Going South to Guilin

In addition to our excursion to Huangshan, we took another 3-day trip south to the city of Guilin. Set along the Li River, it is another beautiful region filled with green fields, cragged peaks and mountains, and a lot of tourists! There is a noticeable difference in the amount of influence from Western tourists just by the types of shops and restaurants in the town, such as an Irish Pub, a German restaurant, and of course all the American fast-food chains.

The Waterfall Hotel (a real waterfall on the front side every night!) (Top)

View from the Li River Cruise (Bottom)

The first day we set out on a four hour boat cruise down the Li River. The boat passed 83 km of terrain, and the rugged mountains, lush green fields, and wild animals made for a lovely ride. The boat docked in another city called Yangshuo (much smaller, but unbelievably more touristy as well.) West Street, or the main street, is lined with shops and restaurants all catering to foreign tourists. We toured the area during the day, and at night saw one of the most famous shows in China. Titled "Impressions," the show is set on the Li River with the mountains as the backdrop. It is famous because it features over 600 performers throughout the show, and was also directed by the same person who later worked on the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. It was very impressive! Much of it was in Chinese song, unfortunately not understandable to myself, yet it was again visually beautiful and offered an

insight into a lot of the local minority cultures.

Holding the moon at Moon Valley Hill (Left)

Che is everywhere! Communist preparation shop on West Street, Yangshuo (Right)

The next day we left Yangshuo and headed back towards Guilin to see the famous terraced rice patties. After hours climbing higher and higher into the mountains (in our van), we reached the area. We had the unique opportunity of visiting two of the local minority villages, one featuring ladies who never cut their hair! Some of their locks are over 8 meters long, going all the way to the floor. After we finally made it to the rice terraces, which during this time of the year are all green.

Women showing their long hair (Top)

Top of the rice fields (Bottom)

There is a short climb to the viewing point area which displays all of the fields in the area. It's a beautiful sight, of supposedly the best terraces in the world!

Before flying back to Beijing the last day, we finished our tour of Guilin by going to a few of the famous sites actually in the city. First we visited 2 parks, both set on single mountain peaks sticking out of the ground, called Fubo Hill and Elephant Trunk Hill. They were lovely natural areas, yet the second was definitely more unique. Jutting out from the left side of the peak was a rock formation the really did look like an elephant's trunk dipping into the water. After lunch we visited the "best cave in the region" named Reed Flute Cave. Chinese caves are quite different, as they put multi-colored lights on all of the special areas (somewhat ruining the natural beauty of the cave!)

Elephant Trunk Hill

At night we hopped on a flight to Beijing where we would spend our last few days in China visiting family and touring the city.

Kaká's face is everywhere in this town!

Hiking in Huangshan

After spending a week in Shanghai, we left the big city and went on a three-day excursion to a city (though much more rural) southwest of Shanghai called Huangshan. Also called the "Yellow Mountain," it is an area famous for the unique peaks and cliffs of the mountain range that inhabits the region. After finally making it to town after another delayed flight, we ate dinner in the old city center of Huangshan on Friday night before heading out Saturday morning to the actual mountains where we would be spending the next two days.

The mountains in the clouds (Left)

The stone step path (Right)

Our journey started with a drive to the cable car that after only a twelve minute ride took us up through the clouds to a very high spot in the mountains. We were suddenly transported to a completely different world, where instead of hot, humid, and crowded it was cloudy, damp, and serene. The late morning fog was pretty thick, making the area feel eerie-like and mysterious. The scenery was beautiful, lusciously green with pine trees coming out of the sides of rocks. We were to stay the night at a hotel higher up in the mountains, and first had to hike one hour to get there.

Walking the paths you immediately notice the three things that this region is famous for: the pine trees, the clouds hanging to the peaks, and the jagged staggered mountains all around. After arriving at the hotel, we took another hike in the afternoon to the "Grand Canyon of the West Sea." Another hike full of climbing up and down thousands of stone stairs, the view of the steep valley below was beautiful along the way.

Have to watch where you're walking!

