Just a quick note:
The following three posts are works in progress. We ran out of time for this round. More pictures and explainations to follow in a few days, we hope. Sorry for confussion.
Also, to you fine commenters out there...you make our day. Keep 'em coming :)
INDIA
We arrived on Friday morning to Kolkata, the city where we’d spend the majority of our time in this 12-day visit to India (5 days Kolkata. 3 days Puri (city on the coast). 4 days Kolkata).
India quickly became a stop on our journey when we heard that two of our dear friends from our church in Kitchener, Ben and Maria, were going to be spending their winters in Kolkata. Ben grew up here in the Bengal region of India, and Maria has been here countless time over the past 30 years. They are two people with incredibly warm hospitality and even warmer hearts. Just what the doctor ordered…actually, that’s not true, we’re getting ridiculously spoiled. Neither James nor I ever expected to love our experience here as much as we do. We knew it would be great, but the 4 days we’ve spent here so far, have been 4 of the best not only of this trip, but of a very long time.
Kolkata: Two things that I’ve said before, but I say again:
1) Words are such an empty vessel when even contemplating how to describe this city.
…
I’ll start with the real heart of the country—the people…there certainly are enough of them around here. My expectation before arriving was to find a land of poverty and suffering. You’ll certainly find both here, but really, Kolkata is a city of life. The bright colours of saris. Children laughing and playing. The banter of taxi drivers as they drink tea over a rousing game of cards. And mostly, the smiles. The Indian people are beautiful, and they smile so easily and often. Maybe coming from Arab countries I notice more the display of emotions (especially from women), but I really think that North America could learn a thing or two about happiness, contentment and living in the moment, from the people of Kolkata …or at least I have.
Another thing about the people here is how well they respect and care for each other. One moment spent inside the walls of Mother Teresa’s home for children and you’ll see the sisters and many volunteers showering those kids with love! Or people helping someone across the street, or caring for a sick person in the train station…the list goes on.
A few more highlights:
- Maria & Ben
- The Rupee = Who wants to be a millionaire? Then come to India. With a 40:1 ratio (ish) with the CAD, when you buy a meal for 20RS, that’s really costing you about 50 cents. Or that 30 minute taxi ride across town for 4 people that you pay 100RS for, really costs about $2.50. It’s a beautiful thing…that is until you compare our gain with their loss. These people live on nearly nothing at all. Yet they’re so happy!
- The Food = …think butter chicken, naan, and so many wonderful flavours anytime and place. Enough said.
- Traffic and Taxi Rides = First off, keep in mind that you’re sharing the road with rickshaws, people carrying baskets on their heads, water buffalo, motorcycles, carts, dogs, cows, people towing loads that pick up trucks ought to carry, etc. You name it; it’s on the move here on the roads of Kolkata. Because of the British influence here, they drive on the opposite side of the road to what we’re used to, apparently; but when on-coming traffic passes you and you pass them on both sides, it really doesn’t make a difference. They are crazy(!!!), but they seem to all have this mutual understanding of where they are and where others are. One word of advice for traveling around here, keep your elbows and arms inside the car. They pass each other with only 2 inches to spare. Never in my mind have I cursed so often or prayed so hard as I have when I ride around in India. Yet, after a few rides around town, you learn to relax, surrender, and just enjoy! What a ride!
- The Apartment = A beautiful haven within this chaos with our own kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.
- Meeting Family & Friends = Ben and Maria know wonderful people here, and it has been an absolute joy meeting them all.
- The Church
- The Comforts
- The “Surprises” = Cockroaches, lizards, etc.
Ah yes, and as I said in the beginning, that second thing that I’ve said before but again I say now: To any and all readers out there, put India on your list of places to visit, in fact, better make it a top 3!
(ABOVE: Ben & Maria's new apartment...beautiful and surrounded by greenery)
(ABOVE: James playing catch with Ben & Maria's nephew, Sohom...I think it was therapeutic for James to have a ball in his hands again)
(ABOVE: It was an honour to get to see the grave site of Ben and Maria's son, Surjo)
(BELOW: After church on Sunday, we met and went for lunch with Sorbani, their niece)
(BELOW: Dining on banana leaves...makes doing "dishes" pretty easy)
(ABOVE: The way we roll...when you wipe your face after riding in traffic for 30 minutes, the cloth is black...same goes for blowing your nose unless you cover your nose and mouth)
(ABOVE: Having tea with Ben and Maria's Mushee (aunt) and husband...they are the ones who are lending us their unused apartment for our stay) 
TRANSIT
We left Tiberias on a rainy Wednesday morning, and I have to say, service taxis are the way to go. Originally we were going to bus it, but it's amazing what a little haggling can do.*Note: don't be fooled... behind the pretty blonde hair and the innocent blue eyes, Julia has become a shrewd, tough wheeler-dealer. She definitely is not one to be taken for a couple extra shekels. or dinar. or dirham.]
