"Israel, Israel, que bonito es Israel"

What more can I say? I lo ve it. And the people are nice, some of them, the ones that don't work in the security, or the bus drivers, or the... but there are also the rest of the that are really nice, and like talking to you.

It was amazing, I really enjoyed hanging out with all the friends I haven't seen in ages and the new friends; also being back there in ישראעל after 10 years was indescribable.

One of the days I went up north, all the way to the border with Lebanon.

here are some photos:

On Tuesday I got to go to the shuk artesanal next to shuk ha carmel, it was very fun.

The birds where looking for a place to settle and sleep, it look gorgeous with that beautiful sunset sky.

 
One night walking to dinner, A and me run into a Hanukkah party on the street, it was really fun.

And my last sunset in Tel Aviv for this adventure...

Beautiful! Shalom Israel!

Next post I'll tell you more stories of the trip!
 

The experience of PETRA

The greatness of Petra --Jordania-- can not be put into words. Let me start by saying that I did not imagine it at all, I wasn't really conscious of where I was doing or what was I going to experience; because going to Petra is not what you see but how you see it, how do you experience it.

I took a tour and meet great people on it. It was fun.

We traveled from TLV to Eilat, and then to the border where we crossed walking. It was interesting and easy, but the coming back at nigh and walking through no-body's land --the part in between both countries-- was a little terrifying, specially if you watched to many movies! ;)You are walking through empty space, and you know there are armed people on both sides, from different sides, and you have the lights on you.

The view is breathtaking, how the light travels through the mountains, the long walk, the beautiful people, everything is amazing, superb, out of this world.

Of course there are stories and I took pictures, but some places you just have to see in person.

Let me just tell you about the awesomeness of sitting in the middle of it and some some arguile with the natives. Seeing them run and jump around like nothing because this is their backyard, when all of us "tourists" get tired or it takes us an hour an a half to climb through mountains when it takes them 25 minutes. And the long walk back through the mountains. The camels.

It is incredible! but next time I want to camp with the Bedouins and stay to see the beautiful sky.

(I am short on words today, but it was truly one of the best trips ever)

I ♥ TLV (part I)

Tel Aviv

Let me condense all of my days in TLV, before and after other days in this post. I will talk about each day with their photos, but the days are not one after the other completely.


What can I tell you about Tel Aviv? It is a city, The City, although it is small, and by small I mean smaller than Mexico City or NY, probably a little bigger than Ventura, but it feels like a city. The life in it is of a City, and I lo ve It.

There are places that open 24hrs, there are different museums (although I haven't gone to one, and I don't really plan on going to one), big huge malls, live streets, live performances, big concerts, shuks! (lot's of them markets), it is also by the beach and has a nice walk, and it has Yaffo (the old city).

My days here have been fun, lot's of walking and some resting; you know me I lo ve a Ci ty.

Remember in TLV I am staying with F and his roommates D and IF, so we talked about F and D, so here goes IZ. He's been living in TLV for all his time here, so he is my guide. In stead of exact drawings like D, he tells me where I have to go, kind of writes in a funny way the direction and starts talking about much more, I am not going to lie, it is a bit confusing, and then I write the rest of it. Why is it kind of writing directions? Because he tells me to walk out of the house and take a left and then walk to the sea and then in stead of telling me whether to turn right o left he tells me to walk with the sea at my left or right; so it is not problematic but it is kind of funny. Or take the bus that goes that way, up, or something. But I got places to visit and so I go...

First day I went toward Yaffo (sea to my right) and on the beautiful walk there was a pigeon man:

Continued and a man started chatting with me, we sat down and talked for a couple of hours, then I continued my walk.

Let me talk about the cats, million of cats on the streets. The story says that there was a rat problem when the British governed Israel (no pun intended, I think) and to put an end to it, they brought the cats. They took care of the rat problem, but left one of cats.

