them at Fred Meyers in Portland, OR, so you never know! If you see them, I suggest you get them so you can try them! 

Chapulines

2. Chapulines (roasted grasshoppers). Mexico. 

These are actually quite good, if you get over the fact that they still have legs and wings and can ignore the feeling that they may crawl around in your mouth when you are eating them. However, if you were fed them with a blindfold on, you would just think you were eating some popcorn with nutritional yeast or something like that. They are not bad at all. 

3. Sweetbreads (thymus and/or pancreas glands). La Folie and other restaurants in San Francisco. 

Neither sweet, nor bread! If you get over the fact that you are essentially eating an organ, these are also quite good. Often they are covered in sauce and again, if you did not know what you were eating, you would likely enjoy them. They are quite light and a bit fatty in a good way, kind of like foie gras, which I also enjoy a lot. 

4. Chicken hearts. Bolivia, Peru, Brazilian steakhouses.

In Bolivia, you can buy these from street vendors, who grill them on a little BBQ right in front of you. They are not my favorite organ, but they are worth trying at least once. 

Pho

5. Phở Dặc Biệt (rice noodle soup with beef tendons, tripe). Vietnam, San Francisco, any place that serves pho. 

This is my favorite pho. Usually it comes with beef brisket, sometimes meatballs, and then of course the tripe and tendons and strange pieces of collagen. It may sound strange, but I have the nicest hair and fingernails you have ever seen. :) If you are not so adventurous, you can just get regular pho, which only has the beef brisket. If you have not tried this before, I highly recommend it; it takes like two days to cook the broth and it is so flavorful. This is one of my go-to meals, as in, if I have a chance to have it, I get it! 

Oink, oink

6. Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle). Germany, with variations in Czechia, Poland, Slovakia and other countries, also in German restaurants (this one in New York is my favorite).

If you like pork, you will like this. It is an entire pig knuckle, slow roasted for a really long time so that the skin is super crispy, and then below that you have a nice layer of fat and below that you have a fall of the bone tender pork. With one bite you get heaven every time. I got it when I was in Germany with the girls and made them try it so that they could see that just because it has the word knuckle in it does not mean it is gross. They both loved it! 

I did not eat this one

7. Rattlesnake. California. 

When I was growing up, we had rattlesnakes in our neighborhood (this is a loose term since really it was a lot of land with very few neighbors) a lot. One day after killing one that was getting frisky, we barbequed it and ate it. I was maybe 13 or 14 at the time, and it was surprisingly good to me, and of course, like the cliche states, it did taste a bit like chicken. However, it has a lot of bones and very little meat (see also: #13)

8. Pig trotters (hoof). The southern part of the U.S., and La Folie, San Francisco. 

Pickled pigs feet are definitely worth trying if you ever get the chance. They usually come in a jar with a lot of them floating around, which is a little off-putting, but like most pickled things, they taste delicious. And if you are not into that, you can find them at fancy French restaurants sometimes, which is where I also tried them, in a very delicious pig foot and lobster terrine. 

9. Haggis. Scotland, the U.S., my family gatherings.

My family hails from Scotland and so we have heard about haggis all of our lives, but I did not try it until I actually went to Scotland in my 20s and it was delicious. It is traditionally made of the parts of the sheep that you could not use, which are then cooked with herbs, onions and oatmeal, by steaming the entire thing inside a sheep's stomach. So essentially, just think of eating turkey stuffing, and that is haggis. I mean, not to insult anyone, but it tastes like stuffing, and nowadays is often made with artificial casing (no stomach) and less offal, so it is not even that crazy. 

10. Alligator. Florida, Australia. 

Alligator also tastes like chicken, and I have had it fried which really makes it taste like chicken, and in Florida you then even dip it in mayo based sauce, so you may as well go to McDonalds and get a chicken nugget. For real though, if you can get it grilled so that you can actually taste it, I suggest that. And actually, it tastes a tiny bit fishy, so it is like fishy chicken. Haha. Did I sell it or what? I actually like it just fine. 

