So, I got back from Egypt on Sunday night and found a nice little wall post on my Facebook. Apparently, my friend Raechel since I have known since my Beth David days (a.k.a childhood), who is also studying in Haifa this semester was coming to Tel Aviv the next day, Monday! I was so excited! I had visited Raechel in Haifa once in early April and her and I had the most amazing time. we spent the day walking along the mountain looking out at the ocean and then when we got bored with the scenery we headed over to the Druze village and shopped around the shuk. I really clicked with her friends, they were a breathe of fresh air, haha, earthy kids as I call them, those Jewish kids my age that are all down to earth and what not. Anyway, enough with the tangents, Raechel was coming from Monday, May 5- Thursday, May 8 with her friend Kira who is a doll to say the least.
When they arrived they took a cab over to Brodetsky (my dorm) where we hung out for a bit, the real fun started the next day though. On Tuesday, Ari and I went over to Nahalat Binyamin, and art fair that occurs every Tuesday and Friday, Raechel’s hostel was close by so she met up with us. We walked along around for a bit, and then headed to the grocery. At sundown on May 6 Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day would begin. Everything closes, everything. The entire country is pretty much shut down. As a result I had to make the girls dinner that night. The next day, at 11 o’clock the sirens go off, all over the country, and everyone EVERYONE pauses, cars stop, people halt, and national moment of silence is taken. For those few moments the entire country freezes. Its unbelievable, the same occurred for Yom Hashoah (which occurred a week before, its Holocaust memorial day). I don’t want to bore you with every detail Yom Hazikaron was kind of uneventful we went to the beach for the day. it was amazing to be here though to see a nation-state, a people come together and wholly mourn over those they have lost. You feel the sense of loyalty, fraternity, and patriotism just by being here.
The real fun started that night. When the clock stroke 6 the mourning was officially over… and Israel was 60!!! When the close stroke 12 Kyla was 21!!! So the girls and I went to Sushi Republic for a birthday celebration, Israel at a strapping 60 and Kyla at a youthful 21. Dinner was great, everyone had a blast, and my friends loved Raechel and Kira’s company. I was so happy to have her here. After dinner we all headed over to Florentine (same place we were for Purim). The street was packed, Israeli flags (as with most of the city) covering every inch of the place. hundreds of people Jews, all in pure bliss. It was unreal. And in the middle of the madness, a guy steps out of his apartment looking down onto the chaotic street and takes out his massive Shofar. For the next ten minutes everyone was silent while he blew it. Only in Israel. Only in Israel.
The next day, May 8, we headed over to the beach for an air and sea show. Another mod of people, just waiting to see their armed forces perform. The respect, empathy, and heroism, the patriotism, well it’s refreshing. The show was incredible, also impressive. But even more awesome were the cheers, the claps, from ages 1-100. Everyone in unison celebrating the country they love so dearly. This is why I came abroad to Israel.
This week was important for me, impressive. Israel and Israelis it’s an amazing thing. A people, a nation, a state that has suffered so much, endured so much, but still has the spirit, the determination not only to survive but to leave its mark. A country, so small you can hardly see it on a map, but with a soul so large. Larger than life. it reminds you of how proud you are to be a Jew, how proud you are to be apart of something so special.
To say the least, Am Yisrael Chai
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Walk like and Egyptian
Sara’s brother, Zac, decided to visit, his flight got in on April 29. The two of them decided to go to Egypt that following weekend, and Sara invited Ariana and me. I had an inclination my father would say yes this time (being that he was very against it in the past) considering that Sara’s brother is in the US Navy. I figured my dad would feel safer under those circumstances, so I decided to give it a try. It my semi-surprise the parentals said yes! We were on our way to the pyramids.
You see, the thing is that there are two things on this planet I have always wanted to see (well there’s more than 2, but 2 specifically that were at the top of the list). Guess what they are…the Taj and yes, the Pyramids!!!
That Thursday, May 1, after class Ariana and I took the 5-hour bus ride down to Eilat, Sara and her brother flew. We got there late at night and passed out.
