Jordan, Israel and Palestine

"SHALOM"

Jordan

We left  Cairo fully rested and ready for another adventure.  
 
Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a fascinating city of contrasts – a unique blend of old and new, ideally situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley.

We’re calling it our mini-vacation within our vacation.  Zafer, our couch surfing host in Amman was excellent and took time away from his studies(dentistry) to help us get the most out of Jordan.

After getting settled we headed into town by taxi.  Due to the language barrier we had no idea where we were when the driver dropped us off.  We walked for a while before deciding we were in the wrong area so took another taxi to the top of the hill and the crown of the city, the Citadel.  Once again, dropped off at a location next to a fenced area but nowhere near the entrance so we walked one way turned around and walked the other way.  Still no entrance so we did what any ambitious tourist would do and climbed the rock wall to get in.  We were absolutely taken with the panoramic view of the city!!
 
Here we explored the ruins of the Temple of Hercules, an Ummayyad Palace, and a Byzantine Church.  
  
   

It was in this spot that we first experienced the wonderful friendliness of the Jordian people.  After spending some time with a school group from Palestine, in Jordan on a field trip, we met 3 local teenage girls and a little girl.  

I'm a little worried though that the teenage girls seemed to like my 12yr.old son!!  Is it starting already?

We took lot’s of pictures together before they escorted us out and down the steep streets to the 6,000 seat Roman Theatre which is at the foot of the Citadel.  Once we said our good-byes and exchanged facebook info. we made our way over to the little locally owned shops.  



It was refreshing shopping here with their polite, no pressure sales approach in comparison to the over-bearing, aggressive sales vendors in Egypt.  With so many hand-crafted items and unique jewelry it was hard to choose.  Salespeople love Tianna and once again she was given gifts and JC & I were given tea to drink. 




  Zafer met us downtown which came alive with more street vendors and food!!  Zafer and Landon share the love of magic tricks and were dazzled by a street vendor so much they each bought a bag of tricks.    “the boys” bought some clothes where again we were treated like guests not customers given warm fresh sweet bread to eat while they tried on jeans and shirts.  Going with a local makes all the difference which is why we love couch surfing.  Zafer brought us to an excellent side street bistro where we feasted on hummus, pita bread, falafels, and drinks for about $7 that fed all 5 of us!!  

Even though we were so full he insisted on our trying 3 types of desserts made with melted cheese and a sweet crusty coating. Ummmmmm good!!!

We went back to his apartment full and tired but happy.

The next morning our hired taxi driver for the day drove us up to Mount Nebo, believed to be the place where Moses was buried after God led him there, the promised land.
   
A panoramic view that encompassed the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho, and Jerusalem.

Driving down the winding hillside with its lifeless desert and scorching heat we all agreed that it didn’t look too promising.  

The Dead Sea experience was unlike anything we’ve ever encountered.  At 1312 feet(400m) below sea level it is the world’s lowest point fed by a number of rivers including the River Jordan.  

Once the waters reach the Dead Sea they are land locked and have nowhere to go, so they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich cocktail of salts and minerals.  

Nothing can live or grow in the Dead Sea because of the extreme levels of salt and floating in it is a sensation that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world. The sea is  completely surrounded by land, it is approx. 65km long and 18km across at its widest point and 10 times more salty than the ocean. There are gigantic salt farms at the southern shores.  

  It is impossible to sink because the salt increases buoyancy and so you float in the 38 degree water which JC & I did for almost 2 hours while the kids only lasted about 15min., luckily there was a pool for them to swim in.  What a wonderful, relaxing soak with the only negative being the times we got even a minor amount of water in our eyes which burned so badly we had to walk blindly back to the beach for a towel.