The view at sunset

Unfortunately, since it was summer there was an enormous amount of people on the mountain. Mostly Chinese, it felt a bit like summer camp around the hotel with people everywhere in large groups taking hikes and hanging out in the area.

The next morning my father and I braved the warnings and took the challenge of hiking one hour of straight stairs (2.5km) uphill to the Bright Summit. Though steep indeed, we didn't have any problems except the large amounts of people along the way! The views were amazing from the top; the day was exceptionally clear and we could see for miles and miles around. Unfortunately it seemed like everyone else had the same idea we did and it became quickly crowded and quickly unenjoyable, so we headed back down to the hotel and soon after to the cable car.

Finally at the Bright Summit

At night we went to the infamous cultural show of Huangshan. Showcasing what seemed like hundreds of performers, it was a mixture of musical, play, and acrobatic show with crazy costumes and a plot that didn't quite make sense. Yet, it was visually impressive with spectacular colors and acrobatics. Only pictures can really do it justice!

Sightseeing in Shanghai

After fully touring the World Expo, our time in Shanghai was almost at the end and so we decided to take a day and tour some of the famous parts of the city. Most of the popular places are actually recently-built skyscrapers and towers as well as modern shopping and eating areas.

The Pearl Tower (Left)

The Shanghai World Financial Center (Right)

In the morning we headed to the new Shanghai World Financial Center. Towering above all the other skyscrapers in the Pudong district, the Financial Center is now the tallest building in China and the second tallest building in the world (coming in right after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.) The view from 474m up on the highest floor is quite amazing.

The view from the top of the World Financial Center

Though the sky was a bit hazy, you can still see the outlying area and even all the way down through windows in the floor! In the same area also stands the Pearl Tower (somewhat futuristic resembling a building constructed by aliens) as well as the Jin Mao Tower, which before the Financial Center was the tallest in China. It is a great part of Shanghai to visit as it offers a view of modern China, as well as shopping at many famous stores!

In the afternoon we stopped at the Yuyuan Garden and Bazaar for some shopping, It has a similar feel to the Khan al-Khalily market in Cairo, yet bigger and less dusty with more people and even Western restaurants in the mix. The gardens and waterfront area in the middle are a nice sight along with the old Chinese style architecture of the buildings.

Pictures from Yuyuan Gardens and Bazaar

At night we visited what is maybe the most famous area in Shanghai- a walkway along the waterfront called the Bund. I imagined it very old and traditional, but what I found was a modern, newly-constructed elevated walkway along the river that faced all of the new skyscrapers, including the World Financial Center we had visited earlier. It is quite a sight with everything lit up. We took a river cruise and were able to get a nice (illuminated) view of the whole downtown area. After, we walked down the Bund to the famous pedestrian street Nanjing Lu. There were so many thousands of people everywhere you looked that it was hard to enjoy the street without feeling like you were in a mob leaving New York City after New Years Eve!

Shanghai at night (Top)

Nanjing Lu (Bottom)

Nevertheless, it is fun to see all of the stores and restaurants and get a taste for the nightlife in Shanghai.

The Bund walkway along the left-hand side

Tales of China: Starting in Shanghai

*For the last 3 weeks I have been traveling through China, beginning in Shanghai and ending in Beijing. Unfortunately all blog sites are blocked by the Chinese government so I could not post while I was there. These are the tales of the trip!*

China is unlike any other country in the world. It's size is enormous, it is filled with more than a billion people, and there is so much to see and do that just a few weeks is simply not enough to see a small fraction of what the country has to offer. This trip was much different than my weeks in the Middle East earlier in the summer. First of all, I was fortunate enough to travel with my family (or I was fortunate enough that they took me along with them!) Also, for the first time in a long time I did not speak a word of the local language, (Mandarin.) I had been in China for the first time 10 years ago when I was only 12 years old, it was actually my first trip outside of the United States! Yet returning again this time as an 'adult' with more experience, both in travel and in life in general, put a new perspective on the culture and country.

