The long trip home...

As any traveller knows, this is the worst part of the trip. The flight to a new country is full of anticipation. The arrival (thought possibly dramatic!) is the start of an adventure, the final day? Full of packing. Repacking... finding a way to put all of Nur's breakables into her two bags without the suitcase weighing a tonne....

We have spent our final day in the hotel! We checked out at midday, got online to pass time, and will meet our driver at 1:30 for the trip to Amman airport.

Then it's falafel time -- Nur had her very first falafel at Amman airport -- and then we will contemplate (and probably give in to) Turkish delight.

Our flight is late. We don't leave until 5.30, but you know how it is. You must be there for an international flight 2-3 hours early.

From Amman it's off to Dubai for a five hour stopover (please let it be A. airconditioned and B. cleaner than last time!!) So much time in an airport is dangerous. We can both see ourselves shopping until our last JD drops, so we can save ourselves the hassle of converting back to Aussie dollars.

But what to do with those shekels? Something tells me the people of Dubai will not want them!

All in all, it's been an amazing trip. We wanted an adventure, and in some cases, got more than we bargained for. We met some incredible people. Those who have kept up with our blog will no doubt have heard about them!

Nur learned to drive a manual car (however she will NOT be getting anywhere near mine when we get home! Ruby has enough war-wounds already!)

We have hiked, climbed, sailed, swam, sunbathed, nearly collapsed from the heat...

Nur and our new Belgian friend got in touch with their inner Israelis in Tel Aviv and gave the bagel boy a dose of his own attitude when he gave Nur a burnt bagel ("It's okay... eat it" "No! You eat it! And make me a new one!") and our friend H a bagel with the wrong ingredients! Seems the customer is not always right in the Middle East!

We have crossed borders without being arrested (though we came close!), were asked if we had weapons on the crossing from Israel to Jordan (clearly we look very dangerous!), have our hardest task yet to come: Customs in Melbourne! Yes we have wooden items, and we will be declaring them! We also spent all last night getting every last speck of Petra and Wadi Rum dust off our shoes, so that we don't get them quarantined and fumigated on entry to Australia!

We have eaten falafel in every city we've been to -- best by far was at a little cafe in Tel Aviv with the most divine hommus... you have no idea... it was made better by the fact that falafel man kept bringing out the free food and drinks until we looked like oompa loompas and had to roll down the street back to our hotel.

I have had hommus at pretty much every meal. Hommus for breakfast? Sure. Bring it on. The more the better. Nur has been tempted by the Middle Eastern sweets.. her attempts at resistance were futile! They were calling.. calling... and they would not take no for an answer! Besides, it would have been rude not to try some, according to her!

We may need a second job to pay off our holiday. Maybe we could open our very own falafel joint! Would you like fries (Old Jerusalem style!) with that?

I've still got sand in my shoes...

Heat, sand, camels and four wheel drives. Recipe for a disaster or a great adventure (luckily Nur driving turned out to be an adventure and not a disaster).

So, it's hot. We are in the Wadi Rum desert. We have a 20 year old Bedouin driver/guide called Atta-Alla with braces on his teeth so he looks about 15. Alicia worried he may not be old enough to have a driver's license, let alone drive us into the great unknown.

Nur instisted on driving...a manual car which she has never learnt to do. The Bedouin guide was kind  enough to give Nur a driving lesson nd patted her on the head like a 5 year old when she finally learned to stop stalling the car.

It was a rocky start. Our tour guide was in the front seat with Nur giving instructions in English over the laughter from the Bedoin guide and Alicia coming from the back of the 4 wheel drive. The car kept stalling (Nur insists it was the car and not her). She didn't advance enough to changing gears but did manage to keep the car going.

The Bedouin guide was so worried he climbed from the open back of the ute into the back seat while th ecar was moving and kicked out our tour guide to take over the lesson himself.

He told Nur that she was doing well and not to be scared and to keep trying when Nur was ready to give up and let him take over again. He refused to let Nur out and made her keep driving a good way of the trip because he thought she needed the practice. Alicia was quietly having a heart attack in the back of the ute.

Then it was Nur's turn to have a heart attack on a 3 year old camel named Dubai but she doesn't do it quietly like Alicia. There was much squealing when the camel came in for a rough landing followed by boisterous laughter and imitation squealing from the camel owner and Bedouin guide. Nur didn't think it was that funny but they were almost falling over in hysterics. This is all after Nur sat on the camel and then told them she wanted to get off as soon as it stood up and she realised how high it was. She did manage the looong 15 minute ride very bravely and without falling off once (you might have an idea by now about who is writing this blog entry).

On to a bedouin tent for some tea and a demonstration of how they use ingredients from the desert to make soap and make-up.

The ride back was uneventful because Nur was exiled to the back of the ute so we headed for the long drive to Amman without any more excitement.

Stopped to 'eat' and ended up shopping...that is a perfectly normal occurance when women are involved so stop rolling your eyes. 

Our guide wanted more stops than us so he could have smoke breaks but the four hour drive back to Amman required long driving sessions. The scenery...giant watermelons, giant camels, giant potatoes, small goats and sheep...tiny coffee shops for truck drivers which we were advised did not have bathrooms suitable for tourists.

Now we are back in the golden cage in a nicer room and we have discoevred the pool! Also the gift shop has just opened. We are only going to look....maybe twice.

Dinner will be served soon, we can already smell it and our stomachs are rumbling. We should make the most of our last middle eastern dinner before we endure airline food...

Bon Apetite

Why do we need candles? I could smell my way out of Petra!

