Rhodes: top to bottom

 In case you didn't notice my blog is still f'd up and won't let me properly place photos....

The next morning (breakfast was gross as expected) we did find hot water and towels, much to our relief and we waited for our tour leader to give the low down on the tours for the following days. She arrived late and explained what was available for some outrageous tourist prices so we decided to rent a car and go it on our own. As the cars were all taken for the day, we chilled by the pool and snack bar which had nice cookies and drinks before we took a walk along the beautiful beach with the sea green crystal waters. We enjoyed our tour around the neighbourhood, which was mostly deserted as tourist season doesn’t officially start until May. It appeared that the only people traveling to Rhodes at this time were Israeli’s and a few Europeans. The dining hall was packed with Hebrew and a few people even brought their own matzo’s (as bread is not allowed during Passover)!

The next day, picked up our new Volkswagon Polo and decided to take a tour of the island. We followed the somewhat illegible map and explored the countryside and coastline running into tourist monuments and amazing sites along the way. The ocean is amazing and there are so many beautiful spots to stop and enjoy the views. Our first official stop was in Lindos, a town an hour down the coast and once the main trading centre before the city of Rhodes made it redundant. We walked downt he hill and into the adorable town packed with souvenirs and tourists. We enthusiastically explored the white city with its hustle and bustle before heading to the ruins. At the top of the city loomed the impressive acropolis of Lindos which was built and maintained by the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Knights of St John and the Ottomans making this site difficult to deduce the archaeological findings. That being said the view from the top is outstanding as you look out over the ocean for miles and miles. There were many interesting structures still standing and numerous smaller pieces roped off on the ground for viewing.

We shopped our way through the tourist district and picked a rooftop restaurant for some traditional Greek food. The boys all opted for meatballs and fries while Ariana and I shared a chicken souvlaki and vegetarian moussaka. Delicious and a great change from the hotel!! We walked back to the car and decided to head to the tip of the island to see the meeting of the seas! It took us an hour to make it to Prasonisi at the very bottom where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. You can actually see the two oceans colliding as the two side come to meet in peaceful opposition. Many people were out walking the sandy route to take pictures and marvel at the beauty. We enjoyed drinks and baklava at a restaurant overlooking the water before returning to our hotel. We ate dinner at the hotel again and I vowed not to do it again! Even Zeev who tried the vinegar yogurt salad was left with a bitter taste in his mouth (literally)! We enjoyed playing cards and drinking free beverages in the bar post-dinner while watching the sad magic show before bed.

The Rhode to nowhere

Ariana, Zeev, the twins and I made our way to the airport the day after Passover began for our escape to the island of Rhodes in Greece. After clearing major security to leave the country, we waited patiently at the airport for our flight that ended up being delayed by three hours with no explanation or apologies. We were not expecting the delays and were stuck eating airport food. I ate a kosher for Passover burger from McDonalds that was disgusting and I suspect the meat was made the day before and reheated. As I previously explained the general outline of Shabbat, I must mention that the eve of as well as the day of the holiday are governed by similar rules. So no fries with my meal either!

When we did finally board the plane, we realized the stupid woman at check-in (and I mean stupid) had seated us accordingly to last name. One person seated in row three, one in row 21 and one in row 29 despite the fact she knew we were all traveling together. She also harassed me by going on and on about whether I needed a visa to get into Greece. I not so politely told her this was not my first trip and that Canadians did not require a visa. Everyone seemed to think it was unusual that I was Canadian and traveling to Rhodes for a vacation. I understood soon enough after arriving in our hotel!

Once in Rhodes, we endured the regular customs routine, grabbed our bags, signed into our package and took a seat on the bus to our hotel. We arrived at the Ocean Blue three hours later than expected and while we waited to check-in two young Israeli’s gave us the low down on the disgusting food, the lack of hot water and towels and how they had waited eight hours for their flight the day before and were now paying 150 euros to leave that night! Great way to start the trip! We optimistically threw our stuff in the room and headed to the main dining room to the all inclusive buffet included in our package.

