summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2012-07-06 09:30 am
summercomfort) wrote2012-07-06 09:30 am
Travel miscellany
I think I'm all travel-blogged out. There's a few more things that I theoretically want to talk about, but don't actually want to write.
So, just to get it out of my system, here are some words that may or may not make sense. And maybe some pictures.
Qatar and Doha:
- incredibly hot
- airport such a purposeful transit hub -- color-coded boarding passes!? Trapped in the giant duty-free zone
- a minority of oil-rich Qataris and a ton of immigrant labor -- flight attendants were Korean, Eastern European, Venezuelan, and Mexican. Also a bunch of South Asians.
- Islamic Art Museum: very cool. How do they keep it free, though?
Nyerere:
- George Washington of Tanzania
- Cool guy, mad respect
- Unfortunate attraction to Maoist agricultural policies... :(
- Only guy on the money that isn't an animal. (Joanne and I often discussed the giving of tips surreptitiously by referring to the relevant animal. "Should we give this guy 2 elephants? Or maybe an elephant and a rhino?" (Elephant is on the 10,000 note, and Rhino is on the 5,000 note) It's kinda cool to have a whole herd of elephants in your wallet)
Georgia:
- Really cute
- Effective police enforcement = very safe country
- Love Khinkali so much -- it's like soupy dumplings, but with novel fillings like beef with cilantro, lamb with parsley, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, etc.
- Why do the sidewalks have SO MANY HOLES?
- NGO conference about rural development is difficult when there's no word for "rural" in Georgian
- National Museum had only 3 rooms: ancient gold pieces, depressing thing about Russian oppression, and a German exhibit about Germans in Georgia??
- Orthodox churches kinda like buddhist temples. I went in one where there were 3 priests in 3 different corners. One was doing some incense thing, another was doing some mumbling, and another was blessing some people. Most people worship at will -- kissing icons, etc.
- lots of old women in all-black Christian hijab
- Georgian script be crazy, yo
(this was for sale)
Dar:
- Basically city of hotels and pharmacies.
- India-themed street names (India street, Gandhi street, Samosa street...)
- Super crappy national museum??!
- Impossible to find non-instant coffee
Things that I saw people carry on their heads:
- A travel suitcase
- A big fish
- Giant bucket
- 24-pack of bottled water
- basin of miscellaneous veggies
So, just to get it out of my system, here are some words that may or may not make sense. And maybe some pictures.
Qatar and Doha:
- incredibly hot
- airport such a purposeful transit hub -- color-coded boarding passes!? Trapped in the giant duty-free zone
- a minority of oil-rich Qataris and a ton of immigrant labor -- flight attendants were Korean, Eastern European, Venezuelan, and Mexican. Also a bunch of South Asians.
- Islamic Art Museum: very cool. How do they keep it free, though?
Nyerere:
- George Washington of Tanzania
- Cool guy, mad respect
- Unfortunate attraction to Maoist agricultural policies... :(
- Only guy on the money that isn't an animal. (Joanne and I often discussed the giving of tips surreptitiously by referring to the relevant animal. "Should we give this guy 2 elephants? Or maybe an elephant and a rhino?" (Elephant is on the 10,000 note, and Rhino is on the 5,000 note) It's kinda cool to have a whole herd of elephants in your wallet)
Georgia:
- Really cute
- Effective police enforcement = very safe country
- Love Khinkali so much -- it's like soupy dumplings, but with novel fillings like beef with cilantro, lamb with parsley, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, etc.
- Why do the sidewalks have SO MANY HOLES?
- NGO conference about rural development is difficult when there's no word for "rural" in Georgian
- National Museum had only 3 rooms: ancient gold pieces, depressing thing about Russian oppression, and a German exhibit about Germans in Georgia??
- Orthodox churches kinda like buddhist temples. I went in one where there were 3 priests in 3 different corners. One was doing some incense thing, another was doing some mumbling, and another was blessing some people. Most people worship at will -- kissing icons, etc.
- lots of old women in all-black Christian hijab
- Georgian script be crazy, yo
(this was for sale)
Dar:
- Basically city of hotels and pharmacies.
- India-themed street names (India street, Gandhi street, Samosa street...)
- Super crappy national museum??!
- Impossible to find non-instant coffee
Things that I saw people carry on their heads:
- A travel suitcase
- A big fish
- Giant bucket
- 24-pack of bottled water
- basin of miscellaneous veggies