Holiday Cheer

Ok, granted this is not really travel related. But even though we live here, Anguilla is a foreign country so I am using a little poetic license here. Plus, I just couldn't resist taking these photos of our local version of holiday cheer compliments of the National Bank of Anguilla.
I mean, who among us doesn't recall warm childhood memories of the arrival of the traditional Christmas frog? Or that wacky, noel crocodile (well perhaps that unfortunate reindeer next to him who appears to have met a very, un-merry end). And then finally, from what must be this, the real island of misfits (toys, I mean), this adorable, sparsely spotted, wry-necked holiday giraffe. Oh if only there were competent veterinarians living on island licensed to help!
Merry Christmas to All!

heading home

Well, here we sit in the club lounge at the airport in Tel Aviv waiting for the first leg of our trip home. TLV to LHR to JFK (sleep over) to SXM and a ferry back to AXA.  It is 6AM now. We've been up since 3AM. The security at the airport here was certainly thorough but leaving is not nearly as interrogative (if that is a word) a process as coming into the country.

Yesterday we relaxed a little. Walked back around the old city of Jerusalem for a couple of hours. Went back to the wailing wall in the daylight to see three different Bar Mizvahs taking place. And went in search of a simple little dreidel. Could not find one anywhere - and it's Hanukkah. Even the woman in the hotel said she had just commented to a friend that you really don't see them anymore. So in the old city we kept asking. Apparently, don't ask in the Armenians or the Christian sections. Sure they sell yarmulke and menorahs but no dreidels. Even in the toy shops, no luck. Michael asked one man, Isn't htis Israel? Finally we found a guy who had them. Cheap little wooden ones and he wanted 120 sheckels which is like $38US. Michael said 20 sheckels so the salesman acted all indignant. Were we implying that he was profiting 100 sh? Well, yes we were. Why you have to be like that? He asked Michael. Michael answered, Why YOU have to be like that? After much hollering and walking away, one little dreidel worth probably $1.50 was finally purchased for $5.00. It's still very hard to get used to that system of commerce. Just put a price tag on it and let me decide, that's what I say.

Then we needed to get back to Tel Aviv in the afternoon. Called the hotel that I had chosen specifically because it was nearer the airport than any I had found AND has a shuttle to the airport. That meant that we'd take a cheaper shuttle to the airport (rather than a taxi to the hotel itself) and then catch their shuttle to the hotel. When I called the hotel, however, to find out how to find their shuttle at the airport I was informed that I misunderstood. They do not have a shuttle from the airport. Pardon me? Your website says you do. Oh no, go back and read it, it says they have a shuttle TO the airport. Only TO. Not FROM. So that's a new one.

That meant that we had to negotiate a cab ride from Jerusalem to the Hotel itself. That went from 350sh to 300sh to finally 250sh. UGH! In their defense, though, it was the very first hotel of this entire stay that offers FREE internet access. Every other one charges $20US/day. And they have free Happy Hour at 6PM. Of course, it consists of tea and coffee and juice and crackers but it was a thought. Finally, we gathered at 4AM with a couple from India on their way to Athens while the desk clerk called the cab to take us to the airport. Four adults, four large bags and three carry-ons and they called a teeny tiny cab so that we had to sit with luggage on our laps while the driver strapped bags to the roof! Luckily the hotel had signs all over asking patrons to go to TripAdvisor and post comments on the behalf....so perhaps I shall !!!!

Meanwhile, let us eat cake (here in the lounge) and wish ourselves safe travels.

Merry Christmas!

Finally, what do you think were the odds that we would find ourselves at Petra at night at the full moon, the Wailing Wall at night on the Sabbath on the first night of Hanukkah, AND come out of the Church of the Nativity to find them erecting the Christmas Tree on Manger Square in Bethlehem? Pretty nice little trifecta?

It is, again, a perfect example of the incongruities of religion in this part of the world to see a Christmas tree being raised in front of a minaret with women in Muslim attire in the forefront.

on to Bethlehem

Not included in our original tour was a trip to Bethlehem even though it is only about 5 km south of Jerusalem. Supposedly because the US State Department has warnings against visiting Bethlehem which is under Palestinian rule. But they agreed to let us go provided that they held no liability for us during out time there. It just seemed incomplete to come this far and to see this religious sites and then to stop short of visiting the birthplace of Jesus. So we and most of the rest of the group decided to go.

Our guide once we crossed the checkpoint was Gabriella, a Romanian Christian married to a Palestinian.  There is not much to see here….pretty much that one place. But here is a picture of Michael entering into the Church of the Nativity.

