Author: Robin Chartier

Reality Bites

I’ve gotten a bit sidetracked from posting our trip pictures the past few days because I had a new mountain of laundry to conquer. Carter started itching and scratching while we were on vacation and in the back of my head I knew what it was, but thought maybe it was a coincidence — hoped it was coincidence. Our closest friends had been infected with scabies (somehow, no one knows) before Christmas and had been treated, but since it’s spread through close contact and we are close, it was inevitable. Our boys run between the houses and mine sleep over so if their kids all had it, mine probably would too.

*** side note: I always thought scabies was an STD (thanks it being included in Mom’s medical book with all the STD photos), but it’s not. It’s a little mite that burrows under the skin and it doesn’t jump from person to person, but is only transferred through extended close contact like handholding, sleeping in the same bed, or rubbing an open wound against someone who is infected. It doesn’t survive long without a host, so Mom, no need to fear that you’re going to pick up some friends during your visit.

When Carter ended up with raw spots and scabs on his hands and wrists from scratching and I started feeling prickles of itching on my neck, I called and made an appointment. Since our friends had already been diagnosed the doctor thought it was best to treat it as scabies, but the pharmacy was out of the treatment (our friends got the last of it) and wouldn’t get any in for another week. However, Carter couldn’t go to school until he had been treated. He thought that was awesome, but my Sister Wife came to the rescue. It’s a two part treatment where you rub poison lotion all over every square inch of your body (of every person in the household) and that immediately kills them. Then you wash all your linens and any clothing that has been worn. Repeat the entire process again in 2 weeks. They had completed phase 1 so gave us the rest of the lotion and when I pick up my poison in a week, I’ll give them half. We shared the bugs and we’ll share our drugs.

The funniest part was while applying the lotion last night the kids started making up songs about scabies:

Sung to Justin Beiber’s “Baby” (in case you’re not familiar: baby)

Scabies, scabies, scabies . . . oh! I’ve got scabies, scabies, scabies . . . oh!” 


and What Does the the Scabies say? (fox video)
Add in naked, dancing, butt-wiggling Camille and I couldn’t help but laugh.

So we are currently bug free, but drowning in laundry. Well, I was drowning yesterday. Then I got a message that Josie was back early from her vacation and God bless her, she put everything right today. Hoping the rest of 2014 is bug free!

christmas day

The town of Goreme. Isn’t it like something out of a fairy tale?

More of the beautiful Turkish lamps and carpets

Our first full day in town we explored on our own, but for the second day (Christmas Day) we decided to go on a tour. We are not typically “tour people.” You know, the ones that get herded from bus to attraction and look like sheep following the guy with the flag?  We always pity those kinds of travelers, and prefer to forge our own way, but this time we decided to do a one day tour for the sites that were too far to walk to to save us the expense and hassle of renting a car. (This view of our hotel grounds looking out over the valley explains why there was plenty do see and do within walking distance.) 
And it was a good day for a tour. It was colder and more overcast than our first day so it was nice to be in a warm bus, being driven from place to place. Then we’d hop out, take a few photos, look at the pretty scenery, and get back in the bus. 

Thankfully our guide wasn’t a big talker — he’d say a few informative (and funny) things from the warmth of the bus and then set us free for a few minutes. There was only us and 3 other couples in our group so it felt almost like a private tour. 

The first real stop of the day was at the Derinkuyu underground city. There are 100s of these kinds of cities in the region because the type of volcanic rock in the area is soft and easy to carve. We could even make marks in the walls with our fingernails. 
These tunnels began as storage areas, but when the Ottomans (or some people group who was hostile to Christians) came to the area, the Christians retreated underground and could live protected for up to 4 months at a time. 

The round stone is part of a system of security doors that could be rolled in place to keep attackers from entering the deeper tunnels. 

We went down 5 levels underground by way of tunnels and steps

I didn’t go to the underground city last time “because of the baby” and because I was a little freaked out that I might get claustrophobic. It was totally fine. A few of the tunnels were small and you had to stoop to walk through parts of them, but most of the rooms felt big and airy. This is me happy that I’m not flipping out about being trapped in a tunnel. 

Our family Christmas photo in the stables. I thought it was interesting seeing the underground stables for the animals since it reminded me that Jesus was probably born in a cave rather than the open wooden structure pictured in all the nativity scenes. Like the guide said, it probably smelled in there from all the animal waste and not a lot of fresh air (though more than you would think)!
The community also had grain storage, wine and oil presses, a church (on the deepest floor), sleeping caves, burial areas (they would eventually bring the bodies aboveground and bury them properly), and toilets. Our guide said they used to use huge clay pots and then cover the waste with ashes and then at then end of the underground stay they would bring them up and wash them out to be reused. That wouldn’t be a job I would want! 