The next day, May 2, we woke up at 5:45am and headed right to the Taba border. Once we crossed we got in a small van and had a 5-hour drive through the Sinai to Cairo. I was not nearly as nervous as I had been in Jordan, I think this was due to the fact that Zac was with us, and that we used the same tour company so I had a bit of trust in them. also, with us at all times was a security guard. Apparently, all American, Canadian, and Japanese tourists are required to have a body guard with them at all times. See tourism in Egypt is important, it supports a large portion of their economy, inasmuch they could not afford to have anything happen.
When we arrived in Cairo I was surprised as to how clean it was, everyone kept telling us how disgusting and dirty the place was, but it was equally as clean as India’s upper class neighborhoods. Yet, just as my thoughts were a-churning, Ariana came out with her own, that Cairo was not clean at all. Apparently Sara and I have greatly lowered our sanitary standards after our 2-week excursion.
Our first stop was the Museum of Cairo. We walked around for 2 hours and looked at tons of historical artifacts, I must say the most impressive was the mummy of Ramses II, the Pharaoh that held the Jews as the slaves, the Pharaoh from Exodus. The guy still had nails, and several strands of white hair. He looked gross, but was still intact it was incredible. And still while I was looking at him I felt this sense of disgust, disgust for enslaving the Jews…call me over protective, call me proud, call me crazy, I cant help it.
While in the museum we also saw the mask commonly associated with King Tut, you know the gold head with the blue headband crown. Replicas are featured in all the Hollywood blockbusters concerning ancient Egypt. We also got to see the chair that King Tut sat on. It was beautiful.
After the museum we were starving so we went to a place for lunch, the restaurant was in Giza, where the pyramids are, a 20-minute car ride from the center of the bustling city. At that point we got a glimpse of the pyramids…soooo cool! I was so excited to feast my eyes on those beasts, but I would have to wait till tomorrow to get up-close and personal, after lunch we went to a papyrus factory and saw how the paper was made. The guy that did the demonstration has a huge black circle on the top of his forehead. It looks like ash, but it’s a mark that develops after years of praying, after years of hitting your head on the mat as you bow to Allah. a lot of men sported them. talk about cultural differences.
I wasn’t too into the papyrus making, I just wanted to see the pyramids to be honest. After we saw the demonstration we headed to the hotel for an hour and a half of down time. at 6:30 we were getting picked up to go on a cruise along the Nile.
The Nile cruise was cool because, well, we were on the Nile River!!!! But there were no reeds around, no papyrus baskets with baby Moses’s or anything like that, the days of exodus are long gone to say the least. Rather I got to see every 5 star hotel in Cairo, since they all have real estate along the river, I'm talking four seasons, Hilton, Sheraton, crown plaza, you name it, it was there (although I'm not sure about the Ritz).
On the cruise we had dinner (very mediocre) and dessert (borderline gross), and watched a belly dancer do her thing. The music was too loud of any kind of social conversation so we headed upstairs to the deck to hang out. That’s where it all went down. Our body guard for the day, Muhammad, fell in love with Sara, let me rephrase, fell in love with Sara’s looks, her beautiful blonde hair and crystal blue eyes really gave her a unique twist. before she knew it he proposed and handed her his necklace, his family heirloom. The poor girl had no idea what to do and clearly Ari and I weren’t about to do her dirt work. The rest of the evening (all 10 minutes of it since the boat was close to the dock) was kind of awkward while we girls decided on the best way of returning the heirloom. When we got to the hotel that night Sara simply handed it back.
I was excited for bed that night, tomorrow: PYRAMIDS!
The next morning, May 3, our tour guide (who was not nearly as great as Ali, our tour guide in India) picked us up at the hotel. 20 minutes later there they were in all their glory, right in front of our faces, we could see them from the bottom to the very top, AMAZING.
We all got out of the car and started exploring the first victim, the great pyramid, the largest of the three. It was unreal, its size was gargantuan. And standing there I got the chills, the same chills I get when at the Kotel. Jews built these I thought. Wow. At that moment our tour guide started talking and explained how the Jews didn’t build the pyramids. Yadda yadda yadda. Ari started asking some complicated question about who did build them, how much they were paid, how they were build and the guys had no answers. All he knew was that the Jews didn’t build them, the Egyptians did. Remember, Israel and Egypt share a cold peace. Just because they have an agreement doesn’t meant they are friends, and that doesn’t mean Egyptians recognize or respect them, clearly! We took tons of pictures, walk up the pyramids, touched the boulders (which were as tall as Ari), and just relished in the moment. After we went to see a view of the three pyramids all lined up and then of the second one. They were really spectacular, utterly amazing, and reminded me how proud I was to be Jewish to be apart of a minority with such a he voice and a bigger heart.