THE SPOT

In the basement of the Church of the Nativity are two marked sites: this star marks the place of Jesus’ birth and nearby is the location of the manger.

The Rock

After walking the Via Dolorosa through the first stations of the cross we ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In a very small area (all inside one church) are the top of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified (in the photo), the flat rock where he was presumably aid down to be anointed and prepared for burial and finally the cave/tomb where he might have been buried.

Olive Press

No the picture is not of an olive press. It is of the olive trees at the Garden of Gethsemane – Gethsemane which means olive press.  Amir gave a beautifully illustrative description of the increasing isolation that Jesus must have felt in his last days as all the light in his world slowly went out and then how it slowly came back after his resurrection and then multiplied many fold to encompass the earth. He compared it to the Farewell Symphony by Haydn. It was a very lovely analogy especially coming from a secular Jew.

Jerusalem

Blessed with a sunny day even if it was windier than all get out and only about 12 degrees centigrade. At least it wasn’t raining. So here is “the view” of Jerusalem. Interestingly, the golden dome that is the most recognizable hallmark of the skyline is a Muslim building. Such is life here in Israel.

Mary , Mary

In keeping with the theme of visiting possible sites of possible occurrences, today we went to the Church of the Annuncation in Nazareth that is built on an excavation site on the hill where Mary’s family might have had their home so that the bedrock foundation of a house under the church could have been where Mary lived when all that happened. Next to that church is Joseph’s chapel where maybe his carpentry shop stood.

Hey, but lovely weather still.

Romans Romans Everywhere

In our continued aim for cultural diversity, we stopped at the 2^nd to 4^th century Roman Ruins of Beit Shearim, another of the ten Roman Decapolis cities in the same time as Jerash in Jordan. Didn’t have a lot of time there but they’ve got a nice amphitheatre and very impressive baths.

Sunrise, Sunset

When we left Beit Shearim we followed the road south along the Jordan River (though you have seen a picture of Michael at the Jordan River so you realize that it’s very narrow and if you are not right on top of the Jordan River you will miss it entirely so we didn’t actually SEE the river. We did, however, drive through the West Bank past Muslim settlements, Bedoiun camps and Jewish Settlements. Passed through check points coming in and going out but nobody checked anything. We also passed Jericho. I’d show you a photo of the skyline but it’s not much to write home about. Apparently they must have learned their lesson when Joshua brought the walls down because most every building we saw was just one or two stories high.

Finally we passed through a tunnel and reminiscent of coming through the tunnel and then having Pittsburgh popup in front of you, there was Jerusalem just as the sun was going down. So there’s your photo.

 

Happy Hanukkah!

Our final stop today was to visit the Western Wailing Wall – that most sacred Jewish religious site – the only remaining portion of the original Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. It is a very moving sight at any time, but tonight was not only the beginning of the Sabbath but also the first night of Hanukkah so there were hordes of people there (men on their side, women on the other) praying and chanting and singing in celebration.
We weren’t supposed to take any photos (though Michael snuck this one without a flash). That whole “no work” on the Sabbath is actually “no creating” anything. So you can’t take photos and you can’t write prayers. If you are going to go with tradition and put a little piece of paper with a hand-written prayer on it into one of the cracks in the wall, you have to have written it before sunset. You cannot write it at the wall. In addition, you apparently cannot push elevator buttons. You can use the elevator. You just cannot push the button to signal the elevator to stop on your floor. So most hotels set one elevator for this purpose…it just automatically stops at every single floor so you can get off where you want to.

Additionally, most of the females at the wailing wall tonight were younger girls. That is apparently because women cannot light a stove or “create” a meal after sunset, so women with children and families have to stay at home to get all the dinner cooking done before the sun sets and the Sabbath begins. Great how there is always a solution that allows women to get their work done!

Head's up

Just fyi - I have ten entries on the laptop waiting to post tomorrow morning so don't be surprised when you find yourselves inundated.
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Survey question

OK. It comes to my attention that other than bombarding you all with trivia, it has been far too long since I quizzed you. So here's a simple opinion survey.
What is your impression: Is the United States government supportive of the Israelis?
Second part: Do Israelis believe that the United States Government is supportive of the Israelis?