We were hoping for the best and sadly we were left with much to be desired. I have to say from traveling the globe through 27 countries, a cruise and numerous local buffets that this was by far the worst food I have ever been forced to endure. The vegetables that were there were mostly caked in mayonnaise and topped with chunks of ham and the other vegetables were definitely not fresh! I won’t get into specifics on the hot food (if you can call it that)! Zeev and the boys thought the food was fine and grabbed whatever looked appealing. I ate what I could and tried not to heave. We all finished off the night with some TV and much needed relaxing.

Israel: Tradition and Fun!

Over the next week we continued to tour Joe around two of the main tourist attractions in Israel: Old city Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.

We drove into Jerusalem early Thursday morning to meet with my uncle Asher for a tour of the old city as well as the building where he works as a teacher and rabbi. I always love coming to the old city, the most religious and important place in the Jewish faith. The narrow alleys, sandstone buildings and cobblestone walkways ooze history mixed with modern living. The old city has eleven gates to enter by, seven of  which are currently open. The Golden Gate which is above ground and below the Temple Mount is only visible from outside the city and was sealed during the Muslim rule of Suleiman. According to the bible, when the Messiah comes for the Jews, he will enter through this gate. I don’t think a sealed gate will really stop him!

On the temple mount, also known as Mount Moriah, currently sits the Muslim Dome of the Rock. This is the holiest site in Judaism and the direction in which Jews turn towards during prayer. It is the site of two previous temples and where the third temple will be built again one day. The Sunni Muslim’s consider it to be their third holiest site and it is the biggest bone of contention between the two religions. The temple mount has been under the control of Israel since 1967, although Israel has since turned over its management to an Islamic council that forbids non-Muslim visitors to pray there. It is rumored that the Muslim’s are afraid of the mighty Jewish prayer and you can be arrested for openly praying there.

Along our tour, my Uncle Asher was able to pull some strings and we got a private viewing of the newly rebuilt Hurva synagogue (pictured above) in the old city. It was the main Ashkenazi (European Jews) synagogue from the 16th to the 20th century and it was demolished by the Jordanians during the 1948 war.

Another big highlight of our visit to Jerusalem was the tunnel tour under the western wall. A journey back in time gives the history of how the wall was built, the changes over time periods and where we stand today regarding our patient waiting to rebuild our temple. Although the tour was a little claustrophobic and smelly, it was very interesting as we went down the long staircases followed the underground world around bends and down a long hallway. We really enjoyed our first tunnel tour! Joe inserted our prayers into the Western wall (a tradition for locals and visitors alike) as it is the closest place to God.

We finished off our day in Jerusalem with dinner with two of my cousins at one of Israel’s many fabulous restaurants. Really delicious and a great way to end the day!

The Saturday following our trip to the old city, Zeev, Ariana and I took a much anticipated trip to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is best known as the body of water containing so much salt that nothing can live in it. It has 8.6 times the salt content of the ocean and a density of 1.24 kg/L making it very difficult to swim, but enjoyable for a float. Many people bring a newspaper and hang out as the salt and healing properties work on the skin. The salt is amazing and a dip in the Dead Sea helps heal psoriasis and other skin problems. I always enjoy a visit and best of all covering my body head to toe in mud and waiting for it to dry before washing it off. My skin always feels soft and refreshed after to trip there. 

After Joe's  two weeks in Israel, he caught a plane and headed home leaving me unsupervised for two weeks!!

Adventures in Israel

In between meeting and mingling with family, we took the time to show Joe around Israel as this was his first trip to the holy land. My cousin Nadav took him on an up close and personal tour of The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum in Latrune, a memorial to fallen soldiers as well as an extensive and diverse tank museum. Joe really enjoyed himself and got inside every tank/vehicle possible and the two of them took endless pictures of every army vehicle there!

Joe and I also enjoyed a tour of the Sorek Stalactite Cave near Bet Shemesh (about an hour away). The cave, which is 60 metres wide and 82 metres long was accidentally discovered when workers were blasting at the quarry next door. Long, short, fat, thin dripping stalactites and stalagmites filled the cave along with the glow of the yellow and orange lights. The cave was just as impressive as the first time I visited and Joe also really enjoyed it!