You meet the nicest people floating in the Dead Sea, we met Sol & Gabriel from Argentina also travelling around the world who shared some valuable information about border crossings to Israel and someone to contact when we get there.  "When it was time to leave we left the hot sea, walked on hot sand to have a hot shower and put on hot clothes, drank hot water from our bottles and got into a hot car."  Not wanting to leave but with plans to visit the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River we left and this is where communication broke down!  Even though Zafer told the driver 4 times and we mentioned it in the morning and before the Dead Sea our driver drove right past the turn off to Bethany.  By the time we realized and said something we were almost in Amman and he said it was too late to go back.  Really?!?!  Very disappointed we cancelled our trip with him the next day and hired another driver.

July 10^th

Up early we met our new driver who does not speak a word of English but thankfully Zafer told him our plan to go to Bethany before driving to the Israel border.  I guess it was not meant to be, since even though we arrived on time the logistics were not in our favour and we had to leave without seeing the spot.   Maybe we don’t have to be too disappointed though since most tourist areas marked with locations of the different moments in the Bible are very commercialized and not as spiritual as we’d hoped for.  

Driving through the Israel border crossing is an experience all in its own category.  Since our taxi was not allowed to drive us through we had to hire one at the crossing.  He got us through the first checkpoint and then the luggage security check point where we took all our backpacks out of the taxi into the building, through security scanners and back in the taxi on the other side.  Then he drove us and dropped us off at immigration.  Here we had to pay a departure tax and got our passports stamped…..still in Jordan though….next we had to buy a bus ticket which took us to the border into Israel where an official came onto the bus to look at our passports.  We waited and then drove about .2km but it took 30 minutes before the bus let us off at the Israel border.  Walked through more security and another passport check although I guess the officer didn’t like something we said because he kept our passports for another 30 minutes while we waited.  Tianna’s favourite saying through all of this was “geographically we are in Israel but politically we’re not”.  Finally, we were given the green light and were geographically, politically and technically in Israel…..oh yeah!!!!

Israel

I learned from the Immigration officer that my name is a Hebrew name that means “I am”  not sure what “I am” but I guess that will be revealed when I’m all grown up.

Now what?!?!  Well since you have to take a taxi out of the border crossing that limited our options.  One taxi to get out of the border area and then switched to another to get us to Tiberias.   Suddenly we were feeling that the best way to see Israel would be to rent a car so that’s what we did.  Driving around the Sea of Galilee was picturesque with its natural beauty and incredible history but we were anxious to get in the water!!!  We found a public beach and hit the waves which were almost as big as Costa Rica.  Imagine our surprise when we dove in and discovered that it was fresh water!?!  Who knew?  We learned later that it is also known as Lake Kinneret(in Hebrew).  The Sea of Galilee is 21km long and 55km in circumference also fed by the Jordan River.



This is where Jesus walked on water so Tianna thought she should give it a go.  Although not quite as easy as it was for Jesus. 



The rocks and shells on the shoreline were so cool that we had to start a collection.  It feels like a touristy resort town in and around the Sea of Galilee and not at all what we expected but we really like it here.




Enjoying our first Israeli fast food.....shwarma (a middle eastern dish) downtown Tiberias. 







Just before dusk we drove to the top of a mountain where we were able to watch the sunset in the west while overlooking the Sea of Galilee in the east.   
What a wonderful part of the world and we are so grateful to be here to witness God’s awesome creation.   

We felt completely welcomed by Niko and Tatyana (Tanya) whom we met through our new friends in the Dead Sea remarkably the day before. (Totally a God Moment!)   Some of our best experiences have been through ‘chance’ encounters, God is taking care of us and putting people in our lives we are supposed to meet.    We got to know one another over some delicious fruit and enjoyed learning about the Jewish/Christian culture in Israel.  Both Niko and Tanya speak 5 languages!!!

JC’s perspective:

We spent the next two days with them in Galilee, swimming in the Sea, exploring one of the seven springs where Jesus and his mates walked and hung out together, and performed most of his ministry....WOW what an experience!!! Of all the water I have been in around the world, this is the one I will never forget!! Even swimming in the Dead Sea, a couple of days ago was awesome, however immersing ourselves where Jesus walked on water along with the other miracles and stories that he did in the area, I can not put words to it!!

