This one I finished last Sunday, November 15th, 2009 while visiting the beautiful San Francisco.

Thoughts about this poem though came while visiting Eilat(Israel’s Southernmost city) which sits on the Red Sea(Yam Suf).

Hope you enjoy it.

The standard disclaimers apply, the poem was originally written in Hebrew therefore the translation may lose or change some of the meanings, rhyming, wordplay, etc.

~ The Red Sea ~

Silence,
The world shrinks to a blue ribbon
I lean on the water line
Listening to the sea telling his story
It’s a familiar one, he tells:
Of love long forgotten
Of Innocence stolen
Of a war that never ended
But he also whispers of Hope.
Eyes skywards, I float
I can feel the world’s curvature
Can feel the life it stores
Feel all the words it holds
And yet he tells:
Of bitter disappointment
Of long-lasting sorrow
Of the broken human spirit
Yet he also sings of Hope.
The wild sun sears my skin
Her staring eye she never shuts
So I close my eyes
Let myself sink slowly
As I listen to the sea telling his story.

The original Hebrew version:

~ הים האדום ~

שקט,
העולם מצטמצם לפס כחול
אני מתפרש על קו המים
ומאזין לים המספר את סיפורו
זהו סיפור מוכר, הוא מספר:
על אהבה שנשכחה
על תמימות שנגנבה
על מלחמה שלעולם לא נגמרה
אך לוחש גם על תקווה.
עיניים מופנות למעלה, אני צף
מרגיש את קימורו של העולם
מרגיש את החיים שבתוכו הוא עוצר
מרגיש את כל המילים שהוא לא אומר
ובכל זאת מספר:
על אכזבה כאובה
על עצבות ארוכה
על רוח האדם שנשברה
אך שר הוא גם על תקווה.
השמש הפראית את עורי צורבת
את עינה החודרת לא עוצמת
אז את עיניי אני סוגר
ולאט שוקע אל קירבו
ומקשיב לים כשהוא מספר סיפורו.

The Ruins of the Nabatean civilization reached a world famous status after appearing in the Indiana Jones Movie The last crusader and also recently voted one of the new seven wonders of the world. Located in the Arabah desert in southern Jordan this ancient city is an impressive archeological achievement with buildings like the Treasury carved into the mountain slopes.

Getting there from neighboring Israel is an easy task specially after the peace treaty signed in 1994 and a enjoyable trip through the desert. I departed with a good friend of mine in evening from Hertzelia to Eilat. For that we had to take a minibus to Tel Aviv main bus terminal and there a bus to Eilat.

The port city of Eilat is the southern most point of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea, from her you can literally see Jordan and Egypt. The city is quite small and the waterfront is covered by massive 5 stars hotels and resorts. To get to Eilat is a simple but long ride or an expensive plane ride. Israel is a very small country and its relatively easy to move from point A to point B with the local government busses called Egged. The main terminal in Tel Aviv is called “Tagana a merkasit” and there are Egged and private lines operating.

The terminal is a quite busy place, with a shopping mall in the first 2 floors and with tight security operating at all times. As in all Israel but here in particular you must be really careful of never leaving your bags unattended and be cooperative with all security matters, bags and people are checked at all entrance points to the terminal. Eilat busses depart from the last platform on the 4th floor you can either buy the ticket to the driver or in the window located at the center of the building in the 4th floor. its recommendable to buy some snacks and water before boarding since the ride can be long, dry and tiring.

Busses leave every hour or so and its an average of 5 to 6 hours to get there although sometimes can take longer depending on transit conditions and the route the bus takes. They are all equipped with AC There are 2 main routes to get there but different bus numbers, including the 790 (direct bus), 390, 393 and 394. Additional busses leaved from Haifa, Jerusalem, Ashdod and Afula. The main road goes through the Negev desert, and passes by the dead sea, Dimona and Be’er Sheva. Advanced booking is available and recommended on summer times or weekends.

As we approached the city it became clearer that we were not going to be able to cross the border that day, it was getting dark and we were unsure about the operation times of the border. Also we had no idea of what could happen after we crossed. I started talking with some people in the bus to gather some information but no one seemed to know about the border. Suddenly a Woman kindly offered a space for  us to crash at her house until the next morning arguing that would be safer for us.

We both agreed happily knowing that the hearts of Israelis are always open for visitors, and actually once in the house we were amazed by their hospitality as they served us diner, coffee and even left us a whole room for us to sleep in a bed (we didn’t care to sleep in the floor either!). Next morning we got woke up and took a cab from her house to the border. There is no other means for transportation between border and the city. It was a 10 minute ride at that early time and when we arrive at the Arava border crossing we were almost alone.

The border crossing was pretty straight forward, we exited Israel with no hassle at all. After paying the exit fee of 90 shekels we got our passports stamped and carried on into a walkway of around 100 meters surrounded by barbed wire. I got the impression that we were under someone’s watch all the time (and it was probably true…). We arrived at the Jordanian side and got our luggage lightly checked we proceeded to get a stamp but we needed visas. The person working at the office was not there at the time and we had to wait for the officer around 20 minutes or so. Finally he arrived and stamped a total of 3 stamps, using a whole page for the entrance!

After this we left the terminal and found ourselves completely lost, the only thing after the gate was a taxi with a fat guy on it with a huge I-can-charge-you-any-price smile on his face, we negotiated a fair deal for a round trip and took of. Actually the white cab stopped a few minutes after leaving the border telling us that he could only take us up to that point and we needed to change cars to proceed. I noticed when I got down the cab a inscription on the door that said border taxi only or something like that so I relaxed until the other cab arrived.

