Vegas, Here We Come! (oh and Grand Canyon---comin' for you too....)

Our honeymoon is now three days away and we are both pretty darn excited. First time to Vegas and Grand Canyon for both of us, and actually, first extended trip together, period. We went to Chicago for a few fabulous days last summer, but we were in a giant herd of friends and annoying people. This time it's just the two of us. Insert cute song here.  After months of research and price-checking, we decided on dates (June 29-July 6), hotel (Bally's on the Strip), vehicle (top-down Jeep) and another hotel for when we get to Arizona and the Canyon (The Lodge on Rt. 66). Lots of decisions.

After two days in Vegas, we will ride with the open road out to Williams, Arizona and this will be our spot for the next few days while we explore the Canyon, Sedona, and Flagstaff. I can't think of many things more nostalgic then spending the 4th of July in a small town in the southwest,  off Rt. 66, no less. Am I more excited about this, or the giant barbecue that will be held while we are there? That, my friends, is a tough one. You all know how I long for and rhapsodize over food. See my post about Austin, Texas if there is any confusion. And speaking of food! Have you guys ever utilized Restaurant.com for some serious discounts? It's either the world's biggest scam and my bank account is being depleted even as I write this, or the best-kept secret. Right now, if you visit the website and use the promo code "summer," you can order a $25 gift certificate to certain Vegas restaurants and pay $2. My eyes were as big as saucers when I found this deal. Clearly, I let all that excitement get to my head because I promptly ordered $100 worth of coupons (paid $8) and then realized you can only use one per visit in a month. So now I have just gone and wasted $6 which sort of defeats the entire purpose of saving money.  Perhaps I should learn to temper my frugality with some fine print.  Aah well, maybe I can find some other kindred soul on the streets of Vegas and give it to them.

Then off to Williams in our rented Jeep. This is the husband's one "must-have" of the entire trip and so top-down Jeep ride we shall enjoy! I sort of orchestrated everything else on the honeymoon and so the man needs to have one thing he picked out. And by "sort of" I mean that essentially, all plans have been made by me. He is fine with that and well, let's face it, I am too.

I think we will have plenty to occupy our time this week and even more importantly, I think it's gonna be great. Just me and him, exploring a little Southwest together.

Taking any and all suggestions for things to definitely do, and things to definitely avoid. We are Virgin Vegasers. I could go some many places with the previous sentence, but I will keep this all G-rated for ya. Hey!- as a newly married woman, I've got jokes.

To Guide or Not to Guide?

As promised, I am going to elaborate a bit more on this trip to Turkey (and show some pictures). Specifically, the merits of having a guidebook or wingin' it on some vague information and a prayer. The was a first time event for me-traveling without a Lonely Planet of my very own that I keep by my side as if it was my last dollar, use as a pillow, and lovingly caress before I go to sleep each night.  You think I'm joking. So venturing to the city that marks a division between East and West sans Lonely Planet was one small step for my fellow travelers, one giant leap for me.

During the weeks leading up to the trip, I had plenty of time to head over to Amazon, find my book, click and buy. Aahhh, that shiny, glossy, Blue cover, just begging to be bought. Yet each time I looked, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Perhaps it was my inner traveler begging me to do it just once, just ONCE go wild and free! Live dangerously and don't figure out in advance how to get from the flat to the metro! Don't find out how to say thanks! Find the bus station by following the crowd! However, I suspect it was actually my inner cheapskate preventing me from purchasing LP's guide to Istanbul. Those of you who know me and/or have traveled with me, know I am frugal by nature-I travel on a dime and only splurge on the big things. I have been known to get out of a cab because he charged us a dollar (one little dollar!) more than I thought was fair. And with a wedding in the very immediate future and the myriad of expenses that go along with it, I decided that this one time, I would forego the Blue.

My resolve lasted until just off the runway after an Amsterdam layover.  The lady in the row ahead of mine had what I coveted. I could practically read along with her if I angled my neck just right. I was sitting beside the birthday boy and we both realized how little we knew about where we were going. I started to feel panicky, and completely uneducated about this foreign place. What if I never made it to the must-sees? What if I missed the best place to find a kabob? What if I never learned a single thing to educate my students? Seizing the moment when she laid the book on the seat beside hers, I pounced. "Excuse me, but do you mind if I look at your book for a few minutes?" Looking somewhat nonplussed and startled, she handed it to me. High on life! I felt how an addict must feel when they finally get a fix. I crammed all the pertinent info into my weary brain and sat back, somewhat relieved.

Now, fast forward to our first morning there and we are all making our plans to head out for the day. I am somewhat confident because two other people have Blue, so I know our day's journey will at least be well-informed. But I don't have it, so I feel like I am missing a limb. Or my eyesight. Again, I am not kidding. Even as I write this, I realize how crazy I must sound. But when I travel, my M.O is to have the logistics down (how to find transport, rough costs of food, fees,  ideas for hostels, etc), and then the plan will fall into place. I usually only know for certain where I am staying the first night and then the rest just happens.  As we head out, I realize I cannot be in control of anything, because I don't actually know anything. As we proceed through that first day and encounter innumerable mishaps, confusing directions, and the loss of various people at different points, the awakening occurs. I am FREE! I have no book, therefore I have no authority, I have no pre-obtained information. By the third day, when we all proceed en masse to the wrong ferry dock, only to find that not only were we at the wrong dock, but at the right dock, our ship had already gone and sailed down the Bosphorus without us. I stood back, amused, and without a slight care in the world. I had no book, I was not in charge, I was not responsible for incidents like this one. Pretty cool huh?

Will I be adopting this as my mode of travel from now on? Nah, probably not.  I am on to planning the honeymoon and I have not one, but two guidebooks.  Disclaimer: both were given to me.  Next stops: Vegas and Grand Canyon! But it was pretty nice to not have the Blue, I will admit.   After all, isn't the adventure in the journey, not the destination? (I know, I know, some other wise person authored that quote, but it fit pretty nicely here to wrap up this post).

What do you fellow travelers think? How do you like to travel-guide or no guide?

Indecent Proposal

 I'm back from marriage and all that good stuff ;)

You know it's going to be an eventful trip when a random Turkish man offers 125 camels, 7,000 sheep, and his jacket in exchange for one of your fellow female travelers. Yes, this actually happened. We were sitting in Sultanahmet Square, relaxing, enjoying the view of the Blue Mosque, when Terra apparently struck Turk's fancy. The man was persistent, I'll give him that. At first it was just the 125 camels he offered-a proposal at which we scoffed. (Surely she's worth at least twice that amount. ha!)  When Turk realized we were not down with the 125 camels, he threw in the sheep.  I think he sensed his prize slipping away. Throwing in his jacket for last desperate measure, I assume he truly believed that we would actually be persuaded  to give up poor Terra in return for a Noah's ark of smelly livestock animals and one nondescript men's jacket.  Although........such an exchange wouldhave  likely made us extremely wealthy by Turkish standards. Hmmmm. Camels and sheep don't appeal to me though. Now, if he had offered  a few Turkish rugs and a lifetime supply of Turkish baklava, I might be writing a different Turkish story. Have you ever in your life had chocolate baklava??
A. Maz. Ing.  A scene was almost created over the sheer deliciousness of this dessert.

Oh fine. I wouldn't really have let my friend go for mere household goods and a sweet treat. But seriously, eat some chocolate baklava while reclining on a sumptuous rug. You too might be tempted.

(just kidding Terra!)

Here is the chocolate baklava in all of its glory. Below that is a photo of me acting the part of tourist in the Square, behind is the Blue Mosque.