New Jerusalem, Israel

Walking along one of the isles of Mahane Yehuda Market.

This post deserves four pictures because, well it just does.

My two favorite things of Isreal are these two things, Topolino and Mahane Yehuda Market. Topolino is at the corner of the market which I assume where it aquires it's fresh food. If I could live in any place it would be next to any market like this. There's three long rows of these which have fresh fish, meats, fruits, vegetables, spices, pasteries, breads, dried goods, cheese, chocolates, nuts, and candies.

Girl asking her mom for pasteries in Mahan Yehuda Market.


Fresh sardine bruchetta with garlic, herbs, tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella.

So we fell in love with this place that we ended up going here two nights in a row. The place is owned by a couple who when not cooking or serving food are sitting in front of their restaurant smoking a cigerate and having coffee. The first night we got their home made raviollies filled with ricotta and smoked salmon or ricotta and artichoke with an apatizer of the fresh sardine bruchetta. The next night Wai just got the bruchetta and civeche to her self and I got the Gnocci. Mind you i really don't care for gnocchi but this one the owner recommended. It was amazing. I would come back to Isreal just for this place.

Gnocchi alla Romana and fresh buffalo mozzarella served in tomato and basil sauce.

Old Jerusalem, Israel

Jewish Quarter - Western Wailing Wall

I have never seen a such a strong mixture of religions and cultures in one spot. The Old Jerusalem city is split between Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armanian quarters. The wailing wall is the last remaining portion of the second temple. You'll notice all the Orthodox Jewish men give their sorrows on the left and women on the right.

Muslim Quarter - Temple Mount

Non muslims can only enter through the main gate, we are restricted to certain hours, and we can not enter the temple. We waitied like tourists in front of the Western wall munching on felaffel and lemonade until we were let in. You can see this golden dome from almost anywhere in the city. This temple has multiple importances to different religions which is probably too long to describe here.

Christian Quarter - Ceiling of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Ethiopianm, and coptic churches believe that Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected here. I still have trouble pronunciating Sepulchre. It's so easy to get lost in the old city, the streets are narrow and filled with souqs. So everywhere you go people are always trying to get your attention and yelling "Japonese!? Korean?! Where you going?" trying to sell you their wares. So it's nice to come to a peacful church and not be disturbed.

Amman, Jordan

Mint Lemonade icy served at Wild Jordan Cafe


Probably one of the most common drinks that you'll catch us with, a lemonade with mint. Served as an icy with minced mint is even better. We knew that Wadi meant valley from Wadi Rum. As we explored Amman on foot we found out the hard way that Jebel means mountain, or hill, or some high point requiring many steps and uphill efforts. We found pretty good food in Amman and very refreshing mint lemonades at the end of the treks.

Petra, Jordan

As-siq at night with candel lit bags

After our adventures in Wadi Rum we went with Keesh and Jolanda to Petra for two nights. We found that they were doing a night show of petra when we got there. We walked a mile in the Al-siq only lit by little paper bags with candels in them. Everyone walked in silence through these towering sand stone walls.

Petra Treasury at night lit by candel light.

As we neared the end of the crevace I spotteda pillar off in the distance and i couldn't but help hum the Indiana Jones song to myself. It opened up to the treasury lit by hundreds of these paper candle bags. We were sat down on mats and then one person sitting in the middle of the candels began to play a string instrument, then a flutist took over, and then a story teller. We sipped tea and watched the moon hoover above and dissapear into the wall.

Al-Deir Monastery at the top of Petra

The next day we did two hikes, one to the very top where the Monastery sits. Then on the way back we went to the high place of sacrafice. I would not recommend doing both hikes in the middle of the day. Both sights were spectacular though. The carving into the sand stone of the monastary was just as amazing as the treasury. Petra is packed with monuments and tombs carved into the sand stone walls. The guide book was right, if there's one thing you do in Jordan, you have to visit Petra.