Once on the second cab is a easy 3 hours ride through the arid desert to the town of Wadi Musa. This small town is pure hotels and mosques with its main activity being Petra’s base. We got dropped at a Hotel with an extremely cheap room 5 Dinar. It was still early so we decided not to wait and go straight to Petra, and it was worth it, we stayed until 8 and watched the sunset from the Monastery.

To go back the cab picked us up in the morning from the hotel as we agreed, after all we were going to pay for him only at the border. During the way back we fell in love with the desert so we decided to stop for a few hours in Wadi Rum, near the border with Saudi Arabia. It’s one of the most mystical places I have ever visited, and you could just stare at the vast emptiness for hours.

We got dropped at the border, were a Bedouin officer checked our bags and let us pass, not without playing with us a little bit asking if we had drugs in our bodies, not fun at all!! We got stamped out of Jordan and back to Israel, this border actually was very relaxed and empty but we got delayed because some Jordanians wanted to enter Israel with a lot a LOT of things including plants and animals, to which the border officials didn’t know what to do.

After entering Israel we walked all the way back to the Bus terminal, since there were no taxis at the border… it took us about an hour and we had just enough time to have a falafel and catch the last bus back to Tel Aviv.

Misturando pesquisa e entrevistas a muitas xícaras de chá tomadas
dentro dos lares israelenses, a jornalista mineira Sabrina Abreu
mostra o país por diferentes ângulos em seu primeiro livro “Meu Israel”,
que será lançado na terça-feira (17-11), às 19h, no Espaço Cultural Terraço
Leitura – Leitura Pátio Megastore (Avenida Contorno, 6061, 3º andar, Savassi),
em Belo Horizonte. O livro foi publicado pela Editora Leitura.
A noite de autógrafos tem entrada franca e é aberta ao público.

LEIA MAIS NOS SITES
:: SORTIMENTOS :: http://www.sortimentos.net/?p=4538
:: GEBBEG VARIEDADES :: http://gebbeg.com.br/?p=7480

.

This is an old anecdote already, in the middle east things change quickly so i urge you to double check this information.

It was a sunny Hamsin morning in the Outskirts of Tel Aviv, I woke up with a terrible headache and after breakfast I was anxious to explore the country I had Arrived just a few weeks earlier. I made a little day pack containing some thins that might be appropriate for a day in Tel Aviv at this time of the year, including a bathing suit and a jacket for the evening when it tends to get cooler.

I had just arrived from Europe and over there I met really interesting people, one of them who was actually working in a Tel Aviv shopping mall and that connected with me in a special way, so I decided it was a good idea to look for her although I had no clue whatsoever if I could find her. I only new the name of the store she worked a couple of days a week and the approximate location of the store. Anyway I had nothing better to do so I went out with the idea of spending a couple of hours in the search and finally end up having a beer by the Mediterranean sea… who would imagine that that same day I was going to end up smoking Narguila (shisha) with a Bedouin on the shores of the Red Sea in the Sinai peninsula. Life is quite interesting if you let it too.

Anyway this post is about how I got there, improvising all the way through it since I had no idea of what was going to happen, and along the way I added some advises that I got from doing things like this.  

So, there I was just before lunchtime in a  shopping mall in Tel Aviv looking for a store, and hoping that my friend would be there at the time, and against all odds when I entered the store, she walked in just behind me. My friend was off that day but came to say Hello to their co workers since she lived pretty near to the job place. We chatted and decided to go for a coffee, long story make short, we decided to take the weekend off for exploring Israel a little bit more.
As in the past weeks I have wondered through some cities already and she lived in Israel for more that a year, it was hard to find a place that non of us had visited before and we would both be interested in visiting, until we said Eilat, and here is how the trip begins.

The port city of Eilat is the southern most point of Israel and lies on the banks of the Red Sea, from here you can literally see Jordan and Egypt. The city is quite small and the waterfront is covered by massive 5 stars hotels and resorts. To get to Eilat is a simple but long ride or an expensive plane ride. Israel is a very small country and its relatively easy to move from point A to point B with the local government busses called Egged. The main terminal in Tel Aviv is called “Tagana a merkasit” and there are Egged busses and some private lines operating.

The terminal is a quite busy place, with a shopping mall in the first 2 floors and with tight security operating at all times. As in all Israel but here in particular you must be really careful of never leaving your bags unattended and be cooperative with all security matters, bags and people are checked at all entrance points to the terminal. Eilat busses depart from the last platform on the 4th floor you can either buy the ticket to the driver or in the window located at the center of the building in the 4th floor. its recommendable to buy some snacks and water before boarding since the ride can be long, dry and tiring.

Busses leave every hour or so and its an average of 5 to 6 hours to get there although sometimes can take longer depending on transit conditions and the route the bus takes. They are all equipped with AC There are 2 main routes to get there but different bus numbers, including the 790 (direct bus), 390, 393 and 394. Additional busses leaved from Haifa, Jerusalem, Ashdod and Afula. The main road goes through the Negev desert, and passes by the dead sea, Dimona and Be’er Sheva. Advanced booking is available and recommended on summer times or weekends.

Me and my friend just arrived at the terminal and went straight to the platform, the bus was almost full and closing its door when we arrived and got the ticket with the driver. The bus was half full with young tourist and half full with soldiers returning home. Rides in Israel are always like this, young soldiers carrying their unloaded M16’s in the bus, chatting and listening to music with their phones. Generally they are very open to talk in English about anything, even what they do in the army and their opinions about life in Israel, the conflict and so on.

The ride to Eilat is one of my favorite bus routes ever. The trip begins by leaving Tel Aviv, a though task at rush hours, but as it was midday it was not so hard this time. After leaving the outskirts of the city the bus goes down the mountains to reach the Dead Sea and Masada, from there crosses some little towns until arriving at Be’er Sheva the last city before the Negev desert. Then through the Negev you can see some kibbutzim and Israel most remarkable achievement: crops, in the middle of the arid desert they grow almost every thing. At this point the bus makes a stop at a rest area. There are two main rest areas and in both of them you can get supplies for the rest of the trip.

