Here is what we left the house with….
And this is what we arrived with.
Our trip so far has not started out very well. Our plane was late getting to London and we missed our flight into Kazakhstan. We took a later flight (after waiting in Heathrow’s airport for 5 hours) but this meant we missed our domestic flight from Almaty to Aktobe. We are staying a night in a $230 a night hotel in Almaty and will be picked up downstairs at 5:40 to catch the 7:30 flight to Aktobe.
The plane rides themselves were uneventful…. other than a horrific landing in Almaty. This touchdown was so bad that everyone on the plane cheered after we had come to a stop!! That was just what someone who hates to fly anyway needed to experience! At least it was at the end of the trip. Davis slept most of the two 7 hour flights and was a doll the rest of the time. Milon and I slept for about 2 hours on the first flight and that was about all.
We got off the plane and went to get our bags. Guess what! They are missing...again! Milon double checked with 3 airline workers to make sure our bags had made it on the plane. After all, they had 5 hours to get them to the correct plane! We do have a change of clothes, coats, hats, gloves, toiletries, but we don’t have PJs or our court clothes we will need for Wed morning. You would think we would have learned from last time to pack all essentials in the carry-on but our winter outer garments took up most of the bag. I don’t even think I have a hairbrush! But I do have a hairdryer! They think our bags will come by Tuesday but that is just a best guess.
We are beyond exhausted but trying to keep ourselves up! It shouldn’t be too difficult because this hotel is freezing! I am not sure they have heat! I have 2 pairs of socks and a jacket on and will probably not have a shower because it is too cold!
It isn’t too terribly cold here. Maybe in the 20’s with very light snow. All of the sidewalks are a sheet of ice. Kate (the interpreter in Almaty) said last week was warm and melted a lot of the snow, but now what is left has turned to ice. Hmm, wonder if that was the reason the airplane landing was so bad. When we got off the plane to board the bus it was a sheet of ice!
We walked to the grocery store and got water, apple juice, 4 mandarin oranges, sliced gouda cheese, sliced salami, jar of black olives, and a loaf of that good bread we love. All cost us $20 which is half what it would have cost to go out somewhere. We also stopped at the meat pie street vendor and picked up some pancake looking things. No, Milon did not get a meat pie! He wanted to slowly reacquaint his stomach and the meat pie, but not before a 2.5 hour flight! The pancakes were great, although I have no idea what the locals do with them! Milon stuffed his with cheese and salami and I just ate it plain.
We brought our dinner back to the room and had a relaxing night of eating and watching Black Spiderman in bed….how romantic!
It’s now 2:30 am and I can’t sleep, despite taking an Ambien. Davis fell asleep during Spiderman at 7:00 and woke up at 10:30. I put the DVD player on the couch and he finally fell asleep again at 12:30. Milon has been sleeping most of the night. We only have 1 double bed with 2 pillows (see below). I let Davis sleep on blankie until he started coughing so bad during the night. I then gave him my pillow and I slept on blankie. He was still coughing like crazy so I finally gave him blankie and my pillow! That worked but hence why I can’t sleep!
Our flight to Aktobe was fine. The trip to the apartment wasn’t so fine. Our driver, Ceric, got in a small fender bender on the way to drop us off. Nothing major just a scratch and dent down the side of his car. It was not his fault at all but after a lot of jabbering and yelling back and forth in Russian, he got in the car and drove off. I have no idea if they reached an agreement to disagree and moved on or what!
We walked in the apt and Milon and I both said “Home sweet home.” It’s kind of strange how it does “sort of” feel like home! We found everything that was hidden and Davis was like Christmas morning finding all of his forgotten toys!
And this is what we arrived with.
Our trip so far has not started out very well. Our plane was late getting to London and we missed our flight into Kazakhstan. We took a later flight (after waiting in Heathrow’s airport for 5 hours) but this meant we missed our domestic flight from Almaty to Aktobe. We are staying a night in a $230 a night hotel in Almaty and will be picked up downstairs at 5:40 to catch the 7:30 flight to Aktobe.The plane rides themselves were uneventful…. other than a horrific landing in Almaty. This touchdown was so bad that everyone on the plane cheered after we had come to a stop!! That was just what someone who hates to fly anyway needed to experience! At least it was at the end of the trip. Davis slept most of the two 7 hour flights and was a doll the rest of the time. Milon and I slept for about 2 hours on the first flight and that was about all.
We got off the plane and went to get our bags. Guess what! They are missing...again! Milon double checked with 3 airline workers to make sure our bags had made it on the plane. After all, they had 5 hours to get them to the correct plane! We do have a change of clothes, coats, hats, gloves, toiletries, but we don’t have PJs or our court clothes we will need for Wed morning. You would think we would have learned from last time to pack all essentials in the carry-on but our winter outer garments took up most of the bag. I don’t even think I have a hairbrush! But I do have a hairdryer! They think our bags will come by Tuesday but that is just a best guess.
We are beyond exhausted but trying to keep ourselves up! It shouldn’t be too difficult because this hotel is freezing! I am not sure they have heat! I have 2 pairs of socks and a jacket on and will probably not have a shower because it is too cold!
It isn’t too terribly cold here. Maybe in the 20’s with very light snow. All of the sidewalks are a sheet of ice. Kate (the interpreter in Almaty) said last week was warm and melted a lot of the snow, but now what is left has turned to ice. Hmm, wonder if that was the reason the airplane landing was so bad. When we got off the plane to board the bus it was a sheet of ice!
We walked to the grocery store and got water, apple juice, 4 mandarin oranges, sliced gouda cheese, sliced salami, jar of black olives, and a loaf of that good bread we love. All cost us $20 which is half what it would have cost to go out somewhere. We also stopped at the meat pie street vendor and picked up some pancake looking things. No, Milon did not get a meat pie! He wanted to slowly reacquaint his stomach and the meat pie, but not before a 2.5 hour flight! The pancakes were great, although I have no idea what the locals do with them! Milon stuffed his with cheese and salami and I just ate it plain.
We brought our dinner back to the room and had a relaxing night of eating and watching Black Spiderman in bed….how romantic!
It’s now 2:30 am and I can’t sleep, despite taking an Ambien. Davis fell asleep during Spiderman at 7:00 and woke up at 10:30. I put the DVD player on the couch and he finally fell asleep again at 12:30. Milon has been sleeping most of the night. We only have 1 double bed with 2 pillows (see below). I let Davis sleep on blankie until he started coughing so bad during the night. I then gave him my pillow and I slept on blankie. He was still coughing like crazy so I finally gave him blankie and my pillow! That worked but hence why I can’t sleep!
Our flight to Aktobe was fine. The trip to the apartment wasn’t so fine. Our driver, Ceric, got in a small fender bender on the way to drop us off. Nothing major just a scratch and dent down the side of his car. It was not his fault at all but after a lot of jabbering and yelling back and forth in Russian, he got in the car and drove off. I have no idea if they reached an agreement to disagree and moved on or what!We walked in the apt and Milon and I both said “Home sweet home.” It’s kind of strange how it does “sort of” feel like home! We found everything that was hidden and Davis was like Christmas morning finding all of his forgotten toys!
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