The Promised Land

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

~Albert Einstein

(Jerusalem Old City from the Mount of Olives)

For several years one of Joel's travelling goals was to set foot in "The Holy Land". Tina was in it for the Hummous. Regardless of your religious persuasions it certainly is the center of our world's politics and history. This intriguing combination of religion, politics and history promised an interesting trip.

We started the journey by travelling through Jordan and attempting to cross the border near the Dead Sea over the King Hussein/ Allenby Bridge. I write "attempting" as this is a very difficult process with tight security and the very real possibility of being sent back. Given our time in the region we have collected some stamps that are undesirable in the Jewish State of Israel (as is also tru in the reverse).

The process was long and surprisingly chaotic with plenty of lines and checks, and lines and checks until finally we got to the border gate. At this gate we waited a long time and got to know some of the others in the line. One story sticks out:

A guy about our age was travelling from Jordan to Ramallah with his elderly parents to his engagement party. His wife to be is Palestinian and many of her family would not be permitted to travel to Jordan for the wedding later that week, thus they decided to hold the engagement in the West Bank. Therefore his parents must make the trip today so they could be engaged in the traditional manner. He told us the last time he tried to get through here he was forced to wait 11.5 hours until they let him through. His parents were of moderate health and were not doing very well as the wait progressed.

His father explained that he is Palestinian but worked as a labourer in Kuwait when the war of 1967 happened. He lost everything and was unable to return. He was granted assylum into Canada. He now lives in Jordan but said Palestine is still his home.

Finally, when they got their turn ahead of us they were told "no". No explaination was provided but if they did cross they would stamp his parents passorts (not done previously) and they would be unable to return. Just like that the engagement event couldn't happen.

At this time we also got sent to the waiting room and denied immediate entry. As we waited an hour or two a few phone calls were made and he was finally allowed to cross with his parents. He was very gracious but told us quietly that considering his parents being there and having to tell her family that he was "humiliated" by this ordeal. An interesting look into how politics effects the everyday lives of people in the region.

Soon we as well were granted entry and off we went on the road to Jerusalem.

(Picture: Jeruselam- Wailing Wall during Shabat/Temple Mount )

(Picture: The Western Wall aka The Wailing Wall)

(Picture: Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount)

(Picture: View from wall of the Old City)

Walking the streets of Jerusalem's old city was something we'd always dreamed of doing and it did not disappoint. With the spirituality of three of the most popular montheastic religions, their holiest sites, and the climate of occupation the streets are absolutely alive.

Arriving at sunset on Friday (Shabbat) we headed straight for the holiest of Jewish sites - The Wailing or Western Wall. Having no prior exposure to this religion Joel was wide eyed at the orthodox clothing and system of Torah recital at the wall. The area was completely packed with worshipers praying, singing, dancing and reading from the Torah. What an introduction.

On our first full day in this magical town we arrived early at Temple Mount. This site is the third holiest site in the world in Islam and without question the most photo-genic structure in the city. The Dome of the Rock marks the position that Abraham was meant to slay his son and where Mohammed ascended to heaven alongside Allah. Either way, it's really is jaw dropping.

After leaving Temple Mount we walked the stations of the cross. Many a Sunday growing up the pictures of the stations on his church wall were the last things Joel saw before he dozed off. On this day we had the privilage of walking this route. In a city teeming with pilgrims an Italian group walked with us carried a cross, sang, chanted and added a great deal to the atmosphere. The stations end at The Church of Holy Sepulchure - where Jesus died on the cross. Regardless of your thoughts of religion to walk the steps of this historical event was very impactful.

(Via Deloroso - Stations of the Cross)

(Picture: Church of the Holy Sepulchre)

The next day we set out for the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Going across to the West Bank requires crossing the separation wall. This is a wall that Israel has built around the Palestinian territories. It's shocking. hundreds of km's of concrete wall stretches around the country with look out towers throughout. To pass through is similar to crossing a border with papers presented and bags checked. We had tea with some young guys in the West Bank that day and they had never been allowed beyond the walls. Israel claims it needs the wall for protection, Palestine claims that the wall is designed to break their will and refer to it as the Aparteid Wall. Either way it's bewildering that it's come to this. There is graffitti covering the Palestinian side and we walked along the wall read some of the work.