When we arrived our intention was to stay in Eilat, but the town seemed too much for us, not what we where looking for at all, so after a few phone calls to let our family and friends know, we headed to Sinai, in search of the magical experiences along the Red Sea shores.

After you arrive to Eilat you need to get to the Border, its not possible to walk and there are two main options for the independent traveler: Get the number 15 bus from the Eilat bus terminal or take a taxi. A taxi is preferable since busses have a limited schedule, get it before hand if you plan to get the bus. Once off the bus there are metered taxis waiting in the main exit. At the moment of writing the Taba terminal was open 24 hours 7 days a week, with exception of important National Holydays on both sides. Once on the terminal the process of exiting Israel is quite straight forward. Like in all important buildings there is a security check upon arrival and after there is a border fee that must be paid in the Entrance of the Terminal, then proceed to Immigration and passport control, there are no security checks at this point, but be considerate of the following facts: Egypt is a Muslim country, be respectful in your dress and during Ramadan abstain from eating and drinking in public. Also be reminded of the delicate situation between Israel and its Arab neighbors, as you are arriving from Israel you can be a target for a terrorist attack, be careful of your surrounding at all times.

Once the process of exiting Israel is terminated, you have to pass through a last gate indicating the way to Egypt. You will walk next to a road in No Mans land, with barbed wire on both sides of the road and watchtowers on both edges. When you get to the Egyptian side, go straight to the Entrance building located on your right. First you will be screened and your luggage inspected, this is quite a tedious process and Egyptian officials are very tough and demanding, maybe because you come from Israel or because they are tired. They inspect all luggage through fully in search of narcotics   and weapons. To get into Egypt There are two options: If you are only crossing to the Sinai Peninsula you must fill in your paperwork and head straight to passport control. If you are going to Cairo, Alexandria or the rest of Egypt, you need to purchase a Visa stamp before completing papers and then head to passport control.

Once out of the Terminal passports are checked again 2 or 3 times, once at the gate and others once on your transportation onward into Egypt, on military checkpoints along the road. There are minibuses and taxis, price for the latest one must be negotiated in Advance. If you are planning to travel to Cairo you must first head to Sharm al Sheik or other big city with onward public transportation. For passengers heading through the Suez channel into El Cairo there is an additional security and passport check.

Once we crossed into Egypt was getting dark already, and the first thing I noticed is how laid back and relaxed Egyptians seemed to be. After leaving the terminal building a guard had to chase us cause he had forgotten to check that we had a proper entry stamp, then groups of 4 or 5 soldiers sat down chatting, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes played jokes with us, as we tried to bargain for a taxi to some beach. We took a white cab and experienced first had how really bad and dangerous is driving around here, with goats and Sheppard’s on the road, cars without lights going on the opposite way, and the rule of the honk.

The driver intentionally missed his way and took us to another place for us to check out, that finally was the best place I ever been, Paradise swear where Salaam, the Bedouin owner, treated us excellent. We decided to stay, paid the driver and had dinner. Finally by the end of that long day, there I was, In the Sinai peninsula in Egypt, Smoking a Narguila with a Bedouin the the shores of the Red Sea…

To come back to Israel we took a minibus that the Bedouin had arranged for us, the process is almost the same to return but you have to be aware of the following:
Israel security at this point is extremely rigid, Do Not make any jokes or commentaries and always follow instructions of military and civil personnel inside the terminal. The atmosphere is of high tension and the presence of heavy armed soldiers and lots of security adds to the tense feeling.
There is a security check of documents just as you cross the gate into Israel, this is carried by armed military. After that you have to deposit all your belongings in a X ray machine, and be questioned by a security agent that will ask what you were doing in Egypt, who sis you meet, what do you do in Israel, etc. When this process is finished you may take your bags and proceed to a passport control. In some cases there might be additional search of your belongings and of you. Again, the slightest complain here might get you delayed for hours, so just follow all directions given to you. After you are cleared a sticker is placed on the cover of your passport and you are supposed to stand in line for passport control. After your passport is stamped you exit the terminal and might wait for the bus, or take a cab into Eilat.

Nada hace más feliz al hombre que armar rankings inútiles. He aquí el mío que, para colmo, dividí en dos partes, la segunda de las cuales no tengo ni idea de cuándo va a salir:

1. Viajar en paracaídas arrastrado por una lancha. En medio de un paseo en barco por Eilat, Israel, nos propusieron esto a todos los pasajeros. Me anoté en la lista de espera y quedé en la cuarta posición, de entre veinte interesados. Cuando estaba terminando el que tenía el turno anterior, llegamos al puerto. Ni siquiera nos dieron una explicación a los 16 que quedamos pagando. Probabilidad de que llegue a realizar la experiencia: 0.

2. Sobrevolar en globo Capadocia. Martin era tan chorro como casi todos los turcos que me crucé en mis casi 20 días de estadía en las antiguas tierras otomanas y luego de entusiasmarme con esta posibilidad, quiso cobrarme una cifra sideral. Probabilidad de que llegue a realizar la experiencia: entre 0 (de hacerla en Capadocia propiamente dicha) y 1 (de hacerla en cualquier otro lado).

3. Visitar la tumba de Eva Perón en el Cementerio de la Recoleta. Di vueltas y más vueltas, pero el espíritu gorila que anida en mí me impidió dar con el enterrado más popular del camposanto. Probabilidad de que llegue a realizar la experiencia: 1.

4. Hacer un vuelo de bautismo de cara a la cordillera. Estuve toda una tarde sentado en un banco tipo plaza en Borderío, el barrio gastronómico que se ubica frente al Club de Planeadores de Santiago, Chile, viendo cómo despegaban las naves, acariciaban las montañas y descendían. Mariconeé. Probabilidad de que llegue a realizar la experiencia: 1 (voy a Santiago dos veces por año).