The China pavilion at the World Expo

We started our journey in Shanghai, partly to visit family of my father's wife and partly to visit the city as well as the World Expo of 2010. Shanghai is an incredibly modern city, center of trade, finance, and business for the country. There are a lot of neat things in the city to visit, but most of our time was spent visiting the World Expo. Our of six days in Shanghai, we went to the Expo four times, and it was completely worth it!

The USA Pavilion

A view of the Germany Pavilion from inside of the France Pavilion

The World Expo is known for being an international event to showcase countries and businesses from around the world, yet interestingly enough this Expo seemed to be overwhelmingly Chinese (which makes sense considering China makes up 1/6 of the world's population). They were everywhere! We only saw a small group of foreigners on most of the days. There were almost 200 countries presented, each with a pavilion to showcase their country. Though some were big and some smaller, the exterior of each was designed in a unique way which drew in the tourists to see what was inside. Some we waited longer for than others (Spain), and some we were fortunate enough to get a special VIP entry to (Saudi Arabia, France, China), yet all were aesthetically fascinating. Unfortunately the interior was less interesting than the outside, but it was still fun to visit each country and see what it showcased and offered.

Previously I always thought of the World Expo as a historic event, also called the World's Fair and most popular in the early 2oth century for being the first place to showcase new inventions that now we take for granted. However, this Expo was focused on sustainable development with the slogan, "Better City, Better Life." Visiting the 2010 Expo took away my archaic idea and introduced a new one that was visionary, looking to the future instead of the past.

The futuristic United Kingdom Pavilion, one of the most popular (and hardest to enter!)

My favorite pavilions (that we entered) ended up being Spain, Mexico, China, Chile, Morocco, and number one: Saudi Arabia.

The exterior of the Mexico Pavilion

Home at last

It's been a few days since I have updated, and now I am back at home in Pennsylvania for a few days before heading to China next Thursday. Just wanted to write a bit about my last days in Cairo...

The Nile at sunset

The day before Marissa left we toured Coptic Cairo, a Christian area filled with many churches and even a synagogue. Coptic Christians represent a very small percentage of the population in Cairo, but it is still very significant that they exist. It is so interesting to tour this area of the city as it presents a completely different culture and history than the one so easily found everywhere else. The Hanging Church and the synagogue are definitely highlights in the area.

Outside of the Hanging Church

That night we took a felucca boat ride (most similar to a sailboat) down the Nile with a group of friends. It is one of the best activities to do in Cairo because you get a full view of the city while floating down the famous river.

Felucca on the Nile

It is also a sunset activity- there's just nothing like seeing the sun set behind the buildings with its reflection on the water!

The group on the felucca

Marissa and I parted ways on the 14th, she continued on to Morocco and I stayed in Cairo for a few days before returning back home on the 17th. During those last few days I visited with friends, took some time to finally relax, and managed to do one of my favorite things from home: go to concerts! I was lucky enough to see two in a row- the first was Yehia Khalil, an Egyptian Jazz performer at Al Sawy Cultural Wheel Center. The second was a group called Black Theama, more Egyptian reggae/jazz at Al Azhar Park. Even though I didn't know the music and couldn't understand the lyrics, they were still great concerts and I really enjoyed the music. It's an interesting experience doing something that would be normal in your everyday life (and something you even enjoy), and then doing the same thing in another country and culture- the difference you notice is really eye-opening.

Overall it was an amazing trip- long, exhausting, life-changing, educational, challenging, and of course FUN! I really learned to love the Middle East even more than I did before, and I appreciate the region and the culture for what it has shown and taught me. It is a not an easy place to live in, or even to travel in for some, but I love it.

Now I have just a few days at home and then I am off to China for 3 weeks starting next Thursday, July 29th. More tales to come from that adventure, of course!

Back in Cairo

Out last week in Egypt we spent back in Cairo because the was still so much more for us to see and do. The day after we got back was the World Cup final, so that was the focus of the day. One of my friends, Omar, invited all of us to his lovely house out in 6th of October City to spend the afternoon there and watch the game at night. We were treated to an amazing Egyptian feast by his mother and later got to watch the match outside in their backyard in a seating area with a big TV waiting for us. We were all ready with our jerseys for good luck, and apparently it worked because SPAIN WON! We were dedicated fans the whole way through!

