Saigon, the Mekong and Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Hi All,

The last part of my trip to Vietnam was best characterized as a series of highs and lows. First the lows.

When we got to Saigon, I went to the opera house to see if anything was going on. The lady at the desk told me that there was a free concert the next night, and it was invitation only, but I should come back and she would get me an invitation. But when I returned,the next night the new lady told me it was sold out and cost 100 000 dong, so a bought a ticket from a scalper for 50 000. WHen I went in, I found the first lady and asked her why I had to pay, and she told me the concert was free and they had ripped me off.

Also, I checked with the travel company we had booked a three day tour with to confirm. While there was no problem, we found out we baid $50 dollars each instead of the normal $36 price, because TNK travel in Hanoi is not the real TNK travel and took a $14 service charge for booking for us. We also were accompanied on the tour by a loud, obnoxious American Woman who talked at anyone who sat beside her nonstop the whole trip. Luckily, on the third day, she took the fast boat to Phonon Phen, so everyone on the slow boat escaped. We did manage to run into her again at the border crossing, where she scared us by saying there was a problem with her boat and she might ahve to go with us, and again at a museum on Phnom Pehnh. Furthermore, we met a fun Israeli girl named Miriam with an expired Visa, who had been told before leaving she would have to pay a fine at the border, but would get through. But then the tour guide said this would not be the case, and she had to take a bus all the way back to Saigon to have it renewed, and it all happened so fast we didn't even exchange emails.

But the biggest low by far was that I went to an internet cafe to back up my photos onto CD. The guy gave me back my card, saying he couldn't copy it, and when I checked, I couldn't access my pictures. It turns out his computer has given my card a virus, and he retreived about 100 of my 400 pictures, but that was it. I also had to buy a new card as the card I have is unusable with the virus on it. So, there will be no pictures in this or the last blog posting. There were some great highs though.

The first was that after getting ripped off by the scalper, the lady from the first day marched me back outside, found the scalper with me, and after some giving him some dirty looks, got my money back for me. What a great person!! The concert itself wasn't the greatest, as it was more or less pop music, but it was interesting because every few numbers were clearly communist propaganda, with a lot of Army uniforms and flag waving.

The second was that, though the extra fee left a bad taste in our mouth, the TNK tour guides were excellent as was the tour. And today, while at the Royal Palace in Phnom Phen, we ran into Miriam!! It turns out the tour guide was wrong, and when she got back to Saigon her guesthouse owner promised her to go the border and there would be no problem, which there wasn't, so she got here a bit later than planned, but only by a morning.

And the third was that, during the tour, we went to a festival where some locals walking by helped us buy food from a very busy vendor, then showed us how to eat it, and then walked away after saying goodbye, without expecting anything in return. What nice people.

As for the the camera, hopefully I can retreive the pictures when I get back, and memory cards are cheaper here, so it wasn't so bad.

I am now in Phnom Pehn, and will miss Vietnam and my five weeks there. I will especially miss the happy reactions I would get when, as a tourist, I would wish them Çhuc Mung Nam Moi. It means happy new year, and they would always laugh when I said it, often surprised that I knew how. Phnom Pehn is HOT, and today we visited the royal palace, which is spectacular. It is, in fact, depressingly spectacular, because it is so beautiful and extravagant, but at the same time there are so many disabled and child beggars on the streets. And from what I have heard, Phnom Pehn is one of the richer areas in Cambodia.



I will be off in a few days to hopefully volunteer with an NGO caled Hope in Pursat province, Cambodia, so it will be awhile till my next post, I think.

See ya.

Slow ride through the central highlands

Hi everyone,

After leaving Hoi An, we took a six day tour through the central highlands of Vietnam. But not just any tour, it was a motorbike tour,. taken with the "Easy Riders!" Its funny how things change while travelling Before leaving, I told myself I would never take a motorbike. Two weeks later, after taking a motorbike, I told myself never in big cities. Next thing you know, I'm travelling exclusively by moto for six days straight.

The tour was really fun, and the scenery and people were great, but not as interesting as in Northern Vietnam, the other area known for its mountains and ethnic minorities. We visited an orphanage, which was quite moving for me. It was interesting how much the children wanted to grab on to you. I interpreted it as a need for affection and physical contact, Nika interpreted it as a subconscious or vaguely conscious understanding that if a tourist becomes attached to you, s/he might give you some money or sponsor or adopt you.

The other highlight for me was the night we spend in a wooden bungalow next to some beautiful rapids, surrounded by brushland. The resort served mostly Vietnames tourists, (we were the only non Vietnamese), and a couple of them asked me to pose in some pictures with them! I though it was a hilarious reversal, because I always ask Vietnamese if I can take there pictures, and they must think I''m crazy to think them farrming, building a house, etc is of any interest. The next morning, I went for a solo walk in the brushland nice in early. I saw some young local hunters kill a bird with a slingshot, which was pretty cool. But the best part was a bit later, when I hear a rustle, and looked over and saw an elephant eating its breakfast!! I found an elephant!!!! All by myself!!!! It was a 'free range' elephant, meaning it was clearly domesticated by the rope around its neck, but then they are left to run wild in the brushland, and then searched for when needed. I asked at the resort about the elephants, and they said they were all far away, but not too far for me to find!!

The other highlight was the great, cheap food. Travelling with the locals, you get to see the real prices and order the good dishes, so we normally spent about 3 dollars a day on food. AS for Vietnamese food in general, I really don't like it when I try it in Canadian restaurants. Buit here it is delicious. On the other hand, I did not see them use Hoi Sin Sauce once here, though it is on every table in every Canadian-Vietnamese restuarant I've been too.

P.S Anyone get the joke in the name of the post?

Hue and Hoi An

Happy New Years!

For those of you who don't know, Chinese and Vietnamese New Years, aka 'Tet' in Vietnam was February 7th this year. The new year here is the year 2008, but I can't figure out why its the same year as on the Western calender, and no one understands what I'm asking here when I try to find out. Does anyone know? Tell me if you do. We arrived in Hue, the former capital of Veitman, the morning of the sixth, and visited the remains of the citadel's imperial enclosure. What was left was quite impressive Hue was the sight of heavy fighting during the Vietnam/American war, and much of the citadel was destoyed.

That evening, we went to check out the News years concert and fireworks show. The concert, included a dubious Salsa dance number followed by an only slightly better hiphop segment. The fireworks were surprisinglly well done. However, in Veitnam, you can go much closer to the fireworks than you can in Canada, and this turns out not tobe a good thing. Firstly, it starts to hurt your neck to look more or less dierectly upwards for fifteen minutes. Secondly, the smelly smoke falling from the fireworks gets so thick it starts to obscure the view, never mind your breathing. And lastly, dodging the falling fireworks casings can be distracting. Most don't hurt much when they hit you, but Nika was lucky enough to get beaned by a nice big chunk :-).