Friday night we spent our second Shabbat at my Uncle Asher’s house with my Aunt Leah and four cousins. This is always an interesting experience, especially for Joe who has not previously been exposed to very religious Jews (not that he was complaining). Shabbat is a weekly holiday that is observed by religious Jews on Friday at sundown until Saturday night at sundown. It comes from the Bible when God built the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested. The religious tout this as a time to relax and enjoy your family without the burden of working or other distraction! The Talmud gives 39 categories of work that are not allowed to be done on Shabbat including washing, baking, tearing, cooking, writing, tying, making or extinguishing fire and many more that make up the 39 thing that are considered as general labour. It can be quite a hassle, but the religious have their systems down pat and prepare in advance.

I think the idea in theory is a nice one, but not particularly practical (say for a farmer) and not something Joe and I plan to put into practice in our home. Interestingly, Israel is definitely a religious state and there are no buses and many stores are closed on Saturdays. You also cannot get married civilly in Israel unless you sign a document stating you have no religion (which I believe is a recent change). Another interesting fact about Judaism is that there is no mixing of meat and milk during meals,  which means no cheeseburgers or meat pizza and many other food items we take for granted. The rule comes from the passage in the bible that talks about not cooking a calf in its mother’s milk. You would be surprised at how many Israeli's abide by this rule (which is a total pain in the ass) religious or not. When Joe ordered a meat sandwich and a coffee with milk at a restaurant, they gave him a to-go mug so as not to un-kosher their cup! I am used to all of these rules as this is my fourth trip to Israel, but I still have to think twice every time I want to cook something. No meat in my lasagne here!!

Other highlights to our time here were the numerous great restaurants which included my personal fave Achla, a meat restaurant that serves tons of little dishes of salads (egg salad, coleslaw, corn, a variety of pickled salads) along with hot fresh bread and meat of your choice. They keep refilling the salads and it’s hard to say no! Ariana and fam also took us to a nice restaurant in Kfar Saba where Joe enjoyed a three mini burgers with fries, which he had been craving for some time!

We were also treated to a private performance during practice time for Ariana and her band. Unfortunately they did not have a show scheduled during our visit because of the holidays. It was in a sound proof room and was really rockin!  

Golan Heights: Day two

We started the next morning with a quick trip to Kfar Haruv, a kibbutz where my mom spent six months working and learning Hebrew in her twenties. A kibbutz is a type of communal farm where locals live together sharing the responsibilities of work, child care, cooking, cleaning etc. It use to be a very popular destination for North Americans (perhaps other countries too) to spend six months or more on a work and learn type vacation. Unfortunately, Kibbutz’ are becoming less popular and are not accepting so many outsiders as the economy has changed and people are less likely to want to work for the communal and better good. Interestingly enough my parents met on a different kibbutz in their twenties and lived together before traveling to Egypt and Amsterdam before returning home. The Kfar Haruv kibbutz was very beautiful and set among trees overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

We left the kibbutz for breakfast at a local tourist spot called Aniyam. We shared a couple of Israeli breakfasts and could hardly finish all of the bread and spreads. Amazing cheeses, jams and dips, we ate and ate. Once we finished breakfast we began to explore the adorable village filled with brightly colored art shops selling various items. Ariana saw a sign for a fish pedicure above one of the shops and we set out to explore. It is the new “in” pedicure to have these tiny Garra Rufa fish (from Turkey) affectionately known as “doctor fish” nibble on the dead skin of its eager recipients.

Our twenty minute treatment was relaxing and refreshing although a bit unnerving when you first dip your feet into the water and the fish begin to work. It was a really great experience and something I would highly recommend trying. Certain states and now England are looking into the potential health risks that might be associated, but this kind of treatment has been used for thousands of years in Asia with no reported health problems not to mention the tank is filtered about every four minutes to ensure the water is clean.