The next few days we visited some more places throughout the city. On Monday we focused on Islamic Cairo. This area, one of my favorites, has three of the most interesting places in Cairo- The Citadel, Azhar Park, and Khan al Khalily. A bit southwest of the center, it is easy to fit all three in one day. In the morning we entered the Citadel complex. Located on a hill that overlooks the city, the Nile, and on a clear day all the way to the pyramids, it is a huge complex. Once entering the main outer walls there are a few places to see, such as the Military Museum, but major attraction is the Muhammed Ali Mosque. Built in the Turkish style, it looks very similar to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul both inside and outside (but without the beautiful blue tiling.) It is beautiful to look at the detail inside all over the walls and ceiling. Outside there is a great viewpoint where you can look out on to the city, and sometimes even the pyramids peek through if you are lucky.

After we headed down the road to Khan al Khalily, or more commonly known to tourists who can't pronounce the difficult arabic word as the market/bazaar. This is the place to buy souvenirs/gifts/anything you can imagine from Egypt. It is a maze of streets lined with small shops where men are waiting to sell you their scarves, pyramids, jewelry, bags, papyrus- it goes on forever. Luckily we were able to hold off the sellers and get a few things we wanted (though we had to go back the next day to get the rest!)

In the evening we went to my favorite place in Cairo: Al Azhar Park. Close to the Citadel, thus offering the same view, it is one of the only green areas in Cairo. It was once a huge pile of garbage until the Aga Khan Trust (a private development company) decided to give the funds to make it a public park. There are so many beautiful plants, trees, and fountains as well as lookout points to watch the sun set over the city.

Alexandria

The view of the sea from the Citadel

To take advantage of the weekend when some of our friends had off of work, the day we got back from Sharm we also headed to Alexandria. Commonly known just as Alex, it is a beautiful city north of Cairo on the Mediterranean cost. Historically it was a city of much prestige, and now many interesting artifacts and ruins still remain. Today Alex is mainly a coastal city popular for Egyptians to take a vacation to during the summer. Many Egyptians also might have an apartment in Cairo and one in Alex as well as a way to get away from the craziness of Cairo on the weekends.

It reminds me of many cities along the Mediterranean, as it has a long Corniche (avenue along the sea), nice beaches, blue water, and everywhere you can small the sea and feel the salty air. We left very late Thursday night in order to spend Friday and Saturday in the city before returning Saturday night. Luckily, a friend offered to host all of is in his family's apartment for the weekend, so we had a big sleepover and were treated with such amazing hospitality that we felt right at home.

On Friday we visited the most important sites: the Alexandria Library and the Citadel. The Library is a highlight for most tourists and one of my favorite places to visit. Now a huge modern building in the center of Alex along the sea, it is historically famous for once holding all of the ancient knowledge of the world (mathematics, language, history, etc.) and being a home to many scholars. It is not expensive to enter and they even offer free tours. The building is amazing to look at (from inside and out) because each detail was carefully planed in its construction. There are normal collections but special exhibits as well- this time we got to see one on Anwar Sadat (the third president of Egypt). It had a really neat collection of his personal items and information on his life and assassination.

In front of the Library

After a meal of fuul and falafel at the infamous Mohammed Ahmed restaurant, where even the Queen of Spain ate, we went to the Citadel at the end of the Corniche to watch the sunset. It is possible to enter the old fortress, but most people just go to the outside area on the sea to sit, hang out, and in the evening see the setting sun. In Egypt people seem to enjoy sitting outside in really scenic areas (along the Nile on a bridge, in parks, along the sea). Smart sellers create makeshift cafés by putting out plastic chairs and tables and offering drinks and a place to sit. It has always been a funny sight to me to see families sitting on the bridge in Cairo when a million cars are passing by honking and screaming.