The home where we stayed overlooked the entire Galilee region. We watched the sun set as a family from a fortress that King Herod built, and then I woke up early to watch the sun rise the next morning...INCREDIBLE!! Armed with my Bible while reading it in company with a Christian tourist hand book of the area, I read all of Luke while looking out and pinpointing the exact places a number of events took place based off of God's Word and the tourist book....I had tears in my eyes more than once.

We have been meeting so many incredible people along our journey. It is amazing how close we become so quickly with individuals, so seeing and feeling God's love while learning to lean further into each day....a very challenging yet rewarding "job" for the entire family.

The next morning Niko, who has incredible knowledge of the holy land, shared so much history while we toured the area around Tiberias, one of the country’s most holy Jewish cities.  




The sites we visited included:  Tabgha, the spot where Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish, Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount, Capernaum, the town of Jesus. 




Next a brief visit to a Kibbutz where we bought items for a picnic lunch.  A Kibbutz, once associated with pure communism, is a self-sufficient alternative community whereby all the residents live at the same level, no one ‘owns’ anything as everything is shared by everyone who lives there.  New members must be younger than 40 to join.  All residents’ work in the community projects and all are equal right down to sharing some of the not so glamorous jobs.  Near the Sea of Galilee we drove next to the spot where Jesus extorted the demons out of the crazed cave dwelling man chasing them into the near by pigs who eventually ran off the cliff and died.

On the shores of the Sea of Galilee we feasted on our picnic lunch and then couldn't resist another swim in the calm side of the lake.

 

Leaving this area was hard since there seemed to be so much more to explore but as a thank-you gesture we offered Niko a ride to the Tel Aviv airport for his flight to France to retrieve their 3 boys.  The family is moving back to Israel after living in France for several years.   Driving past the fenced-in Palestine areas was disturbing as one begins to realize how even after 2000 years we still have not learned how to live together in peace.

A little nervous about driving into Jerusalem with our vague directions to Servas members house but miraculously we found it fairly quickly.  We shared a meal together while learning more about the Jewish faith and culture before heading out on foot to Jerusalem’s Old City only 6 blocks away.  I had to laugh at Landon who, each time we saw a Jewish man with a beard dressed in all black including a tall black hat, would say “must be Abe Lincoln night.”  Probably disrespectful but he is a 12 year old boy so can’t be too serious all the time.  Walking along the mighty walls on the way to the entrance we were in awe of the size of the city.  Once inside it didn’t take us long to get lost in one of the many lanes and narrow corridors that go in every direction throughout the city past hundreds of shops selling souvenirs and treasures.  I thought to myself this must have been what it was like 2000 years ago just with a bit more glitz. 
We made it back to the Tower of David just in time for The Night Spectacular inside the Citadel which tells the fascinating and complex story of the history of Jerusalem over the course of 4000 years in virtual reality.  Amazing what technology can do with ancient walls and 3D effects projected onto those walls with dazzling sound and light show, hard to describe and no photographs allowed.

Sitting around the breakfast table the next morning with our hosts, Amitai and Nurit, we were able to ask questions about the Jewish religion, the city and of course government issues throughout Israel and the Middle East.   It was such an open and real conversation with no political or religion agendas...just people from different corners of the planet sharing and "BEING" people of the human race.  "Toda" Thank you for your lovely hospitality Amitai and Nurit!

Tower of David

We returned to the Old City to complete our tour from the night before.  Not only ancient and spectacular the Old City contains a number of sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  In the Holy Sepulchre lies the spot where Jesus was crucified and the tomb where he was placed afterwards.  Unfortunately with so many tourists lined up to get close it didn’t feel as spiritual as one would think but still wondersome to imagine that this was the place where Christianity first began.

Tianna & I didn’t think much of The Western Walls and here is why, the pamphlet says “everyone of us is equal at the Western Wall” yet there is a men only section to touch the stones of this still-standing ancient wall while the women look over the fence from another area not restricted to women only?  I guess I just don’t understand how this is equality.  JC relates it to All Women gyms....but I don't see the similarity at all.

