Author Archives: Jodi

Our first Shinkansen! Kanazawa and Shirakawago – a relief from the city and into the ALPS!

JAPAN!!  Much as I want to go everywhere, Japan was never on the top of my list.  I just thought of it as “CITIES” and I’m not much of a city fan.  However,  I can’t resist a cheap flight so when the opportunity came I jumped on it.  To optimise the long distance I planned 5 weeks, figuring if there’s not enough in Japan to keep me busy, South Korea’s not that far.  Well.  Apparently in 5 weeks you can barely scratch the surface.  I was overwhelmed by the variety and choices of transportation so Sue and I decided on a self guided tour to start and get our “feet wet” in Japanese culture.  I highly recommend Inside Japan Tours.  We enjoyed a bit more luxury than we’re used to but were glad we did as without that, we would have missed out on some amazing experiences.

Just ask me about it if you’d like to learn more about the self guided tour option.

We arrived in Tokyo on October 30th and spent a few days there.

Kanazawa

November 3-5

After a leisurely breakfast we packed up, checked out and headed to the train station way too early but afraid of getting lost and missing our train. We followed the directions in our Japan “Bible” as created by Amy at Inside Japan tours. The Ginza line to Ueno and then connect to the JR line went smoothly. We asked at an information booth to be sure as the station is large (to us!) and there are a lot of trains. We wandered for a bit, then sat and waited for 1/2 hour till our train bound for Kanazawa arrived at 10:33. It departed at 10:38. Right on time 😀

Even at 200 km per hour there’s lots to see. The trees were just starting to show their autumn colours.as the landscape changed from city to farms, towns and mountains.

After checking into the Daiwa hotel, we went walking through the Omi-cho market and to the Kanazawa castle and gardens. We spent a few hours there as the place is huge. By then we were starving and found a place nearby that served ramen. We raced back to the castle to see the light show over the garden which was different and really nice. By the time we walked back to the hotel our beds were calling us.

Kanazawa castle

Kanazawa castle

Breakfast at the Daiwa Roynet is excellent and kept us full most of the day. We got a day pass on the loop bus and did the whole thing before deciding where to get off. A walk along the river was nice and included a sign language conversation with a man trying to photograph a heron then a bit later, a man feeding ducks. Back on the bus we alighted at the Kenrokuen gardens.

Kenrokuen gardens

Kenrokuen gardens

Kenrokuen gardens

Massive old tree. Branches are propped up rather than trimmed

Kenrokuen gardens

Kenrokuen gardens

 

A few more hours were spent there before we headed back to the train station.

There we found the Mori Mori sushi restaurant which had a huge line up waiting to get in. A nice lady showed us how to take a number and we went and sat with the rest. Of course they were calling numbers in Japanese. Hmmm. A young man next to us didn’t speak English but he used his phone to show us the number they had just called. Between him and the lady on the other side waiting for our number as well as their own, we knew we wouldn’t miss our turn.

The wait was worth it. After seating us at the conveyor belt, the waiter gave us a sheet of instructions in English. Perfect! No one spoke English but who needs it when sign language works and they’ve got instructions! We picked things off the belt and ordered a few from the ipad and enjoyed a wonderful assortment of sushi until we were stuffed. The bill came to about $37 CAD. Not bad!

We wandered the mall for a bit, noting the Japanese fashions of long skirts, baggy pants and over sized sweaters. Everyone dresses so nicely! We feel sloppily dressed but no one seems to notice or mind.

That was a 22,000 step day but my feet didn’t hurt as badly. Either I”m getting used to it or the walk on the grass along the river helped.

 

Loving the public toilets

Shirawaka-go

November 5. The Daiwa allowed us to store our bags there after we checked out and we set out to find the Samurai village. My phone app said we were close and I must have looked confuses as a kindly Japanese man said “Konichiwa” and pointed “Samurai house”. Nice. We walked about on our own and then noticed a small tour group whose guide was speaking English so I nonchalantly followed them. That worked until they found their bus. Then we were on our own again to wander.

Samurai soldier’s home

School field trip. We saw lots of these. All the kids wear matching hats. Great idea

Bags back in hand we headed to the bus station where we boarded the bus to Shirakawa-go. That was one of the smoothest bus rides I’ve ever been on. The scenery changed to farm land and then we climbed up the alps, mostly through tunnels but the views when outside were spectacular.

The walk to the Wadaya Inn was straight up hill about 1.3 km. This is why we try to pack light.

A man who spoke no English greeted us warmly and we checked in. He showed us our room and gave us a map, pointing out how to walk to the village to see the Gassho-zukuri houses

We quickly dumped our bags and set off as it was already almost 3 oclock and we didn’t want to walk back in the dark. The first couple kilometres were straight up hill to the view point where you can see over the whole village. Then we walked down, down, down into the village and enjoyed looking around. The place was crawling with tourists but it was still nice and quiet and the village is beautiful.  The autumn colours were just beginning in the tops of the nearby mountains.  I couldn’t stop snapping photos!

Shirakawago

Shirakawago

Shirakawago

Innovative way to keep drinks cold

Shirakawago

We managed to get back to the Inn by 5 pm and had some down time before dinner. A lovely woman came and told us it was dinner time and we sat on the floor on cushions at the low table to eat the wonderful meal she had prepared. She explained what some of it was. All was delicious.

Back in our room the man had laid out our beds and later came in with a hot water bottle. That was an amazing treat that stayed hot ALL night!

 

Japanese style room. Futons on tatami mats. Actually quite comfortable!!
Amazing Japanese dinner!

Cahuita. Caribbean Costa Rica! Just the grandkid and me

The Costa Rica adventure with my grand daughter continues.  She’s graduating high school this year and I’d promised since she was little that one day she’d come with me.  This is it!  We started with a couple of days in San Jose. That post is here: San Jose, Costa Rica. The beginning of a great trip!

Next we we did a G Adventures trip called Trek Hidden Costa Rica which was a fantastic experience.  The jungle home stays post can be found here: Trek Hidden Costa Rica. Into the jungle we go!

Next we spent some time in the Pacific coastal towns of Dominical and Uvita. That post can be found here:  Dominical & Uvita beaches plus cave dwelling at Daimonte. Costa Rica has everything!

Now we’re going to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to see how that differs from the Pacific side and enjoy some relaxation and down time.  HAHA!

Wednesday, March 27.

The taxi driver I’d arranged for picked us up promptly at 7 and Nicole joined us. He brought us to the bus station and even helped us buy tickets. We hugged Nicole goodbye as she was heading to the other coast via a different bus line. We took the Mepe line to Cahuita.

The taxi driver had warned us that construction on the highway meant it was going to take longer to get to Limon which would be our bathroom break. It did take a good 4 hours so we were thankful to take his advice on limiting liquids and bringing snacks.

The 3.5 hour drive took closer to 5 hours altogether. That’s okay as some of the views were amazing. At one point we were high in the cloud forest, then wound down slowly and enjoyed the views along the way. Occasionally a vendor would board the bus selling some kind of snack, water or even trinkets.  I love taking local buses. It gives me a bit of a look into the lifestyle of the local residents.

Once in Cahuita we started walking in the direction I thought the Cabinas Palmer Makanda was. I was checking my phone (maps.me is an invaluable app!) when a woman on a porch asked what we were looking for. When I told her she graciously pointed in the direction we should go and told us what to look for. So kind!

Once we’d settled in we headed for the national park, only a 5 minute walk away. In no time we’d seen Capuchin monkeys and a sloth sleeping in a tree. It was hot so we spent the rest of our time jumping waves and enjoying the beach.

Next we walked about the little town and quickly got the lay of the land. Signs pointing to Playa Negra intrigued us so we headed that way. We’ve already learned that when people seem to be just standing there staring up at a tree, it’s likely a sloth. There’s one in the tree just outside Round beach. 😉  Playa Negra was Ariel’s first time seeing a black beach. The swimming was fun and we watched some surfers before the sun started to go down and we headed back to town.

Trip advisor suggested El Cangrejo Loco so we thought, why not? It was happy hour so we decided to splurge on a daquiri and a margarita. Then the power went out. I asked our waiter (pretty sure he’s also the proprietor) if we could still get dinner and he said “No problem, we use gas!” Cool. Turns out it was only out for 10 minutes so we lucked out. It was kind of nice being in the dark. It was quiet too as all the music stopped.

squirrel on the beach in Cahuita national park

That’s a big nut for a little squirrel

green lizard

This little fellow stood and posed for me in Cahuita national park

Playa Negra

Playa Negra at sunset

Sloth and baby in Cahuita National park

Sloth and baby in Cahuita National park

Howler monkey in Cahuita national park

Howler monkey in Cahuita national park

A mermaid on the beach

A mermaid on Playa Negra

Thursday

I got Ariel up shortly after 6 am so we could get in the park early. Cahuita National park operates on donations only so I made sure to bring some money. The trail goes one way to Puerto Vargas so we turned around about 15 minutes past Cahuita point. There were portions of the trail where the mosquitoes were horrible. Of course that’s where we saw a troop of howler monkeys. No stopping to take pictures or enjoy them or we’d get eaten alive!

By 10 am we were starving so we popped into the Soda Kawe and enjoyed a delicious typical breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs and plantain. Ariel had a strawberry smoothie. Yum!

Ariel did some souvenir shopping and we spent an hour or so relaxing at the hotel. Then we headed back to the black beach as we really liked it there.

Dinner was a Ricky’s bar. I had a really good heart of palm salad and Ariel said her chicken fingers were the best she’d ever tasted.

Sand creations on Playa Negra

Friday

I let Ariel sleep in until 7 am. Nice huh? We had purchased breakfast food so ate at the hotel which has a nice kitchen we can use and the coffee’s always on.

Kendry showed up on a motorcycle to take us to the marina where his boat is docked. Ariel wasn’t so sure so I went first. He dropped me off then went back for her. A couple from France and two girls from Germany joined us as we went by boat to the National Park for snorkeling. It’s easily accessible from shore but it’s forbidden to go without a guide. The snorkeling was okay. The water was a bit murky but the highlight was when I thought I spotted a stingray and hollered at Ariel to come. When I looked back down I realized it was 3 nurse sharks thrashing around, not a ray. Cool!

Kendry cut up some pineapple and bananas after snorkeling.  They were so fresh and delicious!  Needless to say we weren’t that hungry for lunch so …. ICE CREAM!   There’s a shop near the park entrance that has amazing ice cream.  So. Go to Cahuita National Park and afterwards DEFINITELY stop for ice cream.