Portuguese snails

11. Escargot. France, Portugal, Philippines. 

Snails! Who knew that you could take a pencil eraser and smother it in butter and garlic and it would taste good? Actually in Portugal the ones I ate were so tiny that they give you a kind of safety pin looking thing to pluck them out of the shell with and you also get like a hundred of them so by the time you are done you have burned so many calories and taken in so few that you need to go and get a pizza. 

12. Cuey (Guinea Pig). Peru. 

It tastes like very greasy chicken. The weird part is that when you visit people's houses they have them running around in the kitchen and you just know that later that day, the poor wee beastie is going to be someone's dinner. 

13. Chicken Feet. China, San Francisco, any Chinese restaurant. 

These also taste like chicken. Haha. Just kidding; I mean, they do, but they taste just fine but just like the snails, they are a lot of work without a lot of meat. (see also: #7) Worth trying, but nothing that I would order over and over. If I am going to do a lot of work for only a little meat, I would rather eat crab. 

14. Yak Milk. Nepal. 

Apparently the lady yak is actually called a nak, so technically (unless they are milking the males) you are really eating nak milk. It is quite sour, like kefir or plain yogurt, but apparently has some really healthy properties. I only tried it once and it was okay but nothing I would have gone running out to procure after that. I wonder if I would feel differently now, since I have developed more of a liking for non-sweetened yogurts etc. 

15. Ube ice cream. Philippines, San Francisco, Hawaii.

I have never met an ice cream I don't like and ube is no exception. Ube is a purple root that looks like a yam, and is often used in Filipino cuisine. In San Francisco, there is a really good ice cream shop called Mitchells and they have ube on the menu (they also have some really good ones like green tea, Thai iced tea, and seasonal favorites like pumpkin and eggnog) and it is delicious! If you go to the Philippines, you can get halo halo, which is an odd concoction of jellied things, beans, shaved ice, sugar, coconut and ube jam or ube ice cream. It is a must try! 

16. Cherimoya / Custard Apple / Sugar Apple. South America, Vietnam. 

These are strange fruits that looks kind of quilted on the outside, and then inside is white with large seeds. I first tried it in Vietnam it a little messy to eat when you are traveling by backpack, but is well worth a try. 

17. Kohlrabi. U.S. etc.

I accidentally grew these in my garden, thinking it was a beet based on the photo. However, once they grow, they are a large round vegetable with leaves growing out of it, and if you cut it up and eat it, it tastes similar to a jicama or an Asian pear or water chestnut (kind of). I found that I enjoyed putting them in salads for a nice crunch, or made into a slaw, but you can also put it into stir fries or boil them like a potato and eat them like that. 

18. Cacao fruit. Panama. 

I never knew before I went to Panama that the Cacao was a fruit. They harvest this fruit, remove the seeds, roast them, grind them and make them (the seeds) into cocoa that we are used to. However, the fruit (fleshy) part can also be eaten, and it is quite good! 

Nopales + Prickly Pear

19. Nopales (cactus) + Prickly Pear. Mexico. U.S. (+ Mediterranean, Australia etc.)

In San Francisco, you can get a burrito made with nopales and when I was a vegetarian, I would do this a lot. You can also get all kinds of dishes made with it. Also, fun fact, the nopales cactus is the same one that has the prickly pear fruit that is also edible. You can find them growing wild all over California, as well as other U.S. states and other countries. I used to work with a woman from Malta who would pick and process (peel, cut etc.) the prickly pear for us and bring it into work; I loved her, as that is a lot of work to do! 

Young almonds

20. Young Almond. Türkiye. 

When I was walking the Lycian Way, a farmer gave me these fuzzy little fruits and I was not really sure what it was but I ate it (why not, eh?). Later I Googled and it was young almonds. You can eat the entire thing (the shell is not hard yet) except for the fuzzy skin, but the outer part is a little bitter, but the inner part, which will later be the nut that we are used to, tastes kind of like cucumber! 

