Day 1-Thurs March 25

our first day started on very little sleep. we had croissants and coffee on billie fay's rooftop deck and were accompanied by the rising sun and over 90 potted plants and trees. billie fay gave us an aerial tour of the neighbor she lives in and pointed out the many consulates and embassies that are near by, Israeli, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. after breakfast, we headed out for the day to check out the area and do some shopping. our first stop was this great silver shop, with old and eclectic bangles, rings, and silver bead components. i was in heaven and plan on stocking up right before we leave. everything here is SO cheap. $1.50-3.00 for all of those beautiful wraps. the most expensive thing i bought was a huge handmade, artisan silver ring from an art gallery co-op that houses artists from the local university. it was $30. before stopping for something to eat, we headed to road 7 (prob not the most appetizing spot) to check out the local market. there were many street vendors and stands with everything from veggies (not sure how fresh) to apparel. there was trash and filth everywhere and no one seems to mind. produce is something left to be desired, eggs out in the hot sun covered with feces, bunnies in crates with pigeons resting on top of them waiting to be fried up. goats a few feet away waiting for the same fate. every animal looked disheveled and unhealthy but i guess if they kill it on the spot and whip it up in a pita, at least you know it's fresh. the meat market was the most disturbing. men cutting carcasses outside, unrefrigerated meat melting in the sun's rays, alley cats and dogs feasting off scraps. believe it or not, shortly after that and perusing some more shops, we enjoyed tahini, babaganoush, and yogurt dip with pitas outside at a cozy little restaurant called el sid. billie fay's driver, mohammed picked us up and drove us to our next destination. it was a long day for all of us, mother and me especially. we had one last stop, the duty free market where we wait for bf's roommate, tim, to meet us so we could purchase wine. when we got home, we sat around the comfy living room, had proseco and almost all of us enjoyed a fabulous pasta dish dinner tim created. mother, however got very ill, throwing up after her first glass of proseco and continued throwing up out of both ends for a few hours.