Rum Wadi, Jordan

Wai and Keesh standing on top of Umm Fruth Rock Bridge

After visiting a few places in Jordan, this place, Rum Wadi, would be a reason for me to come back. We only spent one night here and a quick few hours for each day touring the rocks and sights. As the sun set we sipped on tea and nibbled on biscuits. sat around the camp fire and talked to the people staying there. They prepared a home cooked meal for us which was great. The guide brought out mats and pads for us to sleep on under the starry sky. The Wadi is so huge I feel like I could spend at least a weekend if not a week here exploring the mountains and canyons. There's supposed to be good climbing here however i didn't get much of a chance to boulder. Next time.

Standing in front of our camp site at night


Let me warn you of their taxi/guide setup. The taxi we took here from the border was a nightmare. We paired up with a dutch couple (Jolande and Keesh) to split the costs. We told the driver we needed to go to an ATM so we could pay him and then proceed to the visitor center. He took us to a broken ATM right past the Aquba city limits and wouldn't take us to another one saying we were past the city. He tries to trick us by bringing us to another camp site when we already scheduled one. Then yells at us to pay him when we make him bring us back to visitor center where we're supposed to meet our guide. Before we make it back to the center the competing guide took his jeep and cut us off just to convince us we should go with him. Shady business I tell ya.

One of the few springs found in the Wadi

Mt. Sinai, Egypt

5:00AM

5:45AM

6:00AM


We jumped into a taxi and drove to Mt. Sinai at midnight. Trekked through the mountains, battled endless amounts of tourists with their flash lights, and dodged as many camel droppings as you can in the dark. I bet Moses didn't have to deal with the later two. Either way, I'd have to say it was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen. We even claimed a nice spot on a cliff with a lower tier of rocks that I climbed down to and laid down. The sky was clear, you could see the milky way. Slowly the stars faded away, the silhouette of the mountains became defined, and then that giant ball of energy showed it's face over the clouds.

I ended up taking a picture every 5 minutes for one hour in the same location. Check out my photos later when I sort my pictures after my travels.

Dahab, Egypt

Snorkeling at Lighthouse point in Dahab

The past few days consisted of scuba diving, drinking mango smoothies, smoking mint Sheesha, and drinking Egyptian beer. After all that hard work, I decided to take it easy, haha. I had the option to join kristoffer in his 100th dive or rest up for the night hike at midnight. I can tell you that I missed out on a tall skinny Norwegian guy scuba diving with a viking helmet that says "100th dive" strapped to his chin, using an underwater scooter, and completely butt naked. So, I opted to rest and go snorkeling. I haven't mastered taking photos while holding my breath underwater while snorkeling, so please excuse the blurriness.

Our first picture at a different place called "friends". We always went to this place called Yalla which means "lets go" in Arabic. The new place was infested with cats and the waiters would give us spray bottles to scare them away. In the picture we have (from left to right) Me, Wai, Deepak, Kristoffer, and Siri. We met Deepak in Luxor at our hostel and explored Luxor together in the heat. We met Kristoffer and Siri on the bus to Dahab and we all became friends after complaining about the 21 hour/poorly air conditioned bus ride.


I have to say, if you do go to Egypt, make Dahab the last stop because you'll love it.

Blue Hole, Egypt

Random diver in the Blue Hole

I paired up with Kristoffer the Norwegian rescue scuba diver I met on the bus to do scuba diving. One of the annoying regulations for diving in Egypt is that when you rent gear you need a guide. The first day we did our refresh course right in the bay of Dahab. The second day we took a 15 minute drive north and did the Bells to Blue Hole drift dive and then Rick's Reef. For the non scuba divers they just drifted while snorkeling above us. The water was crystal clear and had amazing amounts of life.

Rick's Reef

Going head first down a three sided chimney for 25 meters opened up to sheer cliff. We drifted over to the Blue Hole which is infamious for being one of the most dangerous dives because it's about 200 meters deep. It has a tomb stone of all the divers that died trying to reach the bottom and do the arch at the entrance to it. Supposedly a woman last week just died trying to dive it.

Ricks Reef.

