Hammamet, Tunisia

We decided to try another Club Med and this time we went in Northern Africa to Hammamet, Tunisia. This was all our first time in Africa and for most people when you think of Africa you think of animals and safaris. In Tunisia, we experience something different. At the Club Med, the boys did their usual all day kid club activities which included trampoline, trapeze, archery, kayaking, sand castle building, futbol, tennis, doing plays, watching movies, and or course eating all the sweets and drinks they can get. Since there are no trees to climb in Atyrau, the boys did a good job of climbing palm trees and all the other trees that could get to. Stacey and I got to enjoy each other, not have to worry about cooking, and spend time with the boys doing really fun things.

We all went into downtown Hammamet for some shopping and got to experience the relentless shop owners trying to be nice and have you buy something from their shop. We only bought a few serving dishes from one owner and was able to talk him down from 40 Euros to 16 since that is literally all we had.

We also enjoyed learning how rugs were made. Stacey and Cameron even got to practice doing it. If you have ever traveled you know that most countries sell rugs and are very aggressive when doing so. At this shop, which we were told was a government shop with fixed prices, had a display room upstairs. There were all different materials and sizes that we were shown. The sales pitch was very good and they even bring you drinks while you learn. I got a little nervous when the salesman asked Stacey what color she liked and Stacey quickly responded, "that one". We were told how much they cost and they even said they can ship it to Kazakhstan. We told them that the mail did not work well here and they even had a unique solution to go around that. In the end we decided not to buy any rugs and the price on the one we like quickly went from $1,300 to $1,050. After many no thank yous, the price dropped again to $600. We told him we didn't make any decisions without thinking about it and we left. Later in the week we stopped by to buy post cards and the man asked us again. We had thought about it and said no. The price dropped one more time to $450. I was tempted to buy it just for the discount, but no one really knows how much it costs. By the calculations the salesman told me of how long it takes to make and how much they pay the workers, we were getting it for cheaper than that. Maybe next time we will buy one.

All in all the weather was pretty chilly so we did not get to use the pool or ocean that much, but Cameron and I did got kayaking together. Mason cried because he is not 6 and that is the age limit. Mason said he wants to go back when he is 6 and do it. I love vacations.

Cameron's 7th Birthday

Cameron has had another exciting year. He now has one front tooth coming in and it seems to grow a little each day. Speaking of growing, Cameron did a good job of that this year as well, growing 3 inches.
This year Cameron wanted a Monster Theme Party and Stacey did a wonderful job of getting all the great decorations and party gifts. We had Cameron's friends over to our house and there was plenty of masks, glow in the dark fingers, tattoos, squeaky toys (remind me to forget those next party), edible eye balls, spin tops, boppers, and more. The kids also had birthday cake, suckers, jello, and cookies. Most kids left with a sugar high and Cameron couldn't wait to open all his presents. He ended up waking up that night with stomach pains from eating too much candy, but the next morning he still wanted more. It must be great to be 7.
Happy Birthday Cameron!!!

Istanbul Part 3

Traveling with the boys, we realized there are certain things you must do for everyone's sanity. The first is getting all that pent up energy out. In Istanbul, we quickly found many local parks and just could not resist playing on them. The boys played on the swings (there are no swings in Atyrau), slides, and see-saws. Energy out, check.

The second part is food. When you think of travel, you often think of new and exciting foods, but the boys can only handle so much so we seem to always find a McDonalds or sandwich type place to eat. I enjoyed some local dishes, but the best was the way Mason should us how to eat a cheese sandwich. Napkin Please.

Istanbul Continued

We traveled around Istanbul by mostly the rail (public transportation). It is convenient, safe, and inexpensive compared to taxis, and the boys enjoy riding on them. We traveled by rail up the Bosphorous to the Cevahir Mall. The mall is the 2nd largest in Europe and you know what that means – SHOPPING. Stacey loves to shop and she does not get to do that in Atyrau so we always give her time. Although she did not find that many things to buy (I bought more than her) we still enjoyed the day there and even took in a movie. I watched a 3D movie (G-Force) with the boys. The movie was in the local language, but we still had fun and Stacey saw a romantic comedy that was in English.

Istanbul, Turkey

We stayed at a boutique hotel in the heart of the Sultanahmet District where we could see the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Bosphorous River. Every morning we would eat at the rooftop hotel restaurant and take in the views. The mosques in Istanbul are a major tourist attractions and we had to visit them and see what all the fuss is about.
The Blue Mosque is still used for prayer along with the many visitors to take in the grandness of stained glass and who knows how much marble. You have to remove your shoes to enter and it is free to the public.
The Bosphorous River is one of two (the other is Atyrau, Kazakhstan) rivers that divide two continents in the same country. We did not take a boat ride this time, but I think we will next time.