Is it gaz (gas)? A new day dawns in the land of It is just Turkey

We found Methusala!
Read the dates.  Only in Turkey

It all began early Saturday morning.  How early we are not sure, but the impact was felt by 7 AM.  Perhaps it really began on Friday and we were just not aware.  Oh well the beginning is not so important..  It is the impact and the story after that tells it all.

 

The corner parking garage and attendant.

The Edwards upstairs found out the situation first and called with a warning, “there is no hot water and we are freezing!”  Immediately we checked the gas meter and sure enough we were out of gas or gaz as it is known here.

I suppose you should be aware that the typical Turkish means to get gaz is to routinely go to the PTT or Post Office and purchase an amount of gaz to be charged to a renewable credit card that slips into the gaz meter and releases a limited volume of gaz.  Also you should know that there is a maximum amount one can purchase.  In our case, we could only buy 100 TL of gaz.  We cheated and went to another PTT and purchased another 200 TL, but that was the maximum amount allowed on our card.  However we had to wait until Monday morning.  We were with out hot water and heat for 2 and ½ days!

The Mediterranean Sea.
A side trip with the Edwards
after visiting a refugee member in Denizli.

Living like the pioneers we are in this country, we heated water on our electric stove that we had fortunately chosen over the less expensive gas model and were able to get a quick sponge bath for church on Sunday.  Good thing it was not one of Nori’s hair wash days.

 

Frying up some gizzards.
Nori says I never cook.

We were able to use the airconditioner units as a heat pump and took the chill off the chapel for our Sunday services.  Then the saga began.

Looking at our gas usage from the meter it was obvious that we were using about 150 TL per day, without the chapel heat.  It just did not make sense that we would have to visit the PTT every day to get gas so I decided we should visit the gas company headquarters and argue our case.  There had to be a better way! 

We interrupt this story to bring you an update on the water saga, yes another crisis.  The Branch President used all the water in our on site storage tanks to fill the pool in the basement for a baptism only to then realize the city water supply was down and now we are without water for 3 ½ days so far.

Back to gaz.  We convinced the gaz company to read the meter if we made a rather large deposit and then they agreed we could take out the card reader.  We called a plumber and had him take out the meter.  At first he said it was illegal, but we told him we had talked to the gaz company so without any proof at all he took out the meter and plumbed our gaz line solid.  Boy we could have lied and fixed the problem and never paid for gaz again.  Of course it took 3 days and 6 trips to the gaz company one resolution at a time.

Tying the famous turkish double knot.
Carpet weaving.

We interrupt this story to bring you up to date on our phone and internet system.  We had a Branch clean up at the building and one of the kids decided to open the power box and take out wires.  Of course we did not know anything other than we suddenly lost all phone and internet service and it took just 3 days to figure out what had happened.

What a minute, the power just went out!!  Oh good just for a few minutes and it is back.

Remember this is Turkey.  Expect anything and everything.  Like they say it is like living in the earliest years of the Church.

Still no water.  We rented a room at the hotel across the street so we can shower and do our duty in a toilet that can flush.  Currently we are carrying water from the baptism font by bucket to flush the toilets.  Good thing we had a baptism!  Oh yea, that was the problem in the first place.

Are we having fun yet???