So, anyways, the taxi took us to the most unorganized, unoccupied, border crossing you've never seen. Getting into Jordan from Israel was painless, but unneccessarily confusing. There were no signs or directions (or people, really, for that matter). We ended up going through 4 checkpoints (2 of them twice) and waiting 20 mintues at a bus station to catch a bus that took us through a gate and to the Jordan side which was approximately 70 metres away. Once in Jordan, it was the usual baggage x-rays, metal detectors, and a weird registration process where we were taken into an office, gave our names, sat for a bit, and then let go. Whatever, we got the stamps, and that's what matters. The real fun began once we hit the taxis.
The driver of our taxi was a lot like a 12 year old playing Mario Kart on the old N64. The theory is simple- drive as fast as you can until you hit a road block, then slam on the brakes, honk the horn, weave a bit and then punch it again. Only we weren't travelling on Rainbow Road, or even in Wario Stadium- we were en route to Amman, Jordan, in the Middle East, on Election Day. The place was absolute chaos.
The roads were crammed with people galore. Screaming people, dancing people, old people, angry people. People playing music, people passing out flyers, little people running alone amongst traffic, and teenage people hanging off pickup trucks like kittens on a screen door (what's up BK and GK).It was absolute madness driving through towns, and every time someone tried to shove a flyer in his window, the driver became just that much more ornery. I think he was fed up, so he took us on a winding, narrow, unfinshed mountain road, all the while maintaining breakneck speed. Julie and I just looked at each other. It was all we could do. Julie thought that we were hostages (which, I guess, in a way we were), and I was playing Houdini and imagining escape routes.
Finally we got to Amman, where we had to fight with the guy to take us to our hotel-
Him: "Where you go?"
Us: "Toledo Hotel please"
Him: "You stay Sandy Palace (as we pass). Is good place. Very cheap"
Us [losing patience]: "No thanks, take us to Toledo"
Him: "30 Dinars"
Us: "What- no, you said 25"
Him [now angry]: "27"
Julie [after a few more minutes of arguing]: "No. Forget it. 25, that's it. Final."
Him: eyes shifty, moustache quivering, defeated.[told you she was good].
So that's the taxi story.
The rest of our stay in Amman was delightfully uneventful 3-star luxury. King sized bed and all. Plenty of R&R- perfect for what lie ahead, and a pleasant reward after 2 months of backpacking.
Election day in Jordan: check.
So, anyways, the taxi took us to the most unorganized, unoccupied, border crossing you've never seen. Getting into Jordan from Israel was painless, but unneccessarily confusing. There were no signs or directions (or people, really, for that matter). We ended up going through 4 checkpoints (2 of them twice) and waiting 20 mintues at a bus station to catch a bus that took us through a gate and to the Jordan side which was approximately 70 metres away. Once in Jordan, it was the usual baggage x-rays, metal detectors, and a weird registration process where we were taken into an office, gave our names, sat for a bit, and then let go. Whatever, we got the stamps, and that's what matters. The real fun began once we hit the taxis.
The driver of our taxi was a lot like a 12 year old playing Mario Kart on the old N64. The theory is simple- drive as fast as you can until you hit a road block, then slam on the brakes, honk the horn, weave a bit and then punch it again. Only we weren't travelling on Rainbow Road, or even in Wario Stadium- we were en route to Amman, Jordan, in the Middle East, on Election Day. The place was absolute chaos.
The roads were crammed with people galore. Screaming people, dancing people, old people, angry people. People playing music, people passing out flyers, little people running alone amongst traffic, and teenage people hanging off pickup trucks like kittens on a screen door (what's up BK and GK).It was absolute madness driving through towns, and every time someone tried to shove a flyer in his window, the driver became just that much more ornery. I think he was fed up, so he took us on a winding, narrow, unfinshed mountain road, all the while maintaining breakneck speed. Julie and I just looked at each other. It was all we could do. Julie thought that we were hostages (which, I guess, in a way we were), and I was playing Houdini and imagining escape routes.
Finally we got to Amman, where we had to fight with the guy to take us to our hotel-
Him: "Where you go?"
Us: "Toledo Hotel please"
Him: "You stay Sandy Palace (as we pass). Is good place. Very cheap"
Us [losing patience]: "No thanks, take us to Toledo"
Him: "30 Dinars"
Us: "What- no, you said 25"
Him [now angry]: "27"
Julie [after a few more minutes of arguing]: "No. Forget it. 25, that's it. Final."