Later we decided to walk to the Playa grande, then realized it was further than we thought so back to the black beach. In our wanderings there we found 4 different trees with sloths in them. Of course they were sleeping. That’s what sloths do best.

Back in town we had dinner at Luisa’s and that was good too. Afterwards we stopped at a shop to rent bikes for the next day. This could be interesting.

SHARK!

Saturday.

Apparently Friday is party night in Cahuita. They kept it up until 3 am. I slept through the loud music but when people left the bars they certainly didn’t use their indoor voices for conversations.

I was up early anyway and let Ariel sleep until almost 8 when I got sick of waiting. I made a run to the bus station for tickets to San Jose. Finally around 9:30 am we left on the bikes for the Playa Grande which is about 4 km out of town. The road is stony and hard on delicate bums that haven’t ridden a bike in a lonnnngg time.

I walked up and down the beach but saw no sign of turtles. Kendry’s buddy told us he’d seen a giant leather back laying eggs a couple of days previous.  I sure would have to liked to see THAT!

The Tree of Life Sanctuary has tours every day at 11 am so we made sure to be there then. Patricia showed us all the animals, some plants and gave a very informative talk about all of it. It’s also a botanical garden that encourages wildlife to stop as well. The aim is always to release the animals but it’s not always possible, especially when the animal is a former pet.  It’s illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet in Costa Rica but of course, some folks don’t get it and think keeping a monkey will be fun.  Until it’s not.  Patricia’s love for Costa Rica and its natural resources is obvious in everything she does.

After going back to town for ice cream, we spent the rest of the day touring on the bikes, swimming at the Playa Negra and then dinner at Ricky’s bar since Ariel is in love with their chicken fingers. Weirdo

Sunday

I’d booked the 8 am bus hoping to get a good night’s sleep as tomorrow is an early flight. No such luck. Barking dogs woke us up periodically through the night. Even ear plugs don’t work for that.

We finished up the food we had for breakfast and walked to the bus stop. This one was early!

Once in San Jose, I was prepared to walk to the Station Wagon bus stop but a taxi driver convinced me to take a ride as, it being Sunday and shops closed, pick pockets were rampant with the lack of police presence. I don’t know if it was true but it was just a $5 ride.

For $3 we took the bus to Alejuela. There we could walk to the Casa Lapa guesthouse. Total transport for 2 from Cahuita to Alejuela, about $20.

Ariel REALLY wanted McDonald’s so we headed off to find one and stumbled upon a LOT of festivities. Apparently El Tope Nacional was in town. People riding horses that DANCE. There were hundreds of them. There was lots of loud music and drinking. Even those RIDING were drinking. The only sober folks seemed to be the police who were also on horseback and walking.

Next was my choice. The Tocumen Mexican ice cream store was a half hour walk in the other direction. You really need to go there when visiting Alejuela. The ice cream is amazingly good.

We wandered some more, observing more festivities and trying to stay out of the way. Then spent the evening in the guesthouse where I chatted with a young man visiting from Switzerland looking for recommendations.

The room was hot and stuffy so we didn’t sleep well and 4:30 am came early. By 5:15 am we were at the airport ready to board our first flight.

The trip home involved 2 stops that went totally according to plan.  How weird is that?  All in all, it was a great trip.  I’m hoping it opened Ariel’s mind to the opportunities there are to travel, learn and experience this wonderful planet.

Playa Grande

Playa Grande

Ariel and her friend

Ariel and a new friend

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Dominical & Uvita beaches plus cave dwelling at Daimonte. Costa Rica has everything!

Costa Rica with my grand daughter continues.  She’s graduating high school this year and I’d promised since she was little that one day she’d come with me.  This is it!  We’re going on a G Adventures trip into the jungle.  We started with a couple of days in San Jose. That post can be found here:  San Jose, Costa Rica. The beginning of a great trip! Next we joined our group doing Trek Hidden Costa Rica.  The jungle home stays post can be found here: Trek Hidden Costa Rica. Into the jungle we go!

We arrived in Dominical to the luxurious Rio Mar Villas after 3 different home stays in the jungle.  A pool and luxury for 2 nights is very welcome!

Friday, March 22, 2019

Most of us met in the lobby by 7 am to hire taxis to take us to the Baru Nature reserve where we hired a guide to show us the park. David didn’t disappoint. We managed to see several creatures, including the white face monkeys and 3 toed sloths.

The taxi dropped us off in town and Ariel and I explored the quaint village and walked the beach. Lunch was at the “Delicious Cafe” They didn’t lie. It was really good.

After walking back to the hotel we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the bit of luxury we’ll be getting on this trip.

So what do you think is my best side?

Is this my good side?
Hello?

Baru nature reserve

Beach at Dominical

Saturday.  The journey to Diamonte with Pacific Journeys

The bus was ready for our luggage by 7am so we loaded it up and went for breakfast. By 7:40 am we were on the road, ready for our waterfall adventure. At the home of Diego, Mano’s brother we did last minute preparations for the hike, including waiver signing and boarded the back of a pick up truck.

Then came the hike. 2 km up hill. I mean UP hill. The first kilometre was mostly steps which doesn’t sound too bad but they’re quite steep, uneven, twist and turn and you really have to tread carefully. Well, I did anyway. I’m paranoid of falling.

After about an hour we stopped at a plateau where they’ve set up a beautiful garden with fruit trees and a vegetable garden. Diego explained what the various plants were and we tried several. The most interesting were the magic berries that change your taste buds. A sour mango tastes sweet after eating a berry. It’s really weird.

The second half wasn’t as difficult although still mostly up. The last bit we climbed down, then up again to the cave, our accommodation for the night. One of the ladies had picked things from the garden on the way and that was part of our lunch. YUM!

After a bit we headed upwards again. This time about a 40 minute hike ended at a swimming hole. The water was so nice and cold! Some jumped from the waterfall, a 7 metre jump that looked way too high for me. Even Ariel did it.

Then the hike back down. I almost stepped on a BIG snake that skittered out of my way. We later learned it was a pirate snake and not poisonous.

A bit later Gorge told us to get ready for the sunset hike. By then, I’d had enough of the steps and Ariel wasn’t keen on going so we opted out and instead wandered the area taking pictures while Ariel sketched.

Dinner was the most delicious spaghetti I’ve had for a long time along with garlic bread and salad.

Afterwards they started a fire and some roasted marshmallows. By 9 pm I was ready for bed and apparently not the only one as within a half hour pretty much everyone was asleep.

See the cave behind the waterfall?

Sleeping area
Kitchen
The cave
Dinner!
Beds are remarkably comfortable

View from the kitchen

A great place to sit and draw

The swimming hole!

 

Sunday

You don’t sleep late in a cave. I was awake around 4:30 so I just read my book until others started stirring. After packing up our stuff, putting away sleeping bags and having a really good breakfast, they started suiting up for rappelling. Ariel, Gorge and I stepped up to be official photographers. Jumping off a cliff on a rope is nowhere near my bucket list. There were a few in the group who were terrified yet did it anyway. Lili was in tears at one point but she ROCKED it. I was so proud of her. I have great admiration for those who don’t let fear stop them from doing scary things that just might be FUN. Way to go Lili! She may never do it again but now she KNOWS she CAN as she DID.

The trek back down the hill wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Trekking poles really help. I stopped a lot for photos and to enjoy the view. We had seen a group of howler monkeys while coming up the hill and today we heard them coming down but couldn’t find them in the trees.

RAPPELLING!!

 

This little guy startled me!

Just hanging around

At the bottom we waited for the pick up truck to get us then back to Diego’s home for a water refill and bathroom break, loaded the luggage on the bus and left for Uvita.

It was too early for check in but kindly the hotel Luz de Luna had the rooms ready and let us check in. We quickly cleaned up a bit and changed out of our smelly, sweaty clothes then headed for town for lunch. I arranged for a tour for the next day and we bee lined for the national park.

Uvita beach is gorgeous. It goes on for miles. Ariel, Nicole and I stripped down to swim suits and made for the waves. SandyLu watched our things for us. The water was wonderfully warm and the waves so much fun. Soon the rest of the group joined us. After wandering a bit we walked the 3 km back to the hotel to clean up for dinner.

Monday, March 25

Doesn’t everyone who takes a teenager on vacation wake them up at 4:30 am? She’s not complaining either!

Sandy Lu, Fred, Nicole, Gorge, Ariel and I were picked up at 5 am and driven to the river for a kayak trip through the mangroves. We didn’t see much wildlife but the kayaking was nice. While waiting for our ride we were treated to a sighting of several scarlet macaws. Gorgeous birds!

Lots to see in the trees

The tide is going down so more roots are exposed

A beautiful early morning kayak trip in the mangroves

Scarlet macaws

toucan

Sandy Lu, Ariel and I found a nice place for a hearty breakfast then headed to the beach to check out the whale tail since it was now low tide. At the end of the tail, Sandy Lu kindly watched our bags and puttered on the beach while Ariel and I went snorkeling. We saw a few nice fish including parrot fish, trigger fish, assorted cyclids and some puffer fish.

Next we headed off to Ariel’s surfing lesson. It was just her and a nice young couple from Sweden. Diego was excellent instructor and she got up on the second try. After 2 hours of constant surfing she finished the lesson exhausted but happy with her accomplishment. She may be hooked!

Diego drove us back to town and Sandy Lu treated us to an ice cream for the walk back to the hotel. Some of the others joined us for some pool time before we hit the showers and cleaned up for dinner.

Uvita has it all.  Snorkeling, surfing and wave jumping.  Fun for everyone!

The whale tail at low tide. At high tide it’s under water.

Interesting patterns in the sand

Beautiful beach at Uvita

Tuesday March 26

I was awake early and hoping to catch up on emails but the wifi, down the night before was STILL not working. Annoying.

Some of the others were going to a waterfall and I asked if I could join them. Ariel didn’t want to go so I left her at the hotel to rest. We enjoyed the delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel and set off. By the end of the 1/2 hour walk we were dripping with sweat and the water looked inviting. I’d already packed and, since the walk was a last minute decision, didn’t have my swim suit on. Some of the others jumped in and it looked so inviting. The jump was about 12′ and looked REALLY scary but I did it. TWICE! Yay me!

