Exotic Tel Aviv

for more Tel Aviv pix... http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/

Sorry that I've been M.I.A. for the past few weeks. I'm way behind on my posts! I got caught up in Turkey where I was on overnight buses for several days then to Doha where I was too lazy to get off the couch to post! Once you fall behind for two weeks, its hard to catch up, but I'll make an effort to catch up this week.

Also, my plans have changed a bit… First of all, I can’t go to my primary destination… TIBET! I had to cut Tibet and Nepal out of my trip because of the recent violence, which will only get worse as the Olympics get closer. Usually I’m not afraid of that stuff but this time is different. I didn’t want to get turned away at the Tibetan border or get stuck in there. My plan was to travel over land from India through Nepal and into Tibet. The worst thing that could happen is to be turned away at the border and have to go back overland to India… especially with the limited time I have. So Tibet is out of the question, can’t go to Europe/Russia because its too expensive (damn that appreciating Euro), and can’t go to Africa because that’s also too expensive. So, I just decided to cut out a month of my trip. Long story short… spontaneous traveling doesn't always work out perfectly.

Well, when I last left off I was in Jordan and heading to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has a special place in my heart, because Israel was my first taste of the middle east (in 2004). Both times I stayed with Shai (THANKS SHAI!!), which was great because I really get to see the local side of Israel. As with any country, the local life is always much better than the tourist life. I titled this post “Exotic Tel Aviv”, because most Americans think of Israel as this crazy place where bombs are going off every 5 minutes and “Zohan” roams the streets with an uzi (actually they second part is true). With that picture in mind… it might be kind of disappointing to hear that I participated in such crazy activities as bowling, renting movies, shopping, and people watching at cafes. Actually most of my time was spent eating and sleeping… here is just an excerpt from my first day’s activities…

9am - wake up and have croissants and cappucino's at the coffee shop next door.

10am-1pm - play with the cat

1pm - lunch at the other coffee shop next door.

2pm-6pm - sleep

6pm - sit in front of computer and catch up on sports news

7pm - Shai and Yafit come home and we eat again.

I wish I had more fun stories from Tel Aviv… but unfortunately that’s it. I did enjoy a lot of great food! Tel Aviv has some great restaurants… including my favorite, Dr. Shoukshouka. Last time I was in Israel, Shai took me to Dr. Shoukshouka and I ended up going back twice by myself! We only went once this time… but that was enough to satisfy my craving. FYI shoukshouka is a dish of tomato and herbs with a giant egg yolk unbroken and uncooked in the middle. Aside from shoukshouka, it was nice to trade in shewarma and felafal for pasta, croissants, and salads. Shai and Yafit turned my stay a mini food-fest... and we sampled the best Italian and Arabic food that Tel Aviv has to offer... we also had some time to try some awesome treats like Moroccan-French fusion... which was very New American-esque to me. Well... for an amateur/wannabe foodie like myself, Tel Aviv definitely hit the spot (as you can see by all the pictures of food and shopping for food in my Tel Aviv pix).

I would have to mention for anyone interested in visiting Israel that it has changed a lot since my last trip. The main difference I noticed was TOURISTS! I actually saw other tourists on this trip… last time I came the only people I saw were a busload of JAPs (Jewish American Princess) on their birthright Israel tour. This time there were tons of tourists in Tel Aviv… which made me think about WHY there were no tourists last time… which made me realize that it was much more dangerous last in 2004 … which brought me to the conclusion that I was kind of stupid for going at that time… SORRY MOM AND DAD!

Life on the Road... and some horror stories

I guess I'll start off with the underwear update. As I predicted, 5 pairs has been more than enough. I could easily last 2 weeks with that supply. I've realized that my longest underwear extension is about 3 days... I remember traveling in China during college when it was more like 5 days... but I'm soooooo over that grungy phase. Three days max for me and usually its more like 1-2 days, because I wash my clothes pretty regularly. Although, nothing ever seems to get really clean. Even though I try to wash everything as often as possible... my bag just kinda smells like funk. Not just any funk, but funk that's been fermenting in a closed bag for 5-6 weeks. And my "whites" are more like earthy tones now.

Worst horror story so far... not so bad, but it might make you gag. I'm alway very careless with my sunglasses... I hang them on my collar when not wearing them and they always drop when I lean over. Well, when I was in the Wadi Rum desert using the squatty outhouse... I leaned over to flush (translation: flushing = turning on near by faucet and washing the "stuff" down into the hole) and my glassed dropped into the squatty hole. I didn't know what to do... I definitely didn't want to stick my hand in there and get them out, but I was in the middle of the desert where the sun just beats down on you like a heat lamp in an interrogation room. I ended up reaching into the hole, which thankfully was mostly liquid based with minimal solids, and retrieved my glasses. I spent the next 30 minutes gagging while I washed off my glasses a combination of water, purel, and baby wipes. I've been wearing them for over a week now and still no pink eye... so I guess everything turned out okay. The only hazard is that every time I stop to take a photo, I automatically take off my sunglasses to look at the LCD screen and put them in my mouth. Either I have the strongest stomach in the world or purel is magic, cuz I have yet to get sick even though I spend half the day sticking outhouse remains in my mouth.

