Jerusalem and Palestine

Sometimes when I travel I feel like Canada lacks history, culture, patriotism, tradition...If I were to stereotype myself and my peers I might say we are an indifferent group.  After visiting Jerusalem I am so happy I live in a country that tries to be open and accepting to all.  Yes, I am making some broad statements, but I love Canada! 

As fascinating as Jerusalem is I am happy to have left.  How can a place so significant to many religions be so full of discrimination and negativity? What happened to love being the foundation of all religions and which unites us all?  During my stay, I had many encounters that made me aware of the tension between Palestinians and Israelis. Unbeknownst to me, I look Jewish- which surprised me more than the Jews/Muslims I'm sure.  That type of labelling is strange, but I quickly got over tiptoeing around everyone.  I bought a sweatshirt that says "I love Palestine" which immediately encouraged long conversations with multiple Palestinians but also resulted in a long lecture by an Israeli who told me "all Arabs want to kill us".  Interesting. 

After spending a week in Jerusalem and the West bank I met many Palestinians and Israelis who do not agree with what is happening in Palestine care of Israel.  I will not get into the long history and all the issues in this blog, you can research it for yourself.  But I have seen the "security wall" which is 8m high (twice as high as the Berlin wall).  It is built so Palestinians have less land than was agreed on and effectively chokes off Palestine.  Palestinians call it the "discrimination wall" and I agree.  I have seen the Israeli settlements inside Palestinian territory.  The settlements have new houses, water 24/7 and heavy security.  In the West Bank, Palestinians have water 2 days a week, many have been forced out of their homes, and they cannot travel outside of Palestine without special papers that are difficult to get.  The Gaza Strip (no I didn't visit) is the most heavily populated place on the planet (people per sq meter), is surrounded by a wall, and only a handful of people can visit- making it easy for the rest of the world to forget about this tragedy.  Palestinians can’t vote- they are not a part of Israel nor are they separate.  It is very confusing but it doesn’t seem right.

I visited Ramallah (West Bank) for Nakba Day (see previous blog) to support the Palestinians.  My friend Rami took me and when we crossed the checkpoint into Palestine we practically drove into a scene straight out of BBC world news. The military was present in overwhelming numbers and full riot gear.  The protesters threw stones, had onions to their face (helps against tear gas), and the obligatory tire fire in the street. Rami and I joke that my mom doesn’t need to see me on TV so we head to the city centre where music, dancing and speeches are being held.  After a while we go to Star & Bucks to watch the events from 7 floors up and Al-Jazeera news as they broadcast from the checkpoint we were at, Gaza, the Israeli-Jordan border, the Israeli-Lebanon border and the Israeli-Syrian border.  I am shocked to learn Palestinian refugees have marched to the borders to show they want to return to their homeland.  The Israeli government says Al-Jazeera provides too much information...   

Amidst all that I also visited the birthplace of Jesus, the place of his crucifixion, burial and resurrection, the Tomb of Mary, the Western Wall, Dome of the Rock and many more historical sites that make the area such a hotbed.   

Here is a short explanation of the pics below:

• 1, 2 and 3 are pics inside the church where Jesus was said to be crucified, buried and resurrected
• 4 and 5 are from Nakba Day in Ramallah.  
• 6 and 7 are Dome of the Rock, important to Jews and Muslims alike
• 7 and 8 are views of the Old City and the graves where people have paid tens of thousands of dollars so they can be resurrected on Judgment Day...
• 9 shows the security wall from a distance (Jerusalem)
• 10 and 11 are the security wall in Bethlehem (which is a part of the West Bank)
• 12 is a poster from Nakba Day promising the return of refugees to their homes one day 

Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

Tel Aviv: I could get used to this...

