J-Town

Jerusalem has a really crazy energy about it. Really, how is it possible for it not to? As one of the holiest cities in the world, it is rather full of tourists and for me that wasn't so holy. At times it might as well have been America for all I knew. You could literally walk down the street and hear nothing but their accents for ages. That being said, so many different people from Christian, Muslim and Jewish faith from countries all over the world make pilgrimage there. There are some amazing architectural structures, and in the cobbled streets of the Old City there is still an old Souk which has shopkeepers trying to convince people to come in and buy something.

Once we had arrived there, we dumped our things at a friends work and made our way down to the Old City. Doing the traditional Jewish thing, we ate bagels and then, doing the traditional 'jess eats lots of food thing' we followed that with a burger, without cheese...did I mention there was no cheese? Who eats burgers without cheese? Moving on...

We spent a while looking around and finally we get to an open outdoor area and a few hundred metres away from us is the Western Wall. It is sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or the Kotel and in Judaism, the Western Wall is venerated as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple. It has become a place of pilgrimage for Jews, as it is the closest permitted accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism, namely the Even ha-shetiya or Foundation Stone, which lies on the Temple Mount. At the site of the wall, we found it was separated into two sections, one for the men, and one for the women. (the women's section was smaller of course, about a 1/4 of the size of the mens.) In the stone of the wall there are tiny crevices which are filled with tiny balls of paper that carry written prayers. You can't even begin to imagine how many of these there are. The wall is magnificently huge and nearly every space has been filled with these prayers.

Fun Fact: The Israeli Telephone Company has established a fax service to the Western Wall where petitioners can send notes to be placed in the Wall. Hilarious!

So after all that excitement we went out for a beer down near Jaffa St - which is one of the main ones that runs through the city. Really it was quite cheap - something like 10NIS for a beer which is about half the usual price. Plus free popcorn. More bars should do free popcorn. I got my nose re-pierced, as I'd lost my nose ring in the Bedouin Tents earlier in our trip. By lost I mean, I think the women saw the shiny pretty thing and took it...nothing against Bedouins at all. What you have to know is that they don't have much - so for them, anything that I had in my bags was really something special. They even wanted some of my panty liners. Go figure!

I did start to get sick after a couple of days and so didn't really feel much like going out to see things. We did however go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre just before I left for Tel Aviv. It's a rather ominous place, and we managed to arrive just as there was a service/prayer. It was an interesting thing to be a part of and the singing always sounds so beautiful in such big churches with great acoustics. There was also some amazing carvings in the wall of crosses - there were hundreds of them - which can be seen in one of the pictures above. There were lots of people in the church and you know what it's not really the kind of place that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy but it is amazing and the paintings and artwork in there are amazing. We really didn't stay long but it is the kind of place I'd like to go to again and look around properly.

In other news I ate some really sensational Ice Cream, Milk Duds and went to the Dead Sea, but that's a story for another time...

Marrakech - First Days

I arrived in Marrakech at about 11am after a 3 hour flight and barely any sleep for a day and a half. In a rather delirious state I then had to find my hostel which I knew would be difficult being that it was in the middle of the markets. I walked for about 40 minutes with men making comments and hissing under their breath before asking for directions and eventually made it with the help of some guy who was rather unimpressed that I didn’t give him any money for showing me where the hostel was. Truth be told, I didn’t have any small change on me but I don’t think he believed me. After getting the welcome talk from the hostel manager and a map to get around with, I went up to the rooftop terrace which I’d so be looking forward to seeing and sat down for a few minutes. The prayers started going off in every which direction and with my lack of sleep and being alone for the first time and back in a Muslim country, I was starting to go a bit mad. I did wonder what I was doing here and if I was nuts to have come on my own.

After a nap I felt a lot better and went off to the Jemaa El Fna Square to get some food. I ordered a Tagine of Chicken, preserved lemon and olives (in French) and finally had a moment to sit and watch what was going on around me. The square is really big and is full of things I wouldn’t have imagined. There are monkeys and snakes, women all over doing henna tattoos, street theatre (but mostly in Arabic for the locals), acrobats, food stands, men dressed up in old formal dress and more. This was only during the day. I later met some lovely girls at the hostel and at night we went back to the square, which had turned into a rows and rows of huge tents with tables and benches each one sectioned into different food stalls. They all pretty much serve the same thing except for the local stalls, which serve sheep’s head. I can’t say I’ve tried it, it looks absolutely disgusting and I don’t care how much credit I would get, I think I had enough trying sheep’s intestines in Syria.