After the pyramids we went to see the sphinx, which was also very impressive. There, Ari asked who carved the rock, the face, the headdress, the long arms, and our tour guides answer, “it was here, it came like this”. He refused to believe that while the rock may have been there man carved the statue! Imagine that.
Surrounding the sphinx and pyramids, these two amazing representations of history, is, what else? American commercialism, Pizza Hut and KFC. Haha. It was too much.
After being blown away by the pyramids we went to an oil shop. Sara and I both bought an oil called lotus flower, which smells delicious. Following we headed to an old church and a synagogue in Cairo, synagogue Ben Ezra. While most of the Jewish population had left Cairo it was still comforting to walk into a Shul. I prayed before we left, imagine praying at a Shul in an Arab country, unreal! We ended the day by walking along the Bazaar in Cairo. It looked like a smaller version of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
At around 4:00 we got in the van for our 5-hour bus ride back to Eilat.
The next day, May 4, Ari and I stayed in Eilat, we went to the beach and hung out. It was a great way to end an amazing weekend.
You see, the thing is that there are two things on this planet I have always wanted to see (well there’s more than 2, but 2 specifically that were at the top of the list). Guess what they are…the Taj and yes, the Pyramids!!!
That Thursday, May 1, after class Ariana and I took the 5-hour bus ride down to Eilat, Sara and her brother flew. We got there late at night and passed out.
The next day, May 2, we woke up at 5:45am and headed right to the Taba border. Once we crossed we got in a small van and had a 5-hour drive through the Sinai to Cairo. I was not nearly as nervous as I had been in Jordan, I think this was due to the fact that Zac was with us, and that we used the same tour company so I had a bit of trust in them. also, with us at all times was a security guard. Apparently, all American, Canadian, and Japanese tourists are required to have a body guard with them at all times. See tourism in Egypt is important, it supports a large portion of their economy, inasmuch they could not afford to have anything happen.
When we arrived in Cairo I was surprised as to how clean it was, everyone kept telling us how disgusting and dirty the place was, but it was equally as clean as India’s upper class neighborhoods. Yet, just as my thoughts were a-churning, Ariana came out with her own, that Cairo was not clean at all. Apparently Sara and I have greatly lowered our sanitary standards after our 2-week excursion.
Our first stop was the Museum of Cairo. We walked around for 2 hours and looked at tons of historical artifacts, I must say the most impressive was the mummy of Ramses II, the Pharaoh that held the Jews as the slaves, the Pharaoh from Exodus. The guy still had nails, and several strands of white hair. He looked gross, but was still intact it was incredible. And still while I was looking at him I felt this sense of disgust, disgust for enslaving the Jews…call me over protective, call me proud, call me crazy, I cant help it.
While in the museum we also saw the mask commonly associated with King Tut, you know the gold head with the blue headband crown. Replicas are featured in all the Hollywood blockbusters concerning ancient Egypt. We also got to see the chair that King Tut sat on. It was beautiful.
After the museum we were starving so we went to a place for lunch, the restaurant was in Giza, where the pyramids are, a 20-minute car ride from the center of the bustling city. At that point we got a glimpse of the pyramids…soooo cool! I was so excited to feast my eyes on those beasts, but I would have to wait till tomorrow to get up-close and personal, after lunch we went to a papyrus factory and saw how the paper was made. The guy that did the demonstration has a huge black circle on the top of his forehead. It looks like ash, but it’s a mark that develops after years of praying, after years of hitting your head on the mat as you bow to Allah. a lot of men sported them. talk about cultural differences.
I wasn’t too into the papyrus making, I just wanted to see the pyramids to be honest. After we saw the demonstration we headed to the hotel for an hour and a half of down time. at 6:30 we were getting picked up to go on a cruise along the Nile.