The Citadel

The next day we spent on the complete opposite of the city in the Montazah. A friend once compared this area to the Villa Borghese in Rome, Italy and in a way it is- it is in a closed off area where inside are gardens, private beaches, hotels, and King Farouk's old palace, It's such a a nice area and really worth visiting, just even to walk around for the afternoon. We stayed until the sunset but unfortunately had to return to Cairo so everyone could go to work the next day and so we could watch Spain in the World Cup final!!

Sharm el Sheikh

For three days we had planned to stay in Sharm el Sheikh and take a vacation from our trip to go to the beach and relax. Sharm is located just a few hours southeast from the Mt. Sinai on the Red Sea. It is famous among Russians, Italians, and Brits and you find them staying all over the area. They all come because the Red Sea has some of the nicest beaches and bluest water in the world. It is absolutely stunning! It is a perfect place to go snorkeling or diving, as there are a million different type of fish in the water and coral reefs all around. Also, it is extremely different than most other parts of Egypt and much more secular- there are clubs, places serving alcohol, and people dressed provocatively! Hence, European tourists love it as it does not have the cultural restrictions that other places in Egypt tend to have.

The dock at the hotel's beach

It was nice to be able to stay in one place for a few days and just relax from traveling. We went to the beach, laid by the lovely pool, and did a lot of sleeping! And of course, we went snorkeling. Our hotel's beach was a bit hard to swim at, but it was really best for snorkeling and water activities. Guests only had to walk out to the dock and jump into the water with a mask and right away you can see an amazing array of fish and coral reefs down below. We took one day in itself just to be in the sea. There were so many fish of every color combination possible- big, small, scary, cute, and one even with every color of the rainbow!

Ready to watch Spain in the semi-final!

At night we ventured into Naama Bay, just a few minutes down the main road, where there are a ton of bars, cafés, and restaurants (many American!). One night we went to the old souk (market) for a change, but it was just another tourists trip filled with souvenir shops and a few places to eat. Overall it was a wonderful couple of days on the Sinai Peninsula, and we really

enjoyed our time on the sea.

The view from our balcony

On July 8th we got back on a bus to Cairo, changed our bags, and got back in the car late at night to drive north to Alexandria to spend the next 2 days! The traveling never stops!

Mount Sinai

On Sunday morning (4th of July!), after almost missing our bus trying to find a parking space near the bus station, Marissa, myself, and two of my Egyptian friends set off to the Sinai Peninsula. We had planned the trip for about 5 days. There is a lot to see and do in Sinai, but I would say two of the most popular places are Saint Catherine City and Sharm el Sheikh. The first is the city where tourists begin the climb to the top of Mt. Sinai and also the location of the Monastery of Saint Catherine. The mountain is thought to be the Biblical place where Moses received the 10 Commandments from God, and now is a type of holy pilgrimage site as well as just a beautiful place to climb and see the sunrise. Sharm is a resort area on the Red Sea, famous for its amazing coral reefs and places to snorkel and dive.

It was a long 8 hour bus ride, but luckily some of us were able to sleep along the way which definitely made it seem faster. We had decided to go the tourist route and climb the mountain at night in order to see the sunrise at 6am. The bus takes a interesting route and first goes east to the Suez Canal, then drives south along the western coast of Sinai until finally heading east into the mountains. We finally reached Saint Catherine around 7:30pm and found a deserted town with hardly any people or signs of civilization. Luckily there was a koshary restaurant which saved us from starvation! It's pretty much the best meal you can eat before climbing up a mountain, as it gives you all the energy you need from all its carbohydrates.

Passed out at one of our many rest stops

After eating we headed to the entrance point about 2km away. There is a fun point when the street lights end and everything goes dark except for the light of the stars and moon- it is a beautiful sight. Never have I seen so many stars! Unfortunately the entrance opens at midnight and we had 2 hours to wait so we slept until we could leave.

Group photo!