The next day I spent attempting to find the Jewish Quarter (which never happened) and the Baha Palace (which was closed). I did however find the spice markets and that was quite intriguing. A little discerning considering I was on my own and there weren’t a lot of other tourists around, but I figured it was okay. I went into one guys spice shop where he proceeded to show me nearly everything in the shop. I bought some perfume – had a quick and somewhat wrong photo with him and attempted to get out of there as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t put myself in a situation like that again, it was most unpleasant and I’d warn other young women travelling, that no matter how nice someone seems, the men in Muslim countries have a warped sense of Western women and what rules are okay to bend. I got out of the situation just fine in the end, but even though I’m quite confident and usually have pretty good instincts, I ignored my first instinct, which said ‘do not go into the shop - stay outside’. I’ve learnt for next time.

So needless to say that turned my day around a little and I was feeling a bit vulnerable after that – not a good way to be in a Moroccan market. I wanted to get a Henna Tattoo and found some women doing them and was pulled over to a seat by one of the older women to another one who was doing the tattoos. I asked how much it was to begin with but she sort of ignored me and I was a bit fragile and couldn’t really be bothered pushing it, and at the end I had (and still have) what looks like a children’s drawing on both sides of my hand which they attempted to charge me 300MAD ($40AU). After arguing with them for a while I gave in and gave them 200MAD ($27) and figured that that day must not have been for me and I should give in.

Jordan Fail - Israel Win!

We had planned to go to see a few things in Jordan, including Petra and Wadi Rum. I was really excited to go driving a 4WD through the desert, but turns out it was not to be. Would you believe that in one of the hottest countries that I have been to, it was snowing! So in our attempt to get to Petra, we got 3/4 of the way and had to turn around and go back because the roads were blocked. That made our decision to go into Israel earlier rather easy - so that same day, we got a taxi to the border. We were expecting to get questioned for a long time or at least I was, considering the stamps that I had on my passport. It took about 3 hours worth of questions, searching bags, and waiting for us to get through (and with a great sigh of relief) we set of to Kiryat Tivon to stay at Zevs Uncles house.

Kiryat Tivon is a beautiful little town which I eventually had the pleasure of staying in twice. However with Phoebe, Zev and now Podge in tow, we all stayed in one room at Davids house which was really lovely. We cooked food and drank wine and spent a little time winding down from Syria. We also went to Nazareth and to Akko which is a seaside town. We went to Haifa as well and saw the Bahai gardens (I nearly died climbing to the top) but it was absolutely stunning and actually reminded me a lot of Lebanon being that it is a port city.

Once we left Tivon we went and stayed with some other relatives of Zevs for a night at a Kibbutz called Beit Ha`Emeq. They grow Bananas and Avocados. We were shown around the place the morning after we got there and we were allowed to pick Avocados that had fallen off the trees. I'm pretty sure we ended up with about 8 or so that we took with us.

Then off we went to another Kibbutz to see a friend of Zevs and stayed there for a night as well. We ate home made Shakshouka at Tehilas and then went out for a beer. We also went to see a friend of Zevs in the area the next day in the Arab village that was right next to the Kibbutz. It was such a wonderful experience. He took us to his mothers house for coffee and we sat talking for a quite a while. His Mum also gave Phoebe and I scarves each that she had brought back from Mecca. He does some really fantastic work with kids in this village and he showed us around the new building for the youth programs that he runs which was just so impressive for a town like theirs where people assume that they all do nothing but cause trouble. Definitely a highlight.

Somewhere in there we did the Rosh HaNikra Grottoes which border Lebanon. We watched a fantastically terrible information film about the history of the area and the train line that used to run right through into Lebanon but was blown up by the British for fear of an attack years ago.

We then headed to Tiberias where we got a hostel for a couple of nights. Tiberias is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. Since the sixteenth century, it has been considered one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed. According to Christian tradition, Jesus performed several miracles in the Tiberias district, making it an important pilgrimage site for devout Christians. Tiberias has historically been known for its hot springs, believed to cure skin and other ailments, for thousands of years. We went to these hot springs and although they didn't really cure me of anything besides maybe sore shoulders, they were really beautiful and a nice way to chill out after running ourselves ragged.

Finally we arrived in Jerusalem.

Attempting Jordan

By the time we were on our way to Jordan, I was really looking forward to getting out of Syria - that being said, Jordan probably wasn't going to be different enough to make me feel better. So we went to get a bus to Amman from Damascus.

Note: If anyone says that there isn't a bus, or they have all finished for the day, or they don't go to where you want them to go and you have to take a taxi...it's a lie. It's always a lie. Basically you can assume that what most people tell you, the truth is the opposite.

