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.

Last day in Dubai

The next morning, we got up, made breakfast and packed sandwiches for our day at the beach. We arrived via taxi for 10am and paid to rent chairs and an umbrella (which was well worth it). Taxis around here are everywhere and surprisingly cheap. We did however get ripped of by one driver who drove the LONGEST way possible in order to get us to the mall, but c'est la vie!

The beach was a tropical paradise with its hot sand and teal blue waters. Half full when we arrived, it was packed when we left at 2pm, despite the persistent breeze and cool waters. We did however, really enjoy relaxing near the water and even managed to get partially sunburnt after leaving the safety of our umbrella! Post-beach, we headed to Dubai Mall another enormous mall in the centre of Dubai. Dubai is like Las Vegas of the Middle East, anything you want is at your disposal, for a price. The first store we fell in love with and spent more money than necessary in was Candylicious, a bon bon shop filled with every sweet ever invented! I found the yoghurt covered almonds I had been craving for awhile and Joe bought jawbreakers and a variety of other candies. It was like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! We shopped and stopped for lunch and spent a few minutes staring at the gigantically large aquarium in the centre of the mall before we headed down for our 4pm appointment with the tallest building in the world. We picked up our tickets, checked our bags and toured the overpriced gift shop before queuing for our turn to ride the elevator. We were definitely lucky to have bought tickets online in advance as every appointment was booked for two days. Alternatively you can pay four times the entry price to get the VIP treatment and enter in front of the line! The Burj Khalifa stands 828 meters tall (2,716.5 feet) and is more than 160 stories. It began construction in January 2004 and finished in January of 2010 and has attained many world records as their website boasts.

The elevator up tries its best to make it seem as though you’re not really moving at all and you arrive at floor 124 in what seemed like less than a minute. We ventured out to check out the city as it loomed before us in every direction. From the top you can see the whole city. The Burj Al Arab in the distance, highways that run for miles, the mall below that is bigger than our farm! We felt a bit dizzy and had to sit down in order to feel more balance again. It was a really great experience and worth coming to Dubai just to say we'd done it! After the tower, we had time to kill before the fountain show outside the mall. We stopped in at a local ice cream shop inside and I ate the most fabulous ice cream sundae (Joe had drank his much anticipated strawberry shake). We loved the ambiance of the place, purple and white, it was adorable!

At 6pm, we went out to grab a spot for the much anticipated water works. The fountain show was designed by the same company that created the fountain show outside the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas that we had seen two years ago. The show lasted about 2 minutes and was beautiful, but not all that notable (Bellagio was better)! We were told that later in the evening the lights illuminate the sky and it is quite nice, but we had an early morning and were happy to head back to the hotel. Our feelings of Dubai were extremely positive although I think the longer you stay, the less impressive it could seem! Very commercialised, the city tries to pass itself of as very modern and for the most part it is successful, but there are cracks in the lining. It is a must see though for anyone coming to the middle east!

Dining in Dubai

The next morning we slept in till 9, then made breakfast at a relaxed pace. We hopped on the metro around 11am and made the long journey to the famous seven star Burj al Arab. The Burj is the second tallest hotel in the world standing at 321 meters. The four tallest hotels all happen to be in Dubai (big surprise)!

Their metro system is amazing since the city is huge. With fourteen lane highways and skyscrapers masking the sky in all they grandness, you can easily fall in love with the vast and cleanliness of the Emirates. We got off the metro, just off the highway and since no taxis were to be found, we began the 30 minute walk to the hotel. The heat is excruciating. It is 32 degrees here with humidity that makes your shirt stick to your back and sweat runs down your face! I can’t imagine being here in the summer.

We arrived at the Burj, full of giddy excitement for our lunch reservation.
We had to pass the guard and give our names as no one enters without paying something! You are only allowed in if you’re a guest, you pay for a tour or you have a restaurant reservation. They run a tight ship (or sail)! Up close, the hotel is very pretty, but not as large as you might expect. Once inside, we were offered rose water for our hands as we watched a quick fountain show before heading up to the 27th floor (the restaurant that sticks out of the Burj in the top pic). The lobby was amazing filled with freshly cut roses and beautiful red and yellow designs.