5. Llegar a la cumbre del Faro de Claromecó. Ascendí unos 8929919 escalones y ya con el último hálito de aliento escuché la voz de mi compañera: “yo ahí no subo”, me dijo, mientras señalaba una escalerita metálica tipo pintor de siete u ocho peldaños que llevaba directamente a la cima. Lo caballero primó por sobre lo aventurero y, con la lengua afuera, comencé el descenso. Probabilidad de que repita la experiencia: 0,5 (la misma de que vuelva a Claromecó).

b”h

Life is a complex thing.

A multisided building. A restless being.

Waves of joy, fear and melancholy fill and empty my brain in a rush, everything changes itself one after another. And I do not only refer here to my emotions overfloating me too often. It’s also the busses, roads and cities I pass by while traveling from one destination to another, be it my cousin, my grandmother, a musical, a graveside and in between some persons who really would like to meet me but only have time for me for about half an hour.

It’s my personal trip, my independent one, now, having a status which allows me to take my own responsability on  my own shoulders. And I realise that I don’t always like it so much. As often as it works out, I try to let someone else participate in my journeys. To help me, to advice me (I lately really rely on other people’s tips), to talk with me at least during my bus trips from North to South, from East to West and in near future even out of the country. The more I realise myself, the more I recognize and include the world around me in my life. Some might call me a “nudnik”, in Hebrew for someone not giving rest to others. Actually, I am not like that. It’s simply that I think too much, I do think a lot lately especially when I’m silent during my trips. And with the thoughts, doubts, fears scramble into my mind with all their weirdness and then I have to talk to someone. Reach someone. To help me decide this and that and still make me look a grown-up and serious.

Know what? I am in my country currently and within a couple of days – even 1 1/2 weeks can be very short – I planned so much, and have seen so many cities all around me and people and bus drivers and phone calls and messages… And thoughts, oh my G-d. I wish sometimes all the thoughts would be worth something in a moment, for example have some monetary value so that I could allow myself an additional falafel at the afternoon. But no. They’re just there and I reflect and reflect the life around me and then these reflections either remain on paper (as I have a small notebook with me) or sink donw into the abyss of forgotten memory.

And I try to look strong and it works for a while.

—

This morning, after a night of traveling in the Haifa region (North) coming from a very important musial (perhaps I’ll tell of it later), I joined the bus to Eilat in the South of the country. 3 hours of sleep and during the ride to the Central station I was curious yet very “closed-in” of too less sleep, looking around me. I don’t know Haifa much. A strange city, so different from the ones I know in the centre. An Arab city more or less, lying on many mountains or high hills, let’s say, spread all over the area and with houses reminding me of residences of some mountain princes, observing the area. One could really be afraid if looking downhill from such a house. This all creates a special atmosphere, as well as this town isn’t “typically Jewish” at all, not even keeping some trace of religiousity. This makes it difficult to identify with  it, at least for me.

So then I left for Eilat and the road leads through 2 deserts and of course the central area. The most time I slept, I think. Or was simply resting. A very relaxing trip, 7 hours of simply bus, bus, bus. Mile after mile and the bus is nearly empty, the driver very fast and there was space where to sleep.

Well and then, after a time of apathy, then some phone calls, some hope feeling, some moments of happiness and strength and with heart-beating I arrived at Eilat and now I am here,  have already changed my money into the right currency (lately I deal with 3!), eaten, registered for tomorrow, pleaded at a hostel in front of a hostel boss for a place to have a bath… (Although I didn’t plan to “plead”, it really looked this way. A strange way to argue over price while barely saying much and having tears in my eyes. I hope he didn’t see this, the boss who went down with the price almost twice and finally I got a gratis bath offer. A moment of weakness…)

Life is complex and too many things happen to exist in parallel. While I was sitting in the bus, my cousin slept, not knowing where I am; a friend of mine flew to Germany, speaking with me minutes before on phone; my roummate came back from work, asking where I am – and more of this.

Now it’s evening. Many projects and events await me. Some I am afraid of, some I await for. Some simply have to happen, some are changeable. Perhaps.

I do thing because I think they are important, and in the first place for me

to quote a very special person. It’s a simple truth, but each truth is worth more than gold and any earthy goods.

The main thing, though an exhausting one, is always -

- to try to realise as much as possible

- to be ready to meet things in life

- to reflect upon what you experience.

It is real reflection and it helps you develop your life.

From Eilat with Thoughts,

all the best

IsrAlike

Freediving video we shot at Eilat going down to 18 meters

The recent discovery of some 60 hotel towels in a police raid on a Netanya, Israel home seems to have caught everyone by surprise – except hotel managers, that is. 

Israelis, one Eilat hotel manager told the Israeli newspaper Ynet, “Simply love taking souvenirs from hotels. That way, they feel they got a little something extra for the money they spent.”

The difference between the Israeli vacationer and the foreign tourists is easy to spot, he said, thanks to the “towel-meter”: “When we have many foreign tourists in the hotel we do a lot of laundry. When Israelis are staying with us we do a lot of unpacking, to replace missing towels.”

According to hotels’ data, between 300,000 and 400,000 towels are stolen from hotels every year, amounting to millions of shekels in losses.

Other hotel items ranking high on the pilfering list are bathrobes, bathmats, shampoo bottles, linens and cutlery.

“People try and take anything that isn’t bolted down and sometimes even that doesn’t stop them,” another Eilat hotel manager said.

A third hotel manager had guests who dismantled the bathroom mirror and another found the pictures in the room missing.