So we get to the border of Jordan and Syria and as i'm trying to get my papers done, I get asked why there isn't a stamp on my passport? Well, I'd entered Syria on my Lebanese ID card which meant that I didn't have to pay and it was less hassle (or so I thought) but it also means that I didn't get a stamp on my passport and I couldn't exit into any other country, only in and out of Lebanon and Syria. So they said that they would call the boss and see if he would let them stamp me through anyway - but in true Middle Eastern fashion he was having a nap (at 5.30pm) and so I would have to wait until he woke up to hear the answer. So Phoebe and Zev went on without me and I sat at the border not knowing what was going to happen, completely on my own, in the country that I was trying to get out of as fast as I could.

After waiting for an hour and paying 10SYP to use the toilet, the boss said that he couldn't let me in and I had to go back to the border of Lebanon and Syria, get stamped out and then back in in order to get across to Amman. This sounded rather a ridiculous feat. It was already 6.45pm and I had no idea what to do. I thought about going back to see my Mum and flying into Jordan, but I figured that would cost too much and waste a lot of time. So for $110US I got a taxi whose driver said he would take me to the border of Lebanon and then back into Jordan to Amman. Pretty good deal I think although it wasn't the easiest of trips.

I was waiting in the taxi for about half an hour while the taxi driver was on the phone and then when I thought we'd set off, he stopped again to unload about 50kg of Tobacco that I imagine he was trying to get across the border or something. The whole thing was super dodgy and all the while I was sat there wishing we were on our way so I could just get to Jordan.

In the end, it took 7 hours, two taxi drivers, several marriage proposals and a cup of coffee for me to get to Amman at about 1.30am. I've never been so happy to make it somewhere in one piece.

Crusader Castles, Roman Ruins, a Ghost Town and Damascus

Crac de Chevalier was our next stop and is an ancient castlebuilt by the emir of Homs in 1031, but it was the Crusader knights who, around the middle of the 12th century, largely built and expanded Crac into its existing form.

Castle Review: they are old, have lots of stone, people used to fight in them, and now they don't.

We then made our way South to go to hot springs and stay out with the Bedouins for a night. If you've never been to a hot spring, then you won't be able to imagine the overwhelming egg smell from the sulphur - eventually you get used to it and it's well worth it! We were out in the middle of nowhere, and the Bedouin man of the family turned the springs on for us and we drank and were merry in sulphurous water for a few hours. For a Bedouin tent, they must have been doing okay seeing as they had a television and a huge dish for cable right outside the tent - really quite hilarious!! We spent the rest of the night sitting with the Bedouin family, whose roles we were never entirely sure of. There was the Man, his mother, and two other women, and a little girl and boy. I attempted to play guitar, only after breaking a string, and the Bedouin man pulled out his homemade 'tin with one string' instrument' and what an interesting night we had.

After that we went on to Palmyra which has Roman ruins, dating largely to the 2nd century AD, cover some 50 hectares and have been extensively excavated and restored. It's really something to behold, and it just goes on and on and because they have excavated so much of it, you can really see the spread of the city and begin to imagine what it would have looked like.

The town itself however is really very strange. Being that we were in a tourist supported area in the middle of winter, it was like a ghost town. Competition is fierce and everyone tells lies and stories about restaurants, hotels and anything else they can. Basically the idea is, that if you ask someone where a good restaurant to eat at is, and they suggest you definitely don't go to xxx then, go there!! It's the kind of place that you come to see the ruins, realise how creepy everyone is, and want to get out of there as soon as possible.

Next we had Damascus, which I barely saw any of. We ran around when we got there trying desperately to find some accommodation, but most of the good hostels were full. We eventually found the most seedy and feral place I have stayed in so far, and made home there for a few days. I went out on the first night for a tea with a german guy that we'd met and looked for accommodation with, and managed to get really sick, so for the rest of Syria I pretty much stayed in the hostel in bed and tried to get better. In reality, by this stage, I was rather over Syria and wanted to get out. I think I'd had enough altogether - so after a couple of days, we were heading to Jordan.

We all live in Aleppo Syria...

Aleppo now seems like a distant dream. When you take too long updating your blog, reminiscing over anything seems like retelling stories from years past. However, my memory seems to serve me well and as my first proper destination, Aleppo did not disappoint me.

We arrived in Aleppo at about 8pm after a long day of bus's, borders and visa's. By this time it was already dark and we were hungry and hopeful that it wouldn't take too long to find our hostel. However, walking through the streets for 15 minutes, we managed to find our way to the Clock which sits in the main square of Aleppo. We were taken in by the spice stands and men shouting to us "welcome welcome" and soon, our packs didn't seem so heavy and I started

squealing with excitement. That first half an hour was true to the rest of our stay in Aleppo. It was intriguing, exciting and also held many many secrets. We finally managed to find our hostel, which I'd booked with my Mum via a very dodgy Skype line through a young boy who wasn't extremely clear, for all I knew we were going to be staying on a rooftop. But we were lucky and we made it to our room and dumped all of our things before going for a beer with the hostel owner and a lovely older English couple at the Baron Hotel. The Baron Hotel is the oldest hotel in Syria and has had some rather notable guests stay there in its time, including Lawrence of Arabia and Agatha Christie. Now it just looks like a rather old Hotel that hasn't been looked after for some years, but the beer was good and we managed to wind down from our long day.