COPY PASTE - which of these have you tried?:

1. Rambutan

2. Chapulines (roasted grasshoppers)

3. Sweetbreads (thymus and/or pancreas glands)

4. Chicken hearts

5. Phở Dặc Biệt (tendons, tripe)

6. Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle)

7. Rattlesnake

8. Pig trotters (hoof)

9. Haggis

10. Alligator

11. Escargot

12. Cuey (Guinea Pig)

13. Chicken Feet

14. Yak Milk

15. Ube ice cream

16. Cherimoya / Custard Apple / Sugar Apple

17. Kohlrabi

18. Cacao fruit 

19. Nopales / Prickly Pear

20. Young Almond

Don't forget to fill out --> THE QUESTIONNAIRE!

Have you eaten any of these things? Or what other weird thing have you eaten that is not on this list? 

Summertime, and The Living is Easy?

I had to do several things when I was in the country of Georgia and it is amazing how hard a normal everyday task can be when you are in a place that you are unfamiliar with. We kind of take for granted the fact that if we need batteries, we can just go to Target (or wherever) to get them, or we can order them from Amazon. But where do you go to buy batteries in Georgia/Turkey/Thailand? Here are a few things that I did and a quick(ish) note on how they went. 

Getting your teeth cleaned. A few months before I left home, after having one filling keep falling out over and over because it was kind of situated on the side of the tooth so it couldn't hold on, my dentist told me that I needed a crown. When I inquired about the cost, the receptionist told me that actually their office did not accept my insurance for this procedure. I found this odd, since I had been going to them for years at this point, and had even had fillings redone with no (insurance) issues. They told me I had to have the PPO vs the HMO type insurance in order to do the procedure. So during open enrollment (December) I swapped to the PPO only to find out later (doh!) that my dentist was not in the PPO network. What the what? So I had to find a new dentist two months before I left, book an appointment and ask them to do a crown. However, the new dentist told me I did not need a crown and that she could fix my filling. In the end, this is probably the best accidental decision that I could have made. She also did a cleaning, fixed another filling that was kind of old, and fit me in on a Saturday to get it all done before I left. Best dentist ever (but this bar is pretty low to be honest). 

Bear with me here! My point is that I don't love going to the dentist in good circumstances, when I speak the language and know how to use (kind of!) the insurance system. But I had waited long enough; it had been a year since that last cleaning and I knew I needed to get my stuff in gear and just get it done. I looked into it in Türkiye, as they are known for dentistry, but nobody got back to me; I assume it could be because I was only wanting a cleaning rather than some huge dental procedure. Also when you ask about a good dentist in the expat group, you get some answers that kind of look like ads (this happens for apartments and other services as well) and so it doesn't inspire confidence. 

Turkish Dentistry Ad (not my teeth😊) 

So I asked about it in the Georgia expat group and got a few answers, so I started emailing dentists. I find this easier because if I call and they don't speak English it is hard to communicate over the phone. Also it gives me an idea of whether or not someone in the office does speak English. I emailed three and two of them got back to me and they both spoke English but one did not really answer my questions so I went with the other one that was more expensive but had better communication skills. 

I went to the office on the day of my appointment and it could not have been easier! The receptionist spoke English, the office was clean and cozy, it had a clean bathroom and a water cooler, the dentist was very nice and she explained everything to me before she did it, and she told me I had good teeth (I love her!) It was all very professional and I was in and out in about a half an hour. I could use my credit card to pay and the dentist even asked if she could write me a note or something to use for my insurance so that I did not have to pay it all out of pocket (my insurance only covers dental emergencies). In the end, it cost me about $60 USD. 

Getting a haircut. Luckily, in my case, I don't really care about my hair. The last time I got my haircut was when my friends came to see me in Canmore (June 2024) and I had my friend trim the ends. 99% of the time, my hair is up and so this is not something I really worry about too much. However, I was starting to have a little trouble putting it up (it was getting very long) and also the ends were pretty ragged, so one day I was walking around a small town and I saw a hairdresser and I got a wild hair up my a$$ (pun intended) and decided to walk in and see if they had free time. 