Some hotels, like those belonging to the Isrotel Chain, are trying to fight the ugly phenomenon by placing security tags on towels – similar to those stores use on clothes – and informing their guests the their luggage may be subject to a search before they check out.

“If a buzzer goes off, the hotel security officer will take the guest aside, so not to create a scene, and try to find the cause,” Lior Raviv, vice president of Isrotel, told Ynet.

“We are willing to do anything to spare our guests any embarrassment or discomfort, but one must remember we’re talking about huge financial damages to the hotels.” 

I’m back!  From camel riding to scuba diving, here are a few moments from my weekend: (to see ALL the pictures click here)

Eilat is Israel’s southernmost city, located on the north tip of the Red Sea. It’s part of the Negev Desert, making it scorching HOT during the summer, and still warm enough to vacation during the winter.  It is definitely one of the most popular travel destinations for Israeli’s, who just want to get away for a few days or the weekend.

As you can see from the map, it is located right on the corner of Israel/Jordan/Egypt.  If you also look closely you will see a blue line going from point A (Tel Aviv) to point B (Eilat). While it might look like quite the journey on the small map, in reality it is only about a 4 hour drive (5 1/2) by bus, more or less.

And here’s the exciting news.  At the end of the week on Thursday night, I will be traveling to Eilat for 3 days!!! My Hebrew class ends on Thursday, and that night my flat-mate and I are taking a MUCH NEEDED trip down south.  Full time-ministry and full-time studies can be exhausting!

We were going to go across the border to Jordan and explore Petra too, but due to some external situations, we decided just to chill in Eilat instead (which isn’t too shabby of an idea).  Petra will have to wait.   

So, what can one do in Eilat, you might ask??? 

Well, while we are there, we plan on doing a scuba dive with the dolphins in the Red Sea at Dolphin Reef (which I am beyond excited about and have ALWAYS wanted to do).  You can take a camel tour, which I am hoping we will also be able to do.  And of course, relaxing on the beach, soaking up the last remnants of summer after a loooooong intensive Hebrew Course! 

I’m sure I will have MANY pictures to post when I return…so stay tuned for more Eilat action to come!

Var nettopp på en reise i Jordan. Ikke misforstå meg nå. Jeg prøver altså ikke å fremstille meg selv som medlem i den noe tvilsomme klubben til fotballspillerne Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, eller Dane Bowers fra homsemusikkgruppen Another Level. Jeg forsøker heller ikke å si at jeg har vært og besøkt en ledende og lønnsom merkevarebedrift med nordisk fokus innen munnhygiene, rengjøring og malerverktøy, som ved hjelp av kunnskapsrike medarbeidere, nyskapende produkter og ekstrem butikkompetanse, skal være forbrukernes og handelens favoritt. Neida. Det jeg forsøker å komme frem til er at jeg nylig foretok en reise i Det hasjimittiske kongeriket Jordan. Et arabisk land i Midtøsten/Vest-Asia som grenser til Syria i nord, Irak i nord-øst, Israel og Vestbredden i vest og Saudi Arabia i sør-øst.
Wikipedia forteller oss at Jordan deler kystlinjen til Dødehavet i vest med Israel, og kystlinjen til Akababukten i sør med Israel, Saudi Arabia og Egypt. Grensen mot Israel har en sterk befestet overgang ved Allenby Bridge som går over grenseelven Jordanelven. Elven er den eneste betydelige vannkilden i landet. Tidligere hadde Jordan også landområder vest for Jordanelven, men de gikk i 1967 tapt til Israel i Seksdagerskrigen (dette var altså før det politiske begrepet palestinerne var oppfunnet, og før palestinerne plutselig fant på at de skulle ha en nasjonal identitet). For å komme oss til Jordan tok vi bussen til Eilat. Vi hadde flydd den samme strekningen noen uker i forveien for å ha et kort opphold i Eilat, men nå krysset vi grensen ved Yitzak Rabin Border Crossing hvor vi møtte en jordansk guide som vi hadde avtalt å møte. Først viste han oss rundt i byen Aqaba, en by hvor alt er skattefritt. Det kommer derfor folk fra hele Jordan for å handle, men det er ingenting av interesse i den byen. I hvert fall ikke enda. Det er et gammelt, forfallent fort i byen, hvor Jordans kongefamilie pleide å bo frem til 1932 (eller var det 1929?), men det er ikke verdt å ta turen dit av den grunn, om du da ikke er meget interessert i ruiner… Etter fredsavtalen med Israel har flere israelske og internasjonale aktører startet utbygging av hoteller i området, og med beliggenhet rett ved Rødehavet kan det tenkes at  Aqaba vil bli en populær by for badegjester. Ikke bare Aqaba, men hele Jordan har opplevd et løft i turistnæringen etter fredsavtalen. Fred lønner seg altså – kanskje en lærdom palestinerne burde lært litt av?
Etter Aqaba dro vi til Wadi Rum, som kanskje er best kjent (?) fra den førhistoriske filmen Lawrence of Arabia…? (de som husker filmen hører kanskje til den utdøende generasjonen gamle, skrukkete personer som er pleietrengende). De filmet også noe Indiana Jones i Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum er en ørken med fjellformasjoner. Skal visstnok være et bra sted om man klatrer, eller om man er interessert i sand. Anbefales på det varmeste om du liker sand, fjell og stein! Om du er interessert i fosfat, så kan jeg også nevne at de i Wadi Rum driver utvinning av fosfat som de selger til India og Kina. En historie forteller at da Kongen av Jordan var på reise i nærheten av Wadi Rum så han en landsby hvor fattige beduiner bodde i hus uten tak. Kong Abdullah synes ikke dette var noe særlig, så han bygde nye hus til alle innbyggerne – uten kostnader. Kong Abdullah har også innført et system hvor de 10 beste av 40 barn, får gratis studier av Kongen.