After we finished with the underground city, we headed to the Ihlara Valley. 
In a similar way, this valley is lined with caves and hiding places where the Christians lived and hid. 

Too busy to look at the scenery, Mr. Parkour and his teammate proceeded to leap on and off every rock on the trail. 

Every. Rock.

Then we climbed 50 bazillion steps to the top edge of the valley. The caves are tucked in along the ridge. 

The reason for the climb was to visit this old cave church with very old frescos on the walls and ceiling. The monks/priests used to use pigeon poop to plaster over the walls of the cave and then paint with natural paints/dyes on top of the “whitewash.” 

The paintings are hundreds of years old, but weren’t protected until the 1980s. Everyone and their mother has scratched their names into the paint. The missing eyes and faces are all from when the Muslims came through — they remove them because human images aren’t allowed in places of worship in Islam.

tasting the snow!

winter wonderland

This is where the magic happens. We love the Cappadocia region anyway, but to arrive to a blanket of beautiful snow thanks to a snowstorm the previous week (the one that brought the first snow to Cairo in 125 years!) was extra perfect. 
We were staying in the town of Goreme in a cave hotel and the best part about that location are the hiking trails and the fairy chimneys that were right outside our door. 
After breakfast we bundled up in our snow clothes and set out. These two dogs hung with us all morning. 
It was peaceful and quiet — we had the roads and the hiking trails all to ourselves. 

The boys covered twice the distance we did as they ran ahead and back, pelting each other with snowballs. 

Huge icicles — so we had to stop and throw chunks of ice at them to try and knock the biggest pieces down. Only I kept yelling that this was like a game of deadly piñata and they had wait to run in and grab the falling chunks of ice.  I didn’t want someone to be impaled by a late falling spike of ice. I don’t think they believed me that someone could be killed by a falling icicle. I swear I read it in Little House on the Prairie (or some other pioneer book). 

Carter with his prize machine gun of an icicle

What more can I say? This is exactly why we came. Happy kids, running around outside. 

(Calvin)

They never got tired of tackling each other in the snow

Ice skating on the tiniest lake ever (our path followed a stream that had frozen over)

As we hiked out of the valley it got warmer and the snow had melted off the sunny sides of the slopes. We started shedding layers here.

A tiny snow angel

Heading back to our warm cave and our fireplace. 

Juice!

I’m finally wired and running again (thank you $80 power cord, why do you cost so much?), but it’s been a weekend full of laundry, unpacking, catching up on sleep and mourning (the kids go back to school tomorrow). I’m making a promise to myself that I’m not going to let life get in the way and miss out on posting the photos and stories I want to remember from our trip this time. But that’s not going to happen tonight because the bus comes at 7am tomorrow and it’s going to be an early morning wake up — the worst part about school for all of us.

Just popping in to say that we made it home safely, no one stole my knitting needles, and all the luggage  (and very dirty clothes) are accounted for. Too bad Josie is still on vacation for 3 more weeks so I’m having to slave away over piles of laundry like I haven’t had to do in a while. (Happy for her, sad for me.)

I also spent yesterday (in-between loads of laundry) putting together our annual calendar, so if you’re in my immediate family, your present is on its way (I waited so I could include photos from Turkey too). One more thing: if you haven’t seen Frozen (Disney princess musical), you should. It’s super cute. I’ve seen it twice. Never thought those words would come out of my mouth — history is being made here.

NYE

Upon our return to Istanbul, my computer power cord decided it was time to take its own vacation and went to permanent sleep. At least I’m only 2 days away from being able to recharge. Josh and I have fraternal twin computers — the same in almost all respects except the charging ports are different shapes. Of course. That means no blog posts except for what I can tap out on my phone. 
She’s wearing her new handwoven scarf/dish towel on her head “like a real human.” I don’t know where she gets this stuff from. 
We had a Christmas miracle. One child had the iPad on the airplane and put it away in their backpack before landing. The backpack pocket wasn’t zipped and the iPad must have slipped out onto the airplane floor under their seat when they got up to leave. No more iPad. (Thus the reason they are all huddled around their only remaining electronic device). 
Calls to the airports, airline and lost and found turned up empty and we told the kids they could pray it would be found and turned in, but that would be an actual miracle. Well, they got one. The next morning thr airline called Josh to say they had it and we could come pick it up. Amazing. 
I guess the rest will have to wait until we get home and I have computer power again. Till then, happy new year!
PS: No exciting New Year’s Eve plans for us. We’ll have dinner in a few minutes, maybe get some coffee and hole up in our warm hotel room for the rest of the evening. Not much different than a normal evening at home, except tonight I have a new huge Turkish towel that is as thick as a blanket and I’ve been wrapping it around me like a cape … it’s a Rockin’ New Year’s Eve for sure!