Tet is a family affair in Vietnam, celebrated in a manner more similar to Christmas than to North American New Years. We expected to spend a quiet day in our Hotel. However, our hotel held a Dragon dance early in the morning that we got up to see. Following that, we went to visit Phung and Hue and meet their family. Phung is an artist that Nika started talking to at the citadel, and Hue is his wife, who is also an artist. He invited us to his house for Tet. We went and hung out with his family, and then they took us on motos to visit a couple pagodas and pray. Finally, in the afternoon, we went on another motercycle tour of another agoda and three roal tmobs. So much for a quiet day in the hotel.

On the third day, we did a tour of the 'Demilitarized' zone, the border between NOrth and South Vietnam during the American war. The villagers here had to build and live in underground tunnels to escape constant American Bombardments. Below is a picture of a shelter set up in case one was caught away from the tunnels as shelling started.

Incidently, if anyone is looking for avacation destination in June, central Vietnam would be a great location. The semi-annual (or bi-annual, whichever one means every other year) festival Hue is from June 3-11, I think. If you could co-ordinate it with the monthly festival Hoi An, which takes place on the 14th of the lunar month, you would be sitting pretty.

From Hue, we moved to Hoi An, know for its heritage buildings and tailors. Hoi is a lovely place to vist, but not so good to visit if you are on a tight budget. We have been spending our Dong like nobody's business. HOwever, amongst other things, I do have a custom made suit to show for it.

While Hoi An is quite picturesque, it will be awhile before I can post pictures as I am travelling to the rural areas of the central highlands the day after tommorow, so I will probably not post any pictures.

Hanoi and Area

Me and Nika spent five days in Hanoi, including a one day trip to nearby Nihn Binh. Unfortunately, Hanoi was freezing. most rooms in our price range were not equipped with heating, so we spent a couple extra dollars for a room with a space heater, which I managed with, but still was cold for Nika. WE still had a good time though. The main highlight of Hanoi is just walking around its bustling old quarter, trying to dodge the constant traffic while you eat and window shop.

The other two highlights for me were the water puppet theatre and the Ho Chi Mihn Complex. The water puppet theatre is quite different from anything I'd seen, and not really what I envisioned with the limited description I had read before viewing it. The puppetteers stand behind a screen, and the puppet show takes place over a pool of water meant to resemble the rice paddies where they originally take place. The puppets are controlled with sticks hidden under the water and controlled from behind the screen. THe show is very colourful and enjoyable, as is the accompanying traditional Vietnamese music.

At the Ho Chi Mihn Complex, it was interesting to observe the reverence for Ho Chi Mihn by the Vietnamese. His tomb had the highest security of any location I have so far visited in Vietnam, and is directly surrounded by 6 sentinel gaurds. The majority of tourists are Vietnamese. The Ho Chi Mihn museum's exhibits were also worth visiting. They were not very infromative; most did not explain much, or just consisted of sample documents passed between either the Veitnamese or their embassies. However, there were many modernish art exhibits to signify different parts of Vietnamese history, or their aspirations, and viewed as an art gallary, it was enjoyable. Most of the art's meanings went over my head though :-).

On our second last day in Hanoi, we took a day trip to the limestone caves of Nihn Bihn. They are like Halong Bay, but the caves themselves are not nearly as impressive. However, there weer relatively few tourists, and instead of staying on a big boat, you paddle through the rice paddies to reach the limestone Karsts containing the caves, so the voyage to the caves was better than Halong bay. The rowers get tired after working all day, so often substitute their feet for their hands when rowing.

From Hanoi,we caught a surprisingly comfortable (comfortable enough to actually get a good sleep on) night train to Hue.

Vietnam-Laos Border to Hanoi

Hello Everyone,

Once crossing into Vietnam, we made our way to Mong Lay. This town will soon no longer exist, as the government is building a huge dam that will flood it. Thats fine with me though, as the only hotel in town had awful service. It took us 45 minutes to get just rice one meal!! Plus, I had an upset stomach, so I didn't get to see much. From there, we got ripped off three times by bus drivers on our way to Sinho, which is annoying, because you know you are getting ripped off, but can't avoid it as they threaten to kick you out of the bus in the middle of no where if you don't pay. Out early experiences in Vietnam made us suspicious upon getting to Sinho, which was a shame, as Sinho is lovely.



In Sinho, nobody speaks English, and we did not see another white person in our three days there. It is very beautiful, though unfortunately it was foggy. There are many ethnic minoriteies who dress in their traditional clothing regularly, making the markets a vibrant place. WE went into a small restaurant, and tried to order just a bit of food, but they brought the three of us 6 dishes. WE thought they would then try to overcharge us, but in the end, the only charged us 50 000 Dong (about 3.50) total because they were honoured to have us as guests!! The food was delicious and we went back there again for an equally good meal. We also got called over one day by a soldier, who invited us in for dinner that night, and pointed out the chicken we were going to eat on his lawn. We spent the evening eating and teaching his children English. WE also went on some spectacular walks through the scenery and nearby villages. After our poor experience the first few days, it was nice to see the good side of Vietnam.

From there we went to Son La, a newly constructed town. We ended up spending an evening with the hotel owner, who offered us some Bee wine. I thought he meant honey wine, but when it came, the bottom half of the bottle was full of dead bees. I drank it, but could help but feel that little bee wings and feet were going down my throat, which was a little disconcerting.

We stopped for an afternoon in Sapa, which was freezing!!! It was around 3 degrees and rainy, which is really cold when you have no warm clothes and no where warm to warm up in. We had to buy some warm clothes before taking the overnight train to Hanoi, Vietnam's capital. Overall, I would highly recommend northern Vietnam, but at a warmer, less rainy time of year.



In Hanoi, we immedietly joined a three day tour of Halong Bay, shortlisted for the new 7 wonders of the natural world. Though crowded, the limestone caves we visted were quite impressive. I also had my first conversations with other tourists, as we hadn't seen very many until this point. WE then returned to Hanoi, and Don, Nika's father, left us for Canada. It was fun travelling with him,, and we were sorry to see him go.

The Nam Ou River, Laos

Hi Everyone,

I am now in Vietnam, but in this post will only talk about the rest of my trip in Laos. I can't put any pictures up yet because they can't do that on this computer, but hopefully I will soon.

After leaving Luang Prabang, we headed by boat up the Nam Ou river. It is a spectacular river to take a long boat trip up. The water is a nice shade of green, and the banks and mountains nearby are covered in plant life. We also saw the occassional village, as well as lots of fisherman, and one elephant!