With our smooth new feet we traipsed through the art village buying handmade items for our homes. We left mid-morning and made a few stops along the way including beautiful waterfalls just off the main road. We also stopped and took pictures with a couple of deserted tanks. Joe was all in there, literally getting inside and moving the gun around. He was in heaven! We also stopped and looked through an old Syrian bunker left over from the war. We finished off our trip to the Golan by visiting some family nearby before making the two hour drive back to the shomron.

Israel: Golan Heights

We spent a quiet Friday and Saturday in Israel relaxing and enjoying our first Shabbat meals with family. My cousins took us shopping at the local shook (market) to buy delicious fruit and cheap made in china clothing/things. Joe and I each found a pair of sunglasses and I bought myself some slippers to wear indoors as people wear shoes or crocs inside the houses here (no carpeting). Joe really enjoyed meeting all my family especially Ariana’s oldest son Nadav who is interested in weapons, machinery, cars and all things male. They bonded and Joe ended up dressed in a bullet proof vest playing with Nadav's toys!

On Sunday the Jordan crew set out for an overnight trip to the Golan Heights which Joe specifically requested as he had seen so many history programs on wars fought there. The 2.5 hour journey was pleasant and enjoyable as we drove mostly through farmlands filled with trees and blooming signs of spring. We made it to Hamat Gader, once known as the Greek City of Gadara which was built overlooking the Sea of Galilee and in close proximity to natural hot springs which were used as a place to relax and regenerate by those fun seeking romans after taking over other peoples empires.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in one of the many parks on the 40 acre property then proceeded to the mineral baths to renew our bodies. The baths are known for their healing properties which are great for the skin and are rumoured to help boost metabolism (fingers crossed), cell renewal and helps to relieve joint pain. We particularly enjoyed the Jacuzzi type baths that invigorated and really moved the skin around, although some were a little intense. We enjoyed the three pools and a lounge in the sun with ice cream, before we decided to check out the alligator farm and bird sanctuary. The park boasts over 200 alligators and is one of the largest alligator parks in the Middle East. They had a least four types of very different alligators and numerous baby to preteen ones as well. Alligators are very creepy in how they lounge on the land or in the water with one eye open watching you. Considering how fast they can move, they do a good job of appearing innocent and lazy. We were behind a very thick fence for the most part. The park also housed a bird sanctuary, baby chicks, a fawn, numerous baboons and a mountain goat. I felt bad for them as they hung around their cages. I still find zoos very sad and wonder why we can’t observe animals in their natural habitat. I didn’t feel as bad for the creepy alligators though!

We left the park in the late afternoon and headed to our guest house 30 minutes. Our room was in a row of cabins set among tropical trees and foliage, lined with hammocks. Two separate rooms, a Jacuzzi tub bathroom to share and a small kitchen set in the middle. We dropped our stuff and made the drive to a local kibbutz known for its amazing fish restaurant. We ended up splitting a meal and eating lots of pita and were still full without dessert. Food in Israel is amazing, fresh and meals always involve delicious salads and warm bread. A nice change after being vegetable starved for so long!

Jordan to Israel

  

We woke up the next morning well rested but with aching muscles from overextending our fitness abilities the day before! We had previously arranged with Waleed to pick us up at 8:30am and he was already waiting when we went down for breakfast at eight. We had been told, and it was hard to miss the celebratory preparations for King Abdullah’s visit to Wadi Musa today to speak with the Bedouins in light of recent uprisings in the Arab world. We packed up our things and watched as hundreds of Bedouin soldiers lined the streets to protect their King.

We drove straight to the mid-way castle, a typical tourist trap where we stopped on the way down for overpriced snacks and tourist souvenirs. A young Jordanian man, a bit younger than me, followed Ariana and me around as we checked out the store making joking about giving me a special price, but triple the price for my husband. As we left, he tried to get me to promise that I would return to see him without my husband; I politely declined! On our way out, I noticed a tourist souvenir mapping out the country of “Palestine” known in the western world as Israel. Although the two countries live side by side, it’s no big surprise that most Israeli’s won’t visit here.

