April's Adventures

Egypt

April December 26, 2018

Given how close Israel is to Egypt, I didn’t want to let an opportunity to see the Great Pyramids pass me by. So I convinced Donna to join me on a quick side trip to Egypt. And I do mean quick! We booked an excursion which picked us up at 9pm on Friday night from a hotel in Eilat (George stayed in Eilat since he opted to skip the side trip). The van drove us to the Taba border to cross from Israel to Egypt. The Taba border crossing is currently the only entry/exit point between the two countries that handles tourists. Since we made arrangements for the visit through a tour operator, we were provided with our Egyptian visa which had been arranged in advance (helped speed up the process for sure!). Once making it through security, we waited a few minutes for our van which would be taking us all the way to Cairo. During the wait, we talked with the 2 other passengers who would be joining us – a mother and daughter from Mexico who were spending 5 days in Egypt.

I’m legit!

When the van finally pulled up, the tour liaison said goodbye and we were left with the van driver who spoke maybe 5 words in English. He put on his music and we started on our way. Since it was getting late, the plan was to sleep during the drive through the Sinai desert (we crossed under the canal as well) so we would be fresh in the morning. I found myself pretty restless since I was excited to finally be in Egypt. Probably a good thing since the road conditions were not ideal for sleeping. For a while I was convinced we were driving on dirt roads but the roads were just bad and covered with sand which had been blown onto the road. We probably went through 50 security checkpoints (each stop met with someone toting a machine gun….a few times they would check the van and ask for our passports) and made a couple of stops in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

I got maybe 2 hours of sleep in total that night but we finally arrived in the morning in Cairo. We made our way through the city and it’s hectic traffic – our driver even pulled over on a very busy road and ran across traffic to buy everyone a falafel sandwich for breakfast. The first stop for the tour was the Egyptian Museum, one of the most impressive antiquities museums in the world. Once we arrived, the two ladies we rode with were assigned a tour guide who spoke Spanish and Donna and I were assigned a guide who spoke English. I was told that I was not able to take my camera into the museum which made me quite disappointed. My disappointment turned into frustration as I noticed many other tourists with their cameras once we got through the entrance security check. Apparently our guide had failed to mention there was an option to bring your camera in for a nominal fee. Grrr… Donna was not feeling well from the long drive so she opted to find a spot while the guide and I made our way through the many exhibits. The museum is HUGE and honestly it’s pretty overwhelming with the large crowds. But it was amazing to see so many artifacts in one place.

Outside of Egyptian Museum…..tourist

Wooden carving with some major creepy eyes – like seriously would follow you as you walked around the room creepy!

So much gold!

There were a lot of school field trips at the museum and a bunch of the kids would ask to take my picture (scavenger hunt game I’m assuming). Here’s one of the girls (said I’d take a pic with her if she’d take one with me). As you can tell from my sweaty face, it was HOT inside the museum. All of the kids were so polite and friendly. It was a nice experience in addition to the actual museum itself.

After the museum, we went to the Papyrus Institute which was also a cool experience. I will say they are full of very persistent salesmen but I did enjoy it and picked up a few items to take home.

After lunch, we finally made our way to the pyramids. The Giza pyramid complex is an archaeological site on the outskirts of Cairo. It includes the three Great Pyramids (Khufu/Cheops, Khafre/Chephren and Menkaure), the Great Sphinx, as well as some other sites. The Great Pyramids is by far the oldest of the ancient Wonders and the only one still in existence.

Obligatory pose in front of the pyramids

Another reminder of the constant security presence in Egypt (part of Cairo is in the background which is literally what you see once you arrive at the Pyramids – amazing how close they are to everything. There is a plan to relocate part of the city to expand the area around the complex to help cut down on the issues caused by pollution to the pyramids).

Donna and I (oh yeah, and some Great Wonders of the World in the background if you’re into that sort of thing).

We then made our way around the complex to the area where the Sphinx is. I have to say while the Sphinx is not small by normal standards, it pales in scale to the pyramids themselves.

This angle makes the Sphinx seem larger than it actually is

Better representation of the size with proper scale against the pyramids.

Was really feeling my tourist shots in Egypt. Must have been that magical hat.