We stopped after the first leg at Nong Kiew village. While there, we met Houme and his very animated and talkative (though not in English) father, who took us on three days of trekking. We climbed a mountain and spent a night in a small village homestay.



As most tourists just spend the night in Nong Kiew before moving on, the locals started to recognize and greet us, and we stayed an extra day because we got invited to a wedding. The wedding was fun, but I drank too much Lao Lao (which translates to homebrew firewhiskey) because they kept offering it and I didn't want to be rude. Around 5 (the wedding started at noon), I left for a break, but didn't make it back. Oh well.

We then continued upriver to Mong Khua, a much dirtier and less interesting town. Of note, however, was that a rockband from the capital, Vientiene, was visiting, so I went to check them out. I took place at the local Buddhist temple, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was very poppy, and the singers were also melodramatic actors. I think it was sort of a pop opera about a love triangle, with a comic relief MC who would come on sometimes. The age range was very strange. There were little kids there with their parents and grandparents, but also teenagers and people my age. Maybe when a rock group comes, its an event no one wants to miss. Also of note was the ferry they used to get across the river which devides the town. It is a platform attached to a cable which is moved by an old dirty steamboat that looks a hundred years old.





From there, we took the bus to Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. It was a long ride, made longer by the two hour border crossing.

I hope everyone is doing well, and I will tell you about Vietnam later. Goodbye!

Luang Prabang

Hi Everyone,

I am here in Luang Prabang, Laos. It has been great so far, at least since we got off the pane. The flight started off rough. The original flight was supposed to be Toronto - Chicago - Tokyo - Bangkok - Luang Prabang. However, when we arrive at the airport, we found out our first flight to Chicago was cancelled. So instead, the rerouted us to Dallas. On the plane, I was seated at the back between a father and daughter. When I realized this, I offered to change seats one of them, but they said "no, I like the aisle, and my daughter likes the window seat, but thanks for the offer." They then proceeded to talk over me for about 3 hours while I tried to sleep. After that though, besides beeing long and grueling, the flight was alright.

Luang Prabang is really fun. It situated next to the famous Mekong and the not as famous Nam Ou rivers. It is super hot in the afternoons, but the temperature drops enough in the evenings that I was shoes and socks and a long sleeve and a jacket. I don't know how I'm going to manage it in this part of the world as it gets warmer though. I'm pretty far North, and its only going to get hotter as time goes on and I go south, and I already can't manage the afternoons.

Anyway, the highlights so far have been these three things:

1) We took a boat accross the river to walk in a nearby village and see the temples nearby. While we were there, we were approach by two Laotians who worked for the government tourism department. They are thinking of opening a new official trekking route for tourists, and were going on the route to survey it and make sure it was entertaining enough, and wanted to know if we wanted to join them as the sample audience. Of course we said yes, so our one hour walk turned into a six hour hike with a free tour guide. We saw a bunch more temples and statues, how suger is made from sugar cames (and got to chew on sugar cane until we felt sick), and a buddist monestary. In the monestary, a beautiful tamed bird came right up to our feet. That was really cool, until it started to crow loudly and peck at our feet, and chase us around as we ran away. The tour guides and monks really enjoyed that.




2) Today we went to a famous waterfall near Luang Prabang. I don't remember the name, which is embarrassing, but it was spectacular. We walked to the top, behind it, and down the other side. If anyone ever visits here, it is a must see. I will post some pictures on this blog eventuially.



3) My dinner today, consisting of an all you can fit on a plate vegetarian buffet and a fresh pineapple, papaya and banana smoothy, was about 90 cents. Granted, this is the cheapest meal I've had so far (not the norm), but still pretty cool.

The day after tommorow I am going up the Nam Ou river for about a week, and then will cross the border into Northern Vietnam and take about a week to get to Hanoi. In that time, I will be mostly in very rural areas, so I will probably not check my email or add any new posts until then.

Also, in answer to a couple questions, My plan is to travel for five months and to go to Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, maybe southern Laos again, Thailand, Burma, and the Phillipines. I am just going to have fun, but me and Nika, my travel partner, are trying to arrange to volunteer for 'Hope" organization in Cambodia for a couple weeks. Also, if you send me your mailing address, I will send you a post card. When I download some pictures, I will post them with the appropriate entries and let you know there are new pictures.

Bye!

Eitan

Night Before leaving

Hi Everyone,

Rather than figuring out how to make my own blog, I am just continuing my parents', which I figure still applies as I am still a Waldman. I am more or less packed and more or less finished everything I needed to, though leaving it to the last minute was kinda stressful. I also shaved off all my hair. In doing so, I learned a valuable lesson.

I figured, how hard can it be to shave a head? My dad does his every week? My mom suggested I go to a barber, but I figured why pay ten bucks when my dad can do it for me. Well, he started by cutting off alot, and then got to shaving. Unfortunately for me, when he was cutting, he cut a bit too close in parts, so I had to shave it closer than I wanted. Even so, on the right side of my head there are about three bald gashes where he cut too close. He also shaved the back way too high and way too uneven. The moral of the story is don't get a haricut from my dad, unless you want it all shaved off, not just a long buzz cut. You can't see the mistakes in the pictures below, because I angled my head so you couldn't.

So, I'll try to update this blog relatively often instead of using mass emails. Have a good five months everone, and I'll see you when I get back. Feel free to email me. If you send me your address, I'll try to send you a post card. If you don't want me to notify you when I update this blog, just let me know.

And on an unrelated to my travels note, here are two pictures of my wicked awesome relatively new bike. I won't be taking it with me, but I can't wait to ride it when I get back. See ya.

Thank you to everyone!!!

July 19, 2007
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

After almost 11 months on the road, we have returned safe and sound to our family, friends and home in Toronto. It was a thrilling, albeit not always easy, time for both of us. We recommend it to any of you who are so inclined.

THANK YOU!!!

To all those who fed us, gave us accommodation, or treated us nicely during our travels in and outside of Canada, we thank you. To all those who treated our children nicely during our absence, picked up our mail, took care of the house, did our tax returns, wrote to us or generally thought of us during our absence, we thank you. And to all the travellers we met along the way, we thank you for making our travels a wonderful and unforgettable experience. And to those we leave off the list, we apologize. That’s the danger of “thank you” lists.