We drove to Amman so that Ariana and Omi could see the parts they missed and a few new ones for all of us. We made our way to the roman amphitheatre that is still used today for concerts and performances. I think I have seen roman amphitheatres in over five countries now. Beside the archaeological site we stopped at an antiquities store and bargained for elephants, hanging globes, a compass and sundial. The storeowner thought we drove a hard bargain, but did negotiate in the end and everyone left with an item or two. We then made our way to the Citadel where Ariana and Omi toured while I looked around for my favourite cat. After our sightseeing we stopped for schwarma yet again and headed to the border for the lengthy trip back home to Israel.

I had read online that crossing at the Allenby border (near Jerusalem) was a big hassle, but we confidently hopped people were just exaggerating. We exited Jordan in moments, then were forced to wait for 30 mins for the tourist bus to pick us up. They charged us for the 5 minute ride as well as a per/bag fee which was totally ridiculous. Once we arrived in Israel, our big bags were tagged and taken away and we went through two more slow check and questionings. Ariana, Joe and Omi passed through till the end problem free, while I was left “waiting 5 minutes for my bag.”

Five minutes came and went and I soon discovered that my bag was flagged for further inspection and I had to wait 1.5 hours to get it checked. Not because there were so many people ahead, but because there was only ONE PERSON allowed to check bags “allegedly” and he was busy. I berated all of the English speaking custom workers in the vicinity, which I’m sure didn’t do me any favours (the French woman beside me waited just as long). Finally after the unnecessary wait period, my bag was checked for five minutes and I was able to go free. Apparently, the compass that we had purchased in Jordan looked suspicious. I was so pissed by the three hours it took to clear customs and embarrassed for a country that prides itself on national security whilst holding people hostage for hours waiting for their bags to be checked. You have to hand it to the USA for their efficient checking systems. As a Canadian I do not appreciate being treated like a terrorist and left to wait for hours on end while ten workers walked by doing what appeared to be nothing. I will be writing on the travel blogs about this one...

Once free, we jumped on the bus, followed by a taxi, but we still missed our bus to the Shomron and were forced to wait three hours or take an alternate bus that left us shy of our actual destination. We chose option B and had my cousin pick us up in a city 30 minutes from where they lived. We arrived home around midnight and celebrated before heading to bed.

Petra - a rose-red city half as old as time

FYI, my blog has gone mental, after I unassumingly updated to the latest version, the formatting and pictures are not how I would like them. Anyone familiar with blogger, I would love the help :)

We woke up early for our continental breakfast, grabbed our packed lunches and a quick cab ride down to Petra. The red-rose city as it is often referred to; was established by the Nabataeans over 2000 years ago and is synonymous with Jordan, not to mention its largest attraction and source of income. Being such, we paid the exorbitant entrance fee that has more than doubled since I was here three years ago.

Allegedly the fee now includes a free map and a horse ride down through the Siq (although we had read online that the Bedouins still demand a tip post the 5 min ride, so we declined) and we had to ask for the map. The 1km walk through the siq is your first and most memorable impression of Petra. The winding 80 meter cliffs lined in red and orange ribbons enhance the excitement for what is to come. As you near the entrance, you are suddenly bombarded with your first glimpse of the Al-Kahzneh (the Treasury) and the most well known monument in Petra. The treasury, cut deep into the walls of the rock became famous worldwide for its appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

We took a moment to admire its beauty before beginning our day long trek in the overwhelming and beautiful Petra. I noticed, having been here three years earlier (in the off season) that there were a lot less tourists visiting now, during its on-season. I would hazard to guess that this may be due to the huge jump in price or more likely the unrest in the Arab world at this time. The Bedouins who live in Petra also were much less annoying on this visit. The children followed us, but they were few and far between and much less pushy. Unfortunately the smell of urine inside the monuments was still very much there as many people seem to think of Petra as their personal toilet. Thankfully, the inside of the rock is not nearly as spectacular as the outside and it didn’t really affect our enjoyment.