Apparently you can slide down the bigger waterfall.  Check out this video if that’s your thing. It’s been so dry that we weren’t sure how safe it was (as in, how much would I HURT myself?!).  Later we noticed others doing it so I guess it was okay.  Jumping was adventurous enough for me!

The walk back was even hotter but being dripping wet made it more comfortable. I cleaned up, showered, pack my wet things in a plastic bag and we walked to the bus station where we enjoyed an ice cream before boarding the bus for San Jose.

The ride was scenic and quite enjoyable. It stopped at a snack bar about half way for a bathroom break and to get food if needed. The excitement there was a spiny lizard in a bathroom garbage pail. I tried moving it but it jumped at me so I squealed and jumped. Another girl (probably thinking I”m a wimp) tried and had the same reaction when it jumped at her. Next thing you know he was skittering all over the place. I just went and did my business and hoped the little fellow got away safely.

Back in San Jose, Ariel and I went to a grocery store for bus food for the next day. Our last dinner together as a group was really nice and we said good bye to everyone. They’re a great bunch and we had a lot of fun together.

Trek Hidden Costa Rica. Into the jungle we go!

This time I’ve taken my grand daughter with me.  She’s graduating high school this year and I’d promised since she was little that one day she’d come with me.  This is it!  We’re going on a G Adventures trip into the jungle.  We started with a couple of days in San Jose. That post can be found here:  San Jose, Costa Rica. The beginning of a great trip!

Sunday, March 17

It’s Sunday so a lazy day is allowed. We slept in then went looking for breakfast. The Soda we wanted to visit was closed so we found a 24 hour one. The menu made me realize I need more practice on the restaurant category in duolingo. Oh well. Sign language works and our waiter was very kind. We ate and it was good.

This tour was sold out so there’s 16 people altogether.  They look like a nice group of Swiss, English, several Canadians, Germans and even a young man from Saudi Arabia.  Strangely no Aussies!

The whole group got into taxis and met at the bus station where we boarded a local bus headed for Isidro. Once we left the city the ride was gorgeous. Switchbacks took us higher and higher until we were at 3800 metres above sea level. Then the ride back down the other side had us passing through 35 different eco systems and types of forest.

Almost 4 hours later we arrived at Isidro and after checking in realized there was a pool. Ariel I quickly changed and headed down. Later most of the rest of the group joined us. They’re going to be a fun bunch.

After dinner at a local restaurant we repacked our bags to prepare for our 3 night sojourn into the jungle.  We’re bringing only what’s absolutely necessary as we have to carry it. 5 am comes early!

Monday, March 18

By 5:30 am we were on a bus headed for Isidro. There we met with two pick up trucks. We piled in the backs that were fitted with two bench seats down the sides and headed for Brujo. Some tried to take photos as the views were spectacular but it’s pretty hard to do.

In Brujo a group of ladies prepared us a delicious breakfast of eggs, gallo pinto (the rice and beans you get with every meal), tortillas and pancakes along with mangos and pineapple. With full bellies we set off to start the hike. The first hurdle was crossing the river. Everyone else had to take off their shoes and socks. I was SO glad I wore my tevas as walking across those rocks looked very painful for my tender tootsies that are always shoed.

From there the walk was pleasant but the temperature started to rise and I was sweating in no time. Around 10 am we started up the red hill, affectionately known as “inferieno rojo” or “hell hill” It’s a kilometre straight up an incline that isn’t found anywhere you’d need to use a snow plow. Apparently the shortest time anyone’s done it is 15 minutes and some take 1.5 hours. Ariel and I were last and we did it in 40 minutes. By the time I reached the top I felt nauseated. That was one TOUGH walk! There’s no way to drink enough water to keep with what we lost in sweat.

Next we had to go down. That wasn’t much better. The loose scree made it slippery and at one point I did end up falling and scraping my knee. Ouch!!

At the bottom we stopped and ate lunch that was delivered to us by a young man on a horse. Our sandwich was wrapped in banana leaves and was warm and very tasty.

Climbing Infierno Rojo

considering alternate transportation?

A TOuGH climb in the glaring sun

Gorge pouring refreshing water on her head. Ahhhh that feels GOOD!

Crossing the river to the Lopez home

Onward and upward then down and up and down some more and we finally reached our first homestead. We crossed the walking bridge to the river and immediately went for a swim. No changing necessary. The clothes were dripping wet from sweat anyway. The Savagre River was a welcome treat and completely revitalized me.

The Lopez family greeted us warmly and we all introduced ourselves. Flora and her grand daughter made us some delicious pineapple juice which was incredibly refreshing. There was a room for the girls and one for the boys and two of the couples got their own rooms. The Lopez’s raised 18 children in the house so there was plenty of room.

After exploring the area for a bit, we sat down to coffee and some incredibly tasty hot cocoa. Some of us combined them and enjoyed cafe mocha.

The house is open and the massive rocks incorporated into. Facing the river is a huge rock just in front of the kitchen that was great to climb up on and watch bird.

Dinner was cooked on a wood stove and the salad was made with fresh veggies from the garden in the yard.

Bathrooms at the Lopez home

 

Rock incorporated into the building

Tuesday;

Even with earplugs the rooster woke me up. He crowed off and on all night but by 5:00 am it was really time to get up. Flora, our hostess, was already busy in the kitchen, cooking breakfast over the wood stove.

I wandered about for a while and watched one of the sons milking the cow before breakfast of gallo pinto, etc. Next we participated in the juicing of sugar cane. While it boiled in a wood fed stove thing, a few of us hiked to the river for a swim. A couple hours later we were back at the sugar shack where the juice had been sufficiently reduced to a paste to make candy, peanut brittle and brown sugar.

Back at the house where Flora had again been busy cooking, we enjoyed lunch, then packed up for the hike to the next house. It started to rain but it felt wonderfully cooling in the heat. By the time we reached the Grandoza home I was soaked and didn’t care.

Time to leave the Lopez home. Such lovely hosts!

 

Here we were greeted with juice and some cake then walked around the property, checking out various fruit trees, the chickens, river and fish pond where they farm tilapia.

Senor Grandoza taught us to make chocolate bread and banana bread which we’d have for breakfast the next day. We also learned the process of making cheese.

After another amazing dinner, we played Golf, a game Sandy Lou had taught us. Manos sure picked it up quickly as he won most games.

Cooking a giant squash?

That’s one BIG log!

Wednesday.

Again I was up at 5 am so wandered about until the others rose. Our breads were delicious along with the rest of breakfast. We left to tackle the Inferieno Rojo again. This time it wasn’t as bad as we were fresh and it was a little cloudy. I borrowed hiking poles from Lilly so the way down was MUCH easier. The rain helped it be a little less slippery too.

Passion fruit flower

To get to Albino and Rosa Fonseca’s home we had to cross the river on a hand pulled cable car like thing. It was a little scary and definitely interesting. The Fonsecas are a really nice, welcoming famiy and their home is wonderful. It’s completely open. There are rooms including the bathrooms in the middle and bunks on the side of them facing the river. The kitchen faces the jungle where you could watch wildlife while cooking or doing dishes.

Here we went for a swim in the river, some jumping off rocks. We learned to climb a tree with a pully system and rappel down. I wimped out but Ariel did really well.

After lunch we headed back to the river and did the traditional sauna. 10 minutes sweating in a round room heated by a wood stove, then 3 minutes in the river and repeat that 3 times. It was nice but the river was muddy as the rain had made it rise about 5 feet and stirred it up.

After dinner Albino taught us to make chocolate from the roasted cocoa beans. It was absolutely delicious!

Next we went for a wander to check out the night creatures. That’s the part I love about the jungle. The sounds are amazing.

We were all in bed by 8:30 pm. Everyone was exhausted.

Someone needs a nap

Before the rain

After the rain

Thursday

After saying good bye to the Fonsecas, we crossed the river in the cable car thingy, completed the hike out, crossing the river and climbing into trucks waiting at the other side. They took us to the meeting point where we started the trip down river in inflatable kayaks and rafts. Ariel and I opted for the raft. Since the river was low, the rapids were only class 2 and 3 so it was a pleasant ride and not so intense as some. Lunch was served on a raft flipped over to serve as a table with pineapple, sandwich fixings, and amazing guacamole.
Sorry.  No pictures as I forgot my waterproof camera.

Back in the rafts and our next stop was a waterfall which too was pretty and refreshing.

By the time we reached the end and our waiting bus, we were all sunburned no matter how much sunscreen we wore. The guides are smart to wear long sleeves, stockings and face coverings. Ariel’s hands were pretty burnt too so gloves would have been good.

We arrived in Dominical to the luxurious Rio Mar Villas. Nice! A pool and luxury for 2 nights is very welcome!

Helicopter that crashed on the zip line. All passengers survived

San Jose, Costa Rica. The beginning of a great trip!

Costa Rica March 2019

I used up the last of my aeroplan points for a flight to Costa Rica for my grand-daughter  and I. With all the changes in that program it will probably be my last. Bummer. Avianca Air fed us very well and we landed in San Jose right on time.

Michael from the Finca Escalante hostel was there to meet us as promised and directed us to the taxi driven by Warren’s (our host) brother. I love staying in locally owned, family establishments like this. Warren greeted us, we settled in and he gave us lots of information on how to see the area without spending a fortune.

After breakfast at the hostel we headed to the bus stop as per Warren’s instructions to wait for bus 307 to take us to the Irazu volcano. We waited, made some friends of other tourists waiting, waited some more and just when we’d given up and decided to do something else, it showed up. 1.5 hours late. Apparently there was an accident somewhere.

When you finally get out of the city, the bus ride is beautiful. We tried taking photos but ended up just enjoying the spectacular views. Our time at the volcano was shorter than we’d hoped but it was enough. Ariel and I split up for a bit and she managed to attract a young man to hang out with. She’s attracting a LOT of attention. Apparently she’s gorgeous.

On the way back we got off at Cartago where we walked to the Basillica of Los Angeles. This church has a lovely story in its history. You can read all about it here. Basilica of our Lady of Angels and then the Ruinas Iglesia. They’ve built a garden inside the ruins of the old church.

From Cartago we took the train to San Jose. It was standing room only but it was different and we got to see some of the back streets and neighbourhoods.

We walked back to the hostel through the university which seems like a very nice place to study. Tacos for dinner and a shower and we were done for the night.