It takes quite a while to walk up the mountain, so we left plenty of time to get ourselves to the summit before sunrise. It is required to have a guide with you, and it was good that we did because with only two flashlights and rocks everywhere he was able to lead the way for us better than we could ourselves. The road up, though better than the second path of 3,000 stairs, is not easy and even harder when it's 2am and you haven't slept. Yet, we managed our way and stopped to rest when we had to. It doesn't take long to realize how high up you are and that the view around you is amazing. After about 3 hours we made it to the point where the path ends and the 750 stair climb starts to the summit. Honestly, this part is not fun at all- the stairs are actually made from slabs of rock and can be very slippery and difficult to walk on with no light. Also, it's pretty tough on your legs! We did eventually make it, and rested a while before finally climbing the last 5 minutes to the very top at dawn around 5am.

It's a breathtaking sight when the sun just starts to peek through and the sky gets brighter, lighting up the entire area and you can finally see the entire area around you. The sun itself rises pretty quickly, and then the heat starts immediately- a sign to start going back down. Our guide convinced us that this time we should go the other path because it is quicker and less crowded. Though I was wary of the 3,000 stairs part, we listened to him anyway (and of course it was quicker, but not easy on our legs.) The area was beautiful and we got to see a different side of the mountain this time. After about 2 hours we made it down, and were pretty much ready to collapse.

We quickly toured St. Catherine's Monastery- unfortunately my excitement to see the infamous burning bush was quickly squashed when I saw and realized that it looks just like any other bush. Hopefully the rumors are true. We then found a minibus to take us 3 hours east to Sharm el Sheikh to our lovely Sheraton resort on the beach where we would be spending the next 3 days relaxing!

First days in Cairo

This will now be my fourth time in Egypt and by this point when I come it's like returning back home to somewhere very familiar. It's crowded, noisy, dusty, and I love it. It is exciting to be here with someone who never has before because I get to see her impressions and hear her opinion of Egypt! On our first night we arrived too late to do anything but check in at our hostel, so the next morning we started out at a great welcome to the country: The Egyptian Museum.

Front of the Egyptian Museum

It's good that they are soon to open a new, modern building because the current museum leaves a lot to be desired. The two most exciting exhibits are quite astounding (King Tut and Mummy rooms), but the rest is not well organized, displayed, or labeled. There are hundreds of artifacts just sitting in various rooms but no one knows what they are because there is no name, date, or label. Nevertheless Egyptian history is fascinating and hieroglyphics and statues never fail to impress me.

After we treated Marissa to her first koshary experience (koshary is a very Egyptian food and my favorite thing to eat here! It is a mixture of all kinds of carbohydrates- pasta, rice, lentils, chickpeas, onions, and tomato sauce on top. Delicious for vegetarians!)

On the Nile

In the evening we toured the city some more- saw the Nile, Cairo Tower, and of course watched more of the World Cup! Later we got to meet up with some good friends who I only get to see once a year, if I am really lucky. We also got to eat fuul, another Egyptian specialty, which are fava beans mixed with a few vegetables and spices. A popular and now favorite place is in Garden City by the American Embassy. Just a cart in the street with some picnic chairs and tables, it has some of the best fuul in Cairo.

Our second day we dedicated to seeing the pyramids. Even though it was my second time there they never fail to amaze and impress. This time I was able to enter the second pyramid. To go inside you have to crawl down a long ramp with stairs, yet down a very small space (not good for claustrophobia!) After going down and up again you reach the tomb chamber. It is not very impressive to the eyes now because all was taken to the Museum, now all that remains is the sarcophagus of the pharaoh and the realization that you are in the complete middle of the pyramid. 100 meters up and you reach the top!

In the afternoon I got to see some more old friends and watch Argentina lose their chance at the World Cup. I also had to take another trip to the eye doctor, though this time was more successful. At least I'm getting to visit a doctor in every country that I go to. We watched more football at night, which luckily Spain one that time, and after we got ready for traveling to Mt. Sinai and Sharm el Sheikh the next day.