The Nile cruise was cool because, well, we were on the Nile River!!!! But there were no reeds around, no papyrus baskets with baby Moses’s or anything like that, the days of exodus are long gone to say the least. Rather I got to see every 5 star hotel in Cairo, since they all have real estate along the river, I'm talking four seasons, Hilton, Sheraton, crown plaza, you name it, it was there (although I'm not sure about the Ritz).
On the cruise we had dinner (very mediocre) and dessert (borderline gross), and watched a belly dancer do her thing. The music was too loud of any kind of social conversation so we headed upstairs to the deck to hang out. That’s where it all went down. Our body guard for the day, Muhammad, fell in love with Sara, let me rephrase, fell in love with Sara’s looks, her beautiful blonde hair and crystal blue eyes really gave her a unique twist. before she knew it he proposed and handed her his necklace, his family heirloom. The poor girl had no idea what to do and clearly Ari and I weren’t about to do her dirt work. The rest of the evening (all 10 minutes of it since the boat was close to the dock) was kind of awkward while we girls decided on the best way of returning the heirloom. When we got to the hotel that night Sara simply handed it back.
I was excited for bed that night, tomorrow: PYRAMIDS!
The next morning, May 3, our tour guide (who was not nearly as great as Ali, our tour guide in India) picked us up at the hotel. 20 minutes later there they were in all their glory, right in front of our faces, we could see them from the bottom to the very top, AMAZING.
We all got out of the car and started exploring the first victim, the great pyramid, the largest of the three. It was unreal, its size was gargantuan. And standing there I got the chills, the same chills I get when at the Kotel. Jews built these I thought. Wow. At that moment our tour guide started talking and explained how the Jews didn’t build the pyramids. Yadda yadda yadda. Ari started asking some complicated question about who did build them, how much they were paid, how they were build and the guys had no answers. All he knew was that the Jews didn’t build them, the Egyptians did. Remember, Israel and Egypt share a cold peace. Just because they have an agreement doesn’t meant they are friends, and that doesn’t mean Egyptians recognize or respect them, clearly! We took tons of pictures, walk up the pyramids, touched the boulders (which were as tall as Ari), and just relished in the moment. After we went to see a view of the three pyramids all lined up and then of the second one. They were really spectacular, utterly amazing, and reminded me how proud I was to be Jewish to be apart of a minority with such a he voice and a bigger heart.
After the pyramids we went to see the sphinx, which was also very impressive. There, Ari asked who carved the rock, the face, the headdress, the long arms, and our tour guides answer, “it was here, it came like this”. He refused to believe that while the rock may have been there man carved the statue! Imagine that.
Surrounding the sphinx and pyramids, these two amazing representations of history, is, what else? American commercialism, Pizza Hut and KFC. Haha. It was too much.
After being blown away by the pyramids we went to an oil shop. Sara and I both bought an oil called lotus flower, which smells delicious. Following we headed to an old church and a synagogue in Cairo, synagogue Ben Ezra. While most of the Jewish population had left Cairo it was still comforting to walk into a Shul. I prayed before we left, imagine praying at a Shul in an Arab country, unreal! We ended the day by walking along the Bazaar in Cairo. It looked like a smaller version of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.
At around 4:00 we got in the van for our 5-hour bus ride back to Eilat.
The next day, May 4, Ari and I stayed in Eilat, we went to the beach and hung out. It was a great way to end an amazing weekend.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Udairpur and Delhi, our last days
The next day, April 21, I was still not feeling so hot and Sara had a pretty upset stomach so we decided to cut our trip a little short, rather than spending 2 days in Udaipur we would just spend one, and we eliminated Jodhpur all together. So, for our one and only day in Udaipur we started off with brunch at a heritage house (a fairly nice hotel), Agit Jahwan. We hardly ate, but we did have a great view of the city’s lake.
After breakfast we decided to see some sights. We started with the city palace, it was very unimpressive. We then walked around a little looking at some shops, but at that point we really were exhausted, and shopped out! Inasmuch, we got into an auto rickshaw (a taxi) and asked to go to the Hilton!
This was our first experience in a “nice” hotel while on this adventure. The hotel was beautiful, we manicured gardens, an infinity pool, and the service, well the service was enough to stay the night, but then again we weren’t guests. Oops. Haha rather, Sara and I went to the salon where I got a $6 manicure. Yup, just 6 bucks!
