Friday five: these are the horses we know, we know.

Five horses we see every day, in order of the size of their food buckets:

Star gets the smallest food bucket because she's on a diet. She is patient while I clean her hooves and brush her mane, but once the food arrives all bets are off. She loves hay and tends to have a green face most of the time. When food isn't involved she pretends to be a bully, as evidenced by the time we tried to take her for a walk and she (literally) dragged us through a muddy field, but now that I know her better I think she's really just a little softie with a Napoleon complex.

Star gets bored and/or agitated in her stable at night and kicks a lot. There are new holes in the walls every few days and she's completely destroyed her stable door. (We call it Star TV - she started with a 13" screen, moved on to a 36" a few days later, and now she's all about HDTV.) Star tends to get hand-me-down blankets from the larger horses; they don't quite fit her and as a result I end up singing "Coat of Many Colors" to her on a regular basis while I rug her up.

now showing on the 36":

"my little pony"

Dervish and Merlin get the same sized food bucket. These two have been around the stables the longest. They like to romp in the paddock, roll in the mud, and go for long rides with experienced riders (AKA "not us"). They also like to poop right after we've emptied all the poop buckets - how cheeky! They can both eat a plum and spit out the pit, and I bet they could tie a cherry stem in a knot with their tongues if given the opportunity.

These lucky guys get mint every day to help clear their air passages, and their food buckets always smell delicious! Dervish has asthma so his food and stable have to be treated with care. Merlin has recently reverted back to some unfortunate behavior so we don't deal with too him much but our host assures us that he's a sweetheart under normal circumstances.

They're both very curious whenever we're in or near the paddock. And they're so handsome!

posing Merlin

Dervish quality-checking his bed after the morning muck

(or, more likely, looking for leftover food)

Smartie gets a slightly larger bucket than Dervish and Merlin. Smartie is true to his name - since we've been here, he's unlocked stable doors, gotten into the tack room, unhooked his tether chain, knocked over anything and everything he can get his mouth around, and otherwise outwitted us silly amateurs.

He likes to nom on your arm with his lips (which cracks me up) and when he accidentally chomps down, he knows he's gone too far and pulls back. When he's done with his food bowl he picks it up with his teeth and bangs it on the ground (which also cracks me up). Occasionally we are able to clean his feet but once in a while his impatience gets the better of us and we leave it to the pros. He's quite obnoxious when he wants to be, but hey - what teenage boy isn't?

Smartie plotting his next scheme

Last but not least, Amira. She is gorgeous. She's also patient, well-mannered, and the messiest eater of the five (hence the largest bowl). When she likes you she shoves her huge head into your chest. When she's hungry she wants nothing to do with you. When it rains, even if it's cold, she pokes her head out of the shelter into the drizzle and lets the water drip down her neck.

Amira has a sensitive tummy so she gets an antacid in her food every morning. (Maybe this is why I get along with her so well?) It's hard not to love her.

our brown-eyed girl 

We also see three cats and a dog every day, and the neighbor's chickens, goats and crazy puppy almost every day.  But (especially if you live in Portland), you probably do too, so that story won't be very interesting...

Turkish baths: awkwardly awesome!

As soon as we mentioned Turkey as a destination, everyone who's been to a hamam (Turkish bath) suggested that we give it a try while we're here. We've been skeptical. It's a little pricey, all the tourists do it and we try to avoid those types of things... oh, and also, it involves a stranger bathing you.

Awkward!

But yesterday was an anniversary of sorts and when our hosts explained exactly what was involved and gave us the afternoon off, we decided to splurge. They recommended Sultan Hamam in Calis Beach and kindly dropped us off on their way into town.

So exactly what is involved? Here's a quick rundown.  I should note that Sultan Hamam wasn't a 100% authentic experience (we should've been in separate rooms and not wearing anything, and my bather should've been female) but sharing a room definitely enhanced the entertainment and enjoyment factors.

After changing into our swimsuits, sandals and a peştemal (a colorful checked cloth you tie around your waist) we sat in a blessedly warm sauna for 10 minutes while enjoying a fizzy cool lemon beverage. Next we were escorted into the bath area, a large cement-tiled square in the middle of the room with faucets on the walls all around. We laid on our backs along two edges of the square while the staff scrubbed the heck out of our skin - after three and a half months of mediocre showers and two weeks handling horse manure and wood shavings, the exfoliation felt WONDERFUL!

A quick rinse and we were laid back down.  The guys loaded pillowcases with olive soap, spun them around to create bubbles, and squeezed the lather over us for the cleanse. (You know that slightly awkward feeling you get when you go to the dentist and they floss your teeth for you? "Uh... I'm almost 39 years old, really, I can handle this.  Thanks."  That's kind of how I felt the whole time they were scrubbing - don't get me wrong, it was lovely!  Just odd.)  A little massaging of the hand-chop variety, another rinse, and we were done.

cleaning up real nice

Depending on the establishment, you can also opt for shampooing, head massages, facials, oil massages, intense foot scrubs - all kinds of additional pampering. For our first time we decided to keep it simple, but I might go in for a facial at some point to repair all the damage from negative-degrees-celcius and maybe-washing-my-face-every-other-day-(maybe).

