Türkiye Chronicles

Day 1 ( & 1A . Time zones you know..)

3 flights. 20+hours. 

The “personal VIP Shuttle” from the airport to the hotel was just that, except that I had to wait 20 mins in 95 degree heat, then follow a woman who was definitely not happy to see me, to my ride . Nice van, tho he tried to drop me off at the wrong hotel. 

The hotel . The Grand Park Lara. Huge, MargaritavIlle type all inclusive, packed with families. 90 percent European & Russian. I’ve been greeted in Russian twice so far by staff, so I know what vibes I’m giving. 

Tonight will be dinner, then back to the room to see when / if sleep comes. Tomorrow I’m supposed to be picked up at 9:30 am for my 1st trip to the dental center. 

PS Just got a slow motion version of “My Heart will go on” from the pianist in the lobby. Definitely getting paid by the hour…

Day2 – Cats. Lots of cats. All look a little underfed & rough. But parents let their kids pet them. Hmmm. 

Off to the dental center. Exam & explanation of options. I decide that;

1.Im going to do it. 

2. What it is I’m going to do.

They say “Great, we start the treatment at 1:00 today. Start the treatment = shaving my teeth for the crowns. 

I am terrified. 

Later Day 2.

Done. 8 uppers and 8 lowers shaved down and prepped for crowns. I have “temps” in place to protect them while the permanent crowns are created, based on choices I make today & tomorrow. The temps don’t look too ridiculous. 

3 hours of drilling & grinding. I can honestly say there wasn’t any pain during the procedure. Not even when the pain meds were injected. I’m waiting for tonight when the numbing shots wear off. For now, it’s all about soft , room temp food and drink. Meeting tomorrow to figure out exact color & shape. Was going to get a workout in, but that was before they let me know we were starting today. I have water and grapes for tonight…

Day 3.

Went to bed and woke up.

No pain.

( I’m frantically knocking on wood at this moment..)

I have temporary crowns on the teeth in question. The temps are, in the words of my counselor at the center, “cheap”. His English is generally pretty good, but from a marketing perspective, he might want to reconsider his descriptors. 

They are fine. Not pretty but fine. However they are not fine tuned, bite wise, so I have to be very careful about what I’m eating and how I’m eating it. You’d think it might be a problem in that I’m staying at an all inclusive resort, but the bodies I’m  seeing wandering around in swimwear all day is definitely moderating my appetite. 

I did get a workout in this morning. The gym is smallish and oldish, but I’ve been making due with hotel fitness rooms for the last year so it’s fine. Then off to the dental center for design consultations. The technology is pretty cool. My teeth, then a “morph” to the design we discussed. And it was what I wanted. My guy asked me several times if I wanted to change anything. I was like “ I could make something up, but that’s what I’d be doing”. A puzzled look.

“No”.

I don’t blame him . Most native English speakers have trouble with my sense of humor. 

So we finalized that, and then the color. I went two shades under “blinding” white, so they are white, but not WHITE. 

We’ll see on Wednesday, when I get fitted. 

Then I took a walk. Saw the Mediterranean for the 1st time. Nice. Wandered down the street from the hotel. The Turkish do like their bazaars. 

Between now & Wednesday I’m just here. I may sightsee, I’ll definitely run a couple times. They have a good local beer, Efes, which I can partake in. And that’s the plan . 

Talk later,

Bob