So said Nur, while we were finding our way back on the long and winding path to the front gate at Petra last night.

On the advice of our tour guide, we did the Petra by Night tour -- and it was well worth the 12JD.

We were greeted by the sight of hundreds and hundreds of candles, lighting the way to the Treasury (walking past the Indiana Jones Cafe on the way in!)

Our cameras were not entirely happy with the lighting situation, but we managed to get a few good shots, which we'll upload once we get back to the land of fast internet. 

Anyway, off we trekked, with many, many other tourists, wandering through the beautifully coloured rocks, which were highlighted by the flickering candlelight. We walked for what seemed like forever, before it was suddenly in front of us: the Treasury --- with a carpet of candles illuminating it!

On arrival, we were quickly ushered to seats (on mats on the ground), until there were about 100 of us, all sitting in rows in front of this amazing monument.

We waited... not knowing what was to come (we probably should have done some research - but sometimes a surprise is a good thing!)

While waiting, the local stray cats (at least we presume they're stray!) came out, looking for laps to sit on. It seems they're very used to tourists, and are quite tame because of their constant interactions with people from all over the world.

One very happy little ginger boy made himself comfortable on the lap of a Brazilian girl next to me, while a ginger and white boy tried to sit with me. Ginger was not having it, flattened his ears, and told Ginger and White in no uncertain terms to move along, thank you very much!

As a result, we had just the one kitty with us. And he purred his way through the whole performance, before biting both the Brazilian girl and Nur when they tried to get him to move when it was time to go!

By I digress.. the performance was wonderful. Bedouin music, played by the locals. There was singing, the local equivalent of a guitar and a flute of some sort. 

We drank sweet Bedouin tea, and soaked up the atmosphere.

Once the performance was over, it was time for the long trek back to the front gate, and the hotel where our guide was waiting.

Nur was not impressed with the prominent smell of donkey crap! Hence the title for this entry. 

This morning, we made our way back to Petra after meeting up with the third and final member of our group,  a girl from Brisbane.

Our guide pointed out all the good spots to take photos, including the fish rock, which from another angle, looks like an elephant! He also told us that if we didn't want to take a donkey or horse or camel ride, then we had to be firm and say no, not 'maybe later' just to be polite. Apparently if you say that, they'll just follow you until you get on the poor animal!

We met the son of the New Zealand woman who married one of the local Bedouin men back in the 1970s. The woman, Marguerite, has a stall selling jewellery, as well as her book 'Married to a Bedouin'. We chatted to him for a while (his name is Raami) and were amused by his strong Kiwi accent! The three of us picked up an autographed book each, which will be perfect for occupying ourselves on the flight home.

The trek to the Monastery was tough! Hot weather, beating sun, and the smell of 'deposits' left by the horses, donkeys and camels. We were offered rides many, many times, but the three of us were NOT going to have that. We felt bad for these poor animals, carrying fat tourists in the heat of the day. Some of the donkeys were tiny, and did not look terribly happy. We spotted one loose donkey, not wearing a saddle, and were all 'Break free, little donkey! Escape while you can!'

If you think the Monastery is the end of the climb, think again! There are many more steps to reach the peak. Once there, the heat seems to disappear. There's a beautiful breeze, and a Bedouin man who sells souvenirs at the top. It's worth the climb to see not only the views, but drink sweet Bedouin tea and listen to the stall owner singing and playing music. 

We were overtaken at one point by an Englishman who was literally RUNNING up the steps. And there are more than 900 of them when you make your way up from the Basin Restaurant, which itself is more than an hour's walk into the site.

It turned out that he was military, of course. He and some of his fellow soldiers were taking a break at Petra, before heading back to work. Only one of them was crazy enough to run up, and apparently it was his second time in one day! The others chatted to us for a while both at the Monastery and at the very top of the rocks. 

Just when we thought it was only the crazy Australians and English climbing all the way up today, we met some Americans, from Pennsylvania, in the Bedouin tent at the top, sipping tea. 

The walk down was just as tough as the walk up, but for different reasons.

There are a LOT of stalls set up along the path to the Monastery. You wouldn't believe it until you saw it. They get their wares up by donkey, and set up on the rocky outcrops. 

Every single stall we passed on the way up had a woman inside saying to us 'It's happy hour! One dinar for anything! Come and shop!' Others, who were selling water, juice, chocolate and chips would yell out 'Have a break, have a Kit Kat!' It seems western advertising is very popular in the Middle East!

We were convinced that it was not just happy hour, but happy day at Petra!

The other thing was that all the boys on donkeys who'd tried to get us to take a ride on the way up did exactly the same thing on the way down!

'Come and ride Michael Jackson!' one of them yelled out.

'Michael Jackson??' we asked

'Yes, only women like Michael Jackson!' he answered. 

I think that was his way of making sure he didn't get any male passengers!

Another called his donkey Shakira. I'm surprised there wasn't one called Barbie Girl, given the popularity of that song in Jordan!

Two boys with a donkey followed us for half of our trip back to the gate, desperately trying to get us to have a ride. 'No thanks', we said, many, many times.

This resulted in them asking us to come to a party tonight. And offering us 20 camels. 'Sorry mate, I was offered a thousand in Jerusalem', I told him. He looked stunned and talked about rich people who can afford so many camels!

There's a definite hierarchy when it comes to the animals at Petra. The horses have the first 700 metres. The poor things give tourists free rides (which come with entry) at the start of the trek. Then it's the domain of the camels for a while, until you actually reach the inner part of the city, where it's steep, rocky and very much the territory of the donkey. It's amazing to see these relatively small animals carrying such heavy loads, covered in hot blankets as the sun beats down on them. Some find themselves shade to stand in while waiting for their next passenger, while others are left in the sun by their owners. 