Donna and I

Our tour guide for the day (I can’t remember his name but he was very nice)

Once we left the pyramids, we made our way to another shop for some more hard selling for oils before getting back in the van to return to Israel (no staying in a hotel for us!). When we loaded the van, we quickly realized we would not be alone for the return as we found 2 men in the back of the van (who didn’t speak any English). But given we were headed back, we trusted everything was arranged properly and we made our way back through the desert and the bumpy roads. I think the driver was very motivated as he only stopped once for a bathroom break and was driving pretty reckless in between the security checkpoints. At one of the last checkpoints before getting back to Eilat, one of the security men got into a shouting match with the driver and the 2 men in the back of the van. Needless to say that was a bit awkward since we could not understand what the fuss was all about. The end result was the 2 men left the van and we continued on about another 30 minutes until we got back to the Taba border (thankfully!). Even though it was about 4am at that point, we had a bit of a wait to get through the border checkpoint in Israel before grabbing a taxi and heading to the hotel to wake up poor George and catching a quick nap before our next stop in Masada. Stay tuned for that adventure.

While our time in Egypt was short, it was definitely memorable. I would probably return to Egypt but would take a different travel plan to get there.

Middle East

Visiting Bethlehem (Palestine)

April November 8, 2018

Before my trip, I will admit I was mostly ignorant about the history of Israel and Palestine. As the time for our trip neared, I found myself becoming obsessed with watching all things about the people of Palestine. Part to learn what they think about tourists coming to visit and just to learn a little about their lives in general. I came across a great series of videos on You Tube called the Ask Project put together by Corey Gil-Shuster. If you ever find yourself on You Tube, I would really recommend you check his stuff out.

I was very excited to check out any of Palestine (aside from Gaza which you are not permitted to visit). We decided to spend part of a day in Bethlehem, since it’s obviously a very well-known place and also for it’s proximity to the border wall. I was under the impression we would have to get a taxi to the wall, cross over into Palestine and then get a Palestinian taxi once on the other side of the wall. We discovered in Jerusalem that Arab taxi drivers who have a special license are able to cross easily between Jerusalem and Area A, which was fine for what we needed.

Our taxi driver was super friendly and once were were inside the Palestinian area, he took us along the border wall to take in some of the art. I personally was very fascinated by everything I saw.

Along parts of the wall, there are stories such as this.

This image was so breathtaking in person. All of the art is so cool!

Apparently they also have opinions on our politics….

We made a quick stop at the Walled Off Hotel, which has been made famous by the artist Banksy. We didn’t have time to take a tour but we did check out the local art exhibit upstairs.

Can see the close proximity of the hotel to the wall outside.

Our taxi driver arranged to have a guide waiting for us at the Church of the Nativity (he waited for us during the tour so we didn’t have to call for him to come back). We were delighted to find our guide to be very warm and welcoming as well. He gave us a brief overview on the history the Church and forwarded us about the crowds which would waiting once we got inside. He was not wrong! Getting to the spot where they say Jesus was born was a stressful experience of merging a large group down into a small space. And all of those god-loving religious people were pretty damn pushy! So much for being kind to your fellow man! LOL!

Small entrance into the Church

Me making an ever so graceful entrance….

Our guide showing us an example of the columns before the restoration process (what a difference!)

Crowd waiting to narrow down into the entrance of the birth site. Everyone was pushing and shoving – very intense and stressful experience!

The metal star is the spot where they say Jesus was born

After finally escaping the crowds at the church, we finished our time in Palestine just driving around before heading back to Jerusalem.

I really enjoyed our time in Bethlehem and I wished we had planned to spend the night there or in another area nearby. I would have enjoyed talking to more people there and getting their insight on the whole situation and ongoing conflict.

In the next blog, I’ll cover the side trip that Donna and I made to Egypt. A truly memorable experience!

Adventures in Jordan!

April October 31, 2018

The next stop on our middle east itinerary was Jordan. Both Donna and George had family ties to Jordan but I was sadly under informed about this magnificent country. We decided to spend 2 days in Jordan and we narrowed our search to Wadi Rum and Petra.

There was lots of conflicting detail online about how to cross the border from Israel to Jordan and if you needed to procure a tourist visa in advance. We opted to cross the border at the southernmost part of Israel, near Eilat. The process itself was not too cumbersome – you pay an exit fee in Israel, get your passport reviewed at a couple of booths and next thing you know, you’re walking the short distance between borders to Jordan. The process on the Jordan side was just as simple – a quick review of the passport, a tourist visa slip provided, a security screening for bags, and we walked right out to the taxi we prearranged.

For anyone traveling from the Israel border to Jordan, I would definitely recommend arranging a taxi service in advance. There are plenty of taxis waiting once you cross, but it’s well documented that they will take advantage of travelers who don’t do their research and charge more than is reasonable. The hotel in Wadi Rum we booked recommended our driver, Nael, and he kept in touch with us during the border crossing process and was very patient with us since we were running over an hour behind schedule.