We chose an alternate route to the last time we were here and made it up to the high place of sacrifice that had view of the whole city. We were confident when this 30 minute hike breezed by that we were professionals and no one could stop us from conquering this city. By the time we made it back down the mountain (close to two hours later) we stopped for a bathroom break and got Omi a donkey to take her up to the most breathtaking monument in Petra: Ad-Deir (the Monastary). After Omi was settled and moving up the mountain, the three of us began the 40 minute, 900 steps to climb to the top. Once there, we enjoyed drinks at the cafe and spectacular views. We were joined by the local cats roaming petra that were hungry and looking for some love. We fed them the packaged cake from our to-go lunches from Saba’a and I filled the clean ash trays with water as they also seemed thirsty. Our waiter remarked that they were lucky cats, but I felt like we were lucky to enjoy their company and cuteness! While Omi rested, Ariana and Joe and I hiked to the end of the world, as it is called, and took in the spectacular view of the whole valley. We then began to descend from Ad-Deir and head back to the entrance. We slowly made our way down the mountain and back to the entrance (a two hour journey).

The entire trip back we stopped at every monument marvelling at the detail and skill that went into every carving. The natural red stone lined with white expression, dramatises this wonder of the world and Unesco World Heritage site. Ten hours from start to finish, we literally crawled out of Petra and into a taxi. We ate dinner quickly and without a lot of enthusiasm and went to bed around 9:30pm to rest our tired bodies.

Amman, Jordan

We left Dubai with much anticipation to meet my grandmother and aunt in Jordan for sightseeing. Our plane ride and customs was seamless and we got breakfast on the plane having already ate that morning (I am so sick of eggs, miss my oatmeal). We arrived in Jordan and got stuck in the lengthy custom line to purchase a visa and get our eyes scanned. Customs people are soooo slow. Luckily we didn’t have any problems, like the African guy ahead of us who got detained. An hour and a half later we were so excited as we headed towards Amman and the Citadel to meet Omi and Ariana. The bus took us to the centre of town and a quick taxi ride up the hill and we arrived at the citadel hoping to see their smiling faces. No such luck and after three hours of waiting and some quality time with a needy cat who would not leave my lap (I was in heaven) we began to worry that maybe they had trouble crossing the border from Israel. We had become very close with the taxi drivers waiting outside the Citadel and after much discussion we went in to enjoy the sites while Waleed, a tourist driver would keep a lookout for their profiles. The Hill of the Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a), Amman’s major tourist attraction was really pretty and interesting as the site is high above the city and the views were spectacular. The citadel was occupied from as early as the Neolithic period and renewed during the Bronze Age. The ruins on the hill comprise a variety of cultures from Roman through early Islamic. The ruins reminded me of Greek ruins that I had seen in the past and some were in decent condition, others had deteriorated significantly and had been repaired to mirror their original appearance. The museum inside was the best part. It housed quite a variety of ancient and interesting items that had been well preserved over hundreds of years. The dishes, coins and household tools made me realize that there wasn’t much difference between us and them. After we exited and Ariana and Omi were still not there, we enlisted the services of Waleed to find an internet cafe and look for a message from them as previously discussed if we didn’t meet up in time. Thankfully Ariana had emailed me an SOS, letting us know that they were lost, no one understood where they wanted to go and they had no idea where they were! We gave them Waleed’s phone number and within 30 minutes they called and we were on our way. Our reunion was fabulous, after hours of waiting! By this time, dinner was approaching and our three hour trip to Petra looming. We decided to grab a shwarma and head south. We arrived at Saba’a hotel in Jordan and were pleasantly surprised by the accommodation and owners. A married couple, Gail is originally from England and Ibrahim, a Jordanian Bedouin who worked in Petra, met while she was a tour organizer. They fell in love and married a year later and when the chance came up to take over the hotel in Jordan, they jumped at the opportunity (how romantic)! Gail recommended a local restaurant for dinner where we enjoyed delicious salads and chicken platters. We were so exhausted from the long day of travel that we hit the hay in preparation for our day of hiking to come.