Nur and I spent this afternoon lazing by the pool in our hotel. Trying to even our tans. We look like half of us went on holiday and the other half didn't. All the long skirts in Israel (our 'holy clothes' as our tour guide Leah called them!) didn't exactly give our legs the glow we were hoping for!

Right now we're waiting for dinner. Tonight it will apparently be a buffet, because there are a lot of people in the hotel. Last night? Crazy. We were the only ones in the dining room and had our own butler and server. They brought out soup, salads, dips and bread, which we happily ate our way through.

As we got up to leave and thanked them for the delicious dinner, they said 'But wait, there's more!', a bit like the Demtel man!

He told us 'No! This is just the appetiser! Then there is main course. Then dessert!'. I don't know who was more stunned -- us at the amount of food, or him at the idea that they would just feed us salad and dips!

To say we ate a lot would be an understatement. We didn't want to offend them, since we were their only customers, and had to eat as much as possible! 

Tonight? Bring it on. All this walking all over the desert makes a traveller hungry!

Escape from the Golden Cage...

We found out today that our tour in Jordan will be different to our tour in Israel:

1 - We have our own private tour guide and tomorrow we are joined by another Australian woman

2- We are not traveling in the big bulky tourist buses but in a normal car with no seat belts in the back (apparently that is normal)

3 - We get to decide what we want to do, when and have  a lot more flexibility in the itinerary than the big group tours

4 - We are not sure if our tour guide/driver has a driving license (we are kidding, he drives exactly the same as the Israeli drivers and other Jordanian drivers ---which is any way he wants to ---such as overtaking vehicles in the wrong lane)

5 - he insists on calling us Madam and opening the doors for us even though we told him to call us by our first names to which he replied 'Yes Madam - I mean yes Madam Nur'

6 - Our tour guide is also our own private comedian entertaining us on the 2.5 hour drive from Amman to Petra with jokes

7 - Our hotel in Petra is very fitting given the history of the place - it is elegant, spacious and empty like a tomb

8 - Once again, they like the song Barbie Girl. It is very difficult to appreciate ancient artifacts in the museum with Aqua playing full blast in the background and the lyrics 'I'm a blond bimbo girl in a fantasy world' while staring at Roman pottery. We wondered if they knew what the lyrics meant (especially the lines involving words like 'hanky panky')

9 - Mr and Mrs M are not on the tour with us and not in our hotel so with 71 hotels and the 72nd hotel being built in Petra, it may be a little difficult to catch up with them. Of course, we could run into Mr M taking photos on his iPad on our tour of Petra tomorrow. Better bring an extra bottle of water in case he has been wandering around for some which we will sell to him for 50 Shekels because we know he ha some left

10 - We have escaped the Golden Cage because we were literally stuck in our hotel. We could see the city centre of Amman from our window which was close but with no pedestrian footpaths and heavy traffic with a tunnel way which seemed to be some kind of freeway, well...we would have ended up being flattened and decorating the Jordanian street

We have climbed the Karak Fortress today, seen Bedouin campsites, Moses's spring, lots of goats, a green camel and not had lunch. I'm sure we passed many other incredible sights but Alicia and I seemed to be taking it in turns falling asleep in the car. I had my first Jordanian tea with mint leaves brought to me by a little boy around 10 years old who seemed to be running his own little cafe at a popular tourist stop to view the Dana Wildlife Reserve. Our guide stopped to show us the view, stretch our legs and....his cigarette break. Two minutes later we were joined bay another guide and his small tour group doing the same thing. Having a cigarette break I mean. Ashtrays everywhere (including near the computer I am typing on).

 After dinner we have a night tour of Petra which will be illuminated by candles. That should be interesting.

If you don't see another blog update, it's because we got lost and didn't make it our of Petra at night. It will be a grand final resting place for us and tomorrow we may be joined by Mr M if the iPad distracts him too much and the heat gets the better of him.

Hurry up and wait!

Today the universe tested our patience as we crossed the border from Israel to Jordan.

We left our Tel Aviv hotel at 8:30, after a final meal with some of our tour-mates. Our new Belgian friends joined us in the dining room for more travel talk, food and frivolity.

We were pleasantly surprised by a visit from Mr M!!!! There he was, waiting for us to catch our ride to the border. We were sad to find out today that the Ms are not on our tour of Petra, but hope to spot them from the distance. And if we see Mr M, sweating it out in weather that's "hotter than bloody Broome!", we will squirt him with our water bottles to cool him down.

It was a rush to get out. Yes, Nur, I forgot my toothbrush! Luckily, a certain someone does a scan of the room (several times over) before checkout to make up for my inattention to detail.

So... our driver was snapping his fingers, telling us to hurry up. And hurry up we did. We had a two hour drive to the border. Two. Hours. In hot weather.

Once we arrived, we did the typical tourist thing, got our luggage out of the car, took the obligatory photo at the border sign, were asked if we were hiding weapons (we were tempted to say our scintilating personalities were our weapons of choice, but didn't think that the border control people would be too amused by that answer...)

We crossed through in an uneventful fashion and waited on the other side of the gate. We're in Jordan, we thought! Then, after turning down a ride on a bus because we were waiting for our tour guide and spotting some Israeli flags flying we realised.... Oh. We're still in Israel.

We blame the lack of sleep over the past few weeks, and the stress of actually trying to figure out how the hell we were going to cross from one country to the other.

