Into Jordan, a different world again. We stayed for one night in the port of Aqaba and drank Turkish coffee outside in the evening whilst watching Arabic soaps projected onto a big white wall. The Turkish coffee: "Black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love" was just that and really not to my liking. It was the only thing all the men around us were drinking.
We moved on to Petra the following morning. Petra is an ancient city cut out of the rose red rock by the Naboteans 2000 years ago. The entrance to Petra is magical. The way is along al-siq which is a gully created by tectonic forces and you can see the matching veins in the rock walls rising either side as clear evidence of where the stone was wrenched apart. After about half a mile this natural wonder opens out and you see the Treasury appear in all its majesty in front of you. The town also includes a theatre, royal tombs and a monastery. One of the Bedouin led me past a "No climbing" sign up to a peak opposite the Treasury. We sat in one of the caves with some Bedouin, drank sweet tea, listened to the Pipe boy play and watched the sunset. I was enchanted.
We visited an area of desert called Wadi Run and stayed in a Bedouin camp. We played drums and their traditional stringed instruments and danced into the night before retiring on our flimsy mattresses laid out underneath the desert sky.
Sunday, 21 September 2008
Ramallah
I took a sherut into Ramallah to see what the oft reported about town looks like in the flesh. The place was bustling and hectic. The shops and the markets were on streets which radiated from the central Lion's roundabout. I wandered through the market and a man made me a present of some grapes. I wandered some more.. and some more.. and wasn't really finding anything exciting. So, I went into a hotel and asked the lady if there was anything of interest to see in the area. She looked at me in partial amusement: "This is Ramallah". I found the Palestinian Authority buildings thanks to a map she dug out for me and then got the sherut back to Jerusalem.
Saturday, 13 September 2008
Welcome
"I am from England" seems to go down exceptionally well, being from London even better.
In the past week I have made forays to Bethlehem and Jericho in the West Bank and Ein Gedi, South of Jerusalem on the banks of the Dead Sea.
In Bethlehem I visited the Church of the Nativity (the original basilica was built by Emperor Constantine in AD325). It was crammed with tour groups. I bumped into Aled Jones, the Welsh singer, in Milk Grotto where Mary and Joseph sheltered when on the run from Herod. A lovely man (who wanted to go to England but had no friends there) showed me around the church and grottos where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds. Throughout the visit I kept coming across the same taxi driver whose offer of a tour I had to keep refusing.
My trip to Jericho took me further into the West bank. On the way we stopped in a town called Asarya where I changed sherut. A guy about my age helpfully tapped me on the shoulder and indicated to me that my bra strap (blue) was showing and I should take out my tongue stud. The tongue stud may have been dodgy because it's an unorthodox adornment or because it's ramadam and so it looks as though i'm eating something when noone else is.
In Jericho a man named Nial (who gleefully claimed his cousin was from Manchester) insisted on driving me around to see the Monastery of St George on the Mount of Temption, where Jesus spent forty days in the desert; the Alisha spring which was probably what draw settlers to this boiling spot 250m below sea level 10,000 years ago; and the sycamore tree which is reputedly the very one mentioned in the book of Luke in the new testament. Nial would accept no payment, made me a gift of fresh dates, told me he had split from his wife because she thought in the old way and insisted that i phone him when I arrived in Jerusalem to ensure I got back safe. Hmm..
Ein Gedi is a stunning oasis on the banks of the Dead Sea, which lies 400m below sea level. I bathed in the Sea and discovered that you really do float. The novelty wore off swiftly as i realised that that is all you can do. I also visited the Kibbutz which is the only botanical garden within which there is a community living. It is entirely self sufficient with about 500 inhabitants, school, zoo, dining facilities, shop amd swimming pool. I stayed in the nearby youth hostel and spent the evening with a German guy visiting the area to cure his psoriasis and an Israeli who'd spent 4 years in the army, said his name was Benny Rambo, was now a masseur and took pleasure in showing us his favourite spots. This involved us hairing up and down the one road in his jeep and lots of jokes about the polite English.
In the past week I have made forays to Bethlehem and Jericho in the West Bank and Ein Gedi, South of Jerusalem on the banks of the Dead Sea.
In Bethlehem I visited the Church of the Nativity (the original basilica was built by Emperor Constantine in AD325). It was crammed with tour groups. I bumped into Aled Jones, the Welsh singer, in Milk Grotto where Mary and Joseph sheltered when on the run from Herod. A lovely man (who wanted to go to England but had no friends there) showed me around the church and grottos where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds. Throughout the visit I kept coming across the same taxi driver whose offer of a tour I had to keep refusing.
My trip to Jericho took me further into the West bank. On the way we stopped in a town called Asarya where I changed sherut. A guy about my age helpfully tapped me on the shoulder and indicated to me that my bra strap (blue) was showing and I should take out my tongue stud. The tongue stud may have been dodgy because it's an unorthodox adornment or because it's ramadam and so it looks as though i'm eating something when noone else is.