Next was a trip to the top of Mount of Olives famous as the place Jesus was betrayed and captured before eventually being cruicified.  Great view of all of Jerusalem including the Dome on the Rock.  



Palestine
Getting into Bethlehem was not at all what we expected, as a Palestine territory Israeli citizens are not allowed in.  We were told by a taxi driver that since we were driving a car with Israel plates we wouldn't get in but he would drive us for $100 sheqel.  Our reply, 'No thanks, we'll walk in' but at the check point we were turned away so took a chance and asked if we could bring our rental car in?   yeah....so we piled back into the car and were in without getting stopped or even having to show our passports.....not sure what happened but were happy to be in our own vehicle and on our way to the birth place of Jesus!

Bethlehem, the place of Christ’s birth, like the other places marked to be the Biblical places in history, we were again met with a very commercialized feeling rather than moving spiritual moments.  Of course it has been built up and people are now making a living off these historical holy sites but in our opinion once it becomes a tourist attraction it loses its originality and appeal.  But still awesome to see!

 


Jericho was another must see on the list for Israel, boasting the oldest city in the world as well as the lowest point on earth.    Arriving in the late afternoon we drove past a cable car, which takes you to Temptation Mountain.  Since we didn’t find the hostel we were looking for we went back to the cable cars.  Another God moment?  Absolutely.   We began a conversation with the cable car technician who had a parrot that drank coca cola, holding the can in its beak….so funny.   Anyway we asked about accommodation in the area and he was helping us find a place, then he invited us to his house to have dinner with his family after he was done work…..Okay?!?......so we followed him on his bicycle through the small town of Jericho to his house.   Khalid built their house with stones from a Mosque that were over 900 years old.  I still can’t believe how the next 12 hours transpired.        

We were welcomed into their home and treated to an amazing traditional Muslim meal on the floor of their living room.     Khalid’s family were wonderful and more family continued to arrive throughout the evening.

The kids played soccer in the street under the lights 

with their kids and friends until 
11:30pm. (too hot during the day).  His friend with the hotel never called back so he invited us to stay at his house, which we did. 
The next morning we enjoyed another delicious breakfast with his family before saying farewell.

Khalid's kindness continued when we went to say good-bye to him at work. He became our guide and invited  us to a cable car ride and tour of the site where Jesus was tempted by Satin. 
Afterwards, we attempted to beat the intense heat on the side of this mountain we enjoyed the best smoothie of the whole trip, Khalid's treat!

  
We feel so blessed to have had this opportunity to spend time with a large Muslim family and learn about their culture, history and the problems they are facing even today.  Being a Palestinian in occupied territory within Israel is not easy or peaceful.

We continued to head south along the Dead Sea on the Israeli side this time, which ended up being a bit of tense trip, as it was one of those days where spending 24/7 together as a family was just too much and emotions were required to be released.  Eventually we pulled into the small seaside Israel/Jordan border town of Eliat, around 2pm, with plans to drop off our rental car at the Avias office. In most Muslim countries the weekends are Friday and Saturday unlike North America’s Saturday, Sunday. We were surprised that even though we were told we’d have until 3pm to drop off the vehicle, they were closed.  This is in a tourist town during summer!  So with no hours of operation sign, no key drop off or even a phone number to call on the office door, we decided to spend the night there and keep the car an additional day before crossing the border back into Jordan.

So after spending the day exploring the Red Sea on the Israeli side, we began our search for accommodation at hostels or hotels that would fit our budget. Things were looking desperate after hearing too many “no rooms available”, just like Joseph and Mary heard in their day.  And just when the kids began talking about sleeping in the car and we found our home for the night. The main selling feature was it was clean, a pool and breakfast was included.  Immediately upon our check in, the kids jumped into the pool without hesitation.  Shelley and I, taking full advantage of the opportunity, opened a bottle of wine and with a sigh of relief shared a moment for us again.