Him: eyes shifty, moustache quivering, defeated.[told you she was good].
So that's the taxi story.
The rest of our stay in Amman was delightfully uneventful 3-star luxury. King sized bed and all. Plenty of R&R- perfect for what lie ahead, and a pleasant reward after 2 months of backpacking.
Election day in Jordan: check.
GALILEE
After nearly a week in Jerusalem—including a day trip to Bethleham, a mud-covered float in the Dead Sea, and a trek up Masada (see the cliff picture below)—we hopped on a bus headed to Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. To our pleasant surprise there has yet to be a barge-church built on the sight where Jesus walked on water…maybe one day. 
It was so refreshing to be out of the big city and enjoy Israel’s more natural side. The scenery was beautiful. It was easy to picture what it would have been like 2000 years ago. Same desolate hills. Same blue water. Same sun. On our second day in Tiberius, and last day in Israel, we rented two bicycles and biked around the entire sea (or lake, but sea sounds better), stopping only to grab lunch at a roadside kibbutz and snap a few photos of the Jordan River.
It’s a beautiful area up there, and make for a grand finale to an unforgettable visit to the Holy Land.
The Last 96 (part I)
Wow.
Kolkata (Calcutta) India. That's where we are now. What a place. You know when you watch the tv show "24" and you say to yourself "there's no way anyone can have this much happen to them in one day"- at least i thought so, then I came here. More to come on that subject later.
Just getting her was an adventure enough.
5 cities, 4 countries, 3 plane rides, 2 near-death experience taxi rides, and 1 sleepless night and finally made it here safe and sound and healthy. Thank you Lord.
Carrying on with the whole "24" theme, the next 2 or 3 blogs will chronicle the days leading up to Kolkata. Which is where we are now. Which is where we are getting kicked out of this internet cafe.
See you later.
Kolkata (Calcutta) India. That's where we are now. What a place. You know when you watch the tv show "24" and you say to yourself "there's no way anyone can have this much happen to them in one day"- at least i thought so, then I came here. More to come on that subject later.
Just getting her was an adventure enough.
5 cities, 4 countries, 3 plane rides, 2 near-death experience taxi rides, and 1 sleepless night and finally made it here safe and sound and healthy. Thank you Lord.
Carrying on with the whole "24" theme, the next 2 or 3 blogs will chronicle the days leading up to Kolkata. Which is where we are now. Which is where we are getting kicked out of this internet cafe.
See you later.
JERUSALEM (I)
Jerusalem:
is a beautiful city- a landscape of mountains, forests, desert, valleys, and sea. Walking in Jerusalem is like walking in a modern day time warp. It is, at times, surreal. The Wailing Wall is only accessible through metal detectors, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (housing the alleged Golgotha) is full of sweaty, camera-toting tour bus hopping "pilgrims", and the Garden of Gethsamene is adorned with a gaudy, huge, church with gold onions on top.
If you haven't yet been to the Holy Land, my guess is it will defy your expectations as it did mine. The one-time center of the ancient world is now a happening place with religious folks plowing their way into the 21st century and profiting from the tourist buck. Jews with phylacteries, top hats, and long curly sideburns yammer constantly into cell phones, devout Moslems spend their days haggling at the bazaar, smoking shisha, and hawking falafels- stopping only to pray when prompted by the loudspeakers blaring from the minarets of the Moslem Quarter, and the Christian Quarter of the city boasts the highest priced tourist kitsch. One can get an "authentic" crown of thorns or a "Guns 'n' Moses" t-shirt if they are willing to spend the bucks.
Quite a spectacle to behold... and that's just the Old City!
We did spend most of our days in the Old City- ate a fair share of falafels, and had some world-famous (supposably) Jerusalem bagels.
The newer part of the city is great too. There are a ton of hospitals and universities, a big soccer stadium in the center of town, and the Jaffa Street market is always packed with locals buying spices, fish, and whatever else.
Jerusalem is quite a place- if you've been here, I'd love to swap stories. It's one of those places you hear/read so much about, but to get a fuller picture, you really have to come visit. It will be an experience you won't soon forget.
is a beautiful city- a landscape of mountains, forests, desert, valleys, and sea. Walking in Jerusalem is like walking in a modern day time warp. It is, at times, surreal. The Wailing Wall is only accessible through metal detectors, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (housing the alleged Golgotha) is full of sweaty, camera-toting tour bus hopping "pilgrims", and the Garden of Gethsamene is adorned with a gaudy, huge, church with gold onions on top.
