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Our Big, Fat, “Unplanned” Greek Vacation

amy — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:02:04 +0000

Here we are back in Izmir–Kim, Yasmin and I wanted to take a few moments to update you on our last days together. We spent the last 4 days in Chios, Greece sitting up on another terrace eating delicious goat cheese, melon and local honey. We really managed to get back to the simple life–sleeping, reading, eating, swimming and then some more. Chios, Greece is the 5th largest Greek island but still retains it’s authenticity. An island whose exports are almonds, wine, oranges, limes, mastic and olives. I was lucky enough to touch some Mastic resin and it stayed on my fingers until finally the salt of the Aegean Sea washed it away! Sticky stuff- and it is used widely in beauty products.

Our apartment at Paradise Studios was nestled on the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful beach of Agia Fotini. I was amazed that such a beach existed-as it was full of the perfect skipping rocks. Kim and I packed a few away for our gardens back home.

Chios, birthplace to Homer, not Homer Simpson you Seattlites. What a lovely place.

And now we are nestled together in our Izmir hotel room avoiding prank Turkish phone calls. Yasmin and I will be headed out tomorrow to Almaty, Kazakhstan and Kim back to Assos, Turkey. Kim is headed to Mongolia on the 24th–details to come on where she will be. Yasmin and I are really hoping that the gas shortage in Uzbekistan will not prevent the team from getting to us.

Until we post again-Opa!

I also uploaded some new photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47555946@N02/collections/72157624578165163/

Quick Update

amy — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:33:46 +0000

Brian, Tom and Jean are somewhere in the Karakum Desert, home to the
Darvaza Gas Craters 40°15′08.40″N 58°26′23.10″E. Read about it! Crazy
stuff. Kim and I are in Izmir waiting for Yasmin to arrive!

Olives to Olive Oil

amy — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:30:54 +0000

I’m sitting up on a terrace overlooking a hillside of ruins and olive groves–seemed like the perfect time to get inspired to write my first post. (Maybe it’s the Aristotelianism influence). As I sat on the beach today I felt incredibly grateful for all of the kindness I have encountered in the last year. When we started this idea it seemed almost impossible to actually pull it all together. But, step by step people came together to support and help us make this adventure filled fundraiser a reality. Being Mercy Corps top fundraiser feels like a huge accomplishment and was quite a badge of honor to wear as we encountered other rally teams. Many other teams actually were aware of our financial success and commended us for all of our hard work. So, to everyone who supported us I just wanted to give thanks again for your help.

And even though Kim and I are taking a mandatory break from the rally our little team continues to sludge on. I can only imagine Jean’s list of misfortunes as she loves to list them all out in her little book like the 10 Days of Christmas– 6 hours at the Azerbaijan border, 3 Rally cars pulled over for speeding and one shreeedddded tire. It sounds like they have had a lot to endure over the last few days–and I can only imagine how long her actual list is. We miss you guys!

I booked my ticket for the 18th to meet up with them in Almaty and I am strangely looking forward to being part of the mayhem again. The Fiat Puntos are small but oddly started to feel like home as they pushed through thousands of miles. Jean and I managed to create a very cozy little bed in the back of the Fiat–a little too small for Tom’s legs, but we quite enjoyed it. You can learn a lot about people when you are crammed in a small moving vehicle–so for a small fee I have plenty to share about my teammates! Tom especially loved our conversation of the different “languages of love”–and applied his new knowledge quickly as he helped us navigate through unknown territory. Thanks Tom!

Kim and I are slowly letting go of our sadness for having to depart the rally and our team. Each day Emily, owner of the Eris Pansiyon, lets us tag along to her “Joy Luck” lunch club at the beach. At this little spot we have had the special priviledge of listening to a bunch of expatriates discuss life, love, and loss in Turkey. The ladies take care to order us lunch as we lounge away reading our books. Emily has been so sweet to us–coffee and fruit in the morning and tea in the afternoon. We feel so spoiled by her generosity that it has made missing this part of the rally a little more bearable. Assos, Turkey, a tranquil Aegean-coast seaside retreat, amid ancient ruins and olive groves is a must see for anyone going to Turkey. The hillside cobbled streets are filled with villagers selling spices and olive oil in plastic water bottles. And the sea breeze at Eris Pansiyon is worth a stay. Thank you Emily for taking us in!

Kim and I are off to Izmir tomorrow and to see Yasmin! We are not sure exactly where we are headed but we will keep you posted! Yasmin, pack some sunscreen because it is hot–100 degrees! Kim and I had to hide away today because even under umbrellas the sun found us. Our skin is now a lovely shade of red.

I have posted a sampling of some photos from the trip–enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47555946@N02/sets/