The next day (Saturday) could be described as another moment where God takes a bad situation and makes it right again.  Since we opted to save some money on our accommodation, by not taking the breakfast, we went looking for something to eat.  We landed at the Red Sea beach again and it was here where we met a young US couple that JC engaged in conversation and exchanged travel stories. They had just spent 10+ hours on a bus that was to take 4 or 5hrs which resulted in missing their next bus to Jerusalem.  We offered to bring them with us to the Avis office, since we had a car, where they could rent a vehicle of their own.  Of course the office was still closed and after calling the emergency Avis number we were told by the office that no one works on Saturday.  Nothing could be done online so we would need to leave the car outside the office accepting full responsibility should anything happen to the vehicle while it was parked there.  What?!?  Not knowing what to do but getting to know Vanessa & Robert in the process during a very short time frame!!

One of the things travelling teaches is to problem solve from entirely outside the box. Here we were, two sets of travellers, with two different agendas moving in different directions with a similar issue.  We eventually came up with the idea that we would “rent” our rental vehicle to our new best friends of two hours whereby they would drop us off at the Israel/Jordan border and return the car on Monday morning prior to travelling to Egypt.  Crazy plan?!?  Probably, but this is one of those moments where you have no other choice but to listen to your intuition and make decisions that appear to be insane but thankfully end well. 

We exchanged contact information, wrote up a small liability agreement and were our way. 
 

Jordan

Walking through the border to Jordan was not only easy but pleasant and hospitable too…once we passed all the guards with AK47’s…we were greeted with cups of mint tea  at the spot where our passports were stamped.  We joked with the guards, took pictures and bought some cold water to keep us hydrated as we combated the 45+ degree temperature.  We were practically the only tourists entering the very dry, dusty border control but with the friendly reception we felt completely welcomed.

Once through the border, we were informed that the “Mafia Taxi” would meet us on the other side. Rates to locations were posted however we were not able to reach our couch surfing host for an exact address to meet at. Via internet and pictures we were able to identify our host, as the Mafia Taxi Coordinator said he not only knew him he knew where his dive shop was in town…so we were directed to a cab.  The driver was given the instructions and off we went to be dropped in the seaside town of Aqaba. Upon arriving JC decided to inquire at the dive shop to ensure this indeed was the correct dive shop among the 15-20 others we spotted in town, and sure enough it wasn’t.  So we drove around enquiring at a couple other dive shops for our host, without any luck.  After misplacing a 20 JD bill (just over $30 dollars) in our cab while searching with the computer for our host…we think the cab driver may have seen it and was able to earn some extra money during our frenzy of finding our hosts information!! He then proceeded to insist on 5 JD more than the agreed amount fair for the trip since he made an extra lap around the block…even though it was his boss that set up the wrong drop off location!!!  We LOVE Jordan but hate having to rely on dishonest taxi drivers.

We decided to search for a restaurant where we could pick up some food and get online. Burger King was the restaurant of choice as the kids required some North American stabilization after all the uncertainty of the past 24 hours.  The kids quickly pointed out that this was the first time ever to Burger King and really enjoyed the crappy food portion of traveling due to necessity rather than nutrition choices!!

Upon ordering we quickly found no Wi-Fi available, so it was decided that JC, still not able to eat at food establishments like this, would explore the area and dive shops in search Wi-Fi and our host while taking on the heat of the day.

After about an hour and a half, JC was able to strike up conversation with a dive master as he had a great picture of his brother and the current King of Jordan.  The photo was taken back in the 1970’s when his dad had taken the King and his son for a dive in the Red Sea.

Although he owned a competing dive shop to our host JC was able to get online where he located, Ismail, and plans were made for a pick up back at the Burger King.  Returning to the heat wave we threw our packs in the back of the truck and were off to the South Beach area of Aqaba. 

