今次到我們變成不想出街的貓

告別美女雅思雅，我們往伊朗裔阿美尼亞人阿連的家做客。我們原定在他家留三天，好讓我們多逛逛博物館，並試另外一間阿美尼亞白蘭地。但是天氣變得很冷，中午應該是全日最暖的也是零下十五度，冰天雪地，老婆的感冒未癒，所以有很多日子在他暖暖的家上網看電影煮大餐。



阿連是讀醫，現在公共衞生中心在阿美尼亞遍遠地區研究及推行營養健康計劃。作為伊朗裔，盡顯好客本性。他不介意我們留得久，還叫我們留至感冒痊癒才走。雖然他於伊朗出生，却能避過服兵役，因為他年少便來阿美尼亞讀高中及大學，得到當時政策的豁免 (其實是當時有高官定此豁免來放自己兒子一馬)。在我們進伊朗之前，得他介紹當地情況及推介的見聞，受益不少。

在他家開暖氣、上網任用、看阿聯酋衞星電視經常播較新的電影、用他那設備齊全的廚房，我們也不介意地方淺窄，大煮特煮。他也是難得吃豬肉飲酒的伊朗裔，信奉的不是伊斯蘭教而是東正教，我們煮食就不需瞻前顧後。他說沒有甚麼不吃，那就好了，焗豬排、甜酸骨、小龍蝦、鮮菇、醬燒茄子、魚子... 

甚麼? 煮出來他居然說不太吃之後那四款食物! 又不早說，他研究偏遠山區的人的營養不均，其實在城裏的他就偏食(其實又煙又酒)，但又不知道自己不吃甚麼，我們這樣取笑他多日。

我們在城裏買了一支已存二十年的阿美尼亞白蘭地，打算帶回香港過新年。但是他告訴我們壞消息: 在伊朗這是禁品 ! 或許可以走私入境，老婆放在厚衣內帶入境應該無問題，關員不會搜女人；但帶離境幾乎不可能，因為X光機一定可以看到這大支液體 ! 唉...一番心血作癈，唯有把它開了，和他一起分享一些，再打算走私入境。他當然也却之不恭，美酒佳餚，有朋共享，人生快事。

阿連的好客使我們長留當中遇見另一梳化客，他的經歷可謂咋舌。米高是墨西哥人，在匈牙利打工，想去伊朗旅行，知道可以在德黑蘭機場做"落地簽証"，怎料飛機晨早三時到達，關員問他德黑蘭招待他的人的聯絡，他沒有訂酒店，只有梳化主人的電話，電話不能接通。不能發簽証，他要飛回烏克蘭，但他的烏克蘭簽証又過期不能入境，他做了機場露宿者。最後找到機票來到阿美利亞，但又申請不到伊朗簽証。所以在阿連家只住兩晩，然後往北回佐治亞，在第比利斯再申請伊朗簽証。 一番轉折，希望他如願到達伊朗。 阿連見地方不大，可以讓一半雙人床給他睡，但他不喜歡和男人同床，我們一眾大惑不解，算吧，人家有自己喜好。

不知不覺在阿連家留了一星期，他也做拿手伊朗菜給我們吃，這是香料煎雞，再配乾紅梅及番紅花汁淋飯。我們後來才知道初孕不宜番紅花，但西醫何來有這些戒口想法?

現在阿B又是好好地 !

Extreme government service in Georgia

It’s comforting to find a tourist information centre when we reached any city. The tourist information staff always commend perfect English and is helpful in answering all questions. In Bojormi, the staff even post his mobile number at the door in case tourist have after hour of inquiries. He even helped us to translate our questions to the post office lady on the phone. There are always free map, brochure and we always find hostel information and restaurant recommendations. They sometimes arrange tours as well.

We also heard from local that those newly furnished government service building provide one-stop-shop and you queue up in one line for any inquiries about all government services. And you register a new company or renew a lost ID card in a few hours, for example.

 

There are always payment machine as many as ATM everywhere in Georgia. We could easily add-value for our phone card, bus card, retrieve train tickets and make payment for public services. Some machine will charge a commission and others not. We seldom enjoyed such 24/7 convenience in any country around the world.

In the past, the government admitted that with its Soviet influence, the police department especially was very corrupted and there was a movement that they fired most officers and tried very best to fight corruption with their new officers. While we were hitchhiking in Svaleti, we got picked up a few times by a police car. They seems to be rather friendly and helpful. My friend in Tbilisi once got his wallet stolen and reported to the police. He said in 6 hours, they called to reporting that it’s found! Amazing efficiency. I wonder how they did that!?

今天兩隻寄住貓被困在温暖的家

阿美尼亞人熱情好客，但couchsurfing並不熱門。只有在首都Yerevan年青一代英語水平較
高，大部份人多以俄語溝通，而多數人也與父母同住，couchsurfer 則是外國人居多。我們很幸運，竟在Yerevan找到一位獨居的阿美尼亞女士寄住幾天。

美女雅思雅工作很忙，雖要帶文件回家繼續努力，總算可以準時下班。

雅思雅家只有一條匙，為擔心我們太早起，便提議中午從公司回家一趟，讓我們出門。我們真的睡至十時多，吃了碗白粥，打點了行裝，但一等等到下午二時....噢！沒回來。可能忘掉了。但我們沒買本地電話咭，家中亦不能上網，沒辦法只好留下洗衫、寫blog，休息一下好了。

外面零下十度，天寒地凍，冰天雪地，我又感冒未癒，偶而窩在温暖的家中偷懶一天也不錯。幸好還有點吃的。

下午6時多，天已黑齊，沙發主人也差不多該回來了。原來她下午被老闆叫住開會，中午飯也沒著落。沒法子。

The love for Georgian food

We heard of a story about an authentic French restaurant in Batumi closed down eventually after 2 years, because Georgians walk in there and leave right away if they cannot find Georgian food on the menu. In Tbilisi, we also find a lot of Thai-Georgian, Indian-Georgian, International Georgian restaurants. They must love their own food so much. In fact, Georgia does have interesting menu, appetizers like Badrijani Nigvzit (eggplant roll with walnut paste), mchadi (cornbread), khachapuri (bread with cheese stuffing); main course, such as, satsivi (chicken in walnut sauce), mtsvadi (grilled meat), khinkali (meat dumpling, very similar to Shanghai dumpling), ostri (meat stew in tomato sauce), chakhapuri (meat stew with plum sauce) and desert, such as churchkhela (threaded walnut covered with grape juice and flour mixture, then hung dry).

Actually all these dishes could be included in one menu and after a while in Georgia, we do feel comforting to find the same dishes in any eatery. In a short while, we could memorize all these names and order without a menu, like a local.

The only thing is, their English menu, if a restaurant managed to have one, don’t always have accurate price. We read the menu before order and are told that we are charged more because the menu was not updated and they have new prices for everything. I guess the local don’t ask for price and don’t need to read any menu. They pay as they are told. Unfortunately, as budget travelers, we found ourselves arguing the bill with the cashier all the time.

Well, the amazing thing is, if you bump into a party at the next table, you will always hear guys singing wonderful dining a capella and they might treat you some of their local homemade wine.