It took about an hour or so to get from the border to the Wadi Rum visitor center. Wadi Rum is an amazing place! It’s the largest wadi (arabic for valley) in Jordan. Wadi Rum has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It is the home to the Zalabia Bedouin people. They have made the area a haven for eco-tourism and it has become one of Jordan’s most popular tourist destinations.

Nael dropped us off since only the bedouins drive in the protected desert areas. We met up with a representative of the Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (who we booked with). We scheduled a jeep tour and camel rides (Donna and George only) and we then climbed in the back of the pick up to head towards the camp.

Cave we explored

Exploring

Petroglyph on rock inside of cave

Natural bridge formation

Groups assembling to watch the sunset

Memories Aicha Luxury Camp

Room with a view

Looking at our room from outside

Main tent for dinner

Night photo (unfortunately I left my tripod in Israel so wasn’t able to get galaxy pics)

Good morning Mars!

Such an amazing experience!

The next day, Donna and George rode their camel while I finished getting my stuff together and then we headed back to the visitors center to meet up with Nael again. The drive to Petra took about 2 and a half hours.

Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Petra lies on the slope of Jabal Al-Madbah in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah valley that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC, and it was possibly established in the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra’s proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub.

The city is accessed through a 1.2 kilometer long gorge called the Siq, which leads directly to the Treasury. Petra is also called the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved.[7] It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage”. In 2007, Al-Khazneh (the Treasury) was voted in as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Petra is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction.

Obligatory tourist photo opp!

Spotting the Treasury just ahead – I’ve seen what feels like a million pics like this but I have to say it’s exciting when you’re there and you catch a glimpse.

The Treasury (Khazneh)

Happy Tourists!

What a view! Thanks to the donkey who gave me a lift up to this section (even though it was terrifying!)

Tea time! Wearing scarfs representing Jordan (red) and Palestine (black)

Love all the color variation and how this rock looks like a wing chair!

The Monastery

We spent the night in Petra in town and the next day we headed back to Israel. I have to say I loved every minute of our experience in Jordan! The country is beautiful and all of the people we encountered were so warm and welcoming! I would definitely go back to Jordan for another vacation – maybe to explore the northern portion of the country and the Dead Sea.

Stayed tuned for the next blog entry as our middle eastern adventures were far from over!

Middle East

Jerusalem, Israel

April October 29, 2018

About a year ago my friend Donna told me she and one of her cousins, George, were planning a trip to Israel and asked me if I wanted to come along. Naturally being someone who enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures, I said yes without hesitation. After all the planning, the time had finally come and we finally touched down in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Arriving in the early evening, we collected our bags and rental car and drove to our first destination in East Jerusalem. The next morning, we woke up super early to head to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For the record, I will state I am not a religious person. I believe in being a good person and karma and some higher being but I don’t subscribe to any organized religion. Having said that, even I must admit this place is a BIG deal. Like a really big deal. This place holds 2 of the holiest sites in all of Christianity. The first being where Jesus was crucified and the other being the empty tomb where they say Jesus was buried and resurrected.

Exterior of courtyard

Tomb of Jesus is enclosed within this shrine, called the Aedicule

Stairway leading to the Calvary (Golgotha), traditionally regarded as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion

Stone of Anointing, which tradition believes to be the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial

Ornate decorations in the Calvary

Inside the Calvary where it’s believed that Jesus was crucified

Mosaic near the Stone of Anointing

After leaving the church, we walked around the city some, taking in some of the sights.

Damascus Gate to the old city of Jerusalem in early morning

Saw this in a shop window and it made me smile

We also visited the Tower of David which provided some nice views of the city.

Tower of David

Looking at the city from the top of the Tower of David

Interior gardens and structure of Tower of David

The next morning, we made our way to the Western Wall (also called the Wailing Wall). The Western Wall is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount. Because of the Temple Mount entry restrictions, the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though the holiest site in the Jewish faith lies behind it.

First glimpse of the wall in the distance (zoomed in)

Seeing the razor wire in the foreground struck me as a powerful image. Wall is in the background.

Men only side of the wall

Women only side of the wall. You can see the notes tucked into the available crevices in the stones.

Sun illuminating on the wall as it rises

After spending time at the Western Wall, we visited the Dome of the Rock (Islamic Shrine), which is also on Temple Mount. The site’s great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure. Since we are not Muslim, we were not able to enter but we walked around the grounds, taking in all of the beautiful detail of this site.

Dome of the Rock

Next, we grabbed a taxi to the Mount of Olives. There is a small church at the top of Mount of Olives which is supposedly where Jesus ascended up to heaven. It also offers spectacular views of the entire city.