First part: A rough geographic/chronologic order of our travels
Second part: Torontonians

Yaron G. and Sue R. (Toronto, Canada)
Sylvia and Frank W. (Winnipeg)
Darren and Wai Ming E. (Winnipeg)
Rena and Yachin S. (Calgary)
Marg and Blair W. (Calgary)
Nadine and Hartley W. (Calgary)
Corinne and Phil Y. (Vancouver)
Katya and Aaron W. (Courtenay)
Sharon W. (Courtenay)
Clare and Chuck W. (Victoria)
Jan N. and Brian Y. (Victoria)
Jodi and John DeM. (Victoria)
Dahlia and Rafi B. (Victoria)
Leah and Uri L. (Victoria)
Lara T. and her housemates (Berkeley, USA)
Susan S. (Berkeley)
Syma E. (Los Angeles)
Naomi D. and children (Los Angeles)
Edith and Joshua E. and children (Los Angeles)
Bette and Gerry T. (Palm Springs)
Joy D. and Aviva E. (San Diego)
Joan and Murray G. (Los Angeles)
Maureen and T. Lister (Auckland, New Zealand)
Sue and Tom R. (Whangamata—pronounced “Fungamata”)
Sue and Ron J. (Wairoa—pronounced “WhyRoa”)
Ian and Jean G. (Masterton)
Emma R. (Auckland)
Robyn and Jim R. (Sydney, Australia)
Aliza and Gary J. (Sydney)
Nick W. (Melbourne)
Carol and Barry R. (Melbourne)
Peter, Marilyn and Linda B. (Adelaide)
Gregg and Denuda (Bali, Indonesia)
Ita and Laila (Solo, Central Java, Indonesia)
Chris B. (Singapore)
Virak and Leak C. (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
Mr. Baly, Sam and Peter (Bangkok, Thailand)
Charmi and Tushar K. (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Zayid and Shanoona Al B. (Muscat, Oman)
The Brothers (Wadi Rum, near Petra, Jordan)
Racheli and Elazar A-H. and family (Jerusalem, Israel)
Ofra and Bobbi E. and family (Jerusalem)
Nirit and Michael L. (Jerusalem)
Ruthi and Shmulik A. (Jerusalem)
Pnina A. (Jerusalem)
George and Dorin S. (Jerusalem)
Rena Shimoni (Jerusalem)
Dahlia and Rafi B. (Haifa)
Mona and Yacov G. and family (Na’an)
Orit G. (Tel Aviv)
Orna and Maurice S. (Monson)
Iris and Aviram S. (Rosh Ayin)
Yosefa S. and Eli (Yakum)
Hatace, Sema and Unal (Istanbul, Turkey)
Amy and Jeff W. (Canton, USA)
Kevin T. and Arden R. and Sue (Boston)

TORONTO

Jason D. for taking care of our loveable dog, Casey
Glenda M. for mail pick-up and sorting
Millie B. for mail receiving
Robbie and Daniella R. for income tax preparation
Benita and Gary F. for child-attention
Cindy and Mario F. for house repairs and plant care
Sue R. and Yaron G. for child-attention, pickup-services, and vehicle-lending
Gwen and Milt Y. for purveying their son Steve’s energy mints
Rhonda W. and Israel B. for putting us in contact with the Sue and Ron in Wairoa, N.Z.
Jupira M. and family (from Brazil) for living in and taking care of our house

All our friends who wrote and all the travellers we met around the world!!!

Please come visit and stay with us!! If you cannot, send your children or grandchildren.

Arieh and Val Waldman
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ode to Mephistos

Val here.

How can we resist our cousin Ron White's urgings that we talk about our Mephisto sandals! These wonderful sandals that have seen - how many? - towns and cities, battered landscapes, and towering ruins?

Our Mephistos have plodded through ruins that are wonders of the world! Cambodia: Angkor Wat - tens of gorgeous temples that gleam at sunrise and glow with pink reflection at sunset. Israel: we climbed the 250 steps of Bet She'an - to view from above the ancient city complete with amphitheatre, Greek temples, dwellings, and a magnificent cardo lined with Greek columns.

Jordan: Petra's huge boulder rocks have impressive striations caused by former earthquakes as well as remarkable buildings of Lost Ark fame which are carved into the rose rockface.

Our sandals avoided the cow poop in the old and new markets of Delhi, and jumped over the elephant and camel poop to explore the Amber Fort of Jodpur, India. They winced as they got polished and glued by a shoemaker in a tiny lane of Delhi. They trudged up the 150 stairs of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney Australia to view the gorgeous city from one of its towers. The shoes shirked our wet feet after our long, muddy trek through the hills, waterfalls, and pools of Fiji. The shoes stomped through the tunnels of Cu Chi where the Viet Cong fighters lived, fought, and hid. We explored the ancient city of Jerusalem slipping on the stone streets that overlooked excavations revealing layers of biblical civilizations.

Our Mephistos waited in a little box outside as we entered the golden Shwe Dagon Temple of Yangon, Myanmar, to walk barefoot on the marble floors that are cool in the evenings and hot during the day. They imagined themselves galloping across the huge Herodian hippodrome in Caesaria, Israel, where chariot races and gladiator challenges took place so long ago. The Mephistos tried to breathe despite being scrunched in the dry bag as they listened to the kayak paddles dip into the waters of Halong Bay in Viet Nam and down the small rapids of the Mekong River near Luang Probang, Laos. They padded through the lush terraced rice fields of Bali on a beautiful early morning walk. The wonderful battered shoes even climbed the 340 steps to allow us to peer into the active volcano at Mount Bromo, Indonesia. (We had to wear socks for that!)

Our shoes groaned up the steep hills to see the Hmong and Khammu tribes living near Luang Prabang, Laos. The shoes felt a little ashamed as they visited the zoos of Jerusalem, Singapore, and New Zealand. And they felt parched as they walked the desert sands of Palm Springs, U.S.A. in search of a roadrunner. They tiptoed through the soft grasses of Ginosar beside Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Gallilee) in Israel so we could photograph a pied kingfisher and a Hoopoe. They wondered at the huge stone floor of the Hagia Sophia church/mosque of Istanbul. They paused as they smelled the spices of Istanbul's spice market. Finally, the shoes tripped as Arieh crossed the street (against the light) in front of a streetcar in Istanbul, Turkey.

We must also mention the Magnum dark ice cream bar droppings that fell on their surface and the various beers that slopped on our toes: Kingfisher beer in India, Goldstar in Israel, Tiger in Thailand, Beer Lao in Laos, Mandalay in Myanmar, Angkor in Cambodia. And, of course, the tiny dropletss we let fall from the exquisite red wines of Australia and New Zealand which changed the colour of the leather only briefly.

We left the best for last. Our Mephistos perched under an armchair as we enjoyed the exceptional hospitality of our old and newfound friends and relatives in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Dubai, and Israel.

Istanbul--City on TWO continents

July 16, 2007
Boston, MA, USA

Arieh here. We are now in Boston having “survived” a 12-hour flight from Istanbul to Chicago, a 2-hour stopover and then a 2-hour flight to Boston. We had plenty of time between flights and the only mishap was Val’s backpack disappearing. This was the FIRST time that any of our luggage went missing and it was delivered the next morning to our friends’ house in Canton (Boston) MA.