After our afternoon excursion to a 5 star hotel we were ready to return to our dump of a place. we wanted henna before we left the country and the hotel manager told us his sister did it, so we went over to his house and hung out while she put the henna paint on us. Meanwhile, the electricity kept coming in and out, none of them spoke English, and oh, did I mention the cow that put up shop outside the front door?
After henna we headed back, and passed out.
The next day we drove 13.5 hours back to Delhi. We got in around 8 pm, showered, and again passed out.
The next morning, April 23rd, we woke up and I had an email from my father of a list of more upper class shopping areas in Delhi. Since Sara and I had only seen one side of India, the lower and lower middle class, my dad wanted us to get another perspective. India is a country of 1 billion people and a growing economy, not all of them are poor, although poverty is clearly a huge issue. Sara and I chose the one closest to the hotel, Ansal Place, and headed over. We spent out afternoon going in and out of commercial stores, some we have in the US others we don’t. everyone spoke English, they were polite by western standards, and didn’t through their trash on the ground when they were done but in a wastebasket, can you imagine that, there were garbage cans! It was “clean” India, who knew it existed. all in all it was a great day, a perfect way to end our 2-week journey.
Later that same afternoon we returned to our hotel, packed up and called it an early night, a car would be picking us up at 4:00 am in order for us to catch our 7:30 flight back to Israel.
The next morning, April 24th, Sara and I were in for a full 23 hours of traveling. In the Delhi airport, we happened to sit across from this guy who had an uncanny resemblance to Osama bin Laden, clearly not him, but still very creepy. Sara, being the bold blonde she is asked the crew of three where they were headed, and their replied: “Afghanistan”. That was a huge wakeup call for me. At that moment I thought to myself, wow people actually go there!?!?! the world is so small yet so vast at the same time.
In the airport I was feeling pretty lousy, I almost got sick on the customs official, that was fun. At that point I just wanted to get on the plane and get the hell out of there! final boarding! Only 4 hours to our next stop Bahrain, that quaint island right next to SAUDI ARABIA!
When we got to Bahrain I was feeling pretty lousy so I decided to look for some medicine to ease my stomach. I was directed to the airport doctor, yes they had a doctor in the airport. He told me I had a bacterial infection and if it didn’t pass by the next day o go to the hospital, because it could be cholera. he said I had low blood pressure and needed an IV. I refused to have one not feeling comfortable there. instead he gave me the generic form of Gatorade and sent me on my way.
Leaving Bahrain, we had a 2-hour flight into Jordan, from Jordan we had a 4-hour bus ride to Tel Aviv. I thought the day would never end, getting to the dorm that night I put my stuff down and walked over to the supermarket to by water. The Gatorade stuff was disgusting tasting, but I needed my liquids.
Every two hours that night my mom would wake me up to remind me to drink. The next morning Ariana woke me up to see how i was feeling. it had been three weeks since i had seen her and i was beyong elated! i wasnt feeling that great but we decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some thing.
walking into the grocery store in Israel during Pesach, is amazing. They covered up all the chamozet, all of it! they only sold kosher for Pesach goods it was incredible! it reminded me of how incredible this country, a Jewish state is.
After the grocery, I was feeling horrible so I got to the hospital, 2 IVs, 2 antibiotics, and 10 days later I was still feeling a little woozy. The hospital said this kind of infection is common among travelers coming from India, and that it needs to take its course. It did, 2 weeks later I was finally losing some of the effects.
Regardless, looking back on my time, I am so happy I went to India. I learned so much, saw so much, and came out a more complicated individual, more humble, more concerned, more aware, and most of all prouder to be an American. Looking back on it I would go back. Their culture, while annoying (being that they try to rip you off and talk to you every chance you get!) is still friendly, the religion is so unique, off the radar almost, away from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Hinduism is different, refreshing, interesting. Their way of life is the yang to America’s yin almost. It’s the opposite of western culture, the antithesis almost, but somehow it works for them. The fun part was watching how.
After breakfast we decided to see some sights. We started with the city palace, it was very unimpressive. We then walked around a little looking at some shops, but at that point we really were exhausted, and shopped out! Inasmuch, we got into an auto rickshaw (a taxi) and asked to go to the Hilton!