Ahhhh, Tel Aviv.  Who would have thought I would like this city so much.  But what's not to like?  The city is gorgeous with beautiful beaches, impressive promenade, great weather, shopping, cafes- and really clean.  It has a more "western"  feel to it (crosswalks, yeah!) and I easily forget I am in the middle east.  I enjoyed Tel Aviv so much I stayed for 6 days and didn't do anything else I had planned.  Instead I fixed my tan lines- the farmers tan from Egypt (neck, forearms and maybe my calves get exposure but the rest is usually covered up) and the one-peice bathing suit lines from Jordan's Dead Sea visit (still trying to be conservative amoungst some fully clothed ladies in the water).  But anything goes in Tel Aviv and I felt like I was on a proper vacation the past 6 days on the beach in my bikini and a smile on my face.  I spent 3 nights at a great hostel and 3 nights at my friend's place who I met in Cairo- thanks Tamir love you owe you!

Today I arrived in Jerusalem.  So close yet a world away from Tel Aviv.  I am staying in the Old City which is surrounded by walls that encompass the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Armenian quarters.  When I arrived at the hostel I had a long conversation with the receptionist who is concerned about events taking place this weekend.  As I was well aware, May 15 marks the day Israel became a country- not a cause for celebration in Palestine.  With the revolutions in other countries like Egypt, there has been a call for Palestinians to have a large protest on May 15th.  Although many people want the protest to be peaceful, labels such as the 3rd Intifada (uprising) are being used which has a connotation of violence.  The plan for demonstrations on this date have been circulating for at least a month and include protests to be held all over the world and even for marches to the Israel border from surrounding countries (Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon).  Will my stay here shed some light on solutions to bring peace to Israel and Palestine...

Below are pics from Tel Aviv.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

Jordan

The second I stepped out of the airport I knew Jordan was very different than Egypt.  The country seems wealthier, is cleaner, quieter and relaxed (it also a Kingdom!!).  The people are increadibly kind in a low key way.  Every day I met someone who was extremely generous and a number of times a simple question turned into an invitation for tea and even dinner (honestly, last night a 5min errand turned into a 2 hour affair). 
I have toured around Amman, Jerash, visited Petra and today the Dead Sea.  Jordan has this great system of "shared taxis" which is basically an organized form of hitchhiking.  Today I could only take the bus part of the way to the Dead Sea.  At the corner where the bus drops off are a number of guys with cars.  You pay a fee and when the car is full everyone heads to the destination (or same direction).  The buses are the same in that they do not have a set departure time- you leave when the bus is full.  This is frustrating to people who wait for a long time, but everytime I took the bus I only had to wait a few minutes. 

So, the highlights of Jordan...Obviously Petra was the most impressive (the pics don't do it justice).  Petra is an ancient city carved into the rock valleys. The ruins are impressive and the colors of the rocks are gorgeous.  I spent a full day there and was thoroughly cooked afterwards.  It was about 40 degrees with lots of hiking to spots like the cleverly named "High Place of Sacrafice".  I was covered from head to toe to keep from burning and was so hot I almost hired a donkey to take me to the Monestary.  I was happy I didn't when I saw one tourist who could not control his and so it simply went where it wanted (the donkey people don't come with you, just send you up the mountain with the donkey).  I saw another donkey slip and fall on the sandstone hill sending its passenger to the ground.  Also, on one of my last days in Cairo I went via horse to the desert behind the pyramids and one of the horses bit one of the tourists on another horse- no lie, right on the leg.  All that and the infamous Camel Experience with Bri in India and I am quite certain I will never ride an animal anywhere my own 2 legs can take me.  Anyways, Petra was great but one full day was enough for me, the heat is really insane.  Yesterday I went to a Turkish bath in Amman- amazing- and today the Dead Sea.  At the Dead Sea I couldn't stop laughing, it really is a funny experience to have your ass in the water and your legs, arms and head out of the water :)

Tomorrow I head to Israel and my first stop is Tel Aviv.  Wish me luck re the Israeli stamp- I can't have it in my passport (otherwise I can't go to Lebanon and Syria in the future) so hopefully getting the stamp on a slip of paper works.  Below are pics of Petra only. Try and see the people to understand the size of some of the structures.  Thinking of home but happily abroad,

Carrie

PS- sorry to those of you who have been trying to get a hold of me on Skype.  The internet connection really is a challenge.  Fingers crossed we will talk soon!