Istanbul was great and we almost didn’t go there. The 9 weeks in Israel was a wonderful way to end the trip and very relaxing compared to the rest of our trip. We usually knew where we were sleeping well in advance (in fact, our friends in Jerusalem were fighting with each other about us staying with them), we/I could read and speak the language, and there was not much opportunity to get lost. Public transportation was great and pretty efficient, car-driving behaviour was predictable (albeit not “Canadian”) and the weather was perfect (except for a few days here and there). Despite all the above, we were tired of traveling and we finally decided to cut out Turkey and Greece and return to Toronto around the end of July (through Boston).

Istanbul, Turkey—city on two continents (Europe and Asia). It was the only way, due to our change of itinerary, we were getting to Europe. We stayed for 4 nights. One of the days we went “back” to Asia and the rest was spent in Europe. Istanbul is a very friendly city and not just because we are tourists and have money to spend. Entering into stores one is greeted as a long-lost relative. Would you like Turkish coffee, hot apple tea or something else to drink? Even if we decline or don’t buy anything, no hard feelings. This was in stark contrast to the “guilt” feeling one got in East Jerusalem when one said “no thanks” to the store owner. One of our very fortunate experiences was eating dinner the first night. One of the young female students at the next table started talking to us (left female) and before we knew it, she and her female friend were sitting at our table. We then went out together after dinner to listen to some music in an outdoor café and share stories. The next day I went to give each of them a Canada pin (which I had forgotten to do the night before) and Hatace then suggested she and her boyfriend take us to Asia (across the Bosphorous) to show us their city. We agreed and had a wonderful time with her and Unal, a young lad who is finishing off his law studies and will be in Stasbourg for 4 months in September. (Hatace is studying communications and has a summer job with CNN). They took us to their favourite lighthouse-island watching spot and then up to the top of the highest hill in Istanbul where we had lunch and conversation. The hill-top park was full of people sitting around small low tables enjoying a Turkish coffee and picnicking. Hatace and Unal then accompanied us on a little Bosphorous boat tour. Very beautiful city and setting.

The hotel was clean, quiet (see the next paragraph) and in a great location. The picture below shows the view from our window or the rooftop café (breakfast included). We were able to see the Sultanahmet or “Blue” Mosque, the Sultanahmet Square (the Hippodrome) and we were right around the corner from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts. A further 15-minute walk took us to the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace museum. In a different direction (about a 10-minute walk) we would reach the Covered Bazaar. What more could a body want?

The Blue Mosque is a magnificent structure built between 1609 and 1616. It is very tall, has a tremendous amount of windows and natural light and has over 21,000 ceramic tiles. Of course, there is a huge courtyard and 6 minarets. The Blue Mosque is also the mosque closest to our hotel and this is proven to the guests 5 times a day when the amplified Call-to-Prayer is played. The first one is around 4:45 AM in the summer and the last one is around 10:00 PM. It can be quite beautiful if one is not sleeping. While this may seem an easy problem to fix (move to another hotel), it is not. The city is full of mosques, playing the Call to Prayer, and there is no escape. The Hagia Sophia is a church converted to a mosque converted to a museum. It was built as a church a few times (the first church was completed in 361 AD) and then converted to a mosque by the Turks in 1453. In 1934 Ataturk declared it to be a national monument and museum and so it is today. Well worth seeing.

And the Topkapi Palace is not one to be missed. Go early or go at lunchtime and miss the crowds. Again, a very large structure overlooking the Bosphorous—a palace fit for a king. It is a museum now showing exquisite jewellery (the Topkapi Dagger), jewel and gold-covered horse-drawn carriages, an armoury with all sorts of instruments of death from all ages, a huge bakery (not functioning) and beautiful sitting rooms and reflecting pools. Don’t forget the gardens. Oh, there is a special room called the "Circumcision Room". No need to describe what goes on there. What is of special interest are the ceramic tiles (picture) that are on the wall outside.

In all we spent 4 nights in Istanbul. The last afternoon Val went for a nap and I went for my last shave and haircut. This fellow was the best one throughout the 11 months of monthly shaves and haircuts. Very organized and didn’t miss anything. After this experience I then went to a Turkish Bath—one that has been ranked as one of the 1,000 things one must do before one dies. The Cagaloglu Hamam was opened in 1741 and is still very clean. Separate facilities for women. One can buy various packages; I opted for a package with a personal attendant. First one changes clothes in a little room with a little clean bed and a lock on the door. Into the steam room, wait around for about 10 minutes and then the attendant comes in. He gave me a 10-minute massage (not as gentle as those in Bali or Vietnam) and then scrapes me down—ouch. My back tingled for a few days. After the scraping he soaps and rinses me thoroughly. Then I can sit there for as long as I want. This place was not very busy when I was there at 4:30PM but between 2 and 4 they had a private function and it was quite full. Outside the steam room, one is then sat down, brought some tea, offered the opportunity to purchase further services such as shave and haircuts, food, more drinks or merchandise. The attendant didn’t speak a lot of English, but enough to ask me if I was satisfied with his service. He did earn his tip. And that was it. Very refreshing and now I can check this off my list of “Things to Do Before I Die”.

Excavations of Israel

Val here.

Israel has unearthed amazing ancient sights - well able to rival any of the sights we've seen on our travels in Cambodia, Jordan, India, Greece, and Egypt. It should be the place to go for anyone interested in ancient history and archaeology.

At Bet Sh'an we saw a huge city, complete with amphitheatre and temples. For me this city was the most amazing of all - with its huge Greek columns lining the cardo, bathouses, lavatories, ancient altars, and bridges. A multitude of stairs lead up to the Tel shown in the background of the first picture.





Caesaria: we marvelled at the huge stadium which allowed King Herod and the citizens to view chariot races.

At Bet Alpha we admired an ancient synagogue with a mosaic floor decorated in grapes, and animals and the astrological charts - making concession to Jewish sensibilities with a section of mosaic decorated with a Menorah and a shofar. (We have a representation of this part of the mosaic in ceramic tile given to us by George Sandrouni, our Armenian friend). We laughed as an entertaining film explained that the synagogue could not afford the master, so took his apprentice to do the mosaic floor. The apprentice copied representations from the houses of wealthy people and of churches to complete the floor, not always being in the least true to the acceptable Jewish symbols.

We visited Zippori in the western lower Galilee, a whole city unearthed with beautifully preserved mosaics that festooned wealthy homes in Roman times - a city with another amphitheatre which has been reconstructed to allow for concerts during the summer. Remains of this magnificent city include a system of streets, public buildings, dwellings, a central market, bathhouses, a synagogue and churches, mainly dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods, and a fortess and a church from the crusader period.