Post Office.  People have to go there to pick up their mail

Irazu volcano

Irazu volcano

Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago

Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago

The little statue that kept moving to the creek so they built the church where it stood

Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago

Ruins in Cartago

Saturday, March 16

After a much better night’s sleep and a good breakfast enjoyed in the courtyard of the hostel, we walked to the National Theatre to meet up with a free walking tour. On the way we found a Scotia bank. Having access to a Canadian bank is wonderful.

The walking tour was excellent. We spent the next 2.5 hours following Steven all over downtown San Jose. When the tour was finished we joined him for lunch at a local diner. Then we went back and spent more time at some of the places he’d shown us. He told us the National Museum was good and had a butterfly sanctuary so we went there. After going through the whole place and not finding the butterflies I asked a guard. Nope. They let the butterflies go for the winter. Well bummer.

There was a festival going on in the National park so we walked back there and enjoyed the festivities there for a while.

Back at the hostel we sat for a bit and doctored Ariel’s toes as she’d acquired a few blisters. There was a family preparing for a wedding using a room there which was fun to watch. We picked up our bags and walked to the hotel where we would be joining our tour group. My maps.me app failed me here and we couldn’t find it. I asked a taxi driver who tried to explain but he had no English and my Spanish just wasn’t cutting it so he asked young man walking by if he spoke English. Yep. So now we had a taxi driver telling the other guy the directions so he could interpret for us. We thanked both men profusely and kept walking. Again, I was happy we packed light.

After checking in to the Boutique Hotel Casa Orquídeas we spent a couple of hours relaxing before meeting our group we’ll be spending the next 12 days with. Dinner was at a sports bar where Ariel got to have chicken fingers.  She’ll be eating plenty of rice and beans for the next while 😉

Metropolitan Cathedral of San José

View from the National Museum

National park

 

Budget itinerary for a month in Israel. You CAN do it with public transit!

Israel is an amazing place to visit and I highly recommend giving it a month if you’ve got the time.  Here I’ve included links to the accommodations we used and links to the blog posts on each stop. You can message me if interested in costs.

View from Teardrop church where Jesus wept. The only church that faces west

January 21 Montreal to February 21, 2019

Israel is a fairly expensive destination but there are things you can do to reduce costs.  It starts with a cheap flight. There are many strategies to finding those.  Several are mentioned in his blog post along with links. Tips for traveling on a budget, where to find travel deals and packing light.

Transportation. How to get around.

My friend and I succeeded in seeing a LOT of Israel in a month using only public transportation.  Renting a car has it’s benefits but the cities are very congested and we prefer not to have the responsibility of looking after a car.  Public transit is a great way to see how the locals live and we often strike up conversations with strangers.  That’s a necessity when everything is in Hebrew.  It adds to the fun!

Buses to Eilat can be purchased ahead of time but all other destinations can be paid to the driver or at the station.  More information on buses can be found here: Buses and Israel

Jerusalem

Our trip started in Jerusalem.   Ben Gurion airport is between it and Tel Aviv so either city is easily accessible.  You can take the train to Tel Aviv or a bus to Jerusalem.  We opted for the Sheirut  which is a shared van that drops you off at your accommodation.

From Jan 22-27 we stayed at the  Abraham hostel.  We had a twin bedroom with private bathroom for a reasonable price and the included breakfast is really good.  Staff are helpful and it’s only a 15 minute walk to the old city.  You can book several interesting tours with them and there’s also many walking tours available in the city.  You need to stay at least 5 days to appreciate this amazing city.  5 days in Jerusalem! The old city, Yad Vashem and Palestine!

From there we took a bus to Masada where we stayed from Jan 27-29 at the HI Massada.  It’s a little pricey and you either need to bring food or eat dinner there but it’s worth it.  The meals were excellent..  Masada, The Dead Sea and Ein Gedi

Heading to Southern Israel.  Eilat, Mitzpe Ramon, the Negev Desert and Dimona 

Bus #444 can be booked ahead of time but since the website is entirely in Hebrew, it’s difficult for us to do so.  The fellow at reception of the HI hostel was kind enough to book it for us.  If you’re going during high season you might want to purchase a ticket several days before you plan on going.  From Jan 29 to Feb 1  we stayed at the Exodus dive centre in Eilat.  Twin room with shared bathroom was really comfortable and an excellent price.

From there we took a bus to Mitzpe Ramon where we stayed at the Desert Shade Eco Camp from February 1-4.   The mud huts are comfortable and the shared bathrooms clean with great showers and HOT water.  It’s just outside of town but an easy walk to several restaurants.  If you can, try to go there between Sunday and Thursday to take advantage of their free shuttle to get to some of the hikes.

Next bus took us to Dimona where we stayed at the Negev Camel Ranch. That too was outside of town but they’re very willing to pick you up and take you back to the bus station.  You can bring food as they’ve got a great kitchen you can use, or enjoy a meal prepared by the nice people who own the place.

Southern Israel. You CAN do it by bus! Eilat, Mitzpe Ramon and the Negev Desert

Mama and two week old baby

North to Haifa

Next we took the bus to Beer Sheva and connected with a  train to Haifa.  It stops in Tel Aviv where you’ve got to switch trains but it’s not difficult and people are very helpful.  Most people in Israel speak English and are very kind to tourists.

From Feb 6-10 we stayed in the  Port Inn   That too was a great choice.  The room was comfortable, the staff helpful and breakfast was excellent.

Haifa and Akko (Acre) by train. Northern Israel and public transit

Nazareth and hiking the Jesus Trail

Nazareth  was next on our itinerary and we started at the Fauzi Azar Inn, another of the Abraham hostels.   We stayed there 2 nights before starting our hike on the  Jesus Trail with Abraham Tours.  We walked to Capurnaum which is about 65 km over 4 days and a driver took us  from there to Tiberius.

From February 15-18 we stayed at the Tiberias hostel

Tiberias, Safed, the Golan heights and Tel Aviv all on Israeli public transit

Back to Tel Aviv

From Tiberias there’s a direct bus to Tel Aviv.  When you get to the central bus station, you can take a bus to the Abraham Hostel BUT the driver doesn’t take cash.  You need to get a card.  Rather than try to figure that out we walked.  It’s about a half hour walk so if your luggage is heavy you might want to figure out how to do the bus or take a taxi.

We had an early morning flight and the hostel offers a transfer service which is really handy.

Tiberias, Safed, the Golan heights and Tel Aviv all on Israeli public transit

This is the last in a series of posts on traveling Israel by public transit.  My friend and I have covered a lot of ground in a month.  Shabbat closures make planning a challenge along with schedules in Hebrew only but if we can do it, so can you.  My only language is English.

Previous posts include: Nazareth to Capurnaum. The Jesus trail in February? Israel!

Haifa and Akko (Acre) by train. Northern Israel and public transit

Southern Israel. You CAN do it by bus! Eilat, Mitzpe Ramon and the Negev Desert

Masada, The Dead Sea and Ein Gedi

And the first post on Israel: 5 days in Jerusalem! The old city, Yad Vashem and Palestine!

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Shabbat dawned and it was wet. Breakfast at the hostel is a social affair and we enjoyed chatting, eating and enjoying several cups of coffee.

While it’s true that Israel is in desperate need of water, we really wish it would happen another time. Everything is closed for Shabbat so we were hoping to at least just walk around and along the promenade. We tried for a while but the wet, fogginess made it really unpleasant. So, having found a Shopper’s drug mart that was open to get some change, we headed back to the hostel to do a load of laundry, drink some tea and fool around on the internet. It’s kind of nice to have nothing to do for a day. I guess.

Sunday.

After breakfast at the hostel, we found the bus stop and took bus #450 to Safed, also known as Zafat or Tzfat.

There we got lost a lot but ended up seeing pretty much everything we wanted to. A lot of the artist’s shops were closed. Perhaps because it’s low season? The cheese shop Sue wanted to see was open and he invited us in to sample some of his delicious wares. I ended up buying some cheese and halva.

I’d wanted to go to Rosh Pina, so after finding out which bus to take we waited….and waited. Of course it was the VERY late one. At almost 4 pm we decided it was too late and opted for the bus back to Tiberias instead. That bus took a different route so we got to see more of the beauty of the Golan heights.

Having arrived back in the city just in time for sunset, we walked down to the lake and walked the promenade enjoying the sunset.

Since we’d had a late lunch at a falafel place in Safed, cheese and crackers made a good dinner

Fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. How appropriate!

Sunset in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee

Mosque in Tiberias

Street in Old Safed

Bullet holes from the conflict of 1948. At 900 metres it’s the highest city in Israel Defender’s square

Street in Safed or Tsfat

Tzfat, Tsfat or Safed….lots of alleys to get lost in

Tzfat, Zefat or Safed. 12th century water reservoir

Monday, February 18, 2019

After breakfast at the Tiberias Hostel, we walked to the central bus station to catch the bus to Tel Aviv. While waiting, we met a couple of men also waiting for a bus to Jerusalem. We got chatting and turns out they’re from Markham and Caledon. Pretty funny!

The Tel Aviv bus station is huge! We found the bus that was to take us to the hostel but when we went to board, the driver informed us he only takes cards, not cash. Meaning a bus card, not a credit card. Well crap. I checked my app and since it’s only 1.5 km suggested we walk rather than try to figure out how to get a card at this point.

It ended up being a “bit” longer as getting out of the bus station was a treat but we made it. Since it was too early to check in, we stored our bags and headed for the beach. There we spent the afternoon enjoying a picnic of cheese and crackers and walking…walking and walking some more. It’s a gorgeous beach and you can walk forever.

By the time we got back to the hostel, checked in and got to our room, we were pretty darn tired. A burrito across the street at the Mexican place was dinner and it was GOOD.

Tuesday

Today started with breakfast at Abraham Hostel. It’s a good way to start your day 😀

Next we made our way to the clock tower to join a Sandeman’s Free walking tour. We found out later that the hostel provides a person to guide you. That would have been nice as we did get lost a couple of times. Oh well. We see more that way.

This tour was as good as all the other Sandeman’s tours we’ve done in various cities. It’s free but you’re expected to tip. That way the tour guide does their best to provide you with an experience you want to pay for.

Afterwards we spent the rest of the day wandering around Old Jaffa, getting lost, finding things, taking pictures, checking out churches and mosques, a coffee, a gelato and an herb tea made by a man on a tricycle with a coal stove on the back.