Cairo by night

Crossing to Jordan and Flight to Egypt

In order to move on to our next and last country, (Egypt), we had booked a flight from Amman instead of Tel Aviv to avoid the very expensive cost and hassle of tight security from the Tel Aviv airport. However, getting back to Amman was not an easy task either. The easiest way to cross back over to Jordan from Jerusalem is via the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge, yet this is always the busiest border crossing and most crowded. The process is not very clear online, but with the help of my friend John in Ramallah we were prepared for all of it. This is our story of how we crossed:

In the morning we got in a shared taxi that took us to the Israeli border for only 35 shekels (about $8). We had a pretty easy ride through the desert except that at the end where we had a strange experience: we got stopped at a security checkpoint and had to wait quite a while. After about 3o minutes the driver asked Marissa and I to get out of the car and go talk to the Israeli security guards to tell them that we had a flight to catch (so we could pass by faster). This only happened because we were obviously American tourists and they apparently would listen to us more than anyone. We were pretty hesitant to do this as no one from the other 10 buses was outside and it seemed a bit dangerous to get out! We finally did, but our American pleas didn't really get us anywhere (just as we thought!)

Next we arrived at the Israeli exit where we had to pay the hefty exit tax of 167.50 shekels and pass through passport control. (We got our passports stamped on a separate piece of paper in the beginning, which unfortunately they take away when you leave. It would have been a great souvenir.) Next we got on another bus to take us to Jordan for 5 JDs (about $8 again). Before crossing they took our passport, which had to have a Jordanian visa obtained beforehand, and later they stamped and returned them to us. Finally we had to take a taxi, which we thankfully shared, to the airport for our final stop. Our flight wasn't until 8:30pm so we had a few hours to wait, and we spent them sleeping and eating in a real restaurant! Overall it was a long day totaling about 5 hours to get from Jerusalem to Amman airport, but it was an interesting experience and hopefully cheaper overall than flying from Tel Aviv to Cairo.

We took a short flight and by 10pm were in Egypt where an old friend was graciously waiting to take us on our Cairo adventure.

Touring Jerusalem

The last few days of June we spent touring the holy city and watching football matches! Unfortunately I had to make another trip to the hospital in East Jerusalem so that took away a lot of our time to sightsee. However on Tuesday we got to visit Mt. Zion, which is outside the walls of the old city. There lies the Church of the Dormition, thought to be where Mary went into a final "deep sleep." In the underground level there is a beautiful candlelit area where a type of shine/tomb is dedicated to the mother of Jesus. Also around the corner from the church is the supposed Room of the Last Supper where Jesus spent his last meal with his disciples and so famously depicted by Leonardo DaVinci. Now only a non-decorated (and fairly unimpressive) empty room, it's still amazing to think this was where that infamous night took place.

On Wednesady we started early to make it to the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount. Since the Dome now is a mosque, it is closed to all non-Muslims and the hours to even visit the site are very restricted to a few hours a day. Even with not being able to see much with my bad eye, entering form the Western Wall area and going to the Temple feels like a special experience. When you finally get that first view of the Dome of the Rock wiht the blue mosaic tiling outside and the gold dome on top, it is a breathtaking sight. Hopefully one day people will be able to visit inside and see the actual rock. Since the area is holy to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism it is a bit of a shame that more people do not get to visit and appreciate it. Afterwards we went to the Mt. of Olives, a holy place in itself, and entered Mary's Tomb, walked up the mountain, and searched (but failed) to find the Chuch of Ascension. There really are quite a lot of olive trees there.

That afternoon we had the (strangely) exciting opportunity to visit the West Bank and visit with a friend of mine from college, John Sakakini. We also had to get another Jordanian visa to be able to get to the Amman airport the day after, so Marissa, Aaron (a new friend from the hostel), and I hopped on a minibus to Ramallah. We had no problems getting through the checkpoint, as fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you see it) foreigners and especially Americans can pass by anywhere they want to go. The whole experience was easier than we thought an soon we were back in the Arab world- it is notable different from Jerusalem from the first few seconds. It was amazing! Seeing the difference between the two areas was really interesting and I think it's important that travelers at least make an effort to look at both sides when visiting this part of the world. With a little of my Arabic we managed to get a taxi to the consulate and got our visa with no real problems. While waiting for my friend to finish work, we got some food and took a walk to Al Muqata to visit Yasser Arafat's tomb. Ramallah is the political capital for Palestine, and so offices and government buildings are all around. Arafat's tomb is nice, but simple, guarded by soldiers and set in front of his old home and office. Next to that building now sits the office of Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority.

