A Night on the Town

I haven't shown you much of the nightlife in the center of town because I usually am down there during the day time

with Doug

because it's pretty much a man's world down there.  

However, at night, the sidewalks are filled with intriguing wares.

Sometimes you feel like you're at a state fair

But then instantly, you are transported back to ancient times where funnel cakes are non-existent

We usually try not to act like tourists, but since we had a guest with us, we threw caution to the wind.

We went to the fountains (which happened to be turned on and working)

And then we went below the old city where one of the oldest tea shops in town is located.

I think I've told you about this place before. It is preferred that women stay outside or go to the family area upstairs, so we took our tea outside.  

The warmth of the tea was nice on a cool night.

We continued our walk, finding carts with dried fruit and candies

And of course, we bought baklava because you just HAVE to when you are here.

Soon after tasting the baklava, you lose your appetite as you pass the raw meat cart

But then your appetite returns when you get freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, which is amazing!

Thank you ancient city for the sites and wonders of some of the downtown life.

Garage Sale on Steriods

Well, I've shown you pictures of the bazaar near our house, but I don't think I've shown you pictures of a bigger bazaar in town. 

I have been there over seven times, and I STILL haven't seen the whole thing.  It goes on and on and on.  

Some of the items are used, but most are new.  I find it a fascinating place to go.

For example, we weren't sure we could find roller blades in this country, but here they are.

Who knew this even existed?  We were shocked to see Kylie's name all over the place.  I'm guessing this is "in" in America...

Sports shoes/gear

Overwhelming sometimes.

Well, if you're gonna sell one item, make sure it's a cute shirt...

What in the world?!

One of 6 or 7 toy stalls. 
It's basically hunt and find. 
There's always a man sitting in the shop trying to fix broken toys he's received.
Most of these toys have been owned and loved by someone and now they are up for re-sale.
The one exception is the LOADS of McDonald's toys that somehow make their way over here.

That is Doug's hand, and one giant fish!

Need some pots?

The one thing that does drive me a little crazy is the lack of organization.
It's like shopping at TJ Maxx or Ross, which are also not my favorite.

Why build shelves when you can use the floor to display your merchandise?

I didn't even photograph the curtains, fabric, bedding, children's clothes, kitchen wares, dishes, camping equipment, cobblers sewing shoes, plastic flowers, baskets, food, under-clothes, high heel shoes, carpet, etc. etc.  It goes on and on and on.

Let me know if you want to go sometime, and I'll be glad to take you :)

Blessed to have and not to have

We really are blessed by you in so many ways. Thank you to all of you who send words of encouragement, care packages, emails, birthday, and Christmas gifts.

It has blessed my heart that my children can receive happies from you, but at the same time know that there are certain things they can't just run to the store and buy.

Recently, we started watching the X-men cartoons with the kids. Caleb is really into super heroes anyway, and to balance out the number of Barbie and princess movies we see, we decided to help the boy out.

Of course, like any good American kid, Caleb wanted a Wolverine costume as soon as he saw the show, and he wanted all the action figures he could get his hands on.

Well, there is no Wal-mart within spittin', shootin', or drivin' distance, so his sister Karis got creative.

She asked me to make her some paper dolls, and she started coloring them into different X-men. After a while, she was special ordering them from me so they would have a specific shape.

These were some of her first: Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Night Crawler, Cyclops, and Professor X (who still needs to be colored).

Then she got braver, and asked for more detail from me:

Juggernaut (which she has self-declared "Bad" on his chest), Beast, Colossus, Shadow Cat, Jean Gray, and Ice Man.

So far, Juggernaut is the only "bad" one, but I'm sure there are more to come.

I just wonder if she would have thought to do this for Caleb if there had been a Wal-mart nearby?