Finally we boarded a bus, crossed the border (basically the carpark. Yes, that's the border) and found ourselves in another country.

Our guide was there to meet us, took control of the situation, and had us on the road in no time -- after we waited in a badly airconditioned room with the rest of the plebs for a taxi to take us to the outside gate... and his waiting car.

The scenery was similar to Israel, but around the border, the poverty was obvious. Further in, things changed and we were seeing huge houses, mosques, and a general show of how the other half lives in this part of the world.

Amman? One word. Well, two, actually. Traffic jam! That was our first experience of this city. And despite there being lanes on the roads, it seems they're used only as guidelines as people weave in and out with no use of indicators. Hence the two accidents we saw -- one of which resulted in a Merc coming off second best to a truck!

The driver played Bedoin music before putting on a little gem from the late '90s --- Barbie Girl by Aqua. It is now stuck in our heads. It won't go away. Someone please make it go away! He was clapping along as it played, while we waited in a traffic jam...

Our hotel is... incredible. There's a massive foyer with a huge chandelier. We have a view of the main road, but our room is nice. Oh, and here's what's on offer in the little basket of goodies (which you of course pay for on checkout) -- two packets of chips, one packet of nuts, one packet of lollies, and ... two packets of cigarettes! What the???? There is also a warning on the back of the hotel room door not to smoke in bed.

We're not in Kansas (or Melbourne) anymore!

Right now, we're trying to use the slowest computer on the planet to update our blog (two updates in one day! This is what we call dedication -- or perhaps boredom!)

We're off to have a look around the immediate neighbourhood around the hotel -- much to Nur's despair. She would rather sleep!

We're hoping the food will be good. There's a lot to live up to after the offerings of Israel -- especially the kibbutz (and we don't mean the manager man...)

Anyway... we are off to see if we can at least cross a road out there, though given their lack of attention to road rules, we don't like our chances.

If you don't hear from us in the next few days, we may be flattened outside our hotel....

I told you so....

This entry will serve not only as an education for singles travelling to Israel, but also as an apology for doubting the word of our friend and colleague, B.

B said to us, weeks before we were to embark on our adventure, "Expect to be hit on left, right and centre. It will not stop. They will be persistant. That's the way of Israeli men."

Men? Looking at us? We scoffed at her. As. If!

Man number 1:

Day one in Jerusalem, we were walking down Jaffa Road, minding our own business, looking for water (we always carry at least three litres each -- you never know when there will be a drought!)

A man in a yellow t-shirt stopped us.

Yellow t-shirt man to Alicia: Where you from?
Alicia: Melbourne... Australia.
Yellow t-shirt man: You come, we have coffee.
Alicia: Um.... we have to be somewhere
Yellow t-shirt man: You give me your phone number. We go later, have coffee.
Nur: We don't have a phone!
Yellow t-shirt man to Nur: YOU NO TALK!!!

Okay... we managed to escape the coffee invitation with a few seconds later, by basically running to cross Jaffa Road to get away from him, after he followed us for about 10 metres.

Man number 2:

We were looking for the Via Dolorosa, and found ourselves being dragged into a shop selling beautiful jewellery.

This happened because a man ran out, rather urgently, asking us how to sell phenomenon.

Shop man: "Is it a P? Or a B? Is there H in there?"

So we went in, wrote it down for him, and he made a free pair of earrings in return.

He then went on to fleece Nur of all the money she had allocated for the day, before the conversation turned.

Shop man to Alicia: You? I would give 1000 camels.
Alicia: Um... okay. This is a nice pair of earrings....
Shop man to Nur: You? 2000 camels!
Nur (thinking on her feet): We have boyfriends!
Shop man: If they were here, I would kill them!

Man number 3:

Kibbutz man...

On night one at the kibbutz, we were completely dead. All we wanted to do was sleep.

But no, nothing ever goes to plan.

Kibbutz man to Alicia: Where are you going? You come to the bar, I was looking for you, I have wine!
Alicia: I actually have to go to my room (followed by a very fast move in the direction of the hotel rooms)

Night two, we were sitting at the table, eating dinner, when suddenly two wine glasses arrived in front of us and were promptly filled with red wine.

Nur: We didn't order this.
Waiter: It's from the manager.
Nur: We don't know the manager
Waiter: He's the one in the white shirt.

Okay... we figured he was wine man from last night. All good.

Later that night:

Manager to Nur: You like dancing?
Nur: I'm not very good at it.
Manager: It's okay. We go somewhere with people your age. Nightclub.
Nur: I have to pack my bags, we leave early tomorrow.
Manager: You in (insert driver's name here!) group? It's okay. We go out, I drive you to Tel Aviv tomorrow after work.
Nur: Um... no, that's okay.
Manager: We just go dancing. You like soldiers?
Nur: I'm not that kind of girl!
Manager: You like girls??
Nur: No! I'm not wild.
Manager: It's okay. We do nothing. We just talk. Make fun.

At this point, Nur high-tailed it back to the safety of the table with the Ms and a few others from our group. Before making a rather dramatic exit back to the room.

"Alicia, don't follow me for five minutes. He'll see us both leaving and follow you".

Five minutes later? Banging on the door to the hotel room....

Nur: "Who is it?"

Alicia: "I give you 5000 camels... if you had a boyfriend and he was here, I would kill him!"

The door promptly opened, before slamming shut again and being firmly locked!

Man number 4

During the day, we stopped at a shop to look at their wonderful wares. As you occcasionally do on a tour. Actually, it seemed to be more of a 'bathroom break', and "if you have to buy something, buy it".