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Thoughts on the Kibbutz system

Last night we stayed at a Kibbutz-run hotel. For we Atlas Shrugged fans it is not surprisingly to see that they have had to 'adapt' themselves to keep/attract members. Apparently, once accepted into a Kibbutz, it is virtually impossible for the other members to vote you off the Kibbutz for anything short of criminal activities. And for those of us critical thinkers (though Michael says critical people) that tells me that if they had to enact laws in Israel to keep Kibbutz-ins from tossing each other out, then clearly there are plenty of times when they'd like to.
Anyway, now monetary compensation is not equal among all members but based on the job you do and/or the amount of income you earn outside of the Kibbutz. They have more and more 'privatised' services that you pay for (like laundry and dining) rather than it all being communal. And you can own your own car and in fact now even own your home within the compound. So whether it comes as a surprise to you or not, apparently pure socialism does not work. Hmmm.
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Fishie Fishie

We had lunch down by the lake where you could order grilled 'St Peter's' fish - similar to Tilapia - that would presumably have been the type that Jesus fed to the masses for the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes. And this rock in thus photo is very possibly, maybe, could conceivably be the very rock that Jesus stood on when he performed that miracle.
Our last visit was to the church constructed on the site where Jesus might have maybe delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
And so it goes.
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Jesus slept here

So in Galilee we visited the archaeological site by the shore where Jesus came to stay during his early ministry, and this picture is ostensibly of Peter's house where Jesus stayed.
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Sea of Galilee

I'm a day behind. I apologize. But you all are fast asleep so you likely haven't noticed. At least you'll be able to read these when you wake up.
Thursday morning we had our last professional visit at the Ziv Medical Center, a government run hospital in far northern Israel up towards the Golan Heights.
The doctor who met with us actually has Anguilla stamps in his collection! Small, small world.
After Ziv, the 2-1/2 days of touristy activities commenced and we found ourselves in Galilee - much prettier country, green, agricultural.
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No picture today

It's been a loooong day. Two hour drive to Raanana to visit Beit Issie Shapiro - a non-profit that assists individuals with disabilities. Then to visit one of the HMO-run primary care facilities.
Were happy that the sun was out......right up until we had lunch and were ready to try our hand at sightseeing again....that's right when the clouds rolled back in. Freakin' swell!
So we went off trudging in the mist to explore the northern city of Acco where the British built on top of Ottoman buildings that were built on top of Crusader fortresses that appear to have been built on even more ancient Roman ruins. So down and down and down we went (at least out of the rain).
Then back to the outskirts of Haifa to eat at a Druize house - never heard of them before and don't understand that much now. Key points: they have existed since creation (which only took one day, thank you), really surfaced in the 11th century when they rose up in protest in Eqypt about the unfair treatment of women (they profess sexual equality but women can't touch men-i.e. Shake hands) and they believe in reincarnation but only as human beings and only/always as the same sex every time.
So now we are our way to our new hotel at 8PM and have to be on the road at 7:30A which is why I won't likely be transferring, resizing and posting photos tonight. You'll just have to be patient and wait for your view of a Druize dinner party.
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High on a Hill

Well, still not much exciting to tell you about for today in Israel. We visited the Hadassah Medical Center this morning which is a truly amazing privately funded medical center (hospital, research center and medical school) created due to the volunteer efforts of the Women’s Zionist Organization in Israel which in turn is affiliated with the Hadassah in America. ( www.hadassah-israel.org.il/eng )

 

Then we went to Yad Sarah (www.yadsarah.org ) another volunteer organization that provides medical equipment to folks in need (from wheelchairs to cribs to oxygen etc) for free or for only a nominal fee. Again, really inspiring to see what people can do.

 

It looked like the weather was going to clear just in time for our tourist activities in the afternoon – but no luck. Everyone piled out of the bus to take pictures of the hills and the sun inconveniently disappeared. So this is what we got. And then it started to rain again.

 

Michael and I were not particularly moved by going to the place where they say King David’s Tomb is located and above that is the building where they built a room on the site that the Crusaders thought that the Last Supper most likely, maybe took place.

 

Then it was raining so hard and getting so dark and cold that we scrubbed the plan to walk the 1-1/2 miles to the Wailing Wall. Hopefully we’ll see that on Saturday when we are back in Jerusalem again.

 

Heading on to Haifa tomorrow. Hoping for better weather.

on a prettier note

Here are three of the twelve hand-painted “stain glass” windows in the synagogue at Hadassah Medical Center. Chagall painted them with 5-7 layers of paint on every square inch and designed them to depict the twelve tribes of Israel. And as luck would have it, the sun did shine through them for the few moments we were there.

A cold and rainy day in Tel Aviv

But never enough to keep the surfers home.

A seminar day. Not a touring day. So if it has to rain one day, it may as well rain today. Won’t bore you with information about the Weizmann Institute for Research or the Israeli Medical Association, Though the falafels for lunch were good.