The hairdresser did not speak a lick of English. She spoke Russian, Armenian and Georgian, which did not really help me, but thanks to Google translate, we figured it out. I told her I just wanted to cut it shorter, she asked me a few questions, we negotiated a price of 40 GEL, which is about $15 and we were off to the races. She did an excellent job shampooing and massaging my head and then we were in the chair doing a bit of a blow dry when the power went out. This kind of cracked me up because (a) normally when I get my hair cut, they cut it when it is wet and (b) of course the power went out and (c) she refused to cut anything until it was more dry. So we had a coffee and sat and waited. It took a while for my hair to dry, so I probably sat there for about a half an hour before we finally got started with the cut. 

Getting a haircut in Borjomi, Georgia

Interestingly, she actually did the first cut with a pair of hair clippers. I have had people use razor blades, but never hair clippers, on the ends (not to shave the sides or something). Then she fine tuned it with scissors. When she was done, she styled it and waxed it and sprayed it. She then told me that since I had to wait so long, she would only charge me 30 GEL ($11). All in all, it took about an hour and 15 minutes maybe, and I was very pleased with the results. 

FYI, I have also had my hair cut in Argentina (a bob) and Thailand (a pixie) and in both cases, they did an excellent job. 

Buying running shoes. Luckily, I am not super picky about my brand of running shoes. I have tried several with good results, but I normally go with Saucony. At home, I put several pairs in my Amazon cart and let them sit there until the price goes down and I always (ALWAYS) buy them on sale. So usually I get a pair of $125-$150 shoes for about $50-$60. Well I don't have the luxury to do all of that when I am traveling! First of all, and I will talk more about this in another post, I sometimes don't have an address to send things to. Second, they don't always have the brands that you may be used to. I don't really want to buy a European brand unless I have heard of it or tried it. For example, I have used Solomon before and I would buy those if I saw them. Also La Sportiva is well known throughout the running world and so I might buy them, but I have never tried them. 

I really needed to go to a brick and mortar store. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping? Do you know the last time I bought shoes at a brick and mortar store? It's been a while! So I look up sporting goods stores and go to the first one near me. I walk in and the salesperson automatically asks me if I need help (in Georgian) and I go through the "do you speak English" rigmarole and find out that the running shoes are downstairs. I go downstairs and the salesperson asks me if I need help (in Georgian) so I go through it again and find out that they only carry Nike, which does not work for me, plus their running shoes are more like walking/jogging shoes, and I need something substantial. 

I go to the next store, do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson, and they only have La Sportiva, and they are around $180 USD. I don't really feel comfortable paying that much for a brand I have never tried. I am okay paying normal retail (I mean, I am not, I would rather have them on sale, but needs must) but not for an unknown brand, and I will be leaving Georgia soon and would have no way to return them later if needed. Plus, do they even do that here? I don't know. 

I go to the next store, which is a New Balance store, and do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson. I haven't worn NB since the 90s but it could do in a pinch. Once again, they cost around $150 USD and they are mostly walking/jogging type shoes. I really want a trail running shoe if possible or at least a hefty street shoe. 

I go to the next store, and do the Georgian/English dance with the salesperson. This store has a few brands, one being Jack Wolfskin, which is a German brand of outdoor apparel and all I know about it is that it is expensive and popular, but I have never tried it myself. I consider this but then, lo and behold, I spot a familiar logo, Hoka! I wore Hokas back in the day when they first came out and had those huge soles, but have not worn them in probably at least 10 years. However, they are one that I know works! They are around regular price ($150) and only have my size in one style (the Clifton). I would have preferred the Challenger, which is a trail running shoe, but they did not have my size, and after going to three stores already, I was ready to go home and have a glass of wine. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping? So I bought the Clifton, paid twice as much as I would have at home, and got a brand that I probably would not have bought had I had a choice. However, I was quite happy about it. See what happens when you lower your expectations!? 

Old shoes vs new shoes

I realize that this post is getting a lot longer than I thought it would so I will do a part two where I talk about the following "easy" tasks: Getting a new credit card sent to me. Shipping documents to the U.S. Getting something notarized. Doesn't that sound exciting? Stay tuned...

Have you ever had to do an "easy" thing in a different country that was harder than it should have been due to the customs or language barrier etc.? Or...what thing at home is always harder than it should be?