Nur was talking to one of the staff, doing a deal.

The conversation went a bit like this:

Shop man: You young. You're 20?
Nur: 24.
Shop man: You married?
Nur: No.
Shop man: It's okay. I find you a nice husband.
Nur: No, I'm 24. I'm too young to get married.
Shop man: That's okay. You come back next year...
.
Man number 5

An alternative title? "The internet is for...."

After a night of chaos, trying to organise our border crossing (the less said about that at this stage the better! Organised chaos would be a polite way of putting it!) and exchanging tales of Israeli experiences with a nice Belgian family from our tour, we decided to hit the internet to update our blog.

It was not to be.

Why, you ask?

Internet man to Nur: Where are you from?
Nur: Australia
Internet man: Add me on Facebook.
Nur: What??
Internet man: I like to connect with people. Add me on Facebook.

This was followed by a conversation about how he was addicted to Facebook, and when he couldn't find Nur, he made her add him.

Internet man to Nur: When do you leave?
Nur: Tomorrow
Internet man: What are your plans for tonight?
Nur: Sleep.
Internet man: That's boring!

We came back later, and when he was still there, Nur took off at high speed back to the room and left me on my own.

Internet man to me: Hello again...
Me: Hi. I'm just checking the temperature for tomorrow....

Followed by me also high-tailing it back to the hotel room.

So, sorry B! You were right, we were wrong! We will never doubt you again!

Smooth Sailing...

well...for the most part

The highlight of today  was the boat ride on the sea of Gallilee (actually; it's technically a lake but it's so big that it's understandable how the people who named it may have been slightly confused). It was smooth sailing all the way (but not for Mr M who missed a step getting on and fell but luckily  did not injure himself), no tempestual storms or waves to knock us about. Very tame, maybe a few waves would have made it more exciting.

We did take turns standing on the  beginning of the boat pretending we were Kate Winslet on the Titanic but in the absence of good looking English gentlemen that didn't last long.

Lunch was a disaster.Well, we didn't actually have lunch. We went to a restaurant that served St Peter's fish but none of really fancied a fish head for lunch,  money or no money in it's mouth. Luckily the resort served slices of cold pizza which they ordered in from elsewhere  for 17 shekels a slice, and ice cream too of course.

We did enjoy dipping our feet in the water until Nur wandered in too deep and got her skirt drenched. Not that she was complaining, in the heat it was actually quite refreshing. Fearing a reprimand from the bus driver for getting his bus seat wet, Nur took the opportunity to run onto the bus sneakily when he wandered away for a second to round up the rest of the pack. She then sat on a wet skirt for the one hour ride to the kibbutz.

Before returning 'home' we  stopped at every girl's fantasy land. It was a diamond factory. Yes, a real working diamond factory. After we had been given sufficient time to drool and swoon over things we cannot afford we  returned to the bus. Most of us anyway.Alicia did an M trick and dissaparead but luckily Mrs M noticed her absence. Nur wasn't too worried because she assumed Alicia couldn't tear herself away from the Eliat stone collection. There could be worse things in the world than being left behing in a diamond factory!

So, empty bellies (we didn't dare bring ice cream onto the bus because one of our crew got told off for bringing  one on) and full wallets, we returned to the kibbutz.

We decided to be adventurous and take the scenic walk around the property. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. We got lost. Of course. We did manage to find our way back, but  we probably got heat stroke on our adventure. (Don't worry mum I'm fine).

Dinner is calling us,it smells delicious and since it's all you can eat,well, we fully intend to make up for the lack of lunch.

Bon Appetite

Kibbutz living...

This, we could get used to!

We got to our kibbutz around 5:30, after a long day on the bus, during which the driver showed his skills down narrow streets in the Artist's Colony, and came within millimetres of a major incident with another driver! They just will NOT back down around here!

The guide asked if anyone needed a bathroom stop after our close call with so many ancient walls.

One of our fellow travellers had stated that he could not go for communal living.

His mind was changed in just a few hours!

We were pleasantly surprised by a party on the lawn last night, which is apparently a regular occurence. Children with hoola hoops, giant bubbles, juggling...it was all happening at the kibbutz until about 10pm, when, presumably, the children went off to bed.

Actually, they hit the internet to play games, which was extremely annoying. No amount of Nur glaring daggers at them would move the little darlings.

For those who happen to be reading the blog -- that is why there was no installment last night.

Well, that and the fact that only one of the computers is set up for English.

Hebrew computers. Who knew... all of the hotels and hostels have everything in English.

The Hebrew keyboards and set-up brought back the fact that this is a different country, no matter how familiar and comfortable it has become!

The kibbutz has a hotel, which we're staying in, an indoor pool, outdoor pool, two dining rooms, and the cutest houses, which presumably the locals live in.

One dining room seems to be for visitors, the other for residents. The food is delicious, in fact so delicious that Nur was dreaming about hommus balls last night.

How one would make them, we don't know, but apparently in dreamland they are divine!

Time to go for breakfast now, before Mr M gets there and eats all the good stuff first!

He was a good boy yesterday and didn't get lost once! We were all very impressed!!

Hope everyone is having fun back home in the Australian winter while we walk, swim and lounge around in 30-40 degree temperatures...

Those who wander are not always lost
-- maybe they fell asleep!

Today was a day of mosaic after mosaic.

It's strangely fitting in a city like Jerusalem. Small pieces fitting together to make an amazing picture sort of reflects the city's inhabitants and cultures, coming together from all over the world to make the city you see today.