In Jericho a man named Nial (who gleefully claimed his cousin was from Manchester) insisted on driving me around to see the Monastery of St George on the Mount of Temption, where Jesus spent forty days in the desert; the Alisha spring which was probably what draw settlers to this boiling spot 250m below sea level 10,000 years ago; and the sycamore tree which is reputedly the very one mentioned in the book of Luke in the new testament. Nial would accept no payment, made me a gift of fresh dates, told me he had split from his wife because she thought in the old way and insisted that i phone him when I arrived in Jerusalem to ensure I got back safe. Hmm..
Ein Gedi is a stunning oasis on the banks of the Dead Sea, which lies 400m below sea level. I bathed in the Sea and discovered that you really do float. The novelty wore off swiftly as i realised that that is all you can do. I also visited the Kibbutz which is the only botanical garden within which there is a community living. It is entirely self sufficient with about 500 inhabitants, school, zoo, dining facilities, shop amd swimming pool. I stayed in the nearby youth hostel and spent the evening with a German guy visiting the area to cure his psoriasis and an Israeli who'd spent 4 years in the army, said his name was Benny Rambo, was now a masseur and took pleasure in showing us his favourite spots. This involved us hairing up and down the one road in his jeep and lots of jokes about the polite English.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Rules
There are many rules here.
I went to the beautiful, third largest Israeli city of Haifa with a friend I made in the Youth Hostel. (Now Ben has gone and I am a single girl on her own I am attracting "friends" by the dozen). We wanted to visit the Ba hai shrine. The Ba hai religion belives that Moses, Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad are fundamentally bearers of the same message. All I wanted to do was walk in the perfectly manicured gardens but... I had a vest top on so my shoulders were visible. We trapsed the city looking for a cheap top or shawl. Eventually I found something but I was annoyed that they had not let me off.
There is an obsession with women and clothes and by this I mean the "go go strip club" in Tel Aviv must be the exception rather than the rule. I was on the Jewish bus from the central bus station and it passed through the stetl of Me'a She'arim. A huge board on the way in shouted that all girls and women must dress modestly when passing through the area. There seemed to be no women in the area only orthodox male Jews clustered in small groups wearing black suits, white shirts, tassles, black shoes and hats. There were black and white posters in Hebrew everywhere and even a shoe shop selling nothing but black shoes for men!
The wall annoyed me today. I went to Bethlehem in the West Bank and wanted to visit Rachel's tomb (my namesake and wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph in the old testament). The wall was built such that it split Bethlehem from the outer reaches of the town where the tomb was. So, there were no Arab buses I could catch. I would have to go back to the checkpoint and then walk to the tomb. Having already been wandering all day I decided to give it a miss.
The wall annoyed me again today. I was on the bus back into Jerusalem and so we had to leave the West bank. The Israelis do not care who goes in but they care who comes out so when we arrived at the checkpoint we piled out our sherut, pulled out passports, had them checked by attractive, uniformed youngsters and then piled back on... only not everyone. There was a problem with one woman's identification and we had to wait for ages. After the wait of about 20 minutes I felt quite a comaradery with my fellow passengers!
I went to the beautiful, third largest Israeli city of Haifa with a friend I made in the Youth Hostel. (Now Ben has gone and I am a single girl on her own I am attracting "friends" by the dozen). We wanted to visit the Ba hai shrine. The Ba hai religion belives that Moses, Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad are fundamentally bearers of the same message. All I wanted to do was walk in the perfectly manicured gardens but... I had a vest top on so my shoulders were visible. We trapsed the city looking for a cheap top or shawl. Eventually I found something but I was annoyed that they had not let me off.
There is an obsession with women and clothes and by this I mean the "go go strip club" in Tel Aviv must be the exception rather than the rule. I was on the Jewish bus from the central bus station and it passed through the stetl of Me'a She'arim. A huge board on the way in shouted that all girls and women must dress modestly when passing through the area. There seemed to be no women in the area only orthodox male Jews clustered in small groups wearing black suits, white shirts, tassles, black shoes and hats. There were black and white posters in Hebrew everywhere and even a shoe shop selling nothing but black shoes for men!
The wall annoyed me today. I went to Bethlehem in the West Bank and wanted to visit Rachel's tomb (my namesake and wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph in the old testament). The wall was built such that it split Bethlehem from the outer reaches of the town where the tomb was. So, there were no Arab buses I could catch. I would have to go back to the checkpoint and then walk to the tomb. Having already been wandering all day I decided to give it a miss.
The wall annoyed me again today. I was on the bus back into Jerusalem and so we had to leave the West bank. The Israelis do not care who goes in but they care who comes out so when we arrived at the checkpoint we piled out our sherut, pulled out passports, had them checked by attractive, uniformed youngsters and then piled back on... only not everyone. There was a problem with one woman's identification and we had to wait for ages. After the wait of about 20 minutes I felt quite a comaradery with my fellow passengers!