One of my favorite places is the town of Akko in the north of the country: we walked down the magical alleys of the city, and listened to the stones tell the stories of history, the battles, the love stories, the excommunications, and assassinations. We enjoyed the clever dramatization in the ancient bathouse which helped us imagine those times. We ate wonderful St. Peter's fish as we looked out at the harbor and the ancient wall that surrounds the city. We ate (arguably) the best hummous in all of Israel in its ancient market.

Housed in Ginosar, at the kibbutz where we stayed for five days, is an ancient Galilee Boat dating from BCE. It is part of the Yigal Allon Centre - which in addition to stories about the ancient boat, tells the modern story of the life of Yigal Allon.

And, of course, the excavations of Jerusalem. More about that in a later posting.

Gay Pride in Jerusalem

Val here.


In a previous posting I stated how wonderful was the culture and intellectual respect that characterized Jerusalem. Well....then again....

There is a rift between ultra-orthodox (Haredi) and secular Israelis in Jerusalem and the day that made this so obvious was the day of the Gay Pride parade. Let me describe our adventure.

June 20/07

This evening Arieh and I headed from Mivasseret Zion (our dear friends Bobby and Offra are hosting us there) to Jerusalem to show our support for the Gay Pride demonstration and after to go to theatre. We felt it was important to go to the Gay Pride demonstration because it had been so difficult for it to be arranged in this seemingly modern city. The orthodox are loudly against such a blatant flaunting of G-d's law. Their disapproval must make it so very difficult and lonely for gays in this city who are conscripted into an army system but yet face such discrimination within their community. Happily, the Gay Pride parade near Kikar Rabin in Tel Aviv faces few such problems. (The picture below translates as "Enough of Homophobia!")

When Arieh and I arrived on the outskirts of Jerusalem the bus stopped. Everyone got out. The roads in most of downtown Jerusalem were blocked by police or army. There were two buses horizonally blocking one street, barriers on another, a policeman redirecting traffic at another. Of course, the fact that there were no buses and virtually no taxis or cars meant that we had a long walk ahead of us. How wonderful it was to walk the streets of Jerusalem with no cars on the roads! But is is not like Shabbat - the stores are open so I could purchase fresh squeezed orange juice and a Magnum dark choclate ice cream bar from my favorite vendors.
As we walked we passed a huge demonstration by the Haredi community a few hundred metres away. It is because of them that the roads need to be closed. They were blocking Yaffo Street - the main downtown street of Jerusalem. Their bullhorns were intoning prayers of mourning.

We passed several groups of military youths in khaki or blue or grey uniforms, guns slung over their shouldrs ready, if necessary, to help keep order. We passed police and border police barring roads and showing presence. We even passed 25 riot police sitting at a square three blocks from the action, with their acrylic shields at the ready, if called, to control violent behaviour. Inasmuch as the Supreme Court stated that there was no reason the demonstration could not go on, the police had stated that they would be ready to control the situation. Well, they certainly had the numbers of personnel to do it!

Because we were not be able to get to the beginning of the parade on time, we walked to the end of the route to meet our dear friend Racheli Amir-Himel. She stood amongst the crowd, sporting a pink heart balloon, beaming, happy to be showing her solidarity for the marchers. It was a large, happy and friendly demonstration. There was little in-your-face clothing as there would be in Toronto, just a pink lace umbrella and a man with pink hair. The sky was festooned with two garlands of balloons and several demonstrators carried signs. The permitted area was defined by barriers with pleasant army officers letting people in and out when necessary. Two young women protested the march by searing our ears with piercing whistles. The journalists were delighted. At least there would be some minor confrontation to report. One of the marchers faced the woman and her whistle and declared, "we are the same people, I love you, we have been through so much together as Israelis, you are our people, why are you doing this?"
The angry whistles soon stopped - I'm not sure why, perhaps because of his words, perhaps because the police stopped it. We joined the demonstators for a while to show support. The majority of Orthodox protesters, it seemed, blocked traffic and deplored the demonstration from that end of the city. One American Orthodox we passed as we walked expressed her thoughts to her daughter, "Well, they have to have their pride, but it shouldn't happen here. Jerusalem isn't just any other capital city!"

We then went to our play - about the McCarthy era and the naming of names, The Value of Names. Two former friends meet after 30 years; Leo Gershen had betrayed Benny Silverman at the 1950 House UnAmerican Activities committee. The men discussed disloyalty, politics, friendship, and when to forgive.

Was its theme in any way connected to the earlier effort of gays to state who they are in their own country among their own people? I'm not sure. Something to think on.....

Well worth reading the following article describing the parade: www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873728.html Have a look at the responses as well!

Honouring the military defenders of Israel

Val here.

The day after our visit to Yad Vashem we went to the Armoured Corps Museum at Latrun.

We faced another wall of names of the deceased. This wall lists 1,100 sons and daughters right up to the end of 2006 who have died since 1947 in their tank batallions fighting battles with Israel's unfriendly neighbours.

Another day takes us to the Palmach museum of Tel Aviv. It is a remarkable interactive museum which takes you through the lives and deaths of the young Israeli fighters of the Palmach in (1948 and after) who were desperate to keep their new country's civilians safe. If you remember your history, the day after the UN voted for partition, Arab irregulars started shooting in earnest. There was a siege of Jerusalem for months - anyone who took the road up to Jerusalem was in danger of being killed. The Palmach took the responsibility of finding an alternate route later named the Burma Road, so that food and supplies could be transported to the besieged citizens of Jerusalem.

Interestingly enough, this leads back to the Armoured Corps Museum. This museum and memorial inhabits the fort that the British built and used to monitor the road to Jerusalem and surrounding roads. When the British left in 1948, the Arabs occupied it. The location and the safety of the Latrun fort enabled theArabs to shoot at vehicles trying to reach Jerusalem. The fort was not liberated by the Israelis until the '67 War (in spite of 4 tries and much loss of life in 1948) and the Burma Road (and its replacement) had to be used until 1967 to get to Jerusalem. Now the fort has been made into a memorial and museum housing many of the older tanks used in past wars. It is surrounded by quiet, safe roads and villages.

Despite the continuing loss of life in Israel this country has music and singing and Yiddish theatre and Jazz and film festivals. Immigrants are embraced and refugees are permitted to enter. Israelis know their songs and honour their singers; they sing along at every opportunity knowing the lyrics to many of the songs written from 1948 to the present. And though there is a vivid and sometimes realistic fear of a bomber or a ketousha, life carries on - just as in the ghettos of Kovno and Lodz and in Theirenstadt Jewish theatre lives and shabbat candles are lit. Bookstores are filled with hundreds of books published in a language that was modernized less than 100 years ago.