While enjoying our tea we watched a rain storm far way on the Mediterranean, hoping it didn’t come closer as we wanted to see the sunset.

Then it started raining. So we put on our ponchos, dug out the umbrellas and walked the 2 km back to the hostel.

Too lazy to go out again later we went to the hostel bar for some nachos and the free drink we got for booking directly on their website.

Wednesday was our last day in Tel Aviv. In the morning we joined a tour to the Kibbutz Magaan Michal, a fully functioning, successful kibbutz just an hour out of Tel Aviv. It was really interesting hearing how socialism can work on a small scale. It’s not perfect but the members are happy and it works for them.

Back in Tel Aviv we walked to the beach to watch the sunset with (finally!) no rain!

Dinner was Indian night at the Abraham hostel and that was amazing!

An early night was in order as we set our alarms for 2:30 am for the shuttle to the airport. Yuck.

Place to wash just inside the city wall

This cat intends to fire this canon. He has that look

Artist Statement : Is ‘Deracinement’ the big sickness of our times? Can uprooted existence, established so definitely through international economics, communication & technology produce a new, lighter genuine aesthetic? My ‘growing sculptures’ do not try to answer these questions. They rather show a ‘rooted – uprooted’ state while going on living, much as we do, growing into an unclear future.

Old Jaffa

He was making herbal tea on the back of this trike so we bought a cup. It was delicious!

Jaffa

Kibutz Magaan Michal

Beach at the Kibbutz Mgaan Michal

Tel Aviv graffiti
Tel Aviv graffiti

 

Nazareth to Capurnaum. The Jesus trail in February? Israel!

My friend and I have succeeded in seeing a lot of Israel’s south (Eilat, Mitzep Ramon, Dimona)) by bus and now we’re up for seeing the North.  the country shuts down for Shabbat which makes it difficult but it’s workable.   It takes a bit of planning and the completely Hebrew schedules make it difficult but we did it. You can too!  We’ve found Israeli people on average very kind and helpful.  Before this exploration of Nazareth to Capurnaum we visited Haifa and surrounding area.  Find that post here.

Sunday, February 10. We packed at leisure and tarried over breakfast before heading in the rain for the stop to catch the bus to Nazareth. I watched for distance to our hostel on my favourite app maps.me and hoped we’d get closer but the driver told us we had to get off as it was the last stop. Oh well. 1.7 km isn’t a bad walk. That’s why we travel light. So, we put the back pack straps on and carry on.

The Fauzi Azar hostel is in the Abraham hostel group and a really interesting building. It was once a 19th century Ottoman mansion owned by, you guessed it, Fauzi Azar.  Google it.  It’s really nice!

We were too early to check in so we dropped our bags, had a coffee then headed out to explore. The narrow streets in old Nazareth are more like alleys that twist and turn with no apparent planning so of course we immediately got lost.

Streets of Nazareth, most of them based on donkey paths so they twist and turn everywhere

Sunday is the day everything closes in Nazareth so it was like a ghost town. The kind care taker let us in to the Greek Orthodox church, even though it was just after 1 pm when he closed. The church contains the spring at which Mary was said to have heard the Angel Gabriel tell her she was to give birth to the Saviour.

After checking in and relaxing for a bit we set out to find dinner. It was pouring and the streets get slippery when it rains. The place we wanted was closed so we went back and asked for recommendations. Street food it is! A falafel on a pita is the best thing ever around here.

Monday

We met Yefete who gave us details on what to expect when hiking the Jesus Trail, our objective for the next 4 days. After breakfast we followed the purple dots to the Nazareth village where a tour had been booked for us. We learned a lot about Jesus. The site contains excavated terraces that once grew grapes and olives and an area where grapes were pressed. The tour was interesting but the request for money to fund their project at the end kind of annoying.

Nazareth village

One of the only original things in Nazareth village. Relics of a hole where grapes were crushed and drained into another one

Nazareth village

Nazareth village. Tomb similar to one Jesus was laid

We spent the rest of the day wandering and getting lost. We tried to see the holy caves but it’s only open from 11-1 pm. Despite the fact that we arrived at 12:50 pm, it was closed.

We did manage to see Mary’s well, the Basilica of the Annunciation which is built over the cave Mary, Jesus mother lived with her family. This place is where the Catholics believe Mary was told about her pregnancy. There’s a museum there that’s interesting as well. We saw the synagogue church and the white mosque and wandered about the Souq for a while.

By this time we were hungry so we found this place called Abu Ashraf as it’s owner is a local character and the place is filled wit antiques. We asked about katayef. He said “no. You eat first. That is sweet. For later”. Okay then. He brought us Arab salad, Koba and freekeh. All yummy!!! Sorry, no pictures of the place as he has signs everywhere “NO PHOTO!”

Under the basillica, an actual cave people lived in 2,000 years ago

Basilica of the Annunciation. The cave they believe Mary, mother of Jesus lived in

Basilica of the Annunciation

Found beneath the basilica and about 2,000 years old

Monday, February 12

Day one of the Jesus trail.

Getting out of Nazareth involves over 400 steps up so we were heated up and stripping layers in no time. The trail eventually goes through a field which is the first place we got lost. The “well-marked” trail isn’t so well marked as we couldn’t find the next one. We met a young man who was having the same trouble so it wasn’t just us. Thankfully I had installed the app recommended by Theresa from Abraham Tours. Trailze pointed us in the right direction which meant we climbed a steep hill over rocks and thorn bushes but eventually found the trail back.

We met the German fellow again and he’d gone about a half hour out of his way before finding it back again.

That happened a couple more times but now I paid closer attention to the app, which sounds an alarm when you veer too far from the trail. At one point the trail came to a fence and the gate had been wired shut so there was no way out. We met the German fellow there too. We decided to follow the fence in the direction of the trail and ended up getting in the back way of Zippori National park. By then we decided it was too late to do the park justice so I sat, changed my socks and we carried on.

We’d walked through a lot of mud so our shoes were caked and my socks got wet at one point. I HATE walking in wet socks!

The trail is either surrounded by garbage or beautiful flowers. The forest walk after Zippori is gorgeous. Little yellow and purple flowers spread like a carpet. Poppies and cyclamen growing everywhere, as if someone planted them. There were lots of tulips too but they’re not blooming yet

At the end of the forest was a steady grade up and into the next village. Then came the down and the streets are STEEP. It’s so hard on your knees and toes!

Coming into Cana we went down a garbage strewn path, through a lovely olive orchard then back up to the town. It was bustling! Huge tour buses everywhere. This is definitely a tourist town!

We checked into the Cana Wedding guest house and changed into sandals then went to explore. The church built on top of the original wedding chapel where Jesus turned water into wine was interesting. They even have the original jugs.

By then we were thoroughly exhausted so headed back for a shower and to chill until dinner.

Our hostess put on an amazing spread! Even though we were REALLY hungry we couldn’t finish it all.

Poppies everywhere!

February 13, 2019

Wednesday;

We took our time as today was supposed to be an easy day. It started off pretty good and we made good time for a while. Walking through the woods is beautiful and the flowers again amazed me. All the trash along the way is really awful though. It looks like people drive in there and dispose of appliances, furniture and today we even saw a broken toilet.

The omelet sandwich at the military base was really good as was the Israeli cardamom coffee.

Then it got really interesting. The hike wasn’t terribly difficult but there were confusing areas. Crossing the major high way meant climbing down into a drainage ditch, up the other side and over the guard rail. Interesting.

After the ice cream stop at McDonalds (we do this in every country) we had to walk through a cow field and over a Roman road. Sounds nice, right? Wrong. The Roman road is a bunch of rocks strewn everywhere over the cow pasture which was wet from recent rains which meant a good portion of it we were ankle deep in cow shit. Gross!

After that we followed a path for while that met an electric fence. We walked up and down trying to find our way across. Nope.

Finally we asked a man looking after his cows. We asked about Kibbutz Lavi. He pointed. I tried to mime getting an electric shock. He laughed and said “no, okay” and mimed us going UNDER it

Okay, the fence wasn’t humming but I was taking no chances and crawled under it.

The rest of the hike was reasonably uneventful with just a bit more muck. I had changed to sandals which are washable but Sue’s hiking shoes were a mess.

Upon checkin at the Lavi Kibbutz hotel, we asked the girl if there was a place outside we could wash our shoes. I told her we’d rather not get cow manure in her nice hotel. Apparently there’s nothing so….I washed my sandals in the hotel bathtub. I managed to get all the poop out of the tub though 😀

Dinner. Wow. I’d come back to Kibbutz Lavi just for the food! I know food tastes better when you’re really hungry but this was amazing. The salads were all different and very tasty. The assortment of roasted vegetables including peppers, eggplant and sweet potato were delicious. Even dessert was awesome.

We waddled up two flights of stairs then took the elevator the rest of the way.

A bit muddy? Just before we encountered the sea of cow manure!

The herd of the shepherd who wouldn’t speak Hebrew

Cyclamen everywhere!

Looks like it’s guarding a cow pasture

That’s a bit of mud.

 

Thursday.

Happy Valentines Day!

We awoke to pouring rain and then came the thunderstorms. Breakfast at Kibbutz Lavi was almost as good as dinner so we dawdled and postponed the inevitable. We had to decide how to get to Arbel. Bus? Walk the Jesus trail? Walk another trail? The road?

At checkout the woman said “you’re not really going to WALK today, are you?” Yes. We may be nuts but we’re not quitters. The Jesus trail was out as, having studied the map, there were too many cow pastures. With this rain they’d be a SEA of poop. No thanks. There were other trails of varying lengths and then there was the road. 15 km. Boring, but do-able.

After walking along a highway as busy as our #401, I got tired of it and tried the trail running beside it. It seemed good with nice gravel base and not too much water. Then came the MUD. So much MUD! I have never seen mud like this before. It was worse than the cow poop. It cakes on your shoes and doesn’t come off. You just collect more with every step. Walk 10 metres and your shoes each weigh 10 lbs. This trail was NOT a good choice so as soon as we could, we were back on the highway.

As we approached the interchange to Arbel, the sun came out and we stopped at a gas station for a toilet and coffee. There we peeled off the poncho, put away the umbrella and I changed to sandals.