To round out our monthiversary afternoon off, we took a walk along Calis Beach and stuffed ourselves silly at Pasamzade.  

not pictured:

one ginormous lavash with dips of olive, yogurt

one cheese kebap

one mixed pide

one tomato/cucumber side salad

We waddled to the bus station and made our way back to Uzumlu to find that our kind hosts had picked up a celebratory cake... we somehow managed to make room for a few bites of brandy chicken and this delicious treat:

sparklers!

on a cake!

we love turkey!

For our next monthiversary we'll be in Spain.  Tickets have been purchased, plans are forming.  Not sure how we'll top strange men rubbing us with olive soap and sparkler cake - but we're gonna try!

Friday five: straight into the horse's mouth.

{Obligatory disclaimer: the following is based on our current volunteer experience helping a couple from the UK care for five horses in Turkey. We thought it was interesting and thought you might think so too. There is a LOT of advice on ye olde internet about what to feed - or not feed - a horse; not surprisingly, a lot of it conflicts based on location, season, breed, personal opinion, etc. Please consult your friendly trusted local vet if you have any questions about what to feed your horse(s). Teşekkür ederim!}

Everyone knows that horses love carrots and apples. Did you know they love oranges too? They just chomp down and enjoy - but not before they've squirted juice everywhere, including all over you! They also eat watermelon, cherries, peaches, apricots...

We help feed the horses hay, chaff, bran, and special nutrient-rich foods (besi and kusbi) three times a day.  Here are five more things the horses eat on occasion, in no particular order:

• eggs and eggshells
• bananas and peels
• dried mint
• boiled lentils
• ice cream

we hear that Merlin

looooooooooves his ice cream in the summer

As with all mammals (humans included), there are limits to the above list and the general "everything in moderation" rule applies.  And as with all mammals (humans included), horses tend to know what's bad for them and simply avoid it or eat around it.

Our host is trying different herbal remedies on a few of the horses too. A handful of the mint referenced above goes into Merlin and Dervish's food three times a day to help open their nasal passages, and Dervish gets some eucalyptus oil to help specifically with his asthma. The kusbi gets a splash of castor oil to help the joints, coat, digestive system - everything, really.  Our host is also trying linseed (boiled for hours to remove the toxic casing) for general health reasons.  It appears to be a lot like chia seeds, chock full of good stuff and a similar gooey consistency.  And she's looking into turmeric mixed with cracked pepper and olive/coconut oil as an anti-inflammatory.

We have also learned that potatoes are bad for horses (I can relate), as are unboiled lentils, certain seeds and other foods encased in hard shells... er, other than eggs, that is. And like every pig we've met, we've learned that horses don't seem to like onions or garlic. Some people say they're toxic, others say their horses just don't like them. Otherwise most of our veggie compost goes into a few buckets which become a lunchtime treat for the horses the next day.  Up to this point, the horses we've been around have eaten hay.  Sounds like they are missing out.

I find it so interesting that the same things my naturopath probably would've suggested for me, can apply to these beautiful, powerful creatures too.  It's also fascinating that every single aspect of farming - from how you plant a seed, to how you compost, to what you feed your animals - varies so widely from farm to farm, yet the results we've seen so far have always been positive.

More on the horses and our daily chores when we have a chance to do some photojournaling. But we're learning a lot and we're feeling really lucky to be here.  We'll feel even luckier when our toes thaw and we aren't emptying ice from the water buckets in the morning... and when the other volunteers get here and we can sleep in!

Hey, remember when we were on a Greyhound bus headed to Newark airport?

Three months ago we ate our last breakfast in the U.S. and piled ourselves and our backpacks into the Shafer family car.

not pictured: Dad Shafer

At the New Carrollton Greyhound station we put our fate into the hands of the first of many bus drivers we would meet (and have yet to meet) on our journey. About 30 hours and several modes of transportation later we were in Poland and so were our backpacks. Success!

We have had a lot of opportunities for fate to cooperate so far...

Like the time the check engine light appeared three hours after we left Portland, and never fully resolved itself during the four months we were in Canada. But it never really caused any issues either.

Or those times we had to push and shove to ensure we had a seat on various Polski buses (despite having prepaid for our tickets). Because apparently that's how it's done in Poland.

Or the morning crossing the Poland-Slovakia border without a Euro to our name, no bankomat in sight, and a 20km walk in our future.  Luckily that nice man gave us a (very expensive) ride to our hostel.

Or that time at the Burdur bus station when Jen accidentally walked into the womens' prayer room thinking it was the bathroom.  At 4am the room was empty and she was able to quietly back out without offending anyone.

Or two days ago when, halfway to our final destination, the bus driver pulled down the sign indicating our final destination - leaving us to wonder how (and more importantly, when) we would actually get to Fethiye. All we had to do was change buses at the next stop and wait 10 minutes for departure. Easy as pie.

(Mmmmmm - pie.)

Cancelled flights, compromised credit cards, lost luggage - we can understand how major annoyances like these cause people to take staycations.  But we also know that the little irritations can really add up too.  We are grateful that with each day that passes, we have more patience, more tolerance, more of a sense of humor about everything.  It really helps that everyone we have encountered has been helpful. And almost all those people have also been incredibly friendly too... Except that one lady at the Krakow bus station information booth. But hey, we all have our bad days.

So once again we thank The Universe for three months overseas and counting. Here's to another successful three months as we make our way toward Southeast Asia - whenever and however the heck that happens!

in the meantime, to Turkey!