Spot where Jesus ascended up to heaven (according to believers)

Amazing view of city from Mount of Olives

View from Mount of Olives

Looking down on Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery

Church of Mary Magdalene (Russian Orthodox Church)

Such a beautiful structure!

We ended our time in Jerusalem with a visit to Vad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It has extensive exhibits documenting the horror that happened. Photography isn’t permitted (which I didn’t realize) so I will only show a couple shots below out of respect.

Hall of names

After our incredible time in Jerusalem, we set off for a trip to Jordan. Stay tuned for that blog entry!

Bangkok or Bust!

April September 1, 2018

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve always wanted to go to Thailand. It’s just one of those places that has always appealed to me – a land with lush green beauty in the outlying areas, the intricate temples and, of course, the buzzing metropolis of Bangkok. So I naturally jumped at the chance to join my best friend Laura on a work trip to Thailand!

Normally I plan my trips way in advance but since this was a tagalong to a work trip, I had less than 2 months to research and decide on what I wanted to add to my “to do” list. With Laura having to work, I knew I would have to find things to entertain myself during the day.

Laura flew into Atlanta and then from there we flew about 14 hours to Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea. We arrived at 4am and had a 5 hour layover so we had to entertain ourselves until some of the shops opened up.

Tourist! Sleep deprivation makes me silly!

After having a proper Asian breakfast, we finally boarded our plane for the 6 hour flight to Bangkok, Thailand. We arrived just after lunchtime to an overcast sky. We grabbed a taxi and headed to our hotel in the heart of Sukhumvit, Bangkok’s shopping and restaurant district. We dropped our bags and ventured out for a stroll around the area and had our first authentic Thai meal.

With the jet lag starting to set in, we opted to call it an early night. The next morning, Laura headed to work and I decided to venture out on my own.

I secured my BTS (overhead rail system in Bangkok) card and off I went! I ventured to one of the many (and I do mean MANY!) malls in Bangkok. I opted to check out Platinum Fashion Mall in Pratunam. The best way to describe this mall is a flea market moved indoors with air conditioning. There are multiple floors of wholesale vendors all packed into small stalls peddling their items. While most of the vendors sell clothing, I did manage to pick up a few souvenirs. I also saw a lovely little park, Benchasiri Park, along my walk to and from the BTS station.

The next day I decided to go for culture so I hopped in a taxi. I knew I wanted to see some of the temples that Bangkok is so well known for. I asked my taxi driver to take me to Wat Arun (also called the Temple of Dawn). The temple itself sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The thing about most taxi drivers in Bangkok is that they are always trying to hustle you. My driver wanted to turn off the meter and offer me a “deal” if I agreed to stop by a shop along the way. Having been forewarned about this practice, I declined and he was not very happy with me. So he dropped me off at a pier on the east side much further down than he should have and I ended up having to pay 1,500 BAHT for a roundtrip long tail boat ride to the temple’s pier. Knowing I was paying way more than I should have but really having no other option since my taxi driver quickly disappeared, I opted to take the optimistic view that I had a long tail boat all to myself. With the skies looking quite ominous, I made sure my life jacket was secured as the narrow but colorful boat made its way along the choppy river waters.

Beautiful Wat Arun

Up close detail – so pretty!

Obligatory temple selfie

After getting back to the pier, I had an enjoyable lunch at the little restaurant on the pier. The view was nice and this was probably the tastiest meal I had the entire time.

That evening, I joined Laura’s work group for a meal at a very unique restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms on Sukhumvit 12. This restaurant was started as a way to help
support outreach efforts by Population and Community Development Association (PDA). PDA focuses their efforts on health, education, HIV/AIDS, rural development, environment and water, all while using a very clever concept to generate interest and business. The food was delicious and I gladly purchased some of the themed items from their gift shop when we were done. Definitely a memorable spot!

Even the lamps are themed

Condom couture

At dinner, I was introduced to a couple of ladies, Carol and Meena, who were just lovely and agreed to check out some places with me the next day or two. We met up early the next morning and grabbed a taxi to The Grand Palace. This complex has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782 and is the most visited tourist site in Bangkok.

Dress code is strictly enforced at the Grand Palace. Meena had to purchase a t-shirt to cover her shoulders and although my capri pants were below the knee (which was okay per my research), the attendant as we entered advised I would have to purchase a wrap or pants to cover up more. The Grand Palace is truly breathtaking, but with the crowds and heat, it can feel overwhelming at times.

