Nautie Tidbits :: Quinoa and Boats

in , ,

I'd love to say I'm sorry for the lack of posts....but.... I've just been having too much fun!

Since I've been 'away' for awhile I figured the best way to get caught up would be to share some photos from my phone....because honestly my iPhone has been my go to girl lately - Big Bertha has been spending too much time at home.

[gallery]

1.  I spent a day on the couch (what?  I'm on vacation!) and I decided that I'd go to my neighborhood variety store for a pizza (now you're jealous).  As I was getting out of the car there was a little girl parking this sweet ride right in front of the shop.  I was instantly jealous and decided that I had to take a picture.

2.  Sampling my homemade toothpaste.  I was thinking of saving this tidbit for a post of its own but alas, time is getting away from me.  Let me just say - it was better than I thought it would be!

3.  Boat shoe wearing in March?  Yes, please!  When I stepped off the plane in Maine (that rhymed....and made be giggle because even in my head as I was typing I was saying, 'the rain in spain'....heehee) it was over 70 degrees out!  I was wearing shorts and slippers!  Sadly, it was incredibly short lived.  I did however; get to ride on a boat in my sassy little Sperry Topsiders with friends who are also sassy Sperry wearers.

4.  Aforementioned boat.  Don't be jealous.

5.  I got my hair cut and colored.  I sat down and said, 'you can do anything you want as long as it all goes up in a pony tail'.  (Anyone who has tried to secure an anchor in the middle of the night with hair that is just slightly too short for a pony knows that they will never, ever have hair too short for a pony again!)  The sylist says, 'I think we need to give you a more mature length'.  To which I responded, 'You mean, you don't think I should have hair that makes me look like a sixth grader who loves horses?'.......and then she cut off six inches.  (I'm still deciding if this should count as my 'something sassy' on my 30x30 list (#8).  I decided I'd wait till I'm home in Hilo to run it past my Mom first.)

6.  I made a Quinoa salad.  With beets, oranges, almond slices and mint topped with honey goat cheese.  I personally thought it was quite yummy.  Please note that next to the dish of quinoa is an orange goodness.  Hells yah.  Funny story about the Quinoa (welll...I guess I'll let you be the judge on the funny factor).  I was having trouble with the ratio of Quinoa to water - I was following the instructions of a recipe that I had found online but was modifying.  My housemate walked in and I decided to ask her opinion.  She was all - just do the same thing you do when you're cooking rice....and then I was all - who the hell knows how to cook rice in a pot?!  Don't you have a rice cooker?!  Seriously folks.  Who doesn't own a rice cooker?!  My Mom doesn't because she thinks cooking in aluminum is terrible.....valid enough reason.  I however; bought trader joes rice in little bags that I can microwave because the thought of cooking rice in a pot makes me cringe.  If you've never used a rice cooker I seriously recommend it.  (I was going to write a whole post about this...aren't you glad I didn't?!)

7.  The yummiest breakfast burrito ever.  I thought it was so yummy that I actually emailed a photo of it to TravelBuddy.

8.  This is my friends dog named Diego.  As far as dogs go I like this one a lot.  This is his little toy named Elmer.  My friend will say, 'Diego, go get Elmer!'.  I can't tell you how funny I thought this was.

9.  Confession:  I'm addicted to Gossip Girl.  I know, right?!  What's wrong with me?!  This show is completely bizarre.  Realizing young women around the world are watching this is frightening.  The thought that some of these young women are too young to discern the show is complete fiction and grossly unrealistic is even more frightening.  That being said, it's Netflix crack - don't ever, ever watch even one episode.

*I realize that this Nautie Tidbit post might be a little long but, dang! it feels great to be sorta caught up!

Sidenote:  Thanks to all of you who 'liked' me on Facebook!  I'm still figuring out how to more fully integrate it with my blog but, in the meantime check in every now and then for random Tidbits!

 

Choosing.

in

I've been making decisions lately.  Choosing. I'm going to take my time with the Georgia posts.  I'm feeling rushed.  I don't want to short change my time there.  I really want to give Georgia its due.  This port stay made a bit of an impact on me - and honestly, as fruity as this sounds - I think I'm still 'processing'.  Expect more on Georgia but, I'll be posting about my land lubbing again.

I'm very excited to report that:  I'm going to Hawaii next week!  Yippeeee!  I'll be there for a whole month.  So excited.

That is all.

(You thought there was going to be more, didn't you?)

Poti, Georgia

in

I've been stalling on posting photos and writing about Poti, Georgia - I've whimmed and whayed about what I'd like to say and, I'm still drawing a blank.  So, I'm going to do what i do best.....wing it. *Mom, you might want to put your ear muffs on - but only because I know that our brains work the exact same way and that we have the same tendency to let our imaginations run wild*

Stepping off the ship in Poti was slightly surreal.  I wasn't quite sure if I was getting off - and then suddenly I was getting off the ship in 30 minutes!  I was literally racing around my stateroom throwing the rest of my things into bags, scrubbing, dusting, etc.  In retrospect, I really should have spent some time reading about Georgia on Wikipedia a bit before my departure.....or at least some type of research as I knew absolutely nothing about Georgia.

There was a tiny little boat waiting for me in the anchorage.  Aboard the boat was a port official, a boat operator and his buddy (as I'm sure this was a novelty) and the ships Agent.  Only the Agent spoke English.  When we hit the pier I was immediately shuffled into the Agents car.  (This is always the part of the trip to and from the vessel that weirds me out - there is always this thing in the back of my head that says, 'this is the time they drive away with you and you're never seen again'.  Clearly, that is completely unrealistic....nonetheless...)