I went to the Shuk ha Pishpishim (El mercado de las pulgas), literally the Flea Market. And it is, indeed. And the clock tower and so on. Walked and walked and walked. I still have time so I decided to go to one of the museums and saw my guide "indications" and it said that bus #24 takes me to some museums and #25 takes me to others,  I looked around and discovered a stop for the bus winner #25. So I crossed the street and when the bus came I took it. Now let me explain to you how it works, every time I am in new place I make my best to be part of it and know my directions, because the only way to probe you are a native is when you can solve other peoples direction problems. So I take the bus and I am waiting for my stop, which I don't really know which one it is, but it should take me to some of the know places and I could figure it out, because I also didn't asked the driver to tell me when we got to my stop. So I wait, and wait, and wait; and don't recognize anything, so I move closer to the stop names on the glass, trying to look that I actually know where I am going but just curious to see how much longer. And let's remember I have no idea where I am going. To make the story short, when I realized I took the wrong bus, it was before the last stop. So I get out of the bus and can't find the bus that goes back. So I call F and ask him which buses go to his house, he tells me the simpler way is to find the #25 that goes back. I look for it, and finally get to it, and the zone doesn't look so pretty or the people, and it takes 15-20mns for the bus to get there, with of course the same driver. I take my seat and let the drive back flow. I try to figure out where do I want to get out, and saw some familiar names, I decided not to go directly to the museum (which was my first direction on the first bus, an hour or so before) and take a walking through one of the shuks or the Rabin plaza. The shuk gets here so I get off and walk around, ask for directions and a nice walk after I get home finally on time for dinner...

Day 2

I walk around, went to כיכר רבין the plaza where the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin occurred on November 4, 1995.

Not much more, walked to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, but just went to the gift store, and looked through books. Saw some skaters. And keep walking.



to be continued....

More stories: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv

Long has passed since my last post and much has happened since...


Let me begin:

Sunday I traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with an old friend whom I had long no see, we'll call her Sire, and so we spend almost the whole afternoon together, it was really good catching up with her, for she had a flight on Monday and it will be long again before we re-encounter ourselves.

We were waiting for the time where my other good friend --whom also I hadn't seen for almost a year or so-- whom we'll call F. He was coming to meet us, and then I was going to go stay at his house.

As we were sitting and talking about nothing special, someone stands next to us, half smiling and starts talking to me, at first expecting to hear Hebrew I did not understand a word, and I came to realize, much to my surprise that this person was F. Jumping up and smiling back we hugged and he will never forgive me for not recognize him! But what can I say he has changed a lot since I saw him last. :)

Something I forgot to mention is that my second day in Israel I finished reading the novel and now I needed something new; I don't think I could survive the rest of my time and flights without a book. And I knew I could trust in F for a new booking adventure!

We went to have dinner and talking about books I asked him what he was reading and he talked about this fantasy series he was reading, a great book. And he pointed me into bookstores directions, but knowing that I hadn't make a choice on to what to read I left them for other day. We went to his home, which I may say it is amazingly located!

While getting myself settled I asked to see the book he is reading, he gives me a big book --the ten books are within it-- named The Great Book of AMBER. So I start reading it, to see if it is interesting enough to get it................. so time passed and I am still reading, confused, interested and wondering, when I hear: (give or take words and translation)
-So I am left without a book, aren't I?
-Haha, I believe so.
-Really? I am left without it?
-If you insist! :)
-It is the first paper book I get in a while, and you are telling me I am left without it?
-It is very interesting! I want to keep reading it! haha
.......
-Ok, let me see where I left it, I'll get an paperless version.
-Do you want it back?
-No, it's okay, you can have it, just let me see where I left it.
-Thank you! (it didn't take him long to convince me about it, the book is really good!)
.....
-I can't believe you took my book.
-Are you sure you don't want it back?
-I am sure, but that was a great strategy from you. "Can I see what you are reading?" Smart! Very smart.
-I swear it wasn't a strategy! I didn't think you were going to give me your book, but I trust your taste in them. I was really looking to see what should I start reading. I was planning on buying it.
...
-So how are you liking your book?
-Your book? It is really good!
-It is your book!
-Thank you! :)

And so with more words that anything, this is the story of how I got a new book, which is very amazing one!!! (I finished the first book already!)

And that was Sunday... More or less. Also that day one of the roommates of F, let's call him D, had lived in Jerusalem made me a map because I was going next day with Ana Luz --a Mexican girl I met through Igal's friends-- we were to meet at the train in TA and then take a bus to Jerusalem. So D drew some maps and places to go and visit.


