Instant cheese curry noodles vending machine

Just when you think the Japanese have come up with every strange combination, a new one thrusts itself in your face, via a vending machine. And all for just 200 yen! Sorry about the photo quality, but it was too good to miss.

Recipe for kumis (Kyrgyz national drink)

If Gweneth Paltro can do it (ie, put recipes on her blog), then so can I. Here is the recipe for kumis, which is a favourite amongst our Kyrgyz brothers and sisters:

1. find a lactating horse

2. milk her and put milk in old leather bag/pouch (see second picture - this is one for tourists, but it should be old and smelly)

3. wait some time (unknown but I don't think it matters)

4. serve in an old bucket (see first picture)

5. enjoy the beer mixed with yoghurt taste of the results!

There are generally little browns bits floating on the top, but I don't know what these are.

Enjoy!

It's da wol-uf

As Lambsy famously said on "It's The Wolf" in 1969 (Hanna-Barbera), it is in fact the Albanian wol-uf, looking a little worse for wear. Perhaps all that punishment from the sheepdog is the reason this particular wolf is looking poorly. The sorry state of Albanian taxidermy is another possible reason.

Sydney, Christchurch and Tirana

Kathrine (who I worked with in Tajikistan) and her "male friend" Tony (from NZ, but de-mining the wilds of Kosovo these days) and I like to catch up in all the hot spots around the world - Sydney, Christchurch (Tony's home town) and Tirana. We all happened to be in Tirana this week, so had a nice catch up.

Makedonski, Albanski and Bulgarski

Sadly, a whole week in Macedonia did not result in a single funny, entertaining or amusing photo op (as we saw in the blogging business), so no images. It was a week spent with lots of Macedonians, a few Albanians and one Bulgarian - I was going a bit Balkan crazy by the end of it. Perhaps something interesting will come of this week in Tirana, Albania.