Conflict?
Ben and I were in Tel Aviv for shabbot. Since Jews are forbidden to work on this day they swarm to the beaches along with all the tourists attracted to this newly proclaimed honey pot.
We lazed on the beach. I read the Jerusalem Post whilst drinking my iced coffee as Ben went and explored. Not a great paper. Pretty right wing. The few articles i read from the magazine insert were a review of a book about how Haj Amin al-Husseini had collaborated with Hitler, the sex and the city life style of Israeli women in America (making it out to be a good thing) and how a healthy injection of Capitalism was saving the Kibbutz. There was a good insert on entertainment in Israel though.
On Sunday the city itself came back to life and I wandered through Carmel Market, the Dizengoff (huge) shopping centre up to the Hayarkon River and along to Tel Aviv port where the rich Israelis come to play. I passed through Rabin Square, previously Kings of Israel Square, but renamed after Prime Minster Rabin was assasinated on his way back to his car by a Jewish extremist after delivering a speech there.
That evening I felt completely at ease sipping a glass of wine and wandering along the shore on my own just soaking up the easy atmosphere.
We lazed on the beach. I read the Jerusalem Post whilst drinking my iced coffee as Ben went and explored. Not a great paper. Pretty right wing. The few articles i read from the magazine insert were a review of a book about how Haj Amin al-Husseini had collaborated with Hitler, the sex and the city life style of Israeli women in America (making it out to be a good thing) and how a healthy injection of Capitalism was saving the Kibbutz. There was a good insert on entertainment in Israel though.
On Sunday the city itself came back to life and I wandered through Carmel Market, the Dizengoff (huge) shopping centre up to the Hayarkon River and along to Tel Aviv port where the rich Israelis come to play. I passed through Rabin Square, previously Kings of Israel Square, but renamed after Prime Minster Rabin was assasinated on his way back to his car by a Jewish extremist after delivering a speech there.
That evening I felt completely at ease sipping a glass of wine and wandering along the shore on my own just soaking up the easy atmosphere.
Uniform
The T-shirt emblazoned with "guns and moses" sums up the potent emotional mix of religion and war that is so apparent here.
The Israel Defence Force is everywhere. Being a big military fan myself I have nothing against the generous scattering of uniformed men around. There are a little young though (19 -20..ahem..).
When I was at the wailing wall a girl soldier in uniform with V Beckham type shades on and an M16 slung casually over her shoulder sauntered down to murmur her prayers. The image of her said something profound and was strangely captivating.
The Israel Defence Force is everywhere. Being a big military fan myself I have nothing against the generous scattering of uniformed men around. There are a little young though (19 -20..ahem..).
When I was at the wailing wall a girl soldier in uniform with V Beckham type shades on and an M16 slung casually over her shoulder sauntered down to murmur her prayers. The image of her said something profound and was strangely captivating.
Friday, 5 September 2008
Team America
The prescience of America is worthy of note.
We spent a balmy evening at the American Colony, the hang out of Diplomats, Journalists and NGO workers and regular haunt of Mr Blair. It was until very recently owned by a British woman. It was lovely, but pretty Western (including the prices which we failed to realise were in dollars until after we'd eaten!).
We visited the Israel museum in West Jerusalem. This includes the Shrine of the Book where some of the Dead Sea scrolls can be seen. There is also a scale model of Jerusalem from the era of the second temple and a fantastic modern art trail in the gardens. The museum is beautiful. The guide was excellent. She did chide Ben for referring to the Hebrew bible as the old testament though. The funding was largely from American friends.
Last night we let our hair down in West Jerusalem, smoked shisha, drank Goldstar beer and downed Arak. The streets around Jaffa Street thronged with young jewish Americans on their wholly funded trip to Israel that they are entitled to courtesy of the US government and rich American Jews. About 160,000 come each year for a couple of weeks. The idea is to promote the Holy land in the face of increasing Arab and dwindling Jewish populations.
We spent a balmy evening at the American Colony, the hang out of Diplomats, Journalists and NGO workers and regular haunt of Mr Blair. It was until very recently owned by a British woman. It was lovely, but pretty Western (including the prices which we failed to realise were in dollars until after we'd eaten!).
We visited the Israel museum in West Jerusalem. This includes the Shrine of the Book where some of the Dead Sea scrolls can be seen. There is also a scale model of Jerusalem from the era of the second temple and a fantastic modern art trail in the gardens. The museum is beautiful. The guide was excellent. She did chide Ben for referring to the Hebrew bible as the old testament though. The funding was largely from American friends.
Last night we let our hair down in West Jerusalem, smoked shisha, drank Goldstar beer and downed Arak. The streets around Jaffa Street thronged with young jewish Americans on their wholly funded trip to Israel that they are entitled to courtesy of the US government and rich American Jews. About 160,000 come each year for a couple of weeks. The idea is to promote the Holy land in the face of increasing Arab and dwindling Jewish populations.
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