Our second dive at Ricks reef was a simple 15 meters deep dive which lasted for about an hour. Technically it was a drift dive from Rick's Reef to the Canyon, but since I was concentrating on photos, I didn't go into the Canyon.

Luxor, Egypt

Crossing the Nile to the Luxor's West bank

If you wake up early enough you can catch the hot air ballon rides on the West bank. We opted to take a different perspective and view the hillsides where all the kings and queens are burried. hired a cab to take us to the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, and Valley of the Queens. I don't think i fully enjoyed the trip into Valley of the kings because they forced us to leave our cameras with our cab driver. We gave him extra tip when we came back and it was still there. Half of the tombs we wanted to see were still being dug or closed off for reconstruction. Supposedly the spot of the valley of the kings was choosen so that no one would find these tombs, but of course peopole raided the treasures meant for the afterlife and now it's dug up for tourism.

At the bottom of Hatshepsut

Luxor, Egypt

Reconstructed pillars in the center of Temple of Karnak.


Looking for Wai in these pillars.


If I had one wish, it would to make it standard for all countries to use the metric system. I rarely convert kilos to pounds, inches to centimeters, deg F to C. Anyway, the hottest day in Luxor was 49 deg C which is about 120 deg F. Said to have felt like 130 degrees. We even avoided the hottest part of the day by visiting the air conditioned Luxor museum.

Around 5:30 we headed to Temple of Karnak and it still felt like we had waterfalls of sweat. Even my sandals began to melt and fall apart! If I ever go back to Luxor I would spend more time in the temple of Karnak. Walking through the giant pillars, rows of statues, towering obleisks, and endless amounts of hieroglyphics. It covers about two square kilometers and we only saw maybe a third of it.

After we ran out of water, our only Oasis was a clean air conditioned Mc Donalds. I hate McD. In the US they're awful, internationally they're considered high class... I just don't understand. This one has multiple levels with windows that looks over the Luxor temple. I'm sad to say I enjoyed an Oreo McFlurry and an ice cold sprite looking out at the temple.
Sorry, these posts are out of order. I have had very limited connection between now and Egypt. I'm currently @ the Dead Sea in Jordan.

Dahab, Egypt

Fresh seafood.

We bought tickets from Luxor to Dahab for an air conditioned bus that takes fourteen hours. For the first ten hours of the trip it seemed like the air condition didn't work. The fourteen hours became twenty one hours. It was full of egyptions teenagers boys who would chain smoke every break the bus took. Even though they would smoke off the bus, the driver would smoke on the bus. When gassing up the driver would close the doors on us and smoke by the pump and then toss the cigerette on the dirt and gas soaked floor.

Night view of Dahab.

However going through that bus from hell, it allowed us to bond to a few other backpackers including one we previously met in Luxor. When we arrived in Dahab it seemed like heaven. The skies were clear and the wind was refreshing. We felt like we deserved to splurge so we went to the recommended seafood joint. We had a rooftop view of the red sea, fresh sea food, and good company.

Apple Sheesha and Mint/Hibiscus tea in the outdoor lounge of our hostel.

Luxor, Egypt

Sunset on the Nile river riding a fulecca.


We took a Felluca boat trip for a few hours. I expected more of a rustic type boat with a historic feeling, but rather they were a semi-modern type of sail boat with space for a handful of passengers. Also to go upstream they used a tug boat to take us to this island they call Banana Island. We weren't too interested and just chatted with the locals on the bank as they smoked shisha. The wind wasn't in our favor so we rowed a little bit. And then just drifted back using the current of the river as we watched the sun set.

Beautiful lamps sold in the Souq

When we left Banana Island we realized Wai lost her hat in the bottom of the Nile. :( So we set forth to look for one in the Souq but of course we couldn't find anything we wanted. The only thing that did catch our eye was these intricate lamps.

Abu Simbel, Egypt

Jumping for joy in front of the Temple of Hathor


Quick run down.