We started off early. Up at six, comiserating over the state of our suit cases, and having breakfast downstairs.

Breakfast Israeli style means lots of salads. And they're good. We loaded up on veggies, because half the time if you're doing 'fast food' there's not much available but carbs.

The hotel buffet has an overwhelming choice of everything from Greek salad to coleslaw, omelettes to porridge, and everything in between. Including what would traditionally be seen as desserts!

The one thing they don't seem to go for here? Tea. They have teabags on the table, but what to put them in?? Nur figured the hot pot on the table was a good bet. No. It was coffee. She then spent about five minutes fussing around with the locals, trying to find a cup of boiling water!

8.30 and we were on the bus. First stop, the Old City. The two of us know our way around pretty well, but it was good to see it with people who'd never had that experience before. After navigating our way around the winding, rabbit-warren streets, we'd become used to the city. Seeing it with new people was like seeing it with new eyes.

We started our tour at the Dome of the Rock. Despite being warned that we MUST be covered, some people had chosen to wear either shorts (the men) or relatively low-cut, sleeveless tops (the women). This is  huge no-no for the Dome of the Rock.

A beautiful but skinny cat decided to wait for us while we were in the line for the rock, possibly checking out our suitability to go inside. He stayed with us the whole time, begging for attention, as many of the strays do here. When we moved, he moved. If we stopped, he purred and put his paw out to get our attention.

On entering the compound, we were all given a going-over by the locals, and a few of our group ended up being herded off to a room together. We waited while they were all fitted with 50 shekel scarves to make them sufficiently modest. (amusingly enough, they hand out scarves at the Western Wall... no charge to borrow them) The women were fine. No problem. The men? They walked out to a round of cheers, laughs and claps as they appeared in scarves worn as skirts. Hilarious.

Once we'd all finished taking photos of the amazing ceramic tiles on the Dome of the Rock, we headed out to walk the stations of the cross. We deviated, though, heading to the Western Wall, where those who chose to, wrote a note and put it in the wall.

We then continued the remaining stations of the cross until we ended up at the Holy Sepulchre. Cue more photos of more amazing mosaics and architecture. The Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian and Ethiopian churches are all part of the Holy Sepulchre, each part a huge contrast to the next. The Greek section is more elaborate, the Armenian more artistic... Bottom line, we spent a lot of time in churches today. It's a wonder the ancient walls didn't crumble from our presence!

We did have a cranky priest at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the tomb of Jesus we were herded in to a small room like sheep, and our eyes had barely adjusted to the light before there was a loud slapping on the side of the wall and a shout of "Finish! Finish! Get out!!!!!'" Priest got up on the wrong side of the bed or something. Or maybe he was hanging out for lunch. He was not a happy man. We all moved through very quickly, afraid that the hand would slap us "accidentally"' instead of slapping the wall!

The biggest drama of the day followed a visit to King David's Tomb.

Let this be a warning: if the tour guide says she'll leave without you, she'll leave without you (or at least the grumpy bus driver will!)

We had been told many times by our tour guide Leah that if we don't make it to the bus we can "go to the hotel, or go back to where you came from" (meaning your country of origin!)

Well, Mr M, our new friend from Canada (a nice, older man who's apparently closing in on 75!) is the straggler of our group. He wanders off and we have all at various times threatened to put a harness on him. Mr M needs to have his iPad surgically removed! He sees nothing while he's looking at it, filming and taking photos.

After our visit to King David's Tomb, we headed for the bus.

We got on and Leah did a head-count.

Then it was "Mrs M, where's Mr M???"

After that? "When did we last see him??"

Eventually one of the other guys (I think he's Jamaican) ran off to find Mr M.

He came back empty handed.

The bus driver was all "Stuff this! We're leaving!!!"and off we went for lunch at a nearby Kibbutz.

The food was great. Mr M? Not so great! He turned up at his hotel a few hours later and decided that rather than rejoin us, he'd have a nap. We got a detailed account of his adventure, wandering between the Zion Gate and the Jaffa Gate before he gave up and got a taxi back to the comfort of his room.

After lunch, it was off to the Israeli Museum, where it was Nur's turn to almost get left behind by the group. Leah yelled out "Where's Nur?"to the answer "She could be a while. She's trying to read the Hebrew manuscripts!"

This led to an intervention, during which Nur and two other young Australians were virtually dragged to the bus, kicking and screaming!

The trauma didn't last long, though, due to the promise of a nice swim and an icecream in the new section of the city.

The pool water was nothing like Tel Aviv. It was freezing! We chatted with an interesting Canadian woman who's been here four times before, and over the years has celebrated two birthdays in this city.

Post swim, we headed down to the lobby to show the Ms the town. Mr M promised not to wander, but we still kept a close eye on him, and have threatened to tie a scarf around his neck to keep him in line tomorrow. Methinks after being left behind today, he may be the first on the bus tomorrow!

Anyway, we headed down to Jaffa Road for gelati and to show the Ms the nightlife in the newer part of the city. They had lots of fun, and we heard over and over again about the long trek Mr M had between the Jaffa Gate and the Zion Gate before he finally had to throw himself to the mercy of a cab driver (for 50 shekels) and get the hell out of the city, back to the peace and quiet of his hotel room.

He told us that he'd just sat down for a minute after the visit to King David's Tomb and then we were all gone.

Mrs M thinks he fell asleep.... We tend to agree that that is a possibility, but we will never truly know.

It is another one of Jerusalem's mysteries.

I'm sure we'll be hearing much more about it tomorrow morning, when we all check out of our hotels, get on the bus and head to our next stop -- a kibbutz!