Tomorrow should be more interesting and hopefully better weather.

 

Israel

Well, we successfully navigated the pedestrian border crossing from Aqaba to Eilat. I always find walking across a border oddly unnerving. It seems more personal than just flying into an airport. And when you are in that 100 meters or so of 'no man's land', what if Michael has a heart attack? Who will come to our aid? What embassy would we call?
Once we were across, however, the security and Immigration process was really, surprisingly easy. They had to remove some jewelry and such from the bags to run them through the XRay again, and the Immigration officer was hardly all smiles especially when we asked for the form you can have stamped instead of stamping our passports. You see, other Arab countries won't let you in if they see that you've been to Israel; and while we have no immediate plans to visit Syria, you just never know.
Now the security here at the domestic airport was very intense - more what we expected and perhaps because we came from Jordan. All the bags had to be hand checked and swabbed for explosive residue. And there were billions of questions? Not just the usual d
Did you pack your own bags? Have they been with you the whole time? But Why did you go to Jordan? Why did you visit the places you visited? When did you decide to go? Do you know anyone there? Did you meet anyone there? Did you buy anything? Did you choose the items yourself? Why are you coming to Israel? When did you decide to come to Israel? And on and on and on.
But 1/2 hour later we were through and are now waiting to board our short flight to Tel Aviv. The hardest parts should be behind us now at least until we try to go to Palestinian controlled Bethlehem.
More later.
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Finally

We did want to mention a couple of little things:
(1) How odd it is having breakfast in the Arab world listening to Christmas songs by the Christmas tree and
(2)How surprised we were to find that the hotel laundry price list quoting 1.5 Jordanian Dinars to wash a pair of jeans apparently failed to disclose the additional 1.25 JD cost to 'transport' the jeans.
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BURN THAT BRIDGE WHEN YOU GET TO IT

Our local tomboy thought it was important to show up her sissy husband who doesn't like heights or climbing on rocks. (The narrowest part of Little Bridge is maybe two feet across!)
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Today's Lesson

Just a lesson. Not a quiz. Ypu can put down your pencils. We just thought it possible that these Thamudic inscriptions from the walls inside the Khazali Canyon siq are illustrating the three body types: ecto-, endo-, and mesomorphs and as an aside fallen arches/flat feet. If anyone sees anything else, let us know.
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Siq and Ye Shall Find

Next stop the narrow winding siq into Khazali Canyon. Beautiful rock formations where the stone has split open and you can (if you are so inclined) into the valley. Michael wasn't and Georgia turned back when jumping pools and scaling walls became necessary. But as you can see, it was stunning.
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Not just in Namibia

Second stop in Wadi Rum was the red sand dune. While nowhere near as expansive as at Sossuvlei in Namibia, they certainly seemed to be even more red in color.
Our Bedouin guide didn't speak hardly a word of English and had a real beater vehicle that nearly broke our backs.
We weren't even tempted to climb the dune.
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LAWRENCE'S SPRING

First up from our jeep ride through the Wadi Rum desert today in honor of Lawrence of Arabia's infamous ride through the desert leading a band of Bedouins to a surprise attack on the Turks FROM the DESERT instead of the sea to seize the port of Aqaba.
This is Lawrence's little oasis. What oasis?, you may ask. Look closely on the hillside. See that one tree? Well, that's it, my friends. Worth the price of admission.
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One of our Bedouin friends

Just hanging out down below the Royal Tombs.
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Pilgrimage

This is the Monastery which, as is often the case, started as a pagan temple and then was converted to a Byzantine Church until the Crusaders came along in the 12th century. As you can see the scale is absolutely incredible.
Unlike the gorilla trek, this 1+ hour 'hike' uphill was not 'like' climbing stairs. It WAS climbing stairs - 800 of them give or take. Up and then back down. Think we need to start taking flatter vacations.
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Petra

Hi Folks,
After a harried from Mt Nebo (what do these people have against direction signs? No wonder Moses wandered for 40 years. Plus I doubt he read Arabic.), we arrived last night in Petra in time to go see 'Petra By Night'. This is a photo of the Treasury this morning. Imagine it by full moon and candlelight with music playing while sipping sweet tea. Very magical.
After breakfast this morning we trekked the same two miles back through the siq to the Treasury and began another of our famed forced marches.
Petra is a 2000+ year old site of monuments, temples and tombs completely carved out of the most amazingly coloured and variegated sandstone imaginable. The scale is incredible.
Walked for a total of six hours and frankly just can't walk any more.
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Math problem