Everyone now living in Israel must know or know of a young person killed, and yet they go on with determination and conviction, courage and necessity. Israel will prevail because it has for thousands of years and it has to. And because of its beauty and modernity it is almost impossible to believe it has been constructed on the destruction of so many.

Yad Vashem

Val here.

Israel has redesigned the Yad Vashem Memorial which honours and gives name to the six million individuals that were murdered by the Nazis for their crime of being Jewish. The building is remarkable; the long cement structure looks like a huge boat. Inside one walks a long gruelling passage through this horrific period of European History to end up on a large patio overlooking the beautiful hills of Jerusalem.

Arieh and I have returned to Yad Vashem on 4 separate days. The rooms follow themes: the loss of human rights in Germany, Kristallnacht, deportations, the enforced ghettos (Lodz, Kovno, Warsaw), the transports, requests for allied response (inadequate - virtually every safehaven country in the world turned their backs on the Jewish citizens begging for safety), the gas chambers (including a huge truck that moved around and gassed prisoners with carbon monoxide poisoning), partisans, righteous gentiles, forced labour camps, forced long marches, liberation. In the penultimate room entitled "Room of Names", a huge well of tears is surrounded by all the names of the perished the museum has documented; They have listed more than three million names despite the massacres of entire families and entire villages.

There are also other memorial rooms: to the one and one half million children murdered by the Nazis and their ilk, a memorial room and candle which lists in bold type the names of the concentration camps, and a gallery of the artists of the Shoa, many whose art was teminated when they were killed at Auschwitz or on forced marches. After a Red Cross visit to one camp the artists were tortured and killed for giving art to the visitors which might show the truth about the camp.
Throughout Yad Vashem, individuals on videotape tell their stories. Partisans, hidden children, forced labour camp survivors, survivors of the Lodz ghetto where they had to deport all children under 10 and all the old people, survivors of selection - they tell their stories - so matter-of-fact until they come to the loss of a family member or a friend where their eyes well with tears.

The last room is a room of meditation - quotations are projected on the wall. One sits in this sombre room and tries to figure out why.

And yes - Jews who are sad need to eat - Yad Vashem has one of the best lunch cafeterias in Jerusalem. Moreover, there is a wonderful book store on the premises.

There is so little one can say about those millions of lives wasted, lost to the world. What makes a perpetrator, what makes a continent of indifference, a world of indifference, what makes a righteous person? Why are there so few?

The Road to Damascus

June 7/07

Val here.

Picture this. Arieh, Susan Zimmerman, (who joined us for a couple of weeks), our guide Ilan, and I are standing high in the Golan which overlooks the intersection of the borders of Jordan, Syria, and Israel. It is stunning up here. As the sun begins to set, we see the golden hills that reflect in the Yaroun? River below as well as the organized orchards of the kibbutzim south of the Sea of Galilee. We leave the viewpoint to drive down a narrow road to yet another viewpoint. Our guide assures us that we need not heed the sign "Military zone: Keep out."


Arieh bravely manoevres down the narrow road. We stop to view the spectacular view of the meeting of the three borders I already mentioned. A white SUV drives up the hill - a long discussion in Hebrew ensues about 'locked gates'. Next, a khaki military hummer presses up the hill. Three soldiers in military fatigues, guns at the ready, make no attempt to tell us of danger as they drive on. A few minutes later, a white Mazda 3 speeds up - the window opens - a man shouts at us:
"Isn't this the most awesome country you've ever seen?", closes his window, and drives on.

It gets me thinking. Yes, this is the most awesome country I've ever seen! Why? Let me count the ways. Today in the Golan, we saw borders from 1948, 1967, 1973, and 1992. The people of Israel adjust and make bloom whatever is their space. Their determination, intelligence, sense of history and of the aesthetic has made this strip of desert into an oasis. If it sounds cliched - well - there is no better way to describe it.

But always are remembered the dead who fought or were martyred in this land. The Golan inhabitants, for instance, have made sure that the importance of the Golan to Israel will not be forgotten. Sights overlooking scenes of the 6- Day War and the Yom Kippur War assure we are aware of the young men who lost their lives protecting the Golan and hence the rest of Israel from Syrian invaders.* There is a memorial to 12 young soldiers who lost their lives in 2006 in the Second War in Lebanon - killed when a missile hit their gathering point. Photographs of vibrant young men are posted whose memorial signs read: died 10-08-06. I can only think of the grieving families who will return here this year on the day of their Yahrzeits.

The Golan dwellers haven't enough voters to hold a seat in parliament, our guide tells us, so they make sure to inform visitors of the importance of the Golan to Israel. They make excellent arguments for retaining the Golan.

* Suggested reading about the Yom Kippur War: Adjusting Sights by Haim Sabato. Read that and you won't think war is so organized. You also will wonder why the mistakes of 1973 were repeated in 2006.

Wadi Rum and Petra - the Last Crusade

Val here.

From Israel, it is easy to travel to Petra, in Jordan, the beautiful ancient sight made more famous by the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as well as Lawrence of Arabia.

Let me start from the beginning. Racheli, our Israeli friend and host and tour director, found an article in a Hebrew Journal lauding a wonderful desert camp in Wadi Rum, Jordan - famous for its beauty and nearness to Petra. Stunning quiet, tracts of sand, and rock formations surround a bedouin-style camp providing reed or canvas tents for adventurous guests. Arieh contacted the author of the article who happily accepted a deposit for the desert camp. Everything is included - the pick up from the Jordanian border at Aqaba, transfers to Petra and to Wadi Rum, all meals, walks in the desert, and warm Bedouin hospitality. And yes! It was all true!

Our son Avidan, his friend Yonni Friedlander (he is ON the camel in the picture below), Arieh and I took the bus down to Eilat. The next morning we crossed the Jordan border to be greeted by our driver. We were escorted by taxi - only after a welcome coffee on our way - to Wadi Rum and the Palms Desert Camp (a.desertworld@gmail.com). It was hot, dry, and exquisite in its simple beauty. We sat in the long open Bedouin style living room drinking mint tea and coffee and playing cards (FYI anyone?) Lunch was a sumptuous meal of salads, hummous and meat. How we enjoyed the quiet day, lolling on the comfortable long couch, desert sands surrounding us, enjoying the peaceful time together playing cards, talking and laughing. At 4 o'clock the guys went for a walk with a guide - I avoided the heat and read my book. At 6:00, the boss, Houda, came and suggested he drive me up the hill to join the boys and see the sunset. From a windswept desert hill we looked down upon the soon to be opened museum about the life and filming of Lawrence of Arabia. Each night we slept in a tent made of reeds woven together, the wind (and sand) sifting in as we slept on a mattress on the floor in great comfort and peace. Avidan and Yonni each had a canvas tent and a real bed - warm, but cosy. What a remarkable stay!