Tourists turned tour guides...

Four days in Jerusalem before the tour started was a very good thing.

Because of this, we have a much better idea than our tour-buddies about what to expect/what's a good price/what's worth doing.

We've bonded with some fellow Aussies and a couple of British-Canadians (they've been in Canada more than 40 years, but still sound like Brits to us!) The Aussies weren't too hard to spot. The thongs gave it away. Only we would traipse through the Middle East in Havaianas.

Today we shared stories about our trips, and compared notes about the tour experience. Some are ending their tour with our group, some started with our group, others will most likely join us tomorrow. It's a never-ending change of faces on the bus. Though it's the same ones who always get lost or forget to get on the bus.

Our bus driver was not impressed with the late-comers during our exit from Bethlehem. One woman had been ambushed by street vendors outside the tourist shop we'd been dropped off at.

They draped necklaces over her arm. About 10 of them. Had it been us, we would have put them on the ground and walked away. But she is more polite (or perhaps not as experienced at fending off unwanted sales!) than us, and ended up buying them, just so she could get away and get on the bus before the driver took off without her!

Tonight we were desperate for a swim in the hotel pool, but for the second night in a row, our swim session was thwarted. Our tour bus dropped us off at the hotel at 5:40, when the pool closes at 6! Very inconvenient.

We made up for the lack of swimming by taking the British Canadians on a tour of the old city, showing them where we get our 6 shekel falafels (which are divine. Have we mentioned they're divine before?) They were very impressed with their new-found snack, though Mr British Canadian keeps calling them Waffles. No amount of correcting him will make a difference. They are WAFFLES!!!

We wandered to the observation point for the Western Wall, and were surprised to see paper bags filled with sand and candles. A red carpet was also there, and a table with wine, two glasses and a cake (well, it was in a cake box, so presumably it was a cake!) We assume there was a wedding planned for that spot later in the night, overlooking the Western Wall.

The full moon looked incredible, and the Dome was glowing all gold in the dusk sky.

The temperature was perfect. Warm but not hot. Just a nice breeze blowing through.

Our tourists were very impressed that we could get them all over the city with our various shortcuts, and without being hassled by vendors. They basically just let us go past and if we stop, we stop. If we don't, well that's okay.

On the way out of our expedition into the Old City, we saw our little friend the fruit vendor, packing up his stall after a hard day's work. He was yelling out to others around him, and we've got to the point where we recognise his voice, from walking past the stall all the time.

The hotel is busy at almost 10:30. It's frustrating to wait for the internet when children are sitting there, ignoring the 20 minute limit, playing games. Enough already! Go read a book!!!!!

We're heading into the Old City with our tour group tomorrow. If you're there, you'll know us. We'll be the two NOT wearing our tour caps!!!!

Frugal is as frugal does...

It was back to our new reality today -- after a much needed detour to Masada and the Dead Sea.

We were up and about early, trying to dry the clothes we'd decided MUST be washed the night before. Picture this: Nur spending all night fretting over her clothes and giving them a going over with a hairdryer while watching a Bollywood movie. There was much muttering and complaining from her adjoining room.

At 7:45, with still-wet clothes packed in our suitcases, we hit the road with our new tour group. Hmmm. Things didn't start out well since there were only four of us. Four soon became 16, and tomorrow it will double in size.

The 16 of us today drove through the Negev Desert to Masada, where it was stiflingly hot and they had closed the snake path to the top. We didn't have to worry about that. Despite our stair climbing expertise, the tour guide insisted we MUST take the cable car.

Once at the top, we stepped out into what felt like a furnace! There were a few older members of our group who had trouble keeping up, and we were concerned that one of them might keel over in the desert, falling down a cliff never to be seen again! A fitting end considering the location.

Finally even the tour guide seemed to have had enough of the weather, and told us it was time to get back to the bus. She didn't seem too thrilled when a select few decided they had to go through the gift shop. Those of us not inclined to pick up souvenirs at special tourist rates waited with the guide, Leah, while the rest shopped 'til their last shekel dropped.

Lunch. There's a really interesting contrast here. Our lunch was at one of those typical tourist bus stops. Nur's lunch (chicken, rice and beans that had been boiled within an inch of their lives) was 47 shekels. My vegetarian spaghetti was 23 shekels.

This is much, much more than we spent between us in the entire four days we were in Jerusalem!

Nur was so shocked it's lucky lunch-man didn't have the tasty morsels thrown back in his face!

Lunch over, we all piled back on the bus (the two of us enchanting the English/Canadian couple behind us with tales of our thriftiness and magical 5 shekel 1.25 litre bottles of water), for the trip to the Dead Sea.

We love the Dead Sea! Actually, we love what it did to our skin. Baby's butts, anyone? Smooth. Seriously smooth. Salt + mud = heaven. Though at one point, baking in the sun while covered in mud and salt, Nur felt distinctly like a well seasoned pot roast!

The water wasn't as thick and salty as we expected, and yet Nur still had issues with finding her feet. She knew they were there somewhere, they just wouldn't get with the program and hit the ground when she wanted to quit floating! On the upside, we're convinced that being covered in black mud made us look slimmer (or maybe the mirror beside the mud buckets was a little deceiving..)

An attempt was made to have us spend a fortune on Dead Sea products. Um.. yeah. No. There were two people who were sucked in, but we figured we were either too clever or too cheap. Probably the latter.

Anyway, after that -- back home! Well to our temporary home, Jerusalem. We know this city. We like this city.