Two fully covered Muslim women cool off in the Red Sea, keeping their custom of not showing their bodies in public

 Our couch surfing accommodation of choice this time was a tent on the beach just below our hosts Bedouin Village. Once arriving at the beach we immediately changed into our swimsuits and dove into the warm waters of the Red Sea. Our beach tent was only 30 metres from a gorgeous coral reef called The Japanese Garden, with a plethora of fish and other marine life in 2-3 metres of water, perfect for the snorkeler who wants to see it all.

 The entire family had a great time exploring the reef, with Shelley eventually meeting up with some local Muslim teenage girls, where she struck up some great conversation about their family (13 kids)! 

Spending the day at the beach was a way to rid ourselves of the stress of our travels over the past couple of days. Ismail was great, he introduced us to a number of people in the area, informed us that he had over 600 family members in the city of Aqaba so anything we required he could help us with. He did have an engagement later in the afternoon and with some parting advice of where to eat etc., he promised to return with our bedding for sleeping in the tent.

 After watching the sun set we walked the five minute stroll up to the recommended restaurant where we enjoyed a huge authentic Bedouin meal for between 3-5 JD’s each ($5-$7). During dinner we met a family from France who were on a two-week vacation with their kids (daughter Hinatea age 9 and son Joe age 12). We exchanged travel stories while the kids loved hanging together and speaking French as their new acquaintances didn’t speak English.  During our adult conversation we found out that Khue-my is a Doctor who works in Quebec for three weeks every 3-4 months. Her husband Stephane works as a physio therapist in France.

After dinner we trotted back to our Bedouin tent on the beach…only to find that Ismail had an emergency with one of his family members to sort out and was not able to bring the bedding for us!! Well, at 11pm on a beach on the Red Sea with no sleeping arrangements what was one to do?..…first, go for a camel ride on the beach, share some food offered up by some locals eating a late dinner, and strike up other conversations with locals offering coffee and tea after enquiring the whereabouts of our home country, welcoming us to theirs, and confirming that we are happy with our trip!!

We made the decision to walk back to the Bedouin Lodge and book a room…which comes with air conditioning, a hot shower and breakfast in the morning. It turned out to be another God moment for us on the trip, since Shelley woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick…so being close to the bathroom…with a toilet…was a necessity we wouldn’t have had in a tent on the beach!!!  

Feeling much better the next day, we signed up our kids and the French kids as well, for an intro to scuba diving in the pool. The boys loved the experience and the girls had fun however the equipment was too big for them so the pool was a great place to start and end.

  

However, we made a plan for the boys to ocean dive in the Red Sea the next morning and then depart for Petra in the afternoon. The French family shared their travel experience to Petra…very wonderful, however with lots of walking and the extreme heat temperatures of the desert.  Hmmmm….unsure about what to do?  Guess we should think about it for another day.  From the roof of the Lodge we could see Egypt in front of us, Israel to our right and Saudi Arabia to our left. Aqaba is a clean town spread along the coast of the Red Sea which is actually a stunning deep blue and brings snorkelers and divers to its great coral reef. The beach is desolate and most areas are completely void of shade or trees, and there is something a bit weird about the vast expanse of desert which surrounds the entire area. Surprisingly, the water is quite cold but certainly a welcome break from the relentless heat.  Well said Katherine!!

Landon’s first ever sea dive went extremely well, going down 6-7 metres, where he explored the coral reef of the Japanese Garden with a multitude of marine life and schools of brightly coloured fish,


including an unexpected site of an old army tank that was sunk.  
here is Lachie(a little better color in this Zachest photo!!)
Mom & Dad kept a close eye on Landon while snorkelling above him and the dive master. It was a unique experience being surrounded by the bubbles from the divers below, like tiny fingers touching and tickling your skin for a brief moment.  Tianna, remained on the beach as a combination of a minor sunburn on her face, the sunscreen and the salt water from the sea was not able to snorkel, since the water was stinging her face.

Later that day JC was convinced to dive a ship wreck at about 24-26 metres, with Shelley snorkeling above.  Landon stayed behind as he was distraught about not being allowed on the much deeper dive….even with all his knowledge and experience as a diver!!

