Sherpas: I had prayed for a way to schelp luggage.  Nate and Josh had prayed for a way to visit their cousins.  God answered our prayers. 

Turkish Delight:  After take-off from Chicago we ‘toasted’ our journey with complimentary Turkish Delight in delicate paper cups.  I really wanted to keep the little orgamiesque cup, but knew that if I kept every cute container I encountered over two months, I’d have an entire checked suitcase of papaer and plastic.  
     During our layover in Istanbul, we couldn’t refuse the free samples of Turkish Delight* in the duty free store.  There were plates and plates of it…and in spite of being sugar-free for a looong time, I, like Edmund in  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, gorged on the sweet treat.I was on vacation and didn’t care.  An hour later as we were taking off–and I was at a seven on a scale of “1 to Puke”–I cared and contemplated starting a collection of airline barf bags (again with the cute containers).  The gooey sugary Turkish Delight was now the bane of my existence, and like Edmund, I was a victim of my own gluttony.  However, instead of being on a sled pulled by reindeer, I was trapped in a metal tube hurtling through space with the comfort of my bed nearly half a world away. After some elixirs, carefully chosen protein, and sleep I began to feel better.  
*In The Lion Witch and The Wardrobe, Turkish Delight is considered enchanted, causing whoever eats it to feel an insatiable greed for more and compels the eater to keep on eating it until prevented from doing so or until death. 

Keeping Up Appearances: I put too much thought and decorative identification into my luggage, not realizing I could have gotten by much more simply (two handles and reinforced exterior).

Baggage Claim: The conveyor belt was shiny and new, but instead a large diesel truck backed up to a doorway and everyone worked together to pass the luggage down the line.  Even though we didn’t know any of the language, all the locals were so patient with us. After customs, a gaurd opened a frosted door and we were greeted by a sea of Central Asian faces…I’m sure they were as shocked to see three towering blondes.