Walking the small alleys of the town of Jesus' birth and seeing the spot where the event occured was humbling. The town remains small and it's importance to Christians worldwide evident by the pilgrims present on this day.

(Picture: The Wall between Isreal and the West Bank; Graffiti Art on the Wall)

(Picture: Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem)

On our final day in Jerusalem we walked up the Mt. of Olives where Jesus is said to have been arrested and ascended to heaven following his death. We went for the view. Overlooking the walled city you notice the only gate that is filled in - The Golden Gate. All three monotheistic religions beleive that this is where judgement day will start. Helpful hint - if you start seeing bricks breaking away from this gate you better get your life in order quick.

We were genuinely sad as we walked out of the gates for the last time. It was a mesmerizing city and a time in our travels we won't forget.

(Picture: Golden Gate - and Dome of the Rock)

From Jerusalem we headed north to the city of Nazareth. Aside from being the home where Mary and Joseph raised Jesus it was a really nice chance to see life in the north of the country. Nazareth is a small, almost entirely Arab (Muslim and Christian), town that is charmingly understated. We took a walk around the town and got some inside knowledge of daily life.

(Picture: Grotto where Gabriel told Mary she would have Jesus)

(Picture: Basillica of Assumption; Nazereth)

(Picture: Old City in Nazereth)

From there we took off for the coast to stay in Jaffa - southern part of Tel Aviv. This place was entirely different then the rest of the country that we saw. We often just people watched as it was beach life everywhere. Although religion must play a part in the lives of the citizens it seemed to take a back seat to tanning, surfing, and enjoying life. Very different.

(Picture: Tel Aviv Coastline)

(Picture: Using your head at the Beach in Tel Aviv)

Israel/Palestinian Territories promised to be a place of great interest - religion, politics and history and it did not disappoint at all. It was an incredibly facinating, eye opening and unsettling place to see. It's where we've been, why we're here and hopefully not where we're going.

From here we are off to Turkey for kebabs in Istanbul. Getting closer to Vancouver.

Leban-ON!

"An eye for an eye, and the whole world would be blind. "


- Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese artist, poet, and writer born in B'charre.



Recovered from our hike of Mt. Sinai we prepared for a "leisurely day" crossing into Jordan via the Egyptian ferry. Arriving at the terminal at 11:30am and ready to take the 2pm boat due to arrive on the Jordan side at 3pm we were all set. So we thought. Fast boat tickets were sold out so we opted for the 2 hour slow boat at 3pm. We have been in this region long enough to know that all those times are estimates at best but this was a personal record. The boat didn't leave till almost 7pm and dumped us on the other side at 12:30am. On the bright side the boat was well kept and we traveled with a great Danish/American couple that kept things fun.

A bus up to Amman and a bag full of DVD's later and we were off for our next destination - Lebanon.


Arriving in Beirut were were smacked in the face with how different it all was. On one hand it was a city of opulent lifestyles - huge expensive SUV's, numerous pool bars around the Mediterranean Corniche, elegant fashion, expensive restaurants, art galleries and luxuries shopping. On the other hand there are tanks rolling in the streets, soldiers armed in bunkers at street corners, frequent power cuts, heavy air pollution, begging street children, refugee camps and bullet ridden buildings.

Walking around you can't help but wonder how does this all work? Equal amount churches and mosques, people fully covered and others wearing virtually nothing, incredible wealth beside staggering poverty. Does it work here? Can it work here?

A few days in the city is hardly enough to comment but it seems the only way this works is the people that inhabit this place. They seemed resilient and welcoming regardless of the situation. We soon had our fill of this busy, hilly, humid, hot city and set our sites inland.

(Beirut Cornish and sunbathers)

(Martyr's Square and Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque)

(Beirut Holiday Inn post-civil war)

(Beach Clubs and Barb Wire in Beirut)

(Pigeon Rocks, Beirut)

We hopped in a cramped mini van and headed for Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley. The beautiful drive up and over the mountains immediately took us back home as the terrain matched that of the interior of BC in the summer months.