After our return and acknowledgment of the 53 degree temperature, we decided to rescind on our plans and not make the trip to Petra.  It just didn’t make sense to leave the hottest spot in the world to somewhere even hotter….the desert!! And long hikes without any water to cool off from afterwards just didn’t appeal to us or the kids as they were having so much fun with their new French counterparts.  Even though the sites would have been magnificent (it’s the reason most people choose Jordan as a destination, Indiana Jones movies were filmed there) we didn’t feel we’d have the patience for dealing with potential whining from our children in the heat!!
The kids experimented with frying this egg on the cement which everyone thought would work since it was the hottest day all of us had ever experienced.  But after about an hour we had to label it a failed attempt.

 That night we had dinner with our French family at a great little authentic restaurant in the city, after exploring the small markets through the downtown region.   While the girls picked up some unique items and kids watched a sand artist at work, Ismail met up with JC and took him to purchase our ferry tickets we would require for the following day on our return trip to Egypt.  My friend Katherine's summary of Jordan is identical to how we feel..... 

The things that we will remember most in Jordan is the friendliness of the people, the unexpected cleanliness of the streets and the incredible desert scenery.  We were once again reminded of the ridiculous misconceptions about Muslims.

It is certainly a place that we wish we had of spent more time in and we would highly recommend to anyone. A unique and wonderful part of the world.

We were instructed to be at the terminal, between 9:30 and 10am as the boat was schedule to depart at 10:30- 11ish.  Arriving on schedule the next day as instructed, we were immediately told that the ferry was full and to wait in the passenger area until the next boat at 1ish….with a ton of other Arabian travellers and a mass assortment of luggage!! After a continual denial of our case with the officers on the dock, our request to speak with a manager was granted, who after some time and plenty of pleading, granted us a ticket to board the ship…we were told to hurry in order to make the sailing!! 

At that point it was discovered that our dual entry visa to Egypt and Jordan,  was not valid and we were required to pay an exit tax for Jordan. After running around to accomplish this task as quickly as possible in order to not miss the sailing departure, we made it aboard the boat at about 10:30am, after running down the tarmac roadway….whew!!!

The boat did have many people however still a number of empty seats all around. We immediately walked to the top deck, found seats only to discover that 99.99% of the passengers up there were men, all of which were smoking.  In fact even in the ship people were smoking under the non-smoking signs.  Another country without rules.  This is when things really started to get interesting or should I say frustrating?!?

After all that rushing to board and the ferry didn't leave until 12:20!  Then when we got to Egypt the ferry sat in port for another hour before they let anyone off the ship.  Because we didn't have a re-entry stamp we had to wait helplessly in the scorching heat while our passports were in the pocket of one of the officers.  All the while watching hundreds of passengers pass us by.  We followed out passports into an office where we were told to wait.  How long do we have to wait I wondered after several minutes had passed.  I walked into the office and saw our passports just sitting on the table next to an official.  He asked me “did you get your visa?”  huh…and where would I do this??  At the bank of course over there as he waves his arm in the air like I know where the heck he’s talking about.  I made him come show me where but when I got to the bank I saw a very long lineup of all men so I went back to him and said "you've got to be kidding"?!?  Anyway he provided me with an escort back to the bank and right to the front of the line while all these Egyptian men stared at me but by then I didn't care.  I purchased our visa’s, got our passports stamped and we were finally on our way!!  Luckily our driver was there which was a relief.

Just a lone camel going on a stroll "as they do" in Egypt (photo compliments of Delmar & Katherine but I'm sure it was the same one we saw)!!  Even the two police escorts through the Sinai territory didn’t phase us.....
I read in the paper the next day that a US couple had been kidnapped in the Sinai and held for 3 days so I guess they were just being cautious with us.

Home Sweet Cairo Home!

Upon our reflection of these two Holy countries we realized, that we stayed with a Christian couple at the Sea of Galilee, a Jewish couple in Jerusalem, and a Muslim family in Jericho in less than a week!!!