Aleppo is a very loud city. Every morning that I woke up there it was to strange sounds of men shouting, roller doors opening and closing, and Phoebe even said that one morning she woke up to the sound of a man screaming like someone was pulling his teeth out. It was also bitterly cold. Being that I was in Lebanon for 6 weeks in "Winter" where the weather was an average of 18-24 degrees, it was a rude shock to get to Aleppo where the puddles on the street froze overnight from the cold. It was the kind of weather where you wear all your thermals, your jacket, scarf, beanie and anything else you have, but it's still deathly cold. That didn't stop us from getting around and exploring the city, and what a city to explore.

The Old City

If you want a recommendation of somewhere you should definitely visit, then the old city of Aleppo is most definitely one of them. I'd seen a few souq's (markets) before but nothing really compares to the Souq in the Old City. Long alleys running in every which direction covered by ancient stone archways where the men who own the stalls will try almost anything to get you to stop. In order to get the best out of any experience in a souq, you need to be up on your bargaining game and learn the 'walk away'. The 'walk away' is something Zev taught me about bargaining. Basically the idea is, that they suggest a price to you, and you can try and work them down, but if it's not working, then you say "okay, no worries, thanks very much" and turn to walk away. This is usually a part of the bargaining dance and if they are interested in your business this is the point at which they will start yelling lower and lower prices out after you. We had an interesting experience with a rather aggressive stall owner. Zev was bargaining for scarves and did the walk away and the man was coming after us yelling out prices, but all the time getting more and more frustrated until he got quite angry and we had to push our way as quickly as we could through droves of people just to get away from him. We also met a rather interesting guy at another scarf stall who had a lot of 'australianisms' to share with us, being that he had some family living there. I bought some beautiful things at the souq and could have bought much more had I had the means or the luggage space.

Originally we only intended to stay in Aleppo for 2 days. All in all, I think we ended up being there for 5 - which says something about the city and it's charms. We went to the beautiful Citadel and attempted visiting the soap factory about 7 times with no luck (Aleppo is very famous for it's Soap) but we did get to see the old Mental Asylum.

Aleppo is most definitely somewhere that I would like to visit again. One visit to that souq really isn't enough. There is another side to Aleppo, and Syria in general. For a western woman, it can be rather an exhausting experience. You are stared at absolutely everywhere you go. Men have no hesitation in making comments about your appearance or making their interest in you known, and you can't really trust anyone. Everyone is out for a dollar, and the Syrian Government has done a really good job of getting everyone under their thumb. There are lots of things that can go wrong, and money is the only way to get you out.

Speaking of being out for a dollar, here is a perfect example...

I wanted to buy an Oud, which is a Middle Eastern string instrument that is cross between a guitar and a violin. One night an older Syrian man who was a singer came down to the hotel to visit the owner, and ended up singing for us and I had a good chat with him. He seemed really genuine and when I mentioned wanting to buy an Oud he said he knew someone who made them and could take me to see a few the next day. So the hotel owner said he would take me there. We catch a cab to some really seedy part of Aleppo where I notice there's a dumpster on fire and dodgy looking people everywhere, and we wait for this guy to come. We find what we think is the Oud shop, but the guy doesn't come on time, we all get confused about where we are meeting, we spend a long time running around in circles, and eventually end up right back where we started off at the first shop. The mood was pretty sombre, and to be honest, I was so excited about buying an Oud and these people were very stern and straight down the line. They quoted me SL9,000 which went up to SL14,000 about 5 minutes later, and although I understand Arabic and it's harder for them to get things past me, I also have trouble understanding their dialect. I could feel that something dodgy was going on, and I asked my hotel owner what he thought. He discretely said to say no thanks, and I had to explain that I wanted to think about it and we would talk the next day. Turns out, the singer was trying to get a commission off me buying that Oud, and what I hadn't noticed was that they were writing prices down on a piece of paper which my friend had noticed.

In the end, I went down to a music shop right near the hotel where I met a really lovely man who had an honest face, gave me some really good advice, and even gave me a couple of free lessons and a discount. There are still good people in the world.

Long Time

So I know it's been a long time since I've blogged, and a lot has happened since the last once, but keep checking I'll post new stories and adventures this week, now that I have proper internet. Much Love xx