Wadi Mousa – Petra

Heldigvis dro vi raskt videre fra Wadi Rum til Wadi Mousa, en liten by som ligger ved Petra. Petra var en oldtidsby med hus og templer som er hugd ut direkte fra fjellet. Petra er også et av den “Nye verdens 7 underverker”, et sted som var ukjent for den vestlige verden frem til 1812, da en kar fra Sveits var innom der og “oppdaget” Petra. Petra kan skryte av å vært bakteppe i flere filmer enn Wadi Rum; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “Arabian Nights”, Passion in the Desert, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, the Sisters of Mercy`s musikkvideo “Dominion” og Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, har alle blitt filmet der.

Her er et klipp fra “Lille Petra”, hvor du kan høre “sangen fra gresshoppene” som gir gjenklang blant fjellklippene:

I Wadi Mousa bodde vi på et lavkostnads gjestehus som het Valentine Inn. Rommene der varierer fra enkelt-, dobbeltrom, eller dorm (rom som deles med opptil 14 reisende). Etter innsjekking drakk vi te, spiste middag og røykte en nargileh. Nargileh er en vannpipe man bruker til å røyke frukttobakk. Den vanligste smaken er eple, men man får også utallige andre smaker.Nargileh er det tyrkiske ordet for denne vannpipen, på arabisk blir den kalt shisha og på hindi heter det hookah.

Neste dag stod vi opp tidlig for å se Petra, et av den nye verdens syv underverker. Det blir ganske varmt utover dagen i Midtøsten, og Petra er Jordans mest besøkte turistattraksjon, så det lønner seg å komme i gang tidlig – da slipper du unna de verste hordene med mennesker og du kan nyte morgenen før det blir for varmt. Det lønner seg å ha med seg lunsj, endel frukt og minst to store flasker vann. Du får kjøpt både mat og drikke inne i Petra, men det er opptil 6-8 ganger dyrere enn utenfor. Petra er et stort område, så det blir mye vandring rundt omkring. Vi ble anbefalt av guiden å kjøpe et todagers pass til Petra, men vi valgte å høre på andre reisende og nøyde oss heldigvis med endagspass – en hel dag for å se på ruiner holder i massevis! Om du er spesielt interessert så kan du sikkert underholdes i to dager av ruiner, ruiner, ruiner, ruiner og mer ruiner…
Her er oppskriften jeg anbefaler for en vellykket dag i Petra: Ankom tidlig om morgenen – gå direkte til monastery som ligger som det øverste punktet og lengst unna inngangen – ta korte pauser i skyggene for å hvile – så kan du bruke resten av tiden/energien mens du sjekker ut de andre severdighetene  på veien tilbake mot inngangen.
Du kan også leie kameler, hestekjerrer eller esler for å frakte deg rundt i Petra, men vi observert folk godt over 60 på opp fjellstien som kun benyttet seg av apostlenes hester. Altså ingen grunn til å være lat.
Jordan er ikke et spesielt billig land å feriere i, men Petra er helt klart verdt å se. Man kan også holde kostnadene ganske lave i Jordan om man reiser som backpacker/bor billig. Det nærmeste vi kom et opphold på luksushotell i Jordan var etter at vi hadde sett Petra: på vei mot drosjene som stod og ventet på kunder, gikk vi innom Mövenpick hotellet for å skjemme bort oss selv med is i verdensklasse! Nydelig!

På markedet.

Etter litt søvn på hotellet, møtte vi guiden vår igjen. Han hadde invitert oss på en tradisjonell middag hjemme hos seg og familien. Først stoppet vi på kyllingmarkedet for å kjøpe kylling. Kyllingselgeren var en  egypter bosatt i Jordan. Hadde han bosatt seg i Israel istedenfor Jordan så hadde han altså vært en palestiner (om man skal følge tankegangen til den politiske venstresiden). 3 kyllinger kostet 10 jordanske dinarer, og kyllingene var ferske. I løpet av 5-7 minutter var kyllingene avlivet, vasket og renset. Etter kyllingmarkedet, gikk turen til grønnsaksmarkedet hvor de selvfølgelig hadde all slags frukt og grønnsaker. Alt av frukt og grønt er produsert i Jordan, bortsett fra bananene som er importert fra Somalia. I mange samfunn er det slik at en kvinnes plass er på kjøkkenet. Slik er det også i muslimske Jordan. Allikevel betyr ikke det at mennene ikke hjelper til med matlagingen. Mennene i huset har blant annet (slik som de som oftest har også i hjemlige trakter), ansvaret for grilling og flammer.
Denne retten blir laget i en “mandi” (jordovn), hvilket betyr at retten blir begravd under jord i ca 1 1/2 time. Jordovnen er egentlig en tønne senket i jorden. I tønna brenner man først et bål, slik at det blir et tykt lag av glødende kull. Jordovnen varmes med bål i ca 1 1/2 time før man kan senker maten.

På kjøkkenet.

Om du skal forsøke å følge denne oppskriften, så er du nødt til å eksperimentere deg frem til blandingsforhold. Ettersom jeg bare var tilskuer til hele prosessen er dette mer en beskrivelse av fremgangsmåten enn en oppskrift:

• Smør smeltes i en kjele.
• Vasket ris blandes i kjelen med en salsa av ferske tomater.
• Hele hvitløksfedd legges i kjelen før vann helles over.
• ————————————————————
• Tomatpuré blandes med salt, pepper og hawaij.
• Kyllingene gnis inn i tomatpuré og krydres med hawaij før de legges i en metallkurv.
• Hele uskrelte løk legges i metallkurven sammen med kyllingene.
• Hele poteter skrelles, gnis inn i olje og legges i kurven.