3:00 Answer wake up call with a confused and repetitive "what"?
3:30 Jump into van with breakfast box
4:00 Wait for convoy. Apparently we need escorts down to the border.
7:00 Arrive at Abu Simbel and cause a ruckus running around with cameras.

In front of the Great Temple of Abu Simbel


10:00 Depart back to Aswan
13:00 Check out high damn
13:01 Waste 10 Egyption Pounds on tickets and head to next spot
13:15 Haggle boat ride to Philae Temple

Hieroglyphics inside the Temple of Philae


15:00 After boat ride back down one liter of cold orange soda after boat
15:15 Stop at Unfinished Obelisk.
15:16 Get back into air conditioned van...

Aswan, Egypt



We haven't explored Aswan too much mainly because of the heat. Right now I'm sitting in my air conditioned room of 72 degrees because outside it's 104. We did walk around the As-souq an-Nil last night and this morning. I have to say the feeling of the streets are so much nicer than the craziness of Cairo. Using our guide book we set out for some lunch before the heat was too much. After three unsuccessful tries due to unlabeled streets or closed for restoration signs we walked back to the As-souq. We passed some butcher shops, bakeries, and spice stores and found a hidden jem. I forget the name but it looked like a hole in the wall in the back of an ally way. We got falafel meals with lemon juice and sprite. which turned out to be amazingly good. bread with light dipping sauce, tomato-cucumber-pepper salad, rice, vegetable stew and then our main dish. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yes i take pictures of food.

Dashur/Saqqura/Giza, Egypt

Inside the Red Pyramid in Dashur. (like the finger jam/chimney move?)

Yesterday we visited a handful of pyramids starting an hour away from Cairo. Which puts us at Dahshur where we walked into the Red Pyramid. Hiked up to about 23 meters and then found ourselves in this chute that just went straight back down where we had to be hunched over the entire time. When we reached the bottom it smelled like Formaldehyde from 6th grade science class probably due to the mold on the ceiling.

We also visited Memphis for the open air museum and Saqqura for the Step Pyramid (not shown)

Wai walking up to the entrance of the Great Pyramid of Khufu


Once we finally made it to Giza the Great Pyramid of Khufu was towering over the endless apartment buildings. Technically there's 9 pyramids in this area, but the three main ones are Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Walking up to these giants made us question the engineering and techology of these ancient civilizations. Built 146.5 meters high around 2600 B.C.... really?

Wai and I in front of the Pyramid of Khufu.

Cairo, Egypt

Inside the Mosque of Mohammed Ali.


Walking around the mosque inside the Citadel around Old Cairo. I walked around the Citadel where this mosque sits right in the middle of it. It overlooks all of Cairo from a hill. When you enter the courtyard they make you take off your shoes. Just don't leave your shoes on the carpet like I did, they'll yell at you.

Cairo, Egypt

Islamic Cairo Bazaar.


Wai and I pushing our way through the small streets of the Islamic Cairo Bazaar. Everyone would yell Koichiwa at us. If they didnt think we were Japanese, they would say "one dolla", "what you looking for?", "come here" and grab my arms. We decided to look for this famous place for tea/drinks/hookah. After making a few circles and getting lost, we made a turn in this laberynth and out of nowhere popped up this alleyway with a big sign for it with seats in the patio. We quickly sat down to fill up on lemonade and mango drinks. Completely relaxing and refreshing. I'm not one for smoking much but the smell of flavored hookah was actually pretty nice.

Cairo, Egypt

Cairo Tower from the Nile.

After what seemed like for ever in the airplane i finally made it to Cairo safe and sound. A few things to note: Theres never a trash can when you need one, you have to play chicken with the cars when crossing the streets, and the people are extremely friendly.

When I landed the hostel I'm staying at had someone pick me up. Probably the scariest car ride I've ever had. I think he drove faster and faster just to see if he could make me squeal. When i arrived at the hostel I walked up maybe eight flights of dimly lit and dusty stairs. At the top I saw my good friend Wai who I haven't seen for ages. We grabbed some food, caught up, and walked around the Nile until the sun set.