We luckily got to spend a few hours with my friend. A Palestinian-American now spending a year working and living in Ramallah, he showed us around the city, told us a lot of interesting info about life there as well as the current problems/improvements, and even took us to his favorite bar in Ramallah. I'm really glad we had the chance to visit him as well as enter the West Bank. We had no problems and so many people in Ramallah greeted us with a warm Ahlan Wa-Sahlan (Welcome), probably excited that a foreigner took the time to visit their city- we did not see any other tourists there.

I really enjoyed our time in Israel/Palestine, even though I could not physically see a lot of it and we missed a lot of important places that I will just have to return one day to visit. One of my goals we did managed to accomplish though, and that was finding bagels! Yum!

Seeing Israel through only one eye

It is Friday night and we are currently in downtown Cairo....we arrived last night and have spent a wonderful day visiting the Egyptian Museum and catching up with some of my old friends. However, more on that in another post. I have yet to write about our last days in Israel, which were actually filled with many cities and so many sites! I'll try to catch up....

View from the top of the Bahá'i Gardens

Sunday we decided to get out of Tel Aviv and see another city in Israel. I had heard on a podcast that Haifa was a great place to take a day trip to and that there was one main thing all visitors must see there: the Bahá'i Gardens. We got on a train from Herzliyya and arrived in Haifa just in time to make it to the gardens for the last English tour of the day. The gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are a symbol of the Bahá'i faith. Set on the side of Mount Carmel, the gardens ascend with the mountain (or descend depending on where you start) so that from any point you have an amazing view up, down, and out to the Mediterranean Sea. Our tour started from the top, so got to walk down through the gardens (which actually seems to have more stairs than green areas sometimes!) It was a really unique experience to visit another holy site in Israel, yet of a different and lesser known religion that what is commonly thought to be found in this country.

After the gardens we toured the city and found ourselves at the beach in the afternoon. It's always a great way to sleep away the hottest part of the day!

The next day we sadly left Ruty and Ehud and ventured east to Jerusalem. I have been looking forward to this top on our trip very much, (I think it was the top thing I wanted to visit!) From Tel Aviv it is a very easy trip, taking only about one hour, and we were able to get on another bus to the old city and find our hostel without any major problems- except for me having to drag my suitcase through the market! Note: travelers should always think about their hotel location and what luggage they have, as I have had to drag my huge red suitcase down the stairs and through markets in Marrakech, Istanbul, now Jerusalem...

The old city is a maze of small streets with sellers trying to offer you every souvenir from Jerusalem you can imagine, yet mixed with all of the holy sites from Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and more. Even the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus walked with the cross on his way to his crucifixion, boasts some of the funniest souvenir shops we saw in Jerusalem. It is broken down into different neighborhoods by religion, as there is a Christian Area, Jewish Area, etc. Being much smaller than I imagined, we were able to see multiple things in just our first day. For example, The Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) was not so far from the Church of Holy Sepulcher, and we got to see both and walk the ramparts in only one afternoon. The sites were impressive, but different than I imagined. Maybe because there is so much hype about these holy places that when you see them for what they actually are, they can be somewhat unimpressive. The Western Wall was not very crowded when we were there, but I can imagine that during holy days or Shabbat, it is a very moving site to see.

The Western Wall

Unfortunately, that night I accidently scratched my eye by taking out my contact, (though I did not know it at the time), and the next day I had to take a very painful trip to the hospital where they told me I would just have to wait for it to heal on its own. Consequently, I am still recovering but have not been able to see much out of my right eye for the last four days. That has made it very hard to travel and visit places in Jerusalem, and now Cairo. The following two days in Jerusalem were very difficult, and even though we still visited places I feel like I did not get to fully appreciate them or see them completely. Only another reason to come back again!

More updates on Jerusalem to come with pictures, as well as our trip to the West Bank!!