If you haven't yet been to the Holy Land, my guess is it will defy your expectations as it did mine. The one-time center of the ancient world is now a happening place with religious folks plowing their way into the 21st century and profiting from the tourist buck. Jews with phylacteries, top hats, and long curly sideburns yammer constantly into cell phones, devout Moslems spend their days haggling at the bazaar, smoking shisha, and hawking falafels- stopping only to pray when prompted by the loudspeakers blaring from the minarets of the Moslem Quarter, and the Christian Quarter of the city boasts the highest priced tourist kitsch. One can get an "authentic" crown of thorns or a "Guns 'n' Moses" t-shirt if they are willing to spend the bucks.
Quite a spectacle to behold... and that's just the Old City!
We did spend most of our days in the Old City- ate a fair share of falafels, and had some world-famous (supposably) Jerusalem bagels.
The newer part of the city is great too. There are a ton of hospitals and universities, a big soccer stadium in the center of town, and the Jaffa Street market is always packed with locals buying spices, fish, and whatever else.
Jerusalem is quite a place- if you've been here, I'd love to swap stories. It's one of those places you hear/read so much about, but to get a fuller picture, you really have to come visit. It will be an experience you won't soon forget.
JERUSALEM (II)
Shalom from Jerusalem! After being in this city for a week, I'm finally feeling like I'm beginning to wrap my mind around this place. Visiting Israel has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. The country, and this city especially, has one of the richest--if not THE richest (in my perspective)--histories in the world. I anticipated that visiting this country would just blow my mind! In some ways it has, but it has been so very different than what I expected. After seeing and experiencing Israel, vocalizing my naive expecations compared to reality is quite humiliating since it was so far off, but here goes: 
I knew Jerusalem would have the modern ammenities of today, but I was expecting it to be a little more trapped in time, so to speak. Instead of donkeys and camels being the main mode of transportation, the cars and horns of Tel Aviv and Cairo seem to have made their way here. Aside from the Old City, which is a very small portion of the city, Jerusalem is like any other city. A punctual bus system. Shop-lined streets. Church bells & prayer calls. Window shoppers. Restaurants. Office buildings. Apartments. Schools. The oddities we did find here, were children (they are absouletly everywhere...and nearly all women aged 20 - 40 seem to have a baby in their arms or in tow). The guns (as abundant as babies are for young women, nearly all young men--whether in army fatigue or jeans and t-shirts--have a machine gun thrown over their shoulder.)Perhaps the greatest aspect that sets this city apart from any others, is the religion. It's everywhere. With nearly 2/3 of the people being Jewish, and the rest being Christian and Muslim, it's impossible to walk 2 steps without being reminded of religions' presence here. Though it is interesting and mind-boggling at times, experiencing this has been a great reminder of the dilligence some (or many) around the world have for their beliefs. It has been a good wake-up call. The Sabbath, between Friday to Saturday evening, is taken very seriously and Jerusalem seems to go to sleep for those 24hrs; the streets, sidewalk, and markets are barren, and it's the only quiet you'll get around here (we even had a woman come outside and ask if we could help her with a plumbing problem she was having in her home on Saturday morning...if she were to fix it, she would be "working on the Sabbath". )
We visited the Western Wall on Thursday, a day when many families celebrate their boys' Bar Mitzvah...rams horns and all). To James' pleasant surprise, we even saw a Raptors' yarmulke...Dad, we were thinking of getting a custom-made Gro-Bark one for you; perfect to keep the sun off :)
Lastly, re. Jerusalem: When I thought of Mt. Zion or Mt. of Olives, I had in mind two majestic mountains. In reality, Chicopee puts both their sizes to shame...I can't compare any mountain or even hill in B.C. to either. Because the city has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times, the room of the Last Supper or King David's tomb are merely small stucco & stained glassed rooms ontop of which "they think" the two were found. I won't write what I was expecting; same goes for Bethlehem, Calvary and the tomb, on top of all are now massive, decadent churches with mosaics, organs, and lines of people waiting to stick their arm through the baseball-size hole to touch Golgatha, etc.
(This is where they say Jesus' body was taken down from the cross and prepared for burial...watching people practically worship this place made me want to shout, "He has risen!")
(As plentiful as the gyros were in Europe, here in the Middle East we feast on falafels)
But, after a week of getting over my false expectations, I suppose whatever I were to find in this city marking these places, nothing would compare to the impression these events have on my heart. And so, it was very cool to be here and see them first hand...kitsch and all.EGYPT
Our 2 weeks in Egypt were spent with a wonderful tour group--10 people from all over the world, all bent on seeing & experiencing Egypt, and having a good time.