Now let's get to the stories and the photos...

Monday I embarked into the journey, a bit early but not do much, a bus and then to the trains to wait. Ana got there and so we got the other bus and we were on our way.

Jerusalem is a beautiful and amazingly photographic city.

So let us start at the beginning with the end and then jump to the middle... (you will figure this out, no worries!)


Bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Then bus to  שער יפו‎.

We get our tickets to Migdal David, for the 7pm show. This is an amazing light show in the middle of a migdal-like-castle for the other speakers. It is beautiful and it tells the story of Jerusalem. Now remember the fireworks and lake show at the end of the day on Disney? It is something similar, pretty cool, isn't it? Well it is. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

We make our way through the shuk, this is always interesting.

Then we get some bread, cooked there, delicious. And then following the map the great tourist guide D drew, we turn left on the shirt store and we get to the Santo Sepulcro. You can feel the emotion of the people, the believers.

 

We continue our journey to the כותל המערב or Western Wall. We find our way there. I haven't been there for 10 year, which needless to say it is a really long time; going back and being there it is surreal, I don't think I have words in any language to express myself. Let the pictures tell this part of the story.

 

And being a holy place there are people praying and bar-mitzva kids.

It is a very emotional place not only due to the holiness of it but because of the emotions in the people there.

We walked around the city and the outsides, some food and coffee. We get to know each other a little more and talk about our recent trips. In the meanwhile some interesting moments around us. And get beautiful golden hour on the golden city, you can not imagine the intensity and beauty of it, but hopefully the pictures will get you an idea.

There are also the tunnels, excavations, because the majority of it is hidden underground. Now while we waited for the tour to start and walking around I hear my name being called, which taking in consideration that I am more than miles and oceans away from most of the people that I know, and without knowing that anybody would be there it was a strange feeling; naturally I turned and saw a friend of mine and his wife, recently married and on his honeymoon. It was a funny but nice surprise and so the 4 of us went into the tunnels together. A little catching up and some memories.

The tour takes you through it, and it tells you the stories within the layers of it all. When we got out of it, on the other side it was night and soldiers took us back.

 

After that we go back to the beginning, Migdal David...

Then we make our way to a friends cousins house, where she gave us shelter for the night. Raquel is an amazing woman and it was really great to stay there.

The next day.... We still have a long way to go, so hold on and let us continue...

There is another interactive exhibit by the Western wall, at the "The Generations Center. Glass and lights. Now the best way to explain it in words is taking it from them "Visitors will enjoy a moving experience that relates the fascinating story of the Jewish people throughout the generations. This story takes us through 3,500 years- from exile to statehood, from destruction to rebuilding, and from crisis to hope."

A last look to the Kotel for now....

Yad Vashem the Holocaust Museum.

This was a very important stop for me, because of the documentary "Healing Hands", Me and Jess been working on for the last 6 months. So you get the emergency and excitement to go, and it has changed a lot for the last 10 years.

So we head to the light train. And a security guy from there runs past us and stops there, at the train stop. There are more security guys, all of them agitated. So I asked around an old guy standing there and they tell me there is an unidentified bag on the stop. So they come and go, yell at everybody that wants to walk through (and on their defense they didn't notice the situation.). So we wait for a little while and finally false alarm they let us through. We get our tickets and wait for the train. Great ride and we get there, I have been thinking about this for a long time. All the emotions and all the pain and excitement, all of it together in one place. Yad Vashem.

We walk through it, taking our times, reading, listening, crying, breathing... They recreated a the streets of Warsow, with real stones and benches. Testimonies. Shoes. Memories. Pain, so much pain. No pictures inside. But you get out of the museum and the view, the amazing view at sunset, it is breathtaking, specially after the intensity of the walk.

We go to the library, archives and I find it, Maria's story, the amazing survivor whom I worked with for the documentary. And I talk to the guy there to send my documentary, he is more than helpful and grateful for the story and the willingness. It is an exciting moment, to be able to contribute to something that big, to that museum, the museum, to Yad Vashem.

Hours later we are on our way. Each to it's on. Ana Luz goes to Haifa and I return to Tel Aviv, the bus goes.

And now we take a breath, Tel Aviv to come...