Malta (and We Are Healthy!) (Post #51)
This is my second post today, September 21st. We have an entire day to kill before going to the airport tonight. And we have good news to report. We are both well! I admit that in order to get rid of the sinus infection that I had for more than 2 weeks I decided to a) do research on which antibiotics work best and then b) go buy them the last day in Turkey. You see, medicine that is prescription in the U.S., is not prescription in Turkey. In fact, you can buy any medicine at the Apotek (pharmacy/drug store) as long as it is not some type of narcotic. So, I did some research on Medline, went to the National Institutes of Health, and Center for Disease Control web sites and found out that amoxicilan is the number 1 choice for eliminating sinus infections. Plus, I looked at several guides to determine that yes, I actually had a sinus infection. I went to the apotek in Turkey and for about 2 US dollars, bought some amoxicilan. Now, 3.5 days after I started taking it, my nose is clear and I no longer feel pressure in the front of my face and in my teeth. It felt strange to do that but the people in Turkey think nothing of it. When you have a problem, you just go to the pharmacy and buy the medicine you need. If you don’t know what medicine you need, you go to the doctor and they will tell you (in Turkish of course!) Anyway, Mike and I are both healthy and we’re glad since we are venturing into Africa tonight.
O.k., so back to Malta… Malta is a bit like Italy, which makes sense considering the location of the country. On the first day we rested quite a bit since we got up at 2:00am to catch the flight to Malta. The next day we went to an incredibly ornate church where I had to wear a borrowed skirt and shawl since I had on shorts and a tank top. Of course when I went to mosques in Turkey I would wear a head covering, pants, and long sleeves, but I didn’t think to do this in Malta. Turns out that 98% of the country is Catholic and understandably, they want you to show respect when in a church by covering your legs and arms. Everything in St. John’s Co-Cathedral was decorated and I mean everything. Every bit of the floors, walls, and ceilings had paintings. You felt somewhat overwhelmed there was so many things to look at everywhere. Very interesting! The next day (yesterday) we ran a lot of errands and then took a bus to see the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum in a town 4 km south of Valletta (where we are staying). The hypogeum is a network of underground burial chambers that dates back to 3000 B.C. We had to order tickets on line 2 weeks ago and when we went yesterday there was a sign on the door saying tickets were sold out until October 5th. We saw a video and got a guided tour of these chambers, which were fascinating.
Valletta is situated on a piece of land that overlooks a beautiful harbor – hence the name, Grand Harbour. (See photo below.) We went to the Grand Harbour during the day and at night to enjoy the beautiful views. This was also the site of the midnight fireworks (remember it is Independence day, which is celebrated over 3 days). We also went to the Independence Day celebration last night. There was a wide variety of music, an amusement park for kids, and many food stalls. We enjoyed a fun night out and relished the fact that we are no longer sick.
We arrive in Casablanca, Morocco tonight at 10:00pm, and like I said, we’ve learned our lesson and actually have a reservation somewhere.
Bye!
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Tags: Category #14 Malta
Michele Harmon
Yay healthy!
Love that picture. Thanks for allowing us to vacation vicariously through you.
I don’t know if you review previous comments, so I am tacking something about Turkey here even though you are now in Malta. Did anyone mention a recent Wash. Post article about the beaches in Turkey? According to the article, there are “security” people who patrol the beaches, esp. around Istanbul. They are there to enforce new regulations concerning “swim-wear”. Apparently, men frequently wear their “tighty-whiteys” into the sea (and strip down to those undies right there on the beach). The law now requires normal swimwear, rather than underwear. Women are not immune to the new laws. They are to refrain from wearing their long, flowing black “gowns” when wading into the sea. Can you verify this swimwear controversy?
a
c
I disagree with your opinion
z
awesome