The last 5 or 6 km to the Arbel Holiday homes was quite pleasant. Orange groves called us to pick a couple but again….MUD. Olive groves were flooded too. It’s good for Israel as they’ve suffered a drought for a few years. The Jordan River is now higher than it’s ever been. Maybe all this rain with help the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

The nice surprise at our accommodations was an indoor, heated POOL! We’d intended on finding Arbel National park but the rain came back and the pool was inviting. A swim was definitely in order and just what the doctor ordered for tired feet and a sore back.

Carmel, our hostess, served us a delicious dinner in her lovely home and we chatted about the area. She kindly called Chikki, who transports our luggage, and asked him to bring us to Magdala since it’s not safe to climb down Arbel in the wet conditions. That was a wonderful help as we were trying to figure out how to do it.

People likely lived in those caves up there.

It was either walk on the road or …. THIS. Yuck.

Friday, February 15

Carmel made us a delicious breakfast and noted that we don’t eat much. What?! Even Sue has been eating more than usual with all the hiking we’re doing.

Chikki picked us up and dropped us off at Magdalena where we investigated the ruins of a first century church, discovered and excavated in 2009. It’s amazing how well preserved some of it is.

Today we didn’t even ATTEMPT the trails as the mud on the side of the roads is bad enough. It sticks to your boots and acts like cement blocks.

We wandered and got lost in the Kibbutz Ginosar. There’s a boat there that was found in the Sea of Galilee that Jesus may have used. It’s a pretty community with nice walking paths and a huge dairy farm.

There were several other stops along the way of historical importance so we didn’t reach Capurnaum until after 2 pm. It was easy to waste a couple of hours there exploring the ruins as well. We were blessed with good weather considering the rainy forecast!

Chikki picked us up and dropped us off at the hostel in Tiberias, tired, sore and ready for a shower.

Tiberias Hostel staff put on a Shabbat dinner complete with Kubush. They explained how a Jewish family would celebrate, including the ceremony, blessing of the wine and challah bread and the candles.

Peter’s Rock church in Taghba

Ceremonial bath at Magdalena

Capurnaum

Magdalena

Capurnaum

Stone over 2,000 years old in Magdalena

St Peter in Capurnaum

Monaastary at Taghba

Peter’s rock

Magdalena

Haifa and Akko (Acre) by train. Northern Israel and public transit

Sue and I are traveling through Israel using only public transportation.  We’ve succeeded in seeing a lot of the south (Previous post here) by bus and now we’re up for seeing the North.   It takes a bit of planning and the completely Hebrew schedules make it difficult but we did it. You can too!  We’ve found Israeli people on average very kind and helpful.

Previous posts on Israel: 5 days in Jerusalem
Masada, the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

I love train travel. You sit in comfort and watch the world go by. As we headed north the landscape changed from desert to greenery. What a HUGE difference! Fruit orchards, fields of crops and even trees dotted the landscape.

In Tel Aviv we had to change trains. Again, everything is in Hebrew so asking people is the only option. I recognized the time for the train so asked a lady who said “yes, this train goes to Haifa on the way to ….(somewhere I didn’t understand)” lol So we got on and hoped for the best.

A nice young man sitting next to me told me where we should get off as “Central Station” in Haifa cuts it down to 3 stops. We got off and quickly realized we should have stayed on for 2 more stops. So we just waited for the next train and got on again.

Again my wonderful maps.me app got us to the Port Inn where we were greeted by a lovely young lady named Eleanor. Her love for her home city was evident in her description of the things we should see, how to get there and places to eat. Incredibly helpful!

Our room was tiny but comfortable and the shared bathrooms clean and close by.

After quickly settling in we headed off to Fattoush on Ben Gurion Road in the rain. On the way we stopped at the mall to buy an umbrella. The weather was miserable but the food was good and comforting. A nice thing about going out to eat is the 1.5 km walk back that aids in digestion. 😉

The rest of the evening was spent planning what to do with the next few days and again, how to work around Shabbat.

Thursday.

Eleanor promised a really good breakfast and she wasn’t kidding. Good thing we walk a lot as we’re certainly not going hungry!

Back at the train station we purchased return tickets to Akko and again just asked a nice person which train it was. Even those who find English difficult are helpful. Most folks are quite fluent and very kind.

It’s almost 2 km from the station to the old city of Akko (Acre) Once there we purchased a combined ticket that covered the highlights of the city. We got lost many times and I’m sure we went down every street at least 3 times but managed to see most of it. The Templar’s tunnels,  Hospitaller Fortress, Treasures of the wall, and Turkish bath were pretty good but the Okashi Museum was pretty lame. The curator was adamant I not take photos. No problem. I wasn’t tempted.

We walked the top of the walk and the Napoleon promenade as well. All in all I was kind of underwhelmed. I found the whole thing REALLY touristy with too many “bells and whistles” in the sites. None of it looked authentic anymore with all the heaters, lights, built up paths, etc It’s too bad as the site is really amazing and definitely worth a visit but you need to see past the glitz.

Back in Haifa we stopped in the room to get a warmer coat as it gets chilly when the sun goes down, and decide on dinner. Trip Advisor it is. When in a port city you need to eat seafood so we headed for the Gold Fish. Another almost 2 km walk. Like we don’t walk enough? Oh well. We get to eat more that way. The menu was only in Hebrew so the fellow asked if we want fish and calamari. We agreed and he brought us pitas, assorted salads, hummus and tahini. Then came a big plate of fish. We both said “That’s a LOT of fish!” He just said “you’re welcome” and walked off. Next he returned with a dish of calamari and shrimp. We tried hard but could not finish it all. He finished the meal with a delicious cup of Turkish coffee. Nice!

Wall art? Just some pigeons

Surveying his domain?

Dessert anyone?

Hookah? Shisha anyone?

Old city of Akko

Templar tunnels

Fishing in the Mediterranean

Old city of Akko

View of the Mediterranean through the city wall

Graffiti?

Visitor’s centre and information

Cats are everywhere in this city. Can you find the kitty in this picture?

An interesting shop

The mosque

Inside the mosque

Turkish bathhouse

Turkish bathhouse

Friday.

Today’s adventure was the subway. After instructions from the girl at the desk we found the station and rode the train UP to the top of Mount Carmel. There we joined the free walking tour of the Baha’i gardens. The guide explained the Baha’i faith, it’s founders and the idea of the gardens. Next we watched the video presentation, then headed for the shrine to the two founding fathers.

It was very interesting but I found it kind of like propaganda. It’s a relatively “new” religion which doesn’t make it better. There’s an underlying message that they’ve improved on every other religion. However, most other religions have progressed in time too. Personally I find it’s more like a cult. The only citizens not allowed to join the faith are Israelis. Apparently it’s because they don’t want to add to the religious friction going on in the country with all they have to deal with now. But…isn’t having your main headquarters here a little hypocritical? Just my humble opinion 😉

We made our way back to the Port Inn and had a snack then headed out to find bus #1 to take us to the beach. Once on the bus we realized we were supposed to buy a ticket before boarding. Oops. I talked to the driver who, after we figured out where we were going said “it’s okay” and we sat down. He kindly gave us a free ride and told us where to get off.

There we rode the cable card up to Stella Maris and saw Elijah’s cave. Back down on the beach we walked the promenade for several kilometres then tried to find the bus back. A kind young fellow helped us buy tickets as it’s all in Hebrew.

Trip Advisor recommended a sea food place called Gold Fish so we walked there. The man asked if we wanted fish and some calamari so we said “sure, why not?” He brought us a plate FULL of fish and a dish of calamari and shrimp along with some salads. VERY GOOD!

Saturday.

Shabbat limits our options for transportation so a trip to Rosh HaNikra or Caesarea was out. We decided on the science museum Mada Tech since we could walk there and it looked like fun. It was full of families with kids but hey, we’re big kids too. It was a lot of fun!

Dinner tonight was street food. A fish shawarma. That was new. Tasted good too!

Next we head to Nazareth to start our hike on the Jesus trail.

Elijah’s cave, Haifa

Elijah’s cave, Haifa

It’s Sue’s head! Where is the rest of her?
How many Jodi’s do you see in this picture? Madatech museum, Haifa

Bahai Gardens, Mount Carmel

Bahai Gardens, Mount carmel

View from the Stella Maria on the other side of Mount Carmel

Bahai gardens on Mount Carmel

View from Mount Carmel at Stella Maris

Braver souls than me on a chilly day in the Mediterranean Sea

Southern Israel. You CAN do it by bus! Eilat, Mitzpe Ramon and the Negev Desert

Sue and I are traveling through Israel using only public transportation. Anything I’d read said you need to rent a car to see the South but neither of us likes to drive so we’re up for the challenge. It takes a bit of planning and the completely Hebrew schedules make it difficult but we did it. You can too!

Previous posts on Israel: 5 days in Jerusalem
Masada, the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi

January 29th, 2019

I was awakened at 5 am by a room-mate getting ready for her hike up the mountain. I know it’s hard to do quietly but it would have been nice if she’d turned the lights off when she left. Oh well. You can sleep when you’re dead, right?

The fellow at reception kindly purchased us tickets for the bus to Eilat as the website is all in Hebrew so it’s kind of difficult for us.

Bus #444 took us to Eilat in just over 3 hours including a 20 minute bathroom break about half way. Then a 1/2 hour walk and we found the Exodus Dive Center, our home for the next 3 days. It’s a nice guesthouse in a new residential neighbourhood with four bedrooms around a central kitchen. There’s a lovely deck and small pool as well.

We set off to find some groceries to make breakfast with the directions left in the room. Of course we got lost but still managed to find some breakfast ingredients.

Back at the house, we met a nice young woman and invited her to join us for dinner. Together we found a recommended falafel place which was REALLY good.

I thought we should buy bus tickets for our onward journey and discovered that Shabbat meant the only bus is at 6:30 am on Friday. Yuck.

Wednesday

Our host popped in this morning and we rented some snorkel gear from him. After chatting with him and other guests for a bit, we headed for the bus stop and then Coral Beach. We rented a chair for the day and I jumped in the water. BRRR! The snorkeling was okay, but nothing special An afternoon of sitting in the sun reading is okay on vacation too now and then 😉 As we left the beach we realized we hadn’t gone far enough and weren’t actually IN the nature reserve. Good thing we’ve got tomorrow to check that out.

Back at the Exodus guest house we started a load of laundry and went back to the falafel place. Yep, we liked it a LOT. Falafel Alvia is the place to go.