The next day - off to Petra. Petra is "an archaelogical, anthropological, and geological phenomenon" (from http://www.desertecotours.com/) For me, it is an aesthetic revelation. The huge buildings dug into rose desert rock which date from the 6th Century B. C. are gorgeous.

From Wikepedia: Petra was the impressive capital of the Nabataean kingdom from around the 6th century BC. The kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire in AD 106 and the Romans continued to expand the city. An important center for trade and commerce, Petra continued to flourish until a catastrophic earthquake destroyed buildings and crippled vital water management systems around AD 663. After Saladin's conquest of the Middle East in 1189, Petra was abandoned and the memory of it was lost to the West.

Petra was rediscovered in the early 19th Century by an explorer and was named a World Heritage Site in 1985.

All you need to know about Petra - and wonderful photographs are available on the internet. Google Petra and you will get virtual tours and more studied and accurate information than I will ever be able to give you. What can I add? That Petra is dramatic and stunning, not only for the man-made carved buildings, but for the striated colours on the rock. You walk through sharp rock canyons that expose the break in the earth caused by an earthquake. That the horse carriages, camels, and saddled horses, though we didn't use them, add to the atmosphere: you feel like a visitor from ancient times. That it is another wonderful place along with Angkor Wat, that you should be sure to visit if time, money, and inclination lure you to visit the most dramatic ancient ruins of the world. And that Avidan and Yonni were wonderful to be with - their enjoyment and wonder enhancing ours; their recollections of the movies and television photographed here were more vivid than ours.

Jerusalem

Val here.

Yes - there is fire power in Jerusalem - but it is celebratory. The openings of new creative spaces or the celebration in honour of Jerusalem Day (can you believe it is 40 years since the Six-Day War!) are celebrated with colourful fireworks. The venue of the Jerusalem cultural festival or the jazz festival pop with fireworks in the evenings.In addition, it is now fashionable to include fireworks to celebrate bar mitzvahs and weddings. Fortunately the only gun powder the Jerusalemites are seeing recently is fireworks.

The Jerusalem buses and cafes are teeming with people! The ever-present security personnel, relaxed but ever watchful, remain at each entrance as the only reminder to the waves of bombings of the last few years. Let me describe this interesting city.

Ah - how to describe Jerusalem - the holy city. Is not like the holy city of Benares where pilgrims dunk themselves in the holy waters of the Ganges and give alms to honour the near nude ash-covered sadhus that line the ghats. No - Jerusalem is definitely not at all like that. Religious pilgrims come here in dignity and walk in wonder as they admire the stone buildings and the ancient parts of the city unearthed by recent archaeological digs. In Jerusalem the docent will be teary-eyed as she reads the scriptures of the Dead Sea scrolls. She will infuse indignation and wonder at the horrors as she leads her groups through Yad Vashem (the museum of the Shoah or Holocaust - see my later posting for more detail).

We (Biker Susan Zimmerman, I and Arieh) went without shoulder covering to the Kotel (the western wall of the 2500-year old Temple of Solomon - a most holy Jewish sight) and a beautiful Ethiopian Israeli guard comes up to offer a shawl intoning in perfect English with an air of practicality "We're happy to do this. That's what we're here for". We donned our shawls to walk to the wall and touch the ancient stone wall stuffed with tiny pieces of papers with wishes and prayers for Hashem.


Jerusalem - at once practical, dignified, modern, and yet holy. The deep respect for other religions and for the intellect is evident at the Holy Sepulchre - a Greek Orthodox Church from where Jesus is said to have been resurrected. Jewish and Christians alike come to admire the church and wonder at the power of history. Several groups of Israeli soldiers visit the sight with their guide. The guides describe the Christian tradition with respect and accuracy. We see groups of Israeli soldiers and school children touring many important sights - Jewish and Christian - learning about the history and country they represent and fight for. Every day we see two or three buses with the "Taglit" sign. These are young adults from North America on birthright enjoying the country, each other, the guides, and the Israeli soldiers that join them on their 10-day tour of Israel.

George, our friend the Armenian ceramicist (you've seen our wonderful ceramic tables built by Arieh) took us on a tour of the Armenian quarter including the Armenian Church, Monastery, and School. This is another quarter of the old city of Jerusalem where people live, run their businesses and thrive. Old Jerusalem is open for touring and for business. Only the Mosques are not available for visit by non-Moslems - in my view unfortunately. Our welcome into a Mosque in Dubai recently, and to a Mosque in Tunis years ago was both interesting and a strong connector to that religious community. Although tours go into the temple mount, non-Moslem tourists are not permitted to enter the Mosques. It seems to me that a more open attitude to visitors might improve the public relations of the Moslem community in this part of the world. Oh well.

Jerusalem and Israel have so much more than holy sights, excavations, and museums. It is a vibrant cultural centre. Most nights we've been to concerts - from gorgeous free classical music at the Brigham Young Centre which overlooks the city - to Yehudit Ravitz (a popular Israeli chanteuse) on Kibbutz Na'an, to a students' dance and theatre performance at a college in Tel Aviv. We also heard our friend's son, Nadav Amir-Himel (remember that name!) play a Mozart Piano Concerto brilliantly at the Music Department of Tel Aviv University. We attended an English language play, The Value of Names, at the English language theatre here. They put on 4 or 5 plays a season. Last week was the Jerusalem Festival, this week a theatre and a jazz festival.

Our favorite locale for concerts is the Institute for Middle East Studies at the gorgeous Brigham Young building at the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. Behind the performers, the city of Jerusalem is part of the event. The vibrant young pianist Yaron Kohlberg - remember his name- performed with a cellist and a bass in front of the backdrop of the city. A concert of Israeli folk groups - our Holy Blossom Singers would have loved it - also performed here. What a joy to listen to magnificent music as the sun sets over Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is at once modern and ancient. A new modern Israeli city has been built on the city outside the walls of the old city. Much has changed in this city since I was here in 1991. It is well serviced with roads, bridges, highways, and public transport, has many hotels and restaurants, juice spots and hummous and falafel joints, and, of course, coffee houses with at least as many choices as North America. The shops are modern and yet there is the colourful Mekhane Yehuda - a market with the best fruit, vegetables, spices, and pastries in all of Israel.

The people have been polite (excluding the tourist bureau and the post office) and urbane. They don't greet you, but when you ask a question they happily give you information in Hebrew or broken English as required. Oh! And so clean! We don't seem to have to do a footwash several times a day as we've been doing in other countries. Here in Jerusalem our feet are clean no matter how much walking we do in our battered travel-worn Mephisto sandals. And the sense of humour! How easy to get a wisecrack, a wry answer, a laugh, from these people, my people.