Travel 101 for Dummies, part 2

Continuing on...

Shopping/Eating Out

1. Since Dennis and I traveled two days early, we did have occasion to eat out a bit more than most. The travel guide that AWAA sends out with the suggested restaurants was helpful. The majority of all the restaurants have pizza and Italian-ish food that they serve. Lots of spaghetti, lasagna and pasta. Most also serve a variety of bottled soda, leaning towards the Coke side. We had a lot of Sprite, just because I'm a Diet Coke addict, and this was pretty rare.
2. The Zebra Grill is within walking distance of the guest house. A few of us walked one late afternoon for an early dinner. We asked Duni about leaving the guest house with our babies, and she surprisingly said it was fine as long as we didn't make a big scene. I told Dennis to try to tone it down! As is par for the course, it took a very long time. The food is grilled right there in front of you. Beware! The hamburgers are SPICY!!!!!!!! I'm not sure what they have in them, but I wound up trading most of my dinner with another guy for his burrito. Whew!
3. The best food I had in town was next to the International Museum. It's called "Lucy's..." something. I had great stir fry-reliable vegetables. The Blue Top was also good and safe. The Lime Tree restaurant is a trendy hang out for locals and tourists that has great juice drinks. It is in the upper part of the building where you may be taken for manicures and massages, ladies!
4. We found shopping to be an adventure as this is where most of the kids and beggars hang out. The prices were quite reasonable and they were quite Un-willing to haggle because they know someone else will come and buy the stuff. Most of the shops have the same type of merchandise. If you look for traditional clothing, it's not always out on display, so ask for it. I couldn't find anything smaller than about a size 18 months or so for our little guy.
5. The Edna Mall is a more modern version of a shopping area with Westernized shops, like salons, clothing and a bookstore. We went one day to meet a friends, but as it was a holiday, the shops were closed. There is a video game, bumper car, Chuck E. Cheez type place for kids. It also has a play place to crawl in and through. If you travel with other children, this may be a "taste of home" for them one afternoon. It's roughly 5 minutes from the guest house by car. If the power goes out, the fun will cease instantly, however!

Packing(This proved to be true for us, not necessarily others...)

1. I did not use the following that I packed: clothes pins/line, a jacket, laundry detergent, ear plugs, bottle liners (Micah REFUSED this type of bottle and we wound up buying bottles there!) I'd suggest taking both kinds, 20 of the outfits we took for him (he did not have blow out issues so we had TONS of clothing not used, latex gloves

2. I religiously used: my crossword puzzle book, a book for leisure reading, snacks, bottled water (force yourself to drink and it will keep you hydrated), hand sanitizer, cameras and laptop, individual drink powdered mixes for bottled water, little cereal puffs for Micah (Target/Wal-Mart) He LOVES them, gum, Sour Patch Kids candy (I told you at one point I have quirks), IPod, Tums/Rolaids, cloth diapers for wiping up formula and sweat (his not not ours!)

Okay...more later!