Thursday;

We’re starting to know where things are. That usually happens when it’s time to move on. We walked to the central bus station, hoping to find out we didn’t have to take a 6:30 am bus but nope, that’s all that’s available as Friday is Shabbat. Since our host never got back to us with other options and none of the other guests are going that way, I guess that’s what we’re stuck with.

So we took bus #15 to the Nature Reserve and despite the chilly wind, did some snorkeling. It was good. Not the greatest snorkeling I’ve seen but there was a nice assortment of fish and some living coral. I met a Dutch couple and got in the water with them but lost them at some point. Apparently they got out long before me and told Sue I must be pretty tough. Haha

We took the bus back and in our search for an ATM found a duty-free mall. It looked much the same as home, as were the prices so we left after a quick run through. That will likely be our shopping experience for the whole trip.

Why mess with a good thing? Yep, falafels for dinner again!

Snorkeling Coral Beach Eilat
Snorkeling Coral Beach Eilat

Friday, February 1, 2019

I woke up just before the alarm went off at 5 am. An early morning is easy when you’re sound asleep by 9:30 pm!

After packing the last of our stuff complete with some boiled eggs, oranges and leftover granola, we conquered the 1/2 hour walk to the bus stop. This is why we pack light.

Today’s bus carried several military personnel as there were a few stops at military bases. We’re getting used to the fact that they all carry machine guns like they’re purses.

Once in Mitzpe Ramon I checked my favourite app, Maps.me and we walked the 1.7 km to the Desert Shade Eco camp. At not even 10 am it was way too early to check in so we left our bag and went exploring. The visitor’s centre has a museum and gift shop and they’re friendly and kind but not terribly helpful. She recommended a hiking trail but when Sue asked if SHE had done it….nope. Figures.

Armed with maps and advertising things we enjoyed a coffee in a cafe overlooking the Maktesh crater and planned our next few days. Then we set off to hike the rim as far as the Camel lookout. That’s pretty cool. It’s a big rock that really does look like a camel. Parts of the path along the edge are a little scary as it’s loose gravel and kind of close to the edge for us fraidy cats. We did it and survived. 😉

Next we walked back to town and just by asking kind strangers found a grocery store and a farmer’s market where we loaded up on fruit including the amazing Israeli oranges, a massive pomegranate and yogurt for breakfast. We even found an ATM that would give us money.

Back at the Desert Shade we checked into to our cozy eco tent which we were thrilled to see has a HEATER. Yay! It gets down to 3 degrees at night.

We took off again to find some dinner which can be difficult on a Friday in Israel, it being Shabbat. In the Spice Quarter was a nice place that served us chicken coriander, with rice and salad. DELICIOUS!

Back at the camp we spent the evening in the gallery (lobby, family room type thing). Two different families had Shabbat dinners which was nice to see. Our host offered us sweet tea and we purchased a small serving of malabi, an Israeli dessert treat.

Another great day and 23,000 steps later we were ready for bed by 9 pm. The 6:30 am bus turned out to be a good thing.

Maktesh Crater, Mitzpe Ramon. Desert Shade Eco Camp
Desert Shade Eco Camp
Opportunist ibex

Saturday.

The sunrise from our hut was really nice but it was still cold so we holed up inside until the sun came out in full force. After enjoying our yogurt, granola and bananas we packed up and headed the other way out of town on the Israel trail. The first 5 km are very scenic, overlooking the Maktesh Ramon (Ramon Crater) but after that….it’s just desert. We met one girl who passed us going the same way and a friendly man going the other plus one vehicle. Oh, and a hare that hopped away before I could get a picture. So, yep….it was quiet.

After about 8 or 9 km we gave up on finding the lookout we were aiming for, found a nice rock and enjoyed our boiled eggs and oranges.

Back at the hostel we took our hiking shoes off to give our tired feet a break and snacked on pomegranate, grapes and a chocolate bar I’d brought from home. We’d walked about 18 km so deserved a break

Dinner was at InnSense where I enjoyed amazing sweet potato soup and fatush salad. Sue had lamb and beef mince on rice. The 2 km walk back aids digestion.

Sunday.

The place cleared out and it’s REALLY quiet. After our usual breakfast we walked to the Visitor’s centre where we met with Moshe, our jeep driver for the day. Funnily enough a couple from Seattle we’d met at dinner joined us. The jeep tour was informative and fun and went down into the Maktesh. Moshe introduced us to the hardy desert plants and the geology of the area.

Moshe dropped us off in the Spice quarter where most of the shops were STILL closed. They get a 3 day weekend?

So we walked to town to see what we could find there and picked up some more breakfast items plus an ice cream. We deserved it.

Back at the Desert Shade, we made arrangements with Omar to drive us into the crater for a hike tomorrow.

Monday.

Omar cautioned us on bringing enough water and we’re glad he did as it was hotter in the crater than above. He left us on the side of the highway and we hiked the Carpentry trail with a couple of deviations. First was to see a small pond (giant puddle) left from the last rain which was November. It looked pretty amongst the coloured rock.

Next we climbed a lot of stairs to a lookout. Not sure why. There are lots of lookouts.

We continued for about an hour up and down, through old creek beds and around rock piles left by ancient volcanoes. Then came the hike up, up and up. We peeled off a few layers of clothes and drank our water. It was a tough climb but fun with lots of stops for pictures and checking out plants.  It’s supposed to be a 5.5 km, 2-3 hour hike but with the detours and add on’s we did about 8 km.   We did it in 2.5 hours which surprised us as we did take our time. 

Coloured Sands

Shop in the Spice Quarter.

Desert wildlife

Sunrise from the Desert Shade Eco Camp.

Jewish boys enjoying the view

Tulips! Who knew they were so tough?!

Back at the hostel we showered, packed and tried again to check on the bus situation. It’s really confusing and no two sites give you the same information.  The best t;hing is to ask someone.  Preferably a person who USES the bus.

Oh well. We’ll figure it out.  

And we did. We arrived at the bus stop a half hour early just in case. The nice driver tried to help us get off at the right place but he didn’t know where the camel ranch is either. Too funny. So we had him drop us off at the Central Bus Station in Dimona. He told us to ask someone. So, we we to a convenience store and asked a woman if there was a phone we could use to ask the Camel Ranch people to pick us up.

“Here”, she said “just use my phone”

WOW! So I gave her the phone number and she dialed it. I talked to Ariel and 15 minutes later, a young man picked us up and took us to the Negev Camel Ranch.

We were greeted with herb tea and shown our room. A half hour later we enjoyed a typical camel herder dinner prepared by Ariel’s wife. REALLY GOOD!

Sue riding a camel like a pro
Shadows in Negev desert
Mama and two week old baby
Sue’s elegant dismount

Tuesday.

After a good night’s sleep we woke to a freezing cold room (there’s a heater for a reason. haha)  so we stayed in bed as long as we could. Breakfast was as good as dinner.

The one hour camel ride was okay but we were hoping for a longer one. Oh well. We had more time to walk….and walk we did.

The Mamshit Nabotean ruins is a 30 minute walk away so through the desert we went. After spending a couple of hours there and enjoying an ice cream we wandered some more through the desert. I thought I knew where I was but it’s SO EASY to get disoriented. I’m glad I had my phone and the app, maps.me pointed us in the right direction.

Back at the camp, Ahmed told us about another hike so we did that too.

By then, we were thoroughly dusty, dirty and tired so I showered before dinner.

Dinner was again wonderful. We had couscous with chick peas and veggies, stuffed grape leaves, pomegranate and sprout salad, assorted roasted veggies, herb toast….way too much for the two of us but we tried.

Mamshit National park. Nabotean ruins. Some Roman ruins in there too.

Looks like a giant fish. Apparently it’s a dirigible

 

 

 

 

 

 

Negev Camel Ranch from the top of the hill

Wednesday February 5, 2019

Today we climbed the hill behind the Camel Ranch and looked down on it. We needed the workout after the huge breakfast.

After checking out and enjoying a dish of camel milk ice cream, a nice young man drove us into Dimona to the bus stop for transit to Be’er Sheva. Once there we found the train station and purchased tickets to Haifa. We had ONE minute to catch the train and actually made it.

I love train travel. You sit ain comfort and watch the world go by. As we headed north the landscape changed from desert to greenery. What a HUGE difference! Fruit orchards, fields of crops and even trees dotted the landscape.  

The next post is about our destination:  Haifa!

Negev Camel Ranch, Mamshit National Park

Negev Camel Ranch, Mamshit National Park

Evidence of flash floods

Hello? My room is right behind her.

Bedouins with their sheep and goats

Little critter

Masada, The Dead Sea and Ein Gedi

Previous post: Jerusalem, The west bank and Yad Vashem

Sunday, January 27th

After our last wonderful breakfast at the Abraham Hostel we took the tram to the Central Bus station where we purchased a ticket for Masada.

It was too early to check in so we left our bags and headed for Ein Bokek, the public beach on the Dead sea. We were going to take the bus but a group of Polish people invited us to join them in a shuttle.

It was chilly but we HAD to swim because we were there. It’s definitely an interesting experience! There are change rooms and cold showers there. The beach is beautiful and huge and it being low season, very quiet.

Dinner at the HI Masada Hostel and Guesthouse was a lovely buffet. We noticed one Israeli man seemed very hungry as he had 3 plates of food. He got up at one point and the busboy came to clean up his plates. “Oh” I said “I don’t think he’s finished”. So the boy called out to him. He just waved him off and left. One plate had at least FIVE chicken cutlets on it!! We were disgusted by the waste. His leftovers could have fed a family of four and it went in the garbage.

Two German girls joined us in the dorm room. Thankfully they too planned on getting up early to climb Masada so no need to dress in the dark and be silent.

Just floating around in the Dead Sea
More floating around
Salt is beautiful
Just floating around

Rainbow over the Dead Sea

Hi Masada Hostel

Monday.

Three phone alarms went off and we were all out the door by 5:20 am The trek up the snake path to Masada is tough but we managed to do it in less than an hour. It’s well worth it! The sunrise was nice but the ruins are really interesting, especially if you’ve read the book “The Dove Keepers” by Alice Hoffman.

Going down is tough on the knees!

Our reward for all that was an excellent buffet breakfast at the hostel.

Masada, Snake path

The dovecoat at Masada

See the tiny dots? They’re people climbing the Snake path

Lot’s wife?

Sun rise from Masada over the Dead Sea

Sunrise from Masada

Going down….