The best part of traveling is meeting people along the way. Its a lot easier to meet people as a single traveler... cuz you dont' have any other choice! I try to meet people or talk to strangers at every stop I can, sometimes for 5 minutes and sometimes for a few days (I even met two dudes from Brea... which is right next door to my parents in Yorba Linda... crazy). I naturally just start talking to anyone that speaks English and looks interesting and most people are responsive. Its a chicken-egg scenario... I'm not sure if traveling makes you more open or if travelers are just naturally more outgoing people. The most interesting people I've met are Stephanie and Bailey... a mother daughter combo that are spending a year on the road together. Bailey does her high school courses online... while working in the Wadi Rum desert. What an amazing life experience that must be for her, I'm definitely envious. People always tell me that I've traveled a lot for my age, but how great would it be to take a life changing trip like this... in high school. That's an education that definitely can't be found in the classroom.

As for my accommodations... I've come to the realization that I'm an "upper budget" traveler... as the lonely planet describes me. That means that I do hostels or cheap hotels, but I must have a clean shower and toilet, preferably my own. My definition of clean is simple... (1) I want to feel cleaner when I get out of the shower than when I got in, (2) the toilet must look cleaner than the one at the restaurant down the street, and (3) slightly dirty sheets are okay... but no obvious odor allowed. Gone are the days where I found the cheapest hostel in the LP ... now I usually look for the more expensive options in the budget range... sometimes I might even bump it up to the mid range. Yup, I'm definitely moving up in the world...

I have also realized that there are several distinct types of travelers... and all travelers fall into at least one or more of these categories.

"Fresh from College"
- usually prefers the lowest of the budget accommodations
- won't spend money on a real dinner, but can somehow find money for beer and other extra-curricular activities.
- can usually smell this person from across the room and they seem to go out of there way to NOT shower or wash their clothes.
- fortunately I'm not at the right time of the year or place in the world to find too many of these guys. BUT, I imagine that summertime in India will be full of these smelly, soul searching hippies.

"Know-it-All"
- Thinks they know everything about the world or the particular area that you are in.
- Thinks that the locals are all stupid and inefficient and complains all the time
- Spends a lot of time telling other travelers how great he/she is and dishing out unwanted advice.
- Only eats at local joints, because he/she is too cool for tourist traps.

"Shoulda-Spent-The-Money-For-A-Tour"
- This traveler didn't spend the money on a tour, because it was too pricey or he/she thought it would be more adventurous to do it solo. Unfortunately, he/she spends the entire time complaining about poor service, delays, and inconveniences.
- Always seems to deserve (not just want) 5 star service for hostel prices.
- Always thinks that locals are ripping him/her off
- Always has an opinion about world events... usually expresses that opinion by starting off with criticizing the particular world event and telling how the "right" way to do it is.

"Rugged Adventurer"
- Wants to climb, scale, hike the entire world.
- Wears only dri-fit, cool-max, or UV protected clothing.
- Always wants to push it to the max, dude!
- Wakes up at annoyingly early hours and is always annoyingly perky and positive.

"Beach Cruiser"
- Vacations and trips are always of the beach and/or cruise type.
- Usually doesn't care to venture out of the hotel or away from the tourist hot spots
- Usually a hot chick
- I only ran into a few of these at Sharm el Sheik... too bad.

"The Paula Abdul of Travelors"
- Thinks everything is exotic and beautiful
- Dishes out more compliments to locals than Paula Abdul on American Idol... usually sounds like, "I love this food, its so exotic..." or "I love this place is so majestic/magical/inspiring" or "I love these paintings (can be replaced with any item of tourist crap), they have so much character...they speak to me"
- Usually ends up paying hundreds of dollars for some junk at the most obvious tourist trap right in front of the most famous monuments in the region.

I'll let you comment on where I fall into... but if anyone labels me as Paula Abdul category... I'm removing your comment!!!!!

The other thing I notice about travelers is that there is a distinct difference between European and American travelers. The Euros always seems to dressed fashionably functional... for the men its capri pants, pumas, tight polo shirt (pastel colors), aviator glasses and hat... for the women its linen, pastel t-shirts, and slippers or even short heels. I can never figure out how they survive while hiking around all day. The Americans are always in baggy, unisex, functional clothing with lots of pockets and footwear is always tevas, hiking boots, or trail shoes. Its no wonder those Frenchies think Americans lack class and culture... cuz when they see us on the road, we look their poor country cousins.