We're staying in a much flashier place this time around. Three nights in a hotel with a pianist in the lobby. Ooooh La La. This is how the other half lives.`And yet we still insisted on walking all the way Old City, and our local shopping haunt to schlep back up the hill with 10 litres of water, two kilos of grapes, bananas and biscuits.  All for the bargain price of 42 shekels. We outdid ourselves with the water purchase. Our previous record was 6 bottles for 30 shekels. Tonight? Our favourite water man handed over 8 1.25 litre bottles for just 20 shekels. He then told us to make sure our bags were zipped up before we wandered back into the rest of the market.

We also outdid ourselves with the latest falafel purchase. 40 shekels per falafel in the hotel. Are you serious? We can do better than that. We took it as a personal challenge and managed to find the most delicious falafels for just 6 shekels each! Where? In the old city of course!

On another note, it seems kids will be kids no matter what their lot in life.

We noticed that the children in Tel Aviv seem like children, while so many of the young children we met in Jerusalem's markets were like mini adults.

Not so tonight!

One youngster, who was maybe 11 or so, took exception to a man (who was rather under the weather) standing by his fruit stall. He yelled at him to move away, told him he'd give him a couple of slaps if he didn't move, and then started throwing apricots at him.

Boy has a business to run! Can't have unsavoury sorts (and he was unsavoury!) scaring off his customers!

Anyway, tomorrow is another day, and we're off to Bethlehem, Mt Scopus and the Mt of Olives.

Hopefully there will be more walking involved! This bus travel is tiring!

Modesty is everthing. Until you get to Tel Aviv...

After the Old City of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv was a culture shock! We had got used to wandering down winding laneways, battling locals for space (including cars and trucks at times! How they do that, we'll never know!) and taking in the sights and sounds of markets that seem to come from another era (until you see the shopkeeper on his iPad...)

Tel Aviv. A little piece of Melbourne in the Middle East. Except cleaner.

We had an early start this morning, knowing it was our day to switch cities.

Up at 6, out of the hotel in Old Jerusalem at 7, and off to the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall.

Our tour is taking us to the Wall, so we bypassed it, and went to the Dome.

Amazing.

Being non-Muslims, we were not allowed in (we got turned away three times in three days from different entry points), but it's well worth the effort to go to the compound to have a look. The ceramic tiles that cover the building, along with the golden dome, have to be seen to be believed.

We battled off a few locals who were trying to sell themselves as tour guides. We have developed quite a skill for navigating the old city and may give our tour-mates some tips when we hit that area in a few days. We were also unwilling to part with any more shekels, since we had to pay a big taxi bill to get to Tel Aviv.

Trip to the Dome over, we headed back to the hotel, picking up some fresh bread and bottled water on the way.

Then it was one last trip to the roof to see the incredible view, and lugging our many bags (much heavier than just days before) down the stairs to the lobby.

Our taxi driver arrived to escort us to his cab. Word of advice -- you will be ripped off if you book one between cities. We paid 350 shekels, which adds up to about $75. It's cheap by Melbourne standards, but by local standards, it seems a bit steep.

Anyway -- hotel? Fabulous!

We were upgraded to adjoining rooms, each with its own ensuite and large flat screen tv and tea service!

After squeeing over our rooms, we hit the beach.

The water here is warm -- so much warmer than at home!

And modesty? What's that? While you rarely saw anyone in Old Jerusalem even in a t-shirt (except the young Muslim men and the children) people of all shapes and sizes are getting around in bikinis and budgie smugglers here! Even in the hotel lobby. Our friends in our last hotel would have died of shock at the sight of that!

Once we'd wrinkled our toes enough, padding in the water, we decided to hunt for food.

We are now Teletubbies in Tel Aviv. We are so full we can't walk. We've been waddling!

The reason? We wandered past a cafe and stopped for a bit of a look. The owner came out and asked if we wanted falafel (apparently that's all the tourists eat...  and our backpacks gave us away!)

So in we went, for an amazing falafel and bottles of coke.

The saying 'it's a small world' has never been more appropriate than today. Chatting to the owner, it turns out he's related to the people who own the hotel we stayed in in Old Jerusalem. What does that mean? Bring on the free food! He insisted we try the falafel balls free of charge. Then he brought out the most incredible hummus and pita bread. You have no idea...  the hummus was like velvet... divine... We ate so much free food that we could hardly move!! He even asked us if we wanted to come back tonight, and if we did, dinner would be on him. We told him that wouldn't be possible (to be honest, we couldn't face another meal today!) We did however promise to visit on our next trip to Tel Aviv in a few days, and took him a sweet, chocolatey challah as a thank you.

Wandering through one of the more upmarket cafe strips, we found 90 shekels lying on the ground. It's probably small change to the person who dropped it, but having been in Old Jerusalem where so many have so little, we thought it was a significant amount of cash.

Being big believes in the theory that what goes around comes around, we took it in to the nearest cafe, where the waitress seemed surprised and thanked us for our honesty.

Deciding we'd had enough of feeling hot and gross, it was time to get back to the hotel for a swim in the pool.

We. Have. A. Pool.  (Complete with cute lifeguard - Nur)

And we love it.

A bunch of people just arrived in the lobby and we're thinking they may be our tour group. Hmm. We're hearing American and South African accents, while classical music plays in the background.

We meet them officially at 7.45 tomorrow, then it's off to Masada and the Dead Sea. Those blisters are due for a Dead Sea beating... which will NOT be fun!

For now, we're taking our tired, sore, walked-to-the-bone feet to the beach to soak while we eat figs for dinner....