Another view of the sunrise from Masada

The Judean desert and the Dead Sea in the back

Masada ruins of buildings

Herod’s palace

Going down….down

Going down the Snake path from Masada

Next we caught the bus to Ein Gedi National Park where we walked to the David Waterfall. There are caves in this area where David hid from King Saul.

There were a couple of other trails we thought of doing but were told they were closed as there’s danger of a flash flood. So we did the “scenic trail” and checked out the ruins of a very old synagogue.

On the bus back to Masada it started to rain a bit. On our walk back to the hostel we were treated to a rainbow over the Dead Sea.

After all that physical exertion we really enjoyed the buffet dinner at the HI Hostel.

Ein Gedi, David’s waterfall

The trail goes through here. That’s Sue at the end

Caves where David hid from Saul

Old synagogue mosaic tile floor from the first century

Rock hyrax

David’s waterfall

Judean Desert

David’s waterfall

David’s waterfall

5 days in Jerusalem! The old city, Yad Vashem and Palestine!

Israel 2019

After a 10 hour flight, 6 hour lay over and a quick 45 minute flight, we arrived at Ben Gurion airport curious about  the screening and security.  It was anti climactic. There were no x-rays, queues or anything. I was asked a few general questions about the trip, was issued a visa and on we walked to find an ATM. None of them liked my card so it’s a good thing Sue got money. The sheruts were easy to find and, when they finally had enough people going to Jerusalem to fill one, we were on our way.

By the time we’d checked into our room at the Abraham Hostel it was 1 am

January 23, 2019

Old Jerusalem

The hostel breakfast was typical Mediterranean with Tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine, olives, cottage cheese, boiled eggs and fresh bread. You could have cereal, toast and jam or chocolate if you wanted and the coffee was excellent.

A bunch of us showed up in the lobby and one of the hostel employees walked us to the Jaffa gate and showed us where to find the walking tours.

The first one we did was a general tour of Old Jerusalem. It was a great introduction to the city which is full of fascinating history encompassing Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We visited all 4 quarters, saw the Wailing Wall, church of the Sepulcher, the Mount of Olives and the Temple mount.

Once that was finished I tried in vain to get money from ATM’s. Apparently Israel does not like my debit card. Weird as it’s worked in many other countries. We stopped at a cafe with wifi so I could message the bank and enjoyed a coffee.

Back at the Jaffa gate we joined a tour of the city of David. We walked down, down, down under the city and through tunnels and learned more amazing history. My head was so full there’s no way I’ll remember it all.

On the way to look for dinner I tried ATM’s attached to banks. Nope. No luck.

We’d picked up a map from the hostel that had restaurant recommendations on it. Basta Pasta sounded good and we eventually found it in the market past the square on Jaffa St. Pasta and a cool mint with lemon drink hit the spot after a busy day.

22,000 steps and a nice hot shower later we were ready to crash.

View of the Mount of Olives

 

View of the mount of Olives including the Jewish graves

 

The Western Wall and the temple mount

January 24, 2019 Thursday.

Happy birthday Melanie!!

Yad Vashem – The World Holocaust Remembrance Center

We hit the ground running today. After breakfast we caught the tram to Mount Hertzl and headed for Yad Vasham. On the way I met a woman who we chatted with a bit. She had letters with her to bring to the museum. New artifacts and evidence for the Holocaust are still being discovered.

I’m thankful we took her advice and picked up electronic guide head sets. They really helped in understanding the MASSIVE amount of information in the museum. More than once I got emotional listening, watching and reading about the persecution of the Jews around the time of the second world war. Most of the information was not new to me but …. the museum succeeded in making it more REAL. Seeing the stories and testimonies for the Righteous among the Nations and then walking the garden and seeing all the names was a great way to end the visit as it renewed my faith in humanity and the knowledge that people CAN do the right thing in spite of all the odds against them. I was proud to see so many familiar names among those righteous.

We’d spent much more time than we’d planned at Yad Vashem so missed out on the tour of the Mount of Olives we’d planned. Instead we took the tram back to Old Jerusalem and wandered about on our own.

The West wall was very busy and crawling with soldiers. Sue finally asked someone what was going on. 800 cadets were being sworn in today and the ceremony was to start at 7:30. People were already finding places to stand and it was only 4:30!

Golgotha

According to the tour guide from yesterday, this was a good time to head for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre but first, FOOD. A nice fellow beckoned us in and Sue had some shawarma, I had a lamb kebob and he brought us as assortment of salad and humus with pita bread. Oh my. Yumminess!

Of course we got royally lost trying to find the church. Oh well. We saw more of Jerusalem that way.  We could have used our phones to guide as as we both have and app to help us find our way.  Sometimes it’s just fun to be lost.

On the top of the hill in Jerusalem known as Golgotha stands the holiest Christian shrine in the Old City, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the site of Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

Holy Sepulchre is pretty amazing. We stood in line to touch the tomb of Jesus. We saw the stone where his body was washed after being taken off the cross. Many people bowed their heads on it and prayed. Upstairs is the site where Jesus was crucified and there is a rock there from Calvary.

The church is shared by five different Christian communities; Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Coptic, Syrian Orthodox and Armenian and nothing can be moved in it without the agreement of all

We were in amongst the last to see all of the highlights of this magnificent church and thus blessed with a couple of photos with NO people. Pretty amazing! Of course no photos are allowed of the holiest aspects, like Christ’s tomb.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Rock from Golgotha

 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Friday, January 25th

Today we had nothing planned so enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and chatted with other hostel guests including a very entertaining South African man we keep meeting all over the place.

In Old Jerusalem we tried to find some of the sights we haven’t visited yet and successfully stumbled upon the tower of David, David’s tomb, Mary’s tomb the room where the last supper was held and where the disciples were over come by the Holy Spirit. The mosaic included Mary, Jesus mother and I didn’t remember her being there for that. At a coffee shop I found a Bible, looked up the book of Acts and sure enough, she was there along with several other women. Interesting!

The Holy Spirit comes down on the disciples

 

Mary’s tomb

Jaffa and the Garden of Gethsemane

Back at the Jaffa gate, we joined a tour going to the Mount of Olives, again with Sandeman’s tours. . The shuttle took us up the hill and we worked our way down with Salah as our guide. At the top we saw what is supposed to be Jesus’ footprint left when he ascended into heave in what is now a mosque. Next was Mary’s tomb inside a church. The Pater Noster is where Jesus taught the Lord’s prayer and it’s displayed in every language in the world, including dialects.

We stopped to enjoy the view of the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world in front of Jerusalem, the Kidron valley, Mount Zion and everything in between.

Dominus Flevit is a little Roman Catholic church shaped like a tear drop as it’s said this is where Jesus wept over the future fate of Jerusalem. It’s the only church that faces West, rather than East and therefore has an amazing view of Jerusalem.

The Garden of Gethsemeni contains olive trees dating back to the 1100’s. It’s believed that some of the branches may date back to the time of Jeusus. There’s a sycamore tree that may have been the one Zaccheus climbed. A few years ago it developed some disease and the Russians came just to treat it. They were successful as it’s healthy again now. Gethsemeni is adjacent to a Russian orthodox church calledThe Church of Mary Magdalene.

The last church was very different in that you walked DOWN the steps to enter a church shaped like a cross and adorned with many hanging lanterns.

Shabbat dinner at Abraham Hostel

Some took a taxi back to town but we walked together with a young couple from the Netherlands with Salah back to the Old city. We left him and walked back up the deserted Jaffa street to our hostel where we cleaned up and got ready for Shabbat dinner. What a treat that was! After a brief ceremony we indulged in a huge meal of chicken, assorted salads, baba ganoush, humus and fresh bread.

Garden of Gethsemeni

 

Church of the Ascension.  Inside is a cast of the foot print of Jesus from the place he ascended to heaven

 

Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene

 

Tomb of Mary in the Valley of Jehosephat

 

View of the church of Mary Magdalene beside the Garden of Gethsemeni

 

Jewish cemetery and Jerusalem in the background

 

Teardrop church where Jesus wept. The only one that faces west.

Spices!
Jerusalem at night

Shabbat prayers

 

Western wall busyness

Woman praying at the Western Wall

 

Shabbat prayers at the Western wall

January 26, Saturday. 

Shabbat Continues with a tour of the West Bank

Today we had an early start and enjoyed another wonderful breakfast with some new friends. By 7:30 am we joined the group going on the tour called “Best of the West Bank”

The first stop was Ramallah, the capital city of the West Bank, Palestine and y

Yasser Arafat”s tomb. It is surrounded by 167 plants from Palestine. The man was much loved and died with nothing. The State looks after his wife and daughter.  Signed agreement with Israel accepting only 20% of the land.    Anyone else would have been assassinated for accepting that

We drove through the city of Tayibe which was Ephraim where Jesus hid with his disciples before the last supper

Jericho. 285 metre below sea level and a totally different climate than Jerusalem or Bethlehem. Excavations have been done that seem to prove the Biblical story of the walls coming down impossible. I’ll have to look into that one further.

10,500 year old silo was discovered that still had grain in it

At the Jordan river baptism site I went down and touched the water. The river is higher than it’s been in years. Hopefully this continues as the area is desperately in need of water. At this site we met some very pushy, rude tourists.

After a delicious traditional lunch of lamb and chicken kabobs with assorted salads, hummus, bread and a wonderful refreshing drink of lemonade with mint, we continued on to Bethlehem. There we visited the church of the Nativity which is the oldest functioning church in the world and peeked in to see the cave where Jesus was born. The church is shared by Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholics. Across Manger Square is a mosque. It’s said that a certain Muslim leader was invited into the Church of the Nativity but he declined saying that if he did so, they’d want to turn it into a mosque and he thought it should remain Christian.

The last stop of the day was a view of the wall severing Bethlehem and the rest of Palestine from Israel. It’s very sad. Palestinians have been cut off from hospitals, jobs and transportation options. There’s graffiti all over it, including some done by Banksy, and it’s interesting to read a lot of it.

Back at the hostel we figured out our options for the next day as we begin to travel south. After a bit we went out for a walk to try and wear off some of the food we’d gorged on all day. It was very quiet as it’s still Shabbat.

The wall

10,000 year old grain silo in Jericho, the oldest and lowest city on Earth

 

Jordan River and baptism site of Jesus behind me and mines in front

View of monastery from Jericho

 

Judean desert

 

Church of the Nativity