We stopped first at the Agents office so he could get some paperwork in order and then we headed to the Office of Border Police (Immigration).  Driving the short distance between the port, the Agents office, and Immigration was my first real look around.  Things were in very rough shape.  A lot of the buildings were in shambles.  There were a lot of unfinished construction projects.  The roads were full of pot holes (if they were paved).

When we arrived at the Immigration office it was completely unmarked.  We pulled into a back lot that was mud and full of puddles.  The building looked like a vacant apartment building that had become run down.  The Agent walked up a back stairway and stepped up to a tiny little window and peeked in - that was when I realized that there were people sitting inside in uniforms.  I handed over my passport and waited.

I waited for a bit and was then escorted into another room that was further up the stairway and through the door.  There were five Border Officers sitting around a table where a lap top was sitting.  They had me sit down and then they closed the door.

My brain immediately went into overdrive.  All I could think is, 'what the hell am I going to do if things get really weird, really fast?!'  I was thinking:  why did they shut the door....what would they do if I asked them to open it....what if I stand up and get closer to the door in case I need to run away.  You get the idea.  I was flipped.  I did my best to act cool.  Eventually the guys started to try to talk to me in broken english.  Of course, first they wanted to know if I was single - then they wanted to try to set me up with their sons.  One of the guys told me that he had been to El Paso, Texas.  Before I knew it the formalities were complete and I had a Georgian stamp in my passport.

From the Immigration office I was taken to my hotel - the only hotel in town.  I was going to be staying in this hotel for two days...so I knew I had to get comfortable.

(I'm going to stop now and say.....to be continued.....)

A couple photos from day one:

Home.

in

Today I went grocery shopping. I visited friends. I snuggled with a baby. I had a pear and gorgonzola salad on a pop over with a coconut macaroon for desert. I shopped at the outlets (and didn't buy anything thank you very much). Reintegrating into society after months aboard a tanker isn't always easy. I swear too much, I'm slightly anti social....the list goes on.

All that aside....

Bottom line:

Home is good.

20120322-152806.jpg

Just BE NICE.

in

I'm currently sitting at the airport....in a corner down at the baggage claim level.  I'll be sitting here all night long and, I'm starting to think that I'm crazy.  You see, I had a hotel reservation - and I decided that it was too much work to get to the hotel.  The thought of getting my luggage into the taxi - taking the taxi to Jamaica Plains - getting into the hotel room - just so that I can wake up in 5 hours and get my butt back to the airport....was wholly unappealing.  So, here I sit. It's not so bad really, I have some snacks...and the Internet....and all my photos from Georgia to go through.  Except, my bum is starting to get a little sore and I'm not feeling super motivated to continue looking at photos.  

That being said, I'm sitting here mulling over my last 24 hours.

Here is what I've decided - even though I've known this for years - I decided today that Americans are unequivocally the worst travellers.  Seriously, the worst!  That being said, I can't quite put my finger on what makes them awful.  While the obvious choices are right there:  arrogant, rude, pushy - there are many other nationalities that are equally so.  I mean, anyone who has travelled abroad knows that the term 'no cutting in line' might be a North American phenomena.  Standing in line in most Middle Eastern nations is futile.

Here is what I think I've narrowed it down to - Americans are the worst because they are pretentious and have a sense of entitlement.  Okay, that may too sound like a no brainer but,  hear me out.

If Jack and Jill travel abroad to Germany - most likely someone met them at the airport and they took a guided tour of the nations most popular tourist destinations.  However; if you ask them they are International Travellers - with a wealth of advice for anyone who is willing to listen.

If Jack and Jill run into a snag at an airport (or heaven forbid Customs and Immigration) they feel they deserve prompt attention - and better service - because they are American. They have rights!

As someone who travels often -and just wants to make it from point A to point B with minimal fuss - it gets old running into these goobers Internationally.

As I was hustling through the Frankfurt Airport trying to make my connection I heard a man at a ticket counter whine, 'but, we're A-mur-i-can...'.  Buddy, any chance you had of getting your issue resolved just flew out the window.  I almost looked over just so that I could confirm that the guy looked like Redneck but, I just couldn't make myself do it.

On my flight from Moscow to Frankfurt my seat partner was a young American woman.  When it was time to get a beverage the Stewardess asked me, 'What can I get you to drink?' I replied, 'water, please.' to which she responded, 'sparkling or still?' 'Still, please.'.  It's now my seat partners turn....'What can I get you to drink?'.  She said in stilted English - as in very slowly with exaggerated enunciation - 'wa-ter with gas in it'.  Seriously?!  Water with gas in it?!  Who says that?!  Okay, fine....there are some countries that call sparkling water 'water with gas'.  But, did you not just hear the previous exchange?!  All I could think was 'you pretentious little teenie-booper!  yes, yes, we see....you're a world class traveller.'.

A-mur-i-cans.  Ridiculous International Travellers!

Want to know what I believe is the secret to successful International Travel?

Be Nice.

That's it.  Be Nice.  When you get to the ticket counter - smile.  Keep your tone of voice polite - explain your situation if necessary.  Regardless of the outcome - say thank you.  When someone goes out of their way to help you - express your appreciation for their added efforts.  (By the way, this works wonders during domestic travel, too!)

Okay, my rant is over - I'll go back to sitting in the corner of the baggage claim eating nuts and berries and sipping my latte.

Of course....I have to show you my homestead:

[gallery]