We headed to Baalbeck to see arguably the most important and well preserved Roman ruins in the Middle East. Baalbeck's temples were initiated by the Phoenecians, and the Romans extensively developed this grand complex well into the 1st century AD. Always used as a site of religion - be it pageon or christian - it was a place of great importance for hundreds of years.

This tiny cobble stoned town was again very welcoming, and home to the best hommous of our trip so far (no small feat). It is also well-known as the head quarters of Hezbollah. The flags and images of this party are all over the city and the prayers over the loud speakers seem laced with party messages. It was slightly unnerving to wander through the ruins, listening to the loud speakers while "booms" of the military "practicing" echoed all around us. As safe as we felt in the city it was still time to go after a day at the ruins.

(Baalbeck Ruins)

Finding our way out of the Hezbollah countryside and into the Christian dominated hills offers no public transport. A few service taxis later we found a guy willing to take us up into the beautiful mountain villages of the Cedars. We headed straight for the tiny town of Bcharre which most resembled a village in the Alps then one in the Middle East.

The town is home to the famous poet Kahlil Gibran and many ancient Maronite monasteries carved into the mountain valley below. We spent two days hiking through this gorgeous region stumbling upon grottos, monastaries and elaborate churches. Gibran is buried in the hills here and a museum was put over his tomb. Art in the Middle East is something that we have not seen a great deal of but here in Lebanon they champion artists and it was refreshing to see. Joel still can't figure out why this guy was so famous when his poems didn't even rhyme! There's no accounting for taste.

(Bcharre and the Qdisha Valley)

(St. Elisha Monastery)

(Hiking in the Qdisha Valley)

(Khalil Gibran Museum and Tomb)

From the hills we headed back to Beirut for a day of rest and then another "leisurely day" of travel back to Jordan. Wanting to skip the cost of a taxi we opted for a public bus to the airport. Assured of our destination by the driver off we went. Needless to say it was the longest 2 hour, 6km drive of our lives. Time was ticking and the route and traffic just kept getting worse. Soon we were in the south of Beirut in an area we were told not to walk in (refugee camps). We realized quickly (not quick enough) that we were well past the airport and the driver had forgotten about us.

We jumped out of the bus, departure time approaching and needing to get a ride. We ran to some vans and arranged a ride through two guys and off we went. We thought. We were explaining our rush in Arabic and they began fighting with each other. They blocked each others vans and argued. Time kept ticking. We continued in our broken Arabic and finally it was agreed we were off with the second guy. So we thought again.

Now speeding down the highway the first guy drives up and they shout at each other, he cut off our van and slammed on our brakes. Jumping out of the van in the middle of a highway we switched to the first van and off we went with the first guy. Crazy finale to a unique Middle Eastern country!

Our next stop: The Holy land
Inshallah things will be smoother...
Je t'aime Lebanon!

Endless Treasures and Countless Tour Buses

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt"

- Mark Twain

(OK so that quote has nothing to do with this blog but it's one of my favourite old man sayings)

Ending our time in Oman we began our journey home to Canada. This trip will take us through Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel/Palestinian Territories and Turkey. It began fittingly with utter chaos at the Dubai airport. A line-up to bus to the next terminal turned unruly when a herd of US Army soldiers heading home from Iraq met up with the masses of regional travellers "queing" for the bus. Pushing, arguing and yelling proceeded and delayed the 10 minute exercise to a two hour ordeal. Perfect way to mark this weird time in our history.

On board the flight to Luxor we were immediately in Egypt. The red eye flight consisted of people yelling at eachother over seats that were already assigned, gentlemen playing their cell phone radios loudly on board and the predictable bumrush to the doors as soon as the flight touched the tarmac. Literally overhead bins were being opened as the brakes were still asserting themselves. This ensuing rush to the exits was combined with yelling and pushing. The fun begins. Tina trembled at what perhaps Egypt may have in store.

True Joel had been to Egypt six times previously. But these were all school trips filled with herding teenagers of varying maturity levels around the pyramids, falucca rides and trips to the Khan Al Khallily. Not exactly "Egypt". So it was with excited fresh eyes that we both entered Egypt for the first time.