Maten senkes på det glødende kullet i den varme mandi’en. Først senkes kjelen med ris, og deretter metallkurven med kylling. Maten senkes på toppen av kullet – lokket legges på og tettes godt (bank rundt kanten med en stein slik at det blir ordentlig tett, da unngår man at jord/stein/skitt skal falle ned i tønna) – deretter legger man en stor stein på lokket – dekker lokket med jord og fyrer et bål på toppen av jorden. Og det hele må som sagt stå i ca 1 ｽ time – avhengig av hvor mye mat man har i tønna og opm det er kylling eller lam. Ved å bruke en “mandi” til matlaging, kan man visstnok lage mat til 150-200 personer samtidig – altså perfekt til fest eller en liten familiesammenkomst. I Jordan er det vanlig at flere hus i et nabolag deler en mandi.

Mens mennene var opptatt med bål og med å vente på at maten skulle bli ferdig, lagde kvinnene arabisk salat av tomat, agurk, persille og revet gulrot, i tillegg til å tørrsteke hakkede mandler (uten skinn) som de blandet i risen.

Da maten var ferdig, la kvinnene duker utover gulvet og dekket på med bestikk/tallerkener. Først hadde de planer om å sette frem et bord og stoler, slik at vi vestlige gjester kunne få sitte rundt et bord og spise, men vi nektet og ville heller sitte på gulvet slik de gjør i Jordan.

Nok en dag.

Neste dag skulle vi egentlig reise til Amman og tilbringe noen dager i hovedstaden, men vi var lei av Jordan og valgte å heller reise tilbake til Israel. En reisende amerikansk jente vi møtte fortalte hun hadde vært i Egypt før hun dro til Jordan. Jeg spurte henne hvilket av landene hun likte best.
Hun svarte:

“Israel. For der kan jeg gå kledd som jeg vil uten å bli stirret ihjel og få ropt ubehageligheter etter meg”

Det viste seg at hun hadde vært i Israel før Egypt, og araberne kan være ganske ubehagelige og tilbakestående når det gjelder kvinners frihet…

På vei mot grensen, stoppet vi ved Shoubak Castle (en 500 år gammel ruin) og ved en vannkilde hvor det kommer både varmt og kaldt vann ut fra fjellet med noen meters mellomrom – de varme og kalde kildene i Wadi Hasa. Ved et sted der er det et naturlig basseng hvor det varme vannet samles, men dessverre var området så forsøplet at det ødela hele opplevelsen. Flere steder i Jordan er det kultur for å kaste søpla der man befinner seg, og renovasjonssystemet later ikke til å være spesielt bra. I nærheten av Wadi Mousa har man klart å få i stand et anlegg som renser kloakken, slik at vannet fra dette kan brukes til å overrisle ørkenen, men det er FN, og ikke araberne som har sørget for dette.

Moses og det hellige land

Vi dro også til Mount Nebo, kjent fra 5 Mosebok, kapittel 34:

Moses gikk fra Moab-steppene opp på Nebo, toppen av Pisga-fjellet, som ligger rett imot Jeriko. Og Herren lot ham se hele landet: Gilead like til Dan,  2 hele Naftalis, Efraims og Manasses land og hele Juda til havet i vest,  3 Negev og Jordan-sletten, dalen ved Jeriko, Palmebyen, helt ned til Soar.
4 Herren sa til ham: “Dette er det landet som jeg med ed lovte Abraham, Isak og Jakob at jeg ville gi deres ætt. Nå har jeg latt deg se det med egne øyne, men du får ikke komme inn i det.”
5 Så døde Moses, Herrens tjener, der i Moab, slik som Herren hadde sagt.  6 Og han gravla ham nede i dalen i Moab, rett imot Bet-Peor. Men til denne dag har ingen visst hvor graven er.

Ifølge jødisk og kristen tradisjon ble Moses gravlagt på Mount Nebo av Gud selv, men ingen vet eksakt hvor. Flere religiøse lærde strides også om fjellet som idag er kjent som Mount Nebo virkelig er det samme fjellet som det refereres til i Torah’en. Mount Nebo som også er kjent som stedet hvor den hebraiske profeten Moses ble lovet det hellige land, er et hellig sted for mange jøder, kristne og muslimer. Utsikten der er heller ikke så verst. På en klar dag kan man visstnok se helt til Jerusalem.

I andre makkabeerbok heter det at Profeten Jeremiah gjemte Tabernakelet og Paktens Ark et sted i Mount Nebo (andre makkabeerbok er en del av Apokryfene/Bibelens deuterokanoniske bøker). Bibelens andre del består av en gruppe skrifter som ikke er i den jødiske Tanak (det gamle testamentet), men som finnes i den eldste oversettelsen til gresk, kalt Septuaginta (oversatt i det 2. årh. f.Kr.). Disse hører med i de katolske og de ortodokse kirkers bibel. I de protestantiske kirkene regnes de ikke som hellig skrift. (kilde: bibel.no – om bibelen: 08.09.2009)

Moses og hans følge avsluttet Exodus på Mount Nebo, så da er det vel også et passende sted å avslutte vår reise i Jordan? Vi stoppet for å titte på mosaikkgulvet i St. George, også kjent som Madaba kartet. Mosaikkgulvet i den Byzantinske kirken er den eldste kjente avbildningen av det hellige landet, og da spesielt Jerusalem. Kartet dateres tilbake til det 6 århundre. Dette er første gang jeg har måttet betale for å gå inn i en kirke! Kanskje det hadde vært en idé å kreve inngangspenger fra muslimene når de går i moskéene i Norge? Det muslimske Jordan har i alle fall funnet ut at en (god?) måte å tjene penger på, er å avkreve inngangsbillett til St. George.

Alt i alt vil jeg si at  vi hadde et godt opphold i Jordan. Det er noen religiøse og historiske severdigheter i Jordan, men det beste var vår guides gjestfrihet.