Adjacent to the palace is Wat Pho, a Buddhist temple which holds a 46 meter long reclining buddha covered in gold leaf. The photos really don’t do it justice – it’s MASSIVE! I especially love how detailed the bottom of the feet are – they are covered in laksana (Buddhist Sanskrit symbols & characters).

Thursday I spent the day with Carol shopping at another mega mall, this time MBK Center. I may have gotten so many deals, that I actually purchased another suitcase. What can I say – I’m a shopper! That evening, a small group of us decided to venture over to the Chana Songkhram section of Bangkok. After enduring the incredibly packed BTS trains, we made it to the dock and got on the river boat. As we moved along the Chao Phraya river, the skies opened up and we were drenched. Thankfully, the downpour didn’t last long and we had a tasty meal at a little place overlooking the river. I even got to see Wat Arun again, this time all lit up at night.

Saturday, we hopped on a short flight to Phuket. We flew with Bangkok Airways and they were really great. I’d definitely use them again when I’m in Thailand. Once we arrived in Phuket, we had a shuttle to the pier and then a 20 minute speedboat ride to our resort on Koh Yao Yai. This place was AMAZING! I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone who wants to just relax and enjoy some beautiful surroundings. Way less commercialized than Phuket.

Really could get used to this view!

While this place was beautiful and relaxing, it was not without a little excitement. Before we read through the details in the villa, we ordered some room service and dined outside before getting into the pool. While in the pool, we noticed a little friend had wandered onto our deck. He tried our empty cans of soda and threw a plate on the deck before eating some ketchup with his hands and wandering over to pick up my cell phone. When that happened, I tried to scare him by splashing in the pool which only caused him to come over and look at me as if I was the strangest thing he had ever seen. After realizing I was not trying to have a standoff with him, he wandered along the edge of the pool and disappeared in the trees. In the excitement, Laura thought she had recorded the incident but did not actually hit the record button. Was definitely a first!

Not the actual monkey we saw….although it could be!

The dinner that night was delish and they had fire dancers on the beach. Such a cool experience. Sadly, we only had one night in Koh Yao Yai so we had to leave. I definitely want to return again one day.

Wish we had more time!

Goodbye beautiful Phuket and Koh Yao Yai!

Monday morning we boarded our flight back to the USA, stopping first again in Seoul. We had a short layover but made it in time. Only to end up sitting on the plane for 3 hours due to a lighting issue. Eventually, Delta had everyone get off the plane and after more delays, opted to cancel the flight. They put us up in a Hilton near the airport and we finally got to fly out the next day. Never a dull moment!

Now that I’ve finally gotten to spend some time in Asia, I definitely need to start looking at more places there to visit. They call Thailand the Land of Smiles and I must say the majority of the people I encountered were very friendly and welcoming.

Until next time Bangkok!

Mexico

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

April June 8, 2018

I decided to take a quick trip to Mexico with my bestie and her daughter over Memorial Day weekend. We had been to the same area 2 years ago and opted to just stick with the same resort.

It’s amazing to me how many people have a negative view of Mexico, even the Yucatan peninsula which is known for their tourism. I will never understand it. I find the people there to be so friendly and the water and natural surroundings are amazing!

For the most part, we stuck to the resort (which had 12 pools and is huge) but we did manage to fit in one excursion during our 4 night stay. We did a catamaran trip with snorkeling at a coral reef. It was an amazing experience!

Thanks to some good luck, I was upgraded to first class on my flight there and back! I could get used to that! Can’t wait for another trip to Mexico!

Resort bound!

Me and my bestie!

These squirrel things are all over the resort!

Drinks during catamaran excursion….

Snorkeling!

US Travel

Dallas Museum of Art

April February 19, 2018

I found myself planing a last minute trip to Dallas for a belated birthday celebration. One thing about me is that I’m a planner. I like to have an idea of what I will be doing when I’m traveling somewhere. While I’ve been to Dallas many times, I usually don’t spend a lot of time out exploring the area….usually I’m just there to see someone or do something (like the SGK 3 Day walk). This particular weekend was chilly in Dallas, which I was definitely not expecting! There are many things to do and see in Dallas but most involve being outdoors. So we found ourselves looking for something to do on a windy and dreary Saturday. I saw in my search of ideas that Dallas has quite a large art scene. So we opted to check out the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA for short). The DMA is one of the largest art museums in North America. And to our surprise, it also boasts free admission so nothing to lose other than time to go and check it out! While I will admit I’m no art buff, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the museum. There are 9 unique collections and the building itself is large and airy so you don’t feel overwhelmed even with all of the other visitors. If you ever find yourself in Dallas on a bad weather day (or you just want to expand your culture), I definitely recommend the DMA! It’s a gem!