(Luxor Temple and City Square)

Luxor is a marvel of tombs, temples and ruins meant to be the religious center of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. This time of year it bakes at 50 degrees and we struggled through our first day - Tina convinced of her own near death experience - while seeing a tourist buckle under the intense sun. In a combination of long walks, boats, and mini-buses we took in as much as the heat allowed. Although Luxor temple, Karnak temple and the Nile are all strikingly beautifuly in there own right it is the ancient sights of the West bank that are most memorable. Plunging the depths of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings the colourful, detailed walls and ceilings left you gasping for air - well that was actually the combination of thick sub-terrainian air and Joel's B.O. but let's stay with the inscriptions instead. Descending the nether world of Tuthmosis III's tomb and stumbling upon his giant mummy casing lieing as it did for 4000 years was worthy of the innapropriate swear words that fell from Joel's mouth. A sweat filled but exceptional start.

(Pictures: Karnak Temple and Hatshepsut's Temple)

Quickly we hopped a train and headed south to the southern most region of Egypt - Nubia. Nubia is the area from Khartoum, Sudan to Aswan in Eqypt. We based ourselves in Aswan and we were immediatley taken by its magical souk filled with the familiar sights and smells of our Arabian markets as well as the African wears we recalled from previous trips. Surely the gateway to Africa. The slow, hot, intoxicating feel of the town was perfect for us. But our motivation for entering this region were the temples of Abu Simbel.

(Pictures: Aswan Souk and Falucca on the Nile)

Abu Simbel is further south of Aswan (by 280km) and near the Sudanese border (about 40 km from the border). Due to the unstable state of the area we had to join a police convoy. All vehicles heading that direction meet at 4am at the police station and then travel together for 3 hours through the desert. Finally breaking from this convoy we arrived at the temples at the waters edge of Lake Nasser. Slowly walking around the backs of the hills we saw this absolutely breathtaking piece of architecture. Four massive statues of Ramses II cut into the walls of the hills towering over the water were surely meant to intimidate the peoples arriving from the south. The impressive outer walls were matched by the detailed, intimate interior. Aswan and Abu Simbel were definite highlights of Egypt thus far.

(Abu Simbel)

We trained through the night and arrived on the pulsating streets of Cairo in the early morning hours. For a city of 20 million inhabitants Cairo is an extremely enjoyable and safe place to spend a few days. The prevalance of Islam keeps the violent crime low despite poverty at every turn. Our single largest challenge was crossing the street. Black cabs acted as short range missles as we attempted to cross the street to catch a local bus (further complicated by the "bus stop" being located in the middle of an off ramp). A few tears later and we were on our way.

(Pictures: Khan Al Khalili and Coptic Cairo Church)

The Egyptian museum (surely the world's most famous dusty warehouse), Coptic Cairo and the deeply facinating old Islamic area were high points of the city. Of course the Pyramids set against the suburb of Giza "towered" above them all. It was so nice to sit there and just look at these wonders asking all the usual question - how, why and whom? Having answered our questions satisfactorily we headed back into the streets.






There were a few moments of note while traversing the streets of Cairo. Tina found us a Sufi (Muslim mystics) ceremony, which included some whirling dervishing, to watch in the old quarter. Beautifully dedicated followers made the area absolutely come alive with their drums, horns and chanting. Additionally, on our final day wandering the city we came across a huge Friday street market. Suddenly with the sighting of the police the whole market just vanished around us. Brilliantly chaotic. Joel was almost clobbered by coat rack weilded by a fleeing salesman. His lovely wife snickered to herself once she realised he was safe, reminded of the time he was assaulted by an unhappy cow in Jaipur, India.



From Cairo we set our sights across the Suez canal and into the geographical oddity of the Sinai. We relaxed for a few days on the Red Sea coast, soaking in the views of the Gulf of Aqaba and Saudi Arabia. Saving our energy before taking an all night hike up Mt Sinai to the sight where Moses recieved the 10 commandments. The only commandment that Joel recieved from Tina on this night was "don't puke like last time wimp". Noted.




Egypt has been a great time. The people are so friendly and engaging. It has allowed us to attempt to use as much Arabic as possible and have a few laughs along the way. From here it is transiting through Jordan via ferry and bus and onto Lebanon.

Pharaoh-well Egypt

Beirut awaits. As does the hummus.