Finally, the one thing that I notice everywhere I go is the interest in American politics. Sometimes I forget how important American politics and policies are to the rest of the world. People here in the Middle East know just as much, if not more, than the average American about the current state of our politics... and everyone wants to know who's going to win the election. I was anticipating more animosity or disgust, but what I seem to encounter is more frustration and disappointment. I've been asked about Hillary vs. Obama at least 20 times... by locals and other tourists from Europe and the Middle East... and their parting thoughts usually end with something like, "well, whoever wins, please... no more war... this is not good for the world." Its kinda more of a frustrated feeling of submission rather than the bold, resilient anger that I anticipated. I'll save my opinions on American politics for another time... but I was just interested to see and hear this.

A parting gift... top 10 things I miss about home.

10. Clean showers, sheets, and toilets.
9. Dryers (clothes not hair)
8. free internet (well... unlimited internet)
7. clothes other than the 2 pants and 2 t-shirts that I've been "rotating"
6. not having to pack all my belongings into a bag every other day.
5.Good old fashioned LA smog (the middle east smog is more dusty... man made smog air pollution is way better)
4. Home made food
3. My Friends and Family... of course!!!
2. The Lakers
1. Work, Responsibility, and a daily routine....NOOOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! (that "not" was said with a humorous, borat-like accent)

Amman, Jerash, & the Dead Sea

As the title of this post would indicate... the most recent part of my trip has been a bit boring. After finishing up with Petra, I headed to Amman where I stationed myself for some sightseeing in the northern half of Jordan. Its not so much that the places were boring, I guess I'm just suffering from monument overload. Its like, if you've ever traveled across western Europe. After a month of backpacking, you don't ever want to see another church or cathedral again. The ruins in Jerash and Amman are really impressive, but after seeing Petra, Luxor, and Cairo its hard to compete.

Before the ruins, I took a day trip to the Dead Sea. I went with two guys from the hostel I was staying at. Thinking that I was a pro, because I had been to the Dead Sea a few years ago in Israel, I "wisely" advised them NOT to get any water in your mouth or eyes. Then I proceeded to jump into the water and got it all in my eyes. It wasn't like I was a complete idiot... I was floating effortlessly and relaxing on the water and then I decided to just lean back and let my hair and ears touch the water. Of course, when I got out, the water from my hair dripped into my eyes. Then came the total cheezy Mr. Bean moment when I ran around with my eyes closed, running over little kids, screaming like a girl, looking for the fresh water shower.

Overall the Dead Sea is a cool experience, you really can float effortlessly if you don't mind the excruciating stinging from the salt water. As soon as I got into the water, the hangnails on my fingers and blisters on my feet were totally on fire. I definitely wouldn't say that floating in the Dead Sea is relaxing. Also, I did not try it out, but I heard that you when you wipe the mud all over yourself, you can just feel the salt baking into your skin with the sun... sounds relaxing, huh? I did grab a piece of the salt crystals that form at the waters edge and here's a pix. I made sure to take a picture, cuz I'm sure that its not going to make it all the way back home in one piece. Its pretty interesting to see the salt everywhere. I read that the sea level is falling by 1/2 a meter every year because there is no more water flowing in, and so the salt content is increasing every year. You can just walk along the shallow part of the water and its covered with salt that looks kinda like coral.




Jerash is actually pretty interesting, and I think I would have been more impressed had I not JUST finished Petra and Egypt. I know it sounds corny, but the setting kinda reminds me of a scene from Gladiator or some other epic movie. Grassy fields and flowers with huge pillars, some standing some lying on the ground. Its kinda like that last scene were maximus is kinda floating through the grassy fields. I'm embarrassed that I just wrote that. The great part is that there's no security or rules, so you can run around, touch everything, and climb wherever you want. Kinda makes you feel like you're a real explorer, rather than just a tourist... but that feeling only lasts until the bus load of school kids drives up.

In Jerash, there is a great walkway and courtyard, multiple theaters, and a few temples. You can definitely spend a full day here just walking around the different sites. Also, the relatively few tourists makes it more enjoyable. I was able to walk around and take pictures without having to fight crowds of tourists. I think its interesting that Jordan doesn't market Jerash more to tourists... most people just come to see Petra and go home.




After Jerash, spent a few days in Amman. Amman has one interesting site... the Citadel. You guessed... more Roman ruins. The Citadel is on the highest hill in Amman and so you get a great view of the city. The picture of the flag pole is the world's largest free standing flag pole. Apparently Kim Jong Il has a taller one, but its supported by tie-downs.