Posting is going to be a bit Istanbul-centric for a bit for a few reasons. First, I decided I need to be better about posting the photos I take (if they’re any good, duh). I take the photos and decide not to delete them because I feel they’re worth sharing, so (here’s the great logic) …
Category Archives: travels
Soviet architecture exhibit
When I was in Istanbul, I had the opportunity to check out a photography exhibit on Soviet architecture at Salt Galata. It was a really interesting exhibit and was displayed in a creative way. I loved looking at the retro photographs and hunting for references to Kyrgyzstan (although it seems that Georgia, Ukraine, and [duh] …
the best Turkish coffee
This was my third trip to Istanbul and I was determined to drink as many tiny cups of Turkish coffee as I could get my hands on, so when I read this NPR article about Turkish coffee, I paid particular attention to the cafe mentioned in the first line, Mandabatmaz. The hotel we stayed at …
Istanbul is baby-crazy
I thought Kyrgyzstan was baby-crazy. I started an album on Facebook to share photos I snapped of waitresses and strangers (and some friends and family members) who would insist on holding Win when I’m out (usually to my delight if I was trying to have a nice meal without dripping lagman all over his head). …
Kirstin in Istanbul (again)
I’m heading to Istanbul (again)! Be back in a week.
Karakol Antiques
During our day spent walking around Karakol, we passed an antiques store and I told Farrell we absolutely had to stop in there and visit before we went back to the guesthouse. Having recently purchased another Soviet-era film camera, I was in the mood to look for more and smitten at the thought of finding …
Karakol animal market
Okay sure, let’s wake up at 6am and go to the animal market. We (Farrell, me, Win strapped to my chest, and Cami, the only other person out of our 18-person group who wanted to go with us) walked 10 minutes to get to the main road. We’ll catch a cab, that shouldn’t be too …
exploring Karakol
Some photos from our walk around Karakol. Jamilya’s B&B is the guesthouse we stayed in, and it was perfectly adequate and large enough for our whole group. A bit cold, but that’s an ongoing complaint for all of Kyrgyzstan in the winter. Why have a door to your establishment when you can have a ferocious …
taking Win to Karakol
Karakol is another one of those places that strikes me as being “must-see” in Kyrgyzstan. It’s one of the bigger and fairly well-known sites, especially by those who have experienced a Kyrgyzstan winter. Why? Because although Karakol doesn’t seem like much in the warmer months (maybe some good hiking? I’m a terrible tour guide), but …
Apple Festival
At this moment, I’m eating a mango, drinking coffee with eggnog, uploading videos to Youtube at the speed of light and catching up on my favorite Korean soap opera on Hulu (it’s blocked in Kyrgyzstan). I’m positively glowing in the wonders of America. And I’m making fantastic progress on the list of things I wanted …