January 15th was Elliott's birthday and we had a lot of fun celebrating with him!! We spent the morning visiting some local markets. In the van on the way to the shopping area our awesome guide Elvin told me about a tradition from the small village he grew up in. Being a very poor village, meat and most protein were not common and only eaten on special occasions. For his birthday's as a child he received two hard boiled eggs and his sibling got one. This was considered a big deal and a fond memory of his growing up. So he presented us with a present for Elliott of four hard boiled eggs, two for him and one for each sister! What a wonderful and thoughtful man, he also gave us some yummy local cookies and birthday Oreo's!
We then arrived at the markets and set out on foot through a packed street with shops stacked on top of one another.
Highlights of the goods include:
- every type of grain and nut
- dried shrimp, starfish, and seahorse
- live scorpions and dead ones in wine
- all sorts of animals, some for food and some for pets
We then walked to an area called Pedestrian street, which is a very popular market street where we shopped for some clothes for Elliott and gifts for family and friends. It was a great time and we loved seeing all the people and the thousands of shops packed full of every type of goods imaginable.
We worked up quite an appetite doing all that shopping and I had asked our guide if I could buy him lunch to thank him for all he had done for us and so he could show us his favorite local dishes. The meal was amazing and the restaurant gave us a special bowl of noodles called "Longevity noodles" for long life for the birthday boy. I was then once again humbled and surprised that Elvin bought our lunch, I really like this guy!! Now back to the room for a nap for dad and Elliott while the girls went on a secret mission to get a birthday cake!
When we got up, the rest of the evening was spent prepping for Elliott's birthday. We each made a birthday sign for him.
We dressed up in some authentic outfits for the occasion.
As we finished a dinner of random meals we had horded away in our room, the doorbell rang (yes our hotel room has a doorbell.) The hotel delivered a birthday cake just for mister Elliott, it seems that Elvin had struck once again!
We saved the cake that the girls had stealthily arranged for the next day, I think Elliott loved his two cakes for his 2nd birthday! We love this sweet boy and are so blessed that he will forever have our family to celebrate his birthdays with!! Happy birthday son!
Blogged by the long winded Dad
That cake photo is so stinking cute! Dear Jesus, we thank you for the amazing blessings that the Pool family is experiencing. I pray that they continue to feel your peace and strength. Please help them to rest and have extra energy. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!!!
ReplyDeleteSweet sweet entry. So thankful we have had the chance to follow you through this blog. Have a wonderful and safe trip home. Love you guys, lo.
ReplyDelete