Starting in Cairo, we spent 3 days wrapped up in the vortex that is everyday life in that crazy city...the horns, the pollution, the pyramids (which we got to go inside!!!), the bazaars, the crowds, the stares, the prayer calls, the donkeys, the traffic, the intensity. Wow. I have no idea how to put that city into words. It was like nothing we had ever experienced before, but something that I would recommend any and all should experience at some point (at least for a day or two).
From Cairo we took an overnight train to Aswan where rode camels into the Sahara desert and dinned with Nubians before boarding our felucca sailboat to sail up/down(???) to Luxor. From there we headed over to the Red Sea and spent a few days snorkeling and diving at some of the best reefs in the world. The fish and coral were spectacular! It doesn't take much to understand why the Israelites spent 40 years in that desert--they just stopped in Dahab for a while. That place is gorgeous! You eat all your meals reclined on mats and pillows on the beach looking across the Gulf of Aqaba at the hills of Saudi Arabia (pinch me, are we really here?!). The store owners don't heckle nearly as much as Aswan or Luxor, the mango juice is fresh, the Stella is cold, and the days pass by as they should.
After 2 weeks, our tour ended bright and early with a 3am climb up Mt. Sinai to watch the sunrise. It had been a few years since we'd seen so many stars that bright, and hearing a group of Koreans sing "This is my Father's World" made this a definite spiritual oasis--an experience we won't forget any time soon. And so was our time in Egypt. A great introduction to arab culture and 2 weeks well spent with great people. Now onto Israel... finally, caught up to where we are now....phew!
Starting in Cairo, we spent 3 days wrapped up in the vortex that is everyday life in that crazy city...the horns, the pollution, the pyramids (which we got to go inside!!!), the bazaars, the crowds, the stares, the prayer calls, the donkeys, the traffic, the intensity. Wow. I have no idea how to put that city into words. It was like nothing we had ever experienced before, but something that I would recommend any and all should experience at some point (at least for a day or two).
From Cairo we took an overnight train to Aswan where rode camels into the Sahara desert and dinned with Nubians before boarding our felucca sailboat to sail up/down(???) to Luxor. From there we headed over to the Red Sea and spent a few days snorkeling and diving at some of the best reefs in the world. The fish and coral were spectacular! It doesn't take much to understand why the Israelites spent 40 years in that desert--they just stopped in Dahab for a while. That place is gorgeous! You eat all your meals reclined on mats and pillows on the beach looking across the Gulf of Aqaba at the hills of Saudi Arabia (pinch me, are we really here?!). The store owners don't heckle nearly as much as Aswan or Luxor, the mango juice is fresh, the Stella is cold, and the days pass by as they should.
After 2 weeks, our tour ended bright and early with a 3am climb up Mt. Sinai to watch the sunrise. It had been a few years since we'd seen so many stars that bright, and hearing a group of Koreans sing "This is my Father's World" made this a definite spiritual oasis--an experience we won't forget any time soon. And so was our time in Egypt. A great introduction to arab culture and 2 weeks well spent with great people. Now onto Israel... finally, caught up to where we are now....phew!
GREECE
Our time in Greece was far too short. We spent nearly a week in Athens, then headed to the island of Rhodes for 4 days, then came back to Athens for another few days. While in Greece, James' love for gyros grew even stronger; we even did a gyro-crawl one night in Athens. He also discovered baklava--a ridiculously sweet dessert made from phylo pastry, nuts, and honey--I prefered to stick to my honey and yoghurt. I actually gained a whole new appreciation (or digust?) for the quantity of food my husband can eat.
While we weren't scouring the streets for gyros, we found some great beaches to swim with the locals, climbed the acropolis, played some good games of cribbage on our hostel roof at night, navigated the plaka, and miraculously obtained our visas for India, to name a few. Words from the (now-)wise: obtain your visas in your home country before hitting the road; it will save you much anxiety, money, and time.
We really enjoyed the last stop of our European leg of the tour. It was hard to go, but another continent (with a more enticing currency) was beckoning...
While we weren't scouring the streets for gyros, we found some great beaches to swim with the locals, climbed the acropolis, played some good games of cribbage on our hostel roof at night, navigated the plaka, and miraculously obtained our visas for India, to name a few. Words from the (now-)wise: obtain your visas in your home country before hitting the road; it will save you much anxiety, money, and time.
We really enjoyed the last stop of our European leg of the tour. It was hard to go, but another continent (with a more enticing currency) was beckoning...
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