Wikipedia – Madaba_Map
Wikipedia – Mount Nebo

Somehow, I just knew that the “Towel Story” wasn’t going to just lay down and die.

Israeli’s are famous the world over for getting that little extra “discount” when they leave a hotel. Stories abound of the many items which have disappeared from their hotel rooms. In fact anything that isn’t tied down is considered as fair game by the vacationing Israeli. Even some things that are truely fixtures, such as bathroom mirrors and sink taps (fawcets), have been known to disappear. As I remember it, there is even an ad on television which shows Israeli tourists attempting to smuggle their “oh so comfortable” mattress out of a hotel. Who knows if that was based on real life, somehow I am inclined to think it may have been!

It is estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 towels are taken each year from Israeli hotels alone. Thats a lot of shekels worth of cotton! One hotel manager referred to the “towel meter”.

“When we have many foreign tourists in the hotel we do a lot of laundry. When Israelis are staying with us we do a lot of unpacking, to replace missing towels.”

Now, it seems, some hotel chains are even considering placing security tags on their towels and installing scanners at their exit doors in the same way as most clothes shops do today. Any tag setting off an alarm will cause the guests to have their luggage searched and who knows what else the hotel may find on its way out with a new owner.

For the Israeli on holiday, this practice has become thought of as their inalienable right. And nothing or noone is going to take it away from them.

This just in from Ynet. :

“A family from Netanya has been found in possession of a store of goods stolen from an Eilat hotel. Among the stolen items are 60 towels, hundreds of coffee bags, soaps, and other toiletries.

The mother was arrested Sunday and questioned by police. She admitted to the allegations against her and was finally released under restricted conditions.

The police investigation has revealed that the family left the Sheraton Hotel in Eilat, where they were vacationing, on Saturday night and arrived home at around 4 am Sunday. They unpacked the goods upon arriving.

But unfortunately for the family, police were holding surprise searches in the homes of youths suspected of drug and theft violations. Among the suspects was the family’s 17-year old son.

Police arrived at the home, presented the family with a warrant, and proceeded to search the premises. They found dozens of trash bags filled with goods from the hotel.

The mother then told police she had taken the things from the hotel. She insisted all through her interrogation that she had not stolen, but rather taken the goods. She added, “Everyone takes, so I took, too.”

Police officers confiscated the items and notified the hotel of the case.”

One question. What the hell were they driving that was big enough to carry all that loot?

Uzi Arad dice que “Israel debe tener armas tremendamente poderosas para contrarrestar un ataque nuclear ó destruir a un enemigo que se atreva a lanzar un ataque nuclear”.
Las declaraciones del asesor, muy allegado al Primer Ministro Benyamin Netanyahu, parecieran aludir a una política de “destrucción mútua” basada en lo que Israel se niega a reconocer pero en el mundo es ampliamente reconocido, su potencial de armamentos nucleares.
En una entrevista al diario israelí Haaretz que será publicada el Viernes, Arad expresa sus temores que si Irán se convierte en una potencia nuclear, otros cinco ó seis países del Medio Oriente le seguirán, diciendo que ello será una “pesadilla” para Israel.
“Debemos mejorar nuestro poderío defensivo y ser tremendamente poderosos para crear una situación en la cual nadie se atreva a atacarnos”, dijo Arad.
Israel cuenta con tres submarinos de fabricación alemana supuestamente capaces de portar bombas atómicas. Uno de ellos atravezó la semana pasada el Canal de Suez en dirección a la ciudad israelí de Eilat, en una clara señal a Irán del largo alcance de su poderío militar.
Pero el Presidente de Estados Unidos, Barak Obama, dice que nunca dió a Israel la luz verde para atacar a Irán.
“De ninguna menera”, respondió Obama a la pregunta de un periodista, y agregó que era los más claro posible.
En otro aspecto de las relaciones entre Isrel y Estados Unidos, ambos países buscan una solución de compromiso sobre la cuestión de la construcción en los asentamientos.
Israel congelaría durante algunos meses los planes de ampliación de los asentamientos, mientras que los Estados Unidos darían al gobierno luz verde para completar un número de unidades de vivienda en los asentamientos que se encuentran en etapas avanzadas de construcción.

One man’s infidelity finally caught up with him. This story would not have been remarkable under normal circumstances. But in this case, the circumstances were anything but normal, in fact there is a certain comedic value to this story that I am sure none of the involved parties could appreciate. Not the man nor his wife and certainly not their daughter would find anything funny about the entire episode. That being said, this is a very humorous tale!

View Larger Map

A business man living in the Israeli city of Haifa was sent by his company to take a 4-day course in the resort town of Eilat (see map for details). On the first night of his arrival the man decided to find some female company and arranged for a prostitute to come to his room.

When the prostitute arrived at his room all hell broke loose. She was the man’s own daughter. He started feeling chest pains as he realized what it was that his daughter was doing for a living. Needless to say he refused her services and she did not get paid.

The man made an early departure from Eilat and returned home to tell his wife what his daughter had been doing. Upon hearing the story, his wife vowed to find their daughter and get her a more suitable job. She then directed the full force of her anger at her husband and asked him in no uncertain terms for a divorce…..the court case is pending.

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מלון מג’יק פאלאס אילת:

מלון מגיק פאלאס הינו מלון 5 כוכבים הכולל מתקנים מרהיבים כגון ספא מפואר עם חדר כושר, ג ‘קוזי, חדרי סאונה וכן טיפולי שיער ע”י מעצב אופנה.
מלון מג’יק פאלאס אילת נמצא תחת הניהול של רשת מלונות פתאל ונחשב לאחד מבתי המלון הכי טובים העיר אילת – מלון המומלץ במיוחד למשפחות וזוגות המחפשים מקום יוקרתי במחיר משתלם ותמורה רבה.

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