QOTD: "Why do we expect our presidents to control destiny, when they cannot even control the House of Representatives?" - Russell Baker
Reading: Katherine Ann Samon, Dates From Hell
Listening to: a CD of Armenian dance music
Decluttering accomplishments: unpacked from my trip
Robert just called a little while ago and commented that I hadn't updated yet. I got back on Monday night and I really did mean to write an entry during the week, but I've just been too worn out. Dragging myself through the work day was especially hard on Tuesday, but my sleep patterns are still not quite back to normal. I've read that it takes the body a day to adjust for each time zone, so that gives me until Wednesday.
Anyway, the trip was interesting and the travelogue is in the works. I have actually been working on it, but it takes me some time. The short version is that Georgia is absolutely wonderful - a very friendly and beautiful country. Armenia was somewhat depressing, though it had the best tourist infrastructure. (Tourist infrastructure is defined as clean Western style toilets.) Azerbaijan was just weird - bad roads and highly disgusting toilets (of the smelly trough variety) are to be expected, but the combination of those with sparkling clean gas stations where legions of uniformed men leap to your aid is, um, unusual.
The thing that really made the difference in my impressions, though, was the politics. In both Azerbaijan and Armenia, my guides insisted on talking about Nagorno-Karabakh, how the Russians manipulated things, and what bad people everybody else were. The most interesting part of this was what they had to say about the Georgians. The Azeri guide kept on and on about how dangerous Georgia is, how high the crime rate is, how bad the poverty is, etc.. The Armenian guide didn't go so far, but more or less wanted to claim that Armenians were responsible for everything good in Georgia (from the alphabet to wine - both dubious claims). Despite which, Georgia is courting the West and letting Armenia suffer alone.
In the meantime, the Georgians were perfectly happy to joke, sing, and drink wine. I was horribly amused the night in Kutaisi when my driver, Irakli, was telling stories to a young girl in the family at the guest house. My guide, Inga, translated just bits and pieces. Irakli was telling about a princess who was very hungry and the girl said, "Princesses can't be hungry. They have enough money to get all the food they want." Later on, she questioned his inclusion of a cell phone in a fairy tale. Every now and then, Irakli would use a Russian word and she would admonish him to "speak good Georgian, not Russian." It was all just so cute.
Robert asked, "where's next?" As I told him, I haven't decided yet, though the short answer is "somewhere warm in the winter." Actually, I said, "somewhere in the Southern Hemisphere" but that isn't necessarily the case. The short list includes Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Belize and Panama. Some of what I decide will inevitably have to do with what I can do with frequent flyer miles.
By the way, I did see Robert on the way over and he was his usual devastating self. However, I really wish he lived somewhere with modern plumbing. I know that's hard to do in London, but it's still a case of "love you, hate your shower." (You either freeze or broil and have no water pressure at either extreme. I take the shortest showers ever when I'm in London.)
In other news, I am once again contemplating buying real estate. Well, either that or getting a cat.
Copyright 2003 Miriam H. Nadel