This was our first experience in a “nice” hotel while on this adventure. The hotel was beautiful, we manicured gardens, an infinity pool, and the service, well the service was enough to stay the night, but then again we weren’t guests. Oops. Haha rather, Sara and I went to the salon where I got a $6 manicure. Yup, just 6 bucks!
After our afternoon excursion to a 5 star hotel we were ready to return to our dump of a place. we wanted henna before we left the country and the hotel manager told us his sister did it, so we went over to his house and hung out while she put the henna paint on us. Meanwhile, the electricity kept coming in and out, none of them spoke English, and oh, did I mention the cow that put up shop outside the front door?
After henna we headed back, and passed out.
The next day we drove 13.5 hours back to Delhi. We got in around 8 pm, showered, and again passed out.
The next morning, April 23rd, we woke up and I had an email from my father of a list of more upper class shopping areas in Delhi. Since Sara and I had only seen one side of India, the lower and lower middle class, my dad wanted us to get another perspective. India is a country of 1 billion people and a growing economy, not all of them are poor, although poverty is clearly a huge issue. Sara and I chose the one closest to the hotel, Ansal Place, and headed over. We spent out afternoon going in and out of commercial stores, some we have in the US others we don’t. everyone spoke English, they were polite by western standards, and didn’t through their trash on the ground when they were done but in a wastebasket, can you imagine that, there were garbage cans! It was “clean” India, who knew it existed. all in all it was a great day, a perfect way to end our 2-week journey.
Later that same afternoon we returned to our hotel, packed up and called it an early night, a car would be picking us up at 4:00 am in order for us to catch our 7:30 flight back to Israel.
The next morning, April 24th, Sara and I were in for a full 23 hours of traveling. In the Delhi airport, we happened to sit across from this guy who had an uncanny resemblance to Osama bin Laden, clearly not him, but still very creepy. Sara, being the bold blonde she is asked the crew of three where they were headed, and their replied: “Afghanistan”. That was a huge wakeup call for me. At that moment I thought to myself, wow people actually go there!?!?! the world is so small yet so vast at the same time.
In the airport I was feeling pretty lousy, I almost got sick on the customs official, that was fun. At that point I just wanted to get on the plane and get the hell out of there! final boarding! Only 4 hours to our next stop Bahrain, that quaint island right next to SAUDI ARABIA!
When we got to Bahrain I was feeling pretty lousy so I decided to look for some medicine to ease my stomach. I was directed to the airport doctor, yes they had a doctor in the airport. He told me I had a bacterial infection and if it didn’t pass by the next day o go to the hospital, because it could be cholera. he said I had low blood pressure and needed an IV. I refused to have one not feeling comfortable there. instead he gave me the generic form of Gatorade and sent me on my way.
Leaving Bahrain, we had a 2-hour flight into Jordan, from Jordan we had a 4-hour bus ride to Tel Aviv. I thought the day would never end, getting to the dorm that night I put my stuff down and walked over to the supermarket to by water. The Gatorade stuff was disgusting tasting, but I needed my liquids.
Every two hours that night my mom would wake me up to remind me to drink. The next morning Ariana woke me up to see how i was feeling. it had been three weeks since i had seen her and i was beyong elated! i wasnt feeling that great but we decided to go to the grocery store to pick up some thing.
walking into the grocery store in Israel during Pesach, is amazing. They covered up all the chamozet, all of it! they only sold kosher for Pesach goods it was incredible! it reminded me of how incredible this country, a Jewish state is.
After the grocery, I was feeling horrible so I got to the hospital, 2 IVs, 2 antibiotics, and 10 days later I was still feeling a little woozy. The hospital said this kind of infection is common among travelers coming from India, and that it needs to take its course. It did, 2 weeks later I was finally losing some of the effects.
Regardless, looking back on my time, I am so happy I went to India. I learned so much, saw so much, and came out a more complicated individual, more humble, more concerned, more aware, and most of all prouder to be an American. Looking back on it I would go back. Their culture, while annoying (being that they try to rip you off and talk to you every chance you get!) is still friendly, the religion is so unique, off the radar almost, away from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Hinduism is different, refreshing, interesting. Their way of life is the yang to America’s yin almost. It’s the opposite of western culture, the antithesis almost, but somehow it works for them. The fun part was watching how.
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