Peace Out USA!

I leave today on my 2 week journey! I will be meeting up with my dad in San Francisco where we will catch a flight to Kiev (the capital of Ukraine) with a layover in Munich. And in a few days we will be heading to Belarus. Total flying time today... about 19 hours! I have lots of drugs to help me sleep and an ipod full of music and podcasts to keep me entertained.


I've read up a little bit on Ukraine and Belarus, but I really have no clue what to expect when we arrive. Besides the general safety and cultural information, I have been looking into what sort of food I will be eating for the next week or so. Here is a little excerpt from the Belarus Wikitravel Guide:

"Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions, which have undergone a long historical evolution. Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes from potato which is called among people "the second bread". There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included into many salads and it is served together with mushrooms and/or meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians is traditional draniki (known as "latkes" to North Americans, but eaten with sour cream, not apple sauce), thick pancakes prepared from shredded potatoes. A wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes."

Sooo.. looks like I'll be eating a lot of potatoes!

On that note, До свидания or "Da svidaniya" which means "goodbye" or "see you later" in Russian. Ill post pictures when I can!