First, unrelated to the math problem, this is a photo of Michael dipping his fingers into the Jordan River very near to where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The actual site which we also visited is no longer under water (2000 years being a long time for a river to stay the same). Now fortunately the river itself is not holy water so that Michael was saved from bursting into flames.
Now I have to go back and correct an error in one of yesterday's posts (and I appreciate nobody calling me on the inaccuracy). The Dead Sea is not 400 ft below sea level it is 400 meters below sea level which is very different. Closer to Hell for one thing but they also point out that it is farther from the sun so the sun's rays are not as damaging! Right! So here's the math problem: what percentage increase over sea level is that added distance compared to the sea level distance from the sun? Extra credit: will that save you from skin cancer?
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Are you looking for direction?

Already mentioned the compass pointing towards Mecca on the plane. Have to assume that this decal (with its mirror image beside it) on the ceiling of our room is a similar religious compass. Mosques and minaret are everywhere. And we are sitting in a bar at a big resort having two-for-one happy hour drinks and there is nobody else in here. Must be a Muslim country. And yet, since the Muslim religion is built on Judaism and Christianity, the area is full of biblical sites. The Dead Sea itself was a favorite place of King David's and later Herod. Tomorrow we will visit the Baptismal Site of Jesus, Mt Nebo where Moses viewed the promised land right before he died, and stop in to see the mosaic map in the church at Madaba on our way to Petra.
It's a very fascinating country!

Look Ma no Float Belt

Even Michael has to admit that he could float. In fact, he stumbled on the rocky bottom at first and then just could not get his feet back down to the bottom to stand (photos not attached). Finally he managed to just give up and bob to the top and float. Put a mast in his belly button, raise a sail and he could drift away. Really a cool experience.

Dead Sea Mud Facial

Drove 1-1/2 hours back south past Amman and then west to the Dead Sea. Windy and dusty due to a big sand storm. But the Holiday Inn Resort here is great. A brand new facility. Exquisite amenities. And Great staff. First thing we did? Head for the water. The dead see if about 50 yards from our room. The lowest place on land on earth at approximately 400 ft below sea level. And one of the most highly concentrated saline lakes in the world. According to Wikipedia it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. And you really do float(see next post). Georgia floated sitting up. And then had a quick, homemade mud facial. Gonna look fabulous now!!!

Day One Jordan

Slept in this morning. After breakfast, we picked up our rental car and away we went. Drove about 45 minutes north to Jerash. Traffic not awful but amazing how they manage to cram 4 lanes of traffic into 3 lanes of roadway. Very reminiscent of Cairo - lots of horn honking and passing on the right and no allowance of stopping distance. But we got their in one piece.
We toured the Roman ruins of Jerash for almost 3 hours. Absolutely beautiful ruins. The weather is fantastic. Perfect for trudging through the hillside. And no crowds. Must be a relatively undiscovered tourist destination. The Jordanians are extremely friendly and seem to love Americans.

And the answer is...

The kitchen window fell out.
Yup, the upper hinge mechanism for the casement window broke when we were closing it just as we were leaving.
We do, however, want to applaud all of you who played along. The fact that "all of the above" was the number one answer means that all of our whining over the years has paid off. You all, like us, now expect the worst of living in Anguilla.
Luckily, I am nothing if not organized and in five minutes had the name and phone number of the company where we bought our last replacement parts in 2007 and even printed out the previous invoice so we have been in contact with them during lay overs. Back to the trip, though. Our luggage made it. Woo Hoo! And the flight progress display on Royal Jordanian airlines shows not just current time, time till arrival, etc but also a compass that points the way to Mecca. Haven't come across that before.
But now we are bunking down at the Dana Plaza Hotel in Amman and looking forward to really starting the trip. Nitey night.
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Chaos Quiz

We are sitting in the British Airways First Class Lounge in Terminal 3 at Heathrow wondering if our luggage made the connection at JFK. We had to circle for a half an hour and then took a full 25 minutes on the ground to reach the gate. We miraculously managed to clear immigration, get our bags, clear customs, re-enter through security and make it to the gate in what must be a record 40 minutes. No idea whether our bags were as lucky and the computer system here can't put our minds at ease. It is anybody's guess where they are until we reach Amman at nearly midnight tonight.

Surprisingly, though, that is not the biggest excitement so far. Here is a multiple choice question:

What broke/fell apart just as we were leaving the house this morning?

A.  The septic backed up.

B.  The car had a flat tire.

C.  A window came loose.

D. All of the above.

Take a little time to ponder. We'll be back later with the answer.

Gonna go take a shower and try to get a facial.