Overlooking the man-made palm islands and the beach, we had a spectacular view of the city, if not for the haze that hung in the sky. We sat down and chose the four course meal option and prepared to eat! The restaurant is exactly as it is shown online. Green and blue tinted ceiling panels light the ceiling and compliment the white table cloths and metallic blue and green upholstered chairs.

We had read online that the food in the AL Muntaha was not the best, so we were prepared for the cruise ship style “dine dining” with the stunning view. We started with the chef’s complimentary prawn tempura with tangy green sauce and freshly baked bread basket with two types of butter and chipotle mayo. First course was prawn sushi with soft seaweed and sweet sauce, the second course, octopus soup (for me) and lamb meatballs (for Joe). We tasted each other’s dishes and ended up doing a swap! The third and main course was rib eye steak with diced fruits and veggies followed by wasabi cakes stuffed with cream and complimented by pear sorbet topped with a gold leaf. I personally don’t feel like the gold leaf is necessary to make a personal feel special, but I would assume it does it for some people! We capped off dessert with complimentary chocolates as we rolled out of the restaurant. The service was outstanding and never ending; they refused to let me pour myself water from our $10 bottle! It was definitely a seven star experience and a really fun time!

We finished the afternoon/evening at the mall of emirates, which delivers shopping from every continent. We recognized many stores from home including Sephora, Banana Republic, Gap, Levi’s, etc. We fell in love with the Wal-Mart like store that sold everything under the sun from food, to camping equipment and even contained a section to purchase the holy Qur’an. We found though that prices and selection at home are definitely better, although I couldn’t resist a stop in Sephora!!

We were planning to go indoor skiing at the mall, but once we had a look through the glass windows, we decided to pass for the price and effort involved. Instead, we enjoyed a drink and watched from above. It seemed very small and kind of cheesy, considering we have world famous mountains just outside Vancouver. We headed back to the hotel for an early night and some American television!

Dubai - Vegas of the middle east!

We arrived in Dubai on the luxurious emirates air (UAE’s official airline) and prepared for customs, which are always a joy! As the Canadian government and the UAE are currently not on the best terms due to some catty issue about flights into Toronto, we had pre-organized our visas online as the only western country that is required to. At the airport, we still had to get in line for an iris scan before clearing customs, which was relatively easy. Once cleared, we hopped on the metro to our hotel the Golden Sands in downtown Dubai. What an amazing city and fabulous metro system! Everything is so clean, bright and organized here, although the city is covered in some kind of smog.

We arrived at our hotel/apartment complete with a king bed, big TV and a fully stocked kitchen ready to prepare meals. Ripe to explore the city, we headed out on foot (a 45 minute walk and 5 minute boat ride) to the famous gold souk. Every second step we fell more in love with the city. We found a gigantic grocery store that rivalled ours back home, filled with every fruit and vegetable known to man. Joe jumped at the chance to eat a hot dog, I picked a gigantic granny smith apple as we roamed around the store pointing out cheese, cold cuts and avocadoes. Not even the site of paneer could take away from our happiness. Less than two blocks away, we couldn’t resist and stopped for schwarma, so ecstatic to be eating amazing and cheap food off the side shops.

We followed the main road until it turned into tourist shops and cobbled streets filled with bright coloured souvenirs (mostly from India) and more food shops! In fact, there are a lot of Indians in Dubai along with their restaurants and handicrafts, many on our flight as well. We loved the waterfront as well as our quick boat ride across to the gold souk known for its 24 carat gold. Any design, shape and price (upwards of a few hundred) is yours, if you can bargain, you can get a good deal. After purchasing too much jewellery in India, we appreciated the bling from the outside windows. Researching online, I read many horror stories about people getting ripped off by street vendors who claimed to be selling the real thing. One man god swindled buying a diamond ring for $350 and when he returned home, his wife had it resized, only to discover it was a cubic zirconium. We ignored the street vendors as it would seem kind of obvious that even if you could buy diamonds out of someone’s coat, they likely wouldn’t be very high quality! After India, we loved being surrounded by westerners and commercialism.

Our feet were tired after the long walk and we cabbed it back to our hotel for a good sleep.